Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love Declares For Draft
Widely considered the RB1 of this year’s draft class from the start of the season, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love has surprised absolutely nobody with his announcement today (via Instagram) that he is declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. While the perpetual debate around this particular position being first-round-worthy is sure to rear its ugly head, Love has garnered several first-round grades following an impressive junior year. 
A consensus top 100 prospect coming out St. Louis, Love fielded offers from nearly every major program as one of the top backs in the Class of 2023. He took official visits the summer before his senior year to Texas A&M, Oregon, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Alabama. When the paid trips were done, only the Aggies and Fighting Irish saw him on campus on his own dime before his eventual commitment partway through his final season of high school ball.
As a true freshman in head coach (for now) Marcus Freeman‘s second season at the helm, Love was the team’s second-leading rusher, though it was a distant second as bell-cow back Audric Estime led the team with 210 carries (compared to Love’s 71). After seeing Estime get drafted in the fifth-round to Denver, Love took over the lead back role, though the rushing attack in his sophomore campaign proved to be much more of a committee than in 2023.
Dual-threat quarterback Riley Leonard led the team in carries (184) and tied Love for the team-lead in rushing touchdowns (17), but with a healthy 6.9 yards per rush attempt, Love led the team with 1,125 rushing yards on 163 carries as a sophomore. That year redshirt sophomore Jadarian Price got a healthy secondary dose of his own, as well, logging 120 carries for 746 yards and seven touchdowns in the Irish’s three-headed rushing attack that took them to the College Football Playoff championship game.
With a new, more stationary quarterback under center for his junior year, Love saw a nice boost to his usage. Despite opening up his 2025 campaign with a season-low 33 yards in a loss to the Hurricanes, Love rattled off a few monster performances in games against Purdue (19 carries-157 rushing yards-2 rushing touchdowns), USC (24-228-1), Boston College (17-136-2), Pittsburgh (23-147-1), and Syracuse (8-171-3). In four fewer games than his sophomore season, Love tallied 199 carries for 1,372 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, all while redshirt junior Price still accounted for 113 carries for 674 yards and 11 touchdowns of his own.
In Dane Brugler of The Athletic’s midseason rankings of his top 50 draft prospects, Love registered at No. 5 overall as one of only two running backs to make the top 50 — the other being Price at No. 39. Love runs with a smooth yet explosive style. He displays impressive patience as he floats through the first level before exploding to the second. He finds several ways to be elusive and hard to bring down — his favorite of which tends to be the “Y” or “triangle” button on your controllers at home as he frequently attempts to put opponents on highlight reels with his hurdles.
He’s not a prolific pass catcher out of the backfield, but that doesn’t stop him from being dangerous once the ball is in his hands via checkdown or swing pass. He’ll have a lot of room to improve with pass pro at the next level, but few college rushers really come in as elite blockers. While ultimately, the efforts he and his teammates put on the field fell short of qualification for the College Football Playoff, Love’s efforts earned him a trip to New York as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, where he finished third in voting for the award behind Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and Heisman-winner Fernando Mendoza, the quarterback out of Indiana.
Overall, there isn’t going to be much argument over who the best running back in this class is. Love finished the season 5th in the NCAA in rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns. At this point, it doesn’t look like there will be any debate over which running back will come off the board first. Instead, the question to posit will be exactly when Love’s name comes off the board in April.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/16/25
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Marques Cox, S Patrick McMorris
- Released: T Trey Wedig
Buffalo Bills
- Released: CB M.J. Devonshire
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Dominique Hampton
- Released: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Denver Broncos
- Released: RB Sincere McCormick
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Keenan Garber
Houston Texans
- Signed: S Brandon Hill
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G LaDarius Henderson, G Bill Murray, T Zachary Thomas
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: G Nick Broeker, S Tanner McCalister
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
New York Jets
- Signed: S Jaylen Mahoney, LB Ochaun Mathis
- Released: QB Adrian Martinez
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: CB Isaiah Bolden
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR River Cracraft, WR Gee Scott Jr.
