Rams Place Rob Havenstein, Tyler Higbee, Quentin Lake On IR
The Rams are losing a trio of key contributors for at least four games apiece. The team has placed right tackle Rob Havenstein, tight end Tyler Higbee, and safety Quentin Lake on IR, head coach Sean McVay announced (via Sarah Barshop of ESPN). McVay is hopeful all three will return this season.
Lake’s IR placement comes as no surprise after it was revealed Wednesday that he underwent elbow surgery. Havenstein played 100% of offensive snaps in a win over the Seahawks last Sunday, but McVay said he’s dealing with knee and ankle issues. Higbee suffered an ankle injury of his own against Seattle.
Havenstein’s ankle issue kept him out of three games earlier this season. When healthy enough to play in 2025, the 11th-year Ram has continued to serve as a full-time starter. Havenstein has started in all 148 regular-season games since the then-St. Louis Rams picked him in the second round of the 2015 draft.
Warren McClendon, who has made three starts this year, is likely to step in for Havenstein again. Meanwhile, the Rams will turn to tight ends Davis Allen, Colby Parkinson, and Terrance Ferguson to pick up the slack in Higbee’s absence.
Higbee, who has totaled 20 catches, 190 yards, and two touchdowns in nine games, leads Rams TEs with 318 offensive snaps. Allen (293) and Parkinson (248) aren’t far behind. Those two have combined for 28 receptions, 237 yards, and five scores. Ferguson was a second-round pick in last spring’s draft, but the rookie from Oregon hasn’t been a significant contributor so far. While Ferguson has averaged a whopping 27.6 yards per catch, he has only picked up five grabs through his first eight games.
Thanks in part to Havenstein, Higbee, and Lake, the Rams have gotten off to an 8-2 start. They’re right behind the Eagles, also 8-2, for the No.1 seed in the NFC. Aside from the NFC West rival Cardinals in Week 14, the Rams will face nothing but playoff contenders (the Buccaneers, Panthers, and Lions) during their four-game stretch without those three players.
Cardinals Open RB Trey Benson’s Practice Window, Sign P Matt Haack
A knee injury has kept Cardinals running back Trey Benson out for most of the season, but a return is on the horizon. The Cardinals opened his practice window on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. They’ll have 21 days to activate him from IR.
Benson totaled 29 carries and 160 yards (5.5 YPC) in four games before landing on the shelf on Oct. 1. The 2024 third-round pick went down the week after the Cardinals lost starting running back James Conner to a season-ending foot injury.
With Benson and Conner out of commission, the Cardinals have turned to Zonovan Knight, Emari Demercado, and Michael Carter as their top three backs. Knight and Carter have each averaged under 3.5 yards per carry on a combined 93 attempts.
Demercado has totaled just 31 carries, but he has managed an outstanding 7.8 yards per rush. However, he’ll miss this Sunday’s game against the Jaguars with an ankle injury. It’s unclear whether Benson will be available to help fill the void.
While Benson’s Week 12 status is up in the air, the Cardinals are guaranteed to debut a new punter. After cutting Pat O’Donnell on Tuesday, the team signed veteran Matt Haack to its active roster on Wednesday, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. Haack has played for five teams since his career began in 2017. His most recent action came over four games with the Giants last season. The 31-year-old owns a career average of 44.2 yards per punt with a net of 39.7.
Haack will be the third punter of 2025 for Arizona, which placed starter Blake Gillikin on IR with a back injury on Oct. 11. The Arizona State alumnus spent part of the 2023 offseason with the Cardinals. He tried out with the Cardinals when they were looking for Gillikin’s replacement, but they signed O’Donnell instead.
Falcons To Activate LB Divine Deablo From IR
The Falcons opened linebacker Divine Deablo‘s 21-day practice window on Monday, but he won’t need the full three weeks to return from IR. The team will activate Deablo on Wednesday, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Head coach Raheem Morris said he expects Deablo to play on Sunday against the Saints.
