The New York Jets severed their last tie to the ill-fated Aaron Rodgers era by releasing wide receiver Allen Lazard, a source confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday. Lazard, 30, a healthy scratch in four games, had no consistent role on offense and asked to be released with the hope of landing with a contender, a source told ESPN, and the Jets (3-11), committed to evaluating their young receivers, obliged.
The Minnesota Vikings waived Thielen, 35, on Monday to allow him to find a bigger role in what he said will be his final NFL season. In 11 games this season, Thielen caught eight passes for 69 yards. He had a 1,000-yard season as recently as 2023, when he had 1,014 yards on 103 receptions for the Panthers. He has 693 catches for 8,380 yards and 64 touchdowns in 12 seasons.
Originally drafted by the Jets following a breakout junior year at Pitt, Abanikanda failed to find a role in New York. Working behind Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook in his rookie year, Abanikanda got a few looks near the end of the season but seemingly failed to make much of an impression. The next year saw New York draft Braelon Allen a round earlier than Abanikanda had been taken the year prior, and Abanikanda didn't see any game action before eventually getting waived in December.
With the Dolphins in need of reinforcements on the offensive line, Miami is signing former Patriots offensive lineman Cole Strange off the Cleveland Browns' practice squad, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Patriots Baker had the option to return to New England's practice squad, but elected a fresh start in Philadelphia. Javon Baker is reportedly heading to a new team for the 2025 season. The 2024 fourth-round pick had a rollercoaster of a career in New England, and that remained true up until the very end of his tenure. Heading into the week, it appeared Baker was on the bubble of making the Patriots' 53-man roster.
Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism.
Mike Vrabel made it clear that the Patriots' roster was still taking shape and that the initial roster cuts would not be the team that took the field in Week 1 against the Raiders. That was made clear as soon as the waiver wire closed on Wednesday afternoon, as the Patriots made a flurry of additions to the roster and the practice squad, along with a few cuts.
Among the outcasts was The Hulk, as incredible as that may seem for undrafted rookie Sebastian Valdez, a defensive tackle who got that nickname from offensive linemen. Among the procedural shenanigans: punter Thomas Morstead got released, almost assuredly for just 24 hours so a player can slide Wednesday on to non-season-ending Injured Reserve, such as wide receiver Jacob Cowing. Almost half of the roster is devoted to the trenches. They've kept 10 offensive linemen (yes to rookie Drew Moss, no to guard Nick Zakelj).
