Patriots WR Stefon Diggs Has Played Through Fractured Finger
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs‘ first season in New England has gone swimmingly. The four-time Pro Bowler has emerged as quarterback Drake Maye‘s favorite target during a surprising 10-2 start for the Patriots, winners of nine in a row and currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
The Patriots’ decision to sign Diggs to a three-year, $69MM deal last March came after an injury-shortened campaign with the Texans. Playing his lone season in Houston, the former Viking and Bill tore his ACL in Week 8 and didn’t return.
Diggs recovered quickly enough to return for Week 1 this season, and his knee hasn’t hampered him at all during New England’s scorching start. The 32-year-old has appeared in all 12 of the Patriots’ games and piled up 61 catches on 75 targets, 679 yards, and three scores.
While Diggs’ knee hasn’t been a problem this year, that doesn’t mean he’s at full strength. A few days before the Patriots’ win over the Bengals last Sunday, Diggs told reporters that he has been playing through a fractured finger for a couple of weeks (via Mike Reiss of ESPN). That seems like a concerning injury for a pass catcher, but Diggs downplayed the severity.
“Least of my worries,” Diggs said.
Diggs had one of his quietest games of the year in Cincinnati, which held him to two catches for 20 yards on three targets. He and the Patriots’ other main receivers (Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, and Demario Douglas) largely took a backseat to tight end Hunter Henry, who led the way with seven grabs, 115 yards, and a score.
Looking to put together a 10-game winning streak for the first time since the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era, the Patriots will head into a Week 13 meeting with the Giants on Monday. The Pats have a bye after that, which will give Diggs’ finger extra time to heal as he and the team push for a division title and the top spot in the conference.
Rams Activate Ahkello Witherspoon From IR
With the Rams off to a 9-2 start, they’ll get back a notable defender as they vie for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Rams activated cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon from IR on Saturday, per a team announcement.
Owners of the NFL’s top-ranked scoring defense, the Rams’ excellence has come despite limited contributions from Witherspoon. The 30-year-old broke his scapula in Week 2 and wound up missing two and a half months.
The Rams opened Witherspoon’s 21-day practice window on Wednesday. He’ll make a quick return to play Sunday against the playoff-contending Panthers.
A former 49er, Seahawk, and Steeler, Witherspoon entered the season on his third straight one-year deal with the Rams. He was a 17-game starter in 2023 who came off the bench in eight of 13 appearances in 2024. Witherspoon worked as a starter this year before going on IR.
After losing Witherspoon, the Rams turned to Emmanuel Forbes, Cobie Durant, and Darious Williams as their top corners. Josh Wallace and Derion Kendrick are around as healthy depth. The Rams claimed Kendrick off waivers from the Seahawks after they placed in-season trade addition Roger McCreary on IR on Wednesday. The former Titan logged just one defensive snap in his first four games with L.A., though, and Witherspoon’s comeback will more than make up for his absence.
Witherspoon’s activation from IR is the first the Rams have used this year, leaving them with seven more. The team opened wide receiver Tutu Atwell‘s practice window on Wednesday, and his activation appears imminent. McCreary, safety Quentin Lake, right tackle Rob Havenstein, and tight end Tyler Higbee are candidates to return later this season.
Cowboys Expect To Open Trevon Diggs’ Practice Window On Sunday
Out for over a month with a concussion and right knee issues, Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs is moving toward a return from IR. The team expects to open his practice window on Sunday, head coach Brian Schottenheimer announced (via Todd Archer of ESPN). Once that happens, the Cowboys will have 21 days to activate Diggs.
Now in his sixth NFL season, Diggs played the Cowboys’ first six games of 2025 and started in four before suffering a concussion in an accident at his home. He hasn’t taken the field since Oct. 12.
The Cowboys placed Diggs on IR almost two weeks after his concussion, but the move had more to do with concerns over his knee. Notably, it isn’t the same knee that Diggs injured multiple times in the past. He tore his left ACL in 2023 and required chondral graft surgery on the joint last season.
The Cowboys lost two of their first three games without Diggs to fall to 3-5-1, but the team has since won three in a row, including a Thanksgiving Day victory against the Chiefs. Dallas, whose defense got off to a woeful start this year, has undergone a few notable changes since Diggs last played.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made a pair of major acquisitions before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, picking up defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the Jets and linebacker Logan Wilson from the Bengals. The Cowboys have also gotten back a couple of defensive reinforcements, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and rookie cornerback Shavon Revel, from long-term absences.
Those additions have helped the Cowboys surge into the playoff race, and they’ll hope Diggs will also have a positive impact after a rough start to the season. The two-time Pro Bowler didn’t log any interceptions or passes defensed before going on IR. Worse, Diggs allowed a shocking 154.9 passer rating – not far below a perfect mark of 158.3 – when opposing quarterbacks targeted him, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Cowboys expect Diggs’ return to come during an all-important showdown with the 7-5 Lions on Thursday, Jones said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). Both NFC playoff contenders will enter the game with little room for error. Assuming he plays, Diggs will rejoin a cornerback group that saw Revel, DaRon Bland, and Reddy Steward lead the way in snaps in the Cowboys’ win over the Chiefs. They likely won’t have to deal with Lions No. 1 receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who’s expected to sit out with an ankle injury.
