NFL Player News

Johnson (6-foot-4 1/4, 310) broke Falcons DE Cliff Matthews’ South Carolina school record for starts, earning the first-team nod 53 times in his career, mostly at center. Johnson has 33 1/2-inch arms and ran a 5.33 forty at the Combine before repping 225 pounds 32 times on the bench. He’ll look to latch on behind Trevor Robinson and Kyle Cook in Cincinnati.

Trubisky technically didn’t start the game, but he played all but one snap after Josh Allen handed off to James Cook on the first play of the game. The veteran threw most of his passes near the line of scrimmage, averaging just 4.8 yards per attempt, and was unable to complete any of his big deep shots down the field. He didn’t make any mistakes, which is one of the most important things you can ask of a backup quarterback, but the Bills obviously hope that Trubisky doesn’t need to take a meaningful snap in the postseason.

Bigsby entered 2024 off the heels of a nightmare rookie season. He averaged 2.4 yards per carry, struggled with ball security, and somehow managed to tip not one but two passes into defenders’ hands for interceptions. Coming off one of the worst debut seasons in recent memory, expectations were low for Bigsby this year. That worked in his favor as he looked like an entirely different player out of the gate. Bigsby quickly forced a committee with Etienne through a handful long runs. He had multiple gains of over 50 yards in the first five weeks and then got a chance to show his stuff as the lead back when Etienne injured his hamstring. Bigsby ran 44 times for 196 yards and two scores in a pair of spot starts. He spent the second half of the season splitting work with Etienne. Fumbles were still an issue as he put the ball on the ground four times. Bigsby was also absent from the passing game in most weeks. Still, he finished the year with a 168/766/7 rushing line, which is a remarkable turnaround from his rookie year. Bigsby will be a popular breakout candidate in early fantasy drafts.

He added a catch for five yards on his only target. Mixon managed just 11 snaps and was pulled after the first drive. He finishes the regular season as the first Texans 1,000-yard rusher since Carlos Hyde in 2019. Mixon will be a contrarian Wild Card Round DFS/Best Ball pick as the Texans figure to face a stout run defense from Pittsburgh or Los Angeles.

Ertz continued his vintage throwback season with his third touchdown over the last two weeks. He caught Marcus Mariota’s first touchdown in the third quarter, making a five-yard grab in the end zone. Ertz had a productive fantasy season, totaling over 600 receiving yards for the first time since 2021. He is a top-three receiving option for the Commanders heading into Wild Card Weekend.

Jones took over for an injured Trevor Lawrence in Week 10 and made two starts. Lawrence then took a brutal hit to the helmet in his first game back from the shoulder issue, landing him on injured reserve and ending his season. Jones went 2-5 as a starter. He averaged 206 plus one touchdown and as many interceptions per game from Week 10 onward. Jones also helped rookie wideout Brian Thomas Jr. finish the season in style, racking up nearly 700 yards in his final eight games. Jones made too many mistakes and showed too little arm strength to earn even a shot at a starting job in 2025, but he did enough to maintain his backup status with free agency on the horizon.

The Texans had a turnover on a nice Mills completion when Robert Woods had a ball poked out in the open field. Otherwise the most notable thing about his start was face-planting on the goal line on a second-and-goal dive for the pylon he came up short on. It was Mills’ first extensive playing time in a regular season game since 2022. He didn’t look half-bad, but it isn’t like the Texans are sitting on hidden gold on their bench either.

The young man added three carries for 10 yards. It was a low-key ending to a wildly up-and-down rookie campaign even if it featured 23-year-old Williams’ first game-winning drive. There was a strong belief in the preseason Williams had to merely be average to become the Bears’ first-ever 4,000-yard passer. Instead, he has to settle for 3,541 yards in 17 games, good for fifth most in franchise history behind 1995 Erik Kramer and three Jay Cutler campaigns. That hardly tells the whole story, of course. Stocked with a well-supplied receiver corps but saddled with an undermanned OL, Williams took an incomprehensible, league-worst 68 sacks. Williams displayed extreme toughness amidst the beating, but his “never say die” attitude did not translate to actual production. Just longer plays. Williams has plenty of alibis — his blocking, nightmarishly bad coaching — but he has to find a way to not only settle down, but be far more accurate. His missed “gimme” throws all year. Williams’ NFL future — or at least the fate of his rookie contract — hinges on the Bears’ next head-coaching hire.

Humphrey seemingly twisted an ankle via an eversion mechanism during a tackle. He left the field under his own power afterward, heading into the blue medical tent. The big-bodied wide receiver is a capable contributor but the Broncos offense should continue to function effectively even if he is unable to return. Update: Humphrey returned to play.