NFL

Macdonald added that his status for Week 15 is still unknown after the lead back was forced to miss the team’s Week 14 win over the Cardinals. The team should know more in the next 24-48 hours. Zach Charbonnet remains a locked-in RB1 for as long as Walker remains sidelined in what has become a workhorse role.

No real surprises here. The bigger news is that cornerback Trevon Diggs is active after missing the previous two games, meaning the Cowboys will have their complete starting cornerback unit all active for the first time this season. They’ll likely find themselves busy against the pass-heavy nature of the Cincinnati offense.

Both Brown and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins had already been ruled out over the weekend, with each a massive hit to the lines on both sides of the ball. The Bengals are likely to continue passing their way towards the end of the season, with these absences only boosting the chances we see immense pass volume in Week 14.

Wallace was placed on injured reserve back on October 4th after suffering an ankle injury in Week 4 against the 49ers. The rookie has played exclusively at left tackle this season and started in the team’s Week 3 game against the Jets. On 70 offensive snaps, Wallace has earned a PFF blocking grade of 55.1 and has allowed one sack on three pressures. The Patriots will have 21 days to activate him from injured reserve or rule him out for the season.

Nelson was a third-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2015 and spent the first four years of his career with the team. He then bounced around between the Steelers, Eagles, and Texans before announcing his retirement earlier this year. Last season, Nelson totaled 63 tackles for the Texans while tying a career-high with four interceptions. He earned a PFF coverage grade of 73.7, after allowing just 38-613-1 on 64 targets. Nelson will join the Chiefs’ practice squad, but can be elevated at any time as they prepare to solidify their roster before the postseason.

It’s a high-ankle sprain. It’s possible that Bartch would make it back for the playoffs if the 49ers can overcome the odds to get there, but with Aaron Banks back he probably wouldn’t make the starting lineup if he did. Bartch had a career-best 74.8 PFF grade in 65 snaps blocking this season and will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason entering his age-27 season. It’s possible he’s done enough to earn a stopgap starter spot somewhere, depending on how offensive line situations shake out for the Shanaclan this offseason.

An MRI confirmed previous suspicions that Guerendo suffered a sprained foot in Sunday’s win over the Bears. Now, the 49ers will see if the rookie can overcome a short rest week in time to suit up for Thursday night’s game against the Rams. The 49ers need all hands on deck as the look to make a late postseason push, but four days of rest may not be enough time for Guerendo to get right. He’ll likely be listed as a DNP on the team’s estimated practice report on Monday, but Tuesday and Wednesday will be something to monitor as the team prepares for the divisional matchup. If he can’t play, Patrick Taylor would be next in line to lead the 49ers’ backfield.

Rosenblatt notes that multiple team sources said in 2023 that Wilson “expressed privately that if things didn’t get better, he wouldn’t want to stick around long-term,” and that he “will likely” seek an extension worth “more than $30 million per year” this offseason. You didn’t think Jets drama was merely limited to Aaron Rodgers, did you? The Jets fielded calls on Wilson at the trade deadline. It’s hard to understand what a market for him would look like without knowing how adamant Wilson is on getting out of New York and what levers he’s willing to press, but there have absolutely been worse receivers traded for a first-round pick. Teams would likely have to bid more than that.

It’s only Monday, meaning Doubs has plenty of time to clear protocol before Week 15’s game against the Seahawks. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Doubs clear protocol before the weekend, as he was limited in practice last week, and is more than a week removed from when he first suffered the brain injury. We’ll see how things go throughout the week, but a few limited practices are a good early sign for his availability.

The Patriots and Higgins do seem a perfect match with how Drake Maye has been playing of late, perhaps only to be complicated by the fact that other teams will also bring their entire checkbooks to Higgins in free agency. Higgins is on the franchise tag and franchising him a second time is expected to be too onerous for Cincinnati’s coffers. The widespread belief in the industry is that Higgins will leave in free agency. The Patriots are an obvious starting point.