HEADLINES

Bills WR Keon Coleman Benched For Today’s Game

November 16th, 2025 at 10:14am CST by Ely Allen

It’s no secret that Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman has failed to live up to his draft stock thus far in his young career. A slow rookie campaign with a couple missed games is excusable, but Coleman has noticeably taken a step back in Year 2. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Coleman will not play in today’s game against the Buccaneers. It’s supposedly “not performance-based, though, as Schultz relays it to be “a coach’s decision.”

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided added context for the healthy scratch, citing Coleman’s tardiness to meetings on Friday morning as the reason for his benching. The team had no plans throughout the week of making him inactive but chose an expensive punishment as a result of repeated issues. Per Rapoport, he was benched for a drive against New England earlier this year and benched for a full quarter against Jacksonville last year.

Coleman came to Buffalo with potential and anticipation but not outrageous production. After a quiet true freshman season at Michigan State, Coleman broke out for the Spartans in his second season of play with 58 catches for 798 yards and seven touchdowns. He capitalized on his big year by transferring to Florida State, where, in a quieter passing attack, he led the Seminoles with 50 receptions for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Despite the lack of eye-popping yardage, those 11 scores in garnet and gold underlined his potential as a big-bodied playmaker. At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds coming out of college, the physical frame was there, but the speed was lacking. Coleman ran an unencouraging 4.61-second 40-yard dash, but the Bills thought he played much faster than his dash time, as evidenced by his demonstration in the gauntlet drill, in which he achieved the fastest top speed of any receiver that year.

Coleman’s numbers as a second-round rookie (57 catches-556 yards-four touchdowns) were not overly impressive, but that is understandable for a rookie who missed four games. MVP quarterback Josh Allen targeted Khalil Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid over a third of the time, while Coleman found residual targets in line with fellow receivers Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel. In Year 2, Allen has made more of an effort to involve Coleman, making him the second most-targeted pass catcher on the team, again behind Shakir, but Coleman has seen his yards per game decrease despite the added attention.

With Coleman out, it will certainly be interesting to see how the Bills make up for Coleman’s absence. After Shakir, Coleman, Kincaid, and running back James Cook, Josh Palmer is the fifth leading receiver with a line of 14-234-0. Elijah Moore (8-115-0) and Tyrell Shavers (7-82-0) are also scoreless, making Samuel (5-62-1) the only member of the receiving corps active for today’s game other than Shakir to score a touchdown this year, and Kincaid has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

We did see yesterday that Buffalo is calling up some interesting reinforcements. The team used its Saturday transactions to sign Mecole Hardman from the practice squad to the active roster while choosing to elevate Gabe Davis and tight end Keleki Latu as standard gameday practice squad elevations.

Davis was a reliable WR2 for Allen behind Stefon Diggs for four years before flaming out in Jacksonville with disappointing production on a three-year, $39MM contract. After only racking up 239 yards in 10 games, Davis’ season ended with a torn meniscus. The combination of concern for his recovery, Brian Thomas Jr.‘s stellar rookie campaign, and the arrival of No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter led the Jaguars to release Davis after his lone year with the team.

It’s to be determined how Hardman — a role player for years in Kansas City — will fit into the new offense or how much Latu — making his NFL debut after going undrafted out of Washington — will be utilized. The bigger mystery, though, concerns the future of Coleman. A healthy scratch will easily be a low point in his young career, and it will be interesting to follow how he responds to this style of coaching given his response alike punishment in the past.

Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey Undergoes Finger Surgery

November 16th, 2025 at 8:50am CST by Ely Allen

By Thursday of this week, the Ravens knew they would be down two defensive players, and by Friday, they had already placed one of them on injured reserve.

The Ravens acknowledged a finger injury to first-team All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey last week, even though it didn’t actually keep him from being a full participant in practice. In the team’s win over the Vikings, though, Humphrey only played 45 of the team’s 65 defensive snaps, when he normally only takes a handful of snaps off. This week, the finger injury kept him out of practice all week.

Head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged that Humphrey may require surgery on his finger the day after the game, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. On Wednesday, Kevin Oestreicher, who writes for USA Today as part of the publication’s NFL Wire Network, quoted Harbaugh’s report that Humphrey had gotten “his finger pinned.” Pins are usually placed in broken fingers with unstable or misaligned fractures to help them heal and set properly. Pins remain in the finger until the bones are healed, then are taken out in a minimally invasive procedure.

