Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Receives Medical Clearance, To Return In Week 5
OCTOBER 3: To no surprise, the Commanders announced on Friday that Daniels will play this week. Washington (2-2 on the year) will take on the Chargers Sunday with expectations for increased production on offense.
OCTOBER 1: Commanders head coach Dan Quinn announced on Wednesday (via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones) that quarterback Jayden Daniels was medically cleared for full participation at practice.
Daniels has been sidelined for the last two games with a knee injury suffered in Week 2. The Commanders went 1-1 in his absence with Marcus Mariota under center.
The veteran quarterback was efficient in Week 3, though 14 of Washington’s 41 points had little to do with Mariota. One touchdown was a 60-yard rush by running back Jeremy McNichols; another was a 90-yard punt return by rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane. Mariota was not as effective in Week 5, though the Commanders still scored 24 points against a sneaky-good Falcons defense.
Mariota’s performance showed exactly why he is among the league’s top backups. He was a fine caretaker of the Commanders offense, but Daniels no doubt offers a much higher ceiling of play through the air and on the ground. Returning to full participation this week is an excellent sign for his chances to play in Week 5, provided that he doesn’t experience a setback in practice.
Quinn did not have any concrete updates on other injured players like Terry McLaurin, Noah Brown, and John Bates, saying (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic) that all three are “trending up” and “making good progress.”
Jets RB Braelon Allen To Miss 8-12 Weeks
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn announced (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini) that running back Braelon Allen is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks due to the knee injury that landed him on injured reserve on Thursday.
Allen could opt to rehab his knee with or without surgery, per Glenn, with the same timetable for both options. That will keep the 2024 fourth-round pick sidelined until the very end of November at the earliest.
Allen’s injury, believed to be an MCL sprain, will set back a sophomore campaign that was seen as an opportunity for the 21-year-old after playing second fiddle to Breece Hall as a rookie. Regime change is often accompanied by roster turnover, and the new leadership could let Hall – a second-round pick under previous general manager Joe Douglas – walk in free agency and install Allen as the team’s future starter.
Hall has gotten off to a strong start this year, and Allen’s injury will likely rob him of the chance to impress his new coaches. Hall did not emerge as an extension candidate, as of this summer, but rumblings about an in-season trade will likely cease following this Allen news.
Allen’s timetable is on the high end for MCL sprains, but these injuries can be tricky. While Allen’s 2025 season stands to be marred by this malady, time remains on the running back’s side. The Wisconsin alum played his entire rookie season at age 20, and the Jets will have his age-22 and age-23 campaigns (perhaps with Hall elsewhere) to continue this evaluation. Allen finished with 334 rushing yards on 92 carries last season, playing in all 17 Jets games. He is at 76 (on 18 totes) thus far this year.
This will deplete an offense already lacking for auxiliary playmakers beyond Hall and Garrett Wilson. With Allen on IR and RB/return specialist Kene Nwangwu missing practice this week with a hamstring injury, the Jets will likely make a roster move to fill out their Week 5 backfield depth chart. Only Hall and Isaiah Adams are healthy options going into the team’s Cowboys matchup.
Chosen one round after Allen in last year’s draft, Adams gained 174 rushing yards on 30 handoffs as a rookie. The South Dakota State product will be expected to play a bigger role with Allen out of the picture. Rookie UDFA Lawrance Toafili is the only running back on Gang Green’s practice squad. Toafili has yet to make his NFL debut.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Anthony Richardson Open To Developing Under Offensive Coach
It seems like the Anthony Richardson experiment in Indianapolis is over.
The No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft only played 15 games in his first two seasons and lost a training camp battle to Daniel Jones this year. Jones’ success at the helm of a Colts offense that is mostly unchanged from their last two campaigns has seemingly made it clear that Richardson was simply not ready for a starting role.
The Colts have seemingly decided to move on from Richardson at some point. They won’t pick up his $22.9MM fifth-year option for the 2027 season (via OverTheCap) and could even try to trade him in the next year before his rookie contract expires.
