Washington Commanders News & Rumors

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/10/25

Wednesday’s taxi squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Released from practice squad/injured list (with injury settlement): WR Jalen Reagor

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

With regular punter Tress Way in danger of missing this week’s Thursday Night matchup in Green Bay with a back injury, Washington has signed the former 49ers veteran as insurance.

2025 Offseason In Review Series

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/25

With our first slate of Sunday games tomorrow, we’ll see our first slew of standard gameday practice squad elevations. Here are today’s minor transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Each NFL team is granted up to two standard gameday practice squad elevations each game, allowing them to call up two members of their practice squad who are able to play in that weekend’s game. After the game is played, the elevated players revert back to the practice squad with no transaction required. This differs from the situation with somebody like Crumedy in Carolina. With Mathis’ placement on injured reserve opening a spot on the 53-man roster, Crumedy has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster, where he will remain until he is cut or his contract expires.

Practice squad players can be called up a maximum of three times under a single practice squad contract. If a team wants to call up a player who’s been called up three times already, the team will usually sign the player to their active roster for a game, cut them after, and then sign them to a new practice squad contract. Under the new contract, the player would be eligible to be elevated for three more games.

As the Dolphins await Jason Sanders‘ return from IR, Patterson was named the winner of a kicking audition with three other veteran kickers. Miami will be able to elevate him three times but will have to promote him to the active roster for any games between that and Sanders’ activation. Similarly, Prater will likely be on the same plan in Buffalo.

Haener’s stint on the Saints’ active roster was short-lived as the team decides to move forward with only two quarterbacks. Spencer Rattler will handle starting duties to begin the campaign with second-round rookie Tyler Shough serving as his backup.

Offseason In Review: Washington Commanders

Making one of the more stunning conference championship game journeys in NFL history, the Commanders altered their trajectory in the first year of the Adam PetersDan Quinn regime. Although early-career QB promise has fooled this franchise in the past, Jayden Daniels looks to have solved one of the NFL’s longeststanding position issues. The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year gives Washington hope, as evidenced by the team’s (convincing) upset win over the No. 1-seeded Lions in the divisional round.

Sustaining that promise will not be easy, but the Commanders went to work on filling their roster with veteran talent to complement Daniels’ rookie contract. This formula has paid off big for teams in the rookie-scale contract era, and the Commanders will take their swing. Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel are in the nation’s capital to help, and the Daniels-centered roster is now flanked by a host of experienced veterans.

Extensions and restructures:

Washington has been unable to find a viable McLaurin sidekick, striking out in free agency and on first-round pick Jahan Dotson. McLaurin, however, continued to produce regardless of the overmatched quarterbacks the franchise trotted out from 2019-23. Regardless of the value displayed during his career, McLaurin ran into some obstacles with Adam Peters embroiled in his first major extension talks as GM.

Upon drafting Daniels, the Commanders continued to lean on McLaurin, who continued his run of durability and delivered another solid season. McLaurin’s 1,096 yards were not a career high; his 13 touchdown catches were. And he added three more scores in the playoffs, cementing a second extension candidacy.

Entering the offseason tied to his 2022 deal, McLaurin also approaches an age-30 season — which became a point of contention during a long-running set of negotiations. While fellow 2019 Day 2 wideouts A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf had third contracts in place, both players are two years younger than McLaurin. The Ohio State product being Washington’s top weapon throughout his career counted for plenty, but this became a difficult negotiation. Drafted during the Bruce Allen regime’s final offseason, McLaurin ran into trouble convincing the Peters-led front office of his value this year.

In the Amari Cooper boat as a perennial 1,000-yard receiver but one never especially close to the league lead, McLaurin carries a bit more of an alibi due to the likes of Taylor Heinicke, Dwayne Haskins and Sam Howell being his primary passers. With Case Keenum and Carson Wentz sprinkled in, McLaurin doing enough to assemble a five-season streak of that sort is impressive. And Metcalf was less consistent despite having better QB play in Seattle. Still, this Commanders regime held McLaurin’s age against him.

