Colts Place Charvarius Ward On IR
After he suffered a concussion in pregame warmups last week, the Colts will go without cornerback Charvarius Ward for the foreseeable future. The team has placed Ward on injured reserve, requiring him to sit out at least four games. With a bye after that stretch, Ward will be eligible to return in Week 12.
A former Chief and 49er, Ward joined the Colts on a three-year deal worth up to $60MM last March. Alarmingly, the 29-year-old has already dealt with two concussions in 2025. He returned quickly after missing a Week 2 win over the Broncos with a head injury, but that won’t be the case this time.
When healthy, Ward has started in all four appearances and tallied 13 tackles and three passes defensed. Pro Football Focus has been enamored of Ward’s play, ranking his early season performance second among 107 qualifying corners.
Ward’s injury is a major blow at corner, where the Colts are now dangerously thin behind Mekhi Blackmon and slot CB Kenny Moore.
While Moore is likely to return Sunday after missing three straight games with an Achilles injury, the Colts are still lacking at the position. Undrafted rookie Johnathan Edwards and the veteran duo of Chris Lammons and Cameron Mitchell have combined for just 199 defensive snaps this season. For now, they’re next in line as a result of Ward’s injury. They’re in for a significant challenge in Week 7 against Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
Along with Ward’s IR placement, the Colts announced the elevations of Mitchell and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell from the practice squad on Saturday. They also signed running back Ameer Abdullah from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Treadwell will serve as depth with receivers Josh Downs (concussion) and Ashton Dulin (chest) out on Sunday. Running back Tyler Goodson (knee) won’t play either, creating room for Abdullah behind starter Jonathan Taylor.
49ers Activate TE George Kittle From IR
As the 49ers say goodbye to one star, they’ll welcome another. Opening a spot on the 53-man roster by officially placing linebacker Fred Warner on injured reserve, San Francisco will fill it with the activation of tight end George Kittle from IR. Kittle is joined as an IR activation by defensive tackle Kevin Givens.
After suffering a full tear of his right hamstring in a Week 1 win over the Seahawks, Kittle sat out five games – the second-highest total of his career. The six-time Pro Bowler will return to an offense that will go without starting quarterback Brock Purdy for the third straight game. With Purdy dealing with a toe injury, Mac Jones will lead the 4-2 Niners against the 3-2 Falcons on Sunday.
The multi-game absences of Kittle and Purdy have been among several injury-related setbacks for San Francisco’s offense this year. The defense also hasn’t been spared. Star pass rusher Nick Bosa went down with a season-ending ACL tear in Week 3. The unit took a similarly brutal shot when Warner dislocated and fractured his ankle in a loss to the Buccaneers last week. The four-time Pro Bowler underwent surgery and will miss the rest of the regular season. A playoff return for Warner is an extreme long shot.
With Warner out of commission, Tatum Bethune will face a gargantuan task in replacing one of the game’s preeminent defenders. Bethune, a seventh-round pick in 2024, has only made one start in 17 career games. Out of 134 snaps this year, just 48 have come on defense. Bethune has otherwise worked on special teams.
While San Francisco’s defense has lost Warner, it’s getting some D-line depth back with Givens set to make his season debut. Givens hasn’t played in 2025 as a result of a pectoral injury. The seventh-year 49er totaled 3.5 sacks and six QB hits in eight games last season.
In addition to the IR transactions, San Francisco announced that defensive end Trevis Gipson has been signed from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Joining him for the weekend as standard gameday practice squad elevations will be wide receiver Malik Turner and offensive lineman Nick Zakelj. To make room for Gipson on the active roster, the 49ers waived tight Brayden Willis.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
Commanders G Sam Cosmi To Make 2025 Debut
The Commanders have added a major asset to their offense today, announcing that guard Sam Cosmi has finally been activated of the reserve/physically unable to perform list. He’ll be joined by cornerback Jonathan Jones, who is being activated off injured reserve. 
