NFL Player News

Rodriguez (5'11"/232) went off on the bench press at the Oklahoma State Pro Day, benching a ridiculous 36 reps. That was four more than ANYONE at the NFL combine, including linemen 100+ pounds heavier than him. The closest was Boston College G Zion Johnson with 32, and the closest LB was Chad Muma with 27. Bench press is much less subjective than the 40-yard dash, so there’s not much faking going on here, he is just extremely strong. Bench press isn’t usually the most valued combine drill, but any sort of outlier number is going to noticed. Combined with a good 40 time for his weight (his 4.52 ranked fourth at the combine), a nearly 40-inch vertical (ranked fifth at the combine) and a 10 foot broad jump, the explosive ability really shows out with Rodriquez.

Reynolds managed a week of full practices but drew a questionable tag as he still must be activated from injured reserve. Reynolds has not played since Week 5 following surgery on his finger in addition to being the victim of a shooting, attempting to return to an offense suddenly humming through quarterback Bo Nix.

Tillman was unable to practice at any point this week, indicating he is still experiencing concussion symptoms. He’ll miss the team’s game against the Broncos and have some additional time to start progressing through the league’s concussion protocol prior to Cleveland’s Week 14 game against the Steelers.

Pierce followed consecutive no-shows in practice with a full sessions Friday, drawing the questionable tag for Week 13 against the Patriots. His status is suddenly one to follow for the Colts as both Josh Downs and Ashton Dulin have been ruled out. Pierce’s presence likely moves electric rookie Adonai Mitchell into the slot.

The team attempted to trade the failed former first-round pick at the trade deadline but were unsuccessful, ultimately resulting in his release. He will first pass through waivers before being able to sign with an interested team.

Ekeler will not miss the next four games after suffering a devastating concussion in Week 12, making him eligible to return for the season finale in Week 18 against the Cowboys. Brian Robinson will hold down the lead role in the backfield while Jeremy McNichols will likely see his involvement in the offense increased without Ekeler.

The team has been rather mum with the state of his injured knee, now exposing that the severity is much worse than initially reported. It’s a devastating blow for a player on a one-year prove-it deal following a career mired in injury. Dobbins fell just short of career highs in yards (766) and touchdowns (eight) in 11 games in 2024. While unclear whether the team has designated him for return, there is still an outside chance he returns to finish the regular season before hopefully appearing in the postseason for his new team.

Milano will make his season debut in Week 13 against the 49ers after suffering a torn biceps in training camp. A week of full practices for Milano capped his lengthy recovery process. Now ready to return to the field as a defensive captain, Milano should immediately boost a Buffalo defense allowing just 19.5 points per game through two-thirds of the 2024 season.

It will be interesting to see what the Eagles do at wide receiver considering DeVonta Smith is listed as questionable with his own hamstring injury. Now down Wilson, expect Jahan Dotson to see a more robust role in the offense regardless of the status of Smith on game day.

Conner was set to hit free agency after the season, but Arizona decided to lock him up before it came to that. The 29-year-old running back is 15th in scrimmage yards with 993 in 11 games so far this season. While it’s unclear how much of Conner’s deal is guaranteed, it’s unlikely that the extension for the two-time pro bowler will cause significant salary cap issues for Arizona in the future. This extension seals last year’s third round pick Trey Benson’s fate as purely a handcuff for at least another year.

Williams’ signing follows an Ian Rapoport report indicating Lions DE Josh Paschal “may miss some time” following an MRI on his injured knee. Williams has tallied 32 quarterback pressures and 2.5 NFL sacks since entering the league as a 2020 undrafted free agent.