- Placed on practice squad/injured list: CB Darius Rush
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/16/25
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed from practice squad: WR Jalen Brooks
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed off waivers (from Steelers): WR Ke’Shawn Williams
Houston Texans
- Signed from practice squad: RB Jawhar Jordan
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed off Panthers’ practice squad: RB DeeJay Dallas
- Opened practice window: LB Jalen McLeod
- Placed on IR: LB Jack Kiser
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: DT Leki Fotu
New England Patriots
- Signed off Colts’ practice squad: LB Chad Muma
New York Jets
- Signed from practice squad: S Jarius Monroe
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: S D’Anthony Bell
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed off waivers (from Browns): G Garrett Dellinger
A steady presence in Arizona a couple years ago, Fotu started four of six game appearances for the Raiders this year. The occasional starts were not indicative of his true usage, though, as he hasn’t gotten consistent time on the field for Las Vegas in 2025. The Raiders will move on from the veteran as they shift focus in a lost season towards evaluating young talent with more gametime.
As a practice squad elevation this weekend, Jordan became the first Texans running back to eclipse the century mark in a game this year. Houston wasted little time in returning him to the active roster
Bills Sign Michael Badgley After Workout
The Bills are down to their third kicking option as Tyler Bass‘ replacement kicker, Matt Prater, is reportedly week-to-week with a quad injury, per Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News. As a result, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network announced today that Buffalo has turned to the free agent market, signing veteran kicker Michael Badgley. 
Badgley is coming to Buffalo on a practice squad deal, as he’s unlikely to stay long if Prater is legitimately week-to-week. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the Bills hosted the Miami alum today alongside fellow free agent kicker Matthew Wright; Badgley emerged from the tryout with the deal.
Badgley recently had a seven-game stint with the Colts as an injury replacement for Spencer Shrader before getting cut and replaced by Blake Grupe. Badgley was mostly reliable kicking field goals with Indianapolis, converting 10 of 11 attempts with his only miss coming from over 50 yards. The Colts cut Badgley the week after he had a third missed extra point attempt in just seven games.
The Bills become Badgley’s seventh NFL team. It was the Colts that signed him out of college as an undrafted free agent, but he made his NFL debut with the Chargers, playing three years in Los Angeles. His 2021 and 2022 campaigns were eerily similar, seeing him play one game with the Titans (2021) and Bears (2022) before spending 12 games with division rivals Indianapolis (2021) and Detroit (2022).
He spent parts of the offseason in 2023 with the Commanders and Titans before ultimately returning to the Lions and stepping up late during the team’s run to the NFC Championship game. Staying with Detroit last year, Badgley suffered a torn hamstring that would keep him out until he returned to play in Indianapolis this year.
The Bills are headed to Cleveland this weekend in what’s sure to be a cold game. The teams Badgley’s spent most of his career with have mostly played in indoor stadiums, so Cleveland will be a good test, in case Badgley needs to stick around for more than one game in Buffalo during this closing stretch of the season.
Rams WR Davante Adams In Danger Of Missing Week 16
DECEMBER 15: At least a one-game absence is likely in store for Adams. He’s considered week-to-week after aggravating his previous hamstring injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
DECEMBER 14: Early on in the season, Rams wide receiver Davante Adams sustained a mild hamstring strain. While the injury put him on the practice injury report, he didn’t miss any time because of it. In today’s big win over the Lions, though, Adams seemed to aggravate the injury into a higher severity. 
For what it’s worth, per Sarah Barshop of ESPN, Adams is “optimistic” about the injury. He played through it in the early weeks of the season, and though it’s resurfaced over the last few weeks, limiting him in practice, Adams has been able to tough it out and play his way through it. Trainers do sometimes have to call out injuries players refuse to respect and pay heed to, but Adams know his body better than anybody else.
That being said, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, head coach Sean McVay told reporters that Adams’ hamstring injury “didn’t look good,” communicating that the veteran wideout’s status could be in doubt for Week 16. The Rams play on a short week of rest next week with a Thursday night road trip to Seattle next on the docket. Hamstring injuries don’t typically subside quickly after aggravation, so McVay’s concern is well warranted.
So far this season, Adams has been one half of a two-headed monster in the Rams passing game across from Puka Nacua. Coming into the week, both players boasted triple-digit targets while the next most-targeted player was running back Kyren Williams with 35. After taking out Williams and tight ends, second-year receivers Jordan Whittington (23) and Xavier Smith (14) and rookie seventh-rounder Konata Mumpfield (8) made up the rest of the receivers target share entering the week. The team did return Tutu Atwell from injured reserve this weekend, and he may stand a better chance a dipping into the target share.
