Dolphins Place CB Cornell Armstrong On IR
The Dolphins’ banged-up secondary took another hit Wednesday. The team placed nickel cornerback Cornell Armstrong on injured reserve. He’ll miss at least four games after suffering a hamstring injury in a loss to the Panthers last Sunday.
The Dolphins now have three nickel corners on IR. Along with Armstrong, Jason Marshall and Artie Burns are on the shelf. Marshall has missed two games with a hamstring injury, which opened up playing time for Armstrong, while Burns won’t factor in at all this season after tearing his ACL during training camp.
The injury woes at nickel CB are only part of the problem in Miami’s secondary. Like Burns, corner Kader Kohou tore his ACL in July. The Dolphins have also gone without corner Storm Duck since he injured his ankle in a Week 1 loss to the Colts. Their absences help explain why Miami’s defense ranks last in the NFL in opposing passer rating and completion percentage,
Armstrong first became a Dolphin when they chose him in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. He played in 15 games as a rookie, but the Dolphins released him after the season. Armstrong went on to see action with the Texans (2019) and Falcons (2022) before Miami brought him back over the summer when it placed Burns on IR. The 30-year-old has played in three games this year and registered two tackles.
Having lost another nickel CB, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will have to continue helping the Dolphins fill that role, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. With Fitzpatrick needed elsewhere, the Dolphins signed practice squad safety Jordan Colbert to their active roster on Wednesday. The 25-year-old made his NFL debut in the Dolphins’ Week 3 loss to the Bills. All 12 of his snaps came on special teams.
To take Colbert’s spot on their practice squad, the Dolphins signed Kendall Sheffield. The former Falcon, 49er, Titan, and Jet has appeared in 49 games (20 starts) since debuting in 2019. Sheffield signed with the Dolphins in late May, but they cut him in late August. They elected to bring him back after working out free agent corners Ethan Robinson, Daequan Hardy, and Myles Purchase on Tuesday, according to Jackson.
49ers Could Be Active At Trade Deadline; Team Seeking DE Addition?
The 49ers have stormed out to a 4-1 start despite a slew of injuries to important contributors. With the Nov. 4 trade deadline looming as a key improvement avenue, Cam Inman of the Mercury News expects general manager John Lynch to deal for outside help in the next few weeks. More specifically, it is likely that the 49ers at least want to acquire an edge rusher, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic.
The pass rush became an obvious area of concern for the 49ers when defensive end Nick Bosa tore the ACL in his left knee in Week 3. That injury ended a season that began in promising fashion for the former Defensive Player of the Year. Bosa totaled 17 tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles in the early going this year.
Despite their strong start, the 49ers have had a difficult time getting to enemy quarterbacks since losing Bosa. The rest of their defense has accounted for just four sacks, and the team’s total (six) ranks 30th in the league.
It doesn’t help matters that the 49ers’ Bosa-less defensive line is now dealing with injuries to Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring), Kalia Davis (hand), and Alfred Collins (knee). While Collins could play this week against the Buccaneers in a battle of 4-1 NFC teams, Gross-Matos and Davis are expected to miss time.
Unfortunately for San Francisco, nobody from the Gross-Matos/Davis/Collins group has registered a sack this year. The same is true of Mykel Williams, the 11th overall pick in this year’s draft. Williams has played 68.6% of defensive snaps as a rookie, but his production hasn’t been great through his first five games. Pro Football Focus ranks his performance 128th among 169 qualifying EDGE players.
Other than Bosa, Bryce Huff is the only D-lineman on the team who has taken down an opposing QB in 2025. Huff, acquired from the Eagles in June, has notched three sacks and a forced fumble over his first five games with San Francisco. He also ranks 19th among EDGE players in pass rush win rate. It’s worth noting that Huff posted a career-high 10 sacks with the Jets in 2023. Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was the Jets’ head coach then, and it seems he’s once again getting the most out of Huff after a 2.5-sack showing with the Eagles in 2024.
