NFL Player News

Newton reiterated that he doesn’t believe there are 32 quarterbacks in the NFL better than him, but acknowledged that his path back into the league may be as a backup. He then went on to mention a number of quarterbacks he’d be willing to back up, which included Deshaun Watson, Sam Howell, Malik Willis, Lamar Jackson, and several others. He also said he’d be fine with backing up rookies C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, and Anthony Richardson. In the video posted to Newton’s Twitter account, it’s clear the veteran quarterback is hoping to squash the narrative that he’s unwilling to serve as a backup. Still, he needs to find a suitor that’s willing to give him a chance, which might not come until after the NFL Draft, if at all.

Players typically play through any illness-related issues, but Warren’s addition to the injury report just hours before kickoff is concerning. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Warren “woke up sick and is getting fluids” and that he is “optimistic” about playing on Monday night. His status will be one to watch for when inactives are announced 90 minutes before kickoff, but if he is unable to go, Kenneth Gainwell would be primed for a large role on Monday night against the Dolphins.

Knight is expected to undergo an MRI on Monday to confirm the diagnosis, but the belief is that he did not break anything. Knight is highly unlikely to play in Week 16’s game against the Falcons, and depending on the severity of his injury, it wouldn’t be surprising if this proved to be season-ending. We’ll check back in with an update when the team provides one, but an already thin Cardinals backfield could be looking at Emari Demercado and Michael Carter as it’s top two options down the stretch.

A 48-20 loss to the Jaguars was the final straw for Wilks, whose defense entered the day ranked in the bottom five in EPA per play entering the day and had allowed six 30-plus point performances on the year. Another indictment of Wilks is the fact that his defense has yet to force an interception through the first 15 weeks of the season. Life got harder following this year’s trade deadline, when the Jets dealt stars Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams away for future draft picks, but Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars set a new low for the season. Wilks hasn’t spent more than one season with a team since his first stint with the Panthers, which lasted from 2012 to 2017. The long-time defensive coordinator who helped lead a top-five 49ers defense in 2023 could find a new home next offseason, but this latest stop left much to be desired. Defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator Chris Harris will takeover as interim DC for the final three weeks of the season.

Pearsall battled through an ankle injury early in Sunday’s win and later went down with a knee injury. Shanahan said he believes Pearsall’s knee injury resulted from “irritating his PCL from the past,” and noted that such injuries tend to linger. Pearsall said after the game that he will have some imaging done, so we’ll likely know within the next 24 hours if there’s anything to be concerned about heading into Week 16. We’re well into the part of the season when every player is dealing with some injury or another. Hopefully, Pearsall will be available for Week 16’s game against the Colts.

Watson appeared to have suffered a shoulder injury but was later listed with a chest injury. The Packers’ top deep threat was taken to the hospital for further evaluation, but was able to fly home with the team after the game. According to Packers beat writer Rob Demovsky, Watson had a CT scan as a precaution on his lungs, but “no issue with his lungs” was found. Whether or not he’s able to play in Week 16 against the may not be known until later in the week, but it sounds like this will be a short-term absence for Watson at the worst. With the Packers playing on Saturday, we should have our first injury report on Tuesday, which will give us a better sense of where Watson’s availability could stand for next week. If he’s unable to go, Romeo Doubs and Matthew Golden would be the favorites to see expanded roles.

He was officially questionable to return after leaving in the third quarter. Bears coach Ben Johnson said after the game that they’d look at it tomorrow. It’s possible that the Bears will lose their ascending receiver ahead of Week 16’s date against the Packers.

It was a career day for Williams, who ranked second among Jets receivers in routes (30) and third in snaps with 41. Williams has played primarily on special teams this season and currently leads the league in punt return yards (396) and has two punt return touchdowns. He seemed to show good chemistry with Brady Cook, who he has presumably spent a lot of time with in practice, but his strong performance in Week 15 could warrant a stronger look over the final three weeks of the season. Williams has played 30-plus snaps and run 20-plus routes in back-to-back weeks. He’s worth a stash in deeper leagues ahead of next week’s game against the Saints.

This was to be expected after Buchanan’s knee buckled under him while covering a punt early in Sunday’s win. The rookie linebacker is scheduled to undergo more tests on Monday to confirm things, but it sounds like Buchanan is trending toward missing the remainder of the season. Buchanan is second on the team with 93 tackles this season and has also registered five TFLs to go with one forced fumble and one pass breakup. His absence would be a big loss for the Ravens who are fighting to stay in the playoff hunt.

It sounds like with a 17-0 lead, Ryans prioritized Marks’ health — this is the third week in a row where he has been pulled mid-game with a nagging lower body injury. Sensible. Not fun for fantasy managers, but sensible. Marks enters Week 16 on the questionable line, with a big game possible against a Raiders defense that allowed 31 points to the Bad Vibes Eagles in Week 15.

The normally elite kicker missed from 51 yards in the first half and from 59 yards after the break in a loss that all but ended the team’s chances at a postseason berth, now requiring three wins and three losses from the Eagles to do so. The two misses also matched his season total through 13 games after the veteran kicker connected on 27 of his first 29 attempts this season.