Eagles Place LB Nolan Smith On IR
SEPTEMBER 25: Bennett revealed on Friday (via ESPN’s Tim McManus) his IR move was brought about by a pectoral injury. The issue has been in place since Week 1, but during Sunday’s win over the Rams it was “tweaked.” Bennett will look to reprise his depth role upon returning to full health.
SEPTEMBER 24: The Eagles lost two pass-rushing pillars during the offseason, seeing Brandon Graham retire and Josh Sweat sign with the Cardinals. Those moves increased Nolan Smith‘s importance to the team.
Philadelphia will need to get by without its top edge rusher for the foreseeable future, however. The team placed Smith on IR today, with cornerback Jakorian Bennett joining the young sack artist in being sidelined for at least four games via an IR transition. Philly also placed wide receiver Darius Cooper on IR.
None of these injuries are believed to be season-ending, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s EJ Smith, who adds surgeries are not expected for Smith, Bennett or Cooper. All would be eligible to return in Week 8, but with the Eagles’ bye in Week 9, an extra recovery week will factor into the club’s decision-making here. Indeed, The Athletic’s Zack Berman indicates the Eagles hope each will be recovered around the bye.
Smith tweaked the triceps injury he had surgically addressed, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. He suffered a strained triceps muscle in Week 3, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who indicates an injury absence that runs through Philly’s Week 9 bye is anticipated. An aggravation months later is certainly a storyline to follow for the Eagles, particularly given Smith’s impact on their pass rush. For now, the expectation is a midseason return.
The 2023 first-round pick suffered a triceps tear in Super Bowl LIX, joining Graham in sustaining that injury during the Eagles’ February romp. Graham re-tore the triceps he rehabbed, and Smith has now aggravated his. The key difference here being Graham did not undergo surgery during his speedy recovery, while Smith did go under the knife this offseason.
Despite their 3-0 record, the Eagles have struggled to pressure quarterbacks this season. They have three sacks in three games; Smith has yet to record one, while new starter Jalyx Hunt is also sackless through three games. More pressure will be on Hunt, a former third-rounder, now. The Eagles did make a key addition before Week 2, ending Za’Darius Smith‘s free agency stay. The nomadic edge rusher will be expected to play a bigger role moving forward. Za’Darius Smith, 33, has three double-digit sack seasons on his resume and recorded nine between stays in Cleveland and Detroit last year.
Tallying only one QB hit this season, Nolan Smith notched 6.5 sacks and 11 QB hits in 2024. The speed rusher came up big in the playoffs, registering four sacks during the Eagles’ three NFC postseason games and two hits on Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. This represents a key year for Nolan Smith, whose fifth-year option will need to be exercised or declined shortly after the draft. How he fares to close out this season could well determine how Philly proceeds there.
The Eagles’ late-summer trade binge included a Bennett addition, nabbing him from the Raiders. Bennett has played a small part on defense early, logging only 24 defensive snaps. He started 11 games with the Raiders from 2023-24. A former UDFA, Cooper has only played 20 offensive snaps. He does not have a reception in his pro career yet.
Philly signed safety Marcus Epps, tight end Cameron Latu and cornerback Parry Nickerson to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. Linebacker Lance Dixon, cornerback Eli Ricks and wideout Quez Watkins are now on the P-squad.
Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez Expected To Play In Week 4
Christian Gonzalez has missed the first three games of the campaign but New England could receive a major boost on defense Sunday. The team’s top cornerback has continued to make progress in rehabbing his hamstring injury. 
As such, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports Gonzalez is “likely” to make his season debut in Week 4. The 2023 first-rounder was limited to just four games as a rookie but he managed to make 16 appearances last season. Avoiding any further missed time this year would represent a major boost to the Patriots’ defense. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds practice participation will be key in determining if a debut will take place on Sunday.
Gonzalez returned to practice last week after a longer-than-expected period on the sidelines. The 23-year-old declined to confirm whether or not he encountered any setbacks in his rehab process, but it now appears as though he will be available against the Panthers. Per Schultz, Gonzalez was close to returning in Week 3 and has managed to handle an increased workload over the past few days.
Through three weeks, the Patriots rank 29th against the pass with an average of 256 yards allowed through the air per game. The free agent addition of Carlton Davis has provided the team with a new perimeter starter, while Marcus Jones remains in place as a key figure in the slot. Adding Gonzalez to the mix should help New England’s defense take a needed step forward.
