Texans Place Folorunso Fatukasi On IR
The Texans will go at least the next four games without defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi. The team placed Fatukasi on injured reserve, opening up the spot the team used to sign offensive tackle Trent Brown to its 53-man roster yesterday, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.
Fatukasi, who’s dealing with a shoulder injury, will not be eligible to rejoin the Texans’ defense until a Week 10 matchup with the Jaguars. The 30-year-old has played just under 39% of defensive snaps this season and tallied eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a pair of quarterback hits. Four weeks into the season, Pro Football Focus ranks Fatukasi’s performance 134th among 179 qualifiers at his position.
Along with Fatukasi, the Texans have already ruled out fellow defensive lineman Denico Autry (knee) for a pivotal Week 5 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams have gotten off to surprisingly slow 1-3 starts this year. Although Autry’s practice window opened this week, the veteran defensive lineman remains on Houston’s reserve/PUP list.
Houston, which will avoid the injured Lamar Jackson and instead face backup quarterback Cooper Rush on Sunday, will continue to rely on interior D-linemen Sheldon Rankins and Tim Settle in prominent roles. Mario Edwards and Tommy Togiai are also in the mix.
Giants Unlikely To Pursue WR Addition
The Giants have a gaping hole in their receiving corps after losing No. 1 target Malik Nabers to a season-ending ACL tear in last Sunday’s upset win over the Chargers. However, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com hears that the Giants will not seek an outside addition, as a source told him, “There are no replacements for Malik Nabers. You can’t replace that guy.”
It’s hard to argue with that. The 22-year-old Nabers emerged as one of the NFL’s premier receivers as a rookie in 2024 despite subpar quarterback play. The former sixth overall pick from LSU hauled in 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago. He opened this season with another 18 catches, 275 yards, and two scores in parts of four games while mostly working with Russell Wilson.
The Giants will now have to wait until 2026 to see if Nabers and newly named starter Jaxson Dart, a rookie first-round pick, will be able to form a franchise-altering rapport. Dart hit Nabers twice for 20 yards last week before the wideout went down for the year.
With Nabers out of commission, the Giants are set to audition free agent Samori Toure on Friday. That would be a low-end depth pickup, though, as Toure has a mere 13 catches on his resume since the Packers chose him in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. He hasn’t even appeared in a regular-season game since 2023.
Assuming the 1-3 Giants don’t venture outside the organization for an impact pass catcher, it could provide Jalin Hyatt an opportunity to finally establish himself. In doing so, Hyatt would give the Giants a useful complement to their top two healthy receivers, Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton.
The Giants spent a third-round pick on Hyatt in 2023, but the move hasn’t gone according to plan. The former Tennessee standout caught 23 of 40 targets for 373 yards over 17 scoreless games as a rookie in 2023. Hyatt followed that up with an eight-catch, 62-yard, zero-touchdown showing in 16 games last year. Despite the underwhelming start to Hyatt’s career, general manager Joe Schoen reportedly rebuffed interested teams when they asked about him before the season.
While Schoen wouldn’t move Hyatt during the summer, he has been a non-factor so far in 2025. The 24-year-old has played in two games, logged 35 snaps, and failed to record a catch. Nevertheless, Hyatt is confident he’ll rise to the occasion in the wake of Nabers’ injury.
“I knew I’d get my chance this year — just didn’t know when,” Hyatt said this week (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). “Can’t wait for the opportunity I’ve been waiting a long time for. Now, just have to take advantage of it.”
Hyatt also expressed optimism that he and Dart will continue building on a connection that began forming when the two were on the Giants’ scout team earlier in the season. They’ll have a chance to carry that over into this Sunday’s game against the winless Saints.
Workout Notes: Giants, Steelers, Ravens, Chargers, Commanders
Having lost superstar No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers to a season-ending torn ACL, the Giants are looking to replenish their depth at the position. With that in mind, they’ll work out free agent receiver Samori Toure on Friday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports. Now 27 years old, Toure entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Packers in 2022. Toure caught 13 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown with the Packers over two seasons, and he hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2023. The Bears signed Toure to a reserve/futures contract last January, but they waived him in August. The 6-foot-1, 196-pounder has been on the open market since then.
More workout updates from around the NFL:
- After losing practice squad safety Sebastian Castro to the Buccaneers on Tuesday, the Steelers brought in a handful of potential replacements for visits on Wednesday, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. The team auditioned Kendell Brooks, Jack Henderson, Maxen Hook, Glendon Miller, and Mark Perry. Brooks, who appeared in five games with the Titans last year, is the only member of the group with regular-season NFL experience.