Even if Diggs performs better during the last several weeks of the season, this may go down as his final stretch with the organization that drafted him in 2020. The Cowboys signed Diggs to a five-year, $97MM extension in July 2023, but there’s no guaranteed money on his deal beyond this season, per Over the Cap. Diggs’ ongoing injury troubles and decline in performance may lead the Cowboys to go in another direction. Releasing Diggs could help the Cowboys keep pending free agent wide receiver George Pickens, who will earn a massive raise on either the franchise tag or a long-term pact.
Colts Expected To Open Contract Talks With Daniel Jones, Jonathan Taylor After Season
Despite a disappointing loss to the Chiefs in Week 12, this season has been a success for the Colts. They’re 8-3, atop the AFC South, and in the mix for the No. 1 seed in the conference. An offense that ranks first in the NFL in scoring and second in yardage has been among the primary reasons for the Colts’ resurgence.
The offseason signing of former Giants and Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones has worked out brilliantly for the Colts. They bought low on Jones, giving him a one-year, $14MM guarantee. The 28-year-old has rewarded the Colts with a career-best campaign.
Once again a pending free agent, Jones is now a candidate to cash in on a much larger contract in the coming months. It’s already known the Colts plan to make Jones a long-term offer. Talks are not expected to start until the offseason, though, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic and Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.
It’s a similar situation with running back Jonathan Taylor, per Jonathan Jones, who writes that “it’s crickets when it comes to money talks” with Taylor and his QB. The Colts aren’t in immediate danger of losing Taylor, who’s vying for a rare MVP win for a running back. Taylor’s under wraps through 2026 on the three-year, $42MM extension he signed in October 2023.
At the time of signing, Taylor ranked third among RBs in average annual value and fourth in fully guaranteed money ($19.35MM). He’s now fourth in AAV and sixth in full guarantees.
If the Colts and Taylor pursue a new pact during the offseason, he could accompany the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley in the vicinity of $20MM per year. Barkley leads the position in AAV ($20.6MM) and full guarantees ($36MM) after securing a two-year, $41.2MM extension last March. The soon-to-be 27-year-old Taylor, a two-time Pro Bowler, may push for a similar payday off what has been a spectacular season and overall run in Indianapolis.
While a fresh deal for Taylor should put him near the top of the league at his position, there’s still skepticism toward Jones after he flamed out on a big contract with the Giants. They handed Jones a four-year, $160MM extension in March 2023, only to waive him last November.
Jones has cooled off since a hot start to the season, and he has particularly struggled when defenses have pressured him in recent weeks, Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star details. The Colts’ coaches are still confident in him, though, according to Erickson.
The approach the Colts’ Chris Ballard-led front office takes on a potential Jones deal could be “heavily dependent” on how he and the team finish 2025, Jonathan Jones writes. The Colts took a home run swing before the Nov. 4 trade deadline in sending two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner. Knowing Indianapolis won’t be able to spend a first-rounder on a QB in the near future could give Jones leverage in contract talks after the season.
For their part, the Colts don’t necessarily have to make a multiyear commitment. Placing the $46.1MM franchise tag on Jones would be costly, but it’s an option that would give the Colts another year to evaluate him without locking in for the long haul, James Boyd of The Athletic notes.
Jones’ future will continue serving as an interesting storyline heading into the offseason. In the meantime, he and the Colts will face a brutal season-ending schedule consisting of all playoff contenders. Four of their last six games are against division rivals Houston and Jacksonville. If Jones can help fend them off en route to the Colts’ first division title since 2014, a second nine-figure contract could be within reach.
Panthers S Tre’von Moehrig Receives One-Game Suspension
NOVEMBER 26: Per NFL senior vice president of football & international communications Michael Signora, Moehrig’s one-game suspension has been upheld on appeal. Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks was the hearing officer jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA.
NOVEMBER 25: The NFL has suspended Panthers safety Tre’von Moehrig for one game without pay as a result of his actions in a loss to the 49ers on Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Moehrig was caught on video punching 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings below the belt.
According to a league statement (via David Newton of ESPN), Moehrig’s punch violated “Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which applies to “any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship,” including, among others, “throwing a punch, or a forearm, or kicking at an opponent.”’
Moehrig will appeal the suspension, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. If the league upholds the ban, he’ll miss the Panthers’ game against the Rams on Sunday.
Jennings will not sit out any games, meanwhile, though the league is reviewing his actions for a possible fine, Pelissero relays. He struck Moehrig’s facemask with an open hand and shoved him in retaliation before the two were separated following the game.
Moehrig admitted afterward that he would “most likely” receive a fine (via David Kaye of the Charlotte Observer). However, he claimed Jennings provoked the attack with trash talking and “dirty stuff” after plays.
The Panthers fell to 6-6 on Monday. Their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread heading into a meeting with the 9-2 Rams, the NFC’s top seed. Going without Moehrig would make it all the more difficult for Carolina to pull an upset.
After Moehrig spent the first four years of his career with the Raiders, he joined the Panthers on a three-year, $51MM contract last March. Moehrig has started in all 12 of the Panthers’ games this season while notching 81 tackles, an interception, and a sack. He’s tied with fellow Panthers safety Nick Scott for the team lead in defensive snaps. Fourth-round rookie Lathan Ransom and Demani Richardson are on hand as depth options if Moehrig misses Week 13.
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.
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.
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.