NFL Player News

Thompson (6-foot, 211) didn’t get a Combine invite but stole the show at the Gophers’ Pro Day, running forties in the 4.3-4.4 range to go with explosive vertical (40.5-inch) and broad (10-foot-2) jumps. He also put up 21 reps on the bench press. A true workout warrior who wasn’t on many radars in the draft process, Thompson will try to carve out a role on special teams early on.

While we would prefer to see Kittle begin the week with a full practice, we cannot complain about this outcome. Kittle made it through Week 18 without suffering any reported setbacks. His early-week participation puts him on track to play in the 49ers’ Wild Card Weekend game against the Eagles.

Williams still has a chance to play this week, but we were hoping to see him resume practicing today. Williams is dealing with his first recorded hamstring injury, suffered as he clocked 17.6 miles per hour on his team’s first play from scrimmage in Week 17. The 49ers face the Eagles this weekend. Getting Williams back would be a great development for QB Brock Purdy.

Darn. Per Shanahan, Pearsall aggravated the PCL sprain in his knee during the 49ers’ Week 17 win over the Bears. He was unable to play in Week 18 against the Seahawks, though “he did participate in the 49ers’ 3 light practice sessions last week.” Hopefully, Pearsall resumes practicing tomorrow. Pearsall was recently listed with an ankle injury as well. The 49ers have not yet released the official injury report, so we do not know whether that is also an issue this week. 49ers beat reports on the matter vary.

The team now has 21 days to observe Cowing in practice before officially activating him from injured reserve. The move comes at the right time. 49ers WR Ricky Pearsall aggravated his knee injury in Week 17 and was unable to play in Week 18. Cowing is not a full-on replacement for Pearsall, if the latter player remains sidelined, but having another wide receiver available is at least mildly helpful. The team also signed LB Milo Eifler to a reserve/future contract.

Scheelhaase interviewed for the Jaguars and Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator vacancies last offseason before the Rams promoted him from offensive assistant and passing game specialist to passing game coordinator. Schrager did not specify whether Scheelhaase’s buzz is in relation to offensive coordinator vacancies once again, but we believe this is the case. Rams QB Matthew Stafford led the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns this season. Stafford, of course, deserves a ton of credit, but Scheelhaase’s tactics were undoubtedly valuable.

Teams cannot yet request to interview LaFleur, but it seems as though he may have a few suitors when he is made available via the NFL’s interview rules. LaFleur has served as the Rams’ offensive coordinator since 2023. The offense boasts two top-four finishes in yards per play across the full NFL season during that span. They rank second this season (6.2) and lead the NFL in passing touchdowns (46).

Williams, 25, produced multiple career-bests this season, notably rushing for more than 1,000 yards for the very first time. A multi-year extension could keep Williams in a Cowboys uniform through the rest of his prime. Hopefully, the team can get the No. 2 RB role sorted out in 2026 to help keep Williams fresh down the stretch.

The Raiders had a bumpy year, but Graham’s defense allowed the 11th-fewest yards per play (5.1) to opponents this season. Graham interviewed for the Jaguars, Chargers and Seahawks head-coaching vacancies in 2025. The Commanders’ defense struggled under defensive-minded head coach Dan Quinn this year. Adding Graham to his staff could be a very smart move.

Melton injured his knee in Week 18. Having been placed on injured reserve, he must now miss at least four games. The Packers only have four potential games left to play this season, so we will not see Melton until next season. The coaching staff switched Melton from wide receiver to cornerback last offseason, but he never once lined up on defense this year, instead logging 96 snaps on offense and 186 on special teams.

Prater appeared to re-injure his quad in Week 18’s meaningless game against the Jets and is now iffy for the Wild Card round against Jacksonville. The Bills could re-sign veteran journeyman K Michael Badgley, who spent time on the practice squad in December. Prater has converted 18 of his 20 field goal tries this season.