Deablo went down with a fractured left forearm in a loss to the 49ers in Week 7, the beginning of a ruinous skid for the Falcons. That was the first of five straight defeats for Atlanta, which has fallen to 3-7. It’s unlikely the team will rally into playoff contention, especially with starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. set to undergo season-ending ACL surgery.
The 2025 campaign has turned into a massive disappointment for the Falcons, who entered it hoping to push for an NFC South title. Deablo was an obvious bright spot before he suffered his injury, however.
A former Raider, the 27-year-old Deablo has started in each of his first six games as a Falcon and notched 24 tackles, four passes defensed, and 0.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus grades Deablo’s performance fourth among 81 qualifying linebackers. The Falcons couldn’t have asked for more when they signed Deablo to a two-year, $14MM contract last March.
Atlanta’s defense ranked second in the NFL in yards and eighth in scoring at the time of Deablo’s injury. The unit has fallen to 16th and 19th in those categories. Deablo’s absence obviously hasn’t been the sole reason for such a drastic decline, but it hasn’t helped. JD Bertrand and Ronnie Harrison have been defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich‘s main Deablo replacements over the past several weeks. Now that he’s returning, Deablo should slot back in alongside Kaden Elliss as the Falcons’ top two LBs.
Jets Bench QB Justin Fields; Tyrod Taylor To Start In Week 12
NOVEMBER 19: Glenn confirmed on Wednesday that Taylor, not Fields, would start in Baltimore on Sunday.
When asked why he made the call, Glenn responded, “Because I wanted to,” per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. While he may be continuing a somewhat adversarial relationship with the New York press corps, he may also be signaling that he, not notoriously meddlesome owner Woody Johnson, made the decision to bench Fields for Taylor.
NOVEMBER 17: The Jets are making a change at quarterback. Tyrod Taylor will start over Justin Fields in Week 12 against the Ravens, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.
The Jets signed Fields, previously with the Bears and Steelers, to a two-year, $40MM contract last offseason. The former first-round pick got off to a solid start in a Week 1 loss to the Steelers, but his production has nosedived since then.
Owner Woody Johnson publicly criticized Fields’ performance after a Week 7 loss to the Panthers. Expectations were that Taylor would take over in the wake of Johnson’s scathing remarks, but a knee injury temporarily prevented that from happening.
At 0-7 when Johnson called out Fields, the Jets proceeded to win back-to-back games. Fields threw for 244 yards in a 39-38 victory over the Bengals. He managed just 54 in a 27-20 win over the Browns the next week, though a tremendous special teams showing helped make up for it.
Even though Fields finally strung together a couple of wins, last Thursday’s outing was enough to convince first-year head coach Aaron Glenn to go in another direction. In a 27-14 loss to the AFC East rival Patriots, Fields went 15 of 26 for 116 yards and a touchdown. As has typically been the case, the mobile Fields was more impressive on the ground, totaling 67 yards and a TD on 11 rushes.
Fields will head to the bench with a 62.7% completion rate, 1,259 yards (6.2 YPA), seven TDs, and an interception through nine games. He has added 383 more yards (5.4 per carry) and four TDs as a runner, but his 37.7 QBR ranks 30th in the NFL. The Jets are last in the league in passing and 25th in scoring.
Regardless of whether Fields plays again this year, the Jets will have to determine his future in the offseason. He’s owed a guaranteed $10MM in 2026, and releasing him would add $22MM in dead cap. They’re already on the hook for $35MM in dead money for next year after releasing Fields’ predecessor, Aaron Rodgers, last offseason.
Now that he’s taking over for Fields, Taylor will face the Ravens 14 years after he began his career with them as a 2011 sixth-round pick from Virginia Tech. The 36-year-old has appeared in games with six other teams since then. Taylor made one start earlier this year, a Week 3 loss to the Buccaneers, while filling in for an injured Fields. He has completed 62.3% of passes for 379 yards, three TDs, and three INTs in three appearances this season.
Colts Designate CB Charvarius Ward, LB Jaylon Carlies For Return
The AFC South-leading Colts are off to an 8-2 start and vying for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Their chances to secure the AFC’s top spot could increase if they welcome back corner Charvarius Ward and linebacker Jaylon Carlies in the coming weeks. The team announced that it has designated both players to return from IR.
