Ravens Rookie OL Emery Jones Returns To Practice
As the injuries begin to tally up for the Ravens, a bit of good news comes their way. Third-round rookie offensive lineman Emery Jones has returned to practice in Baltimore, opening his 21-day practice window to be activated off the reserve/non-football injury list, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. 
Jones underwent surgery a week after the NFL Scouting Combine for a shoulder injury he endured at LSU. The Ravens were aware of the recovery timeline when they drafted him, so they were able to make a plan for his eventual return.
After Jones was drafted to Baltimore, there was plenty of speculation around just how he might contribute to the offense as a rookie. There was some hope that he may develop early into a role as a swing tackle or compete for a starting guard spot.
He started solely at right tackle for the Tigers but had some left tackle experience from high school. As a recruit, he was projected to be an interior lineman at the collegiate level, but he became the starting right tackle at LSU only two games into his true freshman season. As a draft prospect, Jones was, once again, projected for a likely move to the interior of the offensive line, but in Baltimore, it appeared that he would be given a chance to prove his worth at multiple spots.
He was originally expected to return sometime during training camp, but by early August, it became clear that it would be difficult for him to be ready for the regular season, closing any case for him to nab a starting job. It was a decision made by Jones, who opted to wait until he is “fully right” instead of choosing an abbreviated recovery in order to compete for a starting role.
So far, the Ravens seem to be keeping their word in letting him work to earn different roles. Head coach John Harbaugh told the media that they’ll look at Jones at both guard and tackle, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. The timing couldn’t be better with left tackle Ronnie Stanley missing practice today after being knocked out of Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs early with an ankle injury.
A look at guard could make just as much sense, considering how left guard Andrew Vorhees currently rates as the Ravens’ worst offensive starter, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required) and how right guard Daniel Faalele is often caught on the wrong end of some defensive highlight reels. As Jones ramps up for a return to the active roster, the Ravens will have no shortage of options to see where they may be able to improve most.
Patriots Open Practice Window For LB Jahlani Tavai
Four games have passed and the flurry of teams preparing to bring back injured players continues. The Patriots have joined the fray, opening the 21-day practice window for linebacker Jahlani Tavai, per Chad Graff of The Athletic. 
Waived after only two years in Detroit, the former second-round pick out of Hawai’i has found a place in the NFL as far away from his alma mater as possible. After clearing waivers, Tavai signed to the Patriots’ practice squad. He was quickly signed to the team’s 53-man roster where he played in 13 games, mostly as a special teamer. Starting the 2022 season as a backup, Tavai found himself in the starting lineup by Week 5.
Partway through his first season as a starter for the Patriots, Tavai landed a two-year, $4.4MM extension. After finishing second on the team with 110 total tackles in his first full season as a starter, New England added another three-year extension for $15MM, and Tavai rewarded their faith by leading the team in tackles with 115.
So far this season, last year’s starter next to Tavai, Christian Elliss, has been starting next to offseason addition Robert Spillane, but Elliss has looked like a shell of himself, unable to maintain the product he was putting on the field in 2024. The Patriots will hope to bring Tavai back soon, at which point he will likely push Elliss into more of a rotational role as he reassumes his starting spot next to Spillane.
Tavai will have three weeks of practice activity to be activated from injured reserve. After suffering a calf injury at the opening of the season, Tavai has always been aiming for a Week 5 return, and today’s transaction will put him on track for it. On the off chance that Tavai is not able to be activated within the 21-day period, he will be reverted back to IR without the ability to be activated this season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/1/25
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Jermar Jefferson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: G LaDarius Henderson
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Nick Whiteside
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: T Bobby Hart
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Caleb Johnson
New York Jets
- Signed: OLB Tomon Fox
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: OLB Antwaun Powell-Ryland
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Myles Gaskin
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR Robbie Chosen
NFL Minor Transactions: 10/1/25
Here are the first minor transactions of October:
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: S Loren Strickland, LB Ty Summers
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed to active roster: S Trey Washington
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to active roster: T Foster Sarell
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: WR Tyreek Hill (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed off waivers (from Packers): T Brant Banks
Washington Commanders
- Signed to active roster: CB Antonio Hamilton
- Placed on IR: DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste (story)
Chargers T Joe Alt Suffers High Ankle Sprain
SEPTEMBER 29: Monday’s MRI has confirmed the diagnosis of a high ankle sprain. Rapoport reports Alt is now seeking second opinions, although in any case a notable absence is in store.
SEPTEMBER 28: As if it hadn’t been through enough, things went from bad to worse for the Chargers offensive line today when offensive tackle Joe Alt was carted off the field with an ankle injury, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Rapoport followed up that report with news that X-rays on the ankle came back negative for broken bones but that a high ankle sprain was the preliminary diagnosis. Alt will undergo MRI testing tomorrow to determine the severity of the injury. 
