49ers QB Brock Purdy Could Play In Week 3
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Wednesday that quarterback Brock Purdy has a chance to play in Week 3, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Purdy was sidelined in Week 2 by a shoulder injury and a case of turf toe. In his absence, backup Mac Jones didn’t just answer the bell; he put up one of the best games of his career with 279 passing yards and three touchdowns on the way to a 26-21 victory over the Saints.
Though Jones impressed under center, the 49ers will still be hoping that Purdy can be back on the field as soon as possible. After missing practice entirely last week, he was a limited participant on Wednesday and Thursday, an indicator that he’s trending in the right direction.
“I’m happy with the progress I’m making with my foot and my toe,” Purdy said after Thursday’s practice (via Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group). “It’s a day to day thing with how I feel.”
Asked if he would play on Sunday, Purdy responded (via Inman), “Definitely got to see come game time how I feel. Obviously I want to play every game.” He also said that he was “trying to be smart with [his] body,” but noted the importance of the 49ers’ divisional matchup with the Cardinals on Sunday.
Based on his comments, Purdy’s availability may come down to a game-time decision, potentially dependent on how he feels during his pregame warmup. Even if he can’t go, Jones’ performance in Week 2 should give the 49ers some confidence that they can still take the lead in the NFC West this weekend.
NFL Restructures: Simmons, Johnson, CJGJ, Ward, Smith
The Titans recently gave Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons a $633K raise to rectify a miscalculation of his fifth-year option, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
The Titans drafted Simmons with the 19th overall pick in the 2019 draft, and after 8.5 sacks and his first Pro Bowl in 2021, the team knew they had a long-term anchor for their defensive line. Tennessee picked up Simmons’ fifth-year option during the 2022 offseason and signed him to a $94MM extension the following year. That extension was meant to include the fifth-year option, but the deal undercounted his 2023 salary by one game, resulting in a $633K shortage.
Simmons’ agent discovered the error, and the Titans agreed to rectify the mistake with a signing bonus, according to Florio. The adjusted contract is not considered an extension.
A few other players from the 2019 draft class who signed extensions off their fifth-year options had a similar miscalculation in their deal. As a result, Simmons’ new deal could set a precedent around the league with other players seeking similar retroactive payments.
- The Bears restructured the contract of cornerback Jaylon Johnson to create $8MM of cap space, per ESPN’s Field Yates. $12MM of his 2025 salary was converted to a signing bonus and prorated across the three remaining years of the deal. Chicago made the move before Johnson went down with a groin injury that could end his season.
- The Texans completed a maximum restructure of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson‘s deal to reduce his cap hit to $3.1MM, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. His $7.75MM salary was reduced to the veteran minimum with the remaining $6.58MM converted into a signing bonus and prorated across the remainder of the contract, which includes void years from 2027 to 2030.
- The Browns also did a maximum restructure with cornerback Denzel Ward‘s contract, per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. His salary was also reduced to the veteran minimum with $12.22MM converted into a signing bonus. As a result, his 2025 cap hit dropped by $9.78MM to $14.78MM, per OverTheCap.
- In another AFC North restructure, the Ravens converted $12MM of linebacker Roquan Smith‘s 2025 salary that was prorated across the three remaining years of his deal. The move cleared $8MM in cap space, according to Russell Street Report’s Brian McFarland.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/18/25
Here are the latest practice squad transactions from around the league:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: C Sam Mustipher
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: QB Hunter Dekkers
- Released: WR Cedrick Wilson
New York Jets
- Released from injured list: RB Keilan Robinson
After losing Nick Samac from their practice squad this week, the Ravens reunited with Mustipher. He started two games in place of Tyler Linderbaum during his first stint in Baltimore in 2023. Mustipher will take Samac’s place as the team’s third-string center.
Steelers DT Derrick Harmon Returns To Practice
Steelers rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon returned to practice this week, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, giving the first-round pick a chance to make his NFL debut in Week 3.
Harmon missed the first two games of the regular season due to an MCL sprain suffered in the preseason. Pittsburgh kept him on the 53-man roster (rather than placing him on injured reserve) with the belief that he would be back within the first four weeks. harmon’s participation in practice this week bodes well for that timeline.
Harmon said (via team writer Teresa Varley) that he is “ready to go,” adding, “my focus is trying to be prepared and make sure I’m healthy enough to get out there.”
Harmon’s return couldn’t come at a better time for a Steelers defensive line that just lost Isaiahh Loudermilk for at least four weeks due to a high ankle sprain. The unit had a rough start to the season even before Loudermilk went down, allowing the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL through two weeks with just 3.0 sacks.