The Colts will have 21 days to activate Ward and Carlies. Ward has been on the shelf with a concussion since Oct. 18, while Carlies hasn’t played at all this season as a result of an ankle injury. He landed on IR with a designation for return in August.
After spending three seasons in San Francisco, Ward joined the Colts on a three-year, $60MM contract last March. Two concussions have limited the former Pro Bowler to four games (all starts) this season, but he has thrived when healthy.
Pro Football Focus rated Ward as the league’s second-best cornerback at the time of his IR placement. The 29-year-old has recorded 13 tackles and three passes defensed this season.
Just under three weeks after they put Ward on IR, the Colts swung a blockbuster deal for Jets star corner Sauce Gardner at the Nov. 4 trade deadline. If Ward comes back this year, he will join Gardner and nickel corner Kenny Moore to comprise one of the league’s best trios on paper. Gardner led Colts CBs in snaps in his debut with the team in Week 10, a 31-25 win over the Falcons in Berlin. Mekhi Blackmon started opposite Gardner on the outside.
With the Colts coming off a bye, Ward could return as early as this Sunday for a highly anticipated matchup with the Chiefs – one of his former teams. Carlies may join him as a reinforcement.
A 2024 fifth-round pick from Missouri, where he played safety, Carlies started in six of 10 appearances and made 36 tackles as a rookie. Although Carlies missed seven games with a leg injury in 2024 and underwent offseason shoulder surgery, the Colts expected him to work as a full-time starter alongside Zaire Franklin this year. Carlies’ ankle issue has prevented him from factoring in, however.
Germaine Pratt, who signed with the Colts in October, has taken over as a starter next to Franklin. Even if Pratt continues to hold down that spot, Carlies’ comeback would give defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo another intriguing option.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/18/25
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed off Titans’ practice squad: CB Sam Webb
- Placed on IR: CB Dom Jones
- Waived: WR Kaden Davis
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: DT Perrion Winfrey
- Waived: LB Damone Clark
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: S Chris Smith
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: WR Calvin Ridley (story)
- Signed from practice squad: WR James Proche
Washington Commanders
- Waived: WR Jacoby Jones
After winning the Senior Bowl MVP in 2022, Winfrey entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Browns a few months later. He totaled 22 tackles and a half-sack in 13 games as a rookie. That proved to be Winfrey’s lone season in Cleveland, which waived him a few months after a misdemeanor assault charge in 2023.
Winfrey played in one game with the Jets in his second season before a stint with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions last year. The 290-pounder earned All-UFL honors, leading the Cowboys to sign him in June, but a back injury forced him to IR in early September. Now that they’ve brought Winfrey back, the Cowboys have just three activations remaining.
Winfrey’s return comes at the expense of Clark, a Cowboy since they took him in the fifth round in 2022. The former LSU Tiger was a 17-game starter who racked up 109 tackles in 2023, but his playing time drastically fell off after that. While Clark appeared in eight of Dallas’ games this year and made two starts, 138 of his 217 snaps came on special teams.
The Cowboys swung a trade with the Bengals for linebacker Logan Wilson earlier this month and recently welcomed back fellow LB DeMarvion Overshown from injury. With those in-season reinforcements in the fold, the Cowboys deemed Clark expendable.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this article.
Cardinals Release Punter Pat O’Donnell
The Cardinals will need to find a new punter before they face the Jaguars on Sunday. The team released Pat O’Donnell on Tuesday, per Zach Gershman of the team’s website.
O’Donnell was the second punter of the year for Arizona, which placed starter Blake Gillikin on IR with a back injury on Oct. 11. The Cardinals brought in O’Donnell as a result. Gillikin is is still on the shelf a little over a month later, leaving the Cardinals to look outside the organization for their next punter.
In five games with the Cardinals, O’Donnell punted 12 times and averaged 42.2 yards per try with a net of 36.2. He checked in well below the 2025 league averages of 47.7 and 41.2, respectively. Also a former Bear, Packer, and 49er, the 34-year-old has posted a 45.0-yard average and a 39.2 net since he made his NFL debut in 2014.