This does make Humphrey inactive for today’s game, but he is not the player who was placed on IR. Harbaugh relayed to the media that the 29-year-old quarterback will likely only miss a week or two. The player who was placed on IR yesterday was undrafted rookie linebacker Jay Higgins IV. Not to be confused with the second-round Iowa State wide receiver in Houston, Jayden Higgins, Jay played for the rival Iowa Hawkeyes and signed with the Ravens after falling out of the draft.

While making the initial 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent is an impressive feat, though a common one in Baltimore, Higgins hasn’t actually seen any time on defense, instead working as a core special teamer throughout his young career. Per Zrebiec, Higgins sustained a “notable knee injury” sometime during the team’s trip to Minnesota and left the locker room after the game with a significant brace on his right leg. Harbaugh informed the media on Monday that the injury is not season-ending but that it would take a few weeks for Higgins to come back from.

With Humphrey out, the Ravens head to Cleveland with Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie, T.J. Tampa, and undrafted rookie Keyon Martin as the only healthy corners on the active roster. Martin is the one listed as the second-string nickelback, the position most frequented by Humphrey. The team did call up veteran cornerback Amani Oruwariye as a standard gameday practice squad elevation for added depth at the position.

The Ravens utilized their other elevation to call up another undrafted rookie linebacker in Chandler Martin out of Memphis. Martin and Higgins were frequently viewed as competitors for a 53-man roster spot throughout the preseason, and Martin ended up on the practice squad while Higgins made the team. Now, Martin will get his chance to fill in for Higgins on special teams today.

Seahawks’ QB Strategy Stands Out In Modern NFL

November 15th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not exactly reaching showdown games during the period between Russell Wilson's injury-marred 2021 and Geno Smith's third and final starter season, the Seahawks enter Week 11 in an interesting position. They match up with a Rams team that has also retooled, as Sean McVay's team has restaffed its front seven post-Aaron Donald. But Los Angeles did not gamble at quarterback -- despite pushing its situation to the brink via the Matthew Stafford trade sweepstakes.

The Seahawks, however, did make a bet at the game's premier position. Through nine games, Sam Darnold is rewarding his new team. Although interest naturally emerged for PFR's No. 1-ranked 2025 free agent, teams were not rolling out substantial multiyear guarantees at signing. A natural suitor for Darnold -- the Raiders -- backed off, as Tom Brady was not keen on his new team signing his old AFC East rival. This opened a door wide for the Seahawks, who are reaping benefits of what now looks like a team-friendly contract.

Seattle made a daring play at quarterback, trading Smith to Las Vegas three days before the legal tampering period began. A Darnold market that had seemingly cooled reignited, with a new QB-needy team entering the fray. Smith's failed extension talks in Seattle, negotiations the incumbent had pushed for dating back to the 2024 offseason, now represent a seminal moment in Seattle. Darnold agreed to a deal in the ballpark of what the Seahawks offered Smith, and his three-year, $100.5MM accord -- themed around Baker Mayfield's 2024 Buccaneers contract -- looks like a steal at the season's midpoint.

Although the Seahawks' contract framework added intrigue to this accord, the timing of the QB dominoes falling proves a bit more interesting. In the modern NFL, a tiny contingent of teams have been willing to let a first-ballot Pro Bowl quarterback go without having a contingency plan in place.

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Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman To Emerge As Giants Candidate?

November 15th, 2025 at 9:58pm CST by Connor Byrne

Having fired Brian Daboll on Monday, the 2-8 Giants are in the early stages of finding their next head coach. Mike Kafka will finish the season on an interim basis after a promotion from offensive coordinator. However, barring shockingly strong results from Kafka, it seems probable that Daboll’s successor will come from outside the organization.

General manager Joe Schoen, who hired Daboll in 2022, is leading the search for his replacement. Schoen and Giants ownership haven’t had “serious meetings” about the traits they want in their new head coach, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic. For his part, Schoen isn’t guaranteed to remain with the organization for the long haul. He’s only under contract through 2026. The Giants will review Schoen’s work at the end of this season, but the belief around the NFL is that he’ll remain in place, Russini reports.

As for who Schoen will hire, there’s no doubt that plenty of potential candidates will come up in connection to New York’s opening in the coming weeks. The Giants “already have a shortlist of candidates,” Russini writes. It doesn’t include North Carolina’s Bill Belichick, according to Russini. Belichick issued a statement Friday saying he’s not interested in the Giants’ job or any other NFL opportunity that may come along. The Giants didn’t contact Belichick before he shot down a possible return to the pros, and it seems doubtful they were ever going to pursue him.

While Belichick isn’t in the mix, one early name to keep an eye on is Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman. The soon-to-be 40-year-old could become the latest successful college coach to try his hand in the NFL.

If Freeman is interested in the job, there’s “some buzz” that the Giants may talk to him, per Dan Graziano of ESPN. Meanwhile, Dan Duggan of The Athletic regards Freeman as an early front-runner for the position, placing him behind Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and the out-of-work Mike McCarthy.

Freeman has gone 40-12 with the Fighting Irish since the former linebacker took over for the departed Brian Kelly in December 2021. He guided Notre Dame to the national championship game last season, but the team suffered a 34-23 defeat to Ohio State. Just days before Freeman & Co. lost to the Buckeyes in January, the Bears reportedly sought an interview with him. That didn’t come to fruition, though, and the Bears ended up hiring Ben Johnson.

Anarumo, a well-respected coordinator, has been a popular figure in the rumor mill since the Giants moved on from Daboll. The Staten Island native is a former Giants assistant who was a candidate for the HC job before Daboll landed it. Anarumo’s son currently works for the Giants as a pro scout.

McCarthy, 62, brings vast experience as a head coach. His teams have gone an impressive 174-112-2 in the regular season. He led the Packers from 2006-18, winning one Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers during that 13-year period, and the Cowboys from 2020-24.

In limbo with the Cowboys last winter before Jerry Jones replaced him with Brian Schottenheimer, McCarthy interviewed with Chicago and New Orleans. After he began losing ground with the Saints, who chose Kellen Moore, McCarthy withdrew as a candidate. He hasn’t found another job since then, though perhaps the Giants will look in his direction.

The Johnson pick has worked out so far for the Bears, who are 6-3 and already guaranteed a better record than last year’s 5-12 mark. If they make the right hire, the Giants may have a chance to enjoy a similar turnaround in 2026.

Hall Of Fame S Kenny Easley Dies At 66

November 15th, 2025 at 9:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

Seahawks icon Kenny Easley passed away on Friday, per an announcement from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was 66 years old.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Seahawks legend Kenny Easley,” a team statement reads in part. “Kenny embodied what it meant to be a Seahawk through his leadership, toughness, intensity, and fearlessness. His intimidating nature and athletic grace made him one of the best players of all-time.”

Easley joined the Seahawks as a first-round pick in 1981 and spent his entire career with the team. Within that span, he racked up numerous accolades including five Pro Bowl nods. Easley also secured first-team All-Pro honors every year from 1983-85.

The UCLA product won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 1984. Easley was named to the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 1980s. After a career which included 95 combined regular and postseason games, he was included in the Hall of Fame class of 2017.

Nicknamed ‘the Enforcer,’ Easley developed a reputation over the course of his decorated career for his physicality. He also delivered consistent performances in terms of ball production, however. Easley racked up 32 interceptions, leading the league with 10 in that regard during the 1984 campaign (and returning two for touchdowns). He also recorded nine forced fumbles and was limited to single digits in terms of games played only once in a season.

A kidney ailment resulted in Easley’s career ending at the age of 28. He sued the team over allegations that large doses of ibuprofen resulted in the damage to his kidneys and that the team failed to inform him of the issue during his final season; a settlement out of court was ultimately reached. The sides reconciled in 2002, and in that year Easley was inducted into the Seahawks’ Ring of Honor.

Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins Out For Season

November 15th, 2025 at 9:23pm CST by Ely Allen

9:23pm: Dobbins has already undergone surgery for a Lisfranc injury, CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson reports. His recovery process is underway as a result, but the Broncos will be shorthanded in the backfield the rest of the way.

2:26pm: We knew the Broncos would be without starting running back J.K. Dobbins after he had been ruled out yesterday. We even knew that a stint on injured reserve was in consideration, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Dobbins is dealing with a significant ligament issue in his foot that — per the opinions of several experts — will require season-ending surgery.

He has indeed been placed on IR and will remain there for the rest of the regular season. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that there is still a possibility Dobbins could return after the regular season ends, though it would likely require the team to make it to the Super Bowl. Pelissero details that Dobbins’ injury didn’t include a fracture but just a small tear, and the projected timeline for the recovery of that diagnosis would see him coming back in time for the league’s final game of the season.

Since getting drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, injuries have been a huge part of Dobbins’ NFL story. As a rookie splitting time with Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards, Dobbins led the room with 805 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns while sporting an impressive 6.0 yards per carry. Before his sophomore campaign could get started, he was sidelined for the season with a torn ACL, suffered in the team’s final preseason game.

Returning to the field two weeks into the 2022 season, Dobbins took over as RB1. After only four games back, Dobbins suffered another knee injury and was placed on IR for the second time. He was activated later in the year and delivered four strong performances to finish the season averaging 5.7 yards per carry. In 2023, the worst occurred once again. In Baltimore’s season opener, Dobbins left the game with a torn Achilles tendon, leading to his third IR placement and his second season-ending surgery.

Leaving Baltimore with the expiration of his rookie deal, Dobbins landed with the Chargers, beating out Edwards — who also left Baltimore for LA — for the starting job thanks to a huge Week 1 performance. Dobbins showed some durability for the first time since his rookie year, starting the first 12 games of the season before a matchup with his former team saw him suffer an MCL sprain. He was placed on IR (for the fourth time) for four games but was able to return to close out the season.

Now in Denver, Dobbins has played in all 10 games for the Broncos this year. The foot injury news popped up this week, and the new details today confirm the worst: Dobbins will be placed on IR for the fifth time in six years and will undergo his third season-ending surgery. Once again showing his mettle with a strong season this year, Dobbins had Denver considering an extension before the injury sidelined him. The Broncos will now have to factor his injury history even more into any considerations concerning a new contract.

Luckily for the Broncos, they still roster second-round rookie RJ Harvey. For the most part, throughout his rookie season, Harvey has played a major second fiddle to Dobbins, but he has displayed some strong potential with big plays here and there both on the ground and through the air. He’ll likely take the lead out of the backfield with Dobbins out, but Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin both remain on the roster with him, and McLaughlin boasts an impressive volume of backup experience.

Taking Dobbins’ place on IR will be linebacker Garret Wallow, who is being activated from IR after being designated to return earlier this week. The Broncos are also signing cornerback Reese Taylor from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, waiving wide receiver Trent Sherfield to make room, and veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis and linebacker Jordan Turner will be called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations. This will be Lewis’ third such elevation, so Denver will need to sign him to the active roster if they want him to appear in any games after this week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/25

November 15th, 2025 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor NFL moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s slate of games:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

With the 49ers set to see their starting quarterback return, Martinez’s presence on the 53-man roster is no longer necessary. He’ll likely find his way back to the team’s practice squad.

The Panthers’ two elevations, Barnes and Mukuamu, are direct reflections of injury absences for tomorrow’s game. With Trevin Wallace and Lathan Ransom ruled out for Sunday, Carolina made the decision to call up another player at each position.

Mevis will once again be called upon for kicking duties in Los Angeles. In his NFL debut last week, he was untested in terms of field goal attempts, but he converted all six extra point attempts in a blowout win in San Francisco.

Kamara in Tampa Bay is being called up for the third time this season. If the Buccaneers intend to play him in another game this year, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster, much as the Ravens did after Bryan exhausted all three of his standard gameday practice squad elevations.

Seahawks Activate OL Christian Haynes, Place C Jalen Sundell On IR

November 15th, 2025 at 7:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Seahawks will have a different look up front when they play their pivotal game against the Rams tomorrow. The team’s roster shuffling in advance of the game includes a pair of offensive line moves.

Christian Haynes has been activated from injured reserve, per a team announcement. The second-year blocker has not played this season, but his practice window was opened just over two weeks ago. Haynes is now back on the active roster in time to play on Sunday.

[RELATED: IR Return Tracker]

The timing of Haynes’ return is key. Seattle lost starting center Jalen Sundell to a knee injury in Week 10, leading the expectation a long-term absence could be in store. Sundell will indeed be sidelined for an extended period, as the Seahawks have moved him to IR. A new first-team option will be needed at the center spot over at least the next four games as a result.

After Sundell went down in Week 10, Olu Oluwatimi took over as his replacement. Sundell won a training camp competition with Oluwatimi, but the latter could regain a starting role if the Seahawks keep him in place for the time being. Another option would be to insert Haynes into the starting lineup immediately upon returning to action by playing him at center.