The Colorado and Oregon product recorded a pair of interceptions in 2024, adding 11 pass deflections and one touchdown from a fumble recovery. Gonzalez earned second-team All-Pro acclaim, raising expectations for his third year in the NFL. He will be eligible for an extension beginning in January, while a fifth-year option decision will need to be made after the current campaign. It will thus be critical for team and player for Gonzalez to remain healthy moving forward; all parties will hope Sunday produces a return to action without any aggravations of his hamstring or any new injuries.
John Lynch: 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk ‘Not Close’ To Return
49ers general manager John Lynch said that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is “not close” to returning to the field from last year’s devastating knee injury.
“There’s no absolutes on these things,” said Lynch on Wednesday (via KNBR). “He’s gotta continue to hit markers. He’s tracking well, we’ll be a better team when Brandon’s out there.”
Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL in Week 7 last year, setting him up for a lengthy recovery process that will extend well into this season. In August, Lynch said that there was no timetable for Aiyuk’s return, while head coach Kyle Shanahan suggested that the veteran wideout could return around Week 6.
Aiyuk started the season on the physically unable to perform list, making him ineligible to practice until next week. He would then have three weeks to be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending injured reserve, a situation the 49ers will want to avoid. Lynch’s comments further indicate that Aiyuk won’t be back anytime soon, though the veteran receiver was seen working out during a practice last week, per CBS Sports’ Matt Lively.
As a result, San Francisco will continue to work with a thin receiving corps until Aiyuk’s return, as the team has dealt with injuries to Jauan Jennings (ankle, shoulder) and Ricky Pearsall (knee) this year as well. Rookie Jordan Watkins is dealing with a calf injury, but has avoided injured reserve for the time being despite some early prognostications of an extended absence. All three wideouts were absent on Wednesday, though Pearsall said (via KNBR) that he would play “if there was a game today.” Jennings missed every practice last week and didn’t play on Sunday, though the 49ers will certainly be hoping he’s ready to go for Week 4.
Pearsall has impressed amid his teammates’ absences this year, racking up 281 yards in 16 catches through three games. Jennings has 105 yards in his two starts, while Kendrick Bourne has added 70 yards in the last two games. If their WR health issues continue, the 49ers will need Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling to step up for their next few games.
Jets QB Justin Fields Returns To Practice
Jets quarterback Justin Fields returned to practice on Thursday, per Brian Costello of the New York Post, but he is still in concussion protocol with four days to go until the team’s Week 4 matchup with the Dolphins.
Fields was knocked out of the game in Week 2 and missed Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers. Backup Tyrod Taylor started in his stead and completed 26 of his 36 passes (72.6%), but only managed 5.5 yards per attempt. He also threw an interception that was returned by Jamel Dean for a touchdown. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn confirmed on Monday that Fields would remain the team’s starter once he cleared concussion protocol.
Fields impressed in his first start of the year, leading the Jets to 30 points against the Steelers, but went 3-for-11 in Week 2 before suffering his concussion in Week 2. A return to the field would be a boost to a New York offense that has been surprisingly effective to start the year with at least 27 points in two of their three games.
This weekend’s trip to Miami offers a major opportunity for Fields to bounce back from his Week 2 struggles. The Dolphins have allowed the most points and the second-most yards per passing attempt so far this year.
If Fields is unable to play, Taylor will start for the second week in a row with rookie Brady Cook likely receiving another practice squad elevation to serve as the backup.
Jarvis Brownlee, Titans Teammates Shocked By Trade
Early-season trades are always somewhat of a surprise in the NFL, but the Titans’ decision to trade Jarvis Brownlee to the Jets was shocking to the second-year cornerback and his teammates in Tennessee.
Titans linebacker James Williams said (via Terry McCormick of Main Street Media) that he was with Brownlee when he learned of the trade, adding that both were taken aback by the unexpected news. Veteran cornerback L’Jarius Sneed called the move “unfortunate,” but admitted, “It’s the NFL and things happen.”
Williams said that he didn’t know why the Titans made their decision, though McCormick offered his own explanation.
“The Titans had seemingly become disenchanted with Brownlee’s approach and fit in the locker room as the team tries to build a culture around a certain type of desired character that Brownlee in their estimation must have fallen short of,” wrote McCormick.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan said that there were “short-term” and “long-term” reasons behind the move, though he declined to elucidate further. He did say that the trade was a “one-off situation,” per McCormick, though Tennessee’s 0-3 start may loosen the team’s grip on some of their players as they near the trade deadline.
Brownlee noted (h/t ESPN’s Rich Cimini) he felt surprised and “hurt” by the trade, but his new team seems ecstatic to have him. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn (via Brian Costello of the New York Post) said that the deal was a “no-brainer” and revealed that he liked Brownlee as a prospect in the 2024 draft.
Texans Release S C.J. Gardner-Johnson
SEPTEMBER 25: Though Gardner-Johnson requested a trade, the Texans made no attempt to move him, according to Ryans (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio). Ryan’s comments indicate that the team wanted to get Gardner-Johnson out of Houston as soon as possible, aligning with the report about the tension he created in the locker room.
SEPTEMBER 24: C.J. Gardner-Johnson‘s time in Houston has proven to be short-lived. The veteran safety is being released, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. 
2025 has seen Gardner-Johnson serve as a starter for Houston, his fourth career team. The former Saint, Lion and Eagle (on two occasions) enjoyed a highly productive second Philadelphia stint last year. To his surprise, the 27-year-old was traded this offseason in a swap which saw former first-round guard Kenyon Green head the other way.
That move appeared to give Houston another veteran presence in the secondary and add further to a defense which faced high expectations entering 2025. That unit has fared well with an average of just 17 points allowed per game, but the Texans are moving on nonetheless. Jalen Mills was recently brought back into the fold as a depth option at safety, while Jimmie Ward was removed from the commissioner’s exempt list yesterday. In the wake of those developments, Gardner-Johnson is being let go.
Friction with teammates was an issue in this case, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. Gardner-Johnson criticized other members of the Houston secondary and was unhappy with his role in the team’s scheme, per Wilson. Without even one month in the books, the decision has been made on the team’s part to move on rather than attempting to salvage the situation. Wilson adds a trade request was issued prior to today’s cut.
Team and player recently agreed to a restructure, with Gardner-Johnson’s base salary for 2025 being reduced to the veteran minimum in exchange for a conversion to a signing bonus. That spread out guaranteed cap charges over several years, an indication this relationship would continue through at least the remainder of the campaign. Instead, Houston will take on a $5.66MM dead money charge for 2025 as a result of this move.
Mills and (when he is healthy) Ward represent options to take on a starting role at the safety spot. Ward has been a key figure when available during his Texans tenure, but an NFL investigation stemming from domestic violence allegations is ongoing and he is currently on the reserve/PUP list while recovering from offseason ankle surgery. In any case, Calen Bullock is set to remain in place as a safety starter moving forward. M.J. Stewart is currently in line to join him as a first-team presence.
Gardner-Johnson is now set to hit free agency. With two six-interception seasons and four campaigns of at least eight pass deflections to his name, the former fourth-rounder is not lacking in production. Today’s move marks the latest example of a team preferring not to keep him in the fold in spite of that, however. As such, it will be interesting to see if a strong market develops over the near future.
Geno Smith, Pete Carroll Discussed QB’s Seahawks Contract Frustration In 2024; Smith Expected Raiders Pursuit
After making a push for a Seahawks extension last year and not receiving it, Geno Smith admitted he felt out of place in Seattle. The three-year starter also played for a coaching staff that did not bring him in; that proved to be a significant factor regarding Smith’s 2024 approach and his long-term future in the Pacific Northwest.
Previously mentioned as having talked to Pete Carroll during his final Seahawks season, Smith discussed contract frustration with his former HC. This was an interesting strategy, seeing as Carroll held final roster say when Smith had signed his three-year, $75MM deal in 2023. But the communication between Smith and Carroll, whom the Seahawks had fired after the 2023 season, proved important.
“I was frustrated with my situation there. I was severely underpaid and thinking, ‘I should be getting the market or something close to it,’” Smith said, via SI.com’s Albert Breer. “I had talks with John Schneider, and he had talks with the higher-ups, and it just wasn’t gonna happen. And it disappointed me so much, and I didn’t know who to reach out to or to talk to. So I reached out to coach [Carroll], and he was there for me.”
Going into his third season as Seattle’s starter, Smith pushed for an offseason raise. With two years left on the deal agreed to during Carroll’s final year in charge, the Seahawks rebuffed their starting QB and kept him on the $25MM-per-year contract. Smith entered last season as the NFL’s 20th-highest-paid passer.
