The Dolphins have made a roster move that will end the season of one of their key offensive players.
Miami has placed tight end Darren Waller on injured reserve, the team announced.
Waller has been sidelined this week by a groin injury. After coming out of retirement to play for the Dolphins over the summer, Waller’s 2025 will end with him having caught 24 passes for 283 yards. He’s currently tied with Jaylen Waddle for the team lead with six touchdown catches.
As a corresponding move, the Dolphins have signed running back Donovan Edwards to the 53-man roster off of Washington’s practice squad.
Edwards’ signing may be depth insurance for running back De’Von Achane, who has not practiced this week with a shoulder injury. During his Friday press conference, head coach Mike McDaniel did not formally rule Achane out, but noted that players who aren’t available for practice all week typically do not play.
If it’s the end of Achane’s season, he led the Dolphins with 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns while leading the league with 5.7 yards per carry. He also caught 67 passes for 488 yards with four TDs.
Additionally, the club has released cornerback Clarence Lewis from the practice squad.
Miami’s full injury report with game statuses will be released later on Friday.
Patriots Clips
With one week remaining in the regular season, the playoff field is almost set, as 12 teams have clinched playoff berths. But the playoff seeds remain in flux. Here’s a list of the teams remaining in contention for each playoff seed, and how they can earn those seeds.
NFC
1. Seahawks or 49ers. The winner of Saturday night’s Seahawks-49ers game in San Francisco will determine who gets the No. 1 seed in the NFC. If the teams tie, the Seahawks will be the No. 1 seed.
2. Bears or Eagles. If the Bears win or the Eagles lose, the Bears are the No. 2 seed. If the Bears lose and the Eagles win, the Eagles are the No. 2 seed.
3. Eagles or Bears. The team that doesn’t get the No. 2 seed gets the No. 3 seed. The Eagles are resting their starters and effectively conceding the No. 2 seed to the Bears and preparing to be the No. 3 seed.
4. Panthers or Buccaneers. If the Panthers beat or tie the Buccaneers on Saturday, the Panthers are the No. 4 seed. If the Panthers lose but the Falcons win on Sunday, the Panthers are also the No. 4 seed. If the Buccaneers win and the Falcons lose or tie, the Buccaneers are the No. 4 seed.
5. 49ers or Seahawks or Rams. If the Seahawks lose on Saturday, they are the No. 5 seed. If the 49ers lose on Saturday and the Rams lose on Sunday, the 49ers are the No. 5 seed. If the 49ers lose on Saturday and the Rams win on Sunday, the Rams are the No. 5 seed.
6. Rams or 49ers. If the Rams lose or the 49ers win, the Rams are the No. 6 seed. If the 49ers lose and the Rams win, the 49ers are the No. 6 seed.
7. Packers. The Packers are the only team that has clinched its playoff seed. The Packers are the No. 7 seed in the NFC regardless of anything that happens in Week 18.
AFC
1. Broncos or Patriots or Jaguars. If the Broncos win or the Patriots and Jaguars both lose, the Broncos are the No. 1 seed.
If the Patriots win and the Broncos lose, the Patriots are the No. 1 seed.
If the Jaguars win and the Broncos and Patriots both lose, the Jaguars are the No. 1 seed.
2. Patriots or Broncos or Jaguars. If the Patriots and Broncos both win, the Patriots are the No. 2 seed. If the Patriots and Jaguars both lose, the Patriots are the No. 2 seed. If the Broncos win and the Jaguars lose, the Patriots are the No. 2 seed regardless of what the Patriots do.
If the Broncos lose, the Patriots win and the Jaguars lose, the Broncos are the No. 2 seed. If the Broncos lose, the Patriots lose and the Jaguars win, the Broncos are the No. 2 seed.
If the Jaguars win, the Broncos lose and the Patriots win, the Jaguars are the No. 2 seed. If the Jaguars win, the Broncos win and the Patriots lose, the Jaguars are the No. 2 seed.
3. Jaguars or Broncos or Patriots or Texans. If the Jaguars, Broncos and Patriots all win, or the Jaguars tie, thie Jaguars are the No. 3 seed. If the Jaguars and Texans both lose, the Jaguars are the No. 3 seed. If the Broncos win, the Patriots win and the Texans lose, the Jaguars are the No. 3 seed regardless of what the Jaguars do.
If the Broncos lose and Patriots and Jaguars both win, the Broncos are the No. 3 seed.
If the Patriots lose and the Jaguars win, the Patriots are the No. 3 seed.
If the Texans win and the Jaguars lose, the Texans are the No. 3 seed.
4. Steelers or Ravens. If the Steelers beat or tie the Ravens on Sunday night, the Steelers are the No. 4 seed. If the Ravens win, the Ravens are the No. 4 seed.
5. Texans or Jaguars or Chargers or Bills. If the Texans and Jaguars both win, the Texans are the No. 5 seed. If the Texans, Chargers and Bills all lose, the Texans are the No. 5 seed. If the Jaguars win and the Chargers and Bills lose, the Texans are the No. 5 seed regardless of what the Texans do.
