Odafe Oweh Surprised By Timing Of Ravens-Chargers Trade
When Odafe Oweh woke up in Baltimore on Tuesday morning, he had no idea he would end the day on the opposite side of the country playing for a different team.
In the afternoon, Oweh found out that the Ravens had traded him to the Chargers for safety Alohi Gilman, and less than 24 hours later, he was practicing in Los Angeles.
“Initially I was shocked with how everything happened,” Oweh said on Wednesday (via Chargers editorial director Eric Smith). “I had no prior knowledge to what was going on.”
Later, however, Oweh mentioned (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim) that he was more surprised by the timing of the trade than the fact that it happened at all. He discussed an extension with the Ravens in the offseason, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, but talks did not get far. At that point, Oweh knew that 2025 would be his last year in Baltimore. The Ravens felt the same way and were not planning to re-sign him after the season, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
“I definitely didn’t think it was gonna happen before the [Ravens’ Week 7] bye,” Oweh added, but he indicated that he was not caught completely off guard by the move.
Though the two teams’ head coaches are brothers – Jim and John Harbaugh – the relationship between their general managers was largely responsible for the deal. Chargers GM Joe Hortiz worked under Ravens GM Eric DeCosta for several years before he moved to Los Angeles last offseason. The Harbaughs did not talk until after the trade was completed, per Zrebiec.
Both Oweh and Gilman are expected to suit up for their new teams in Week 6.
Bengals To Start QB Joe Flacco In Week 6
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced Wednesday (via The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.) newly acquired quarterback Joe Flacco will take all the reps in practice this week and start against the Packers on Sunday.
Trading for Flacco expressed Cincinnati’s clear desire to make a change at quarterback after three straight losses with Jake Browning under center. They will make the switch right away, which will force Flacco to quickly get up to speed in his new offense.
The Bengals were hoping Browning could keep the offense afloat after Joe Burrow‘s injury and keep their season alive in case the two-time Pro Bowler makes a return late in the year. Instead, Browning threw multiple interceptions in three of his four games, handicapping Cincinnati on both sides of the ball.
Historically light in terms of in-season player acquisition volume in trades, the Bengals bent on their usual stance after Browning threw three more interceptions in a one-sided loss to the Lions. They acquired Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Browns for a 2026 fifth. Flacco also struggled with INTs with the Browns, leading to his benching, and Pro Football Focus ranking the Bengals’ O-line 32nd through five games still could create a high degree of difficulty for the statuesque trade pickup. But the Bengals were sinking fast; they will try Flacco immediately.
Taylor left the door open to a Browning benching, after previously voicing support for Burrow’s backup, after Week 5. The team considered several QB options early this week, and VP of player personnel Duke Tobin brought Flacco to Taylor’s attention (via ESPN.com’s Ben Baby) to gauge the coach’s interest before making the deal. As could be expected, Kevin Stefanski confirmed (via The Athletic’s Zac Jackson) the Bengals made the first trade contact on the QB. After Taylor gave his approval, another Ohio learning curve will take place for Flacco.
While Flacco will be in the historically interesting position of facing the Packers twice in three weeks with two different teams, he has considerable success picking up an offense on the fly. His first Browns stint, though, did feature a longer ramp-up period.
With Deshaun Watson suffering a season-ending shoulder injury, the Browns initially signed Flacco on Nov. 19, 2023. They faced the Broncos with Dorian Thompson-Robinson at the controls days later, not turning to Flacco until the following week. Flacco debuted Dec. 3 and lost his first start (to the Rams). The aging QB, who did not receive much free agency interest that offseason, proceeded to win his next four starts to move the injury-battered Browns to a surprising wild-card berth. That earned him Comeback Player of the Year acclaim and Stefanski his second Coach of the Year honor.
The Bengals will give Flacco a similar assignment, counting on the 18th-year veteran to salvage a sinking season. He will team with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown. Although Flacco played with Amari Cooper in 2023, the Chase-Higgins combo will easily be the best of his career. While challenges present themselves in terms of Cincy’s O-line keeping Flacco upright, the team’s pass-catching talent will make this an interesting experiment.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Lions CB Terrion Arnold To Return ‘Sooner Than Expected’
12:40 p.m.: Lions head coach Dan Campbell threw some lukewarm water on expectations for Arnold’s return after the latest injury news, per ESPN’s Eric Woodyard.
Campbell said that the second opinion on his young cornerback’s shoulder seems like a positive development, but is still uncertain about a precise timeline.
10:04 a.m.: Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold is expected to return “sooner than expected” from a shoulder injury that was originally thought to sideline him for a significant amount of time, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
There were even fears that Arnold could miss the rest of the season, but that is no longer a concern. The second-year corner sought a second opinion on his injury, which revealed that he would not need surgery, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He could even return this month.
Arnold’s return will be important for a depleted Detroit secondary. He struggled to start the year and saw his snap share decrease in Week 4, but D.J. Reed‘s injury pressed him back into a more prominent role in the next game. Reed will be out for at least three more games while he is on injured reserve, and Ennis Rakestraw was declared out for the season during training camp. Depth cornerback Khalil Dorsey will also miss time with a wrist injury, per Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network.