Smith’s age hurt his chances of landing a market-value deal, though frustration surfacing in 2024 made sense due to the contracts given out last year. Middling QBs Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa had each entered the $50MM-per-year club. All three more that doubled Smith in AAV. Smith’s Seahawks deal was also well south of the contracts Daniel Jones and Derek Carr were playing on at that point, and the Seattle pact morphed into a pay-as-you-go structure after 2023. But with the Seahawks controlling his rights through the 2025 season, he had little option but to play out the 2024 campaign on the lower-middle-class deal.
Carroll and Smith still texted throughout the season, Breer adds, and the QB saw the Super Bowl-winning HC’s Raiders arrival as a clear sign a reunion would commence. The Seahawks traded Smith to the Raiders for a third-round pick, with the team having offered him a deal in the ballpark of the three-year, $100.5MM proposal Sam Darnold later accepted. Schneider said the Smith negotiations did not last long, leading to the March trade pivot.
“When Carroll signed here, I knew he would be coming for me, and it was a matter of time before that happened,” Smith said, via ESPN.com’s Ryan McFadden. “The other options [I had], I kind of took them off the table. I looked at their offers, and they were decent offers, but I wanted to be with coach Carroll.”
Smith joined the Raiders after their failed Matthew Stafford trade pursuit, and after minority owner Tom Brady was believed to be uninterested in Darnold as a free agent. Rather than give strong consideration to a Carroll-Russell Wilson reunion, the Raiders made the Smith trade days before free agency. A month later, the parties agreed on a two-year, $75MM extension.
This is a markup from Smith’s Seattle terms, though it comes after the cap spiked by nearly $55MM from 2023-25. Between Smith’s 2023 Seattle contract and his 2025 Vegas agreement, a host of QB deals transpired. As a result, Smith entered this season as the NFL’s 17th-highest-paid passer. The Raiders did move him past Darnold and Baker Mayfield among the league’s middle-class QB1 sector, and Smith received far more fully guaranteed ($58.5MM) than Darnold had from the Seahawks ($37.5MM). Though, Darnold can lock in an additional $17.5MM if on the Seahawks’ roster by mid-February.
Even if Smith (35 in October) is highly unlikely to land an upper-crust QB deal, he has completed a career revival after a nomadic period as a backup. The league thought so little of him in 2019 that the Seahawks cut him to reorganize their roster that August. Although Seattle re-signed Smith soon after to back up Wilson, the team rostered him for $870K in 2019.
Smith did not join the Seahawks initially until May 2019, admitting (via McFadden) he considered retirement after his Jets stay turned into backup gigs with the Giants and Chargers. Workout partners Antonio Brown and Thaddeus Lewis were among those to talk him out of that route. That became good advice, even as Smith settled for low-end deals ($1.19MM in 2020, $1.21MM in 2021) to back up Wilson in the years that followed. Smith’s breakout 2022 season came while he was attached to a one-year, $3.5MM deal — as he needed to beat out trade pickup Drew Lock to succeed Wilson.
The Raiders are 1-2 under Smith, and the extension gives the team flexibility to continue pursuing a younger upgrade again next year. The Smith-Carroll duo represents a high-profile Raiders stopgap solution.
“I finally got my team,” Smith said, via McFadden. “I always felt like I was trying to replace Russell, and you can never replace all the great things that he did. So I never felt like Seattle was my team. Also, I didn’t feel like I fit the aesthetic of the Seattle organization. The Raiders just fit me.“
No Giants-Russell Wilson Split Expected
The Giants will be starting rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart in Week 4, but their move toward the future is not expected to drive Russell Wilson out of New York.
Head coach Brian Daboll saidthat he expects Wilson to be the backup quarterback for the rest of the season, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. A parting of ways via a release or a trade is not under consideration. Wilson also shut down any talk of such a move.
“I’m focused on helping this team win. I’m focused on helping Jaxson,” he said on Wednesday (via Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic). “I want to be here. I love this organization.”
The Giants’ quarterback switch will naturally lead to trade speculation regarding Wilson, especially with quarterback injuries piling up around the league. But if neither side is interested in parting ways, it would take some significant interest to pry the 36-year-old out of New York. Given that his 78.5 passer rating is eighth-worst among QBs with at least 40 passing attempts to start the year, such an aggressive suitor is unlikely to come calling.
