Packers Open WR Christian Watson’s Practice Window
Coming off their bye, the Packers could have a key offensive contributor in the fold soon. Wideout Christian Watson has returned to practice, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky notes. 
Last week, head coach Matt LaFleur said (via Demovsky) the team was discussing opening Watson’s practice window right after the bye. Today’s news comes as no surprise as a result. The Packers now have 21 days to activate Watson from the reserve/PUP list.
An ACL tear ended the 26-year-old’s 2024 campaign. Watson has been rehabbing the injury since then, and he expressed optimism last month in his ability to return to practice when first eligible to do so. That would have meant having his window opened last week, but in any event today’s update is an encouraging sign. Watson will be expected to handle a notable role upon activation, especially with Jayden Reed recovering from multiple surgeries.
Injuries have prevented Watson from playing a full season to date in his career. The former second-rounder nevertheless signed an $11MM deal this offseason to ensure he will not depart in free agency during the spring. Watson’s ability to receive a longer commitment from Green Bay will obviously be tied to his health and the extent to which he can duplicate last season’s success. Prior to his Week 18 ACL tear, the North Dakota State alum posted a career-best 620 yards while averaging 21.4 yards per reception.
Much of the Packers’ long-term plans at the receiver spot remains uncertain. Romeo Doubs (who is currently in the final year of his rookie pact) could be playing his way into an extension, while Reed will be eligible for a second contract after this season. Part of the team’s decisions on those fronts will no doubt be influenced by Watson and his role in the passing game upon returning to action this season.
In other injury news, offensive lineman Jacob Monk has also had his 21-day activation window opened (h/t Demovsky). Monk was moved to injured reserve during roster cutdowns while being designated for return. As a result, he (along with running back MarShawn Lloyd) already counts toward Green Bay’s total in terms of IR activations for the year. Monk could join Watson on the Packers’ gameday roster as early as Week 6 depending on how the next few days play out.
Mark Sanchez Charged With Felony Battery
Former NFL quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez was formally charged on Sunday for his role in an incident which took place in Indianapolis. Sanchez was initially charged with three misdemeanors, but his case will now include at least one felony count. 
Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears announced Monday morning that Sanchez now faces a felony battery charge involving serious bodily injury (h/t Fox 59’s Angela Ganote). That Level 5 charge carries a prison sentence of one to five years. Mears added the case is still being investigated, so further charges could be forthcoming.
A $300 bond was posted yesterday, as detailed by Mark Maske and Ben Strauss of the Washington Post. An initial court hearing had been scheduled for tomorrow, but Ganote notes Sanchez’s attorneys have now filed a motion to waive that proceeding. Instead, they are seeking a pre-trial conference. The judge overseeing this case has granted the motion, per Ganote. As a result, the first proceeding in this case will be a conference on November 4.
Sanchez – whose NFL career lasted from 2009-18 and included time spent with six different franchises – is alleged to have instigated an altercation with a 69-year-old man this past weekend. The alleged victim was sent to hospital with “serious injuries.” Sanchez was stabbed multiple times and also hospitalized. As of Monday morning, the 38-year-old is in stable condition but still in hospital (h/t Ganote).
Sanchez was in Indianapolis to work as FOX’s color analyst for the Raiders-Colts Week 5 game. The network has yet to comment on the situation aside from its statement issued Saturday afternoon following Sanchez’s hospitalization and arrest. Per Maske, Sanchez’s attorneys have no comment at this time.
Saints Expected To Operate As Sellers At Trade Deadline
The Saints managed their first win of the season on Sunday. That milestone for the likes of quarterback Spencer Rattler (who was winless heading into today) and first-year head coach Kellen Moore should not be expected to alter New Orleans’ approach to the trade deadline. 
Now sitting at 1-4 on the year, the team is not in a strong position to compete for the playoffs. As such, it would come as little surprise if the Saints adopted a sellers’ stance on the trade front over the coming weeks. Indeed, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reports New Orleans is among the teams expected to move on from one or more veterans before the deadline.
Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football confirms the Saints have players which have drawn interest around the league. He adds the team is expected to listen to offers once suitors make inquiries. Given the overhaul witnessed on the sidelines and at a number of positions this offseason, expectations were low entering the campaign in the Saints’ case. A slow start to the season will no doubt influence general manager Mickey Loomis’ willingness to swing one or more trades in the near future.
