Texans Eyeing 2026 Will Anderson Extension

The Texans are expected to begin extension talks with star edge rusher Will Anderson early in the 2026 offseason, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

Anderson, the No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft, recorded seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss as a rookie, earning him a Pro Bowl nod and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He took his play to another level in 2024 with 11.0 sacks and 16 tackles for loss, which both tied for the 10th-most in the league. He did, however, miss five games due to injury across his first two seasons, suggesting his production could have been even higher.

That has been the case this season. If 2024 was a breakout, 2025 has been an explosion. Anderson has the second-most sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (14) in the NFL, putting him on pace for career-highs in both categories. He ranks second among all pass rushers with 64 pressures and a 27.2% pass rush win rate, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Those numbers put him in the company of Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson, both former first-round picks who signed their second contracts worth at least $45MM this year.

Anderson’s market will be in a similar range. He is headed for his second Pro Bowl, may receive All-Pro consideration, and could earn some Defensive Player of the Year votes. (He finished 14th last year). He will still be 24 when the 2026 season begins and has the additional leverage since the Texans made a costly trade up to draft him in 2023, which should position him to at least match Hutchinson’s $45MM APY, if not push to match or surpass Parsons’ $46.5MM APY.

Anderson’s rookie deal runs through 2026, plus his fifth-year option for 2027 that the Texans are all-but-certain to exercise. They can do so as early as January 5. The signing bonus from an extension would likely increase Anderson’s 2026 cap hit, so getting the deal done early will clarify their cap situation heading into free agency. It will also limit the possibility of other increases in the edge rusher market to drive Anderson’s price even higher, a situation that the Cowboys and Steelers ran into this year with Parsons and T.J. Watt.

49ers Sign LB Eric Kendricks

The 49ers signed veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks to their practice squad on Wednesday, per a team announcement.

Kendricks spent the first eight years of his career with the Vikings before a one-year stint with the Chargers in 2023. He nearly signed in San Francisco during the 2024 offseason before reversing course and joining the Cowboys instead. He started 15 games and led the team with 138 tackles, marking his ninth-straight season with at least 100 tackles. The 33-year-old did not re-sign in Dallas despite a significant late-season injury to DeMarvion Overshown that sidelined him into 2025.

Kendricks received little interest this offseason and declined an October invitation from the Ravens to join their practice squad. He turned Baltimore down for the same reason he spurned the 49ers last spring: his desire for guaranteed playing time, as opposed to fighting for a starting job or contributing to a rotation. San Francisco been losing defenders left and right this season, including multiple inside linebackers. Fred Warner went down with a season-ending injury in October and his replacement, Tatum Bethune, is expected to miss at least one more game with a high ankle sprain. That will give Kendricks an opportunity to play right away, which, this late in the season, was enough to motivate a signing.

Curtis Robinson replaced Bethune when he went down in Week 11 and got the start in Week 12. He struggled, earning just a 32.0 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) and missed two of his four tackle attempts. Kendricks, a veteran with a strong history of place into his 30s, will likely be an upgrade that could help the 8-4 49ers secure a playoff spot. Despite their strong record, they still sit in third place in the NFC West and may need a wild card berth to make the postseason.

In a corresponding move to signing Kendricks, the 49ers released undrafted rookie linebacker Stone Blanton from their practice squad.

Seahawks Reunite With S Quandre Diggs

3:12pm: Diggs is indeed joining the Seahawks’ practice squad, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He may not need too much time to adjust to Mike Macdonald‘s defense, as Diggs played under former Macdonald assistant Dennard Wilson in Tennessee.

12:42pm: Safety Quandre Diggs enjoyed a productive run with the Seahawks from 2019-23. After the Seahawks released Diggs in March 2024, he spent a season and a half in Tennessee. Now back on the market after the Titans waived him earlier this month, it appears Diggs will return to Seattle.

Diggs indicated on X that he is rejoining the Seahawks. The two sides are indeed working toward a practice squad deal, Brady Henderson of ESPN reports.

Diggs was a full-time starter in his first season with the Titans, but a Lisfranc injury limited him to eight games. He returned this year to start in four of nine games before the Titans released him at his request. The 32-year-old has picked up 30 tackles and one pass defensed this season. Pro Football Focus ranks his 2025 performance a respectable 39th among 93 qualifying safeties.

