NFL Player News

Schefter said on Monday Night Countdown that McCaffrey is dealing with a calf and an Achilles issue that could keep him sidelined for Week 2. CMC was a last-second scratch Monday night against the Jets, leaving Jordan Mason to run roughshod over New York’s defense to the tune of 147 yards and a touchdown. It appears McCaffrey’s injury is far more serious than first thought. Mason will be a top-12 running back option until CMC can return.

You know the press corps had to ask the question at this point given how good Joe Flacco has looked the last few weeks, but there’s no way the Colts can prioritize a low-end Flacco playoff run over Richardson’s development. The latter is simply too important for the trajectory of the franchise. Richardson was a game-time decision last week but was downgraded to doubtful on Saturday and was inactive. If we see more practice participation this week, Richardson will likely get the keys back. If not, Flacco has obviously played well enough to keep starting.

Kneeland avoided the worst after many feared the rookie pass rusher may have been dealt a season-ending knee injury in Sunday’s victory. While we don’t yet know how long he’ll be out, Kneeland is expected to have his meniscus trimmed on Tuesday, and will return later in the season. We’ll likely learn more about the length of his absence this week.

Hernandez will enter free agency after the season, so this is an untimely injury for him. Trystan Colon-Castillo was given starters reps with Hernandez out and will likely be the first man up as they try to replace Hernandez.

Crosby played through a high-ankle sprain in Week 5 and was responsible for two of the Raiders’ three sacks in the defeat. Crosby, who has spent his entire six-year career with the Raiders, said the team’s struggles are something he’s “been dealing with his whole career” seemingly downplaying any desire that may exist to play for a contender elsewhere. Crosby is under contract through 2026 and has totaled 17 tackles and five sacks on the young season.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise after it was reported a few weeks ago that a November return is likely the earliest we would see McCaffrey back. Regardless, Shanahan will likely field questions on his RB1’s health until he returns, but we wouldn’t expect to see him for at least a few more weeks. Until then, Jordan Mason will continue handling the majority of the 49ers’ backfield touches, with Isaac Guerendo and Deebo Samuel also earning a few touches per game.

Chase Brown managers will have to work the voodoo doll a little harder next time. It’s possible that Moss misses some practice time this week with the injury, but as long as Moss is able to get going by Friday it’s likely he will remain in the driver’s seat in the Cincinnati committee. Moss managed just 52 total yards against the Ravens while dealing with the injury on Sunday.

AKA the guy who laid out horizontally trying to stop Brian Thomas Jr.'s touchdown last week. Flowers was part of a Colts cornerback room that Chris Ballard defended heavily this offseason. It’s pretty clear that they don’t think he took a step forward. Flowers had been a backup who had played under 20 snaps in three of his four active games this year. The Colts will look for help on the waiver wire or off the street for the secondary.

He’ll miss at least the next four weeks, though after being carted off with the gruesome injury it’s likely that he’ll miss the rest of the season. Fries is in the final year of his rookie deal and will likely be a reclamation project on a one-year deal next year, whether for the Colts or somebody else.

While the Raiders hope to work out an Adams trade soon, Schultz also notes that they “aren’t going to do just any deal” and prefer not to take on any remaining money on Adams’ current contract. The remaining money on Adams’ contract could hold up a potential trade for some teams — specifically the Saints, who have spent the last several years navigating suboptimal cap situations. We’ll see what materializes in the coming days, but it feels like a trade could be coming any day, now.

The hits keep coming for Njoku, who had been sidelined for the last three weeks with an ankle injury. In his first game back, the veteran tight end played on 25 snaps before suffering a knee injury that could see him miss additional time. In addition to Njoku, head coach Kevin Stefanski said cornerback Denzel Ward (hamstring) and center Ethan Pocic (knee) will also have MRIs.