Running back Alvin Kamara is understandably considered a name to watch closely in that regard. The five-time Pro Bowler has spent his entire career – which is now in its ninth season – with the Saints, but he would provide an acquiring team with a notable addition in the backfield. Kamara, 30, is under contract through 2026. $3MM of his scheduled salary for next season ($11.5MM) is guaranteed, so he would likely not be considered a rental for the stretch run of the current campaign.
Kamara’s base pay for 2025 includes only $2.99MM in salary, a prorated portion of which would be paid out by any team which swung a deal for him. The Saints would take on dead money charges with a trade, though, and Underhill predicts Kamara will not be dealt. There is not a no-trade clause included in this case, which means the possibility of a swap could nevertheless remain a talking point until the deadline.
Wideout Chris Olave has been mentioned as a player the Saints could move on from due to his injury history, but it would still come as a surprise if the team contemplated such a trade after picking up his fifth-year option this spring. In any case, New Orleans will be a team to watch, especially if attention shifts toward next season by the time the deadline is reached.
NFL Planning To Launch Professional Flag Football Leagues
NFL players will take part in the 2028 Summer Olympics when flag football makes its debut in that event. The NFL played a leading role in the effort to have flag football included in the Olympics, but the league is making other efforts to expand that version of the game. 
When speaking at the Leaders in Sport conference in London recently, commissioner Roger Goodell announced the NFL plans to launch professional flag football leagues in the near future. That confirms previous comments made on the subject. Presumably, the leagues will be in place prior to the Olympics.
“We’re committed to creating a women’s professional league, and a men’s professional flag league,” Goodell said (via the Associated Press). “We’ve had a great deal of interest in that and I expect that we’ll be able to do that, launch that, in the next couple of years. The demand is there. We’re seeing colleges in the [United States] and universities internationally also that want to make it a part of their program.”
Indeed, participation in flag football at the youth level along with high school and college players has surged in recent years. That is is true in the United States but also internationally, including many of the markets the NFL has targeted with its overseas games. To no surprise, then, the league will be heavily involved with setting up professional leagues in anticipation of flag football being showcased in 2028.
It will be interesting to see how the pro leagues take shape once plans are finalized. Needless to say, the NFL is envisioning further expansion of the flag game through the Olympics and its aftermath. That will take place outside the United States but also on a domestic scale.
Chiefs Did Not Consider Trading For WR Tyreek Hill
Early in the campaign, speculation surrounded Tyreek Hill‘s future in Miami. A trade allowing him to finish the 2025 campaign on a different team was the subject of constant discussion. 
That of course came to an end with Hill’s massive knee injured suffered in Week 4. An ACL tear as well as a dislocated knee has ended Hill’s season and now resulted in the expectation he will be released ahead of the final year of his contract. A trade is no longer on the table, but even if the opposite were true a Chiefs reunion would not have taken place.
Kanas City was named as a potential suitor for Hill in September, joining the Steelers in that regard. A Dolphins-Chiefs swap would have allowed the five-time All-Pro to return to his original team after spending his first six years in Kansas City. Despite that, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports (subscription required) Hill was “never considered a real option” for the Chiefs in terms of an in-season trade.
The receiver position was a sore spot early this year for Kansas City with Xavier Worthy suffering an injury in Week 1. That – coupled with Rashee Rice‘s six-game suspension – left the team short on pass-catching options. Worthy has since returned, though, and Rice is expected to make an immediate impact once he is back in the fold. The latter topped 900 yards as a rookie and was averaging 72 yards per game before suffering a season-ending knee injury last year.
Rice and Worthy, along with the likes of Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, will be tasked with handling the bulk of the workload when the WR room is at full strength. The Chiefs struggled on offense while starting 0-2, but the past two weeks have produced stronger outputs along with a pair of wins. That will be expected to continue moving forward.
Hill posted four seasons with 1,000 or more yards during his Kansas City tenure, and he would have been in position to serve as a key figure on offense in the event a trade had been worked out. Instead, the Chiefs will carry on with their in-house options at the receiver spot.