- The Ravens had defensive backs Amani Oruwariye, Michael Davis, Kemon Hall, and Keenan Isaac in for tryouts on Wednesday, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. The 30-year-old Davis is the most experienced member of the group, having amassed 122 appearances (76 starts) and eight interceptions with the Chargers and Commanders since 2017. However, only Oruwariye impressed Baltimore’s brass enough to earn a contract with the team this week. The Ravens added the seventh-year cornerback and former Lion, Jaguar, and Cowboy on a practice squad deal on Wednesday. He’ll provide depth with the Ravens dealing with a slew of defensive injuries, including to corners Marlon Humphrey (calf), Nate Wiggins (elbow), and Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring).
- Along with Bobby Hart, whom they signed to their practice squad, the Chargers worked out fellow offensive linemen Chris Hubbard and Zachary Thomas on Wednesday, Wilson relays. Hubbard, 34, has 102 games of experience and 61 starts under his belt. The guard/tackle played in eight games and totaled three starts with the Giants last year. Thomas divided 2024 between the Patriots and Texans, with whom he combined for 14 of his 17 career appearances. He still hasn’t logged a start since debuting with the Rams in 2022.
- The Commanders tried out punter Jack Browning on Thursday, according to Wilson. Washington is looking for depth behind two-time Pro Bowl punter and 12th-year man Tress Way, who has averaged 47.1 yards per punt and 43.4 net on 14 tries this season. Browning, undrafted from San Diego State in 2o24, appeared in 10 games with Tampa Bay as a rookie and averaged 42.5 yards (34.6 net) on 10 punts.
Cowboys Open Practice Windows For Jonathan Mingo, Caelen Carson
The Cowboys have gone without wide receiver Jonathan Mingo and cornerback Caelen Carson all season, but that may not be the case for much longer. The team opened both players’ 21-day practice windows on Wednesday, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.
Mingo sprained the PCL in his right knee in August, forcing him to start his first full season in Dallas on injured reserve. The Panthers invested a high selection on Mingo in 2023, taking the former Mississippi receiver 39th overall. Mingo underwhelmed in a Panthers uniform, though, and the team elected to send him and a seventh-round selection to the Cowboys for a fourth-rounder before last November’s trade deadline.
After joining the Cowboys, Mingo played in eight games and failed to establish himself with a change of scenery, catching a mere five of 16 targets for 46 yards. Between the Panthers and Cowboys, he appeared in 17 games last season and secured just 17 of his 42 targets for 167 yards and no scores.
If Mingo plays this year, he should be low on a Dallas WR depth chart that possesses an enviable one-two punch in CeeDee Lamb (currently injured) and George Pickens. Fellow receivers KaVontae Turpin and Jalen Tolbert have combined for 21 catches, meanwhile, and tight end Jake Ferguson has already made 34 receptions during the team’s 1-2-1 start.
Carson, out since hyperextending his knee in July, has endured an injury-marred career so far. The 2024 fifth-rounder from Wake Forest only made six appearances (five starts) as a rookie before going on IR with a shoulder ailment that required surgery. The Carson-less Cowboys have opened this season dead last in the NFL against the pass, having surrendered 297.3 yards per game. Although Carson remains largely unproven at the pro level, the Cowboys will happily welcome him back as a reinforcement if he proves healthy enough for activation.
Because the Cowboys designated Mingo as an IR-return player in August, he already counts toward their eight-activation limit in-season. Carson, however, landed on IR after Dallas set its initial 53-man roster. He will not count toward the Cowboys’ activation total until the team moves him back onto its 53-man roster.
Titans Open Tyjae Spears’ Practice Window
The Titans designated running back Tyjae Spears to return to practice on Wednesday, according to Jim Wyatt of the team’s website. They’ll have 21 days to activate Spears from injured reserve after opening his practice window.
Spears has been unavailable at the outset of his third season after succumbing to a high ankle sprain in August. The 24-year-old previously missed five games in 2024 with multiple injuries. Since the Titans took him in the third round of the 2023 draft, the former Tulane star has appeared in 29 games and rushed for 765 yards on 184 attempts (4.2 YPC), adding six touchdowns on the ground. He has also been a useful option in the passing game, having racked up 82 catches for 609 yards and two scores.
If he returns this year, Spears should again work behind starter Tony Pollard, who’s seeking his fourth straight 1,000-yard campaign. Pollard’s on pace to achieve that feat, having amassed 265 yards on 68 carries, though he has averaged a career-low 3.8 per rush.
