Raiders Not Considering Major Changes
The Raiders have stumbled to a 2-5 start in the first year of the Pete Carroll–John Spytek era. Their last two losses, including a 31-0 shutout at the hands of the division rival Chiefs in Week 7, have come by a combined 65 points. While owner Mark Davis is displeased with the team’s results, he’s unsurprisingly not ready to pull the plug on either Carroll or Spytek (via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal).
“You have to have faith in the people that you hired. And I do,” Davis said. “You’ve got to give them a chance to do the job.”
Notably, Davis hasn’t shown much faith in his head coaching hires in recent years. Since Jon Gruden‘s second run with the franchise came to an end during the 2021 season, four other head coaches have patrolled the sideline.
Although Rich Bisaccia guided the Raiders to a 7-5 record and a playoff berth in the wake of Gruden’s resignation, his time with the organization ended after a wild-card round loss to the Bengals. The Raiders then turned to Josh McDaniels, who went 9-16 before the Raiders gave him the ax in 2023. Interim choice Antonio Pierce took the team to a 5-4 finish as McDaniels’ replacement, leading to a promotion to the full-time post. However, on the heels of a 4-13 showing last year, they dismissed Pierce.
After the Raiders let go of Pierce and GM Tom Telesco, new minority owner Tom Brady joined Davis in taking on a key role in the franchise’s search for replacements. Spytek’s previous ties to Brady from their overlapping tenures with the University of Michigan and the Buccaneers helped him land the job as Telesco’s successor. Ben Johnson, then the Lions’ offensive coordinator and now the Bears’ head coach, was considered a strong candidate to take over for Pierce. Johnson picked the Bears, though the Raiders were not believed to have made Johnson an offer before handing the reins to Carroll.
While Carroll is the oldest head coach in NFL history (at 74), he’s also easily the Raiders’ most established hire since Gruden. He was eminently successful in his previous stop in Seattle, and Carroll’s role in Geno Smith‘s late-career breakthrough with the Seahawks helped lead the quarterback to Las Vegas. The Raiders traded for Smith and then extended him during the offseason, but those decisions look regrettable so far.
Over his first seven games as a Raider, Smith has thrown seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions en route to the league’s 30th-ranked QBR. He struggled enough in Kansas City that the Raiders benched him for Kenny Pickett. That move didn’t provide a spark during a listless showing in which the team mustered just 95 total yards.
While the Raiders are now on a bye, it’ll be a surprise if they don’t continue with Smith when they face the Jaguars in Week 9. Just as the Raiders are exercising patience with Carroll and Spytek, they’re likely to do the same with Smith. It’ll help Smith’s cause if injured tight end Brock Bowers, who has missed three straight games with a knee injury, returns in Week 9.
Saints C Erik McCoy Suffers Biceps Tear
OCTOBER 21: McCoy and Kendre Miller are now on IR, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Miller suffered an ACL tear in a rather damaging game for the Saints’ offense.
OCTOBER 20: The Saints’ offensive line will be shorthanded for the remainder of the season. Center Erik McCoy suffered a biceps tear yesterday, and will miss the rest of the campaign as a result. 
McCoy exited Sunday’s game, and head coach Kellen Moore stated his “concern” about the possibility of a major recovery timeline being needed (h/t ESPN’s Katherine Terrell). The ailment is indeed season-ending, as first reported by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. This marks another campaign brought to an abrupt end in McCoy’s case.
The two-time Pro Bowler managed to avoid major injuries during his first five years in the NFL. In 2024, however, McCoy found himself in and out of the lineup as a result of a groin injury suffered early in the campaign. That year, he was limited to just seven contests. That figure will wind up being duplicated in 2025, and as such New Orleans’ offensive line will be notably shorthanded.
McCoy was one of several veterans whose deals were (as usual) restructured this past offseason. The 28-year-old is under contract through 2027, with roster bonuses due in March for each of the next two league years. How the Saints proceed with him will depend in part on the success of McCoy’s recovery efforts. For now, the 1-6 team will look to find a suitable setup along the O-line with quarterback Spencer Rattler continuing in his first full season as a starter.
The Saints have made several investments at the offensive tackle spots during recent drafts. Doing so has not been necessary at center for several years, though, given McCoy’s status as a full-time starter since arriving in 2019. Right guard Cesar Ruiz has seen time at center in the past, and shifting him to that spot is a move which will no doubt receive consideration to close out the campaign.
New Orleans ranks near the bottom of the league in several offensive categories this year. Rattler has flashed potential at times, but losing McCoy will hinder the Saints as the they look to continue developing over the final weeks of the season.
Giants Cut K Jude McAtamney
After a poor showing in a 33-32 loss to the Broncos on Sunday, the Giants have cut kicker Jude McAtamney, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports. He will head to waivers.
Because the Northern Ireland native has an international exemption, he could return to the Giants’ practice squad without taking up a roster spot. However, it’s unclear if the team will retain him, according to Dunleavy.
With Graham Gano once again needing an injury fill-in (after sustaining a groin injury during a warmup for Big Blue’s Week 3 game), the Giants turned to their practice squad stash. McAtamney has kicked in four games for the Giants this season; these assignments have been quite light on field goal tries. The international signing has only attempted two field goals this season, making both, though neither was beyond 40 yards. Close-range kicks became an issue Sunday.
McAtamney missed two extra points during the Giants’ collapse in Denver, the second of which coming in the final minute. The second miss allowed the Broncos to attempt a game-winning field goal in the final seconds, and Wil Lutz made the walk-off try to sink the visitors in one of the most stunning comebacks in NFL history. McAtamney also missed a PAT in the Giants’ win over the Eagles; he is 9-for-12 on the season.
Teams up by 18 points in the final six minutes of a game had won 1,602 straight games; this became the exception, with the Broncos’ 33-point fourth quarter erasing a 26-8 deficit midway through the stanza. No staff firings have followed this crushing loss, but the Giants will have a new kicker in Week 8. Being placed on IR before Week 4, Gano is eligible for activation from IR. It is unclear if the veteran kicker — a frequently unavailable option in New York — will be ready to go, though. The Giants have Younghoe Koo, whom the Falcons released earlier this season, on their practice squad. He would be the next man up barring another addition.
It is interesting the Giants opted for McAtamney over Koo, given the latter’s experience, but he has been on the team since being signed as part of its 2024 UDFA class. The ex-Irish Gaelic footballer kicked in one game for the Giants last season, making a field goal and a PAT without a miss. But his career may be at a crossroads already after the Sunday debacle.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Eagles Informing Teams A.J. Brown Remains Unavailable
A.J. Brown-Eagles drama has quieted a bit, as the mercurial wide receiver came up big in the defending champions’ win in Minnesota, but his role in the offense remains a regular talking point despite the team’s success.
Other clubs have been monitoring this situation, and the Eagles are certainly not shy about wading into the trade market. Brown’s importance to this year’s team is obvious, but the Eagles also could fetch a big haul for one of the NFL’s best receivers. That is almost certain not to happen this year, with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reporting Philadelphia has no plans to move Brown before the November 4 deadline.
Teams have called the Eagles, as they did in the offseason, continuing this as a talking point. Considering Philly’s standing and commitment to 2025 success — based on another active offseason — moving Brown before the deadline would be one of the most surprising deals in recent NFL history.
But the seventh-year player’s issues with his role — which cropped up before the team’s Week 5 game, seemingly keying a pass-heavy gameplan against Denver — are not likely to cease. If the Eagles continue down this path and hold onto their No. 1 target throughout the season, this storyline will undoubtedly produce more trade rumors entering the 2026 offseason.
At 51 targets through seven games, Brown is on pace for more than he drew last season (97). But a 123-target season (or something in that vicinity) would still check in far south of where the number was during the wideout’s more impressive 2022 and ’23 slates. Brown drew 145 looks in 2022 and 158 in ’23. A three-game injury absence and being rested in Week 18 reduced Brown’s 2024 total, making this season’s 123-target pace more in line with where he was on a per-game basis last season. The Eagles, though, have not seen Saquon Barkley closely approach his 2024 work yet. They have needed more from their passing attack than they did in 2024.
In Week 7, Philly saw Brown catch four passes for 121 yards and two scores. This came on a day when DeVonta Smith exploded for a nine-reception, 183-yard game. This remains a top-tier NFL receiving duo, albeit one that saw Barkley’s 2024 resurgence reduce its relevance. Barkley is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry this season, sitting at 369 yards after ripping off 2,005 in 16 games last year. If the Eagles’ run-game struggles — after making Barkley the NFL’s first $20MM-per-year RB — persist, more will be needed from Brown and Smith.
Brown’s three-year, $96MM extension runs through the 2029 season. As this is the Eagles, it is filled with option bonuses and void years. Brown’s 2026 compensation locked in after he remained on Philly’s roster this past March, but this rolling guarantee structure only includes a $4MM 2027 trigger if he is on the Eagles’ roster by Day 3 of the ’26 league year. That could extend this partnership for at least one more season, but the Eagles would certainly receive more value trading Brown ahead of an age-29 season in 2026 than when he turns 30 in ’27.
A WR-needy team likely would not be too intimidated by Brown’s near-$30MM guarantee in 2026, especially if he keeps proving himself as an upper-crust wideout. For now, the Eagles and Brown will need to keep working together. The Eagles’ losses to the Broncos and Giants notwithstanding, this remains one of the NFL’s best rosters. It can certainly improve before the November 4 deadline as well.
Colts DE Samson Ebukam Expected To Miss Multiple Weeks
After suffering a MCL injury in last Sunday’s win over the Chargers, Colts defensive end Samson Ebukam is likely to miss multiple weeks, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports. He’s not expected to land on IR, according to Mike Chappell of FOX 59.
An IR stint would require Ebukam to miss four games. With the Colts’ bye falling in Week 11, going on IR would prevent Ebukam from returning until Week 13. Fortunately for first-place Indianapolis, it doesn’t seem that he’s facing a long-term absence.
A former Ram and 49er, Ebukam signed a three-year deal with the Colts before the 2023 season. He responded with 17 starts and 9.5 sacks that year, but a torn Achilles sidelined him for all of last season. Before his latest injury, the 30-year-old played in all seven of the Colts’ games during a 6-1 start and logged a 44.2% snap share with two sacks.
Along with Ebukam, the Colts saw defensive end Tyquan Lewis exit in Week 7 with a groin injury. He’s considered “day-to-day this week, and we’ll just see how the week goes,” head coach Shane Steichen said (via Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown of the Indianapolis Star).
Lewis, who has played a little over 41% of defensive snaps in 2025, is tied for the team lead with three sacks. With Lewis and Ebukam dealing with injuries, Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, and JT Tuimoloau are the Colts’ only healthy defensive ends heading into Sunday’s game against the Titans.
Even when the Colts are at full strength, they don’t boast an especially formidable pass rush. That could be an area for general manager Chris Ballard to improve on before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, though the team also has questions in its injury-riddled secondary. The Colts have just under $5MM in cap space, leaving Ballard with little breathing room.
Falcons Release WR Ray-Ray McCloud
After being sent home from Falcons practice late last week, Ray-Ray McCloud is done with the team. Atlanta is officially moving on via release, per a team announcement.
This is not especially surprising, considering the Falcons had booted the veteran wide receiver/return man from a workout before its Week 7 game. McCloud became a healthy scratch for the second straight game. This evidently did not go over well, and the parties will split midway through their second season together.
Cutting McCloud, who is a vested veteran set to avoid the waiver wire, will bring less than $500K in dead money for the Falcons. He had been tied to a two-year, $5MM deal; the guarantees paid out in 2024. Only part of McCloud’s signing bonus will be left on Atlanta’s payroll.
Considering McCloud’s 2024 production, this is a surprising cut. But the partnership had trended downward this year. The career return specialist erupted for 686 receiving yards and 765 from scrimmage — both far and away career-high marks — and worked as the team’s primary kick returner. He had been less involved this year, returning four kicks and a punt and adding six receptions for 64 yards.
Raheem Morris said the McCloud situation is not tied to the team’s decision to fire receivers coach Ike Hilliard. McCloud, however, saw his role vastly reduced after that decision. He played 69.7% of the team’s offensive snaps in Week 3; after Hilliard’s firing a day later, the slot target was at 35.4% in Week 4. He has not played since, being scratched for the team’s games against the Bills and 49ers.
No WR3 has emerged in Atlanta this season, with Drake London and Darnell Mooney the top two cogs at the position and Kyle Pitts in place at tight end. The Falcons are seeing Bijan Robinson craft a dominant season in what could be a de facto contract year, as his first offseason of extension-eligibility (after Morris has heaped praise on the former No. 8 overall pick) comes in 2026. Robinson’s 390 receiving yards are second to London on the roster, and the RB’s 914 scrimmage yards trail only Christian McCaffrey (981) in the NFL. Atlanta’s third-leading WR (Casey Washington) has five receptions for 69 yards.
Since the Falcons cut McCloud before the trade deadline, he will pass directly to free agency. The Falcons were the 29-year-old’s fifth NFL team, after he had bounced from Buffalo to Carolina to Pittsburgh to San Francisco between 2018-23. McCloud’s return history at the very least figures to generate interest from teams, even as being dropped after being dismissed from practice is not exactly a good look.
Carson Wentz To Start Week 8; J.J. McCarthy Progressing
With Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy continuing to deal with a high ankle sprain, Carson Wentz will make his fifth straight start in Week 8. Head coach Kevin O’Connell announced that Wentz will be under center on Thursday against the Chargers (via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).
McCarthy, who last played in a Week 2 loss to the Falcons, has made encouraging progress in his recovery. However, after McCarthy went through an on-field workout on Tuesday, O’Connell said “he’s just not there” (via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network). He’ll serve as the team’s emergency No. 3 option this week behind Wentz and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.
This could end up as Wentz’s last chance to retain the starting job, as O’Connell noted that McCarthy may have been ready to go on a normal week (via Pelissero). With a quick turnaround from last Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, the Vikings are left to rely on a bounce-back effort from Wentz on Thursday.
A late-August addition in free agency, the well-traveled Wentz has been hit and miss during his four starts. While Wentz has twice posted a passer rating upward of 102.0, he has tossed two interceptions in each of his other two starts. Overall, Wentz has completed 95 of 142 passes (66.9%) for 1,072 yards, five touchdowns, and four picks. The team has gone 2-2 with him at the helm.
McCarthy, the 10th overall pick from Michigan in 2024, missed his entire rookie year after tearing his right meniscus during preseason. While McCarthy entered this season as Minnesota’s unquestioned No. 1 signal-caller, he went just 24 for 41 (58.5%) with 301 yards, two TDs, and three INTs in his first two starts before suffering another injury.
Thanks in part to underwhelming play from their QBs, the 3-3 Vikings have already matched their loss total from a surprising 14-win campaign in 2024. Sam Darnold, brought in as a stopgap in front of McCarthy, unexpectedly enjoyed a breakout year during his lone season with the Vikings. With the Vikings committed to McCarthy, Darnold parlayed his successful 2024 into a sizable free agent deal with the Seahawks last March. The Vikings also lost backup Daniel Jones on the open market. Jones left for a chance at more playing time in Indianapolis, which has worked out swimmingly for him and the first-place Colts.
While Darnold and Jones have thrived elsewhere, it’s far too soon to pass judgment on McCarthy. It seems that McCarthy is getting closer to returning to the Vikings’ lineup, though O’Connell has been adamant that he won’t take the reins again until he’s fully healthy. In the meantime, Wentz will have another shot to make a case to remain Minnesota’s starter.
Lions Inquiring About Edge Rushers
The Lions acquired notable pass-rushing help before last season’s trade deadline in landing Za’Darius Smith from the Browns. A year later, the Lions could address the same area before the upcoming Nov. 4 deadline. They’re making calls for an edge rusher, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.
The addition of Smith came a few weeks after the Lions lost elite pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a season-ending broken tibia. Now healthy, Hutchinson has come back this year to thrive during the Lions’ 5-2 start. The 25-year-old has racked up six sacks and four forced fumbles, and Pro Football Focus ranks his performance second among 113 qualifying defensive ends.
In addition to Hutchinson, Detroit has gotten strong work from Al-Quadin Muhammad, who already has five sacks and is just one away from tying a career high. Muhammad’s emergence has come in the absence of Marcus Davenport, on IR since Sept. 22 with a pectoral strain.
Davenport has already missed five games after missing most of the past two seasons, and with the Lions now on a bye, he could return in Week 9. It doesn’t appear that will happen, though, as head coach Dan Campbell suggested last week that Davenport probably won’t be ready until late November (via Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News).
By the time Davenport is back in the fold, he could be part of a deeper group of rushers if general manager Brad Holmes reels in help for the second deadline in a row. While it’s unclear which players Holmes has targeted, Titans outside linebacker Arden Key could be a name to watch in Detroit’s search, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.
As a soon-to-be free agent on a team that could conduct a fire sale, Key is an obvious trade candidate. Key has missed back-to-back games with a quadriceps injury and has only totaled 1.5 sacks in five contests this year, but he amassed 23.5 over the previous four seasons. If he ends up in Detroit and returns to his past production, Key would give the team another solid complement to Hutchinson.