The Chargers came into today down two starters on the offensive line already. Regular left tackle Rashawn Slater is already out for the season with a torn patellar tendon, and starting right guard Mekhi Becton was ruled out for Week 4’s game due to a concussion. They lost their third starter on the line when Alt was carted off, leaving only center Bradley Bozeman and left guard Zion Johnson as the last of the original first-team offensive line remaining.
While we know Slater isn’t coming back to the field until next year, Becton should be back as soon as he clears concussion protocol. Alt’s timetable for return will depend on the results of the upcoming MRI. A high ankle sprain usually means an absence of, at least, a couple weeks. If the injury is severe enough, it could take months for Alt to return to the line. An absence of that length would be brutal for a team that has had such a promising start to the season.
Alt was only playing left tackle for the Chargers because of Slater’s injury. With Alt vacating the right tackle spot he played in his rookie campaign, Los Angeles has been starting Trey Pipkins on the right side. When the Chargers lost their second left tackle in as many months, it was Austin Deculus who came in to fill out the first-team offensive line at left tackle.
Pipkins had had prior experience as a starting tackle for the Chargers, though his time in that role was partially the reason for the team drafting Alt. He shifted in to a starting guard spot once Alt came in, but his return to a starting tackle role was not a necessarily difficult move. Deculus, on the other hand, has only started one game in his four-year NFL career, and even including that start, he has never played more than 38 snaps in an NFL game.
Deculus’ lack of experience is only a potential concern if Alt’s MRI comes back with bad news. If it turns out that the Alt is in for an extended absence, the Chargers will have to navigate that time with two backup tackles. They should know more about what they’re dealing with tomorrow.
AFC South Rumors: Caserio, Callahan, McNair
The Texans enjoyed a nice run of success with playoff appearances and wins in each of the past two seasons led by head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud. Year 3 with the duo has been less than ideal with a 1-3 start making a postseason run a daunting task, but some blame seems to be falling on general manager Nick Caserio, according to ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime.
The biggest weakness of last year’s team was an offensive line that gave up the third-most sacks in the league in 2024. This year’s biggest weakness, per Bien-Aime, is still the offensive line. Aside from right tackle Tytus Howard, the entire starting five across the line is different this year from last. This required Caserio and Co. to sign left tackle Cam Robinson and left guard Laken Tomlinson in free agency, trade for Ed Ingram, and draft Aireontae Ersery in the second round of the draft, while also trading away Laremy Tunsil, whom Caserio extended shortly after his arrival.
The lack of improvement along the line could be the result of several factors, but Bien-Aime suggests that Caserio’s inability to build a better line for his quarterback could have him on the hot seat. Bien-Aime points at another failed offseason move — the trade for (and eventual release) of veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson — as another strike against the third-year exec. The recent evidence does seem to show evidence of some poor personnel decisions, but it will be interesting to see if Caserio continues to receive blame for the team’s lack of growth in Year 3.
Here are a couple other staff rumors from around the AFC South:
- In the same ESPN article, other contributors were putting another AFC South staffer on the hot seat. Turron Davenport and Seth Walder each made comments concerning the job security of Titans head coach Brian Callahan. There’s no debate that Callahan’s team lacked elite talent in Year 1, but a slew of penalties added on to the team’s struggles to give them the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The undisciplined penalties have continued heavily in Year 2, and just this week, Callahan relinquished play-calling duties in an effort to open up the offense more for his rookie quarterback. Davenport suggests that controlling owner Amy Adams-Strunk has made impulsive decisions in the past — pointing to the departure of former head coach Mike Vrabel, as an example — and suggests further that a loss to Vrabel in Week 7 could mean the end for Callahan’s tenure in Tennessee. Walder agrees that “questions of whether he’s the right coach will only get louder with each successive loss.”
- Lastly, going back to Houston, Cary McNair, son of the late Texans founder Robert McNair and brother of team owner Cal McNair, is reportedly accusing the NFL and his brother of engineering his “ouster” from the Texans and other McNair family business interests, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports. Cary’s representative, Tony Buzbee, became well-known for representing clients against Deshaun Watson. Buzbee claims that Cary began “asking pointed questions that potentially implicated the NFL and its personnel.” The questions pertained to both the Texans’ and the league’s handling of the Watson scandal and their handling of the sexual assault scandal of Texans minority owner Javier Loya, as well. Cary levies a number of other allegations, asserting that the NFL and his brother pushed him out for challenging their acceptance and tolerance for alleged abhorrent behavior. He’s seeking more than $60MM in direct financial losses.