If pass-rushing complements to Huff don’t emerge from within over the next month, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the aggressive Lynch swing one or more deals. Lynch has a long history of deadline activity — at D-end alone, the 49ers have traded for Charles Omenihu, Randy Gregory and Chase Young in-season since 2021 — and is armed with roughly $24MM in cap space, which will make it easier to maneuver on the market.
PFR’s Ely Allen identified the Dolphins‘ Jaelan Phillips as a trade candidate and a potential fit for the 49ers last week. The Saints, who are expected to sell at the deadline, could move eight-time Pro Bowler Cameron Jordan. The Titans also roster ex-49er Arden Key, who left San Francisco via free agency in 2023, and sit 1-4. It’s a long shot, but Bengals star and soon-to-be free agent Trey Hendrickson could be worth monitoring if they fall out of contention over the next few weeks. For now, having traded for quarterback Joe Flacco on Tuesday, the Bengals are still trying to stay alive for a potential Joe Burrow return from IR later in the season.
Panthers Designate Jalen Coker For Return
A quad strain has prevented Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker from taking the field in his second NFL season. It appears Coker’s 2025 debut is nearing, though, as the Panthers opened his practice window on Wednesday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports. He’ll likely work with the scout team in his first practice, according to Person. The Panthers will have 21 days to activate Coker from injured reserve.
As an undrafted rookie from Holy Cross, Coker was more productive than expected last year. The 6-foot-3, 213-pounder started in four of 11 games and hauled in 32 of 46 targets for 478 yards (14.9 YPC) and a pair of touchdowns. Coker impressed the Panthers so much that it helped lead them to trade slot receiver Adam Thielen to the Vikings in late August.
A day after the Panthers dealt Thielen, Coker suffered his injury. Had Coker stayed healthy, general manager Dan Morgan said he would have taken Thielen’s place as Carolina’s top choice in the slot. Once those plans were dashed, the team re-signed veteran Hunter Renfrow after releasing him during final roster cuts.
Renfrow caught just one pass for 7 yards as the Panthers beat the Dolphins to improve to 2-3 last week. While he does have two TDs this season, Renfrow has averaged a meager 5.9 yards on 14 receptions. Rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan, a first-round pick last spring, served as quarterback Bryce Young‘s No. 1 target during a six-catch, 73-yard afternoon against the Dolphins. McMillan has turned heads during his first NFL action, but the Panthers are otherwise lacking weapons in the passing game. Xavier Legette, who was a rookie alongside Coker in 2024, has only pulled in six of 18 targets for 39 yards in three games.
When Coker returns, it will likely impact the playing time of Renfrow, Jimmy Horn, and Brycen Tremayne, Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer writes. Horn, a sixth-round rookie from Colorado, made his debut last week and caught two of three targets for 21 yards. Tremayne, a second-year man who’s in his first season with the Panthers, has picked up nine receptions for 108 yards in five games.
Nakobe Dean Expected To Make Season Debut On Thursday
Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean is on the verge of making his 2025 debut. He’s expected to play on Thursday against the NFC East rival Giants, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. The Eagles placed Dean on the reserve/PUP list in August, and he sat out their first five games while recovering from a knee injury. He returned to practice last week.
A third-round pick in 2022, Dean finally broke through last season before suffering a torn patellar tendon during a wild-card round win over the Packers. The former Georgia standout set new career highs with 15 starts, 128 tackles, three sacks, and an interception, helping the Eagles to a 14-3 record and a division championship. However, Dean’s knee injury shelved him for the Eagles’ final three playoff games, including a 40-22 rout of the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
The Eagles have made a couple of notable transactions at linebacker since last season ended, calling Dean’s future with the organization into question. The team locked up 2024 breakout star Zack Baun to a three-year, $51MM contract in March and then selected Jihaad Campbell in the first round (31st overall) of the draft. Baun has opened this season playing 100 percent of defensive snaps during the Eagles’ 4-1 start, while Campbell isn’t far behind (95.5).
