Rams Place WR Tutu Atwell On IR

The Rams placed wide receiver Tutu Atwell on injured reserve on Monday, per a team announcement.

Atwell missed the team’s Week 6 matchup with the Ravens due to a hamstring injury, according to ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. Based on the Rams’ injury report, the fifth-year wideout appears to have suffered the injury in practice that week. He got back to full participation in Week 7, but only played 10 snaps in that game and now lands on IR after Los Angeles’ Week 8 bye.

Atwell will be on the shelf for at least four games. His earliest return would be on November 30 for the Rams’ Week 13 matchup with the Panthers.

The 2021 second-round pick has never quite lived up to his draft billing. He played 10 snaps on offense as a rookie with a bigger role as a returner, but landed on season-ending injured reserve halfway through the year. He took steps forward over his next three seasons, culminating in a strong 2024 showing. He saw a downtick in snap share, but still put up career-highs in terms of volume (42 receptions, 562 yards) and efficiency (67.7% catch rate, 9.1 yards per target).

That earned Atwell a one-year, $10MM deal with the Rams this offseason in the hopes that he could produce even more in a bigger role after the departure of Cooper Kupp. Shortly after, though, Los Angeles added Davante Adams. Not only did that bump Atwell down the depth chart, it also gave Matthew Stafford another All-Pro receiver to target. The veteran quarterback is known for funneling targets to his elite wideouts – like Calvin Johnson, Kupp, and Puka Nacua in past seasons – and has continued to do so with Nacua and Adams this year.

As a result, Atwell only has four catches this season, though he has taken them for 164 yards to average 41 yards per reception. His injury coincided with Nacua’s ongoing absence, however, rendering him unable to take advantage of the available targets.

The Rams will hope that Atwell can return this season and contribute in some capacity. He is set to hit free agency next offseason and seem unlikely to earn as lucrative a deal as he did this year.

Bengals Considered Long List Of QBs Before Joe Flacco Trade

After a Week 5 loss to the Lions, their third straight lopsided defeat under backup signal-caller Jake Browning, the Bengals aggressively began searching for a different Joe Burrow fill-in. Led by director of player personnel Duke Tobin, the Bengals put together an extensive list of potential upgrades over Browning, Albert Breer of SI.com details.

Before swinging a trade with the division-rival Browns for Joe Flacco, the Bengals considered Anthony Richardson (Colts); Kirk Cousins (Falcons); the Giants’ backup duo of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston; the Rams’ Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett; Tanner McKee (Eagles); and Josh Johnson (Commanders). They joined the previously reported Derek Carr (Saints), Sam Howell (Eagles), Drew Lock (Seahawks), and Davis Mills (Texans) in Cincinnati’s exhaustive search.

The Bengals narrowed the list down to five before choosing Flacco as the best option, according to Breer. It’s unclear who joined the 40-year-old in the group of finalists or whether the Bengals even made calls on all of those QBs.

In the end, Flacco won out as a result of a few factors. Flacco is affordable ($1.26MM base salary) and only cost a fifth-round pick. The well-traveled Super Bowl XLVII MVP also has plenty of AFC North experience, and coordinator Dan Pitcher identified him as a clear fit based on similarities between Cincinnati’s offense and Cleveland’s in terms of “spacing the field and progressing pass concepts,” Breer writes.

Two weeks into what will be a short-lived run as the Bengals’ starter, Flacco has looked like a shrewd acquisition. The Bengals lost his first start to the Packers, but they bounced back with an upset over the division-rival Steelers on Thursday.

Flacco outdueled fellow 40-something Aaron Rodgers in Week 7, going 31 for 47 for 342 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-31 thriller. He made superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase the focal point of the offense, targeting him on a jaw-dropping 23 throws and hitting him 16 times for 161 yards and a score. Chase has already hauled in 26 passes and two of Flacco’s five TDs as a Bengal. Flacco has yet to throw a pick with the team after tossing six in four games with the Browns.

The goal in acquiring Flacco was to hang around long enough to make a potential Burrow return worthwhile in 2025. Burrow, who underwent toe surgery on Sept. 19, is expected to miss at least three months. That means the Bengals will have to stay in the race into December under Flacco. At 3-4, they trail the division-leading Steelers (4-2) and sit in ninth place in the AFC. While the Bengals are still facing an uphill climb, Flacco has at least given them a more credible option than Browning under center.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/18/25

Here are today’s minor moves and practice squad elevations as we head to the seventh Sunday of the regular season:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

As injured reserve activations start to dominate the headlines, a couple teams are making minor additions off their injured lists. In Homer, the Bears are getting a veteran special teamer and some running back depth. Monk adds depth to Green Bay’s offensive line. And Weston will do the same for a linebacking corps in New York that has seen rookie fifth-round pick Francisco Mauigoa starting in place of an injured Quincy Williams.