If the Jaguars lose, the Texans win and the Bills lose, the Jaguars are the No. 5 seed. (There are also scenarios that see the Jaguars as the 5 seed based on the strength of victory tiebreaker with the Chargers.)
If the Chargers win and the Texans lose, the Chargers are the No. 5 seed. If the Chargers win and the Jaguars lose, the Chargers could also get the No. 5 seed based on clinching the strength of victory tiebreaker over the Jaguars.
If the Bills win, the Chargers lose and either the Texans or Jaguars lose, the Bills are the No. 5 seed.
6. Chargers or Jaguars or Texans or Bills. If the Chargers, Texans and Jaguars all win, the Chargers are the No. 6 seed. If the Chargers and Bills both lose, the Chargers are the No. 6 seed. If the Texans win and the Bills lose, the Chargers are the No. 6 seed regardless of what the Chargers do.
If the Jaguars and Chargers both lose, and the Texans and Bills both win, the Jaguars are the No. 6 seed.
If the Texans lose and either the Bills lose and Chargers win, or the Bills win and Chargers lose, the Texans are the No. 6 seed.
If the Bills win, the Chargers lose and the Texans and Jaguars both win, the Bills are the No. 6 seed. If the Bills win, the Chargers win and the Texans lose, the Bills are the No. 6 seed.
7. Bills or Jaguars or Texans or Chargers. If the Bills lose, the Bills are the No. 7 seed. If the Chargers, Texans and Jaguars all win, the Bills are the No. 7 seed regardless of what the Bills do.
If the Jaguars lose and the Texans, Chargers and Bills all win, the Jaguars can be the No. 7 seed if the Chargers clinch the strength of victory tiebreaker over the Jaguars.
If the Texans lose and the Chargers and Bills both win, the Texans are the No. 7 seed.
If the Chargers lose and the Bills win, the Chargers are the No. 7 seed.
Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte is making progress in his return to the Patriots lineup.
Boutte missed last Sunday’s game with a concussion, but he was able to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday. Boutte still needs to clear the concussion protocol in order to play in Week 18 and Thursday will bring word if he takes another step toward that goal.
Left tackle Will Campbell (knee) was a full participant in his first practice since being designated for return from injured reserve.
Defensive tackle Christian Barmore (illness) was out of practice along with tight end Hunter Henry (knee), edge rusher Harold Landry (knee), linebacker Robert Spillane (ankle), defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga (foot), fullback Jack Westover (ankle), and left guard Jared Wilson (concussion). Cornerback Alex Austin (wrist), edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson (illness), right tackle Morgan Moses (rest), tackle Thayer Munford (illness), and defensive tackle Milton Williams (ankle) were all limited participants.
The last two days have brought word that two Patriots players are facing assault charges, but head coach Mike Vrabel is not worried that either issue will be a distraction that interferes with the team’s football business.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs faces charges felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery while defensive tackle Christian Barmore will be arraigned on February 3 for misdemeanor assault and battery on a family/household member. At a Wednesday press conference, Vrabel stressed that they are just allegations while saying he’s confident the team will be able to keep its attention on the task at hand.
“I would say not disappointing at all,” Vrabel said. “These are allegations, like you mentioned in your question. It’s things that we have to handle and every day there’s distractions, some are smaller than others. I’m confident that we’ll focus on the Dolphins, and those two individuals that you mentioned will be able to handle the ongoing legal process.”
The NFL said Wednesday that both Diggs and Barmore are eligible to play while the league reviews the cases.
The Patriots have had news emerge in each of the past two days regarding criminal cases involving a pair of their players: receiver Stefon Diggs and defensive tackle Christian Barmore.
The NFL issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon, explaining that both matters “are under review of the Personal Conduct Policy.”
“There is no change to the status of Diggs or Barmore,” the statement explains. “Both are eligible to play at this time.”
The statement also points out that placement on the Commissioner Exempt list “may be considered following formal charges in the form of an indictment by a grand jury, the filing of charges by a prosecutor, or an arraignment in a criminal court.”
Diggs is accused of felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery. Barmore will be arraigned on February 3 for misdemeanor assault and battery on a family/household member.
Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore faces a charge of assault and battery on a family/household member.
Court documents, via WCVB, show that Barmore is due in court to be arraigned on February 3 on a charge stemming from an incident in August of this year. Per those documents, Barmore is accused of grabbing the phone out of the hand of a woman he was in a relationship with and throwing her to the floor when she tried to leave the house. The incident allegedly unfolded in front of the couple’s two-year-old child.
“The New England Patriots are aware of reports regarding a pending February arraignment involving Christian Barmore, which stems from an alleged domestic incident that occurred in August,” the team said in a statement. “The Patriots were made aware at the time of the incident and informed the NFL in a timely manner. The matter remains part of an ongoing legal process. We will respect that process, continue to monitor the situation closely, as we have over the past few months, and cooperate fully with the league. We will have no further comment at this time.”