Not reporting to OTAs or minicamp, McLaurin soon expressed frustration about the tenor of his second round of extension talks. The Commanders were surprised by how difficult the talks were proving to be, but the receiver market had shifted considerably over the past two offseasons.

Washington’s Ron RiveraMartin Mayhew brass extended McLaurin — on a three-year, $69.6MM deal — during the 2022 WR market boom, but that deal preceded those given to Metcalf and Deebo Samuel. With Garrett Wilson‘s Jets accord moving the $30MM-per-year WR club to nine, it is unsurprising the top Washington pass catcher wanted in. Despite McLaurin’s importance to the team, the Commanders preferred his deal land south of that point.

McLaurin held out before quickly reporting to camp and shifting to an injury-based hold-in. A July 31 trade request emerged, and the Patriots — as they have been with just about every potentially available wideout over the past two years — were interested. Even after the Commanders activated the seventh-year veteran from their active/PUP list, he was not doing team drills. Unlike Micah Parsons or even Trey Hendrickson, no real possibility existed of a Commanders trade. But a future in which McLaurin played out his 2022 extension — ahead of a possible 2026 franchise tag — was in play.

Finding a compromise at $29MM per year, the sides agreed to terms on a deal that placed McLaurin 10th in receiver AAV. This landed him south of where Wilson and Metcalf settled this offseason but above the Tee Higgins and Jaylen Waddle WR2 deals. The Commanders guaranteed McLaurin’s compensation through 2026, but an out is in place by March 2027. On April 1, 2027, McLaurin will see $5.35MM of his $23.3MM 2027 base salary become guaranteed, per Spotrac. There are $2.05MM in incentives in each year of the deal.

After two seasons as a starter, Wylie accepted a reduction in the final year of his contract. Given a three-year, $24MM deal to follow ex-Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy to Washington in 2023, Wylie started 29 Commanders games since. Wylie’s guard past in Kansas City is expected to come in handy early, with Sam Cosmi out to open the season, but the 2024 extension recipient’s return will bump the veteran to the bench.

Trades:

The Commanders’ tackle equation changed significantly this offseason, leading Wylie and primary 2024 left guard starter Nick Allegretti to the bench (once Cosmi recovers). Step one in that process involved another Tunsil trade. The Texans had extended Tunsil twice during his six-season stay but were not ready to discuss a third contract. Nearly six years after Houston gave up two first-round picks in a megadeal with Miami, Tunsil still fetched four draft choices to change teams.

While the Texans did not field a good offensive line in 2024, Tunsil was their most talented option. The team unloaded the Pro Bowl mainstay anyway, shaking things up ahead of C.J. Stroud‘s third season. They found another team with a rookie-deal QB to take the 10th-year veteran, and the final two years on Tunsil’s contract overlap with Jayden Daniels‘ two remaining rookie-pact seasons.

If Washington does not extend Tunsil — and no substantial talks have occurred — the overlap with Daniels’ rookie deal represents nice balance. Tunsil, 31, has proven a shrewd negotiator. If no talks take place early next offseason, drama should be expected.

Tunsil has played at least 14 games in eight of his nine seasons, only missing significant time during a woeful 2021 Texans season. He suited up for every Houston contest last year, ranking 10th among tackles in pass block win rate. Pro Football Focus viewed Tunsil as a top-20 tackle in each of his past two seasons. He will provide the Commanders with a considerable upgrade from Coleman and Cornelius Lucas.

As a result of the trade, Coleman shifted away from left tackle but is on track to take over at left guard. The 2024 third-round pick is in front of Allegretti, another ex-Chief. Allegretti and Wylie are likely to be experienced bench cogs once Cosmi returns from his ACL tear.

