NFL Player News

The Tar Heels could receive a welcome boost in the secondary for Saturday’s game, as Duck (6'1/195) has returned to practice. It’s important to keep in mind that no decision has been made regarding his status for the matchup with Notre Dame, but the fact that the sophomore cornerback is back on the field is good news. Also, fellow sophomore cornerback Kyler McMichael (undisclosed) has already been declared available for the game.

Rattler definitely would seem to have a higher long-term upside than New Orleans’ other backup, Jake Haener. Rattler threw for 202 yards and one touchdown in the preseason while completing 52.6 percent of his passes. The Saints are going to have to find a way to weather the storm without Carr, and we’d expect a pretty limited game plan for Rattler if they installed him as the starter.

Carr was hurt in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s loss to the Chiefs. Jake Haener, who went 2-of-7 for 17 yards in replacing him, would seem to be a reasonable candidate to take over for the Saints in the short-term. It’s also possible the Saints give Spencer Rattler, who they selected in this past year’s draft, a chance at the job. This is a major downgrade for all Saints skill position players heading into Week 6’s game against the Buccaneers.

The team is still deciding whether to place Hufanga on injured reserve — we’d bet on that happening. Hufanga injured the wrist in the second quarter of Week 5’s game against the Cardinals. Rookie Malik Mustapha picked up most of Hufanga’s snaps and is line for more work going forward.

No major concern here as Kittle played through the ribs designation last week and came out of Week 5 without a new injury. Wednesday will probably be the only “real” practice day for the 49ers this week, but Kittle is obviously trending towards playing.

White had been working through an ankle injury early in the season, but had taken to listing him on the report under “personal reasons” the last few weeks. White is only 26, and in theory should be able to find a job somewhere in the league if he’s healthy and able. He notched 83 tackles in 13 starts for the Bucs in 2023.

Boone managed four carries for seven yards in Week 1’s disaster before being a healthy scratch in three of the next four weeks. He’ll try to catch on elsewhere as a backup.

Ulbrich did say that titles would not change, but this very strongly hints that Nathaniel Hackett may lose his role as playcaller for the Jets. Passing game coordinator Todd Downing would be the most logical playcaller in the room if that were the case, as he was Titans OC in 2021-2022 and Raiders OC in 2017. It wouldn’t exactly be an exciting change, but removing Hackett may be enough to improve the Jets prospects on its own.

Jacoby Brissett’s watch has ended. New England did seem to find an offensive line combination that was more secure in Week 5 when they shifted Mike Owenu to guard, but Brissett was unable to find much for the offense. Maye should elevate the ceiling of the Patriots offense. He will also likely lower its floor greatly at times. The Texans D/ST should be a popular pick this week for streaming and DFS alike. This move was always going to happen for New England, as they had to gain some clue of what they have in Maye going into the 2025 season and let him build chemistry with younger receivers like Ja’Lynn Polk.

Rice, to be clear, is still expected to miss the remainder of the season. But it appears his ACL, meniscus, and MCL were all intact and well. This should make his road to recovery easier and, perhaps at the very most optimistic, open up a playoff window for him to return in. Rice was placed on injured reserve last week and does not need to be rostered in non-keeper leagues.

A third unnamed Jets player said that Hackett “doesn’t take charge,” and that “half the time he tries to put it on Aaron [Rodgers], and Aaron will get frustrated.” While The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported earlier that the Jets aren’t planning on firing Hackett, Hughes says “that [Owner Woody] Johnson has been critical of Hackett in recent weeks.” Robert Saleh may be gone, but the vibes on this offense remain bad.