NFL Player News

Mausi (6'2"/215) saw his recruitment pick up from spring into summer, receiving a flurry of offers in early June. He cut the field down to Duke, Indiana, Colorado State and Michigan State before ultimately siding with the Blue Devils. Rivals’ Josh Helmholdt forwards that the Detroit native -- nice little recruiting reach by HC David Cutcliffe, here -- could potentially play either inside or outside linebacker at the collegiate level and notes that Mausi possesses a “high ceiling.” Rivals ranks Mausi as the No. 28 prospect in the state of Michigan for the 2020 cycle.

It’s been an odd 24 hours for Love, who was quoted after Sunday’s game saying this is shaping up to be the “longest year” of his career while also adding that he’s “tired” and would be willing to pass off work to Tyler Allgeier or Bam Knight in the event that he doesn’t think he can do what is being asked of him. As for this latest injury, LaFleur said the ankle injury isn’t the same one Love injured in the preseason, meaning he now has two ankle injuries to manage for the rest of the season. The Cardinals’ backfield was already proving hard to predict, and the latest quote from Love, coupled with the injury news, doesn’t exactly instill more confidence in him going forward. He draws a plus Week 5 matchup against the Lions, but should be treated as a fringe RB2/RB3 for now.

Mayfield is expected to miss “anywhere from three to six weeks” with his thumb injury, so it’s not at all surprising to see him listed as a DNP for Monday’s practice. We wouldn’t expect Mayfield to practice at all this week in the days leading up to Thursday’s matchup against the Cowboys. We’ll see if things change next week when the Bucs begin prepping for Week 6 against the Steelers. Rookie UDFA Jalon Daniels is expected to make his second career start on Thursday.

This is the third straight season-ending injury for Johnson, who also ended the 2024 and 2025 seasons on injured reserve due to knee injuries. The Cardinals picked up Johnson’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason, so he will return for the 2026 season. That said, this recent string of injuries doesn’t bode well for him earning a long-term contract extension this offseason, despite his strong play when healthy. Johnson allowed seven pressures and one sack on 174 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF, and has allowed 10 sacks in his last 30 games played. Assuming all goes well with his rehab, Johnson should be ready in time for training camp next season.

McCarthy said he expects Dowdle and Jaylen Warren to be a “one-two punch” once Dowdle returns to the field. Warren has totaled 34 rushes over the last two weeks while rushing for 220 scoreless yards, but had a 21-89-0 line during the first two weeks of the season when Dowdle was active. Both backs will likely fall in the RB3/FLEX range if Dowdle suits up for Week 5’s game against the Colts.

Rapoport reports there are hopes that Bigsby will be back “in six weeks or shorter.” The 24-year-old back will be required to miss at least four games now that he’s headed for an IR stint. With Saquon Barkley (hamstring) also at risk of missing at least one game, third-string RB Will Shipley could be in line for a busy day in Week 5 against the Jaguars. Shipley rushed six times for 23 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Rams, but could be a sneaky option in PPR leagues given his pass-catching profile during his days at Clemson, when he caught 85 passes over three seasons. It also wouldn’t be surprising if Dameon Pierce or Jaydon Blue were promoted off the practice squad and saw early down touches while Shipley serves in more of a third-down role. There’s a lot to figure out here over the next few days.

McVay said he expects Donald to practice this week and hopefully play when the Rams take on the Bills on Monday Night Football in Week 5. Donald has totaled four tackles in his first two games with the Rams this season and has yet to record a sack in 68 defensive snaps. The Rams will release their first injury report on Thursday, so we’ll get a better sense of Donald’s status then.

Monangai seemingly winds up on the injury report every other week, but he keeps playing and keeps playing well. We wouldn’t be surprised to see him listed again this week, but it sounds like he’s very much in line to play against the Packers.

It’s hard to know what to make of this, but Douglas has missed back-to-back games with his injury and could be at risk of missing a third straight game if he can’t get on the practice field ahead of Week 5’s game against the Bengals. Douglas did not practice at all last week, so even getting on the field in a limited capacity would be an improvement. His name will be one to keep an eye on when the Dolphins release their first injury report on Wednesday.

Thornton is having surgery “within the week” with the hopes of being able to return late in the season or in the playoffs for the Chiefs. Xavier Worthy will likely shift up in the target pecking order absent an outside addition. Cyrus Allen could also get more run than he has over the first month of the season.

Smith’s 21-day practice window will now open, giving the team three weeks to officially activate him from IR or rule him out for the season. Smith was placed on injured reserve before the start of the season after undergoing surgery to correct an issue that he had previously put off. Smith, a three-time Pro Bowler and 2023 second-team All-Pro can be activated at any time.