Per Pro Football Rumors and reporter Ben Levine (Sept. 9, 2026), today’s roundup of Minor NFL Transactions includes two New England promotions and several league-wide roster moves. The New England Patriots promoted running back Lan Larison and punter Mitch Wishnowsky to the active roster. The Dallas Cowboys placed guard Tyler Smith on injured reserve with a reported thumb surgery and an initial recovery window estimated at four to six weeks, as relayed to Pro Football Rumors via The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
Minor NFL Transactions for 9/9/26
Below is a compact, sourced list of the moves reported by Ben Levine at Pro Football Rumors on September 9, 2026. The table is intended for quick scanning of each cited transaction.
Cowboys place Tyler Smith on IR — timeline and context
Pro Football Rumors relays that Tyler Smith underwent thumb surgery and the Cowboys placed him on injured reserve with a designation to return. The Athletic’s Jon Machota is cited in the PFR piece noting the surgery “went well” and that the player could return “sooner than later.” Those comments and the four- to six-week estimate are an early recovery projection from team reporting; they should be treated as an estimated window rather than a guaranteed timeline.
Teams commonly use the IR and ‘designated to return’ mechanisms to manage the 53-man roster while preserving the option to bring a player back later in the season. Fans should watch official team updates for roster moves and later medical progress reports that confirm availability.
What the Patriots promotions mean for the roster
Promoting a running back and a punter on the same day is primarily an administrative move that affects short-term depth and game-day flexibility. Elevating Lan Larison gives New England an additional option in the backfield group; Larison’s promotion preserves the Patriots’ ability to manage gameday activations and handle unexpected absences without signaling a long-term change to the depth chart. Larison slots into the team’s running-back mix behind established options, adding competition and depth for early-season game plans.
Bringing up Mitch Wishnowsky addresses special-teams needs. A rostered punter is important for game-day planning and can free up roster spots elsewhere or provide contingency if the team needs a different skill set on special teams in the near term. Both promotions are routine roster-management moves at this stage of the season and should be read as such: practical depth adjustments rather than definitive changes to playing roles.
League-wide takeaways
Tuesday’s transactions reflect a common mid-week pattern: multiple teams waived players from injured reserve, several practice-squad promotions occurred, and at least one team used the IR-designated-to-return rule to manage short-term injury recovery. Entries that list players as “waived from IR” indicate teams removing players from injured-reserve lists rather than confirming new injuries or roster elevations.
For followers of roster construction, these moves are an early-season reminder that administrative designations — promotions, waivers from IR, and ‘designated to return’ flags — are tools teams use for roster flexibility. They provide signals about depth and availability but rarely offer precise medical timelines.
What happens next?
- Teams will update injury reports and roster transactions as medical clearances come in or as roster needs change.
- ‘Designated to return’ players can be activated when medically cleared within team and league rules; timelines are estimates and may shift.
- Patriots fans should monitor official team releases and gameday rosters for confirmations of Larison’s and Wishnowsky’s roles.
Source and reporting notes
This roundup is grounded in the Pro Football Rumors transaction post by Ben Levine published September 9, 2026. The detail on Tyler Smith — including the note that the surgery “went well” and the comment that he could return “sooner than later” — was reported to Pro Football Rumors via Jon Machota of The Athletic. Readers should treat projected timelines as estimates and follow official team statements for confirmation.
Original Pro Football Rumors listing: Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/26 (Pro Football Rumors).
