The Chicago Bears placed tight end Cole Kmet on injured reserve on Friday, October 23, a day after he hurt his knee in Thursday night’s win over the New England Patriots, and defensive end Montez Sweat took his roster spot after his two-game suspension was lifted. Three other teams cut veterans to clear room for players coming back from injured reserve: the Seattle Seahawks released cornerback Trevon Diggs, the San Francisco 49ers released pass rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo, and the Minnesota Vikings released running back DeeJay Dallas.
The Kansas City Chiefs promoted receiver Andrew Armstrong from the practice squad, and the Dallas Cowboys opened safety P.J. Locke’s practice window. No trades were reported on Friday. The trade deadline is Tuesday, November 10, at 4 p.m. ET.
Friday, October 23 NFL transactions
This table covers moves announced or reported on Friday, October 23, through early evening ET. Thursday’s moves are in our Thursday roundup, and earlier days are on the transactions page.
| Club | Player | Pos. | Move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | Malcolm DeWalt IV | CB | Cleared waivers, now a free agent |
| Chicago Bears | Cole Kmet | TE | Placed on injured reserve |
| Chicago Bears | Montez Sweat | DE | Reinstated from suspension |
| Dallas Cowboys | P.J. Locke | S | Designated to return from injured reserve |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Andrew Armstrong | WR | Signed to the active roster from the practice squad |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Nate Carter | RB | Re-signed to the practice squad |
| Minnesota Vikings | DeeJay Dallas | RB | Released |
| Minnesota Vikings | Jihad Ward | OLB | Signed to the practice squad |
| Minnesota Vikings | Tristan Leigh | T | Released from the practice squad |
| Philadelphia Eagles | E.J. Jenkins | TE | Cleared waivers, now a free agent |
| San Francisco 49ers | Ogbo Okoronkwo | DL | Released |
| Seattle Seahawks | Trevon Diggs | CB | Released |
The moves that matter
Kmet’s season is over, and Sweat is back. Chicago made the Kmet move official on Friday afternoon after head coach Ben Johnson said the tight end’s right knee injury would end his season. Kmet was carted off in the fourth quarter on Thursday after catching a season-high three passes, and he finishes the year with 10 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown in seven games. The Illinois native, a 2020 second-round pick, had missed only one game in his career. “He’s a big part of our heartbeat,” Johnson said. “It stinks. I hate it.” Rookie third-round pick Sam Roush now backs up Colston Loveland. Commissioner Roger Goodell also lifted Sweat’s suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, and the defensive end was reinstated to fill Kmet’s spot on the 53-man roster. Our story on Johnson’s comments has more.
Seahawks cut Diggs to make room for Bradford. Seattle released Diggs, the former Dallas Cowboys All-Pro, to open a spot on the 53-man roster for guard Anthony Bradford, who was designated to return from injured reserve on Tuesday and has no injury designation for Sunday night’s game against the Chiefs. Diggs began the season on Seattle’s practice squad after being cut at the end of August and was signed to the active roster before the October 11 game against the 49ers. He made one tackle in three games. Gregg Bell noted the Seahawks are likely to try to bring him back on the practice squad. Running back Zach Charbonnet, whom Seattle activated from the physically unable to perform list on Thursday, was ruled out for Sunday by head coach Mike Macdonald.
49ers clear a spot for Kirk. San Francisco released Okoronkwo, a vested veteran who is not subject to waivers, which opens a roster spot for receiver Christian Kirk to come off injured reserve. Kirk has been out all season with a calf injury. Okoronkwo, 31, has played in every game for the unbeaten 49ers, with two tackles and a sack, and could be re-signed to the practice squad before Sunday’s game at the Atlanta Falcons. It is the second time this month that San Francisco has taken him off the 53-man roster to make room for a returning player.
Vikings make room for Mason and bring back Ward. Minnesota released Dallas from the 53-man roster, and Kevin Seifert noted that running back Jordan Mason is expected to be added on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s home game against the Indianapolis Colts. Earlier on Friday, the Vikings signed outside linebacker Jihad Ward back to their practice squad and released tackle Tristan Leigh. Ward left Minnesota’s practice squad for the New York Giants late last month, and the Giants released him on Tuesday.
Chiefs promote Armstrong. Kansas City signed Armstrong to the 53-man roster from the practice squad, using one of the spots opened when left tackle Josh Simmons went on injured reserve on Thursday, Aaron Wilson reported. Armstrong has earned a bigger role as a blocking receiver, and the Chiefs will again be without Rashee Rice, who was ruled out for Sunday night in Seattle along with Jaylon Moore and Brashard Smith. Kansas City also re-signed running back Nate Carter to its practice squad two days after releasing him.
Cowboys open Locke’s window. Dallas designated Locke to return from injured reserve, giving the team 21 days to activate him. Locke has been on the list since September 26 with a foot injury he suffered after just three snaps in the Week 2 win over the Washington Commanders. He signed a one-year, $4 million deal in March to reunite with defensive coordinator Christian Parker, his former position coach in Denver. Fellow safety Jalen Thompson is also on injured reserve. The Cowboys play at the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Waivers and discipline
Cornerback Malcolm DeWalt IV, whom the Falcons released on Thursday, and tight end E.J. Jenkins, whom the Eagles waived the same day, both cleared waivers on Friday and are free agents. Buffalo Bills defensive back Sam Franklin won his appeal: hearing officer James Thrash reduced his one-game suspension for spitting at a Las Vegas Raiders player to a $14,926 fine, so Franklin will be available when the Bills return from their bye against the Baltimore Ravens on November 1. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s one-game ban for the same game was upheld on Thursday.
What comes next
Teams make their final roster moves for Sunday’s games on Saturday, so the activations behind Friday’s releases should follow: Bradford in Seattle, Kirk in San Francisco and Mason in Minnesota. The Giants need a roster spot for cornerback Paulson Adebo, whom John Harbaugh all but confirmed will come off injured reserve, and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who Dan Duggan reported is out for the season, is a candidate for the list. Chris Tomasson reported that the Denver Broncos are expected to activate running back Jonah Coleman and outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper and to place outside linebacker Jonah Elliss on injured reserve. The Pittsburgh Steelers listed safety DeShon Elliott as questionable, and he is on track to be activated for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints in Paris. Practice squad elevations for Week 7 will also come on Saturday. Our Friday injury report has every team’s game statuses.
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