On the other side of the ball, the Steelers will be without backup guard Max Scharping for the rest of the season. He tore his during ACL during practice on Wednesday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He should be placed on injured reserve soon, which will open up a roster spot for a potential replacement or reinforcements to another part of the team.
Chargers Promote S Tony Jefferson
The Chargers promoted veteran safety Tony Jefferson from the practice squad to the active roster, per a team announcement.
In Week 2, Jefferson started in place of Elijah Molden, who was sidelined by a hamstring injury. Molden has yet to practice this week, so Jefferson will likely get the starting nod once again after a solid game on Sunday. He made five tackles, defended two passes, and reeled in an interception on a deep ball just before halftime.
Jefferson was still eligible for two elevations from the practice squad, but the Chargers had an open roster spot after placing Khalil Mack on injured reserve earlier this week. The team could move him back to the practice squad if needed, but more strong showings from Jefferson could keep him in the mix even when Molden returns to the field.
It’s another step in an impressive journey for the former UDFA just two years after he retired from the NFL nine seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Cardinals and Ravens. Jefferson took a scouting fellowship with the latter team after initially hanging up his cleats, but he launched a comeback in 2024. Los Angeles was a natural destination given his history with new Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz, who came up in Baltimore’s front office and added several other former Ravens during his first year in charge.
The Chargers also signed outside linebackers Clelin Ferrell and Rashad Weaver to the practice squad. Ferrell never lived up to his billing as the No. 4 overall selection in 2019, but he has started 27 games over the last two years with a total of seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Weaver, originally a Titans fourth-round pick in 2021, put up 5.5 sacks in 2022 but was otherwise a rotational contributor during his time in Tennessee. He spent the 2024 season with the Texans, but only played 18 defensive snaps during the regular season.
Jets Rule Out QB Justin Fields For Week 3
The Jets added insult to injury when they lost starting quarterback Justin Fields to a concussion during their Week 2 loss to the Bills, and head coach Aaron Glenn announced today that he would remain sidelined in Week 3.
Fields was replaced by 15-year veteran Tyrod Taylor, who will start in his stead on Sunday against the Buccaneers. Rookie Brady Cook would then be in line for an elevation from the practice squad as the backup, though the Jets still have plenty of time to add a more experienced signal-caller.
Fields put up an excellent performance in Week 1 against the Steelers, gashing his former team through the air (218 yards, one touchdown) and on the ground (48 yards, two touchdowns) while taking only one sack and avoiding turnovers. In Week 2, however, he completed just three of his 11 passes for 27 yards while taking two sacks and fumbling twice before exiting the game.
Taylor was more successful after taking over the offense, though he couldn’t engineer a comeback. The Jets previously expressed confidence in their veteran backup after Fields’ injury scare during training camp, but the 0-2 team’s Week 3 matchup with the undefeated Buccaneers will be a stiff challenge on both sides of the ball.
This is the first concussion of Fields’ NFL career, though he missed has multiple games with injuries in three of his four seasons. The Jets will be hoping that he can progress through concussion protocol in time for their divisional contest with the Dolphins in Week 4.
Commanders Sign OLB Preston Smith
After a visit on Tuesday, the Commanders have signed Preston Smith, per a team announcement, reuniting the veteran outside linebacker with the team that originally drafted him in 2015.
Smith, 32, has 70.5 career sacks and will bolster Washington’s edge rushing room after defensive end Deatrich Wise suffered a season-ending quad injury last week.
In a corresponding move, cornerback Jonathan Jones was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury sustained in Week 2 against the Packers. He will be sidelined for at least four games, though the team has not provided a timeline for his return.
Smith began his NFL career in Washington as a second-round pick in 2015 and impressed with eight sacks and three forced fumbles in his rookie year. He played out his first contract with the franchise, totaling 24.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss across 64 appearances (50 starts). Smith then hit free agency in 2019, signed with the Packers for $13MM per year, and took his game up a notch with 41.5 sacks and 40 tackles for loss across his next five seasons.
That period that brought a second Green Bay contract. However, Smith started to show signs of his age in 2024, registering just 2.5 sacks and two TFLs over his first nine games with a decreased snap share among a group of younger edge rushers.
Smith’s lack of comfort as 4-3 DE under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley – compared to his steady production as a 3-4 OLB – also contributed to his statistical downturn and led Smith to request a trade. The Packers obliged, sending him to the Steelers in exchange for a seventh-round pick. Smith saw even less playing time in Pittsburgh and added two sacks and three TFLs to his season tally. He was released 
by the Steelers in January and drew some interest this offseason, though it wasn’t strong enough to result in a contract before the season.