Teams may even have interest at this season’s trade deadline. There is no doubt that Richardson has struggled to start his career, but his physical traits will remain tantalizing for any coach who believes that they can get the best out of him. Acquiring him this year (as opposed to in the offseason) will allow him to get acclimated in a new system and hit the ground running in 2026.
Such a path forward might be appealing to Richardson, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who mentioned Sean McVay and the Rams as a potential possibility. Retirement rumors have followed Matthew Stafford in the past two offseason, and Richardson could be a low-cost lottery ticket for future starter.
The Steelers come to mind as a team in a similar situation with Aaron Rodgers, though offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has not fielded a top-10 unit since his time in Tennessee. The Raiders also have an uncertain future under center beyond 34-year-old Geno Smith. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and minority owner Tom Brady could be part of the appeal in Las Vegas.
Of course, this is all assuming that there is a team who wants Richardson and a desire from both Richardson and the Colts to part ways. That does not seem to be the case quite yet, though offers of opportunity for the former and draft capital for the latter may be enough to change their minds.
49ers Sign QB Adrian Martinez From Practice Squad
The 49ers signed quarterback Adrian Martinez to their active roster from the practice squad on Thursday, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
For the third time in four weeks, Martinez will serve as the backup to Mac Jones, who is starting once again in place of an injured Brock Purdy.
Martinez was elevated from the practice squad in Weeks 2 and 3, and the 49ers had the option to use up his third and final elevation for Thursday’s game. Instead, they signed him to the 53-man roster, which will ensure he is available to play as long as Purdy is sidelined after his recent setback.
Jones played every snap in his two starts, winning both games with a total of 563 passing yards and four touchdowns. Turnovers are somewhat of a concern – Jones threw one interception and fumbled twice (one lost) – but he would have to implode for the 49ers to put in Martinez for his NFL debut. Instead, the team will be hoping that Martinez only takes the field if they have built up a massive lead.
A former starter at Nebraska, Martinez spent his senior year at Kansas State, where he tossed six touchdowns vs. one interception. He also had a standout performance while running the ball, collecting another 627 yards and 10 touchdowns. He joined the Lions after going undrafted in 2023, and he later won UFL MVP before winning the league championship with the Birmingham Stallions. He spent the 2024 season on the Jets practice squad and was among the team’s final cuts following the 2025 preseason. He caught on with the 49ers practice squad in late August.
The 49ers offense will also be without wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings on Thursday night, giving them an uphill battle against a strong Rams defense on a short week.
Joining Martinez from the practice squad will be defensive end Trevis Gipson and wide receiver Malik Turner, who have been called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations. To make room for Martinez on the 53-man roster, defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson was waived, and to fill Martinez’s open spot on the practice squad, the team signed cornerback Derrick Canteen.
Cowboys Open To George Pickens Extension?
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated (via Clarence Hill of All City DLLS) that Dallas was open to signing wide receiver George Pickens to a contract extension.
Jones praised Pickens as an “exemplary teammate” and again referred to the Micah Parsons trade as an opportunity to sign multiple players for the price of one.
Pickens was traded to the Cowboys in May and initially said that he was planning to play out the final year of his contract. That may still be the case, but he indicated in August that he was open to an extended stay in Dallas. Pickens also hinted that he was more comfortable in the locker room relative to his time in Pittsburgh, which was marked by attendance issues and sideline outbursts.
The 24-year-old wideout got off to a good, but not great start in Dallas with 13 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns in his first three games. But after CeeDee Lamb went down with a high ankle sprain, Pickens exploded for an 8-134-2 stat line in his first full game as the Cowboys’ WR1. He is now on pace for career-highs across the board, though Lamb’s eventual return will eat into his target share. Continuing to produce will certainly keep him as a featured target in the Cowboys offense, even when Lamb retakes his role.