Last year, the Commanders had one of the more consistent offensive line configurations in the NFL. Between left tackle Brandon Coleman, left guard Nick Allegretti, center Tyler Biadasz, Cosmi, and right tackle Andrew Wylie, no one player missed more than three games between Week 1 and the NFC Championship game. This year’s line has seen similar consistency with Biadasz and new tackles Laremy Tunsil and Josh Conerly, but the guard spots have seen change early on.
With Cosmi on the PUP list, the team started with Coleman shifting inside to left guard and Allegretti moving over to the right side. By Week 3, Chris Paul had stepped into the left guard spot, and Wylie returned to the starting lineup after shifting inside to right guard. Paul and Wylie have manned those starting roles for the last four weeks.
Cosmi was the starting lineman in Washington last year to miss more than two games, and it came at the worst possible moment. After tearing his ACL in the team’s regular season finale, Cosmi missed the Commanders’ entire playoff run. There were hopes in training camp that Cosmi may be able to work his way back for the start of the regular season, but ultimately, he was placed on the PUP list at the roster cut deadline and expectations soon dropped as he was deemed unlikely to even be able return after the mandatory four-week absence.
Ultimately, it wasn’t until October that Cosmi was finally able to return to practice, and with only three days remaining in his 21-day practice window, he’ll finally be able to return to the active roster. It’s unclear if Cosmi will be injected into the starting lineup right away. He’s been a full participant in practice all week, but they may want to ease him in. They also may not put him back at right guard but instead determine which spot needs him most.
Originally brought in to compete for a starting job across from Marshon Lattimore, Jones was beat out by rookie second-rounder Trey Amos. As a result, Jones was seeing his lowest snap shares since his rookie campaign in New England to start this year before getting placed on IR with a hamstring injury. Coming off of IR, Jones will get a chance to earn more opportunities while adding depth to the secondary. Washington released defensive end Jalyn Holmes to make room on the 53-man roster.
Chargers Activate Khalil Mack, Denzel Perryman From IR
The Chargers are getting back a couple of key defenders for a Week 7 showdown with the Colts. The team announced that it has activated outside linebacker Khalil Mack and linebacker Denzel Perryman from injured reserve.
The Chargers have gone without Mack since he dislocated his elbow in a Week 2 win over the Raiders. He’ll return after sitting out the minimum of four games. The injury was a rare late-career setback for the nine-time Pro Bowler, who missed just one game during his first three years as a Charger.
A few weeks after Mack went down, the Chargers acquired OLB Odafe Oweh from the Ravens. Mack will now team with him for the first time and rejoin Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree to form a strong group of pass rushers. Despite Mack’s absence, the Chargers are tied for sixth in the league in sacks (16).
Perryman has barely been a factor this year after suffering a high ankle sprain in the Chargers’ season-opening win against the Chiefs. The 32-year-old played just eight defensive snaps in that game. Perryman has dealt with a laundry list of injuries throughout his career and never played more than 15 games in a season. Fortunately for the Chargers, they have a capable fallback option in Troy Dye, who worked as a starter alongside Daiyan Henley during Perryman’s IR stint. Dye has racked up 42 tackles and a sack while logging a 72.4% snap share.
Along with welcoming back Mack and Perryman, the Chargers made a few other moves on Saturday. They waived OLB Caleb Murphy, signed long snapper Rick Lovato to the practice squad and elevated him for Week 7, and elevated running back Nyheim Miller-Hines from the P-squad.
Panthers Activate Jalen Coker, Austin Corbett From IR
The Panthers have activated wide receiver Jalen Coker and offensive lineman Austin Corbett from injured reserve, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. In other moves, the team placed outside linebacker Patrick Jones on IR and elevated OLB Boogie Basham from its practice squad in advance of Sunday’s game against the Jets.