As a result, Arnold cannot get back on the field soon enough. Rock Ya-Sin will be one of Detroit’s starting cornerbacks moving forward, while Amik Robertson will likely play on the boundary in base formations and flip into the slot for nickel and dime packages. That will require another outside cornerback for those latter looks, but the Lions have no clear answer on their roster. Former Eagle Avonte Maddox has primarily lined up in the slot in his career and as a free safety this season. Veteran Tre Flowers is likely Detroit’s best option. He played in their last game and will likely be elevated or promoted from the practice squad for Week 6.
Jets Open Practice Window For UDFA LB Ja’Markis Weston
Jets linebacker Ja’Markis Weston will return to practice this week after starting the season on injured reserve, per Brian Costello of the New York Post.
That will start Weston’s 21-day practice window to be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending IR.
Weston, 25, signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in May. He received $200k in guaranteed money, indicating that he had a legitimate shot to make the 53-man roster. However, an ankle injury in the Jets’ last preseason game forced him onto IR, sidelining him for at least the first four games of the regular season.
Weston’s return to practice comes two weeks after the team placed starting linebacker Quincy Williams on IR. Fifth-round rookie Francisco Mauigoa has started the last two games in Williams’ place next to Jamien Sherwood.
Weston, a Florida product, started his collegiate career as a wide receiver before moving to safety in his third season. He converted to defensive end in his fifth and final season and will now play linebacker in the pros.
Transitioning to the NFL as an off-ball linebacker is difficult enough, so Weston’s lack of experience at the position may keep him in a special teams role once he is back on the field. Even if he gets up to speed quickly, Williams could be back from IR in as few as two weeks, which will continue to limit Weston’s defensive snaps. It would likely take some additional linebacker injuries in New York to give Weston any kind of role on defense once he is ready to play.
Colts To Sign LB Germaine Pratt
The Colts are signing veteran linebacker Germaine Pratt to a one-year deal, per Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Pratt was released by the Raiders on Monday and needed little time to find a new home. He received interest from at least four other teams, but opted for a reunion with Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
Anarumo was hired for the same position in Cincinnati in 2019, the same year that Pratt was drafted by the Bengals. The pair worked together for six seasons until the team opted to part ways with both player and coach this offseason.
The Colts needed some depth at linebacker, per FOX54’s Mike Chappell, and Pratt more than fits the bill as a proven defender with 92 starts under his belt. He showed plenty of development under Anarumo in Cincinnati, totaling 360 tackles, 19 passes defended, six interceptions, five forced fumbles, and three sacks over his last three seasons as a Bengal.
The Colts’ veteran linebackers, Zaire Franklin and Joe Bachie, have both disappointed to start the year, so Pratt’s familiarity with Anarumo could see him quickly take over a prominent role in Indianapolis, especially since the Colts are still waiting on Jaylon Carlies to fully recover from his ankle injury. His stint on injured reserve was not expected to extend far past the four-game minimum, but the second-year linebacker has yet to return to practice.
Pratt could even play himself into a long-term role in Indianapolis if he returns to his previous production under Anarumo. Franklin is signed through the 2027 season, but has no guaranteed money remaining on his contract, per OverTheCap. If Pratt seems like a better option moving forward, he could take over a starting job for the rest of this season and potentially beyond.
Jaguars DE Travon Walker Undergoes Wrist Surgery, Will Miss Week 5
OCTOBER 6: Walker will miss Monday’s game, according to Wolfe. This will be Walker’s first missed contest since Week 16 of his 2022 rookie season.
OCTOBER 2: Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker injured his wrist in his last game and underwent surgery this week, according to head coach Liam Coen (via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe).
However, Walker is still considered day-to-day and has not been ruled out for Jacksonville’s Monday night matchup with the Chiefs. Coen said that Walker “would do everything in his power” to play in Week 5. Perhaps he uses a club, brace, or other method to protect his wrist, but such a rapid return from surgery carries significant risk of exacerbating the original problem.
Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in 2022, underwhelmed as a rookie with just 3.5 sacks and five tackles for loss, but he exploded for 20.5 sacks and 23 TFLs over his next two seasons. He was off to a solid start in 2025 with two sacks and two TFLs, but may be limited by his injury until he is fully recovered.
While Walker has certainly not matched the form 2022’s No. 2 overall pick (Aidan Hutchinson) has shown when healthy, he has been durable. Missing two games as a rookie, the Georgia alum delivered perfect attendance over the past two seasons. That run of health appears in danger of stopping ahead of a key AFC matchup.
If Walker does not play, veteran edge defenders Dawuane Smoot, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Dennis Gardeck will take on more snaps against Kansas City. All three have been solid run-stoppers in their career without high-end pass-rushing production.
Cowboys Place S Malik Hooker On IR
The Cowboys placed safety Malik Hooker on injured reserve on Saturday, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
Hooker started the team’s first four contests of the season before exiting last week’s game against the Packers with a toe injury. Now, he will be out for at least four games and will be eligible to return in Week 9.