With a $6.5MM salary and a $9.29MM cap hit, the Lions wouldn’t have trouble absorbing what’s left of Key’s contract. The team has over $25MM in cap space, which should give Holmes plenty of room to maneuver over the next couple of weeks.
Vikings Designate Aaron Jones For Return
Aaron Jones has been out of the picture for the Vikings since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 2, but the veteran running back has a chance to return to action when first eligible.
The Vikings are designating Jones for return from IR, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. This will give the ninth-year vet a chance to return for the team’s Thursday-night game against the Chargers. Minnesota has used Jordan Mason as its primary starter, after the trade acquisition had formed a committee with Jones in Weeks 1 and 2.
Activating Jones ahead of Week 8 would represent the Vikings’ fourth IR activation used this season. Teams have eight at their disposal, before two more emerge in the playoffs, and Minnesota has been at work reassembling its roster. The team has not seen J.J. McCarthy play since Week 2, either, but the second-year quarterback did not land on IR and can return at any time.
A role as Mason’s 1-B back would be a step down for Jones, who has worked as a primary starter for most of his career. This included a full-season run in that role in Minnesota last year. The ex-Packers standout posted a career-high 1,138 rushing yards last season, adding 408 through the air and totaling seven touchdowns.
Jones did not miss a game in 2024, but he did miss six in 2023. That led the Packers, even after the running back’s late-season resurgence keyed a run to the divisional round, to ask for another pay cut (Jones had accepted a slash in 2023). Jones declining led him to Minnesota, and the Vikings re-signed him this offseason.
The Vikes gave the dual-threat performer a two-year, $20MM deal — one that came with $11.5MM guaranteed at signing. Another $2MM will lock in on Day 3 of the 2026 league year, giving Jones an incentive to reemerge from this early-season setback and play well down the stretch. The Vikings having him ready for a short week would point to the RB being healthy, but Minnesota could give the 30-year-old option a mini-bye by holding him out from its Los Angeles trip.
Through six games, Mason is at 380 rushing yards (4.5 per carry) and four touchdowns. With Mason not much of a receiving threat, Jones would be a big upgrade in a pass-down role. Still, the Vikings effectively demoting their highest-paid RB and turning to Mason — extended on a two-year, $10.5MM deal following a March trade with the 49ers — would be an interesting move. How the team reintegrates Jones will be a storyline to follow in the coming weeks. If Jones returns in Week 8, he will be working with Carson Wentz for the first time.
Ravens Host Carl Lawson, Efe Obada
As the Ravens prepare for the post-bye portion of their schedule, they find themselves on the lookout for depth additions along the edge. A number of free agents are receiving a look. 
Among the veterans Baltimore is interested in is Carl Lawson. The former Bengal, Jet and Cowboy recently took part in a workout, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes. Lawson has 89 regular season appearances to his name, including 15 with Dallas last season. After seeing his contract expire in the spring, the 30-year-old was not linked to any interested teams through training camp or the first month-plus of the campaign.
Another veteran edge rusher on the Ravens’ radar is Efe Obada. He is among the players being hosted today, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Obada has played 80 games split between the Panthers, Bill and Commanders; he posted between four and 5.5 sacks each year from 2020-22. Like Lawson, the 33-year-old would be expected to take on a rotational role in the event he signed with the Ravens.
No area of Baltimore’s defense has lived up to expectations so far in 2025, and the unit’s struggles have contributed to a 1-5 record. In particular, a lack of pass rush production has been a sore spot. The Ravens have recorded just eight sacks this season, the fewest in the NFL. Improving in that regard will be critical if the season is to be salvaged over the coming weeks.
Baltimore traded away Odafe Oweh recently after it became known no extension would be worked out with the former first-rounder. More recently, Tavius Robinson has suffered a broken foot; he will be sidelined for an extended period as a result. With the team short on healthy options along the edge, it comes as little surprise the Ravens are looking into available free agents.
Also included in Baltimore’s recent batch of workouts is linebacker Jesse Luketa, per Zrebiec. The 26-year-old Canadian was drafted by the Cardinals in 2022, and he made 31 appearances across three seasons. Luketa has a track record of heavy usage on special teams and he posted a career-high three sacks last season. It will be interesting to see if he or any of the other defenders being auditioned land a deal in the near future. Baltimore currently has $14.65MM in cap space.