NFL Looking To Renegotiate Broadcasting Deals In 2026?
In a recent interview, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that the league “could seek to begin renegotiating its broadcasting deals as soon as next year,” per Mark Maske of The Washington Post. 
The original deals to be renegotiated were reached back in 2021. Though the detailed financial details of the deals were not released, it was estimated that the value of the deals potentially exceeded $110BB. The deals preserved several existing deals with CBS and FOX covering Sunday afternoon games, NBC covering Sunday Night Football, and ESPN/ABC covering Monday Night Football.
The deals also established the first all-digital package with Amazon housing Thursday Night Football. More deals would see NFL Sunday Ticket move from DirecTV to YouTube TV, and some individual games aired exclusively on Netflix and YouTube.
But, as Maske explains, “the NFL’s broadcasting deals contain opt-out clauses,” and many expect the league will exercise those options for an opportunity to rework the deals “before the end of the decade.” In his interview, Goodell said, “I think our partners would want to sit down and talk to us at any time, and we continue to dialogue with them. I like that opportunity. Obviously, it’s not going to happen this year, but it could happen as early as next year. That could happen.”
While it’s natural for an entity as big as the NFL to reexamine these types of deals to tweak as needed, it’s also worth examining recent events to see why these renegotiations may be necessary. Not long ago, the NFL received a 10-percent ownership stake in ESPN in exchange for brand and TV distribution rights for the NFL RedZone Channel and NFL Network, among other properties and assets.
We noted at the time that such a deal may have an impact on the NFL’s decision-making once the current broadcasting rights expire. When the NFL is trying to decide which networks will be receiving which games, how many games will be going to the network the league has a 10-percent stake in? What will other networks have to concede in order to ensure some semblance of competition?
The NFL’s desire to renegotiate its deals could have nothing to do with its recent acquisition. Regardless, it has become one of the new aims of Goodell for the next year or so, along with his crusade for an 18-game season.
Browns Rumors: Rookie QBs, Kicker, Jones
While Joe Flacco may be the best available quarterback to start for the Browns offense at the moment, the 40-year-old is clearly not the team’s quarterback of the future. After a 1-3 start to the season, some may be calling to get a look at one of the two rookies Cleveland drafted back in April, but according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, it doesn’t seem like either quarterback could do anything to prevent the team from drafting a first-round passer next year.
It made some sense to start Flacco even if the Browns didn’t have much confidence in their ability to contend for a title. An opening slate of games against the Bengals, Ravens, Packers, Lions, Vikings, and Steelers — all playoff teams from last year after Week 1 — would be a brutal introduction to the NFL for a rookie passer and may do more harm than good for the player’s development. It made sense to have Flacco start a good number of these games and reevaluate.
If Flacco could amass a good record through a daunting opening stretch, the team could stick with him and hope for a potential playoff run with an easier stretch of games later on in the season. If the team was clearly far from contending for a playoff spot, the back portion of the season could be used to see what they have in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. One of the two rookies could really spark the offense and prove themselves as the team’s quarterback of the future.
Not according to Breer. While Breer agrees that, at some point, Gabriel and Sanders may find the field later this year, he doesn’t believe that there’s anything the two could do over the next four months to prevent the Browns from taking a quarterback with one of their two first-round picks in 2026. Breer points to the travel schedule of the Browns’ top personnel staffers, who went “to see a few of the top college quarterbacks over Labor Day weekend,” something he expects they’ll continue to do.
Here are a couple other rumors coming out of Cleveland:
- After some early season struggles, some wondered if the Browns had made the right decision going with Andre Szmyt as their kicker, but the team stood behind him. According to Tony Grossi of 850 ESPN Cleveland, the team did reach out to another kicker to “be on hold” when Szmyt suffered a midweek calf injury last week, but Szmyt recovered and won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after kicking a 55-yard game-winner against the Packers. We had noted a workout with veteran kicker Matthew Wright on the Saturday before the Green Bay game, but whether or not the two reports are related is unknown.
- Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reported that left tackle Dawand Jones‘ surgery to repair the LCL tear in his knee and his hamstring aversion was successfully performed last Thursday. James Voo, the team physician who performed the surgery, expects Jones to make a full recovery in time for the 2026 NFL season.
Ravens TE Isaiah Likely To Return In Week 4
SEPTEMBER 28: The Ravens are banged up at other positions (most notably the defensive line), but they will be at full strength with respect to the tight end spot. Baltimore’s list of inactives for today’s game (h/t Zrebiec) confirms Likely will indeed play.