Two seasons remain on Allegretti’s three-year, $16MM accord, while Coleman has three years remaining on his rookie deal. Coleman (12 rookie-year starts) was mentioned as a right tackle candidate ahead of the Josh Conerly Jr. draft choice before sliding into the guard mix. Coleman started eight games at guard for TCU in 2021, a period that should help his transition.

Prior to the costlier Tunsil trade, the Commanders turned to Peters’ former team for a long-overdue McLaurin wingman. Samuel will attempt to reignite his career in Washington, as the versatile playmaker could not live up to his 49ers contract. Piggybacking on McLaurin’s 2022 terms, Samuel signed a three-year, $71.55MM extension weeks later that summer. The former second-round pick was coming off a first-team All-Pro season. Unfortunately for Samuel and the 49ers, he has not approached that 2021 showing since.

Still a valuable piece in Brock Purdy‘s four-All-Pro skill-position fleet, Samuel had a productive year in 2023 (892 receiving yards, 225 rushing yards, 12 total TDs). And he has only missed three games due to injury over the past two seasons. In 2024, however, Samuel only totaled 670 receiving yards and saw his yards per carry — a stat pretty much applicable to only one active NFL wideout — drop from 6.1 in 2023 to 3.2 in ’24.

Samuel derives part of his value from the “wide back” job description, but 202 career carries (plus 52 more playoff totes) may make him — in boxing parlance — an old 29. He is undoubtedly an upgrade on what Washington was deploying opposite McLaurin last season, and Kliff Kingsbury should have some good concepts ready for usage following this trade. But this was effectively a 49ers salary dump.

The Broncos and Texans showed interest, but neither team made an offer. The Commanders had been mentioned as a Cooper Kupp suitor via trade, but they had already pulled the trigger on Samuel when the Rams cut him.

Although Samuel saw his new team fully guarantee his 2025 compensation ($17MM) in a summer transaction, that was a misleading gesture due to the WR/RB’s vested-veteran status requiring that amount become guaranteed in early September. Samuel is still in a contract year, and this season figures to determine if another lucrative multiyear deal will be in play for the 2019 second-round pick. If the Commanders do not re-sign Samuel by the 2026 league year, they will be hit with $12.34MM in dead money due to void years.

Read more

Commanders Rookie T Josh Conerly Jr. To Start Week 1?

With unofficial depth charts coming out in the last few days before the regular season, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic pointed out that the Commanders have listed Oregon rookie Josh Conerly Jr. as the starting right tackle for Week 1 of the NFL season. If true, it would mean that the No. 29 overall pick of this year’s draft has officially won the position battle with incumbent starter Andrew Wylie.

Last year, Washington counted on Wylie and third-round rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman to bookend the offensive line. On a line that gave up the eighth-most sacks in the NFL last year, neither player graded out favorably. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), out of 81 players graded at offensive tackle last year, Wylie ranked 57th and Coleman ranked 64th.

It now appears neither player will retain their starting duties from last year, as the team traded for former Texans Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil early on in the offseason. Coleman, though, seems likely to keep a starting gig, even if not at left tackle. The second-year lineman out of TCU is currently slotted in as the first-team left guard. The bump inside shouldn’t be too difficult for Coleman, who started eight games at the position for the Horned Frogs in 2021.

Wylie, who has spent the past two seasons as the team’s starting right tackle, seems poised to serve in a swing tackle role for Washington in 2025. This makes his early-offseason pay cut make a bit more sense. Though, while last year’s starting left guard, Nick Allegretti, is listed as the first-team right guard for Week 1, the unofficial depth chart has an “or” between his name and Wylie’s.

Wylie has a versatile history, having started seasons at both right guard and left guard in the five years he spent in Kansas City before joining the Commanders. That, combined with Allegretti’s below average performance in his first full-time role as a starter last season, gives Wylie a decent shot at following Coleman’s path to bumping inside to retain a starting job. He’ll also likely be close by in the case that the rookie Conerly struggles at all in his first year of NFL play.