Coker performed well as an undrafted rookie from Holy Cross last year, catching 32 passes for 478 yards (14.9 YPC) and two touchdowns in 11 games. A quad injury held him out of action for the Panthers’ first six games this season.
Had it not been for his injury, Coker would have started 2025 as the Panthers’ top slot option. The Panthers re-signed Hunter Renfrow to help cover for Coker’s loss. Renfrow has a modest 15 catches in six games, and while he has scored twice, the 29-year-old has averaged a meager 5.9 yards per catch. If Coker carries over last season’s performance, he should give quarterback Bryce Young a more explosive complement to No. 1 receiver and rookie standout Tetairoa McMillan.
Corbett, a fourth-year Panther, will return after suffering a left MCL sprain in a Week 2 loss to the Cardinals. Injuries have limited Corbett to 11 of a possible 40 regular-season games since 2023. While Corbett entered the season as Carolina’s starting center, Cade Mays filled in with aplomb during his absence. Mays, Pro Football Focus’ eighth-ranked center, is in the middle of a line that has helped clear the way for back-to-back 200-yard rushing performances.
The Panthers, who have won three of four to climb to .500, may elect to keep Mays as their starting center. Corbett, also an experienced guard, could start in place of LG Damien Lewis if a shoulder injury prevents him from playing Sunday, per Darin Gantt of the team’s website.
With Jones requiring season-ending back surgery, Basham will receive his second standard elevation of the season. A former Bill and Giant, Basham made his Panthers debut in a Week 4 loss to the Patriots, played 17 snaps (10 on defense, seven on special teams), and picked up two tackles.
Patriots Looking For Help At Cornerback
Surprisingly atop the AFC East at 4-2, the Patriots may buy before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. They’re looking for help at cornerback, Josina Anderson of The Exhibit reports.
After a second straight 4-13 finish, New England made it a point to upgrade at corner during a busy offseason. The Patriots signed former Buccaneer and Lion Carlton Davis to a three-year, $60MM contract in free agency. Davis has begun his Patriots tenure with six straight starts, and he easily leads their cornerbacks in snap share (92.4%).
The Patriots had to wait a little while to see Davis start alongside No. 1 corner Christian Gonzalez, who missed the first three weeks of the season with a hamstring injury. Since the 2024 second-team All-Pro debuted in Week 4, the Patriots have won three straight.
Along with Gonzalez and Davis on the outside, the Patriots boast a solid slot corner in Marcus Jones. The problem is that the team is lacking quality depth after that trio.
Having taken 144 defensive snaps this season, Alex Austin ranks in fourth in playing time among Pats CBs. However, on 12 targets this season, Austin has allowed 10 completions and a 143.7 passer rating. Pro Football Focus ranks Austin’s 2025 performance 104th among 107 qualifiers at his position. Aware of Austin’s struggles, head coach Mike Vrabel and his staff limited the defender to special teams duty in last week’s win over the Saints.
Charles Woods, a late-August waiver claim from the Rams, rounds out the Patriots’ CB group. Woods has totaled just 44 snaps this year, and a knee injury could keep him out of Sunday’s game against the Titans.
With the Patriots thin at corner, they rank 25th in the NFL in pass defense through six weeks. A significant injury to Gonzalez, Davis, or Jones could spell disaster for a team trying to end a three-year playoff drought and snap the Bills’ five-season run as division champions. While it’s not clear which corners the Patriots are pursuing, they’re in obvious need of improvement beyond their top three.
Cowboys Activate Caelen Carson From IR; Off-Field Concussion Sidelines Trevon Diggs
The Cowboys have activated cornerback Caelen Carson from injured reserve ahead of their Week 7 matchup with the Commanders, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Carson landed on IR before Week 1 with a hyperextended knee, but returned to practice as soon as he was eligible at the beginning of October. He has been a full participant in practice for the last two weeks and should be full-go on Sunday.
Carson’s activation comes at a crucial time for the Cowboys. Their defense has allowed the most passing yards per attempt and per game to opposing offenses this year, and they will be without starting cornerback Trevon Diggs this week. Diggs suffered a concussion in an accident at his home this week, according to Archer, sidelining the six-year veteran for Sunday’s game.
In a way, Diggs’ absence and Carson’s return gives Dallas an opportunity to shake up their secondary. Diggs has struggled to start the 2025 season, allowing a 68.8% completion rate when targeted along with 11.9 yards per target and 17.4 yards per completion, all career-worsts. Carson’s 2024 numbers in five starts are not much better, but Diggs has been playing poorly enough that almost any other option could be an improvement.
The Cowboys have also reduced Kaiir Elam‘s snaps in recent weeks, though he may return to a more prominent role with Diggs sidelined. Carson could find his way on the field as well, and Dallas has not been afraid to play second-year UDFA Reddy Steward in the slot, either.
The Cowboys also elevated running back Malik Davis from the practice squad for their Week 7 contest. Davis will add backfield depth after Miles Sanders‘ season-ending injury while also contributing on special teams.
Buccaneers Expected To Be Without Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin, Bucky Irving In Week 7; Latest On Jalen McMillan
OCTOBER 18: As expected, the Buccaneers have ruled out Godwin and Irving for Monday night’s game (via Auman), but head coach Todd Bowles said that Egbuka is a game-time after returning to practice on Saturday. Evans, however, is expected to play, per Auman, giving Mayfield at least one of his best weapons back for a crucial matchup at the top of the NFC that could play a factor in postseason seeding.
OCTOBER 15: Without injuries factored in, Monday night’s Buccaneers-Lions matchup would reside as one of the league’s top games during the first half the season. Tampa Bay is 5-1 despite a slew of maladies on offense, while Detroit is 4-2 amid more injury trouble on the defensive side.
One positional duel Monday presents a fascinating setup, however. The Bucs are heading into Week 7 decimated at wide receiver, while the Lions just faced the Chiefs without five of their top six cornerbacks. Although Tampa Bay held on against a San Francisco team that lost Fred Warner midgame, Detroit’s depleted secondary could not contain Kansas City’s depleted passing attack.
Some advanced looks at the Bucs and Lions’ rosters will be required ahead of this game, as a wave of backups will be involved when Baker Mayfield looks to pass. The team’s receiver situation absorbed two more blows over the past several days. Chris Godwin‘s fibula injury will almost definitely keep him out of Week 7, with Todd Bowles indicating (h/t WTSP’s Evan Closky) neither Godwin nor Bucky Irving is expected to be ready for the Lions tilt. Emeka Egbuka‘s explosive start has also hit a roadblock.
The hamstring injury the first-round pick suffered in Week 6 is likely to keep him out for Week 7, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport said during a Rich Eisen Show appearance. Though, some good news has come out of the Egbuka storyline. The Bucs do not view this hamstring issue as one that will sideline the rookie for as long as Mike Evans has been shelved by his. Evans has missed the past three games. Egbuka has proven a quick study, hauling in 27 passes for 469 yards and five touchdowns.
Evans has not been ruled out yet; his status could determine how deep Bucs and Lions fans’ research efforts will need to be. The Bucs finished Sunday’s 49ers matchup with Sterling Shepard — who has stabilized his career after years of injury-plagued Giants seasons — to go with seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson and second-year UDFA Kameron Johnson. This trio will be needed again, perhaps even if Evans is deemed ready to return. They will face a Lions team that has D.J. Reed and backups Khalil Dorsey and Ennis Rakestraw on IR, with Terrion Arnold and Avonte Maddox having missed the Chiefs game.
Tampa Bay’s receiver stable stood as one of the NFL’s deepest position groups entering OTAs, as it was not known Godwin would need to miss games after his 2024 ankle dislocation. During preseason play, however, Jalen McMillan suffered a neck injury and landed on IR. The 2024 third-round pick remains in a brace, according to Fox Sports’ Greg Auman, but has not experienced a setback. A December return remains the target, Auman adds.