The news about Barmore surfaced a day after a hearing on felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery charges against wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said at a Wednesday press conference that he’s not disappointed about either case and stressed that both men only face allegations. He also said that Barmore is not with the team on Wednesday because of an illness and that he has not heard anything that would affect the availability of either player for the team’s upcoming games.
Despite the supposed efforts of Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs’s lawyers to keep sealed the police report that resulted in felony “strangulation or suffocation” and misdemeanor assault and battery charges, the document has begun popping up online.
PFT has confirmed that the details in the document are the details that form the basis of the criminal case.
The incident allegedly happened on December 2. The alleged victim reported the incident on December 16.
She claims she was working for Diggs as a private chef. She contends that Diggs entered her unlocked bedroom, following an “ongoing text exchange” over money owed to the alleged victim.
Diggs allegedly became angry. He allegedly “smacked her across the face.” After that, he allegedly “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck.”
She claims that “she did feel like she had trouble breathing and that she felt like she could have blacked out.” She claims that, as she tried to pry his arm away, he “tightened his grip.”
She told the authorities that, because of his fame, she was reluctant to come forward and report the incident.
Initially, she did not wish to proceed with charges. On December 23, she decided to do so.
The criminal complaint was signed and filed on December 29.
Diggs, through his lawyer, has denied the allegations, blaming the situation on “an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction.”
The attorney for Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs has issued a statement in response to the charges of felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery that Diggs faces in Dedham, Massachusetts.
The incident that led to those charges allegedly occurred on December 2, but attorney David Meier’s statement said that the allegations are unfounded and that they were made after a financial dispute with someone working for Diggs.
“Stefon Diggs categorically denies these allegations,” Meier said, via Mark Maske of the Washington Post. “They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur. The timing and motivation for making the allegations is crystal clear: they are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction. Stefon looks forward to establishing the truth in a court of law.”
The Patriots also issued a statement saying Diggs denies the accusation and that the team supports him. They added that they will cooperate fully with the involved authorities in the NFL while continuing to gather information about the matter.
On Tuesday morning, news emerged of a criminal case against Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs. He faces a felony charge of “strangulation or suffocation” and a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery.
The NFL has issued the following statement on the situation: “We are aware of the matter and have been in contact with the club. We have no further comment at this time.”
The league could, based on the specific allegations, place Diggs on paid leave. First, the league needs to review the situation before making any decisions about whether the case merits the placement of Diggs on the Commissioner Exempt list.
Either way, the situation is unfolding at a critical time. The playoffs start next week. The Patriots will play in the wild-card round, unless they secure the No. 1 seed and the bye that comes with it.
The criminal charges against Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs won’t affect his ability to play in the 2025 postseason. The team, based on its statement in response to the news of the charges, seems to be inclined to take no action, for now.
The impediment, if any, to Diggs participating in the playoffs would come from the NFL.
The Personal Conduct Policy gives the league the ability to place a player on the Commissioner Exempt List (i.e., paid leave). From the latest edition of the policy posted by the NFL, paid leave is available under three circumstances.
“First, when a player is formally charged with: (1) a felony offense; or (2) a crime of violence, meaning that he is accused of having used physical force or a weapon to injure or threaten a person or animal, of having engaged in a sexual assault by force or against a person who was incapable of giving consent, or having engaged in other conduct that poses a genuine danger to the safety or well-being of another person. The formal charges may be in the form of an indictment by a grand jury, the filing of charges by a prosecutor, or an arraignment in a criminal court.
“Second, when an investigation leads the Commissioner to believe that a player may have violated this Policy by committing any of the conduct identified above, he may act where the circumstances and evidence warrant doing so. This decision will not reflect a finding of guilt or innocence and will not be guided by the same legal standards and considerations that would apply in a criminal trial.
“Third, in cases in which a violation relating to a crime of violence is alleged but further investigation is required, the Commissioner may place a player on the Commissioner Exempt List on a limited and temporary basis to permit the league to conduct a preliminary investigation. Based on the results of this investigation, the player may be returned to duty, be placed on the Commissioner Exempt List for a longer period or be subject to discipline.”
The league has broad discretion to use, or not use, paid leave. Without knowing more about the accusations, it’s impossible to even begin to assess whether the league would decide that the current situation justifies removing Diggs from the field.
As reported by Boston25News.com, Diggs’s lawyers hope to keep sealed the police report from the alleged December 2 incident. The NFL’s first order of business should be to demand that Diggs share the document with NFL investigators, so that the process of assessing the situation can begin.
Although it’s a non-football matter, the league’s construction and implementation of an in-house justice system that includes paid leave and potential unpaid suspensions (after the conclusion of all criminal proceedings)makes it a competitive issue. The Patriots and the teams they’ll be facing in the playoffs will want to be sure that the paid leave provision of the policy is applied fairly, accurately, and in a way that shows consistency with past cases.
