NFL Player News

Dugger closed the week with two limited sessions, putting him on the right side of questionable as Sunday approaches. Fellow starting safety Jabrill Peppers is also listed as questionable for Week 16. Healthy or not, the Patriots will be easy targets for Josh Allen and a red-hot Bills offense. Allen remains the QB1 overall heading into Week 16.

The Panthers remains mostly healthy as they prepare to face the Buccaneers on the road with the divisional title on the line. The path to the postseason is simple for the Panthers - win and in. A win would mark the team’s first NFC South title since 2015.

Wirfs has been battling a turf toe injury but makes his return to the active roster just in time for a must-win game against the divisional rival Panthers with a potential playoff spot on the line. The Buccaneers need to beat the Panthers and have the Falcons beat the Saints to back their way into the postseason. Also active is Godwin after the veteran receiver was added to the injury report earlier Saturday with an illness. Inactive for the Buccaneers are QB Connor Bazelak, CB Jamel Dean, G Elijah Klein, OLB Anthony Nelson, WR Sterling Shepard, and DL Elijah Simmons.

Hall’s season ends with 1,065 yards on the ground on 243 carries, good for a respectable 4.4 yards per carry mark. He added 350 yards and a touchdown on 36 receptions, bringing his season total to five scores. Hall played the 2025 season on the final year of his initial four-year rookie contract and is expected to draw significant interest in the offseason market, meaning he could have played his final snap as a member of the Jets.

The late-week hamstring injury appears highly likely to keep the rookie tight end out for the team’s regular season finale against the Cardinals, potentially paving the way for additional run from fellow tight ends Davis Allen and Nick Vannett. Vannett has been active in the previous five games but has only played 11 offensive snaps for the Rams this season.

Godwin is caught up in the sickness sweeping the league, with the team adding him to the injury report Saturday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the veteran receiver is expected to play as the Buccaneers fight to keep their season alive against the Panthers later today, giving quarterback Baker Mayfield his full compliment of pass-catching weapons in the must-win game. We’ll get final word when the team releases inactives 90 minutes prior to first kick.

Campbell took over play-calling duties in Week 10 after a disastrous loss at home to the Vikings where offensive coordinator John Morton’s lack of adjustments seemed to cost the Lions offense. Morton was blunt in his assessment of that game, putting the blame on the players, specifically the offensive line. Whether Campbell or Morton was calling plays this year, the Lions lost all seven games where they failed to rush for 100 yards after only rushing for less than 100 yards twice in the previous season. Fixing the run game will likely take new personnel along the offensive line, as Morton seemed to suggest, but after losing Ben Johnson and bringing in Morton last offseason, Campbell is still on the lookout for a new offensive coordinator.

Since going to the Super Bowl and Conference Championship Game in back-to-back years, the Bengals have now missed the playoffs for the third straight year. While Joe Burrow missed significant time in two of the last three seasons, Taylor has overseen the Bengals defense get progressively worse over that time. This year’s version has already allowed 472 points, which is the most in franchise history with one game still to go. Still, it’s really no surprise that Taylor is being brought back considering the devotion the Bengals ownership has already shown him as well as previous coaches.

Pearsall played through his various ailments last week against the Bears and managed to haul in five receptions for 85 yards. After practicing in a limited fashion all week, it seems like the 25-year-old wide receiver is prepared to play through pain once again. Pearsall is an upside WR3 despite the difficult matchup against the Seahawks in Week 18.

Williams hasn’t practiced this week, but head coach Kyle Shanahan left the door open for him to play. Fowler reports Williams should be good for the playoffs, but his status is up in the air for Saturday night’s battle for the No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs. The 49ers will see how Williams feels pregame, but they also don’t want him to make the injury he originally suffered just last week worse, according to Fowler.

McDaniel, whose contract runs through 2028, has rebounded nicely this season. After a 1-6 start, the Dolphins have gone 6-3. The 42-year-old coach sacked quarterback Tua Tagoovailoa, who’s unlikely to play again for the Dolphins, according to Rapoport. Quinn Ewers showed some promise in his limited action. With McDaniel likely safe, the team is still looking for a new GM and has enlisted the services of Troy Aikman as a consultant. Coaching staff changes are also possible and the Dolphins will probably looking for a new quarterback as well, but have some stability with their head coach expected back.