While Baun committed a costly unnecessary roughness penalty in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Broncos last Sunday, he has enjoyed another terrific year. Meanwhile, Campbell has made a seamless transition from Alabama to Philadelphia. As a result, Dean may not see as much playing time in coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense as he did a year ago, when he ranked fourth among Eagles defenders in snaps.
A drop in snaps wouldn’t be ideal for Dean, who’s due to reach free agency in the offseason, but he’ll nonetheless give Philadelphia another quality defender upon his return. Having faced quarterbacks Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Baker Mayfield, and Bo Nix over the first five weeks of the season, the Eagles’ defense ranks a middling 16th in points per game allowed and 20th in yards. The Eagles could have an easier time this week against Giants rookie Jaxson Dart, and Dean’s presence should help their cause.
Bengals Open Lucas Patrick’s Practice Window
Cincinnati has gone most of the season without injured guard Lucas Patrick, but he’s on his way back. The Bengals opened Patrick’s practice window on Wednesday, giving them 21 days to activate him from injured reserve.
After dividing the first eight seasons of his career among Green Bay, Chicago, and New Orleans, Patrick inked a one-year, $2.1MM deal with Cincinnati in March. The 32-year-old made his 65th NFL start in the Bengals’ season-opening win over the Browns, but he departed with a calf injury after logging just 16 snaps.
With Patrick down, Jalen Rivers and Dalton Risner have each gotten a pair of starts at right guard. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) hasn’t been impressed with either blocker. The outlet ranks Rivers’ early season performance 75th out of 79 qualifiers and places Risner at No. 70. Dylan Fairchild, who has taken almost every snap at left guard, has fared similarly (72nd).
Patrick is eligible to return on Sunday against the Packers, though it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to do so. Regardless, the Bengals may be turning to a new quarterback, the just-acquired Joe Flacco, as they attempt to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Bengals’ Patrick-less offensive line has yielded a combined 15 sacks to injured starter Joe Burrow and backup Jake Browning, which doesn’t bode well for the immobile Flacco. Meanwhile, the Bengals’ rushers have averaged a paltry 3.1 yards per attempt during a 2-3 start. Patrick may help improve the interior O-line when he returns, but he won’t be a cure-all for a unit that has struggled to protect the team’s QBs or open up holes for its running backs.
Chargers Add Nyheim Miller-Hines To Practice Squad
With the Chargers suddenly thin at running back, they’re bringing back a familiar face. The team signed Nyheim Miller-Hines to its practice squad on Tuesday, Kris Rhim of ESPN reports.
Thanks largely to a jet ski accident that left him with a torn ACL and threw his career off course, Miller-Hines hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2022. The former Colt, Bill, and Brown signed with the Chargers in July, but he was unable to crack their season-opening roster.
After the Chargers released him from their practice squad in early September, Miller-Hines is returning to a team that’s in dire need of help in the backfield. He could play this week against the Dolphins, according to Rhim.
The Chargers, losers of two in a row after a 3-0 start, placed starting RB Omarion Hampton on IR with an ankle injury on Monday. That came two weeks after veteran Najee Harris suffered a season-ending torn Achilles.
With Hampton set to miss at least four games and Harris done for 2025, the Chargers are left with the unproven duo of Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal as their top options at the position. With that in mind, they worked out Miller-Hines and fellow veteran RBs D’Onta Foreman, Royce Freeman, and Trayveon Williams on Tuesday, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.
Miller-Hines is one of a few new additions to the Chargers’ practice squad. They also signed wide receiver Jalen Reagor and center Josh Kaltenberger, Wilson relays. The team released guard Michael Dunn and linebacker Kana’i Mauga from its practice squad in corresponding moves. The Bolts recently released Reagor, a first-round pick of the Eagles in 2020 and a Charger last year, and Kaltenberger. Like Miller-Hines, they’re now back in the organization.
Joe Flacco Did Not Request Trade From Browns
Quarterback Joe Flacco‘s second stint in Cleveland ended when the Browns surprisingly traded him to AFC North rival Cincinnati on Tuesday. Flacco did not request a trade, but he did welcome the move and a chance at more playing time, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
After spending last season with the Colts, Flacco rejoined the Browns on a one-year contract last April. That came after the Browns acquired fellow veteran signal-caller Kenny Pickett in a trade with the Eagles. Continuing a makeover of their QB room, the Browns went on to select Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the draft.