Unfortunately for the Spears-less Titans, they haven’t found a viable backup to Pollard during an 0-4 start. That’s among the reasons they’ve tallied the league’s fourth-fewest rushing yards. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, ranks second on the team with just nine rushing attempts. Fourth-year RB Julius Chestnut has recorded a paltry five carries for 28 yards, while rookie sixth-rounder Kalel Mullings didn’t play an offensive snap in either of his first two games before landing on injured reserve last week.
Because the Titans applied a summer return designation on Spears upon setting their initial 53-man roster, he already counts toward their eight regular-season activations. Seven remain for the winless team.
Lions Place D.J. Reed On IR
The Lions will have to go at least the next four games without starting cornerback D.J. Reed. The team placed Reed on injured reserve on Wednesday. While Reed will not require surgery on his strained hamstring (via Eric Woodyard of ESPN), he won’t be eligible to return until Nov. 9 against the Commanders.
Considering Reed was carted off the field in the Lions’ win over the Browns last Sunday, his IR placement doesn’t come as a surprise. Nevertheless, it’s an unwelcome development for Detroit, which added the former Seahawk, 49er, and Jet on a three-year, $48MM contract in free agency last March. Injury aside, the investment has looked good so far.
During his first four games as a Lion, Reed played over 88 percent of defensive snaps and helped the team to a 3-1 start. Along with leading all Lions corners in playing time, Reed posted 16 tackles, four passes defensed, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Pro Football Focus ranks his early season performance 28th among 164 qualifying corners.
Before Reed went down, the Lions had been set to reduce fellow outside corner Terrion Arnold‘s usage. Arnold then joined Reed in suffering an injury last week, though he was able to practice on a limited basis Wednesday despite a shoulder issue (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). Arnold, Amik Robertson, Khalil Dorsey, and Rock Ya-Sin will now have to pick up the slack in Reed’s absence.
The Lions’ schedule over the next few weeks looks like a mixed bag. Their Reed-less secondary will take on Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning on Sunday, but they’ll have to contend with the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield in the two weeks after that. After a bye, the Lions will face the division-rival Vikings and either J.J. McCarthy or Carson Wentz on Nov. 2.
Commanders G Sam Cosmi Returns To Practice
The Commanders may be on the verge of getting an offensive line stalwart back. The team announced Wednesday that right guard Sam Cosmi returned to practice. Washington will have 21 days to activate him from injured reserve. Cosmi started the season on the reserve/PUP list.
While it’s unlikely that Cosmi will play this week against the Chargers, it’s encouraging that the 26-year-old has made such quick progress from a major injury. Cosmi tore the ACL in his right knee in a divisional round win over the Lions in last January’s playoffs, leaving him unavailable for an NFC championship game loss to the Eagles and the Commanders’ first four contests this season.
The Commanders have used Nick Allegretti and Andrew Wylie at right guard this year. Cosmi will slot back into that spot if he’s able to return in the next three weeks.
A former tackle, Cosmi scored a four-year, $74MM extension with the Commanders just a couple of days before the start of the 2024 campaign. It was the first significant extension general manager Adam Peters doled out.
Cosmi, who joined Washington as a second-round pick in 2021, went on to start in all 17 of the team’s regular-season games for the second year in a row. He was an integral part of an O-line that helped quarterback Jayden Daniels to one of the greatest seasons from a rookie signal-caller in league history.
The Daniels-led Commanders burst on the scene as surprise contenders last year. However, thanks in part to injuries, they’re out to a so-so 2-2 start this season. Daniels has missed back-to-back games with a knee injury, though it appears he’ll be back in action this week. He figures to be among the beneficiaries if Cosmi takes the field the field this season. Cosmi’s return could also aid an already formidable ground attack that ranks second in the NFL with 154.5 rushing yards per game.
Eagles Open Nakobe Dean’s Practice Window
The Eagles could be close to welcoming back a key starter from last year’s Super Bowl-winning defense. The team has opened linebacker Nakobe Dean‘s 21-day practice window, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Philadelphia placed Dean on the reserve/PUP list in August.
Dean, a fourth-year man from Georgia, had the best season of his career in 2024. The former third-round pick set personal-best marks across the board with 15 starts, 128 tackles, three sacks, and an interception. However, Dean suffered a torn patellar tendon during a wild-card round victory over the Packers and missed the rest of the playoffs. The injury prevented him from taking the field during wins over the Rams, Commanders, and Chiefs.
While a healthy Dean was an important part of the Eagles’ defense last year, it seems his time with the team may be winding down. A report in August indicated that Dean was likely entering his last season with the Eagles.
Furthermore, if and when he does return this year, the 24-year-old may come back as a reserve behind Zack Baun and rookie Jihaad Campbell. Asked about Dean’s role on Wednesday, head coach Nick Sirianni offered a noncommittal (via Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com), “We’ll see.” Sirianni went on to laud the play of Baun and Campbell.
