NFL Player News

Malik Nabers predictably led the Giants in receiving, but Wan’Dale Robinson cornered the market on scammy check-down targets. Between those two, there is little room for Slayton to thrive at the moment. He remains miles from 12-team re-draft relevance.

He added that there’s been no thought or discussion to benching Caleb Williams. The Bears look likely to go in with the best lineup they can field against the Packers, who should probably also still be fielding starters with a chance to avoid the 2-7 game with a win and get a much easier first-round matchup against the Rams or the NFC South champion.

“I don’t think it’s a lock he plays this week. The hip was more banged up than people realize,” Schefter added. This will keep Tyler Huntley’s chances of getting in against the Jets in Week 18 live, and if Huntley does play the Dolphins offensive product will again mostly be screens and running plays, lowering their offensive upside further.

Interestingly, after the game, Callahan declared that Spears would be out for Week 18 with the concussion. He changed his tune a bit today. We’ll see if that’s gamesmanship or not. Julius Chestnut played 25 offensive snaps against the Jaguars last week and would be next in line at the position if Tony Pollard isn’t able to come back in Week 18. The whole Tennessee running game will be, in Callahan’s words, up in the air for the final game of the season.

The Titans don’t have any reason to play Pollard, so we’ll see if they opt to put him on the field at less than 100 percent in the season finale. Pollard has been nursing an ankle injury for the last several weeks and was officially sidelined with the injury in Week 17’s game against the Jaguars. Playing in a lead role, Tyjae Spears totaled 103 yards from scrimmage on 22 touches and would see a similar role against the Texans if Pollard does play. Although, it was revealed that Spears suffered a concussion in Sunday’s loss and that he’ll need to clear concussion protocol in order to play.

Callahan praised Levis for his professionalism since being demoted while adding that he’s earned the right to compete in the final week of the season. It’s been a rough second season for Levis, whose 17 turnovers are tied for second-most in the league with Baker Mayfield despite playing in just 11 games this season. Levis hasn’t started since Week 15 but will get one more chance to show what he can do in-game before the Titans head into what’s sure to be a busy offseason.

The Steelers play on Saturday after the Ravens play host to the Browns. A Ravens victory would mean the Steelers have nothing to play for in their season finale, which could open the door to the team sitting several starters in preparation for the playoffs. Speaking Monday, Tomlin said he hasn’t thought much about sitting his starters and added that he doesn’t anticipate doing so at this time. It’s possible things will change after the conclusion of the Ravens and Browns game, but for now, the Steelers appear to be going about business as usual.

Holder didn’t hold back in his reporting of Richardson’s back spasms, saying that there are “communication failures” within the organization while adding “to characterize [Richardson’s back inury] as ‘soreness’ was ridiculous.” The Colts were eliminated from postseason contention following Sunday’s loss to the Giants and will play out the remainder of their season in next week’s game against the Jaguars. Whether or not Richardson starts in the finale is to be determined, but with little to play for, it could be Joe Flacco making one more start in what could be the final game of his career.

Rodgers having perhaps the worst game of his professional career won’t stop the Jets from rolling him out in Week 18 to put the finishing touches on a wildly disappointing season. The NFL’s leader for career sacks taken threw for 112 yards on 18 attempts in Week 17’s loss to the Bills but needs just one more touchdown pass to reach 500 for his career. The decision to start Rodgers doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as he’ll undoubtedly be chasing his 500th career touchdown pass in what may be the final game of his NFL career. Rodgers and the Jets will have a chance to play spoiler to the Dolphins, who kept their playoff hopes alive with a win over the Browns on Sunday.

Currently sitting on the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Patriots have everything to lose by pulling off a win in Week 18 against the Bills — who don’t have much to play for next week, with the Chiefs already sitting on the top seed in the AFC. In addition to losing the draft pick, the Patriots also do not need to risk the health of Maye, who has taken some brutal hits over the season and appeared at one time to be concussed in last week’s loss to the Chargers before being cleared to return by team doctors. It would not be at all surprising if the Patriots opted to sit a handful of key players in hopes of preserving their top pick and the health of their team heading into next season.

Rivera, 62, was let go by the Commanders after leading the team to a 4-13 win last season. Rivera’s downfall in Washington could be largely blamed on the team’s poor roster construction over the years, as the head coach/general manager spent four years piecing together a bottom-five roster that saw all of its first-round picks traded/released before the end of the 2024 season. During his nine seasons as head coach of the Panthers, Rivera led the team to three double-digit win seasons and an appearance in the Super Bowl during the 2015 season, but things didn’t go nearly as well in Washington. Rivera’s only playoff appearance with the Commanders came in 2020, when the Commanders went 7-9 and were the best team in a bad NFC East division. Rivera is unlikely to have full autonomy over any roster he takes over, but he could have one more coaching run in him if he can get the right quarterback in the building.