Friday’s practice squad transactions:
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DE K.J. Henry
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Cody White
Today’s minor moves as we head into the sixth weekend of the regular season:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: P Pat O’Donnell
Carolina Panthers
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Dalevon Campbell
Miami Dolphins
- Released (with injury settlement): CB Cornell Armstrong
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: RB Antonio Gibson (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: S Kendell Brooks
Cardinals punter Blake Gillikin appeared on the injury report with a back injury in Week 2 but has been otherwise healthy without missing any game time throughout the season so far. Gillikin showed back up on Arizona’s injury report yesterday with his back ailing him once again. He didn’t participate in practice at all today, and it doesn’t look good for his chances on Sunday that the team signed O’Donnell.
Following the Colts’ signing of Michael Badgley on Tuesday, O’Donnell becomes the second veteran specialist out of Miami (FL) to get signed out of free agency this week. O’Donnell punted for the Bears for eight years after Chicago drafted him in the sixth-round in 2014. He spent one year after Chicago with the Packers but remained a free agent throughout the 2023 season. Last year, he got a similar call from the 49ers, who held on to him for eight games after Mitch Wishnowsky was sidelined for the second half of the season with a back injury.
O’Donnell won out in a punting competition with fellow free agents Jack Browning and Matt Haack.
The NFL is investigating “the application of concussion protocol” in regards to Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart during Thursday night’s game against the Eagles, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The review will be conducted jointly with the NFLPA as required by the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll was seen attempting to enter the blue medical tent and having an animated conversation with the team’s medical staff as they evaluated Dart. Both Daboll and the Giants could face discipline a result of the incident, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Daboll apologized for the incident after the game and said (via SNY) that he was not trying to rush or otherwise influence Dart’s concussion protocol. Instead, he claimed that he was trying to find out if Dart was “good or not” as he considered calling a timeout and attempting a fourth down conversion, a point he reiterated on Friday.
After news of the league’s investigation became public, the Giants released a statement from team president and co-owner John Mara released a statement that backed Daboll’s version of events while also noting that “the appearance of going to the tent is inappropriate.”
“We have protocols in place as a league to ensure player safety and we need to allow our medical staff to execute those protocols without interference,” the statement continued. “We understand the situation is under review by the NFL and the NFLPA, and obviously we will cooperate fully.”
Giants running back Cam Skattebo also went to the medical tent to check on Dart during the game. On Friday, he said (via SNY) that he was trying to “calm down” his teammate knowing that the rookie quarterback “wants to be back on the field.”
“We know we have to go through protocol…to make sure we can get back on the field,” Skattebo added.
Given the increasing national attention on the long-term impact of concussions on football players, the NFL cannot afford to take these incidents lightly. Any hint of a team not following concussion protocol could be a major issue for the league from both a liability and public relations standpoint. The Dolphins’ handling of Tua Tagovailoa‘s concussion in 2022 spurred a similar investigation that found that the protocol was followed but needed to be improved.
OCTOBER 10: Murray returned to practice on Friday, per Cardinals senior writer Darren Urban. He is officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
OCTOBER 9: With starting quarterback Kyler Murray dealing with a foot injury, the Cardinals are preparing for him or backup Jacoby Brissett to start in Week 6 in Indianapolis, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Murray went down in Arizona’s Week 5 matchup with the Titans, but returned to finish the game. He then missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, throwing his status for Sunday’s matchup with the Colts into doubt. Even if he practices Friday, he will be a “close call,” per Fowler, indicating that the Cardinals may be making a game-time decision on their starting quarterback.
During a 2-3 start for the Cardinals, Murray has completed 68.3 percent of passes for 962 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions.
As the dual threat continues distancing himself from the torn ACL he suffered in 2022, Murray made it clear during the offseason that he planned to run more this year. The 28-year-old has done just that, having averaged just under six rushes per game while amassing 173 yards (6.0 YPC) and a score. He posted an eye-popping 7.3 yards per rush last year during his first 17-game slate, though he did that on fewer than five attempts per contest.
With Murray relying so much on his mobility (he’s a career 3,000-yard rusher with 32 TDs on the ground), a foot injury is less than ideal and could lead the Cardinals to start Brissett on Sunday. The well-traveled veteran, 32, made the Cardinals the sixth organization of his career when he signed a two-year pact with them in the offseason.