With Gabriel and Sanders around as developmental prospects, Flacco and Pickett entered training camp as the front-runners to earn the starting job. Flacco ultimately won the role with ease after Pickett suffered a hamstring injury early in the summer. The Browns wound up trading Pickett to the Raiders in late August, leaving Flacco as the veteran mentor to the two rookies.
At 40 years old, Flacco was never expected to be anything more than a Band-Aid for the Browns. The team pulled the plug on Flacco earlier than expected, though, after he threw two touchdowns against six interceptions during a 1-3 start. Gabriel took over as the starter before last Sunday’s 21-17 loss to the Vikings.
The left-handed Gabriel went without a turnover in his debut and completed 19 of 33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. It may be a long shot, but he’ll have a chance to establish himself as the Browns’ long-term starter. Either Sanders or practice squad QB Bailey Zappe could back up Gabriel against the Steelers on Sunday.
Flacco is again in a stopgap role in Cincinnati, but he is joining a talented offense that includes a few high-end weapons, including wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. He could start as early as this week against Green Bay in place of Jake Browning, whose poor performance filling in for the injured Joe Burrow necessitated a QB trade. The 2-3 Bengals suffered three straight ugly losses under Browning, who has matched Flacco’s INT total (eight, with six TDs) this season. Flacco led the Browns to their only 2025 victory — over the Packers — in Week 3.
Thanks to Browning’s immense struggles, the Bengals discussed “several” different signal-callers over the past 48 hours, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. The Bengals ended up swinging a deal with their in-state rivals for Flacco, who they hope will play well enough to keep them alive in the AFC North race.
Browns’ Greg Newsome, David Njoku On Trade Radar?
The Browns made a noteworthy trade Tuesday when they sent quarterback Joe Flacco and a sixth-round pick to the division rival Bengals for a fifth-rounder. With the Nov. 4 trade deadline nearing, the Browns may not be done shipping out players. Cornerback Greg Newsome and tight end David Njoku are among the names to watch leading up to the deadline, according to Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports.
Newsome has been a career-long Brown since they selected him 26th overall in the 2021 draft. He has since started in 47 of 59 games, including all five this year, and totaled three interceptions. Newsome came up in trade rumors multiple times during the offseason.
A deal never came together, though, and the former first-round cornerback made it clear in August that he wanted to remain a Brown for the rest of his career. The team then lost Martin Emerson for the season, giving Newsome more role stability. Emerson has played 95% of Cleveland’s defensive snaps through five games.
Newsome may want to stay in Cleveland, but he’s facing an uncertain future as a soon-to-be free agent. He’s due to reach the open market in March after playing this season under his his fifth-year option (worth $13.38MM). The Browns could move the 25-year-old for draft-pick compensation in the next few weeks if they don’t plan to retain him during the offseason.
Njoku, now in his ninth year, joins Newsome as a career-long Brown and a pending free agent. He surfaced in trade rumors alongside Newsome around this time last year. As is the case with Newsome, though, he has yet to change hands.
In the first three seasons after inking a four-year, $56.75MM extension in May 2022, Njoku averaged 14 games, 68 catches, 100 targets, 672 yards and five touchdowns per campaign. Five games into 2025, Njoku is on a similar pace, having racked up 20 catches on 30 targets for 195 yards and a TD.
Among Browns pass catchers, Njoku’s 84.4 percent snap share ranks second behind wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (86.4). It’s also worth noting that he showed chemistry with Dillon Gabriel in the rookie quarterback’s first start last week, catching six of nine targets for 67 yards and a score.
Although Njoku remains a key figure in the Browns’ offense, they could feel comfortable parting with him thanks to the emergence of rookie tight end Harold Fannin. The third-round pick from Bowling Green has played 72.4 percent of the Browns’ offensive snaps and hauled in 21 of 28 targets for 173 yards and a TD. Fannin has impressed the Browns enough that his role in their offense could increase, per Dan Graziano of ESPN. That may help usher Njoku out of town in the coming weeks. At the very least, the 1-4 team’s tight end position will be worth monitoring as Fannin continues to adjust to the NFL game.
