NFL Player News

Ward is quoted as saying that even a small bump on his head in normal day-to-day activity recently left him with a debilitating migraine, and adds: “I do know going into next season, if I do come back and play again, if I get one more (concussion), I’ll for sure probably retire.” A big-name free agent addition by the Colts this past offseason, Ward was only able to play seven games while dealing with brain injuries.

Charbonnet will return to practice this week. The team now has 21 days to officially activate him from the injured reserve. It’s unclear how much of that window they will use to get him up to full speed. He has to miss at least one more game while on the PUP list. Charbonnet tore his ACL in Seattle’s first playoff game last year. The team talked about his quick recovery throughout the offseason and that will be the case, even if he uses all three weeks of his practice window. Once he returns, Charbonnet will at least take over the roles of George Holani and Emanuel Wilson, who have been splitting the backfield with Jadarian Price so far. He could even work himself into the starting job if Price continues to struggle with fumbles.

It will likely go down as a limited session for the veteran wideout, but Godwin should be on track to play in Week 4. The bad news is that he will do so with UDFA rookie Jalon Daniels as his quarterback. Godwin was already off to a slow start, and things aren’t likely to improve with a backup quarterback under center. He is low-wattage FLEX play for Week 4.

Evans took a shot to the midsection in Week 3 and had to be carted to the locker room. He did not practice on Wednesday, but Evans is the type of player who can miss all three practices and still suit up. If he does, the 49ers will likely put him on a pitch count. If he can’t go, expect the passing attack to run through George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, with plenty of check-downs for Christian McCaffrey as well.

Daniels was limited in practice on Wednesday and was on the practice field again today, presumably for another limited session. He isn’t expected to play this week, but any amount of practice this soon is a good sign. He told reporters he won’t make a final decision on surgery until after the season. He is, however, at least holding off until the offseason. Marcus Mariota will almost certainly start again this week. Daniels will then have a chance to return in Week 5 against the Giants.

With two DNPs to start the week, White looks unlikely to suit up for Week 4 against the Colts. Austin Ekeler traveled with the team after signing with the team earlier this week, so he could ultimately take on White’s role. Backup running back Kayton Allen could also see more work, but Jacory Croskey-Merritt remains the clear lead back in Washington for now. He is on the RB2/3 border for Week 4.

Dowdle did not practice this week and was ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Browns. Rapoport called him day-to-day. The mini-bye between today’s game and Pittsburgh’s Week 5 date with Indy at home should be enough rest to get Dowdle back on the field. Jaylen Warren will see almost the entirety of the backfield tonight before returning to committee duties once Dowdle is healthy.

Porter Jr. missed the first three games of the year with a back issue. The Steelers also listed conditioning under his name on the injury report and even took the back injury off entirely at one point. All of that is to say that his absences were ultimately contract-related, which everyone knew in the first place. He was ruled out for Thursday’s game by Pittsburgh, but is eligible to play for the Cowboys this week if they can get him up to speed on the playbook ahead of Sunday’s game. He will likely play on specific packages if he does suit up, but that would still be an upgrade for a banged-up Dallas secondary.

Schultz added that the plan is to have him play first and “the contract will take care of itself from there.” That’s not exactly what Porter Jr. was looking to get out of this move, but it also points to the fact that his relationship with the Steelers was simply fractured beyond repair. Pittsburgh’s somewhat archaic rules around contract negotiations drove a wedge between them and their star corner. They don’t extend players during the season and, with rare exceptions, they do not guarantee money beyond the first year of a new deal. If Porter Jr. suits up next week and puts a few good games on tape, we suspect the Cowboys will feel comfortable giving him the contract he wanted from the Steelers.

Mims went down with a foot injury in Week 1 and hasn’t played or practiced since. A full session on Wednesday means he’s good to go for Week 4. He could push Troy Franklin for the WR4 job, but his biggest contributions will come in the return game.

In exchange for Porter, the Cowboys will send the Steelers a second-round selection as well as a conditional sixth-round pick. Pelissero noted in his blog that trade talks between Dallas and Pittsburgh had picked up over the past few weeks, and the deal will soon become official. Porter has yet to play a snap in 2026 as he has dealt with a back injury, and also a contract dispute. The 26-year-old is one of the more talented corners in football, and Dallas has struggled considerably to stop the pass over the first three weeks. Assuming good health, Porter should be a vast improvement over what the Cowboys have gotten out of their corners to begin 2026.