Conerly, a two-year starter for the Ducks, definitely showed areas that needed refinement as the left tackle in Eugene, but his athleticism, body control, and recovery balance made him a strong, bend-but-don’t-break tackle prospect with an ability to start early, if necessary. The Commanders have expressed a vision of Conerly being a left tackle for the team in the future, but with Tunsil manning the blind side at the moment, Washington will test Conerly’s ability to switch sides until potentially moving back to his normal position when Tunsil is no longer with the team.

With that in mind, it seems that Conerly will be tested in multiple ways this weekend. As he appears set to open his rookie season as a starter, the 21-year-old will be showcasing that he can both start early in his career and play on the right side of the offensive line.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/25

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

The 12-year veteran wide receiver, Woods, had been signed to the Steelers’ practice squad after failing to make the 53-man roster. Per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Woods requested to be released from his practice squad contract but told Pittsburgh that he would be open to returning if a spot on the active roster opened up for him. The team granted his request.

The Cardinals are able to add two players while only releasing one because Daxon is part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, having been born in the Bahamas. Teams can have one more than the 16-player limit for their practice squad, as long as the 17th players is in the IPPP.

Per Brady Henderson of ESPN, it’s believed that the Seahawks have made this transaction as a courtesy to Campbell, Gaines, and Laumea, who’ve all spent most of the offseason in Seattle with the team. This week on the practice squad will potentially get each player a minimum check for $13K, but the Seahawks are expected to bring Martinez and Jean-Charles back to the p-squad. The same has yet to be confirmed for Kight.

Kendrick Bourne To Visit Commanders, 49ers

September 2: The 49ers did make a formal offer to Bourne, per NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco, but he opted to explore his options with the Commanders. Bourne is visiting Washington on Tuesday, where he may be seeking a stronger deal than what San Francisco had in mind.

August 28: Kendrick Bourne was one of PFR’s release candidates in June, and the Patriots made that move during final roster cuts after hosting the veteran wide receiver for the last four years.

A reunion with the 49ers quickly became a possibility with general manager John Lynch, who signed Bourne as an undrafted free agent in 2017, confirming the team’s interest. The 30-year-old is now set to visit San Francisco, as well as Washington to meet with the Commanders, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Bourne made the roster as an undrafted rookie before carving out a rotational role in 2018. He only averaged just 25.3 receiving yards per game across his first three seasons in San Francisco before a 49-catch, 667-yard season boosted his stock in a contract year. San Francisco opted to bet on their ascending offensive talents and let Bourne walk. He eventually signed with New England, though injuries contributed to declining production and his eventual release.

A return to San Francisco could position Bourne for early-season snaps with Brandon Aiyuk on the PUP list, Jacob Cowing on IR, and Jauan Jennings uncertain for Week 1. The 49ers believe in 2024 first-rounder Ricky Pearsall to take a second-year leap, but veteran Demarcus Robinson is the team’s only other reliable depth. Though Kyle Shanahan‘s system has evolved since Bourne’s first stint in his offense, there should still be some familiarity that would allow a quick re-acclimation.

The Commanders, meanwhile, seem like a less obvious fit. They got Terry McLaurin back on the practice field after his extension, and Noah Brown has joined him after dealing with an undisclosed injury. They also have Deebo Samuel and young depth in Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane, though Bourne would be an offensive upgrade over special teams ace Chris Moore.

Bourne has agreed to a potential contract framework with both teams, per Rapoport, suggesting that a deal could come together relatively quickly.

2025 NFL Trades

The modern NFL features four clear trade windows. While the Cowboys and Steelers’ George Pickens swap showed moves can be made at other points on the NFL calendar, early March, the draft, the late-August 53-man roster-setting date and the November deadline reside as the primary points trades occur around the league. On that note, it is a good time to check in on what has transpired on the trade market between windows two and three.