Pickens could be in line for a massive contract if he finishes with another 1,000-yard season, especially if he reaches 4,000 career receiving yards by the end of his fourth season. Fellow 2022 draftee Jameson Williams signed a three-year, $80MM extension earlier this year, though that value is inflated by per-game roster bonuses, workout bonuses, and a non-guaranteed option bonus due in the final year of the deal. Williams has significantly less production than Pickens, so the latter should be able to match or eclipse that deal with a more player-friendly structure.
Signing Pickens to an extension would certainly make sense given that the Cowboys gave up third- and fifth-round picks for him (and a sixth-rounder in a pick-swap exchange) in the offseason. That is not too high a price for a one-year rental, but trading for a young, productive player at the end of his rookie deal suggests that Dallas made the move with the future in mind.
Jets To Place RB Braelon Allen On IR
11:36am: The Jets officially placed Allen on the IR, per a team announcement. To fill their roster vacancy, they signed veteran running back Khalil Herbert. Herbert terminated his practice squad deal with the Seahawks on Wednesday, per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic, freeing him up to join the Jets’ backfield.
Herbert’s arrival in New York will also be a reunion with Justin Fields. They were both part of the Bears’ 2021 draft class and played together for three-and-a-half years in Chicago. Herbert was a solid but unspectacular rusher in his first three seasons, but fell out of favor in 2024 and was traded to the Bengals, where he had little impact for the rest of the year.
9:52am: The Jets are placing second-year running back Braelon Allen on injured reserve with what head coach Aaron Glenn called a “pretty serious knee injury,” according to Brian Costello of the New York Post.
Allen went down in Week 4 with an initial report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport claiming that he “suffered an MCL sprain that will likely land him on injured reserve.”
Glenn seemed to confirm that diagnosis on Wednesday but added that Allen was seeking a second opinion. Apparently, further evaluation has not changed Allen’s outlook: the 2024 fourth-rounder will be sidelined for at least four games as he recovers.
Despite some predictions of a second-year breakout, Allen has not been able to steal many touches away from starter Breece Hall. He has only carried the ball 18 times for 76 yards and one touchdown while adding two receptions for 17 yards through the air.
Hall leads the backfield with 52 carries for 238 yards, and his 13 catches and 108 receiving yards also rank second on the team. Quarterback Justin Fields has been the team’s secondary ballcarrier with 24 carries for 178 yards (7.4 YPC).
Hall and Fields may not see a big bump in carries in Allen’s absence. His touches are more likely to go to third-stringer Isaiah Davis. The 2024 fifth-round pick has been efficient on a limited sample size, averaging 5.7 yards per carry on 35 carries (30 as a rookie, five so far this year). The Jets will likely add another running back to their roster, either by promoting Lawrance Toafili from the practice squad or making an external signing. They do have Kene Nwangwu on the roster, but he is almost exclusively a returner with 61 total offensive snaps in his career in his five-year career.
Browns To Start QB Dillon Gabriel In Week 5
The Browns will start rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel in place of veteran Joe Flacco in their Week 5 matchup in London, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The team confirmed that Gabriel would be taking over under center, as first reported by CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz on Tuesday. Shedeur Sanders will remain in place as the third-string quarterback, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Cleveland has long been expected to give Gabriel a try at some point this season. After four rough outings by Flacco – featuring a 2:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio and career lows of 5.1 yards per attempt and a 60.3 passer rating – the rookie will get his chance. Sunday will not be Gabriel’s debut, as he played at the end of blowout losses in Weeks 2 and 4, but it will be his first extended action in the pros.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski certainly did not choose the easiest or simplest week to make such a significant change. The Browns are in London this week, contending with a bevy of added factors including the time difference and lack of access to their usual facilities. They are also playing the Vikings, who have been across the pond since last Friday, giving them more time to acclimate.