Along with the O’Donnell move, the Cardinals cut linebacker Jared Bartlett from their active roster on Tuesday. The team also released defensive lineman Anthony Goodlow from its practice squad.
Bartlett worked exclusively on special teams in his two games with the Cardinals this year. Goodlow has made three appearances in 2025 and totaled three tackles on 36 defensive snaps.
Lions Activate LB Malcolm Rodriguez From PUP List
The Lions have activated linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez from the reserve/physically unable to perform list, per a team announcement. Rodriguez is now eligible to make his season debut on Sunday against the Giants.
Rodriguez is returning a little less than a year after he tore his ACL in a Week 13 win over the Bears last Thanksgiving. The Lions opened Rodriguez’s 21-day practice window on Oct. 27. The belief then was that the 26-year-old would need the full three weeks before the Lions activated him, and that proved to be the case.
A sixth-round pick from Oklahoma State in 2022, Rodriguez started in 15 of 16 appearances as a rookie. He recorded 87 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble that year, though it wasn’t enough to hold a full-time starting job.
Rodriguez came off the bench in 18 of 27 appearances from 2023-24. He picked up a career-high two sacks in 10 games last season.
Rejoining a 6-4 Detroit team that’s pushing for a playoff spot, Rodriguez will once again work as a defensive reserve and a special teamer. The Lions are in enviable shape at linebacker with Jack Campbell, Alex Anzalone, and Derrick Barnes as their top three. Campbell, Anzalone, and Barnes have each played over 90% of defensive snaps this year. Rodriguez’s return will give the Lions some quality depth behind them.
Raiders’ Pete Carroll Backs QB Geno Smith
After they finished 4-13 in 2024, the Raiders entered this season hoping the new head coach-quarterback tandem of Pete Carroll and Geno Smith would produce far better results. While the two previously had success in Seattle, it hasn’t transferred to Las Vegas. The Raiders are now 2-8 after dropping their fourth straight game – a 33-16 beating at the hands of the Cowboys – on Monday.
Smith posted his latest subpar stat line in Week 11, going 27 of 42 for 238 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The 35-year-old has completed 66.3% of passes for 2,082 yards and more interceptions (13) than TDs (12) through 10 games. Smith owns an 80.9 passer rating, a far cry from his 95.9 mark in 54 games and 52 starts as a Seahawk, while his 32.6 QBR ranks 31st in the NFL.
Although Smith has performed more like the early career Jets version than the solid Seahawks starter, Carroll is standing behind the 12th-year man (via Ryan McFadden of ESPN).
“I continue to really believe in him,” Carroll said. “I have no hesitation in telling you that. He’s an incredible player, and he’s busting his tail [off]. …He’ll come through for us. We gotta help him out more.”
The Raiders took away some of Smith’s help when they shipped wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Jaguars before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. With Meyers gone, Smith’s only real weapons are the tight end duo of Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, receiver Tre Tucker, and running back Ashton Jeanty.
The Cowboys erased Jeanty as a rushing threat on Monday, which made it all the more difficult for Smith. Jeanty, the sixth overall pick in last spring’s draft, managed a microscopic seven yards on six carries. Smith doubled Jeanty’s output with a team-high 14 yards.
While the Raiders’ Smith-led offense ranks 30th in the league in both yards per game and scoring, a poor line has been a key contributor. The Raiders lost cornerstone left tackle Kolton Miller to a high ankle sprain in late September. Right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson suffered an ankle injury of his own in Week 10 and might not return this season. Miller and Powers-Johnson are missed on a line that surrendered four sacks on Monday. Having allowed 31 sacks this season, the Raiders rank 25th in the league.
The Raiders could have more difficulty blocking for Smith this Sunday against the Browns, who have piled up the NFL’s fourth-most sacks. Superstar Myles Garrett, coming off a four-sack showing in a loss to the Ravens last week, has amassed a league-high 15.