Since debuting in 2016, Brissett has made 53 starts, including five with the Patriots in 2024. He connected on 59% of passes for 826 yards, two TDs, and a pick last year.
If Brissett plays this week, he’ll be facing one of his former teams. A Colt from 2017-20, Brissett took over as their starter when Andrew Luck abruptly retired in August 2019. The Brissett-led Colts went 7-9 that season. Six years since Luck stepped away, the Colts still haven’t found a franchise QB, though offseason free agent addition Daniel Jones has surprisingly played like one during a 4-1 start in 2025.
While Jones and the Colts are coming off a 40-6 rout of the Raiders, the Cardinals have dropped three in a row by a combined five points. They’ll hope Brissett can help turn their fortunes around if Murray is unable to play.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin gave fans (and fantasy owners) a scare when he popped up on the injury report this week with a fibula injury.
Godwin’s season-ending ankle injury in 2024 also included a fibula fracture, so there was some concern that the veteran wideout had suffered a setback after returning to the field in Weeks 4 and 5. However, Godwin’s injury in a different area of the fibula than last year’s fracture, per FOX Sports’ Rick Stroud. He is considered week-to-week and is not expected to land on injured reserve, which would mandate a four-game absence.
The Buccaneers did rule out Godwin for Week 6 (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter) along with Mike Evans. The two have not shared the field this season, with Godwin missing the first three games and Evans missing the last two. They will both be sidelined, which will likely elevate Sterling Shepard into a starting role and increase opportunities for Ryan Miller and Tez Johnson. The absence of running back Bucky Irving, the team’s second-leading pass-catcher, will also have an impact, but backup Rachaad White has been an excellent receiving back in his career.
Of course, Tampa Bay’s passing game will still be heavily reliant on rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka, who has racked up 445 receiving yards in his first five games, more than one-third of the team’s total for the season. The Buccaneers hoped that he could combine with their Pro Bowl veterans to form one of the league’s best receiver trios, but they will have to wait at least one more week to see all three on the field together.
For weeks, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor expressed confidence in backup quarterback Jake Browning to keep Cincinnati’s offense afloat with the hopes of a late-season return from Joe Burrow.
But after Browning’s third multi-interception game in four weeks – and the Bengals’ third straight loss – Taylor and the front office finally decided to seek a different signal-caller. They landed on Joe Flacco and reached out to the Browns, who were not expecting the call from their AFC North rivals.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on (via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic) Tuesday that Cincinnati’s interest in Flacco “took us by surprise,” despite the veteran quarterback’s benching the week prior. Handing the keys to the offense over to rookie Dillon Gabriel could signal to an outsider that Flacco was available, but Cleveland may not have been anticipating that they would trade him within the division (and the state).
In his first press conference as a Bengals, Flacco – who has been traded three times in his career – called the NFL a “crazy business” and said players “have to be ready for anything,” per Dehner.
‘Anything’ seems to include being benched, traded, and inserted into a new starting job in the span of a week. Not to mention, Flacco will play for his third AFC North team on Sunday, joining Ryan Fitzpatrick as the only quarterbacks to play for three of the four teams in a single division, per NFL Network’s John Todd.
OCTOBER 10: Strange’s quad injury also affected his hip and includes a ligament tear, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz. He will not need surgery, but he is expected to miss at least five weeks. That would sideline Strange until Week 12 or beyond with the hopes of returning late in the season to help the Jaguars make the playoffs for just the second time in seven years.
OCTOBER 7: Following one of their biggest wins of the Trevor Lawrence era, the Jaguars will lose a key pass catcher for a while. They are placing Brenton Strange on IR, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
Strange suffered a quad injury, one NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo expects to keep him out for roughly a month. That would align with an IR-return timeline. The team’s top tight end has been a key part of its 4-1 start, making some contributions during its 31-28 win over Kansas City on Monday night. He caught his lone target for 22 yards before injuring his hip late in the first half.
The Jaguars gave Strange a vote of confidence upon releasing Evan Engram early this offseason. While Engram has battled injuries during an unremarkable start in Denver, Strange has fared well to start the season. Strange has 20 receptions for 204 yards, posting three games with at least 45 yards during the Jags’ surprising start.