Excluding pick-for-pick trades, here are the moves NFL teams have made thus far in 2025:

March 1

49ers chose running back Jordan James at 147

March 4

Rams traded pick to Vikings, moving up to No. 172 for linebacker Chris Paul Jr.

March 5

March 6

March 7

Seahawks chose quarterback Jalen Milroe at 92

March 9

Seahawks used No. 52 to trade up (via the Titans) 17 spots for safety Nick Emmanwori, drafted running back Damien Martinez at 223; Steelers selected quarterback Will Howard at 185

March 10

Texans added wide receiver Jaylin Noel at 79, sent 236 to Jaguars in Day 2 trade; Commanders chose wideout Jaylin Lane at No. 128 

Eagles used No. 164 to climb one spot (via Chiefs) in first round for linebacker Jihaad Campbell

March 11

March 12

Bills took Ohio State cornerback Jordan Hancock at 170; Cowboys chose guard Ajani Cornelius at No. 204

Titans drafted running back Kalel Mullings at No. 188; Cowboys chose running back Phil Mafah at 239

March 13

March 15

Vikings packaged No. 187 in trade-down move (via Texans); 49ers drafted safety Marques Sigle at 160

April 3

Patriots traded down from No. 171 (via Lions) to draft kicker Andres Borregales; Cowboys chose defensive tackle Jay Toia at 217

April 26

Seahawks selected defensive lineman Rylie Mills at No. 142; Vikings traded No. 172 to Rams

May 7

June 2

Pick could upgrade to fourth-rounder if performance-based conditions are met

June 30

July 1

August 4

August 17

August 20

August 22

August 24

August 25

August 26

August 27

August 28

September 8

2026 fifth-round pick (from Bryce Huff trade) could upgrade to fourth-rounder, which would be sent to Jacksonville if 49ers DE meets those conditions

September 14

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/28/25

Teams around the NFL continued to adjust their practice squads as new players came free from Wednesday’s transactions. Here are all the latest updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Falcons

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: CB Jalen Kimber, DE Andre Jones Jr.
  • Released: CB Daequan Hardy

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos:

  • Signed: TE Patrick Murtaugh (international exemptin)

Detroit Lions: 

Green Bay Packers:

Houston Texans: 

  • Signed: OT Reid Holskey, WR Josh Kelly

Indianapolis Colts: 

Jacksonville Jaguars: 

Kansas City Chiefs:

Los Angeles Chargers:

Miami Dolphins:

  • Signed: RB JaMycal Hasty

Minnesota Vikings:

New England Patriots: 

New York Giants: 

  • Signed: TE Qadir Ismail

New York Jets: 

  • Signed: OL Marquis Hayes, DB Korie Black

Philadelphia Eagles:

  • Signed: WR Britain Covey, OT Luke Felix Fualalo (international exemption)

San Francisco 49ers: 

Seattle Seahawks: 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 

Tennessee Titans: 

Washington Commanders: 

Signed: RB Donovan Edwards, CB Darius Rush

Ismail was one of 17 players to work out for the Giants on Thursday, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. He won the practice squad spot over more notable players like former Broncos safety Caden Sterns and former Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Canadian quarterback Taylor Elgersma also attended the workout, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, suggesting that the Giants might be looking for extra depth at the position.

Wallace worked out for the Vikings on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. It must have gone well, as he was signed to the practice squad hours later as extra depth both in the secondary and on special teams.

Griffin returned to the Seahawks this offseason, eight years after they made him a third-round pick in the 2017 draft. He did not make Seattle’s 53-man roster, but as a vested veteran, he was able to re-sign to the practice squad without going through waivers.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC East

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Cowboys, Commanders, Giants and Eagles moves are noted below.

Dallas Cowboys

Signed:

Claimed:

  • DB Twikweze Bridges (from Chargers), DB Reddy Steward (from Vikings)

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

New York Giants

Claimed:

Released:

Signed to practice squad:

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Washington Commanders

Signed to practice squad: