Newsstand News & Rumors

Brandon Graham Re-Signs With Eagles

October 23rd, 2025 at 9:42am CST by Ben Levine

OCTOBER 23: Graham’s one-year pact carries a prorated value of just under $4.9MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. He will receive a total of $2.44MM over the remainder of the season; that figure includes a $1.68MM signing bonus.

OCTOBER 20: After a day of speculation, Brandon Graham is indeed returning to Philly. The veteran defensive end will be re-signing with the Eagles, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter has confirmed the news. CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr reported earlier this evening that Graham was expected to make his announcement tomorrow morning. Graham has since hinted at the impending transaction via X.

A potential Eagles reunion has seemingly been in the cards since the defender announced his retirement this past offseason. After Graham left the door open to a potential return, there appeared to be growing momentum towards a move yesterday, when we learned that the player had discussed a potential deal with the organization. As Florio notes, the main hurdle to overcome was “an acceptable contract,” which the two sides apparently figured out in short order.

While the 2025 campaign will represent Graham’s age-37 season, this reunion is more than needed for the Eagles. The team has only generated 11 sacks this season, and the recent retirement of Za’Darius Smith has only further depleted their pass-rush corps. Besides filling in the leadership gap that Smith left behind, Graham should also help pick up some of the production. James Palmer of The Athletic passes along that the Eagles believe the veteran was the best pass rusher on their squad in 2024.

Of course, expectations have to be somewhat tempered following a 2024 campaign when Graham was getting into less than half of his team’s defensive snaps before he suffered a season-ending triceps injury (he returned in time for the Super Bowl, when he re-tore his triceps). Graham returned for the Super Bowl after a nonsurgical rehab route; as retirement commenced, he underwent surgery following the second tear. Considering that injury and his lack of a training camp/preseason, it seems unlikely that Graham will be able to contribute right away.

However, when Graham is ready to play, the Eagles will surely be plenty reliant on the familiar face. Graham will re-join an EDGE group that consists of Josh Uche, Jalyx Hunt, and (eventually) Nolan Smith, who is currently on IR while dealing with a triceps injury. Besides losing Smith to retirement, the Eagles also lost Ogbo Okoronkwo to a season-ending triceps injury. While that grouping should be enough to get by, Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com believes the Eagles aren’t done adding to the position as they look to make another run to a Super Bowl.

Graham hasn’t been a full-time player since the 2020 season, although that didn’t stop him from compiling 11 sacks during the 2022 campaign. He collected a combined 6.5 sacks between 2023 and 2024, and he appeared in pair of playoff games during that same span. Set to play in his 16th NFL season, Graham — already the longest-tenured player in Eagles history, with this in-season signing set to widen the gap between the popular edge rusher and the field in franchise annals — will now have an opportunity to add to his franchise records (including games player and TFLs).

Mike Evans Suffers Broken Clavicle, Expected To Miss Most Of Season

October 22nd, 2025 at 12:05pm CST by Ben Levine

OCTOBER 22: Evans is set to undergo surgery this week, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The decorated wide receiver suffered a clean break, per Rapoport, who points to a roughly two-month recovery timetable — or a bit sooner. That would align with Monday night’s reporting, pegging an Evans return around Christmas.

OCTOBER 20: The snakebitten Buccaneers offense took another significant hit this evening. Mike Evans suffered a broken clavicle during tonight’s loss, coach Todd Bowles told reporters (via Greg Auman of FOX Sports). The injury is expected to sideline the wide receiver for the majority of the season, per James Palmer of The Athletic.

“He’ll be out mostly toward the end of the year,” Bowles told reporters (via Auman). “We’ll see what happens.”

Fortunately, it sounds like Bowles may have been estimating the worst-case scenario. Jordan Schultz reports that the wideout’s initial timeline is six to eight weeks, which would give him a couple of games before the playoffs.

This is a brutal blow for the veteran, who was just returning from a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the apst three games. Evans suffered this latest injury in the first half of tonight’s game after nearly hauling in a deep pass from Baker Mayfield. The receiver stayed on the ground for a few moments before heading to the sideline. Evans was later carted to the locker room, with reports indicating he had suffered a shoulder injury and a concussion. The 32-year-old was held without a catch on four targets.

With Evans expected to miss much of the rest of the season, his historic streak of 11 straight seasons with 1,000-plus receiving yards will come to an end. The receiver has also averaged more than 11 touchdowns per season over the past five years. In four games this season, the veteran has hauled in 14 catches for 140 yards and a score.

The Buccaneers’ offense has dealt with its fair share of injuries in 2025. Chris Godwin didn’t make his season debut until Week 4 after rehabbing the fractured ankle he suffered during the 2024 campaign. Godwin got into two games before suffering a fibula injury that’s sidelined him for the past two weeks. The Buccaneers have also been without Jalen McMillan, who finished his rookie season with 500 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. Even running back Bucky Irving has missed a handful of games while dealing with foot and shoulder issues.

As a result of the injuries, the Buccaneers have had to lean on their depth. First rounder Emeka Egbuka has stepped up, hauling in 31 catches for 527 yards and five touchdowns. The rookie was questionable for tonight’s game with a hamstring injury but ended up being active. Seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson has hauled in scores in back-to-back weeks, while Sterling Shepard and Kameron Johnson continue to get offensive looks.

Still, while the Buccaneers have managed to get some offensive production elsewhere, the team will surely miss Evans as the season goes on. It sounded like Bowles didn’t dismiss a late-season return, so as long as the Buccaneers can remain in the hunt, there’s a chance they’ll get their WR leader back on the field before the postseason.

Egbuka not missing any games due to his hamstring issue giving the team a rare break at this injury-battered position. With Godwin uncertain moving forward, the Bucs will need to lean on their first-round pick. McMillan is not due back until at least December. While Tampa Bay could have its full receiver arsenal back by the holidays, the team will need to both lean on Egbuka and hope Godwin — who was not placed on the reserve/PUP list to start the season and has avoided IR related to his current injury — can return soon.

As for Evans, this deals a bit of a blow to his free agency stock. Playing an age-32 season, the likely Hall of Fame-bound pass catcher is on an expiring contract. He agreed to a two-year, $41MM deal just before free agency in 2024; although the Bucs have a well-established track record of re-signing key players shortly before free agency or early during the legal tampering period, the Egbuka pick and three-year, $66MM Godwin accord complicate Evans’ Tampa future. Evans also missed three games due to hamstring trouble in 2024.

Evans also said he will consider retirement after this season. Plenty of variables exist for the Bucs at wide receiver, but the team should still be well positioned by the end of the regular season.

Broncos LB Dre Greenlaw Suspended One Game

October 21st, 2025 at 6:40pm CST by Ben Levine

OCTOBER 21: Greenlaw’s suspension has been upheld on appeal, per NFL Senior VP of Football & International Communications Michael Signora. The Broncos linebacker will officially be sitting out Sunday’s matchup with the Cowboys.

OCTOBER 20: Dre Greenlaw has been hit with a one-game ban. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Broncos linebacker has been suspended one game without pay for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Per the NFL’s release (via Josina Anderson), Greenlaw “chased after referee Brad Allen and verbally threatened him as he tried to leave the field.” The league cited Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1(b), which prohibits “the use of abusive, threatening or insulting language or gestures to opponents, teammates, officials, or representatives of the League.” It’s uncertain what sparked Greenlaw’s outburst, but NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo suspects it may have stemmed from the pass-interference penalty on a previous drive that ultimately got head coach Sean Payton flagged for arguing.

Garafolo notes that Greenlaw has three days to appeal his suspension. If it’s upheld, the linebacker will be forced to miss this Sunday’s matchup with the Cowboys.

It’s not ideal timing for the veteran, who was just making his Broncos debut after sitting out the first month-plus of the season while recovering from a quad injury. He ended up getting into about a quarter of his team’s defensive snaps yesterday, finishing with six total tackles and a QB hit. Greenlaw joined the Broncos on a three-year, $35MM deal after spending the first six seasons of his career with the 49ers. Injuries wiped out his 2021 and 2024 seasons, but he compiled a total of 247 tackles between 2022 and 2023.

Alex Singleton has yet to miss a defensive snap for the Broncos this season and will continue anchoring the linebackers room, but the team will have to get a bit creative with Greenlaw out for Week 8. Justin Strnad stepped up while his teammate was sidelined with an injury, and the former fifth-round pick will likely continue seeing a healthy dose of snaps against Dallas. Rookie Que Robinson has also seen an uptick in playing time since making his NFL debut in Week 6.

WR Tyler Lockett Granted Release By Titans

October 20th, 2025 at 5:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Tyler Lockett‘s stint in Tennessee has unceremoniously come to an end. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the veteran wideout asked for and was granted his release by the Titans today. The move allows Lockett to sign with another team after 4pmET on Wednesday.

After spending 10 seasons in Seattle to begin his career, Lockett was released by the Seahawks this past offseason. He quickly caught on with the Titans via a one-year, $4MM deal. The hope was that the receiver would provide another experienced target for Cam Ward, but the acquisition clearly wasn’t clicking with his new offense.

Through seven games, Lockett has hauled in 10 of his 21 targets for 70 yards. While he’s garnered the third-most snaps among Titans receivers, his role has been trending downwards in recent weeks. This seemed to culminate yesterday, when the 33-year-old was firmly playing as the WR4 despite Calvin Ridley being sidelined with a hamstring injury.

This move should now work out for both sides. The 1-6 Titans will get an opportunity to get a longer look at their younger wideouts, including Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike, who hauled in his first-career touchdown during yesterday’s loss. Paul Kuharsky wonders if the Titans may also lean more into two tight end sets, which would presumably consist of Chig Okonkwo and Gunnar Helm.

For Lockett, the veteran will have an opportunity to catch on with a more competitive squad, although he may be hard pressed to find a significant role with a new team. Lockett’s numbers dropped a bit during his final seasons in Seattle, including a 2024 campaign where he finished with 49 receptions for 600 yards and two touchdowns.

This was a far cry from the four-straight 1,000-yard campaigns he put up between 2019 and 2022, and his recent role in Tennessee could indicate that he doesn’t have a whole lot left in the tank. At the very least, the veteran can now ride off into the sunset with a team that’s perhaps destined for the postseason.

Retired DE Brandon Graham Mulling Return To Eagles

October 20th, 2025 at 10:35am CST by Rory Parks

OCTOBER 20: Graham is expected to be back in the fold “soon,” per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. He adds thoughts about a return to action in this case predate Za’Darius Smith’s retirement. As such, a trade for pass rush help could certainly still be in store regardless of the role Graham plays in 2025.

OCTOBER 19: Retired defensive end and Eagles icon Brandon Graham is mulling a return to the team. Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network were the first to report the news, and they confirm Graham and Philadelphia brass have had conversations about a comeback.

This is not a terribly surprising development. Less than a month after announcing his retirement in March, Graham left the door open to a possible return, saying he was “90 percent retired.” While he did clarify that he intended to keep his cleats in the closet, there was speculation at the time that the 2010 first-rounder could rejoin the only club he has ever known to aid in another championship push.

Now 37, Graham is the longest-tenured Eagle in franchise history, having played for the team for 15 seasons. He was part of both of Philadelphia’s Super Bowl-winning outfits, and his strip-sack of then-Patriots QB Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII has become an enduring image in Eagles lore.

Nostalgia aside, the Eagles would welcome Graham’s on- and off-field presence. After a 4-0 start to the 2025 season, the team has lost two in a row, and Rapoport and Garafolo characterize the team’s locker room as “splintered.” Graham has long been respected as a steadying influence and leader among both defensive and offensive players, which the club could use at the moment.

This offseason, Graham retired, Josh Sweat left in free agency, and Bryce Huff was traded to the 49ers. That left the Eagles with a number of question marks in the pass rush department, and as of the time of this writing, the team’s nine sacks are the eighth-fewest in the NFL. Those troubles have been exacerbated by Za’Darius Smith’s surprise retirement and the fact that both Nolan Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo are on injured reserve.

From a raw statistics perspective, Graham was never a dominant pass rusher, as he reached double-digit sacks just once in his lengthy career. He could nonetheless stabilize the team’s play along the edge, but even if he returns, it would be fair to expect GM Howie Roseman to continue exploring the trade market for pass rush help.

Titans Fire HC Brian Callahan

October 13th, 2025 at 11:08pm CST by Adam La Rose

The first head coaching change of the 2025 season has been made. Brian Callahan is out as the Titans’ coach, the team announced on Monday.

“After extended conversations with our owner and general manager, we met with Brian Callahan this morning to tell him we are making a change at head coach,” a statement from president of football operations Chad Brinker reads in part. “We are grateful for Brian’s investment in the Titans and Tennessee community during his tenure as head coach. We thank him and his family for being exemplary ambassadors of the Tennessee Titans.”

Hired in 2024 after a highly-regarded run as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator, Callahan was tasked with overseeing an offensive turnaround in Tennessee. That did not take place during his first season at the helm, but the decision to select Cam Ward gave the Titans a new signal-caller to build around. Six games in to the No. 1 pick’s career, a change is now taking place on the sidelines. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports Tennessee’s preference was to avoid an in-season firing, but that stance shifted over the past few weeks.

Today’s announcement comes after talk about a Callahan dismissal increased over the early portion of the campaign. The 41-year-old handled offensive play-calling duties through his first season at the helm and the opening three games of the 2025 slate. Following a winless start, though, Callahan handed the reins to QBs coach Bo Hardegree. Moves such as those are often made in an attempt to increase a head coach’s job security.

Indeed, it was reported earlier this month Callahan and the coaching staff felt the front office was quickly losing patience. After Sunday’s game – a 20-10 loss against the Raiders – Callahan’s record fell to 1-5 on the year and 4-19 overall. Tennessee ranks 31st in the NFL in scoring and 26th in points allowed. After also struggling in both of those capacities last season, Callahan will not receive any further opportunities to improve.

In general, this dismissal adds further to the long list of organizational changes made in recent years by the Titans. Owner Amy Adams Strunk has overseen a slew of hirings and firings in short order dating back to the closing stages of Mike Vrabel‘s head coaching tenure. Not long before Vrabel was fired, general manager Jon Robinson had been dismissed. Robinson was replaced during the 2023 hiring cycle but Ran Carthon, but he too was let go this past offseason.

Tennessee hired Mike Borgonzi as Carthon’s replacement in January at a time when Brinker took on an elevated role in the organization. He and Borgonzi will look to provide stability with the Titans on track for their fourth consecutive losing season. It is unclear at this point who will take over on an interim basis, but senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy has head coaching experience. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson and special teams coordinator John Fassel are other internal candidates.

Regardless of what happens in the near term, the Titans’ search for a new full-time head coach will be critical. A top priority for Callahan’s replacement will of course be maximizing Ward’s potential and helping the offense take needed steps forward. The search on that front will begin early, and it will be interesting to see which candidates the team looks to speak with first.

Working closely alongside Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, Callahan spent five years in Cincinnati as the team’s offensive coordinator (albeit without calling plays). Another coordinator opportunity could await him in the future, but given the nature of his first head coaching spell a second chance in that capacity may not be coming any time soon. In the meantime, the Titans will prepare for their Week 7 game at home against Vrabel’s Patriots.

49ers LB Fred Warner Out For Season

October 12th, 2025 at 10:34pm CST by Ely Allen

10:34pm: According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has revealed Warner’s diagnosis to be both a broken and dislocated ankle. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner quickly followed the report confirming that Warner will require surgery, and the injury will be season-ending.

5:07pm: The 49ers have been ravaged by injury throughout this young season, but they may have taken their biggest hit today. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner has been diagnosed with a dislocated ankle. Russini reports that Warner will meet with doctors to determine his exact prognosis, but given the nature of the injury, it has the potential to be season-ending.

We saw Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin suffer an ankle dislocation about a week later into the season last year, and though he had intentions to be ready for the postseason after undergoing surgery, he didn’t play another snap that season. Godwin then needed a second procedure on his ankle that held him out for the full offseason, training camp, and the first three weeks of this year’s regular season. Obviously, we can’t project this onto Warner, whose details are not yet known, but Godwin’s recent example serves as a possible outcome for this type of injury.

No matter how long the absence is, unless the 28-year-old comes back two weeks from now, this is uncharted territory for Warner. Since getting drafted by San Francisco in the third round back in 2018, Warner has appeared and started in every possible game except for one. While the four-time All-Pro will have his own new challenges to tackle over a potentially extended absence, the 49ers’ uncharted territory of fielding a defense for multiple games without Warner poses other serious challenges.

Warner’s backup at middle linebacker is Tatum Bethune. A seventh-round pick out of Florida State last year, Bethune spent his rookie year almost exclusively on special teams. Active for 11 games, he only appeared on the field for 12 defensive snaps before starting San Francisco’s season finale. This year has been more of the same for the 24-year-old; after appearing in three defensive snaps in Week 1, Bethune has been all special teams before today.

At the very least, Warner will end up adding to an injury report that featured 18 other players this week for the 49ers. If the injury ends up being as serious as it looked, Warner could be the 12th Niner placed on injured reserve this season. He would join such stars on the IR as pass rusher Nick Bosa and tight end George Kittle, with more starters like quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall merely sporting “out” designations on the injury report.

While the injury suffered by Warner today looked bad, no determinations have been made on the severity of his ankle injury just yet. Once more is learned, San Francisco will be able to formulate a plan for return. Until then, they’ll continue to do as they have been doing, fielding the next man up and relying on their depth to put themselves in as good a position to win as possible.

Browns, Jaguars Swap Greg Newsome, Tyson Campbell

October 9th, 2025 at 10:32am CST by Ben Levine

OCTOBER 9: The deal is now official. As part of the agreement, Jacksonville will take on a dead cap charge of $19.5MM in 2026, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union reports. The Jags are not retaining any of Campbell’s remaining salary, and they will free up nearly $50MM in cap space for the 2027 and ’28 campaigns with Campbell off the books by that point.

OCTOBER 8: The Browns and Jaguars are swapping starting cornerbacks. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Browns are sending Greg Newsome and the Jets’ 2026 sixth-round pick to the Jaguars for Tyson Campbell and the Eagles’ 2026 7th-round pick.

This is a sudden move involving a pair of defensive backs who were expected to guide their respective teams’ secondaries for years to come. The two players haven’t played up to their usual standards in 2025, so perhaps the organizations are hoping a fresh start can revitalize their respective acquisitions.

Campbell, a 2021 second-round pick, inked a lucrative four-year, $76.50MM extension ($53.40MM guaranteed) with the Jaguars about 15 months ago. The Georgia product looked the part of a star cornerback through his first two NFL seasons. He collected 143 tackles and five interceptions between those campaigns, with Pro Football Focus grading him as the league’s seventh-best CB in 2022.

He’s ranked below league-average in those same metrics in each of the past two-plus seasons. Campbell dealt with various injuries in both 2023 and 2024, missing a combined 11 games. While PFF only ranked him 71st among 106 qualifiers this season, the Jaguars have been especially reliant on him, with the cornerback appearing in 99 percent of his team’s defensive snaps through five games.

Newsome, a 2021 first-round pick, is currently playing on the final season of his rookie contract (via the fifth-year option). The cornerback was one of Cleveland’s defensive standouts through his first three seasons in the NFL, but he was demoted to a backup role in 2024. He ultimately finished last season with 27 tackles and one interception while getting into about 70 percent of his team’s defensive snaps in 13 appearances.

He was back starting alongside Denzel Ward to begin the 2025 campaign. He appeared in 95 percent of his team’s defensive snaps through five starts, collecting 23 stops. PFF currently has him ranked 40th at his position.

From the Browns perspective, the team may be anticipating a sell-off, and Campbell would represent a future piece over the expiring Newsome. With the Jaguars sitting at 4-1, the team is presumably looking to load up for a postseason run, and the front office clearly considers Newsome as an upgrade over Campbell, especially since they’ll be facing a significant dead cap hit after dealing their CB so soon after agreeing to an extension.

Jacksonville’s acquisition could also have an impact on how the team utilizes second-overall pick Travis Hunter. While both Newsome and Campbell have primarily played as outside CBs this season, the newest Jaguar has extensive experience playing in the nickel. That could open up an opportunity for Hunter to line up opposite Jourdan Lewis in the team’s base defense.

Bengals Acquire Joe Flacco From Browns

October 7th, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bengals have indeed changed their tune on a quarterback trade. They will make an intra-AFC North swap, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reporting the team is set to acquire Joe Flacco from the Browns. The deal is now official pending a physical.

Cleveland will acquire a fifth-round pick from Cincinnati, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who adds this pick-swap exchange will involve a sixth going back to the Bengals. The sixth going to Cincy is originally a Detroit selection from the November 2024 Za’Darius Smith trade. The picks are in the 2026 draft, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.

After Zac Taylor indicated Jake Browning‘s starting job was in jeopardy, the Bengals will acquire a QB — just not one previously mentioned could be in play. As should be expected, the Bengals (per Schefter) want Flacco to be ready for their Week 6 game against the Packers.

Rather than a bigger swing for Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins, the Bengals — already rostering a $55MM-per-year contract via the September 2023 Joe Burrow extension — will take on Flacco’s one-year, $4.25MM deal. Only $1.26MM of that is tied up in base salary, meaning the Bengals will only be on the hook for around $1MM in additional salary. The Browns will take on $999K in 2025 dead money and, due to void years on Flacco’s deal, $1.4MM in 2026, per Spotrac.

This marks the third time Flacco has been traded. The Broncos obtained the former Super Bowl MVP from the Ravens in 2019, and the Jets reacquired him from the Eagles in 2021. No calls went to the Giants on Wilson or Jameis Winston, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. As of Sunday morning, no calls were believed to have gone out. A rough Browning showing against the Lions looks to have changed the team’s stance. While New York retains its Wilson-Winston-Jaxson Dart quarterback room, Cleveland has dealt into its previous four-man competition once again.

This will be Flacco’s seventh NFL destination, and he is now a Steelers stop from completing the AFC North cycle. The Browns benched the 40-year-old passer ahead of their Week 5 London trip, going with Dillon Gabriel. Cleveland’s QB depth chart — which once housed both Flacco and Kenny Pickett — has changed significantly over the past several weeks. Cleveland sent Pickett to Las Vegas just before the season. This marks the team’s third QB trade (for a veteran), as it also acquired Pickett from Philadelphia in March, this year.

Receiving poor play from Browning — after he had proved surprisingly effective in 2023 — the Bengals had been calling teams on QBs for the past 48 hours, Rapoport adds. This is just the third in-season player acquisition via trade since 1973 for the Bengals, who obtained offensive lineman B.J. Finney in 2020 and running back Khalil Herbert last season. It is a last-ditch move aimed at salvaging a season that has skidded well off track following Burrow’s toe injury.

This marks the first time the Bengals have obtained a player from a division rival in a trade since they landed Hall of Fame wide receiver Charlie Joiner and linebacker Ron Pritchard for running backs Paul Robinson and Fred Willis from the then-AFC Central rival Oilers, SI.com’s Jay Morrison notes. This marks just the third time this century division rivals have swapped veteran QBs. Although this has happened before the 21st century, the 2002 Drew Bledsoe and 2010 Donovan McNabb swaps (h/t ESPN’s Evan Kaplan) mark the only such instances since 2000.

This move also comes eight years after the Bengals and Browns nearly made a trade involving Cincinnati backup QB A.J. McCarron. The Browns had been close to acquiring McCarron, but the deal was not finalized in time. The teams will link up on this Flacco swap nearly a month before this year’s trade deadline.

The Browns and Bengals faced off in Week 1, with Flacco facing Burrow. By the sides’ Week 18 rematch, Cincy hopes to have Burrow back at the controls. After losing three straight blowouts, the Bengals looked closer to eventually determining Burrow would need to be shelved for the season’s remainder. Now, they will hope Flacco can elevate their offense in hopes of revitalizing contention hopes in what could be Trey Hendrickson‘s final season in Cincinnati.

In Week 1, the Bengals edged a Flacco-quarterbacked Browns team 17-16. Cleveland doubled up Cincinnati in first downs (22-11), and Flacco completed 31 of 45 passes for 290 yards. He threw a touchdown pass and two interceptions, but both picks came on drops by Browns receivers. Flacco, though, has been unable to curb his INT trend, leading to the Gabriel promotion. The 18th-year veteran threw four more INTs from Weeks 2-4, completing just 58.1% of his passes at an anemic 5.1 yards per attempt. Flacco’s weaponry situation will improve significantly, however, following this trade.

Although Flacco is not exactly the most stable option, his 2023 Cleveland cameo shows the upgrade Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins could see. The Browns added Flacco on a practice squad deal that year, giving him five starts following Deshaun Watson‘s season-ending injury. Flacco led a team missing Nick Chubb and both starting tackles to the playoffs, going 4-1 as a starter and winning Comeback Player of the Year acclaim.

The Browns flamed out in the wild-card round and did not make Flacco an offer to stay, making a final bid to build around Watson in 2024. Flacco ended up in Indianapolis as Anthony Richardson insurance, but after the Colts signed Daniel Jones this offseason, he returned to Cleveland as the elder statesman in an otherwise young QB room.

Making 195 career starts, the former 11-year Ravens QB1 prevailed in the Browns’ four-man quarterback competition this summer. It did not turn out to be very close, as a Pickett hamstring injury removed him from the running. Pickett is now backing up Geno Smith in Las Vegas. With the Browns undoubtedly eyeing a 2026 draft move for a longer-term replacement, Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders‘ presences notwithstanding, the team being unconcerned with dealing a passer to help a division rival makes sense. Sanders, despite his strange mime routine following the news Flacco would be Cleveland’s QB2 following the Gabriel elevation, should also be expected to rise from QB3 to QB2 on Cleveland’s depth chart.

Browning will be set to slide down Cincinnati’s. After replacing an injured Burrow more effectively in 2023, Browning proved woeful — save for some garbage-time work against the Lions — in his second Cincy starter stint. He threw eight interceptions in four games, including three against Detroit in Week 5.

The Bengals lost by a combined 113-37 against the Vikings, Broncos and Lions. Taylor had gone from offering Browning support ahead of Week 5 to walking it back following the home loss to the Lions. The 2-3 team is throwing a Hail Mary of sorts in Flacco, but the operation was careening off the rails with Browning running the show.

Flacco went 2-4 as a Colts starter last season, and while he posted a 12:7 TD-INT ratio, his form did not closely rival the 2023 Cleveland work. The Bengals also have experienced O-line issues for years. Going into Week 5, Pro Football Focus ranked Cincinnati’s O-line last in the NFL. The stationary QB could struggle behind that quintet, even though he operated well without then-Browns starting tackles Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin late in the ’23 season.

This will be a wildly interesting experiment for the Bengals, who paid up to extend both Chase and Higgins this offseason. Browning’s form had reduced the marquee receivers’ value; the team will hope Flacco can restore it while Burrow rehabs. A mid-December return is viewed as the goal for Burrow. Flacco helping at least restore offensive competency would stand to keep that hope in play.

Ravens, Chargers Swap OLB Odafe Oweh, S Alohi Gilman

October 7th, 2025 at 10:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Harbaughs are making a deal. The Ravens are trading edge rusher Odafe Oweh to the Chargers in a pick-swap exchange also involving Alohi Gilman, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report.

Baltimore will trade Oweh and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Los Angeles for Gilman and a 2026 fifth-rounder, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds. This will move a former first-round pass rusher to a Chargers team missing Khalil Mack on the edge. Oweh is tied to a fifth-year option; no substantive extension talks are believed to have occurred between he and the Ravens.

[RELATED: 2025 NFL Trades]

This trade, 12 years after Jim and John Harbaugh agreed on an Anquan Boldin swap when Jim was with the 49ers, also reunites Oweh with Chargers GM Joe Hortiz. The Bolts hired Hortiz from the Ravens; he was Baltimore’s director of player personnel when the team drafted the outside linebacker in 2021.

Oweh is tied to a $13.25MM fifth-year option salary. It has not been reported the Ravens will pick up any of that tab, with Schefter adding the AFC North team will save around $8MM with this trade. Gilman is tied to a prorated $3.5MM base salary, giving the Ravens some flexibility as they attempt to recover from a disastrous defensive start. While it is a bit surprising to see the Ravens give up on a former first-round pick who played well in 2024, Oweh is unsigned beyond this season.

Baltimore did not re-sign Matt Judon after franchise-tagging him in 2020, leading to the Oweh draft choice, and the team did not bring back Jadeveon Clowney in 2024. The Ravens ahve searched for a long-term OLB piece post-Judon, using Oweh and veteran stopgaps — Kyle Van Noy the most notable — during this period. Baltimore picked up Oweh’s option in April 2024 and then saw him post a 10-sack season also including 23 QB hits. Both were runaway career-high marks for Oweh, but he does not have a sack yet in 2025 (Oweh does rank 33rd in 2025 pressure rate, per TruMedia). The Chargers will still bet on the sporadically productive pass rusher.

This trade comes as both the Harbaugh-led teams are trending downward. As our Ely Allen detailed Sunday night, the Ravens are mired in a historically bad defensive stretch. The injury-wrecked unit has fallen from ninth last season to 32nd through five games. John Harbaugh reaffirmed Zach Orr‘s DC status, but at 1-4 and with Lamar Jackson sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Ravens are well off course. The Chargers have lost back-to-back games, seeing O-line injuries pile up. They will say goodbye to Gilman, who played in three-safety sets alongside Derwin James and Elijah Molden under DC Jesse Minter.

The Ravens have played without Van Noy at points this season, and while the aging EDGE returned in Week 5, Baltimore still dropped a 44-10 game to Houston. The Ravens have six sacks as a team, with Tavius Robinson — a 2023 fourth-round pick who supplanted Oweh in the starting lineup — delivering two of those. The team will lean on Robinson moving forward. Robinson’s rookie deal runs through 2026; Van Noy (34) is signed through season’s end.

Oweh, who will turn 27 before season’s end, started 23 games from 2021-24. The Ravens showed modest extension interest, but no deal was believed to be close this offseason. That set up a pivotal contract year for the Penn State product. He will now finish that out in Los Angeles, as the Chargers will pair Oweh with Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree for the time being. Mack’s dislocated elbow is not viewed as a season-ending injury, so the 3-2 Bolts should be able to roll out a Mack-Tuipulotu-Dupree-Oweh quartet later this season.

How Oweh fares during his L.A. stint will crystalize his free agency value. If Oweh can bounce back under Minter, he could command a reasonably strong market. After all, he also played an auxiliary role for a No. 1-ranked Ravens defense in 2023. Though, Oweh never eclipsed five sacks in a season prior to 2024. The Chargers will attempt to coax better form as they compete for the AFC West title with the Chiefs and Broncos.

The Gilman move comes a year after the Bolts re-signed him. Early in the Hortiz-Jim Harbaugh partnership’s run, the team brought back the Tom Telesco-era find on a two-year, $10.13MM contract. A former sixth-round pick, Gilman has been a full-time starter over the past three seasons. Gilman’s presence has helped unleash James in a hybrid role at which the All-Pro excels, but Garafolo notes the Ravens wanted him for the same role — for Kyle Hamilton-unleashing purposes. Hamilton and Gilman also played together at Notre Dame in the late 2010s.

Baltimore has been busy at safety today, adding both Gilman and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The Ravens’ home run with Hamilton aside, they missed on safeties Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson in recent years. Eric DeCosta was also at the controls for the team’s Earl Thomas misfire. In Gilman, the Ravens have a player who excelled under Jim Harbaugh. Gilman’s deal expires at season’s end.

As I discussed in a recent Trade Rumors Front Office piece, the Chargers had been getting by with a low-cost defense — everywhere but safety, that is. The Bolts had allocated by far the most money to safeties this season, having re-signed Molden on a three-year, $18.75MM deal early this offseason.

With James still on a top-market safety pact, the team will swap out the Gilman money for Oweh’s option price, taking on a few million more than it is sending out. Pro Football Focus slots Gilman 33rd among safeties this season. The Chargers should be expected to turn to ex-Raven (and ex-Ravens scout) Tony Jefferson in Gilman’s place, per ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim.

It is the Ravens who are now flooded in safety investments. Although Gardner-Johnson is starting out on the practice squad, it should be expected the veteran starter debuts for the team soon. Baltimore also used a first-round pick on Malaki Starks. It would stand to reason Gilman would play in three-safety looks in Maryland soon, though it is obviously unclear at this point if he will be in the Ravens’ post-2025 plans.

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