Smith will now join an edge rushing group headlined by Von Miller with several other reliable but unspectacular players. Smith will turn 33 in November and didn’t participate in training camp or the preseason, so his snap count will have to be managed, certainly early on and potentially for the rest of the season. He’s put up at least four sacks in every year of his decade in the NFL, and a repeat effort in 2025 would be a solid outcome for the Commanders defense.
Washington’s injury woes don’t stop with Jones and Wise, either. They’ve spread to the offense, too; tight end John Bates and wide receiver Noah Brown are both considered long shots to play against the Raiders in Week 3, per a pair of reports from JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington.
Chargers To Place Khalil Mack On IR
2:03pm: Mack will head to IR, according to Jim Harbaugh (via ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim). The re-signed outside linebacker will miss at least four weeks, sidelining him for games against the Broncos, Giants, Commanders and Dolphins. It will be far from certain Mack returns when first eligible, though Harbaugh added (via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper) the injury is not believed to be season-ending. The Bolts’ bye is not until Week 12.
This will only be Mack’s second time on IR in a 12-year career. A foot injury in 2021 led Mack to IR and eventually to Los Angeles, with the Chicago regime hired during Mack’s rehab process cleaning house and sending the All-Pro defender to L.A. in a March 2022 trade. Finally off the six-year Bears extension by 2025, Mack re-signed with the Chargers after considering retirement. This injury will significantly affect Mack’s ability to produce on his one-year contract while simultaneously testing the Chargers’ depth — as Mack missed one game from 2022-24 — particularly following the team’s decision to cut Joey Bosa in March.
12:47pm: Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack will be out for a few weeks after dislocating his elbow during Monday night’s matchup with the Raiders, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The injury is not season-ending, but Los Angeles will need one of their depth outside linebackers to take Mack’s place for the time being. That will likely be veteran Bud Dupree, who replaced Mack on Monday and has significantly more experience than third-year UDFA Caleb Murphy or fourth-round rookie Kyle Kennard.
At the moment, it seems unlikely that the Chargers will make a signing to bolster their OLB depth. Mack’s injury is not expected to be long-term, and the pool of free agent edge rushers has suddenly dried up after both Preston Smith and Jadeveon Clowney signed with new teams this week.
Instead the Chargers’ plan will likely be as follows: Dupree will start, with Murphy receiving a bump in snaps as the No. 3 edge rusher and Kennard — a fourth-round pick in April — making his NFL debut after two healthy scratches to start the year. The team was comfortable with only four active outside linebackers in Weeks 1 and 2, so they may not feel the need to make an elevation from the practice squad.
Mack, 34, was quiet in Week 1 against the Chiefs but looked better on Monday with one sack and one tackle for loss in Las Vegas. He re-signed with the Chargers this offseason on a one-year, $18MM deal this offseason after six sacks in 2024.
Patriots Trade WR Ja’Lynn Polk To Saints
The Patriots are trading second-year wideout Ja’Lynn Polk and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Saints for a 2027 sixth-round pick, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Polk suffered a shoulder injury during the preseason and was placed on season-ending injured reserve during final roster cuts. He still won’t suit up this year, so New Orleans is betting on his ability to recover and live up to his draft billing in 2026 and beyond.
The Saints were interested in Polk during the 2024 draft, per Jeff Duncan and Luke Johnson of The Times-Picayune, but he was taken by the Patriots at No. 37, four picks before New Orleans was on the clock. (The Saints ended up using their second-rounder on cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.)
The 23-year-old disappointed as a rookie, reeling in only 12 of his 37 targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns. He was thought to be on the roster bubble entering training camp after New England revamped their receiver room this offseason. His shoulder surgery pre-empted a release, but the Patriots still found a way to move on when the Saints came calling.
Per OverTheCap, the Patriots trading Polk will leave $2.9MM in dead money, which can be spread across the team’s 2025 and 2026 salary caps. That assumes that the Saints pick up the entirety of his remaining salary, worth just under $5MM over the next three years. 2025 and 2026 are fully guaranteed, while $637k of Polk’s $2.11MM salary in 2027 is guaranteed.
In terms of both finances and draft capital, acquiring Polk is a low-cost move by the Saints, though it does not come without risk. The first two year of his NFL career have essentially been a wash, and he’ll be coming off shoulder surgery entering his third.