Malik Nabers To Undergo ACL Surgery; Giants WR Expected To Be Cleared For Training Camp
Malik Nabers‘ second season with the Giants came to an abrupt end in Week 4. The Giants’ leading wideout suffered an ACL tear, setting him up for a lengthy road to recovery. 
The rehab process will begin shortly. Nabers’ surgery is expected to take place this week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The procedure will address the ACL tear but also the fact the 22-year-old tore his meniscus. Dan Duggan of The Athletic adds the meniscus repair is unlikely to add to the recovery timeline; per Duggan, Nabers’ knee did suffer any other damage.
Provided all goes well with the surgery, Schefter reports Nabers is expected to be fully healed in time for training camp next summer. In addition to the looming rehab process on his knee, the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist will have time to allow his lingering shoulder and toe injuries to heal. Nabers had been playing through a partially torn labrum along with turf toe when his ACL tear occurred. Schefter notes surgery was contemplated in the case of the shoulder ailment, but it (along with Nabers’ toe) will now heal without any procedure taking place.
The Giants’ offense will be without its focal point the rest of the way, and a notable receiver acquisition to compensate for the loss of Nabers is not expected. That means the likes of Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt will be counted to lead the way at the receiver position. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart could also turn to tight ends Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger as options in the passing game. Dart won his first start, but further success will be hard to come by for the 1-3 Giants with Nabers out of the picture.
The LSU product set a franchise record with 109 receptions during his rookie season (totaling 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns along the way). Nabers was averaging nearly 69 yards per game through the first month of the 2025 campaign, putting him on track for another high-end statline. Instead, his attention will soon turn to surgery and an effort to heal multiple ailments in time for next summer.
Cardinals Activate DT Bilal Nichols
Bilal Nichols returned to practice this week, which marked the earliest point at which he could do so. The veteran defensive tackle will now be available to the Cardinals for Week 5.
Nichols was activated from the reserve/PUP list on Saturday, per a team announcement. That news comes as little surprise, given the fact he had his 21-day activation window opened at the first opportunity. Nichols being back in the fold will be a welcomed development with Arizona having managed a long list of injuries along the defensive front to begin the season.
Justin Jones and L.J. Collier were both lost for the year before the start of the regular season. First-round rookie Walter Nolen, meanwhile, has yet to play in 2025 and remains on the PUP list at this point. Darius Robinson exited the Cardinals’ Week 4 loss with a pectoral injury and he has been ruled out for tomorrow’s game. There should be plenty of snaps available for Nichols during his season debut as a result.
The 29-year-old was limited to just six games last season and missed the first month of the current campaign with a neck injury. Nichols handled a 45% snap share when healthy in 2024, his first season in Arizona. The former Bear and Raider has made 88 starts in his career, and a heavy workload right away in 2025 can be expected given his track record but also the Cardinals’ injury situation up front. Pairing with defensive end Calais Campbell will certainly allow Nichols to provide the team with a highly experienced D-line.
On the books through 2027, Nichols remaining healthy moving forward will be key. None of the former fifth-rounder’s base salary for next season is guaranteed, so a strong run of performances will be needed to ensure he remains in Arizona beyond the current campaign. The Cardinals rank ninth in the NFL against the run; Nichols will look to keep the team among the league’s best in that respect while also aiming to chip in as a pass-rush presence.
On Saturday, Arizona also elevated defensive lineman Zach Carter and offensive lineman Nick Leverett from the practice squad. Carter was added to the taxi squad recently and will make his season debut tomorrow. Leverett was among the team’s cuts after training camp but remained in place on the practice squad; he too will make his first appearance of the season when the Cardinals host the Titans.
Broncos Place TE Lucas Krull On IR
OCTOBER 4: Krull has indeed been moved to IR, the Broncos announced on Saturday. In a corresponding move, Wallow has been signed to the active roster. As expected, he is therefore in position to continue serving as a key special teams presence moving forward.
OCTOBER 3: The Broncos’ offense will be shorthanded for the time being. Tight end Lucas Krull broke a bone in his foot during practice yesterday, as first reported by 9News’ Mike Klis. 
Krull managed to practice in full on Thursday, and as such he was not on the team’s injury report. Last night, an MRI revealed the fracture in his foot. Missed time is now in store as a result. No official move will be made today, but Klis reports the Broncos will move Krull to injured reserve.