Ravens Sign C.J. Gardner-Johnson To Practice Squad
Just under two weeks after his short Texans tenure ended, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has found a new home. The 27-year-old is signing with the Ravens’ practice squad, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Gardner-Johnson turned in one of the most productive seasons of his career in 2024 during his second stint with the Eagles. He tied a career high with six interceptions over 16 games (all starts) during the regular season and helped the Eagles to a Super Bowl title in the playoffs.
Despite his success in Philadelphia, the team traded Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Houston for offensive lineman Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth-rounder last March. The move didn’t go according to plan for either club, though, and Gardner-Johnson and Green are now teammates several months later. Green hooked on with the Ravens’ practice squad last week after the Eagles waived him.
Gardner-Johnson is now joining Green after he played just three games with the Texans. He started in each of those contests and logged 15 tackles, but Gardner-Johnson reportedly clashed with Texans teammates and was unhappy with his role in their defense.
The Ravens will be the fourth team for Gardner-Johnson, also a former Saint and Lion. With Houston on the hook for his fully guaranteed 2025 salary, it’s a low-risk move for Baltimore. Several noteworthy injuries, including in the secondary, have been among the main culprits for the Ravens’ stunning 1-4 start. Their defensive backfield lost safety Ar’Darius Washington to a torn Achilles during the spring. Meanwhile, all-world safety Kyle Hamilton is battling a groin injury and could miss his second straight game this week.
With Hamilton inactive last Sunday, the Ravens took a 44-10 beating at the hands of Gardner-Johnson’s previous team, the Texans. The Ravens deployed two rookies at safety in first-round pick Malaki Starks and the undrafted Reuben Lowery. Quarterback C.J. Stroud carved up their secondary, going 23 for 27 for 244 yards and four touchdowns.
The Ravens will face another stiff test this Sunday against the Rams, whose Matthew Stafford-led aerial attack has been elite in 2025. While the Ravens may not have Hamilton, Gardner-Johnson could make his debut. As Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes, when Hamilton is ready to return, Gardner-Johnson’s presence should enable him to play closer to the line of scrimmage. That would allow Hamilton to capitalize on his superb skills as a playmaker and run defender.
With Gardner-Johnson in the fold, the Ravens have released defensive tackle Josh Tupou from their practice squad, according to Zrebiec. Tupou played 30 defensive snaps and made three tackles in the Ravens’ loss to the Chiefs in Week 4.
Bengals Cut Brett Rypien, Mike White
After adding Joe Flacco to their quarterback room on Tuesday, the Bengals are moving on from a couple of other signal-callers. The team has cut Brett Rypien (via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network) and Mike White. To take White’s place on their practice squad, the Bengals signed defensive tackle Howard Cross III.
With injured starter Joe Burrow out for the foreseeable future, the Bengals will go forth with Flacco and Jake Browning as their options under center. They also have Sean Clifford on their practice squad. Flacco, acquired from the division-rival Browns, could make his Bengals debut as early as this Sunday against the Packers.
The 29-year-old Rypien signed with the Bengals after the Vikings released him late in the summer. He saw regular-season action with the Broncos and Rams earlier in his career and has gone 98 for 168 for 950 yards, four touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 11 games.
White, who spent most of last year on Buffalo’s practice squad, became a Bengal in mid-September after failing to beat out Mitchell Trubisky for the Bills’ No. 2 QB job during the summer. The short-lived Jets starter and ex-Dolphins backup has completed 199 of 324 attempts with nine TDs and 13 picks in 15 contests.
Cross, an undrafted free agent from Notre Dame, made his lone NFL appearance in Cincinnati’s loss to Minnesota in Week 3. He played nine defensive snaps and made one tackle in that game. The Bengals waived him last week, but they’re reuniting just a few days later.