A sixth-round pick of the Lions in 2015, Diggs first landed in Seattle in an October 2019 trade. The Seahawks bought low on the defender, giving up a 2020 fifth-rounder for Diggs and a 2021 seventh.

General manager John Schneider made a shrewd move in acquiring Diggs, who wound up serving as a full-time starter during his initial stint with the team. Diggs made three Pro Bowls and intercepted 18 passes over 72 regular-season games.

Once he officially reunites with the Seahawks, Diggs will provide quality depth to one of the league’s best defenses. The Seahawks, off to an 8-3 start and in the running for an NFC West title, rank seventh in both yards per game and points per game allowed. However, the team is nicked up at safety, which explains why it’s circling back to Diggs.

Starter Julian Love, who hasn’t played since Week 4, went on IR with a hamstring injury on Nov. 1. Love has missed four games since then, but there’s no indication a return is imminent. Worsening matters, replacement Ty Okada is now an IR candidate after injuring his oblique in a win over Diggs’ previous team, the Titans, last week, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

With Love and Okada down, Coby Bryant, D’Anthony Bell, and versatile rookie Nick Emmanwori are the only healthy safety options on the Seahawks’ roster. Diggs would join undrafted rookie Maxen Hook as practice squad choices.

Seahawks To Sign RB Cam Akers

The Seahawks adding to their backfield by signing running back Cam Akers to their active roster, per Schultz

Akers, 26, started the season on the Vikings’ practice squad and was released this week after he ran out of game day elevations. In his three appearances, he only played eight snaps on offense and seven on special teams. Last year, he appeared in 17 games – five with the Texans and 12 with the Vikings – for a total of 444 yards and two touchdowns on 104 carries. This will be his return to the NFC West after starting his career as a Rams second-round pick in 2020.

Akers’ arrival in Seattle does not bode well for third-string running back George Holani, who is currently dealing with a hamstring injury. Head coach Mike Macdonald said on Monday (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson) that Holani could go on injured reserve pending further testing. That could very well be the corresponding move to open up a 53-man roster spot for Akers.

However, Akers is a somewhat curious replacement for Holani, who has been a non-factor on offense behind Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. Holani has 133 snaps on special teams this season with only 36 snaps and 24 touches on offense.who has primarily been restricted to special teams duties. Akers only started playing special teams in 2024 and has just 49 snaps in his entire career.

As a result, the Seahawks may need to find another player to take Holani’s special teams work. Akers will slot in behind Walker and Charbonnet, likely serving as injury insurance more than anything else. Walker is averaging 4.6 YPC and 75.8 total yards per game, Charbonnet has been an effective short-yardage back with seven touchdowns (tied for ninth most in the league), and both have picked up first downs on over 20% of their carries. There does not seem to be much opportunity for Akers, and even if Walker or Charbonnet go down, the Seahawks could simply turn to them as one of their lead backs.

Patriots To Place LT Will Campbell On IR

The Patriots will go at least four games without starting left tackle Will Campbell. After Campbell sprained his MCL in a win over the Bengals in Week 12, the Patriots will place him on IR on Wednesday, head coach Mike Vrabel announced (via Mike Reiss of ESPN).

The good news for the Patriots is that this does not appear to be a season-ending injury. Campbell will be eligible to return for the Patriots’ regular-season finale in Week 18. If he’s not back then, it could be shortly after that, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

With the Patriots off to a 10-2 start and atop the AFC standings, it’s doubtful their season will conclude in Week 18. They’re on track to break a four-year playoff drought, and Campbell’s among the reasons for their success. The Patriots used the fourth overall pick in last spring’s draft on Campbell, a former LSU Tiger who has started in all 12 of the Pats’ games during their red-hot start.

With Campbell out for the next few weeks, Vrabel said that Vederian Lowe will take over on star second-year quarterback Drake Maye‘s blindside (via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald). Lowe, who played the final 28 offensive snaps against the Bengals, was a 13-game starter for the Patriots in 2024.

