Colts Activate DT DeForest Buckner
DECEMBER 22: As expected, Buckner has been activated in time for tonight’s game. The Colts announced that move, along with the corresponding transaction of waiving quarterback Brett Rypien. That suggests Riley Leonard will be healthy as a backup option for Rivers’ second start of the year.
DECEMBER 20: A neck injury forced Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to IR on Nov. 7. After a five-game absence, Buckner will return Monday against the 49ers, head coach Shane Steichen announced (via Adam Schefter of ESPN).
The Colts were 7-2 and vying for the No. 1 seed in the AFC when Buckner went down. Major injuries to Buckner, quarterback Daniel Jones, and cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward have knocked their season off course over the past month and a half.
Now 8-6, the Colts suffered their fourth straight loss in a nail-biter in Seattle last Sunday. That spoiled Philip Rivers‘ comeback start and dealt another blow to the Colts’ fading playoff hopes. They’re eighth in the conference with tough contests remaining against San Francisco (Buckner’s ex-team), Jacksonville, and Houston. Those clubs have gone a combined 29-13.
A playoff berth looks unlikely for the Colts, but getting Buckner back should better their chances of a miraculous rally. That’s assuming the herniated disc in Buckner’s neck doesn’t hinder him during the next few weeks. He had to consider his long-term health before deciding to return, per Mike Chappell of FOX59. Buckner traveled for treatment in Panama City, Panama, where he received stem cell injections.
“It’s one of those injuries that’s very serious,’’ Buckner said. “It’s definitely a heavy burden on myself making the decision.’’
Before that issue cropped up, the three-time Pro Bowler continued to produce stellar results. He logged 42 tackles (including nine for loss), 18 quarterback hurries, 11 QB hits, and four sacks in his first nine games this year. Pro Football Focus ranks his 2025 performance 11th among 126 qualifying interior D-linemen.
While the Colts’ front is welcoming back Buckner, their secondary will continue to go without Gardner. A calf injury will shelve Gardner for the third game in a row, but Steichen said he’ll play again this year (via James Boyd of The Athletic).
General manager Chris Ballard made an ultra-aggressive move in sending two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Jets for Gardner at the Nov. 4 trade deadline. The Colts had designs on Gardner and Ward forming an elite corner duo. Injuries have prevented it from happening, though, as they’ve played in just two games together (losses to the Chiefs and Texans).
After Ward suffered his third concussion of 2025, the Colts placed him on IR on Dec. 10. Ward’s regular season is over, but the Colts are holding out hope Gardner will return in Week 17 or 18.
Commanders Sign QB Jeff Driskel Off Cardinals’ Practice Squad
As they prepare to play on a short week, the Commanders are adding depth under center. Jeff Driskel is being signed off the Cardinals’ practice squad, per veteran reporter Ben Standig. The move is now official. 
Driskel was Washington’s third-string passer in 2024, so he represents a familiar face. With the team known to be seeking out depth at the QB spot, today’s move comes as little surprise. Marcus Mariota is dealing with a hand injury, and the Driskel addition suggests he will not be able to suit up for Week 17.
Dan Quinn said it remains unclear at this point if Mariota will be able to play on Christmas against the Cowboys. He added (via JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington) that Josh Johnson will receive the majority of first-team reps during practice. The 39-year-old took over for Mariota against the Eagles in Week 16, completing five of nine pass attempts and throwing one interception. Second-year Commanders QB Sam Hartman resides as another option, with the same now being true of Driskell.
A former sixth-round pick, Driskell has made a total of 25 appearances and 12 starts in the NFL. The 32-year-old logged just one snap during the regular season with the Commanders last year, but depending on how things play out his workload with the team could soon change. With Driskell departing Arizona, a Cardinals team which is already without Kyler Murray for the remainder of the season will be thin at the QB spot barring a move of its own.
In a corresponding transaction, the Commanders have placed guard Sam Cosmi on injured reserve. The fifth-year blocker suffered a concussion against the Eagles, and this move ensures he will not return in 2025. Cosmi has been limited to just nine games this season as he recovered from an ACL tear. That resulted in an absence until mid-October, but not long after returning to action his attention will now turn to 2026.
NFL Suspends Seahawks OLB Derick Hall For One Game
DECEMBER 22: Following Hall’s appeal, the one-game suspension has been upheld, per a league announcement. That confirms he will be unavailable for Week 17 as the Seahawks look to maintain their lead in the NFC West and continue competing for the top seed in the conference.
DECEMBER 19: The NFL suspended Seahawks outside linebacker Derick Hall for “an act of unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct” during Thursday night’s game against the Rams, per a league announcement.
Hall is planning to appeal, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson. If the suspension is upheld, the 2023 second-round pick would miss the Seahawks’ Week 17 matchup with the Panthers on December 28. He would also forfeit just under $88k in salary, per OverTheCap.
The suspension notice specifically referenced a first-quarter play after which Hall appeared to intentionally step on the leg of Rams guard Kevin Dotson. Dotson went down after a teammate crashed into him from behind and Hall stepped on his left leg after the play ended. No flag was thrown; though another Ram saw Hall and gave him a shove, the game’s attention was still on Dotson, who had to be carted off with a left ankle injury and did not return. The veteran offensive lineman was in a boot and on crutches after the game, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Dotson’s injury appeared to happen before Hall’s post-play aggression, though him unnecessarily stepping on his leg have made it worse. Regardless, the incident clearly drew a swift response from the league office.
The 24-year-old has appeared in 13 of Seattle’s 15 games with a 46% snap share when active. After breaking out with eight sacks and six tackles for loss in 2024, Hall has just one sack and two tackles for loss this year. However, he is posting career-highs in pass rush win rate (16.1%) and pressure rate (14.8%), both of which lead the Seahawks defense, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
The Seahawks have a number of ways to deal with a one-game absence from Hall. Rookie outside linebackers Jared Ivey and Connor O’Toole could see some more playing time in Week 17. Head coach Mike Macdonald has also been creative with his deployment of rookie safety Nick Emmanwori and could ask the first-round pick to take on some more work off the edge.
Commanders To Explore QB Addition
With Jayden Daniels out of the lineup, Marcus Mariota handled starting duties for the Commanders on Saturday. He was unable to finish the game, however, meaning a short-term QB addition could be coming. 
Mariota cleared concussion protocol upon exiting Washington’s Week 16 loss to Philadelphia. The veteran also suffered a laceration on his throwing hand, however. That puts Mariota’s availability for the final two weeks of the season in question. To little surprise, then, head coach Dan Quinn said (via JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington) the team will look into a quarterback addition.
Daniels has been shut down for the remainder of the year, and Quinn confirmed he will not play regardless of the Commanders’ situation under center. As a result, attention will turn to Mariota’s ability to heal in time for Week 17. Washington will host Dallas on Christmas Day in a game featuring two teams already eliminated from playoff contention.
Josh Johnson took over QB duties once Mariota went down. The 39-year-old has thus made 48 regular season appearances in the NFL as part of his incredibly nomadic football career. That figure could increase depending on how the next few days play out.
Mariota, 32, remained in the nation’s capital this past offseason by signing another one-year pact. He is a pending free agent as a result, so his availability for the closing stages of the campaign will be key in determining his value. It remains to be seen if Mariota will be able to add further to his list of 2025 appearances with Daniels staying on the sidelines. Johnson could make his 10th career start, but in that case Washington will look to bring in depth for the end of the season.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Suffers Back Injury
The Ravens’ playoff hopes were dealt a massive blow on Sunday. The team’s loss – along with a win by the Steelers – leaves Baltimore in a must-win situation for Week 17. 
It is unclear if the team’s starting quarterback will be available for that game, however. Lamar Jackson exited yesterday’s contest late in the second quarter due to a back injury and he did not return. Head coach John Harbaugh described the ailment as “a bruise of some kind.” He added (via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley) it is unclear at this point if Jackson will miss Baltimore’s next game.
The two-time MVP made it clear when speaking to the media that his goal is to suit up against Green Bay on Saturday. Jackson said (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic) he is set to undergo a CT scan today. The results of further testing will go a long way in determining whether or not another missed contest will be in store in this case. Jackson missed three full games earlier in the season, one which has been marred by several injuries.
Since returning to the lineup upon recovering from a hamstring ailment, Jackson has dealt with knee, ankle and toe injuries over an extended period. The 28-year-old has sat out practice time every week since he came back into the fold, an indication of his health status even before last night’s latest injury. Jackson’s situation over the coming days will be worth monitoring closely.
Of course, the same is also true of Packers starter Jordan Love. A concussion knocked him out of Green Bay’s Week 16 loss, and Love remains in the protocol at this time. As a result, there is a possibility the upcoming matchup between the teams will feature backups Malik Willis and Tyler Huntley under center.
Huntley led the Ravens to a win earlier this season, and he came close to doing so again yesterday. Nevertheless, the Ravens’ preference would obviously be to have Jackson available on Saturday. A win against Green Bay followed by a Steelers loss the following day will be necessary for Baltimore to remain in playoff contention in Week 18. Whether or not the team’s starting QB will suit up remains to be seen.
Joe Burrow Comments Aimed At Applying Pressure On Bengals?
The Bengals are not expected to fire Zac Taylor or de facto GM Duke Tobin. A second Taylor extension (in 2023) is believed to have taken place, moving his contract through the 2027 season. That offers the former Super Bowl coach some protection, as does the Bengals’ conservative way of doing business. But the team may have a Joe Burrow problem on its hands.
Cincinnati is set to miss the playoffs for the third straight season. That occurring in Burrow’s prime is an indictment of the team’s roster, though Burrow injuries in 2023 and ’25 have contributed heavily to the team’s struggles since the 2022 AFC championship game. Still, the 2024 season showed the burden Burrow has needed to carry. With defensive improvement not exactly coming this season, the Bengals did not reenter the AFC North race when their superstar quarterback came off IR last month.
[RELATED: Bengals Rejected Dolphins’ Four-First-Rounder Offer In 2020]
The sixth-year quarterback’s comments about his happiness (or lack thereof) playing football drew leaguewide attention, and while Burrow stopped short of saying he expected to be elsewhere in 2026, he did not do the same regarding a post-Cincinnati career chapter when asked that specific question. In Burrow’s mind, the Bengals have to “play perfect” to win, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport offers, noting the passer’s comments this week look to be aimed at applying some pressure on the organization.
Burrow went to this well last year, launching a campaign for the team to keep Tee Higgins despite previous rumors pointing the high-end No. 2 wide receiver out of town. Burrow also campaigned for Trey Hendrickson to be paid, but the All-Pro defensive end — after an injury-marred season — is likely to walk in free agency.
Powerful players applying pressure on teams is not new, of course. Cavaliers and Lakers fans have seen LeBron James operate this way over the past decade, but Burrow does not have a contract set to expire now or in the near future to use as leverage. He signed a five-year, $275MM Bengals extension that runs through the 2029 season. Cincinnati can hold this over its franchise centerpiece, though the team does have a history with a player effectively forcing his way out despite being contracted long term.
Carson Palmer chose the nuclear option in 2011, staging a quasi-retirement as a way to have the Bengals trade him. An eight-year Bengal, Palmer became frustrated with the franchise’s thriftiness and eventually got his way when the Raiders — who lost then-starter Jason Campbell to injury before the 2011 trade deadline — gave up first- and second-round picks for the disgruntled QB. Palmer did not pan out with the Raiders, finding his form later with the Cardinals, but the Bengals landed starters Dre Kirkpatrick and Giovani Bernard with the picks while Andy Dalton performed well enough for several seasons. This reality playing out again, however, would be damning for the franchise; that would stand to make Burrow’s tactics worth monitoring closely.
The Bengals are known to play hardball with irritated players, as trade requests — like those from Higgins and Jonah Williams, to name two recent examples — are routinely batted down. Cincinnati brass can also point to listening to Burrow on Higgins, who joined Ja’Marr Chase in signing a lucrative extension this past offseason, and being active in free agency — far more so compared to their spending during Palmer and Dalton’s tenures — with Burrow in town.
Burrow, 29, can also point to shortcomings. The Bengals saw the 2020 No. 1 pick put up MVP-caliber numbers last season, returning from a major wrist injury, only to see the team go 9-8 and miss the playoffs. Taylor’s teams, this season’s 2-0 start notwithstanding, also started 0-2 in 2022, ’23 and ’24 with Burrow at the helm. Cincy has not fielded an above-average defense since 2022, with Al Golden not turning that unit around post-Lou Anarumo this year, and its offensive lines have not been confused with upper-crust units during Burrow’s career.
Burrow disillusionment comes as Josh Allen is set to lead the Bills to their seventh straight playoff field. Lamar Jackson may reach his seventh career postseason as well. Patrick Mahomes played in seven straight AFC championship games before the Chiefs’ disappointing 2025 season. Meanwhile, the Broncos and Patriots have rebuilt their operations behind younger quarterbacks. Those teams join the Chargers as status quo challengers to have emerged during the Bengals’ downturn.
How Burrow proceeds will be a defining 2026 offseason storyline, as numerous clubs would line up monster offers if he seriously pursued a Palmer-like path. We are still a ways away from that, it appears, but Burrow putting pressure on the Bengals does represent another stage in this relationship; the extension years have not gone well. A franchise not known to cave on player demands did appear to do so after Burrow pushed for Higgins to stay; will there be more specific Burrow passion projects in this coming offseason?
Poll: How Will Falcons Proceed With HC Raheem Morris, GM Terry Fontenot?
Entering the 2025 season, expectations were elevated for the Falcons. The first full year with Michael Penix Jr. atop the quarterback depth chart coupled with a renovated defense brought with it the possibility for a return to the playoffs. 