As part of a Jaguars pass-catching group that features high-profile wide receivers Brian Thomas and Travis Hunter, Strange leads the team in receptions. He’s tied for second in targets (24) and yards. His 73.8 percent snap share easily paces all Jaguars tight ends. Johnny Mundt (34.5) and Hunter Long (23.4) are next in line, though they’ve combined for just nine catches and 58 yards. Quintin Morris has almost exclusively played on special teams.
The Jaguars will now have to go at least four games without their No. 1 tight end. With the Jaguars’ bye coming in Week 8, Strange won’t be eligible to return until a Week 11 meeting with the Chargers on Nov. 16. For now, they’ll go forward with Mundt, Long, and Morris as their options at the position.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
Dating back to the offseason, Breece Hall has been attached to trade rumors. As the 2025 deadline approaches, it remains to be seen if the fourth-year running back will stay in place with the Jets. 
Hall is a pending free agent, and it has been clear since the summer an extension is not expected. As a result, he looms as a trade candidate particularly if the 0-5 Jets are unable to rebound from their poor start to the season. If the 24-year-old has his way, though, no trade will be made.
“This is my fifth month dealing with this now,” Hall said when speaking to the media (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). “At this point, it is what it is. I’m here. I want to be here. I love being a New York Jet and everything. At the end of the day, I don’t control what goes on, I only control what I do on the field and how I handle my business off the field.”
Hall averaged 5.8 yards per carry as a rookie before suffering an ACL tear. The former second-rounder managed to avoid major injuries in the two subsequent years, surpassing 1,300 scrimmage yards both times. His efficiency fell short of his pre-injury campaign, leading to questions about the chances of Hall returning to his rookie form. That has essentially taken place in 2025, however.
The Iowa State product is averaging 70 yards per game on the ground this year, the highest total of his career. Hall has surpassed 100 scrimmage yards three times early in the current campaign, and he figures to remain a focal point in the backfield moving forward with Braelon Allen sidelined. Still, rumors about a trade ahead of the deadline could persist depending on how the next few weeks play out.
New head coach Aaron Glenn assured Hall a trade was not being pursued after the draft; that could offer a degree of comfort regarding his near-term future. On the other hand, a different regime is in place (led by Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey) than the one which selected Hall in 2022. That will no doubt be a factor when the matter of a trade is considered.
If the Jets decide to keep Hall in the fold beyond next month’s deadline, it will be interesting to see how contract talks are handled. The running back market contains nine players attached to an AAV of $10MM or more. Hall will no doubt look to reach that figure on his second contract, but it is unclear which team it will come from.
OCTOBER 10: When speaking to the media ahead of the Ravens’ Week 6 game, Orr was asked about his job security. To little surprise, he indicated (via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley) he is not concerned about a firing at this point. It will be interesting to see if things change on this front after Sunday’s contest which will see Orr’s unit take on the NFL passing (Matthew Stafford) and receiving (Puka Nacua) leaders.
OCTOBER 5: Things have gone from bad to worse in Baltimore. An extremely tough opening slate that included trips to Buffalo and Kansas City in Weeks 1 and 4, not to mention a home matchup with the Lions in Week 3, resulted in a less than ideal 1-3 start. Today’s blowout loss to the Texans has put Baltimore in rare territory as they’ve given up 40 points per game against teams not from Cleveland. Still, defensive coordinator Zach Orr‘s job appears safe for now. 
In Week 1, the Ravens looked to be on their way towards a big win over the Bills, going up 40-25 with just under 12 minutes remaining. The Bills rattled off three straight scoring drives to win the game 41-40 and leave the Ravens sitting with a very familiar feeling. Over the last few years, Baltimore has seen several double-digit late-game leads disappear, but these games have usually been outliers.
Despite Mike Macdonald‘s defenses also being susceptible to the occasional late-game collapse, his two years coordinating for the Ravens saw the team give up the third-fewest points in 2022 and the fewest points in 2023. When Orr took over, there appeared to be a bit of a learning curve. Through the first 10 weeks of the season, Baltimore’s defense was 25th in scoring defense, 27th in total defense, and 32nd in pass defense. Orr made adjustments, players stepped up, and over the last six weeks of the season, the Ravens ranked 1st in all three categories to end up with the ninth-best scoring defense and 10th-best total defense in the NFL.