With the Patriots installing two new starting tackles in Campbell and Morgan Moses, Lowe came up in trade rumors before the season. No deal came to fruition, though, and Lowe has spent 2025 as a backup. He’ll now have to step up in Campbell’s absence.

The Patriots’ injuries along the line don’t end with Campbell. Starting left guard Jared Wilson is also likely to miss this week’s game against the Giants, Vrabel said (via Kyed). Wilson, a third-rounder from Georgia, has joined Campbell in emerging as a full-time rookie starter. While Wilson suffered a high ankle sprain early against Cincinnati, there’s hope he’ll return sooner than the typical four- to six-week timeline, according to Rapoport.

Ben Brown, a 10-game starter last year, came on in relief of Wilson in Week 12. He seems likely to line up next to Lowe on Monday against the Giants’ Brian Burns-led defensive front. With the Patriots on a bye after that, it’s possible they’ll only go one game without Wilson.

Panthers Sign Robert Rochell, Place Corey Thornton On IR

The Panthers are signing cornerback Robert Rochell off the Cowboys’ practice squad, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. He’ll immediately join the Panthers’ active roster.

A fourth-round pick in 2021, Rochell started five regular-season games as a rookie for the Super Bowl-winning Rams. Rochell intercepted the lone pass of his career that season, but he didn’t factor into the Rams’ playoff run.

Now 27 years old, Rochell hasn’t started a single game since his rookie campaign. He has mostly served on special teams throughout his career. He worked as a reserve for the Rams over 17 games in 2022 before totaling 20 appearances over the next two seasons with the Packers.

Rochell signed with the Cowboys last June, but he didn’t survive final cuts. He hooked on with their practice squad after that and ended up appearing in two of the Cowboys’ games this season. All 16 of his snaps came on special teams.

The addition of Rochell will help the Panthers replace fellow corner Corey Thornton, who broke his fibula in a loss to the 49ers on Monday. With Thornton set to miss the rest of the season, the Panthers placed him on IR on Wednesday, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. The undrafted rookie from Louisville played in all of the Panthers’ first 12 games and made 14 tackles. He totaled 210 snaps (127 on defense, 83 on special teams).

In other Wednesday transactions, the Panthers signed linebacker Krys Barnes from their practice squad to their active roster. They also signed cornerback David Long to their taxi squad.

Barnes has received the maximum of three standard gameday elevations this year, meaning the Panthers had to sign him in order to use him again. Over 112 snaps (69 on defense, 43 on special teams), Barnes has made 12 tackles.

Long was previously with the Colts, who released him from their practice squad on Nov. 4. The 27-year-old hasn’t played in any games this season, but he combined for 79 appearances and 12 starts from 2019-24. Long had a three-game stint with the Panthers in 2023.

The Winfield Game: A New Daily NFL (and All-Sports) Challenge For Fans And Communities (Sponsored)

There’s a new way for NFL diehards to put their roster knowledge to work every morning: a free daily sports puzzle called The Winfield Game.

The Winfield Game is a free, daily sports trivia challenge built around one simple idea:

Identify a mystery player — an NFL Pro Bowler, NBA All-Star, or MLB All-Star — in as few guesses as possible.

It takes just a few minutes, but it hits the same part of your brain that remembers old rosters, depth charts, and playoff runs. And with new group leaderboards, it’s become a perfect game to play with friends, coworkers, fantasy leagues — and even with your own audience if you write, podcast, or create content about sports.

What Is The Winfield Game?

Named after Dave Winfield — the most well-known athlete to be drafted by teams in MLB, NBA, and NFL — The Winfield Game is a daily puzzle spanning all three leagues.

Each day, the game selects a current or former All-Star or Pro Bowler. Your job: figure out who it is in up to 10 guesses.

You type in the name of any star-level player and instantly see how they match up with the mystery answer across several categories:

  • Teams / Cities they played for
  • Decades they were active (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, etc.)
  • Position (QB, WR, RB, or the equivalent in NBA/MLB)
  • Awards like Hall of Fame, MVP, Gold Glove, and All-Pro / All-NBA

In the example below, a user leveraged an excellent start with Ryan Fitzpatrick into correctly guessing the day’s answer player – Amari Cooper – in just 3 guesses.