Minnesota’s defense has also been a top-10 unit this season. They rank ninth in points allowed and seventh in total defense with the third-best passing defense. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has harassed opposing quarterbacks with a 35.8% blitz rate (fourth-highest) and a 31.7% pressure rate (second-highest) with a variety of creative pressure packages. As a result, Gabriel’s first NFL start could be a rough one, though Tony Grossi of The Land on Demand notes that the rookie may introduce a “quicker pace” to the Browns offense.
Stefanski addressed the quarterback change on Wednesday, saying of Gabriel (via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi): “From the second he’s been here, he’s been working very hard. He’s a very intelligent young man. He’s done a nice job throughout practice and this whole season he’s been learning how to get yourself ready and understand the rhythm of an NFL week and what that looks like as a backup. Obviously now feel like he’s ready to go as a starter.”
Gabriel’s ascendance marks a number of milestones. He is the Browns’ 41st starting quarterback since the team was re-established in 1999, and the 12th quarterback in six years of Stefanski’s tenure, per Grossi. Gabriel is also the third rookie quarterback to start this season, and the first non-first-rounder.
With Cooper Rush expected to start in the place of an injured Lamar Jackson in Week 5, the AFC North’s quarterbacks are now Gabriel, Rush, Jake Browning in Cincinnati, and Aaron Rodgers in Steelers. Rodgers is the only Week 1 starter left standing, while Browning took over for Joe Burrow after he went down with turf toe.
Though Sanders will remain third on the depth chart, he could still play this season, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. Cleveland’s willingness to give one rookie a chance suggests that Sanders could receive a similar opportunity if Gabriel falters, though he will certainly get a few games to prove himself.
Cardinals Place RB Trey Benson On IR
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon announced that running back Trey Benson is being placed on injured reserve, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Benson suffered a knee injury late in Arizona’s Week 4 matchup against the Seahawks last Thursday, but it was not originally thought to be serious, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That assessment changed very quickly; Benson has already undergone arthroscopic surgery on his meniscus and is expected to miss four to six weeks, according to Schefter.
Benson’s injury is another hit to a Cardinals backfield that already lost James Conner for the season. 2023 UDFA Emari Demercado will likely take over starting duties with Zonovan Knight and Michael Carter rotating in. Arizona also has D’Ernest Johnson on their practice squad.
Demercado has two starts in his career but has never been a lead back for multiple games. Knight has been a healthy scratch in two games with zero touches in the other two. Carter has been in the the NFL the longest, but his production has dipped significant since the start of his career.
The Cardinals have a Week 8 bye, so Benson’s four-game minimum IR stay would not elapse until Week 10, which fits with his projected recovery timeline. He may have a chance at returning to practice as soon as he’s eligible, though Arizona will likely give him time to ramp up after surgery.
In the meantime, the Cardinals were already struggling to move the ball on offense before their top two RBs went down. Now, quarterback Kyler Murray will be asked to do even more, though his performance to open the season has been underwhelming.
Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill Suffers Dislocated Knee
11:27pm: Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques) that Hill dislocated his knee and told media that the star receiver will remain in the hospital overnight. There is no word yet regarding any additional damage to Hill’s leg.
8:02pm: Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was carted off the field after a brutal leg injury on Monday Night Football against the Jets.
The Dolphins quickly announced that he was out for the game and would be taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. Hill is believed to have suffered a dislocated knee, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. If the diagnosis is confirmed, his season would likely be over, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. Ligament damage is also a concern with an injury of this nature, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Bleacher Report’s James Palmer.
[RELATED: Opinions Were Split On Hill’s Trade Value]
Hill went down early in the third quarter on a tackle by Jets rookie safety Malachi Moore. Trainers immediately put Hill’s leg in an air cast and teammates gathered around as the 10th-year receiver was loaded into the cart and ferried off the field. He acknowledged Dolphins fans on his way out of Hard Rock Stadium, as the injury could mark the end of his time in Miami.
Miami will be expecting Jaylen Waddle to take over as the team’s WR1 in Hill’s absence while hoping that 2024 draftees Malik Washington and Tahj Washington can step up. Veteran Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has had a quiet begin to his tenure as a Dolphin, but will likely be asked to take on an expanded role. The team also has five-year veteran D’Wayne Eskridge on their active roster and undrafted rookies AJ Henning and Theo Wease on the practice squad.
