With Joe Burrowhaving returned to practice this week, attention around the Bengals has turned to his ability to suit up for the closing stages of the season. Playoff consideration is far from certain in Cincinnati’s case, but that will not impact Burrow’s recovery process.
The Bengals exited Sunday’s game against the Steelers with a 3-7 record. The state of the AFC North leaves the door slightly open to a run at top spot in the division for Cincinnati, something which would of course be more likely in the event Burrow were to return in the near future. Even if the team falls out of contention, though, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network writes Burrow will suit up upon receiving full medical clearance.
For now, the 28-year-old has been limited to seven-on-seven work in practice as he awaits clearance for full participation. Even when Burrow is back in game action, Rapoport notes he is expected to do so with a metal plate in his shoe, adding Burrow will not have full mobility. Nevertheless, a return around Thanksgiving or one week later remains the target.
The Bengals’ offense received a boost thanks to the midseason Joe Flaccotrade. Defensive struggles have remained an issue for the team, however, and they threaten to result in another year defined by the failure to meet expectations. Burrow is under contract through 2029, and a cautious approach would be understandable from the team’s perspective given the financial commitment made to the former No. 1 pick. Burrow is nonetheless on track to see the field soon.
Cincinnati hopes the same will be true of Trey Hendrickson. The Bengals elected to retain him past the trade deadline despite lowering their asking price to a second-round pick. Last year’s sack leader is out for Week 11, his third missed came of the season. Hendrickson is dealing with a core muscle injury, Rapoport reports. He adds a move to injured reserve has received consideration but team and player are aiming to avoid it.
Likewise, Hendrickson hopes to avoid undergoing surgery to address the issue until after the season is over. The latest round of failed extension talks in this case resulted in the four-time Pro Bowler agreeing to a straight raise regarding his 2025 compensation. Hendrickson, 31 in December, could receive the franchise tag this spring but otherwise he remains on track for free agency.
Of course, Hendrickson’s value will take a hit if he remains sidelined for an extended period. If things go according to plan, though, he will be healthy along with Burrow for the closing weeks of the season.
With the 49ers set to see their starting quarterback return, Martinez’s presence on the 53-man roster is no longer necessary. He’ll likely find his way back to the team’s practice squad.
The Panthers’ two elevations, Barnes and Mukuamu, are direct reflections of injury absences for tomorrow’s game. With Trevin Wallace and Lathan Ransom ruled out for Sunday, Carolina made the decision to call up another player at each position.
Mevis will once again be called upon for kicking duties in Los Angeles. In his NFL debut last week, he was untested in terms of field goal attempts, but he converted all six extra point attempts in a blowout win in San Francisco.
Kamara in Tampa Bay is being called up for the third time this season. If the Buccaneers intend to play him in another game this year, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster, much as the Ravens did after Bryan exhausted all three of his standard gameday practice squad elevations.
Kirkland had been brought up twice as a standard gameday practice squad elevation but hadn’t seen any playing time this year. Now, he’ll be placed on the injured list to allow the team to sign a new practice squad player in his slot, if they so choose.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:41am CST by Connor Byrne
The Bengals are placing rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart on IR with a knee injury, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports. Stewart will miss a minimum of four games. He’ll be eligible to return in Week 15.
Stewart, whom the Bengals chose 17th overall out of Texas A&M, made headlines after the draft during a lengthy contract dispute. After a protracted battle over default language in his contract, the 22-year-old finally inked his first NFL deal on July 26. The agreement came after the Bengals agreed to adjust his signing bonus payment schedule.
Stewart, who didn’t practice with the Bengals at all before signing, has gotten off to a slow start in the pros. A polarizing prospect who totaled just 4.5 sacks in 37 college games, Stewart hasn’t recorded any in his first five contests (four starts) with the Bengals. He previously missed four games as a result of a Week 2 ankle injury.
When healthy enough to play, Stewart has amassed 177 defensive snaps and picked up six tackles, including a personal-best three in a loss to the Bears in Week 9. With the Bengals on a bye last week, the Chicago game will go down as Stewart’s last for a while.
Trying to keep their faint playoff hopes alive, the 3-6 Bengals are heading into a huge matchup with the AFC North-leading Steelers (5-4) on Sunday. The Bengals’ last-ranked defense will have to make do without Stewart and superstar pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who will miss his third straight game with a hip/pelvis injury. Joseph Ossai, Myles Murphy, andCameron Sample will serve as the Bengals’ top options at defensive end.
NOVEMBER 11: ESPN’s Adam Schefter predicts Burrow’s likeliest return date will be Week 14 against the Bills, one game after Cincinnati’s Thanksgiving contest. Of course, it would come as no surprise if the Bengals took their record into account when deciding to activate Burrow (and more specifically, when he will next suit up). Cincinnati could drop out of playoff contention by the time his window expires, one of the factors which makes this an interesting story to follow.
