Thursday’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts
Minnesota Vikings
New York Giants
San Francisco 49ers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Commanders running back Austin Ekeler has been on injured reserve since the end of November, but he has a chance to play again before the end of the season.
Head coach Dan Quinn said on Tuesday that Ekeler’s return is “absolutely possible,” per ESPN’s John Keim.
Ekeler suffered a scary concussion in Week 12 that was at least the fourth of his NFL career. He couldn’t make it through the league’s concussion protocol in Week 13, forcing him on injured reserve for at least four weeks.
Ekeler is eligible to be activated for this week’s game, but he hasn’t yet been designated to return, making it unlikely he plays against the Falcons on Sunday night. A return in Week 18 or the playoffs – which the Commanders could clinch this weekend – seems more likely, especially considering the delicate nature of head injuries.
The ex-Chargers running back has been a solid complement to Brian Robinson in the Commanders’ backfield this season. Robinson is the team’s leading rusher, while Ekeler has been the primary receiving back with 33 catches on 39 targets. The two running backs have combined with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to form the third-ranked rushing offense in the NFL.
Two weeks remain in the regular season, and while a number of teams are jockeying for playoff spots several others are still in contention to land a coveted draft slot. It remains to be seen where the No. 1 selection will wind up.
The Giants and Raiders entered Sunday’s action with two wins apiece, and New York’s loss kept the team strongly in contention to kick off the draft in April. By virtue of winning against the Jaguars, though, the Raiders hurt their chances of finding themselves in that position. A top-two spot (or thereabouts) may be required to draft either of this year’s top passers, but a small move up the order positioning Vegas to add one could still be on the table.
Five teams currently sit a 3-12, and a head-to-head matchup between the Titans and Jaguars on Sunday will be key in deciding where each of them wind up. Another three squads own a 4-11 record, so plenty of potential exists in terms of changes being made to the order at the top of the board. Numerous expected suitors for a Day 1 quarterback (including teams like the Browns and Jets) may very well find themselves out of reach for Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders without a trade-up being necessary. The Panthers’ starting situation with Bryce Young is certainly not settled for 2025, but adding a passer on Day 1 would come as a surprise at this point.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:
Today’s practice squad moves:
New York Giants
Washington Commanders
In the second year of the Josh Harris ownership regime, the Commanders have seemingly found their franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels and have an excellent chance to qualify for the postseason in Daniels’ rookie year. The club also scored a big win on the stadium front.
In Saturday’s early morning hours, the United States Senate unanimously approved the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act. The legislation, which had already been approved by the House of Representatives, will become law once it is signed by President Joe Biden.
At that point, Washington, D.C. will have control of the 170-acre site upon which RFK Stadium – the longtime home of the Commanders, then known as the Redskins – sits. In turn, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser will have the opportunity to negotiate a stadium deal with the Commanders. Per Sam Fortier of the Washington Post, Bowser has made redevelopment of the area one of her top agenda items, and she wants the return of the Commanders to the nation’s capital to be part of her legacy.
The franchise played its home games at RFK from 1961-1996, during which time it won all five of its conference championships and all three of its Super Bowls. Most of the club’s stay at its current home, Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, overlapped with the generally disastrous ownership tenure of Dan Snyder.
Prior to the new legislation, the National Park Service’s lease with D.C., which was due to end in 2038, restricted use of the RFK site. Now, however, the District will have control of the site for 99 years and will be able to develop it in a mixed-use capacity, which includes the construction of a new stadium.
Although the bill itself does not contemplate the use of taxpayer dollars, it is eminently possible that a new stadium will indeed involve public funds, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests. And while Commanders executives have called RFK the “spiritual home” of the team, and while Harris himself has acknowledged the nostalgic desire to have his club return there, any deal that Bowser and the team strike would have to be approved by the D.C. Council, which is split on the issue of whether to use tax money for a stadium.
Meanwhile, Maryland Governor Wes Moore has reiterated his desire to have the Commanders stay where they are, albeit with a new stadium. In theory, Virginia looms as a potential destination, though Fortier notes that the Commonwealth has neither a definite site for a stadium nor a mechanism to obtain public funds for such a project.
Harris has previously noted that D.C. would be the ideal location for the Commanders because it would be the most widely accepted site among the team’s DMV fanbase. In the wake of yesterday’s Senate approval, Harris issued a statement on the matter, which can be found here.
Harris would like for the team to be playing in its new stadium, wherever it might be, by 2030.
Today’s minor transactions and standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Washington Commanders
After being activated from injured reserve in early November, Bates only played two games before suffering a concussion. The 27-year-old has not played since Week 11 and will now miss the remainder of the season on IR. Bates is under contract through 2025.
Jonathan Allen had suffered a pectoral injury that was slated to end his season, but last week brought a positive development on this front. An Allen return became possible; a few days later, the Commanders will see their longest-tenured defender back at work.