After a 2024 breakout, the Eagles identified Baun as a cornerstone defender, inking the former Saint to a three-year, $51MM contract in March. His strong play has continued during the Eagles’ undefeated start this year. Baun has played every defensive snap for the Eagles, while Campbell has nearly matched that. After going 31st overall in last spring’s draft, the former Alabama standout has played a little over 95 percent of snaps and thrived in the early going.
At the very least, Dean will give the Eagles an enviable depth piece if they activate him. The Eagles, who are seeking a 5-0 start, could welcome him back as early as this Sunday’s home tilt against the Broncos.
Vikings Open Practice Windows For LB Tyler Batty, FB C.J. Ham
The Vikings announced that they have officially opened the 21-day practice window for outside linebacker Tyler Batty and fullback C.J. Ham. Both players opened the season on injured reserve, and the Vikings will now have three weeks to activate them.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell indicated either could come back as early as this Sunday’s game in London against the Browns. Both Batty and Ham, because they were given return designations in August, already count toward Minnesota’s eight regular-season activations.
Batty, an undrafted rookie from BYU, suffered a right knee injury in the Vikings’ preseason finale against the Titans on Aug. 22. A first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2024, Batty played five seasons at BYU and tallied 16.5 sacks over 53 games. The 6-foot-5, 261-pounder appeared in 13 contests last season and totaled 59 tackles (seven for loss), two interceptions and 1.5 sacks.
If Batty debuts this week, he’ll give the Vikings some depth on the outside behind Dallas Turner, who’s filling in for the injured Andrew Van Ginkel. After missing the Vikings’ loss to the Steelers last week with a neck injury, Van Ginkel is likely to sit out again on Sunday.
Ham, 32, also missed the team’s first four games with a knee issue. Now a ninth-year Viking, Ham is the team’s second-longest-tenured player behind safety Harrison Smith. While Ham only received seven touches last year (two carries, five catches), he played over 23 percent of offensive snaps and about 63 percent on special teams. The 32-year-old helped pave the way for an 1,100-yard season from running back Aaron Jones.
With Jones on IR since mid-September with a hamstring injury, Jordan Mason has taken over as the Vikings’ starting RB. The former 49er has racked up 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 56 carries – good for an average of 4.8 per rush.
LB Eric Kendricks Visiting Ravens
OCTOBER 1: The Ravens offered Kendricks a spot on their practice squad, but he turned them down, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. That would indicate that Kendricks is seeking a 53-man roster spot (and potentially more than a veteran-minimum salary) and is trying to use the leverage of Smith’s injury to get a better deal.
SEPTEMBER 30: Free agent linebacker Eric Kendricks hasn’t found a home since last season ended, but that could change soon. Kendricks is visiting the Ravens, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Kendricks has logged 142 starts since entering the NFL as a second-round pick of the Vikings in 2015. He played in Minnesota through 2022, earning one All-Pro nod along the way, before joining the Chargers in 2023. That was a short-lived union, as was Kendricks’ stint with the Cowboys. He spent last year in Dallas and totaled 138 tackles (71 solo), three sacks, and two interceptions in 15 starts.
Although Kendricks’ production remained solid last season, the 33-year-old hasn’t drawn any reported attention in free agency until now. The interest from the Ravens comes with the team dealing with a slew of injuries on defense, including at linebacker. Roquan Smith suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain that will keep him out for an undetermined amount of time, which could set up a partnership between Kendricks and Baltimore.
If Kendricks does sign with the Ravens, he’d join Kyle Van Noy, 34, as one of the elder statesmen in their LB corps. The Smith-less Ravens have younger options in Teddye Buchanan, who has played just under 69 percent of snaps this year, and Trenton Simpson. While Simpson was a third-rounder in 2023, the former Clemson Tiger has been more of a factor on special teams than defense this season.
The Ravens finished their Chiefs matchup with more than half their starting defense sidelined, playing a key part in Kansas City’s 37-point showing — a game that dropped Baltimore to 1-3. Nnamdi Madubuike is not coming back as a reinforcement, being out for the season, and Marlon Humphrey is also expected to miss time.
The Ravens have relied on Smith at linebacker since acquiring him in a trade before the 2022 deadline. With Patrick Queen departing for Pittsburgh as a 2024 free agent, Baltimore is thin on reliable options on its defensive second level. He of 142 career starts, Kendricks would fit the bill as a potential plug-and-play option. But the Ravens are certainly scrambling at this point given the volume of defenders lost to injury so early in the season.