The eight-year veteran has gotten off to a rough start in 2025, allowing a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeted, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He has been better as a run defender, consistently playing downhill to meet ballcarriers in the hole and missing just one of his 16 tackles.
Hooker will be replaced in the starting lineup by Juanyeh Thomas, who closed out the game in Week 4. The 2023 UDFA has been a depth safety and core special teams player during his three years in Dallas, so starting in Hooker’s absence is a major opportunity.
The Cowboys also signed safety Alijah Clark to the active roster from the practice squad. The undrafted rookie will further reinforce the secondary while helping out on special teams as well. Wideouts Jalen Brooks and Jalen Cropper were both elevated from the practice squad for Week 5 to bolster a receiving room that will be without CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin on Sunday.
K Justin Tucker Receiving Interest
Veteran kicker Justin Tucker has received interest from multiple teams as he awaits his reinstatement from a 10-game suspension stemming from 16 allegations of sexual misconduct, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The accusations came to light at the end of January after the worst statistical season of Tucker’s career. The NFL swiftly opened an investigation, and the Ravens parted ways with their longtime kicker in May after finding his replacement in the draft.
Tucker’s suspension will be lifted on November 11, and he could be a late-season addition to a team with an injured or struggling kicker. Health has never been an issue for Tucker, but his performance dipped over the last three years. He made 91.1% of his field goals in his first decade in the NFL; since 2022, he has an 82.7% make rate including a career-low of 73.3% last year.
The difference has been distance. His conversion percentage from 50-plus yards went from 72.7% in his first 10 years to 53.3% in his last three. Teams will want to see that Tucker still has the booming leg that powered him to seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams.
The Ravens, meanwhile, have been satisfied with the early returns on rookie kicker Tyler Loop, who stepped into Tucker’s role this offseason. Loop has made all seven of his field goal attempts to start the year and 14 of his 15 PATs, though his one miss came in the Ravens’ 41-40 Week 1 loss to the Bills.
Buccaneers Work Out CBs Arthur Maulet, Duke Shelley
Amid a rash of injuries in their secondary, the Buccaneers worked out veteran cornerbacks Arthur Maulet and Duke Shelley on Friday, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Jamel Dean, Benjamin Morrison, and Christian Izien were all ruled out for Sunday’s matchup with the Seahawks, leaving Tampa Bay without their No. 1 and No. 3 outside cornerbacks as well as key slot and special teams depth in Izien.
Working out Maulet and Shelley would appear to be a response to Izien’s quad injury more than anything else. Maulet and Shelley have extensive experience at nickel, where Izien has played majority of his career snaps, and they both could fill his role on special teams as well.
Maulet, a former UDFA out of Memphis, has spent two seasons each with the Jets, Steelers, and Ravens over the last six years. He was coming off a solid debut season in Baltimore when a knee injury in training camp sidelined him for most of the 2024 season. The Ravens released him as a cap casualty this offseason and he relocated to Houston, but could not make their regular-season roster.
Shelley is a six-year veteran with only 11 starts to his name. He only played 14 snaps in his sole appearance for the Giants in 2024 and only played 86 defensive snaps for the Rams the year before that. Shelley signed with the Colts before training camp but was released during final roster cuts.
A Friday workout, of course, is too late to add depth for Sunday’s game, but the Buccaneers’ coaching staff was able to evaluate the two veteran corners to help inform their decisions coming out of Week 5.
Concern About Arch Manning In Scouting World
Texas quarterback and potential top 2026/2027 draft prospect Arch Manning has not lived up to the hype in his first season as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback.
Among qualified FBS quarterbacks, Manning ranks 42nd in yards per attempt (8.4), 62nd in yards per game (222), and 88th in completion percentage (61.3%). Those numbers fall far short of the expectations for the preseason Heisman favorite, and it is impacting his perception at the NFL level.
Manning’s particularly rough performance against Ohio State in the season opener has created “real concern about him within the scouting world,” per Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. The 21-year-old has been scrutinized for his entire playing career due to his family tree with much of the college football world talking about his potential for the last two years.
“He’s talented, but he needs to get rid of what’s going on with him,” said one of Feldman’s NFL sources. “I don’t know if it’s all mental, but I do know he’s dealing with a level of pressure that nobody else we’re talking about is dealing with.”
This is also Manning’s first year as a full-time starter, and that is not the only change to the Longhorns offense. They have several new starters, including four along the offensive line, so some early missteps are understandable, but NFL scouts will be looking for Manning to bounce back in a big way for the rest of the year.
Unsurprisingly, Feldman’s sources within the Texas program are more optimistic about Manning, particularly his athleticism and natural throwing ability. They may also be more confident that he will stay in college for four years. Many suspect that will be the case because his uncles Peyton and Eli Manning did the same thing on the advice of their father (Arch’s grandfather and namesake) Archie Manning. Sticking around in Austin in 2026 will give Arch Manning more time to develop in college and potentially recover from a disappointing 2025 season before entering the 2027 draft.