Polk is now the second receiver from the 2024 draft class that New Orleans has added in the last month. In August, they sent two Day 3 picks to the Broncos in exchange for former seventh-round pick Devaughn Vele. Neither move seems to be about upgrading their offense this year. Instead, they’re further indicators – along with the team’s plan to start Spencer Rattler for as long as possible – that the team has finally decided to undergo a rebuild, per Nick Underhill of New Orleans.Football.
The Patriots, meanwhile, have jettisoned yet another player from their 2024 draft class under new head coach Mike Vrabel. First-round quarterback Drake Maye and third-round offensive lineman Caedan Wallace are the only remaining selections on the roster, (h/t Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald). While Maye seems to be the future of the team, Wallace spent part of his rookie year on IR and could only carve out a backup guard role entering this season.
Browns Activate RB Quinshon Judkins
The Browns have activated rookie running back Quinshon Judkins, setting him up to make his NFL debut on Sunday against the Ravens.
Judkins was arrested in July on charges of battery and domestic violence that were later dropped. The NFL is still investigating the incident, but for now, Judkins is eligible to play. He was a full-time participant in practice with the Browns on Thursday and Friday this week and will likely have a limited role this week, if he sees the field, as he gets up to speed with the offense.
Judkins’ arrest initially led to significant uncertainty regarding his future. At the time, the No. 36 pick had yet to officially sign with the Browns as second-rounders around the league were holding out for fully guaranteed rookie deals. The two sides agreed to put contract talks aside as Judkins’ legal issues played out, but he finally put pen to paper the day before Cleveland’s regular season opener.
The former Ohio State and Ole Miss rusher met with the NFL representatives on Wednesday in New York before returning to Cleveland. He’s on the Browns’ roster as a standard roster exemption at the moment, making him eligible to play as the league opted not to put him on paid leave via placement on the commissioner’s exempt list.
Before the Ohio State rookie’s legal troubles began, the Browns’ offensive backfield looked to feature the veteran leadership of a 40-year-old Joe Flacco juxtaposed heavily against a healthy dose of youth with two rookie rushers. Though Jerome Ford returned as the incumbent starter, having finished each of the past two seasons as Cleveland’s leading rusher, Judkins and fellow rookie Dylan Sampson looked too talented to be kept off the field early. The added fact that Ford was asked to take a pay cut in the days immediately following the draft seemed to hint at a decreased role for the 26-year-old.
With Judkins unavailable, though, the Browns leaned on Ford’s experience to open the season. While Sampson got the start, Ford played a slightly heavier snap count with 41 snaps to Sampson’s 33. In terms of production, though, Sampson dominated out of the backfield. Neither back saw much success running the ball, but Sampson’s 12 carries for 29 yards were slightly more effective than Ford’s six carries for eight yards. In the passing game, Sampson caught all eight targets from Flacco for 64 yards, while Ford’s only target resulted in a three-yard loss.
The gameplan isn’t likely to be too different against the Ravens tomorrow. Especially after watching Baltimore’s defense give up a league-worst 389 yards through the air in Week 1, Cleveland may attempt to let Flacco cut it loose in his old home stadium, which would mean a lot of checkdowns and screens for Sampson. Moving past Week 2, though, Judkins could find a lot of success working alongside Sampson, considering he’s more than used to sharing a backfield from his time at Ole Miss and Ohio State.
In their running styles, Judkins and Sampson seem like a perfect fit. Judkins runs with more of a decisive, one-cut style, attempting to get to his top speed by the time he hits the second-level defender. He’s not afraid of lowering the shoulder for contact with his strength and balance, making him difficult to bring down. Sampson plays with a bit more quickness and agility, finding his desired angle and cutting with speed. He certainly fights for every yard, but rather than lowering the boom, he’s more effective when he’s using small cuts and shakes to avoid getting hit head-on to eke out a couple more yards. Neither back was much of a receiver in college, but Sampson has clearly picked up that role quickly.
While it remains to be seen just how ready Judkins is for NFL play, just how much the Browns will be willing to utilize him, even just how long they’ll be waiting to hear on potential punishments levied by the league, tomorrow could be the start of something exciting for the Browns offense. It’s a lofty measuring stick, but visions of a 2020 Nick Chubb–Kareem Hunt duo don’t feel entirely out of reach for the two rookies’ ceilings together. While expectations for contention this year aren’t plentiful in Cleveland, if Sampson and Judkins can establish a strong rushing game for the Browns moving forward, the team’s two 2026 first-round picks could be instrumental in initiating a quick rebuild on the road back to the playoffs.
In order to make room for Judkins on the active roster, the Browns waived wide receiver Gage Larvadain.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.