NFL Player News

“Knowing Drew Brees over the years, I do not take seriously his recent social media posts about unretiring to play QB in the NFL,” Werder said in a Tuesday Twitter post. Werder confirmed Brees recently underwent left shoulder surgery and wouldn’t be ready to take the field until September or October at the earliest. We’re confident Brees, 43, will stay retired, and that Jameis Winston will be under center for a revamped New Orleans offense in Week 1.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier in the day that DeVito was not expected to play, but now Rapoport is reporting that DeVito will be the team’s third emergency QB. This means Drew Lock will make his first start of the season. Lock threw for 543-3-3 last season with the Seahawks, but won’t have much fantasy upside at this time. In addition to DeVito, the Giants also declared TE Greg Dulcich, CB Deonte Banks, S Anthony Johnson, CB Tre Hawkins III, OG Jake Kubas, and OT Jermaine Eluemunor inactive for Week 13.

Diggs was considered a bit of a long shot to play after being listed as questionable heading into the day. The veteran corner will now miss two straight games due to his injuries and will hope to get right ahead of Week 14’s game against the Bengals. In addition to Diggs, the Cowboys also declared RG Zack Martin, RB Deuce Vaughn, CB Andrew Booth, DE Marshawn Kneeland, TE Jake Ferguson, and WR Ryan Flournoy inactive for Week 13.

Thursday’s practice was just a walkthrough, given that Nix and the Broncos don’t play until Monday. There was no mention of an injury to the rookie QB after Sunday’s win over the Raiders, so we’ll assume this is a minor issue for now.

Johnson suffered a concussion in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Lions and was ruled out shortly after halftime. The second-year back will now need to clear concussion protocol if he hopes to play in Week 14 against the 49ers. Johnson did not register an on offensive touch against the Lions.

Smith said of the call, “I appreciate it, love that place. But that’s not my focus. I mean, I’ve got one of the best jobs in football right now.” The former Falcons head coach is in his first season with the Steelers and is currently leading an offense on an 8-3 team. It doesn’t sound like Smith is interested in going anywhere any time soon, although it wouldn’t be surprising if the 42-year-old wanted another crack at a head coaching gig at some point down the line.

Coker is trending toward missing his second straight game. He injured his quad late in Week 12’s practice week and has not practiced since last Thursday. Both Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette should see target share bumps with Coker and Ja’Tavion Sanders (neck) likely out for Week 13.

Sanders is unlikely to play in Week 13 after suffering a neck injury in Week 12. Sanders was taken to the hospital after the injury, and while coach Dave Canales said his rookie tight end avoided serious injury, a return to action just one week later feels like a stretch. If he doesn’t practice on Friday, we can safely assume Sanders will miss Sunday’s game against the Panthers.

Highsmith’s ankle injury has kept him sidelined over the last two weeks so his return to practice is a big step. Whether he is healthy enough to suit up for Week 13 against the Bengals remains to be seen but he is at least on track to return for the Steelers’ Week 14 game against the Browns.

Johnson is being evaluated for a concussion after taking a hard hit in Thursday’s game against the Lions. Johnson went to the locker room to be evaluated and had not recorded an official touch before exiting.

Wright will kick in place of injured backup K Spencer Shrader (right hamstring). Wright was a reliable extra-point kicker for the Chiefs in 2022 but his leg became a little more erratic in the 30-to-49-yard field goal depths, averaging an 80.0 percent conversion rate. His abilities should be sufficient for K1 streaming viability. The Chiefs are likely to move the ball effortlessly against a Raiders defense missing its top two cornerbacks.