NFL Player News

Rookie Matt Gonclaves will draw the start. He has spent the better part of the past three weeks at left tackle because of Raimann’s multiple injury woes. Per Pro Football Focus, Gonclaves has allowed seven pressures and three sacks on 103 pass-blocking reps this season.

It sure sounds like Pacheco will be back this week, if Nagy is talking about getting him back in the present tense like this: “The best part about that is you just don’t have one where they’re getting worn down by the time you get to the fourth quarter.” It’s possible that this situation becomes a committee while Pacheco gets his workload restored slowly. It’s also possible that Hunt just becomes a fantasy football bench stash going forward. Stay tuned (on Friday, we’re guessing.)

With Spencer Shrader not practicing due to a hamstring injury, the Chiefs could turn to Wright as their kicker on Black Friday against the Raiders. Wright went 3-for-3 for the 49ers earlier this year and has a career 86.0 percent success rate on field goals in five seasons.

Houston had eight sacks as a rookie in 2022, but just one this year and saw his role decrease with the addition of Za’Darius Smith. He ends his Lions tenure with just 298 total defensive snaps. He should draw interest as a pass-rush specialist considering he’s only 26, but the last two years have hardly been impressive.

Rodgers likely won’t have much say in the matter with the Jets as the team’s new general manager and head coach will be given the keys to do what they want at the quarterback position. The idea that Rodgers could retire is also an unsurprising flag to raise given the punishment his 40-year-old body has taken this year, as well as his need to feel like he has agency in his future destination. We’re genuinely curious at this point if any team would want to have Rodgers as a stopgap in 2025.

McVay said he expected to do so over the next day or two. Robinson was arrested for drunk driving early Monday morning in Los Angeles. Tutu Atwell and Tyler Johnson would likely see role increases if the team held Robinson out of Week 13 against the Saints.

Daboll added that he was “hopeful” that DeVito would play on Thursday but it was “not 100 percent” and Drew Lock is getting reps in practice today. It certainly seems to be trending towards DeVito not playing despite DeVito not even being listed on the initial injury report this week. Either Lock or DeVito would be bottom-basement superflex plays against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

It was reported Monday that Whitehead was lost for the season after sustaining a serious pec injury in Week 12 against the Giants. Garafolo said Whitehead might avoid surgery and has a shot to suit up again this year as the Bucs chase a postseason berth. The Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud said Whitehead could avoid surgery on the injured pec. The short-term loss of Whitehead will be a blow for a Tampa coverage unit that has been among the league’s worst this season.

Higbee remains unlikely to suit up for LA’s Week 13 against the Saints, however. He suffered a major knee injury last January and has been on the PUP list since late July. Higbee could return for the end of the regular season if the Rams are still in the postseason hunt. Until then, Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson will continue splitting snaps and routes.

The Raiders lost Gardner Minshew to a broken collarbone in Week 12’s loss to the Broncos, giving O’Connell another chance as starter. O’Connell has been miserable throughout his 11 NFL starts. That includes two 2024 starts in which he threw for 324 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Indecisive and inaccurate, O’Connell represents a massive downgrade for Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers over the season’s final month. Look for Desmond Ridder to eventually get a chance under center for the Raiders.

Barrett, who is under contract with the Dolphins, retired from the league in late July. The former Bucs and Broncos EDGE rusher has 400 tackles and 59 sacks in the NFL but struggled with injuries in his final years before retirement. There’s an outside chance he could join the Dolphins as they make a late-season push to make the postseason. Miami has the NFL’s second highest sack rate through Week 12.