Atlanta’s most recent winning season came in 2017. Since then, the team has been mired in mediocrity (at best) while struggling through the post-Matt Ryan era. That stretch will continue through the end of 2025, a season in which improvements in some areas on defense have taken place. Nevertheless, the fate of head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot remains unclear as the campaign winds down.
Owner Arthur Blank is in the process of evaluating the Falcons’ football operations. He will continue to do so through the remainder of the season before deciding on any changes along the sidelines and/or in the front office. The veteran owner offered an endorsement of both Morris and Fontenot in August, but things have not gone according to plan since then.
Injuries to Penix – a well-documented concern in his case upon entering the NFL – and others on offense have hindered the Falcons on that side of the ball. The team’s defense has, on the other hand, enjoyed a resurgence in the pass rush department after years of struggling on that front. That is of course thanks in large part to the pair of first-round rookies the Falcons have along the edge.
After drafting Jalon Walker last April, Fontenot traded back into the Day 1 order to select James Pearce. As a result of the move, Atlanta’s 2026 first-rounder (which could very well end up being a top-10 pick) will belong to the Rams. That is an illustration of how far the Falcons have fallen short of expectations this year.
Fontenot drew criticism for the team’s succession plan – or lack thereof – once Ryan’s Atlanta tenure ended. Efforts were made to add short- and long-term stability under center last spring when the Penix selection was preceded by the Kirk Cousins signing. Eyebrows were raised at how Atlanta handled the situation, and since being benched late last season Cousins has been the subject of speculation regarding his future.
The four-time Pro Bowler’s contract makes a trade unlikely, although Penix’s injury highlights the need for veteran depth of some kind. Still, Fontenot’s track record (five years and counting with a mark no better than 8-9) could lead to a reset and a new voice being trusted to sort out Atlanta’s direction at the QB spot moving forward. Likewise, Morris is not viewed as being on solid footing.
Atlanta reunited with the 49-year-old during the 2024 hiring cycle, doing so after taking a long look at Bill Belichick. The Falcons managed to win on Sunday, but that only moved their 2025 record to 5-9. Morris thus has an overall mark of 35-56 as a head coach taking into account his time in Tampa Bay along with his interim HC stint with Atlanta in 2020. The decision this past offseason to replace defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake with Jeff Ulbrich has not yielded the desired improvement in many categories on that side of the ball. Given Morris’ defensive background, that could prove to be a factor working against him.
A report from earlier this month indicated a head coaching change this offseason is essentially considered inevitable. No public developments since then have suggested Morris is any likelier to be retained or fired, and the final two games of the season could sway Blank’s thinking. There are currently two HC openings around the NFL, but more vacancies will no doubt emerge after the regular season ends.
Whether or not the list of openings on the sidelines and/or in the front office winds up including Atlanta will be one of the team’s central storylines through the coming weeks. Fontenot had a lengthy spell with the Saints before taking his first GM gig in Atlanta. Morris, meanwhile, has drawn praise for his work as a defensive coordinator and another DC gig could await him in the event he were to be dismissed by the Falcons for a second time.
How do you see the team proceeding on this front? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and have your say in the comments section.
Matt Nagy Considered ‘Serious Candidate’ For Titans’ HC Job
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is considered a “serious candidate” for the Titans head coaching job, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Ironically, Chiefs are playing in Tennessee on Sunday. The Titans cannot discuss their head coaching vacancy with Nagy, but he will get an up-close look at the roster he would inherit if he gets the job.
Nagy, 47, has been the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator for the last three seasons. He has worked under Andy Reid for virtually all of his NFL coaching career, starting in Philadelphia in 2008. Nagy followed Reid to Kansas City in 2013 as the team’s quarterbacks coach and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2016. He took over play-calling at the end of the 2017 season and was hired by the Bears as their head coach in the subsequent offseason.
In his debut season in Chicago, Nagy led the Bears to a 12-4 record and a first-place finish in the NFC North. Those are still the team’s best results since 2006, though the 2025 Bears could reach 13 wins this season.
Nagy’s Bears regressed in his next three years with two seasons at 8-8, and a 6-11 finish in 2021 was enough to get him fired. He returned to Kansas City as a senior offensive assistant and took over as offensive coordinator after Eric Bieniemy‘s departure.
The Chiefs offense statistically got worse under Nagy. After six straight years with top-six finishes in both points score and total offense, they have not been able to reach the same heights in either category since. Instead, Kansas City’s runs to the Super Bowl in 2023 and 2024 were largely powered by their top-10 defense.
