The Los Angeles Chargers placed safety Derwin James Jr. on injured reserve on Saturday, October 31, and the Kansas City Chiefs did the same with cornerback L’Jarius Sneed on the eve of their game in Denver. The Denver Broncos put running back RJ Harvey on injured reserve with a knee injury and promoted safety Taylor Rapp from the practice squad, and the New York Jets lost defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat for at least four games.
Seven clubs signed practice squad players to their 53-man rosters, three players came off injured reserve, including Raiders receiver Jack Bech, and 21 clubs had announced Week 8 practice squad elevations by early evening ET. The trade deadline is Tuesday, November 10, at 4 p.m. ET.
Saturday, October 31 NFL transactions
This table covers roster moves announced or filed on Saturday, October 31, through about 6 p.m. ET. Practice squad elevations are listed separately below. Friday’s moves are in our Friday roundup, and every roundup is on our transactions page.
| Club | Player | Pos. | Move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | T.J. Tampa Jr. | CB | Activated from injured reserve |
| Buffalo Bills | Te’Cory Couch | DB | Signed to the active roster from the practice squad |
| Dallas Cowboys | P.J. Locke III | S | Activated from injured reserve |
| Denver Broncos | Taylor Rapp | S | Signed to the active roster from the practice squad |
| Denver Broncos | RJ Harvey | RB | Placed on injured reserve (knee) |
| Kansas City Chiefs | L’Jarius Sneed | CB | Placed on injured reserve |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Melvin Smith | CB | Signed to the active roster from the practice squad |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Jack Bech | WR | Activated from injured reserve |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Patrick Johnson | DE | Placed on injured reserve |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Derwin James Jr. | S | Placed on injured reserve (hamstring) |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Isas Waxter | CB | Signed to the active roster from the practice squad |
| New England Patriots | Lan Larison | RB | Signed to the active roster from the practice squad |
| New York Jets | T’Vondre Sweat | DT | Placed on injured reserve (knee) |
| New York Jets | Payton Page | DT | Signed to the active roster from the practice squad |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Brandon Smith | WR | Signed to the active roster from the practice squad |
The moves that matter
Derwin James goes on injured reserve. James has not played since September 27 and has missed four games with a hamstring injury. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier in the week that the five-time Pro Bowl pick had a setback in his rehab. James had 21 tackles and a pass defensed in three games, and the earliest he can return is November 29. The Chargers signed cornerback Isas Waxter to the 53-man roster in his place. Waxter, who played at Villanova, spent 2025 on the Chargers’ practice squad and has played in two games this season as an elevation. Former Bills first-round pick Kaiir Elam was elevated for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Two Chiefs cornerbacks down before Denver. Kansas City placed Sneed on injured reserve after he was listed as questionable with personal and knee issues, and downgraded rookie first-round pick Mansoor Delane to out with a shoulder injury. The Chiefs signed cornerback Melvin Smith to the active roster and elevated defensive end Tyreke Smith. Sneed will miss at least the next four games.
Broncos swap Harvey for Rapp. Harvey hurt his knee in practice this week and was ruled out on Friday. Denver’s top receiving back, he has 304 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns this season and can return as early as Week 13 against the Miami Dolphins. Rapp, a 2019 second-round pick, has played nearly 70 percent of the defensive snaps in Denver’s last two games, with safety Talanoa Hufanga out again this week. The Broncos also elevated running back Cody Schrader and rookie lineman Gavin Ortega.
Sweat out for at least four games. The Jets placed Sweat on injured reserve with the knee injury he suffered in last Sunday’s loss to Miami. He had 17 tackles and two tackles for loss in six starts. New York promoted defensive tackle Payton Page from the practice squad and elevated lineman Brant Banks and edge rusher Quinton Bell for Sunday’s home game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Bech is back for the Raiders. Las Vegas activated Bech, who has been recovering from a fractured forearm, and placed defensive end Patrick Johnson on injured reserve. The Raiders also elevated defensive tackle Tim Keenan and defensive end Cian Slone for the trip to New Jersey.
Elsewhere. Dallas activated safety P.J. Locke III, who went on injured reserve on September 26 with a foot injury, before Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. Baltimore activated cornerback T.J. Tampa Jr. before its game in Buffalo, where the Bills signed defensive back Te’Cory Couch to the 53-man roster. New England promoted running back Lan Larison before its game in Miami, and Pittsburgh signed receiver Brandon Smith to the active roster.
Week 8 practice squad elevations
Each team can elevate two practice squad players for a game, and a player can be elevated three times a season before he has to be signed to the 53-man roster. These are the Saturday elevations that clubs had announced by early evening ET. Atlanta’s Khalil Herbert replaces the injured Brian Robinson, and the Rams brought up long snapper Jake McQuaide for Sunday’s game.
| Club | Elevated for Week 8 |
|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | DT Jared Harrison-Hunte, TE Kenny Yeboah |
| Atlanta Falcons | LB Brian Asamoah II, RB Khalil Herbert |
| Baltimore Ravens | T Chuma Edoga, OLB Adisa Isaac |
| Buffalo Bills | S Geno Stone, CB A.J. Woods |
| Cleveland Browns | TE Carsen Ryan |
| Dallas Cowboys | TE James Mitchell |
| Denver Broncos | RB Cody Schrader, OL Gavin Ortega |
| Indianapolis Colts | DE Carl Lawson, CB Johnathan Edwards |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | LB Jamal Hill |
| Kansas City Chiefs | DE Tyreke Smith |
| Las Vegas Raiders | DT Tim Keenan, DE Cian Slone |
| Los Angeles Chargers | CB Kaiir Elam |
| Los Angeles Rams | K Joshua Karty, LS Jake McQuaide |
| Miami Dolphins | K Zane Gonzalez, EDGE Max Llewellyn |
| Minnesota Vikings | RB DeeJay Dallas |
| New England Patriots | WR Ryan Miller |
| New York Jets | OL Brant Banks, EDGE Quinton Bell |
| Philadelphia Eagles | RB Elijah Mitchell, LB Mason Reiger |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | WR Brandon Johnson |
| Tennessee Titans | WR Xavier Restrepo, P Thomas Morstead |
| Washington Commanders | DT Byron Cowart |
What comes next
Washington has not yet moved defensive tackle Daron Payne, whose Jones fracture ends his season, to injured reserve; our Saturday injury roundup has the details. The Commanders host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, and the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks, who play on Monday night, will make their moves later. Seattle still has to open a roster spot for running back Jadarian Price to come off injured reserve. The Colts have opened trade talks on Jonathan Taylor, as our Colts story reports, and any Sunday and Monday moves will be in our next roundup.
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