Ford in Chicago, Sewell in New Orleans, and Jacobs in Tennessee are all being called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations for the third time this year. In order to appear in any more games after this weekend, their respective teams will need to sign them to the 53-man roster.

Rams WR Puka Nacua Out For Week 7

OCTOBER 17: Nacua has been ruled out for Week 7, to little surprise. With the Rams’ bye upcoming after their London game, the team will have additional time to evaluate his recovery timeframe.

OCTOBER 13: The Rams improved to 4-2 on the year with their win yesterday. Los Angeles lost wideout Puka Nacua along the way, however, and he may be sidelined for a stretch.

Nacua exited the game against the Ravens before briefly returning in the second half. Overall, the league’s receptions leader logged just 27 snaps, by far his lowest total of the campaign. Nacua is dealing with an ankle sprain, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. As a result, at least one missed game could be in store.

The Rams will play the Jaguars in London next week. Los Angeles’ bye will follow that contest, so the team could elect to keep Nacua out of the fold for one contest and then evaluate him upon return from the international game. Of course, any missed time in this case would be critical for the Rams’ offense and their ability to keep pace in a highly competitive division.

Even with his limited output on Sunday, Nacua has amassed 616 yards and a pair of touchdowns through six games this season. The third-year pass-catcher is thus averaging nearly 103 receiving yards per contest, another increase in that department early in his impressive career. Nacua averaged 87 yards per game as a rookie before upping that total to 90 last year.

Maintaining his current production would help the 24-year-old’s case for a massive extension as early as this coming offseason. Nacua is playing out the third season of his four-year rookie pact, but an early (and lucrative) commitment on the part of the Rams would come as no surprise. On the other hand, the former fifth-rounder was limited to 11 games last season so an extended absence in 2025 could hinder his earning potential.

A lengthy spell on the sidelines should not be expected given today’s report, but ankle sprains can linger into multi-week absences. For now, the Rams will move forward with a receiving corps still featuring Davante Adams and Tutu Atwell. Los Angeles also has Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson available at the tight end spot.

Further updates on Nacua will be worth watching for as the Rams prepare to fly to London. At least one missed game would be in store if a cautious approach were to be taken, but clarity on Nacua’s recovery timeline will be key.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/11/25

Here are the minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations heading into the sixth Sunday of the NFL season:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Manu was ruled out for this week with a knee injury after making the first start of his career with Detroit. Unfortunately, he’ll miss the team’s next three games, as well, after being placed on injured reserve.

Wright will fill in as placekicker for the Titans in Week 6. Regular kicker Joey Slye has been ruled out with a calf injury after missing practice all week.

Avery in Cleveland and Walton in Carolina are both being called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations for the third time this year. If either of their respective teams want them to be active for another game, they will need to sign them to the 53-man roster.

Traded Draft Picks For 2026

Many clubs have made moves to acquire 2026 draft capital. Headlined by the six trades where first-round picks have changed hands, here are the 2026 picks to have changed hands thus far. When more deals involving picks are made (or conditions on moves already completed become known), that information will be added.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

49ers, Rams, Seahawks, Bills, Patriots, Jaguars, Eagles Seen As Possible Buyers At Trade Deadline

We are a month away from the November 4 trade deadline, and the league’s contingent of buyers and sellers is starting to take shape. Eric D. Williams of Fox Sports identifies a handful of teams that league sources believe could be active buyers.

That includes a trio of NFC West clubs: the 49ers, Rams, and Seahawks. All three of those teams currently sport winning records, and even the division’s fourth-place outfit, the Cardinals, are 2-2 (their two losses have come by a combined four points). It therefore stands to reason that the combatants in what could be a tightly-contested division will be seeking any possible advantage at the deadline.

Moving over to the AFC East, Williams’ sources name the Bills and Patriots as potential buyers. The Bills, who have become a perennial contender in the Josh Allen era, are just one of two undefeated teams left after the first four weeks of the campaign, and Buffalo may be on the lookout for upgrades as it tries to break through to the Super Bowl after a number of recent postseason heartbreaks.

New England, at 2-2, was not necessarily expected to contend this year. New head coach Mike Vrabel and second-year quarterback Drake Maye presented reasons for optimism in Foxborough, but the general consensus was that the club — which underwent more than 50% roster turnover from 2024-25 and which entered the regular season as the league’s fifth-youngest team (h/t ESPN’s Mike Reiss) — was still at least a year away from true competitiveness.