Strategy Tips For New Players

Like any good daily puzzle, The Winfield Game rewards a smart approach. A few quick tips:

Use Multi-Team Journeymen – Guess players who moved around a lot—their team and city history can give you matches quickly. Remember, even if you don’t match on the team, you can still match on the city (for example, a NY Jet will match on “NY” with a player who played for the NY Giants).”

Start With Long Careers – Players with 15+ year careers touch multiple decades and teams, giving you more information with one guess.

Combining these ideas, both Ryan Fitzpatrick (9 teams across 3 decades) and Josh McCown (8 teams hitting many major cities) are great starting players for the Winfield Game.

Over time, you’ll naturally build a mental list of “opening guess” players for each sport.

New: Group Leaderboards For Friends, Offices, And Audiences

The newest feature in The Winfield Game allows users to create Group Leaderboards and compete with any group you want. Within each group, there is a leaderboard for today’s score, the best average score on all games, and the longest streak.

Groups are quick to set up and flexible. A few ideas:

  • Friends & Office Leagues – Create a group for your fantasy league, office, or Sunday crew. Everyone plays the same daily puzzle, and the leaderboard tracks who’s the most efficient over time.
  • Family & Long-Distance Friends – Set up a private group to stay connected with the people you talk sports with the most.
  • Podcasts, Reporters & YouTube Channels – If you host a football podcast, cover a team, or run a Discord, you can spin up a public group and share the link with your audience. The daily leaderboard gives you a ready-made bit: “How did everyone do on today’s Winfield?”

Why NFL Fans Will Feel Right At Home

Even though The Winfield Game includes NBA and MLB stars, NFL fans fit perfectly:

Many mystery players are Pro Bowlers and Hall of Famers you’ve watched for years.

The clue system mirrors how football fans already think: by team, era, position, and accomplishments.

If you’re the person in your group who remembers that veteran receiver who made three Pro Bowls and finished his career with a different conference rival, this game is built for you.

And because the game rotates across the three major leagues, it’s ideal for football-first fans who still keep tabs on NBA rotations or MLB lineups.

Play Today (And Invite Your People)

If you’re an NFL fan who loves remembering old rosters, or a content creator looking for a simple, daily way to interact with your community, The Winfield Game is worth adding to your routine.

Broncos, Malcolm Roach Agree To Extension

The Broncos are signing defensive tackle Malcolm Roach to a three-year contract extension, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.

The deal has a base value of $24MM, including $14M in guaranteed money, with another $5.25MM available via incentives, according to 9News’ Mike Klis. Roach’s $8MM APY represents a substantial raise for the sixth-year defensive lineman, who arrived in Denver after signing a two-year, $7MM contract in 2024. He is now tied to the team through 2028.

Roach, 27, began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Saints in 2020. He made the 53-man roster and served as a member of the D-line rotation for the next four seasons. However, he only appeared in 41 games due to a handful of injuries, three of which forced him on injured reserve.

Roach produced seven tackles for loss and only one sack in New Orleans, but immediately stepped up his play as a member of the Broncos’ top-ranked defense in 2023. His 43 tackles, 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and eight quarterback hits were all career-highs. He also played a full season for the first time in his career.

Roach started the 2025 season on injured reserve due to a grade 2 calf strain. He missed the first five games of the year before his designation to return and activation from IR shortly after. In his six games since, he has recorded 21 tackles and two sacks, putting him on pace to best his 2024 numbers in those categories.

The Broncos waited a month after Roach’s return to the field to engage him in extension talks after ensuring he was back at his usual level of play. His average annual value appropriately puts him in the company of DaQuan Jones, Harrison Phillips, and A’Shawn Robinson. It is also similar to the $7.5MM APY deal signed by Roach’s teammate, John Franklin-Myers, last offseason.

With $14MM guaranteed in his new deal, Roach will almost double his current career earnings of $7.35MM, per OverTheCap. The Broncos, meanwhile, will have a core part of their defensive line rotation under contract for another three years at an affordable price. Denver is already paying Zach Sieler and D.J. Jones a combined $38.5MM, and they seem unlikely to re-sign Franklin-Myers. The Roach contract ensures they will have three veteran starters through the 2027 season.