Washington will have Allen at practice today, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, marking the start of his 21-day activation window. The eighth-year defensive tackle has been out since suffering the pectoral injury in Week 6. Allen only suffering a partially torn pec, as opposed to the initially feared full tear, will allow for this return.
This season marks a rarity for Allen, whose only playoff berth came as part of a 7-9 2020 team. Washington potentially going through another rebuild brought hesitation from Allen, who then landed in trade rumors. The Commanders held onto the former first-round pick this offseason and appear close to again pairing him with longtime teammate (in Washington and at Alabama) Daron Payne.
The Commanders, who sit 9-5 after holding off the Saints, have Allen on what now looks like a team-friendly contract. The team paid the quality D-tackle in 2021, authorizing a four-year, $72MM deal. That contract runs through next season. Unlike Payne, Washington made Allen a priority before his contract year. Payne, however, benefited from playing out his by then being franchise-tagged and signed to a then-top-market pact (four years, $90MM). He and Allen are poised to reform one of the NFL’s top DT duos.
Allen, 29, has produced at least six sacks in four seasons. He was productive before and during the Montez Sweat–Chase Young era, doing well to help Washington compensate for the latter’s long-running injury hiatus. Allen reached a career-high nine sacks and 30 QB hits in 2021, making the Pro Bowl that season and again in 2022. Payne, 27, joined him that year but has only totaled seven QB hits (to go with four sacks) this season. Allen had already reached six hits (two sacks) before his injury.
Retooling around several new arrivals, the Commanders have seen Dante Fowler (8.5 sacks) and Frankie Luvu (eight) spearhead their pass rush. Allen and Payne arrived during Bruce Allen‘s time running the team, with the Dan Quinn-Adam Peters duo the third regime to stop by during the DTs’ tenure. It will certainly stand to help the Commanders’ chances to make the playoffs once Allen returns; barring a setback, that figures to come soon.
Here are the latest practice squad updates from around the NFL:
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Commanders
This NFL season saw several teams slip out of contention quicker than usual, slimming wild-card races and expanding the pursuit for the No. 1 overall pick. Two teams now lead that race.
While no prospect on the Caleb Williams level is dangling for the Raiders and Giants, an interesting showdown has formed. With three weeks to go, the Giants would currently hold the top 2025 draft choice. But based on projected strength of schedule, the Raiders would win the tiebreaker if the results held. The team with the weaker overall strength of schedule would win that. The Giants still have a game against the 12-2 Eagles, while the Raiders’ upcoming matchup with the 3-11 Jaguars works in their favor.
The Giants have not held the No. 1 pick in the common draft era (1967-present), last making a choice atop a draft in 1965 (running back Tucker Frederickson). Their Eli Manning trade occurred after the Chargers had chosen the quarterback to start the 2004 draft. The Raiders have held the top pick once in the common draft era, famously choosing JaMarcus Russell to start the ’07 draft. Both teams have coaches fighting for their jobs, but each also has seen All-Pros (Dexter Lawrence, Maxx Crosby) removed from equations. Losers of 10 straight, the Raiders follow their Jaguars matchup with games against the Saints and Chargers. The Giants, who have dropped nine consecutive games, go Falcons-Colts-Eagles to close the season.
Five 3-11 teams sit behind the Raiders and Giants presently, with the NFL having nine teams who have already lost double-digit contests. If a Giants or Raiders win occurs, there are candidates to move toward pole position in what could be races for Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward. Though, a non-Giants or Raiders team finishing in the top two creates a bit more intrigue, as both those clubs are in dire need of QB help.
With an eye on teams’ projected strength of schedule based on current records, here is how the draft order looks with three games to go:
Jamison Crowder returned to practice this week, signaling that he could be an option for the Commanders in Week 15. The veteran receiver/returner has indeed been activated from injured reserve, per a team announcement. 
A calf injury suffered in Week 3 has kept Crowder out of the fold until this point. He is now healthy, though, and as a result he could take on a returner role for the closing stages of the season. Of course, playing time on offense could also be possible in Crowder’s case.
Noah Brown has been moved to injured reserve, which comes as no surprise. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said on Wednesday Brown is likely to miss the remainder of the campaign, and an IR stint ensures at least a four-week absence. Brown will therefore not be available until at least the wild-card round of the postseason should Washington (8-5) qualify. Crowder has made only 17 catches since joining the Commanders last year, so expectations in that regard will be limited upon return.
In other roster news, Washington has elevated Greg Joseph from the practice squad. The veteran kicker was added to the team’s taxi squad yesterday, and he will provide insurance at the position. Zane Gonzalez practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, but over the past two sessions he has been listed as a full participant. It would therefore come as a surprise if Gonzalez was forced to miss tomorrow’s game, but if that proves to be the case Joseph will be available to take his place.
The Commanders sit only 18th in the NFL in passing yards per game (221) despite rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels‘ strong campaign. Losing Brown could deal a blow to the team’s offense given his status as the top complementary WR option to Terry McLaurin, but if Washington is to reach the playoffs he will not be part of the equation the rest of the way.