NFL Player News

Muse, a third round selection by the Raiders in the 2020 NFL Draft, played for the Seahawks in 2021 and 2022, mostly as a special teams player. He’ll take on the same role with the Steelers, who in 2022 had the league’s second worst special teams unit, per Pro Football Focus.

Ford’s season ends with a rushing line of 104-565-3 and a receiving line of 37-225-0 on 43 targets. He averaged a career-best 5.4 YPC and would have been on to replicate his 2023 numbers before Nick Chubb returned in Week 7 and handled most of the team’s rush attempts until a foot injury he suffered in Week 15 ended his season. Ford is under contract through next season and could have a chance at another premiere role depending on how Chubb’s recovery goes and who else the Browns decide to bring in during the offseason.

Njoku’s production took a massive step back in 2024 after Joe Flacco helped him reach new heights in 2023. Injuries didn’t help the situation, as Njoku was held to just 11 games this season, but his 7.9 YPR marked a new low, while his 505 yards were his fewest since 2021. Njoku will now have all offseason to get right, and will hopefully benefit from an upgrade at quarterback with Deshaun Watson’s future as a starter firmly in doubt. Now ruled out for Week 18, Jordan Akins will likely draw the start in the Browns’ season-finale.

Porter suffered a knee injury in Week 16’s loss to the Ravens and wound up missing last week’s game against the Chiefs. Now, after being a full participant in practice this week, Porter expects to play against the Bengals and said he’ll be on Tee Higgins for most of the game. Porter has allowed 580 receiving yards and one touchdown on 69 targets this season and has also broken up four passes. While the Steelers’ spot in the playoffs is already secured, they are losers of three-straight games and could use a win ahead of the AFC Wild Card round.

ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reports Watson “went through stretch but then did not go outside for the beginning of practice.” Assuming he’s not practicing, this would mark two straight DNPs for Watson, who is on the wrong side of suiting up for Week 18 against the Bears. Watson also missed last week’s game. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Packers opted to play it safe with him given that their spot in the NFC playoffs is already secured.

Coen’s first season in Tampa Bay has gone better than expected. The 39-year-old offensive coordinator has the Buccaneers on the brink of a playoff berth and an NFC South title if they can pull off a win on Sunday against the Saints. Under Coen, the Buccaneers rank fourth in points scored and third in total yards. Baker Mayfield has also enjoyed the best year of his career under Coen, throwing for 4,279 yards and 39 touchdowns (both career highs) while also completing a career-high 71.7 percent of his passes. Coen will undoubtedly be on several team’s radars when coaching searches begin next week.

Rookie right tackle Amarius Mims will also be a game-time decision. When asked about the possibility of both players playing in the pivotal Week 18 matchup, head coach Zac Taylor said, “We’ll see.” It’s about what we’d expect from Taylor, who needs all hands on deck Saturday if he and the Bengals hope to sneak into the playoffs after a disappointing 2024. Brown was a DNP in all three practices this week, but it sounds like the Bengals will give him up until inactives are announced to decide whether or not he’ll play or if Khalil Herbert will serve as the team’s RB1 for the week.

According to Colts beat writer Joel A. Erickson, Richardson did not have his helmet with him and was not stretching with the quarterbacks. This comes a day after Richardson was listed as a DNP and puts his Week 18 availability firmly in doubt if he cannot get on the field in some capacity on Friday. There’s no reason for the Colts to play Richardson, who appears to be less than 100 percent, in a meaningless game to close out the season. It would not be surprising to see the team rule him out, giving way to Joe Flacco to start against the Jaguars.

Kingsbury declined to say whether or not he would take head coaching interviews this offseason but did note that he’s “very happy” in Washington. The Bears have been rumored to have interest in Kingsbury, who spent 2023 with Caleb Williams at USC before being hired by the Commanders last offseason. In his return to the NFL, Kliff has orchestrated an offense that currently ranks in the top 10 in points per game, yards per game, and yards per play, thanks in part to the play of rookie Jayden Daniels. Kingsbury’s first stint as an NFL head coach didn’t quite go as planned, as his offenses proved easy to neutralize and far less explosive than what we saw during his days at Texas A&M and Texas Tech. There’s no doubt that several teams will have Kingsbury on their radars, but his familiarity with Caleb Williams makes him an easy favorite to become the Bears next head coach if he’s interested.

We are rapidly approaching Khalil Herbert SZN. The severity of the ankle injury Brown suffered in Week 17 against the Broncos was downplayed the following day, but the optics weren’t great on the field. The Bengals’ RB1 was not able to practice at all this week, but we’ll see where things stand when they release their final injury report later in the day. It’s possible the Bengals are taking it easy on Brown ahead of a pivotal Week 18 matchup, but we’ll have some clarity on that soon.

Lockett is in the final year of a four-year extension he signed back in April 2021. The 32-year-old vet has taken a back seat to both DK Metcalf and second-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba this season and only has 47 receptions for 572 yards and two touchdowns to his name. By the time the Seahawks’ season concludes in Week 18 against the Rams, Lockett will have had his worst statistical season since 2017, and will have gone under 100 targets for the first time since 2018. Far from the player he once was, Lockett won’t turn 33 until September, and could still bring reliable hands along with a veteran presence to any team in need of help on the outside. Whether or not he returns to the Seahawks will be decided after the season but there’s a chance Sunday’s game against the Rams may be his last in his 10 year career with the Seahawks.