Ultimately, per ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry, McVay concluded vaguely, “We will see what’s going on with Davante.” An optimistic Adams and skeptical McVay will navigate the short week ahead of them before making any official decisions for Thursday.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Suffers Torn ACL
TODAY: The Chiefs announced that Mahomes underwent successful surgery in Dallas this evening, with the team adding that the quarterback will begin his rehab process immediately.
Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Mahomes also tore his LCL yesterday. While that could potentially complicate his recovery, Rapoport says it won’t necessarily extend Mahomes’ nine-month timeline.
DECEMBER 14: It looked bad when it occurred, but definitive news wasn’t expected quite this soon. The Chiefs have officially announced that star quarterback Patrick Mahomes has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. His season has come to an end as the team explores surgical options. 
This is unprecedented territory the 30-year-old quarterback. Mahomes has damn near been an ironman since entering the NFL. He has only ever missed two games with injury. After only appearing in one game of his rookie season behind starter Alex Smith, Mahomes’ next absences occurred over a two-week stretch in 2019, when he dislocated his patella. After that, the only games Mahomes missed were the final regular season contests in 2020, 2023, and 2024 as he rested for the playoffs in each campaign.
The injury occurred today as Mahomes was rolling out right for a pass and, after releasing it, was tripped up by Chargers defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand. The two-time MVP immediately grabbed at his knee and did not return to the game. After the loss, head coach Andy Reid told reporters what he knew, that Mahomes had “injured his left knee and will get an MRI either tonight or tomorrow morning,” per ESPN’s Jeff Darlington. Asked about the degree of severity, Reid told the media, “I don’t know. It didn’t look good.”
About 90 minutes later, Mahomes himself took to X with a message. He told fans that he didn’t “know why this had to happen” and that “it hurts.” He ended his message with an ominous promise, saying, “I will be back stronger than ever,” insinuating that an absence was to come. About half an hour later, the team account delivered the results of the MRI that did, in fact, take place tonight.
Following Mahomes’ early exit, backup quarterback Gardner Minshew entered only his third game this season and did so, for the first time, not in garbage time. In fact, Kansas City was trailing when Mahomes exited, and Minshew failed to bring the team back. The Chiefs would go on to lose their third game in a row, and adding insult to injury, the team was officially eliminated from playoff contention, as a result. This is the first time Kansas City will not participate in the postseason since 2014, three years before Mahomes was drafted.
With nothing left to play for, Minshew will likely take Kansas City the rest of the way. Practice squad passer Chris Oladokun stands a strong chance at taking Mahomes’ spot on the 53-man roster as Minshew’s backup. Mahomes, though, will continue exploring surgical options with the team as they begin the long road back to what they hope will be a return in 2026.
The Chiefs have been able to count on Mahomes’ durability since his stratospheric 2018 debut, gliding to seven straight AFC championship games since the 2017 first-rounder debuted as the starter. Matt Moore was in place as his backup during the 2019 season — one that ended the franchise’s then-50-year Super Bowl drought. Moore was brought in for the ’19 season due to a Chad Henne injury, but Henne became needed when Mahomes suffered a concussion in the 2020 divisional round. Mahomes then played the 2022 playoffs with a high ankle sprain, needing to leave a divisional-round game for a short period in the first half. The future Hall of Fame QB also suffered an ankle injury late last season but did not miss any time.
Kansas City has toggled through backups since Henne’s February 2023 retirement, moving from Blaine Gabbert to Carson Wentz to Minshew. Dropped after one season as the Raiders’ primary starter, Minshew signed with the Chiefs on a one-year, $1.17MM deal. The Raiders are still footing some of the bill after giving him a two-year, $25MM contract in 2024. Minshew will have a three-game audition, as a potential 2026 raise — from the Chiefs or another team — will be in play.
As for the Chiefs, they were trending toward missing the playoffs with Mahomes. That represents a shocking development based on their finishes with the Missouri icon at the controls. Entering the season seventh in scoring defense, the team did not have issues comparable to the 2024 Bengals or the Saints during their absences amid Drew Brees‘ prime. While the Chiefs held the Chargers to 16 points, a Mahomes INT denied a potential go-ahead fourth-quarter drive. His injury occurred soon after, signaling a voyage into uncharted waters for Kansas City.