The 27-year-old is therefore set to miss at least the next four games. Krull led the Broncos in receiving amongst tight ends last year despite only posting 152 yards. Upgrading at that position was understandably seen as a priority this offseason, one highlighted by the addition of Evan Engram. He, along with Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins, will be available for Week 5.
Still, losing Krull will leave the Broncos without a regular contributor on offense. The former UDFA handled a 36% snap share in 2023 and again last year. Krull’s usage rate stands at 29% this season through three games played. After being retained via an ERFA tender this spring, he is a pending restricted free agent. Needless to say, missing time will hinder Krull’s chances of remaining in Denver for a fourth campaign.
Linebacker and special teams regular Garret Wallow has been used as a gameday elevation from the practice squad three times. As a result, he must be signed to the active roster for at least one game for the Broncos to continue using him. Per Klis, Wallow can be considered a strong candidate to be signed once Krull’s IR move opens up a roster spot.
Texans Sign T Trent Brown To Active Roster
One of the Texans’ veteran offensive tackles (Cam Robinson) is no longer with the team. Another (Trent Brown) is now in position to potentially see game action, however. 
Brown has been signed from Houston’s practice squad to the team’s active roster, per agent Drew Rosenhaus (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). The 32-year-old has yet to play in the regular season this year. Based on today’s news, though, that could change as early as Week 5.
In March, the Texans signed Brown as one of several moves altering their offensive line. The unit’s play was a major sore spot in 2024, but the early portion of this season has not seen the desired improvement. Robinson was not handling starting duties during his brief Houston tenure, something which informed his trade from the Texans to the Browns earlier this week.
Second-round rookie Aireontae Ersery has handled first-team duties at the left tackle spot so far. Houston’s second-round selection last year – Blake Fisher – saw notable time at right tackle last season but in 2025 he has played only nine offensive snaps. Instead, Tytus Howard worked at the RT spot for the first three games (before shifting to guard in Week 4). Brown’s promotion will give the Texans another option up front.
Over the course of his 10-year career, Brown has amassed 96 starts while seeing time at both tackle spots. The 32-year-old was released during roster cuts in August, but he immediately signed to Houston’s practice squad. After one month without seeing game time, Brown now finds himself in the fold as the 1-3 Texans aim to rebound from a poor start to the campaign.
NFL Aiming To Play Eight International Games In 2026
The 2025 regular season schedule includes seven games played outside the United States. The CBA allows for eight such contests per year, and the maximum should be expected for next season. 
[RELATED: NFL Still Eyeing 16 Annual International Games]
During an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Gerrit Meier – who serves as the NFL’s managing director of the international department – said the league is “pretty confident” the full eight-game slate for overseas contests will be included for 2026. It is already known a first ever game in Australia will take place next year, while a new deal was recently worked out for at least three games to be played in Rio de Janeiro over the next five years. It would also come as no surprise if a return to Dublin were to take place in short order after this year’s debut there.
“The ambition to go international itself, it’s not a new ambition,” Meier said. “I think the point we’ve gotten ourselves to now is, O.K., how has the world changed? And if we truly want to be a global sport, what are the different elements that go into that? And we’ve seen that just having a game, that’s not enough. Just having media, that’s not enough. So just talking about the various elements, we realized there’s something bigger.”
Indeed, the NFL’s efforts to grow the game in international markets has included more than staging games over a span of several years and in various cities. As Meier informed Breer, the league is set to open a headquarters in Spain. That will make it the eighth country outside the United States to house such a venue, joining Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, China and Australia in that regard. Madrid will play host to the Dolphins-Commanders game in Week 12 this year.
Given the long-running efforts to expand the NFL’s reach in Europe, the possibility of one or more franchises based there has been a talking point. According to Meier, though, an international team and/or division is not a “front burner” matter at this point. Instead, expanding into other markets – commissioner Roger Goodell has named Asia as a potential target in that respect – remains a clear priority, with Europe sill a high priority.
On that note, Meier confirmed the league is still interested in holding games in France in the future. He added Italy is another country the NFL is “exploring.” With further increases in the total number of overseas games played on an annual basis expected, the list of potential destinations for international contests continues to grow as well.