Nagy’s top priority in Tennessee would be developing No. 1 pick Cam Ward, but he does not have a strong history with young quarterbacks. Mitch Trubisky put up a career-best season under Nagy in 2018, but could not replicate those results in the next two seasons. Justin Fields looked lost as a rookie in Nagy’s final year in Chicago, and upon returning to Kansas City, he immediately got to work with a veteran Patrick Mahomes.
The Titans are also expected to reach out to several defensive coordinators, per Russini, including Lou Anarumo (Colts), Jeff Hafley (Packers), Anthony Campanile (Jaguars), Chris Shula (Rams), Matt Burke (Texans), and Jesse Minter (Chargers). However, hiring a defensive head coach with the intention to bring in a young offensive coordinator to work with Ward runs the risk of that OC being poached by another team as their head coach.
Saints TE Taysom Hill Unsure Of Future
Sunday marked the end of the Saints’ home schedule for 2025. For a number of veterans, Week 16 could therefore represent their final game played in New Orleans. 
That may well be the case for Taysom Hill. The veteran tight end (among many other positions/roles over the years) is a pending free agent, and it remains to be seeen what will happen in his case. When speaking after the game, Hill reflected on his Saints tenure and acknowledged (via John Hendrix of NewOrleans.Football) he is unsure of what the future holds.
“As I was driving to the stadium today, you start to think about the last nine years and what it’s meant to me and my family,” the former UDFA said (via Hendrix). “This city and stuff. I think for me personally that you try to take it all in.”
Hill has played each of his 121 combined regular and postseason games as a member of the Saints. The 35-year-old could add another two to that total as the campaign comes to an end. Beyond that point, it will be interesting to see how team and player proceed in this case. An ACL tear limited Hill to just eight games in 2024, and he produced only 95 scrimmage yards this season entering Sunday’s game.
The Saints have Juwan Johnson under contract through 2027, and fellow veteran tight end Foster Moreau could be retained as depth at the position this coming offseason. New Orleans has other options at the TE spot as well, and it would come as a surprise if Hill were to be kept in the fold merely as an emergency quarterback or strictly to play on special teams. As such, the team’s rebuilding efforts could lead to a parting of ways shortly.
Hill set a career high with 33 catches and 291 yards in 2023; he added 401 yards on the ground that year while scoring six total touchdowns. In the event he reaches free agency, suitors could look to the BYU product as a depth addition on offense. For now, though, Hill’s attention will be aimed at the final two weeks of the season while the Saints aim to continue what is now a three-game winning streak. After that, it is unclear if retirement will receive consideration or if Hill will look to continue his career in New Orleans or elsewhere next season.
Jets, TE Jeremy Ruckert Agree To Extension
DECEMBER 21: Ruckert received $4.74MM in new guarantees, as detailed by Over the Cap. That includes a $3MM signing bonus and his base salary for next season. Ruckert’s new pact also contains per-game roster bonuses worth up to $510K on an annual basis.
DECEMBER 17: The Jets and tight end Jeremy Ruckert have agreed to a two-year, $10MM contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The deal could max out at $11MM.
The Ruckert extension is the second one general manager Darren Mougey has doled out since last week. The team previously reached a two-year, $11MM agreement with center Josh Myers on Dec. 12.
Unlike Myers, who joined the Jets as a free agent, Ruckert is a homegrown product. With prior GM Joe Douglas at the helm, the Jets used a third-round pick on Ruckert in 2022. The former Ohio State Buckeye caught just one pass in nine games as a rookie, but his usage and production have increased since then.
After combining for 34 catches and 256 yards in 32 games from 2023-24, Ruckert has racked up career highs in receptions (20) and yards (163) in 14 contests this season. He hauled in his first career touchdown in Week 2.
Ruckert spent the previous couple of seasons working as a complementary piece behind starting tight end Tyler Conklin. While Conklin left for the Chargers in free agency last March, Ruckert has again served as the Jets’ No. 2 TE this year. Rookie Mason Taylor, a second-round pick, has established himself as one of the only real threats in the Jets’ offense. Taylor ranks first among Jets skill players in snap share (75%).
Despite Taylor’s presence, Ruckert has still seen a good amount of playing time in first-year coordinator Tanner Engstrand‘s run-first offense. The 25-year-old has played a career-high 43.2% of snaps. Ruckert has also been on the field for 26.9% of special teams plays.
Ruckert was just a few months from hitting the open market for the first time. Keeping him in the fold takes a little bit off Mougey’s plate ahead of the offseason. Running back Breece Hall, quarterback Tyrod Taylor, guards John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker, and linebacker Quincy Williams are among notable Jets still on track to reach free agency in March.