NOVEMBER 10: The Bengals’ offense has found a level of stable production since the Joe Flaccotrade, but his time atop the depth chart has always been seen as temporary. A step in the direction of Flacco’s QB1 run ending is being taken.
Joe Burrowis set to return to practice, as first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Bengals are opening his 21-day activation window today in a notable move for Burrow’s recovery process. Provided he is brought back onto the active roster within that time, he will be able to return to action.
When speaking on the subject, head coach Zac Taylor confirmed to no surprise Burrow will not play in Week 11. He also said (via Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo) a return to action may not take place right away even after Burrow is activated. Still, today’s practice – in a limited capacity – marks a significant step in the right direction for all involved.
After Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in September, it was clear a lengthy absence would be in store. A return by December was floated as a possibility, and after successful surgery it is clear Burrow has not suffered any setbacks in his rehab. The two-time Comeback Player of the Year will look to return to a Cincinnati team still in contention for the playoffs. It very much remains to be seen if that will be possible based on the Bengals’ continued defensive struggles.
No firm timeline is in place for Burrow, although he told Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer a return by “Thanksgiving-ish” is being targeted. The Bengals are coming off their bye week, and they have games against the Steelers and Patriots upcoming. Those contests will be followed by a Thanksgiving matchup with the Ravens. Having Burrow back as soon as possible will obviously be key, but adding further to his long list of injuries at the NFL level – or even risking doing so – would not be feasible if Cincinnati were to be out of contention late.
The Bengals have lost two straight despite scoring 80 points over that span. The team sits at 3-6 on the year as a result and trails both the Steelers and Ravens for top spot in the AFC North. Cincinnati is currently two games behind Jacksonville for the final wild-card spot in the conference. Improvements on defense will be sought out coming off the bye with first-year DC Al Golden remaining in place. If efforts on that front prove fruitful, a Burrow return for the closing stages could make for an interesting finish to the year.
The 28-year-old led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns last year. That was insufficient for the Bengals to qualify for the playoffs, and it very much remains to be seen if a return to postseason contention will be possible in 2025. Burrow managing to return would certainly offer a boost, though.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll joined the organization together in 2022, but they’re not leaving as a package deal. After Daboll steered the Giants to a 20-40-1 record, including a 2-8 start this year, they fired him on Monday. Owners John Mara and Steve Tisch agreed it was time to move on from Daboll during a phone conversation on Monday morning, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports.
Mara and Tisch made the decision to choose offensive coordinator Mike Kafka as the Giants’ interim head coach, according to Schwartz. The team later announced that Schoen is staying on to lead the search for a full-time successor to Daboll.
“We feel like Joe has assembled a good young nucleus of talent, and we look forward to its development,” said Mara. Unfortunately, the results over the past three years have not been what any of us want. We take full responsibility for those results and look forward to the kind of success our fans expect.”
The Giants’ official statement will be the last time they address the Daboll firing for now, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports. They’re not planning to make ownership or Schoen available for interviews this week.
This isn’t the ending the Giants envisioned when the Schoen/Daboll reign began in promising fashion in 2022. The Giants went 9-7-1 and won a wild-card playoff game over the Vikings before losing to the Eagles in the divisional round. Daboll earned Coach of the Year honors.
New York has posted horrid results over the past two-plus years, but Mara and Tisch continue to hold Schoen in high regard, per Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports. Giants ownership is of the belief that Schoen has been a significant upgrade over predecessor Dave Gettleman, who was at the helm from 2018-21. The Giants stumbled to a 19-46 mark under Gettleman and failed to earn a playoff berth.
Although the team Schoen has assembled will miss the playoffs for the third year in a row, the Giants have enough talent to make their head coaching job a “coveted” opening, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says. A new head coach stands to inherit first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart, No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers, co-NFL sacks leader Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, andDexter Lawrence, among other enticing pieces.
While it could be a couple of months before the Giants name their next head coach, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, former Raiders HC Antonio Pierce, and Colts DC Lou Anarumo are among names to watch, Rapoport relays.
Spagnuolo has won four Super Bowls as a coordinator, including one with the Giants under Tom Coughlin, but he finished an ugly 10-38 as the St. Louis Rams’ head coach from 2009-11. Spagnuolo then went 1-3 as the Giants’ interim head coach in 2017, briefly taking over after the firing of Ben McAdoo.
Pierce had a great run as a Giants linebacker from 2005-09, winning a title as part of a Spagnuolo-coached defense. Like Spagnuolo, though, Pierce’s initial experience as an NFL head coach didn’t go well. The Raiders dismissed Pierce last January after going 9-17 under him in parts of two seasons.