Subbing for Godwin last season, McMillan finished the year on a tear by catching seven touchdown passes over the Bucs’ final five regular-season games. McMillan still has a ways to go on his recovery path, but the Bucs will likely hold one of their injury activations for him. The second-year player represents a wild card of sorts, especially with Shepard still in the mix as an auxiliary piece accompanying Evans, Egbuka and Godwin (presuming he returns from this fibula issue).
Irving remains out with a foot sprain and a shoulder injury later revealed to be a subluxation. The Bucs have not used IR for Irving, Evans, Egbuka or Godwin. This will mark back-to-back absences for Godwin, who needed nearly a year to recover from his ankle injury before sustaining this fibula setback, and three straight for Irving. Rachaad White has made this a notable part of his contract year, while third-year UDFA Sean Tucker sits as the current backup.
Raiders Could Pursue Seahawks CB Tariq Woolen
Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen was mentioned as a trade candidate earlier this season, and Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline confirms that the 2022 fifth-round pick could be on his way out of Seattle.
Woolen is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He has been a full-time starter for the Seahawks since his dazzling debut season with a league-high six interceptions on his way to a Pro Bowl nod and a third-place finish in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He was not as dominant in 2023, but still played very well, and his performance did not take a noticeable dip under new head coach Mike Macdonald in 2024.
However, Woolen has struggled in his five starts this season, allowing catches on 66.7% of his targets and 9.1 yards per target, both career-worsts. He was reportedly facing a role reduction heading into October, but it never materialized. Woolen played almost every snap for the Seahawks defense in their first five games until a concussion knocked him out of the game in Week 5. He remained sidelined in Week 6, when veteran Shaquill Griffin started in his place.
Based on reports about his availability, it seems like Seattle is not planning to re-sign Woolen and will instead see what they can get for him on the trade market. It would still be a somewhat surprising move for a 4-2 team with playoff aspirations to part ways with a starting-caliber cornerback. Even if Macdonald wants to de-emphasize the former UTSA standout, Woolen is still an excellent insurance policy in case of injuries, which have already been a constant problem in Seattle this year.
Still, if the Seahawks put Woolen on the trade block, the Raiders are expected to come calling, per Pauline. Las Vegas needs a cornerback, and head coach Pete Carroll is plenty familiar with Woolen after drafting and developing him in 2022 and 2023.
Pauline also mentions Seattle’s interest in Dolphins running back De’Von Achane, but such a player-for-player swap seems far-fetched. The Dolphins are expected to be sellers ahead of the deadline, but Achane is a foundational piece of Mike McDaniel‘s offense who is under contract through 2026. Reports have generally indicated that the Dolphins will be patient with McDaniel this season, but he is still on the hot seat. If he is coaching for his job, he will not want to move such an important offensive weapon, especially with Tyreek Hill already gone for the year.
NFL Mailbag: Hall, Ravens, Dolphins, Rattler
This week's edition of the Pro Football Rumors mailbag dives into a few trade-related questions in the AFC East along with a potential offseason Ravens coaching decision and the Saints' plans under center.
Kirk asks:
What teams do you think make sense for Breece Hall in trades? What do you think the Jets can expect for a return?
Whether or not Hall gets dealt will certainly be one of the top storylines to watch as the deadline approaches. Head coach Aaron Glenn has said on several occasions the team is not looking to trade him. Hall’s latest comments on the matter suggest he would not be averse to a change of scenery, although he has not formally asked to be moved.
In the absence of any known extension talks, Hall being one of the players New York could move on from will remain a talking point until more clarity emerges in his case. Presuming a trade is worked out – by the team’s current regime, which did not draft him – a relatively strong market could exist. At 24, Hall would be expected to serve as a starting back for years to come by any acquiring team.