Kansas City’s defense did not quite meet its level of recent seasons, though, cutting into a bounce-back Mahomes slate. The ninth-year passer ends his season fifth in QBR, closing the campaign with 22 touchdown passes, 11 interceptions and 3,587 passing yards.
Mahomes’ MRI will help shape his timetable. More damage being discovered potentially would put the PUP list in play to open the 2026 season. The Chiefs will obviously hope for a Week 1 return; their 2026 backup search will be more important regardless of when Mahomes is expected back, however.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Packers’ Micah Parsons Suffers Torn ACL
DECEMBER 15: An MRI has confirmed an ACL tear in Parsons’ case, as first reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz. His season is indeed over, and a lengthy rehab process will begin once surgery takes place. The Packers will proceed without their blockbuster trade acquisition available down the stretch and into the playoffs.
DECEMBER 14: Stars are falling on both sides of the ball this evening. Shortly following news of an identical injury to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Packers fear star pass rusher Micah Parsons has suffered a torn ACL. Parsons will undergo further testing with the team in order to confirm the diagnosis. 
While Parsons and Mahomes both suffered the injury on their left knee, Parsons’ came without contact as he collapsed in the midst of a pass rush and went down holding the injured limb. Green Bay ruled him out shortly after, and in the postgame proceedings, head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters, “It doesn’t look good, I’ll leave it at that,” per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
It’s been a frustrating year for Parsons. As soon as the calendar changed to March and the 2025 NFL season, Parsons began negotiating with the Cowboys for a long-term extension. What followed was a novel’s worth of updates, how the two sides were far apart, how the team hadn’t even submitted an offer yet, how Parsons was asking for big money, and how the Cowboys were willing to make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Things got serious when Organized Team Activities took place without Parsons in attendance, indicating that Parsons’ negotiations were set to follow in the difficult footsteps of former teammates CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott. Parsons eased tensions by returning for minicamp as negotiations continued, but things soured when Parsons felt he had been cornered to negotiate without his agent. Negotiations started going in the wrong direction after that, and Parsons requested a trade from Dallas.
After a good amount of tumult, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys finally caved, trading Parsons to Green Bay just a week and a half before the start of the regular season. The trade came along with a four-year, $188MM extension, providing Parsons with the raise he desired. In return, Parsons has given the team his usual brilliance. In just 14 games, Parsons has continued his streak of seasons with at least 12.0 sacks, something he’s done in all five years of his career. With three games left to go, he even had a chance to challenge his career-high sack number of 14.0.
Before Parsons’ arrival, the Packers defense was no liability. The 2024 unit ranked sixth in points allowed and fifth in yards allowed behind a seventh-ranked rush defense and 13th-best pass defense. With Parsons in tow, the defense once again ranks sixth in points allowed and fifth in yards allowed. This time, though, Parsons has helped the pass defense improve to seventh in the NFL with an eighth-ranked run defense.
The Packers have a number of injuries throughout the defensive line aside from Parsons. Without Parsons, Green Bay will likely turn to Kingsley Enagbare and Lukas Van Ness to pick up the yoke across from Rashan Gary. They almost certainly will not be able to fully match his output, but they’ll need to try to minimize his absence as much as possible as the team just holds on to a Wild Card spot after today’s loss.
In addition to losing Parsons tonight, the Packers saw recently returned wide receiver Christian Watson depart today’s game with a chest injury. According to James Palmer of The Athletic, Watson left the stadium in an ambulance, but he ended up traveling home with the team after getting a scan, per another writer at The Athletic, Matt Schneidman.
Assessing Browns QB Shedeur Sanders’ Chances Of Starting In 2026
Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders came into the season with plenty to prove. Once projected to be a top draft pick, Sanders entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick and the fourth in line at his position in Cleveland. Finally getting his chance to start, Sanders has been a mixed bag so far in his efforts to prove he belongs.
His NFL debut came in the exact manner the Browns had feared it might, as an injury replacement in an offense designed for another passer. Some ugly stats on the box score discredit the reality, which was that Sanders put his team in a decent position for a late-game tying score against the division rival Ravens.