Anarumo is a Staten Island native who worked as the Giants’ defensive backs coach in 2018. His son currently serves as a pro scout in the organization, Vacchiano notes. Anarumo, then the Bengals’ D-coordinator, interviewed for the Giants’ head coaching job before it went to Daboll. The longtime assistant “left a strong impression” during that meeting, sources told Vacchiano. With Anarumo an important part of the Colts’ unexpected turnaround this year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Giants or other teams in the market for a head coach speak with him in the coming months.
In search of a wide receiver before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, the Bills reportedly made a substantial offer to the AFC East rival Dolphins for Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins ended up keeping Waddle, though, and the Bills were unable to acquire any other receivers ahead of the deadline.
Still desperate for help at the position after a 30-13 loss to Waddle and the Dolphins in Week 10, the Bills are bringing in Hardman to join Gabe Davis as experienced options on their practice squad. Hardman had gone without a team since the Packers released him from their practice squad on Sept. 23.
Aside from a five-game run with the Jets in 2023, all of Hardman’s regular-season work in the NFL has come with the Chiefs. The 2019 second-round pick from Georgia has amassed 178 catches, 2,302 yards, and 16 touchdowns in 80 games. He made 12 appearances with the AFC champions last year and caught 12 of 14 targets for 90 yards.
The Titans will have 21 days to activate Brown and Mullings after opening their practice windows. Brown worked exclusively on special teams over four games before going on IR with a knee injury on Oct. 4. Mullings, a sixth-round rookie from Michigan, appeared in two games but didn’t record any offensive snaps before an ankle injury sent him to IR on Sept. 26.
NOVEMBER 8: CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones confirms the price for Hendrickson at the deadline was indeed lowered to a second-round pick. Finances proved to be an issue in this case, however. Jones and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport note suitors were not prepared to take on the remainder of Hendrickson’s $16MM salary for that high of a trade price; Jones adds the Bengals were not willing to retain money to facilitate a deal. Per Rapoport, the top offer Cincinnati received ahead of the deadline was a fourth-round selection.
NOVEMBER 6: Three Trey Hendrickson trade windows opened this year. The Bengals let the then-disgruntled defensive end shop around in March, as the team moved Tee Higgins higher in its priority queue. In August, as bumpy extension talks persisted, Hendrickson trade rumors reappeared. At the deadline, buzz about Cincinnati being more amenable to moving on emerged.
But the Bengals still set a high asking price that, at the time, bordered on unrealistic. A report earlier this week indicated Cincy was still asking for a first-rounder. Hendrickson being in a contract year weeks from his 31st birthday made that a tough ask from the 3-6 team, and unsurprisingly, no takers emerged. As it turns out, however, the All-Pro may have been available for less than that price.
Teams believed on deadline day the Bengals would have moved on for a second-round pick, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. While trade talks with that price as the goal appear a bit more logical at this juncture, Fowler adds the Cowboys — who pursued Hendrickson — still viewed that cost as too steep.
Although Hendrickson notched back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons in 2023 and ’24, he has missed two of the past three games with a hip injury. The ninth-year defensive end does have four sacks and eight QB hits this season. Once again, though, the Bengals’ defense has performed poorly.
Hendrickson has provided an undeniable boost, but his presence has not moved the needle much for a team that has once again seen its defense impede a high-powered offense. Even as Joe Flacco‘s arrival has transformed the Bengals’ offensive capabilities — compared to the short Jake Browning period this season — they have lost back-to-back shootouts.
The Bengals were believed to have wanted more than a first-rounder for Hendrickson back in March. Although the Commanders and Falcons were among the teams connected to him, the Bengals balked. They are believed to have received an offer including a second-rounder and change before the draft; again, the team held on as a standoff — one of Cincy’s two contractual staredowns with a D-end this offseason (the other Shemar Stewart‘s rookie terms) — developed and lasted for most of the summer. It would appear the Bengals, only asking for a second this week, dropped their price from that level as well.
A report about the team dropping its price to a second in the summer did not receive much traction, and Hendrickson eventually received a raise — one that did not add any years to his deal. The 49ers, Eagles and Colts joined the Cowboys in pursuing Hendrickson at the deadline, but he will close out the season in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati has not been known as a particularly willing deadline seller, but it now faces the prospect of losing Hendrickson in free agency. Depending on how the Bengals’ free agency math finalizes, a 2027 compensatory pick could be part of this equation. The Bengals following their A.J. Green path and franchise-tagging a 31-year-old standout would not be out of character, though. Hendrickson said he signed his previous one-year, $21MM extension in fear Cincy would tag him in 2025. The Higgins situation not sorting itself out by then, leading to a second tag for the wide receiver, ultimately would have negated that prospect.
A Hendrickson 2026 tag would cost more than $30MM. Considering the help the Bengals will need on defense next year, devoting that kind of money to a tag would divert valuable resources. Hendrickson’s market will be interesting, as an early-30s standout. He pushed the Bengals for post-Year 1 guarantees — a third-rail topic in Cincinnati for most players — so that will naturally be a goal if he reaches free agency for the first time since 2021.