That made the late-game collapse in Buffalo all the more shocking. It seemed Orr had figured things out, but even though there were few personnel changes, it appeared the defense was back to its woeful ways of starting the season slow. A strong Week 2 performance from the defense gave a bit of hope for a quicker rebound than the prior year, but a 38-point outing for Detroit in the Ravens’ house brought some concern back into the picture.
A second factor began to emerge, though. Injuries began to stack up. Highly paid defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and pass rusher Kyle Van Noy were the first absences that hurt the team’s ability to get to the quarterback. While Van Noy made his return today, Madubuike will miss the rest of the season, and he was joined on injured reserve by his fellow defensive tackle Broderick Washington. Madubuike’s fellow starter on the line, Travis Jones, would avoid IR but was also ruled out in Week 4, leaving a thin defensive front against Patrick Mahomes, a quarterback who thrives on extending the play.
The game against the Chiefs saw several additional injuries take out one starter after another. Already down three starters to open the game, at some point linebacker Roquan Smith and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins all left the game. Injuries to left tackle Ronnie Stanley and star quarterback Lamar Jackson also affected the offense’s ability to give the defense a rest with long drives, leaving a depleted, exhausted unit on the field in Kansas City.
In today’s matchup against the Texans, five starters (Madubuike, Smith, Humphrey, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, and star safety Kyle Hamilton) were not available to play. Jackson was held out, as well, resulting in the team’s worst loss since an injury-riddled 2021 campaign.
The 2024 Panthers set a record by allowing the most points in NFL history (534); the Ravens are on pace to allow 602. The 1966 Giants hold the all-time record for most points allowed per game, giving up 501 points in a 14-game season for a 35.79 average; Baltimore is currently allowing 35.4.
The issue could absolutely be on Orr’s shoulders. The early issues against Buffalo and Detroit can hardly be attributed to injuries, but the litany of injuries in the past two weeks have made it hard to blame the scheme and play-calling. Regardless, when asked, head coach John Harbaugh told the media he “does not think firing Zach Orr is the answer,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
Perhaps some of the short-term injuries quickly subside, and perhaps Orr engineers another midseason turnaround as impressive as the one last year. Whatever the expectation, Harbaugh has put his faith in Orr. If he’s not careful and the Ravens continue to flounder as the season goes on, he may just tie his fate to Orr’s, as well.
Through his first three seasons with the Texans, Christian Harris totaled 26 starts. Now a pending free agent, the linebacker’s role has declined sharply in 2025, leading to questions about his future. 
Harris handled over 700 defensive snaps during each of first two seasons in the league. He remained a full-time starter for the 2024 campaign but was limited to just five combined regular and postseason games that year due to a calf injury. The former third-rounder then dealt with an ankle injury during the offseason, but he managed to return to full health in time for training camp.
That resulted in Harris playing in each of Houston’s first four games. During that span, however, the Alabama product saw a snap share of just 13% on defense, a massive drop compared to his other seasons. Harris was a healthy scratch in Week 5. Given his status as a player seemingly not in the team’s immediate plans – coupled with the fact he is attached to the final year of his rookie contract – ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler names Harris as a trade candidate.
Per Fowler, Harris is held in high regard by other teams. That could result in a market being generated with respect to trade interest, especially since he is 24. Harris is attached to a base salary of $3.41MM for 2025; an acquiring team would need to take on a prorated portion of that figure to close out the campaign. Any team willing to trade for him now (as opposed to a free agent pursuit) would presumably look into an extension as well.
After making a notable impact as a rookie, Harris set career highs in tackles (101), sacks (two) and pass deflections (seven) in 2023. Returning to that level of performance would be key in helping his market value, but it appears as though that will not be possible down the stretch if the rest of Houston’s linebacking corps remains healthy. The Texans have Azeez Al-Shaair, Henry To’oTo’o and free agent addition E.J. Speed in place, with each having handled a larger workload than Harris this season. Al-Shaair is under contract for next year, while To’oTo’o will be eligible for an extension this coming spring.
If those two remain key parts in the Texans’ plans for the second level of their defense, moving on from Harris before the November 4 deadline could be a sensible move. Sitting at 2-3 on the year, Houston will presumably avoid a seller’s stance if the team can continue the momentum generated over the past two weeks. Still, Harris will be a player to watch regarding a change of scenery if he continues to serve in a limited capacity leading up to the deadline.