SEPTEMBER 26: After two weeks of limited practice participation, Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely had his first full practice of the regular season today. Head coach John Harbaugh was judicious with his comments, relaying that Likely “looks good,” but the team will “have to see if it’s the best thing for (them) on Sunday” for Likely to play, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. 
Though, at the moment, they remain undecided, Harbaugh expressed hope that Likely would be able to play on Sunday, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken echoed those sentiments, per Hensley, emphasizing how Likely adds another tool to a potent Ravens offense.
Likely technically runs as TE2 behind veteran Mark Andrews, but each year, he’s shown an ability that could make him a top weapon on many other teams. His presence has been missed, too. Though the Ravens put up 81 points in their first two games, tight ends only accounted for two catches on five targets for seven yards. Andrews and Charlie Kolar got a boost in Week 3, but Likely will add another dynamic to the position group upon his eventual return.
The news is less positive for defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. After missing last week’s game, Madubuike did not participate in any practices this week as he deals with a neck injury. Harbaugh confirmed that the two-time Pro Bowler would not be available this weekend, per Hensley, and when pushed on his long-term availability, Harbaugh admitted some concern but declined to give any more information until the doctors are able to provide it to him.
Madubuike is a key piece of the Ravens pass rush with 19.5 sacks over the last two seasons. He was certainly missed on Monday as the Ravens failed to amass a single sack for the first time in 57 contests. Another reason for the defense’s struggles getting to the quarterback this past week was the absence of another key pass rusher, Kyle Van Noy.
According to Zrebiec, Van Noy returned to practice on Friday after also missing last week’s game. Van Noy’s career resurgence has seen him collect 21.5 sacks since arriving in Baltimore two years ago. After Madubuike (13.5) led the team in sacks in 2023, Van Noy (12.5) led the Ravens last year. With their two most-recent sack leaders out last week, it’s no wonder they were unable to get to Jared Goff.
Harbaugh said “it would mean a lot” to have Van Noy back on the field this weekend, per Hensley, but like with Likely, they’ll have to wait and see how Van Noy is doing come Sunday. With a matchup that usually sees offensive fireworks and heroics from Patrick Mahomes, the potential additions of Likely and Van Noy could be huge boosts for Baltimore. In the meantime, they’ll continue to gather information on Madubuike’s situation.
Russell Wilson Expected To Become Trade Target
Despite early reports that the Giants and quarterback Russell Wilson are expected to stay together, other expectations still persist that the veteran passer will become a trade target, per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Injuries have not been uncommon this year, and New York has the luxury of having signed two veterans in the offseason. If needy team comes calling with a good enough offer, it will be difficult for the Giants decline. 
So far, both sides have been saying all the right things. Wilson has taken his benching in stride with a dedication to “respond in the right way” and serve as his successor’s mentor. He made sure to add, though, that he’s “not done,” and while that comment could be directed at his future following the expiration of his one-year deal in New York, it may also be directed at this season.
In New Orleans, second-round rookie quarterback Tyler Shough failed to beat out incumbent starer Spencer Rattler. Now, the winless Saints sit at 29th in scoring offense and may be searching for answers. They’ll want Rattler or Shough to earn some experience and develop a bit, but if neither quarterback shows potential to take over the offense, the team may want an early look at how Wilson might fit in.
The Bengals have a ton of offensive weapons, and though a one-game sample isn’t much, interim starting quarterback Jake Browning has not looked well-equipped to utilize them so far. If there’s really a belief that Joe Burrow could return to the active roster late in the season, trading for Wilson may give Cincinnati some hope at piling together enough wins to stay in the playoff race for a run with Burrow.
Other teams have seen injuries to their starting passers, but storing experienced backups like Carson Wentz, Tyrod Taylor, Mac Jones, and Marcus Mariota have helped the Vikings, Jets, 49ers, and Commanders to avoid disaster. Not every team may be so lucky in the case that their starting quarterback goes down, and such a scenario could certainly drive a team to pick up the phone and call New York.
The motives would be clear for both sides. For any team looking to trade for Wilson, they wouldn’t be asked to cover Wilson’s entire one-year, $10.5MM deal. Since $8MM of that contract came in the form of a signing bonus, any calling team would only be responsible for covering a portion of his $2MM base salary. As for the Giants, while they have confidence in rookie first-rounder, Jaxson Dart, any doubts of failure or injury are quickly remedied by the presence of Jameis Winston, who has proven to be an effective backup in the past.
Because of these factors, Wilson stands as a superfluous asset with potential value just burning a hole in New York’s pocket. With no significant need to hold on to Wilson and the potential that some needy team could offer up valuable draft capital or more, it’s hard to picture a future in which Wilson finishes the season with Big Blue.