The NFL’s latest trade deadline featured eight Tuesday trades, but a total of 22 in-season swaps occurred this year. Some teams made multiple trades; several others stood pat. Two of the biggest trades in deadline history went down this week.
As we detailed Wednesday in the latest Trade Rumors Front Office post, the Jets’ perspective brought strong value for young players toiling on a downtrodden team. The three first-rounders plus the 2026 second will give New York’s new decision-makers a chance to retool while having assets to either find a quarterback in the draft or trade for a veteran. While it will be difficult to replace Gardner and Williams, the Jets’ Darren Mougey-Aaron Glenn regime made the decision to cash in their top assets to launch a true rebuild — one that suddenly features plenty of QB ammo.
From the Colts’ perspective, Gardner brings an accomplished starter at a young age. Indianapolis received a player signed through 2030, though New York’s contract structure on the July extension limited the Gardner dead money to $19.75MM — far less than the Dolphins just took on for Ramsey or what the Saints absorbed upon trading Marshon Lattimore last year.
The Colts, after building from within for years, now have three high-cost DB contracts added this year in the Gardner accord and those given to Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum. Tied for the best record in the AFC (at 7-2), the Colts made a move and watched the Patriots, Broncos, Bills and Chiefs hold off on buyer’s trades.
Dallas’ stance is a bit more complicated. The Cowboys went from trading Micah Parsons for two first-rounders ahead of his age-26 season to acquiring Williams, who will turn 28 in December. The team still has three first-round picks between 2026 and ’27, but sending the higher-value ’27 first to the Jets strips away a prime asset for a player not on Parsons’ level.
Jerry Jones harped on the team’s run defense upon acquiring Kenny Clark in the Parsons trade, but that unit has faceplanted this season. Williams joins Clark and Osa Odighizuwa in a suddenly pricey Dallas D-tackle corps, and the longtime Jet had angled for a contract rework — something the Cowboys may now have to navigate.
The Cowboys also addedLogan Wilson, after trying to grabQuincy Williams from the Jets in a two-brother trade, but the younger Williams brother represents the obvious talking point here. Dallas’ interior D-line is well stocked. Will Quinnen Williams help transform a sub-.500 Cowboys team in the way Amari Cooper did after the team surrendered a first at the 2018 deadline?
Meyers will help the Jags replace Travis Hunter and provide some stability in a receiving corps also dealing with a Brian Thomas Jr. injury. Shaheed joins a surging Seattle squad, reuniting with 2024 New Orleans OC Klint Kubiak, and will be an interesting complementary piece for All-Pro candidate Jaxon Smith-Njigba. With Smith-Njigba, Shaheed, Cooper Kupp and rookie Tory Horton, the Seahawks look to have one of the NFL’s best receiving cadres.
Jacksonville also engaged in a cornerback swap, prying contract-year cover man Greg Newsomefrom the Browns in October. Newsome has started two games with the Jags and has incentive to perform well this season, as he is uncontracted for 2026. Tyson Campbell is signed through 2028, giving the Browns some cost certainty — albeit now carrying two upper-crust CB contracts, along with Denzel Ward‘s — at a premium position.
Cleveland did not aggressively sell, keeping its guards, David Njoku and other rumored trade assets, though they did do Joe Flacco a solid — to Mike Tomlin‘s chagrin — by trading the demoted QB within the division. Flacco immediately became the Bengals’ starter and has rejuvenated Cincy’s offense.
The Rams quietly bolstered their CB contingent by obtaining Titans contract-year slot playerRoger McCreary, while Tennessee also sent Dre’Mont Jones to Baltimore. The Ravens added Jones and Alohi Gilman, the latter becoming an immediate starter and helping maximize All-Pro Kyle Hamilton. Jones, who has 4.5 sacks this season, replaces Odafe Oweh — traded to the Chargers in the Gilman swap — in Baltimore’s OLB rotation. A former 3-4 defensive end, Jones gives Baltimore some pass rush options after Gilman supplied them with a deep safety. Gilman is also in a contract year.
While the Dolphins did not dive into full sales mode, retaining Jaylen Waddle and Bradley Chubb, after parting with longtime GM Chris Grier, they did obtain a third-round pick for Phillips — who is in his fifth-year option season. The Chargers also added two more trades before the 3pm buzzer Tuesday, most notably addingTrevor Penning — a three-position starter for the Saints — for a late 2027 draft choice. A contract-year blocker, Penning will be an option for a battered Bolts’ tackle corps.
The Steelers’ long-rumored wide receiver quest did not lead to a deal, but the team did add veteran safetyKyle Dugger, who had fallen out of favor with the Patriots despite signing an eight-figure-per-year extension as a transition-tagged player in 2024.
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