Wilson has also been in the NFL long enough to know that his early-season benching does not necessarily mean that he’ll be riding the pine for the rest of the year. The Giants originally planned to bring Dart along slowly but accelerated their timeline due to his progression and Wilson’s regression. If he struggles to get settled on the field, a coaching staff that’s rumored to be on the hot seat could get antsy and go back to their proven veteran.
In other words, there’s always a place for a quarterback with Wilson’s experience and pedigree on a team desperate for a solution under center.
Aaron Rodgers: Conversations With Vikings Did Not Progress Far
Pro Football Rumors relayed this offseason that Aaron Rodgers and Kevin O’Connell spoke on multiple occasions as the veteran quarterback searched for a new team.
Minnesota’s interest never materialized into an offer or even a formal meeting, and Rodgers later signed in Pittsburgh. Months later, both teams are 2-1, though the Vikings started backup Carson Wentz in Week 3 with J.J. McCarthy sidelined by an ankle injury.
Rodgers confirmed on Wednesday (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor) that he did reach out to O’Connell, but added that their discussions “never progressed beyond catch-up conversations.” The two have known each other since 2008, when O’Connell entered the NFL as a Patriots fourth-round pick. They became more familiar with one another when O’Connell joined the NFC North as the Vikings’ head coach in 2023.
Rodgers signing with his former rival always seemed like a long shot considering Minnesota’s investment in McCarthy last offseason. The team made it clear when they let Sam Darnold leave in free agency that they intended to hand over the keys to the offense to McCarthy after he missed his rookie year due to injury. As a result, Rodgers would have been a placeholder at best and a backup at worst.
He still had reportedly had interest in signing with the Vikings with the belief that he could thrive in O’Connell’s offense, but such an addition would raise questions about Minnesota’s plans for McCarthy. Losing a training camp competition could shake the young QB’s confidence, and if he won the starting job and struggled – as he did to start the year – having a backup with Rodgers’ pedigree could have put pressure on the team to make a switch. Of course, the same could still happen if Wentz leads the Vikings to a few more wins as McCarthy works his way back to the field.
Latest On Texans’ Safety Plan
For the second time, after spending a season with the Eagles, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson only played three games with his new team. The first time, in Detroit, an injury in the second game of the season forced him to the sideline until the regular season finale. This year, Houston released the veteran defensive back and will now need to fill his role on the defense. 
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, another veteran defensive back, M.J. Stewart will be the next man up at the position. A second-round pick out of North Carolina in 2018, Stewart started his career as a slot cornerback for the Buccaneers. He made six starts in his first two seasons but missed 11 games and was waived before the start of his third year.
The Browns picked Stewart up off waivers, and while splitting time at nickelback with Kevin Johnson, Stewart snagged the only two interceptions of his career. He stuck around with the Browns for the final year of his rookie contract, and Cleveland began to give him a bit of run at safety. Though he was still splitting his time between the slot and the defensive outfield, Stewart began to look more comfortable as a defender, grading out as the team’s third-best defender that 2021 season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
As a free agent, Stewart signed with the Texans, and though he’s mostly been a special teamer during his time in Houston, when the depth piece did appear on defense, he was lining up the most as a safety. In those first three years with the team, he was always an available option to sub into the first team defense in case of injuries, and he was called to do so a few times. That’s why head coach DeMeco Ryans feels comfortable turning to him now, in the wake of Gardner-Johnson’s departure.
Stewart may not need to be relied upon for long, though. Veteran safety Jimmie Ward was recently removed from the commissioner’s exempt list as he distances himself from an assault family violence charge. Despite the removal, Ward still isn’t quite ready to return to the field as he remains on the reserve/physically unable to perform list following a pair of offseason foot surgeries. Per Wilson, Ward is expected to be ready to return to practice activities in the next few weeks, barring any disciplinary action on behalf of the NFL concerning the resolution of his legal situation.
Houston will add a bit of depth to the position, as well. Wilson reports that undrafted rookie Zion Childress has been signed to the team’s active roster off of the Cowboys‘ practice squad. Childress has been called up twice by Dallas as a standard gameday practice squad elevation but has only appeared on special teams, so far. With Stewart stepping into the starting role, Childress may stand to fill Stewart’s special teams role with an ability to step up, if necessary.