NFL transactions tracker: The latest on what’s happening with Utah ties

The Deseret News is tracking Utah ties involved in NFL roster moves ahead of the start of the 2024 season. Check back for further updates — NFL teams must trim their active rosters to 53 players prior to a 2 p.m. MDT deadline on Aug. 27.
Former University of Utah speedster Javelin Guidry missed last season due to injury, but he’s back on an NFL roster with the Detroit Lions signing him to their 90-man roster.
Guidry bounced around between five different NFL teams over the past two years, before landing on injured reserve with the New York Jets last season.
He last played during the regular season in 2022, playing four games for the Las Vegas Raiders, and played in 28 games — with five starts — over his first two years in the league with the Jets in 2020 and 2021.
It only took a day for former BYU cornerback Kaleb Hayes to land on another NFL team.
One day after he was waived by the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos claimed Hayes off waivers on Monday.
This is Hayes’ third NFL team since joining the league. He spent the 2023 season on the Giants’ practice squad.
With Hayes’ addition, Denver now has eight Utah ties on its roster, including six former Utes and another former Cougar, quarterback Zach Wilson.
Kaleb Hayes is on the NFL open market once again.
The former BYU defensive back was waived three days after the New York Giants’ preseason opener. He was a training camp cut last year by the Jacksonville Jaguars and spent the 2023 season on New York’s practice squad.
Hayes played 17 defensive snaps and did not record a statistic in the Giants’ preseason opening win over the Detroit Lions on Thursday.
Deven Thompkins, meanwhile, lasted just over two weeks in Carolina after being waived with an injury designation, reportedly due to a hamstring injury.
Thompkins had spent the past two seasons in Tampa Bay.
Dax Milne spent almost a week without a team before the Raiders signed the former Cougar and Miner.
Milne, a 2021 seventh-round draft pick, had spent his previous three-plus seasons with Washington before the Commanders waived him on July 31. Milne missed the 2023 season while on injured reserve.
In the two years before that, he played in 28 games over two seasons for Washington and had 15 receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown. Milne also served as a returner for the Commanders, both on punts and kickoffs.
Nick Vigil, meanwhile, reunites with Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who was his head coach with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021.
This is Vigil’s fifth team in as many seasons, and that includes two stints with the Vikings.
Two summers ago, Samson Nacua had an opportunity to make an NFL roster as an undrafted rookie. After that didn’t work out, he spent time in other football leagues, but now, the former BYU and Utah wide receiver who prepped at Timpview High is getting another shot at the NFL.
That’s because the New Orleans Saints signed Nacua on Friday.
Nacua, the older brother of Los Angeles Rams record-setting wide receiver Puka Nacua, signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent in 2022 and competed in training camp — he even caught a touchdown pass in a preseason game — before being released during final cuts.
He played two games for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL in 2023 before landing with the Michigan Panthers during the 2024 UFL season.
Samson Nacua had 11 receptions for 125 yards with the Panthers and played alongside another brother, safety Kai Nacua, in Michigan.
In his short time with the Saints, he’s already leaving an impression in New Orleans. Samson Nacua made a one-handed grab during Saturday’s practice session that has been shared on social media.
He’s getting some opportunities with a handful of injuries hampering the Saints’ wide receivers, including a hamstring injury to former Weber State star Rashid Shaheed.
“I don’t know exactly what the outlook is for Samson Nacua, but he’s easy to like. He’s a bigger guy and has already had a few nice moments as a blocker, and he seems adept at using his frame to create leverage and space,” WWL Radio Sports’ Jeff Nowak wrote about him after Saturday’s practice.
“He’s no Puka, but there’s something to like there. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a factor in the preseason and sticks around on the practice squad, particularly with the extra opportunity available with all the injuries right now.”
New Orleans plays at the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 10 in its preseason opener.