And that still may be the case. After all, much can change between now and the first week of November, and even tonight’s matchup with the division-rival Bills could go a long way towards solidifying the Pats’ status as legitimate contender or otherwise.

After a last-second loss to the Bengals in Week 2, the Jaguars bounced back with victories over the Texans and Niners to improve their record to 3-1. As Williams notes, the rookie GM/HC duo of James Gladstone and Liam Coen both cut their NFL teeth with the Rams, whose Les Snead/Sean McVay operation has developed a reputation for making bold strikes.

Ditto Eagles GM Howie Roseman, and Philadelphia – the league’s other undefeated club – is unsurprisingly named by Williams’ sources as another team that could look to acquire talent in advance of the deadline. Per OverTheCap.com, the Eagles also have just shy of $12MM in cap space, so they should have the flexibility to make a move or two.

The Patriots, 49ers, and Seahawks are all in the top-five in terms of cap room as of the time of this writing, and the Rams are just outside the top-10. The Bills, with just $2.57MM of space, could have a harder time making a splash acquisition.

Rams DC Chris Shula “Prime Candidate” For HC Job In 2026

Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley were recently named as legitimate head coaching candidates in the 2026 cycle. Rams DC Chris Shula is another defensive-minded coach who appears to have a real shot at leading his own club next year.

Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Shula has the attention of NFL front offices and is considered a “prime candidate” for an HC gig. The grandson of NFL coaching legend Don Shula has earned that status by working his way up the coaching ladder under Sean McVay.

Now 39, Chris Shula landed his first NFL position with the Chargers in 2015, when he served as a defensive quality control coach for the club. He joined McVay’s first Rams staff in 2017 as an assistant linebackers coach, and he remained a prominent voice in the LB room until 2022, when he was named pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. He resumed working with LBs in 2023 and also worked as the team’s pass rush coordinator before getting his first crack at DC last season.

McVay needed to fill that post after Raheem Morris left to become the Falcons’ head coach, and candidates like Brandon Staley – who previously worked as McVay’s defensive coordinator in 2020 – and Ron Rivera were considered. But the Rams were reportedly blown away by Shula’s interview, and the team did not allow him to meet with the Dolphins to discuss Miami’s DC opening.

In Shula’s first year in charge of the Rams’ defense, the team finished in the middle of the pack in terms of points per game and in the bottom-10 with respect to yards per game. Still, Shula’s unit allowed nine points or fewer from Weeks 15 to 17, and Los Angeles also limited the Vikings to nine points in the wildcard round of the playoffs.

Through the first two weeks of the current season, the Rams have conceded just one touchdown and 14 points per game. Of course, those games came against the Texans and Titans, two clubs that look as if they could struggle to score in 2025. But sustained success this year will apparently make Shula a hot commodity in January.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/16/25

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: LB Maema Njongmeta (off Bengals’ practice squad), C Nick Samac (off Ravens’ practice squad)

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

Rams Place CB Ahkello Witherspoon On IR

4:40pm: Head coach Sean McVay said (via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop) surgery is not expected to be needed in this case. Witherspoon is nevertheless facing a recovery timeline of roughly 12 weeks, so he is in store to miss a large portion of the campaign.

1:34pm: The Rams’ secondary will be shorthanded for a notable period. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was placed on injured reserve Monday, per a team announcement.

Witherspoon is dealing with a broken clavicle. Today’s move ensures he will miss at least the next four games. A return could take place as early as Week 7, although that contest will be followed by the Rams’ bye week. It would come as no surprise if Witherspoon were to only be back in the fold after that point.

Losing the 30-year-old for any period will deal a blow to Los Angeles’ defense. Witherspoon has proven to be a key presence at the cornerback spot during his Rams tenure. After being released by the Steelers in 2023, the former third-rounder signed with the Rams. That move saw him serve as a full-time starter during his debut Los Angeles campaign.

A pair of one-year deals have followed, allowing Witherspoon to remain in place. His snap share fell to 58% in 2024, a season in which he was limited to 13 games. Missed time will again be in store this season. Witherspoon has started each of the Rams’ first two contests in 2025, but a new setup will now be needed at the CB position moving forward.

Emmanuel Forbes has been a key presence early in the campaign. The former Commanders first-rounder has handled a 77% snap share to date, and that figure could increase with Witherspoon not in the picture for the time being. Cobie Durant and Darious Williams are also candidates to take on a larger workload after seeing part-time usage so far. Los Angeles will look to remain undefeated beginning with a Week 3 game against the Eagles.

That effort will not include Witherspoon, though. The Colorado product is a pending free agent, so missing a significant stretch will hinder his market value next spring in addition to leaving the Rams shorthanded in the secondary.

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