Hill, 31, may have played his last snap in a Dolphins uniform. With a $52MM cap hit scheduled for the 2026 season (via OverTheCap), Miami was not expected to keep Hill past this year. The team reworked the likely Hall of Fame-bound player’s deal in 2024, providing a guarantee influx of $54MM. Nothing is guaranteed beyond 2025, however, and the Dolphins did not add any years to Hill’s deal — one originally agreed to upon being traded to Miami in March 2022.
Trade speculation has followed him since the end of the 2024 season, including links to the Steelers and the Chiefs after the Dolphins’ slow start this year. The Chiefs now have Xavier Worthy back and intent to play through his labrum tear, and Rashee Rice is due back from a suspension in Week 7. The Steelers were believed to have removed themselves from the running for the historically elite speed threat due to the latest round of domestic violence allegations against him.
Hill’s ex-wife alleged a host of troubling allegations against him in a divorce filing, though no criminal charges have been filed. That differs from Hill’s past, which involved an ugly arrest while in college for domestic violence, but the NFL does not need a conviction or charges being filed to levy a suspension. Despite extensive off-field turmoil, Hill has yet to be suspended as a pro.
Obviously, a trade will no longer be possible, so the team’s only other option will be to part ways with Hill next offseason. He is due $35MM in compensation in 2026, including a $5MM roster bonus due on March 18, marking a clear decision point for Miami’s front office.
The Dolphins made a big commitment to Waddle weeks before agreeing to the Hill rework. Waddle is tied to a three-year, $84.75MM extension, a deal that runs through the 2027 season. Miami played the 2021 season with Waddle as its No. 1 target but traded for Hill upon hiring Mike McDaniel as HC, loading up around Tua Tagovailoa‘s rookie contract. The ex-Chiefs speed merchant posted back-to-back first-team All-Pro seasons, rewarding the Dolphins for the blockbuster swap. Those seasons also catalyzed Tagovailoa’s belated ascent and provided leverage for Hill’s guarantee influx, but three years still remained on the contract at the time of the adjustment. The Dolphins giving in and rewarding Hill early will make a 2026 separation costlier.
As we covered in our Dolphins Offseason In Review piece, that has been an issue for Dolphins GM Chris Grier, who has taken criticism as of late for his player-friendly M.O. Like the Jalen Ramsey separation, a Hill divorce will be more expensive because of the Dolphins appeasing him with an adjusted contract. Dolphins fans will see a preview of a post-Hill offense in the coming weeks.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Texans Open Practice Windows For DE Denico Autry, S Jaylen Reed
Texans defensive end Denico Autry and safety Jaylen Reed will both return to practice this week after starting the season on reserve lists, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Their 21-day return window will officially open on Tuesday when the Texans hold their first practice of the weeks. Autry and Reed will need to be activated by the end of that period; if not, they will revert to a reserve list for the rest of the season. Returning to practice as soon as they were eligible is a good sign that neither player will be subject to that worse-case scenario.
Autry was placed on the physically unable to perform list at the beginning of training camp as he recovered from a 2024 knee injury that lingered into this season. He played through it in 2024, appearing in 10 games (two starts) after a six-game suspension sidelined him to start the year. The injury affected Autry’s production, which took a significant dip relative to the rest of his career.
Houston’s defensive line has otherwise been healthy to start the season, so Autry can take his time ramping up in practice before officially starting his 12th NFL season.
Reed, a sixth-round pick in April’s draft, sprained his knee in training camp and was placed on injured reserve with a return designation during final roster cuts. The Texans are thin at safety after releasing C.J. Gardner-Johnson, so Reed would offer some depth upon his return. However, the rookie is untested against NFL-caliber competition after missing the preseason and will be unlikely to see the field upon his return outside of special teams work.