Haynes, 25, made 16 appearances but no starts during his rookie season. The former third-rounder worked exclusively at guard during that time. However, head coach Mike Macdonald recently named Haynes as an option to fill in for Sundell at center. In any case, sixth-round rookie Bryce Cabeldue remains likely to continue operating as a backup along the interior with Haynes now available.

Seattle’s other Saturday roster move was the decision to make linebacker Patrick O’Connell a gameday elevation. The 26-year-old has made one appearance to date in 2025 and seven in his career, all with the Seahawks.

Bills Activate DT T.J. Sanders From IR, Sign WR Mecole Hardman To Active Roster

November 15th, 2025 at 6:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Knee surgery has left T.J. Sanders unavailable since he last played in Week 4. The second-round rookie is set to return to action tomorrow, however.

Sanders was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, per a Bills announcement. The move comes as no surprise since his practice window was opened earlier this week. Buffalo now has five IR activations remaining for the regular season.

Injuries along the defensive front have been an issue in 2025 for the Bills. Ed Oliver‘s biceps tear will keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future, while Michael Hoecht suffered an Achilles tear during just his second appearance of the campaign. Most recently, Landon Jackson has landed on IR and his availability regarding a return late in the year is in question.

Buffalo has allowed an average of nearly 148 yards per game on the ground this season, which ranks 30th in the league. Reinforcements along the defensive interior will be key as the team looks to make needed improvements in that regard. Sanders logged a 49% snap share prior to suffering his injury, and a notable workload should be expected once again as he returns to the lineup.

In other roster news, the Bills have signed Mecole Hardman from the practice squad to the active roster. The veteran wideout recently joined the team via a taxi squad pact and he will see playing time in short order. Hardman will not be expected to handle much in the way of offensive snaps early in his Buffalo tenure, but he could see usage in the return game right away. To make room for him on the roster, Brandon Codrington was waived.

Gabe Davis is also set to make his season debut tomorrow. The veteran receiver returned to Buffalo just before the start of the season before spending a lengthy period on the practice squad IR list. Davis is now healthy and with the team struggling for production at the WR spot, he will look to carve out at least a rotational role as a familiar Josh Allen target.

Dalton Kincaid will not play against the Buccaneers on Sunday. Depth at that position will come in the form of Keleki Latu, who joins Davis as a gameday elevation from the practice squad. Latu will make his NFL debut if he dresses tomorrow.

Giants Place OL Evan Neal On IR

November 15th, 2025 at 6:04pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Giants placed offensive lineman Evan Neal on injured reserve, per a team announcement, likely ending the former first-round pick’s season and time in New York.

Neal has not appeared in a game all year but popped up on this week’s injury report with a hamstring issue that kept him out of practice. He could be activated after his four-game stint on IR is up, but his lack of a game day role suggests that the Giants would rather use the roster spot on another player.

It is hard to see Neal, the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft, as anything but a bust. He was named the Giants’ starting right tackle as a rookie and kept it for the whole season, though he missed a few games due to an MCL sprain. Neal was benched midway through his second year and did not make enough progress over the subsequent offseason to get his job back. Injuries along the Giants’ offensive line in 2024 pressed Neal back into duty at right tackle for the last seven games of the season.

The Giants turned down Neal’s fifth-year option in May and were hoping a change to guard could salvage the final year of his rookie contract. The position switch did not take, and Neal is now poised to hit free agency as a potential reclamation project for another team.

New York’s other Saturday roster moves including the promotion of kicker Younghoe Koo to the active roster from the practice squad. Graham Gano was placed on injured reserve (for a second time) earlier this week, so Koo will take over the team’s kicking duties for the next four games. He made all four of his kicks in Week 10, though they all came inside of 40 yards.

The Giants also elevated wide receiver Dalen Cambre and defensive lineman Elijah Chatman from the practice squad for Sunday’s matchup against the Packers. Cambre, an undrafted rookie out of Louisiana, will make his NFL debut, likely as a special teams contributor. He could see some time on offense with veteran wideout Darius Slayton ruled out. Chatman, meanwhile, will make his 2025 debut with Chauncey Golston and Rakeem Nunez-Roches both expected to be sidelined. Chatman made the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie last year and appeared in all 17 games with a 39% snap share, but he could not replicate the feat this season.

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