The next week, in Las Vegas, Sanders logged both his first NFL start and his first NFL win. Working under a gameplan designed completely around him, Sanders showed small improvements. Browns coaches kept the gameplan simple, focusing on quick reads and easy completions. In his second start, against the 49ers, Sanders had a more efficient performance, sporting a higher completion percentage while being interception-free for the first time, but the offense ultimately struggled to create and Sanders took a few too many sacks.
Last week, he dueled with a fellow rookie, No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. Though Ward walked away with the win, Sanders owned the superior stat line. With Cleveland’s staff incrementally injecting more and more each week into the offensive gameplan, Sanders looked comfortable for much of the game as he put up a career-high 364 passing yards. Today, against the Bears, felt like a major regression, though. A blowout loss with three interceptions and five sacks had Sanders looking very much the part of the fifth-round rookie.
The highs and lows in this short sample of his rookie campaign rightfully has fans asking: does he deserve a chance at the starting job in 2026? Or should the Browns continue in their presumed plans to draft a quarterback with one of their two first-round picks next year? Mike Sando, Jeff Howe, and Zak Keefer of The Athletic touched on the topic in a round table yesterday.
Even without the knowledge of today’s brutal performance, the consensus was much more short-sighted. Essentially, The Athletic staffers asserted that Sanders hasn’t quite earned anything that far in the future just yet, but he has earned the right to keep proving himself this season. With more games like he had against the Titans, Sanders could absolutely show the Browns he’s worthy of strong consideration. Any more performances like today, though, and Sanders may rule himself out quicker than expected.
Another consideration they discussed was the fact that potential leadership changes in the offseason could even alter who is making the decision to give Sanders a chance next year. Regardless, whoever is making decisions when the draft comes around will be highly encouraged to draft a quarterback if they like that prospect more than Sanders. The current rookie has not yet done enough to prevent that from being a priority next year, but he’ll continue to get every opportunity for now.
49ers Place WR Brandon Aiyuk On Reserve/Left Squad List
If there were any chance at reconciliation between the 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk before today, it’s likely gone now. Today, San Francisco placed the former first-round pick on the reserve/left squad list, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. As a result, he will be ineligible to play for the remainder of the season, making an offseason departure all the more likely. 
Aiyuk hasn’t played since tearing his right ACL, MCL, and meniscus in Week 7 of 2024. The injury came a couple of months after he signed a four-year, $120MM extension with the 49ers. The relationship between the two sides has fallen apart since then.
[RELATED: Aiyuk On Commanders’ Radar?]
Aiyuk didn’t attend offseason appointments to rehab his knee in the offseason, leading the 49ers to void his 2026 guarantees last July. And while Aiyuk had a 50-day window to file a grievance through the NFLPA, he didn’t take any action during that span. He lost out on over $26MM as a result.
Still recovering from last year’s injury, Aiyuk spent the season on the reserve/PUP list before today. Earlier this month, general manager John Lynch expressed hope that the team would open Aiyuk’s practice window at some point soon. Doing so would have given the playoff-contending 49ers 21 days to evaluate Aiyuk. That will not happen, though, and this will go down as a lost season for Aiyuk.
The placement on reserve/left squad list is a unique one, usually reserved for players who plan to retire or quit on their team. In addition to all of the money Aiyuk has already lost throughout this season-long saga, Jason Fitzgerald of Overthecap.com claims that the 49ers may be allowed to go after Aiyuk’s signing and option bonus money in the wake of how things have now played out.
There was already plenty of speculation that Aiyuk’s time in the Bay Area was coming to an end, but this all but confirms it. Whether through offseason trade or an outright release, it’s just hard to picture Aiyuk playing in red and gold again.
In addition to the transaction that effectively ended Aiyuk’s tenure in San Francisco, the 49ers also announced that linebacker Jalen Graham and defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez would serve as standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s game. This will be Graham’s third and final elevation of the season. If the team wants to see him play in another game this year, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/25
Here are Saturday’s only taxi squad moves:
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Cam Akers, CB Shaquill Griffin
- Released: RB Myles Gaskin, WR Jimmy Holiday
Akers and Griffin are staying in Seattle days after getting waived by the Seahawks. After having cleared waivers, the two have returned to the team on p-squad deals.