Titans Sign CB Kaiir Elam

A few days after the Cowboys released Kaiir Elam, the cornerback has found a new team. The Titans are signing Elam, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports.

The Cowboys moved on from Elam on Saturday, which was a disappointing result after they acquired him from the Bills in May. The Bills parted with Elam three years after trading up to draft him 23rd overall in 2022.

The former Florida Gator struggled to live up to his first-round status during a 29-game, 12-start tenure with the Bills. The only two regular-season interceptions of Elam’s career came during his rookie campaign.

The hope was that a fresh start in Dallas would benefit Elam, but it didn’t work out that way. While Elam started in seven of 10 appearances with the Cowboys, he had difficulty as part of one of the league’s worst-ranked pass defenses.

Opposing quarterbacks posted a 105.0 rating when they targeted Elam. He was charged with giving up 25 completions, 372 yards, and three touchdowns. Elam began losing playing time as a result. He didn’t play a single defensive snap in what proved to be his last game with the Cowboys, a Week 11 win over the Raiders.

After going through waivers unclaimed, Elam drew interest from the Jets, who hosted him on Tuesday. He’ll instead attempt to break through with the 1-10 Titans, owners of the league’s worst record.

The Titans have gone over a month without starting corner L’Jarius Sneed, who’s on IR with a quad injury. They also lost Roger McCreary and Jarvis Brownlee in trades earlier this season. Those in-season changes have left Jalyn Armour-Davis, Darrell Baker, and Marcus Harris as their main options at the position. That group will now welcome in Elam.

To make room for Elam, the Titans waived corner Samuel Womack, per Jim Wyatt of the team’s website. Womack started in eight of 17 games during a two-interception showing with the 49ers in 2024, but they waived him last August. The Colts claimed Womack before quickly waiving him. The Titans claimed him in late August, and he wound up appearing in five of their games this season. Womack played 91 snaps (54 on defense, 37 on special teams) and made four tackles.

Bills Waive WR Elijah Moore

The Bills signed wide receiver Brandin Cooks to their active roster on Tuesday. The addition of Cooks will cost fellow veteran wideout Elijah Moore his roster spot. The Bills cut Moore on Wednesday, per a team announcement. He’ll become a free agent if he passes through waivers unclaimed.

The Bills and Moore reached a mutual decision to split, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The slot receiver eyed more reps, and the Cooks acquisition was set to impede that path in Buffalo.

Moore had a highly productive three-year run at Mississippi, leading the Jets to take him 34th overall in the 2021 draft. After Moore combined for 80 catches and six touchdowns in 27 games during his first two NFL seasons, the Jets traded him and the 74th pick in the 2023 draft to the Browns for the 42nd selection. The deal came several months after Moore requested a trade out of New York.

Moore went on to amass 120 receptions and score three touchdowns during a two-year, 34-game stint in Cleveland, where he earned 25 starts. However, after Moore averaged a career-low 8.8 yards per catch on 61 grabs last year, the Browns didn’t re-sign him. Over a month after free agency opened, Moore settled for the Bills’ one-year offer worth up to $5MM (including $2.5MM in full guarantees) in late April.

Buffalo’s decision to sign the 25-year-old Moore came after it largely struck out in the draft at the receiver position. The Bills selected just one wideout, seventh-rounder Kaden Prather, who’s no longer with the organization. As a result, they opened this season with Moore joining Keon Coleman, Josh Palmer, Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, and Tyrell Shavers as their choices at receiver.

The Bills were likely optimistic Moore would emerge as a solid target for Josh Allen, by far the best quarterback he has ever paired with in his career. It didn’t work out, though. Moore logged two starts over nine appearances with the Bills and caught just nine of 17 targets for 112 yards. His only touchdown came on a four-yard run against the Jets in Week 2.

While Moore could land elsewhere down the stretch, the 7-4 Bills will hope Cooks provides a much-needed boost to their receiving corps. The Moore pickup didn’t yield positive results, while no one from the Coleman-Palmer-Samuel-Shavers group has emerged as a consistent complement to Shakir and currently injured tight end Dalton Kincaid.