Smith could spend a good portion of Week 12 trying to evade Garrett, but he’ll attempt to bounce back and justify Carroll’s public vote of confidence. In the event Carroll eventually makes a change, Kenny Pickett, Aidan O’Connell, and Cam Miller represent the team’s other in-house signal-callers.
Pickett has disappointed and spent time with a total of four teams since the Steelers selected him 20th overall in the 2022 draft. The Raiders traded a 2025 third-rounder for Smith last offseason because O’Connell failed to establish himself as a capable starter from 2023-24. O’Connell has been on IR all season with a fractured wrist. The Raiders opened his 21-day practice window on Oct. 29, meaning they’re running out of time to activate him. Miller, a sixth-round rookie from North Dakota State, is on the practice squad.
Regardless of whether Smith finishes 2025 as the Raiders’ starter, they’ll have a decision to make on him in the offseason. The Raiders signed Smith to a two-year, $75MM extension when they acquired him, but they’ve already paid most of that. Moving on after the season would leave the Raiders with his fully guaranteed 2026 salary of $18.5MM as dead money. Smith’s remaining $8MM in guarantees will vest early in the league year next March. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Raiders cut the cord before that happens.
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. Suffers Partial ACL Tear, Likely Done For Season
10:01pm: The Falcons will place Penix on IR, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report. Along with damage to his ACL, Penix aggravated a bone bruise and a knee sprain.
11:13am: Penix has a partial ACL tear and is expected to miss the rest of the season, according to Palmer.
9:55am: Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. suffered a potential season-ending knee injury in a 30-27 loss to the Panthers on Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Penix will go for a second opinion, but his chances of a 2025 return don’t look good. The Falcons believe Penix is done for the season, per James Palmer of The Athletic.
It seemed likely that Penix would miss at least some time when he exited early on Sunday. However, a possible season-ending injury comes as a surprise. Penix previously sat out a game this year with a bone bruise in his left knee, which he re-injured against Carolina. Kirk Cousins, who replaced Penix, will take over for the foreseeable future.
The Falcons used the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft on Penix, a stunning move after they signed Cousins to a four-year, $180MM deal with $100MM in guarantees in free agency.
Penix entered the NFL with a couple of major knee injuries in his past. Then with Indiana, Penix suffered season-ending right ACL tears in both 2018 and ’20. The southpaw finished his college career with a pair of healthy and productive seasons as a Washington Huskie, leading the Falcons to take a chance on him in the first round.
Penix began his pro career as Cousins’ backup, but the Falcons switched to the heir apparent late last season. After starting 7-7 under Cousins, the team replaced him with Penix. While Atlanta lost two of its final three games en route to an 8-9 finish, Penix showed head coach Raheem Morris enough to grab the reins as the team’s unquestioned starter entering this season. The demoted Cousins wanted out in the offseason, whether via trade or release. The Falcons wound up retaining him.
With Penix at the helm for all but one game this season, the Falcons have stumbled to a disappointing 3-7 record. Penix has underwhelmed at the head of an offense that ranks 18th in passing and 27th in scoring. He has completed 60.1% of passes for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions. The 25-year-old ranks 17th in the league in QBR and 23rd in passer rating.
It remains to be seen whether Penix’s injury will be severe enough to affect his availability for any of 2026. In the meantime, the Falcons will turn back to Cousins. The Falcons gambled on a Cousins mega-deal despite the fact that he suffered a torn Achilles midway through his final season with the Vikings in 2023.
Cousins, who had been prolific passer throughout his career with Washington and Minnesota, hasn’t recaptured his old form since moving to Atlanta. In his lone start this year, a 34-10 loss to Miami in Week 8, Cousins went 21 for 31 for 173 yards. He finished a lackluster 6 for 14 for 48 yards in relief of Penix in Week 11.
Having lost five in a row to fall to 13th place in the NFC, the Cousins-led Falcons will need a miraculous run to earn a playoff berth. To worsen matters, Cousins will go at least one week without the Falcons’ No. 1 receiver, Drake London, who sprained his PCL against Carolina. London won’t play in New Orleans this Sunday, and it’s possible he’ll miss more time after that, per Rapoport.