Bills S Taylor Rapp Likely Out For Season
The Bills placed Taylor Rapp on IR before their Week 8 game. While that move only mandates a four-game absence, the veteran safety appears unlikely to factor into Buffalo’s plans for the rest of the season.
Sean McDermott confirmed (via The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia) Rapp underwent knee surgery this week; that procedure is likely to shelve him for the rest of the season. While the ninth-year HC did not confirm Rapp is done, it does not sound like he will factor into the Bills’ IR-return calculus this season.
[RELATED: Bills Eyeing Field-Stretching WR At Deadline]
Rapp had not played well before being moved to IR; Pro Football Focus rated him 84th out of 88 qualified safeties. The Bills had re-signed Rapp in 2024, giving him a low-cost deal (three years, $10.63MM) to stick around and replace Jordan Poyer at the position. After Poyer’s Dolphins one-off, he is back receiving regular reps. The Bills have signed Poyer from the practice squad ahead of their pivotal Week 9 Chiefs matchup.
While Micah Hyde‘s second stint did not involve any game action (before the standout’s offseason retirement), Poyer has taken over as Buffalo’s primary option alongside Cole Bishop. The Bills also have Damar Hamlin on IR, thinning their safety corps to the point Poyer (34) is suddenly being counted on — while tied to vet-minimum money — after the team released him in March 2024.
Hamlin and Rapp’s exits have Cam Lewis, Sam Franklin and fifth-round rookie Jordan Hancock as Buffalo’s backups at safety. Rapp is on Buffalo’s books for 2026, but his base salary ($2.58MM) is nonguaranteed.
Additionally, McDermott said (via Buscaglia) the team hopes second-round defensive tackle T.J. Sanders — on IR after knee surgery — will be able to return in a few weeks. The Bills are in decent shape for injury activations, having only used two thus far. The Bills are in trouble at defensive tackle, however, with Ed Oliver‘s best-case scenario of returning from a biceps tear being late in a potential playoff run. Also ruling out DaQuan Jones for the annual Kansas City regular-season matchup, team has fourth-round rookie Deone Walker and Larry Ogunjobi in place at the position. Buffalo mainstay Jordan Phillips is also back on the team’s 53-man roster as a rotational option.
Jayden Daniels To Return In Week 9; Terry McLaurin Ruled Out
OCTOBER 31: The Commanders confirmed Daniels will return for Week 9. This will cap his hamstring-driven absence count at one game, though the dynamic quarterback has missed three in total this season.
OCTOBER 29: Marcus Mariota has been needed during multiple points over the first half of this season, as Jayden Daniels has run into two injuries significant enough to sideline him. The second instance required a Mariota start against the Chiefs on Monday, but it appears the veteran’s second starter stint will be capped at one game. 
Daniels is set to practice in full this week, via ESPN.com’s John Keim, moving him into position to miss just one full game with a hamstring injury. However, Daniels will once again not have his top wide receiver available.
The Commanders have already ruled out Terry McLaurin, who reinjured his quad during the Chiefs matchup. Daniels and McLaurin, as The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala points out, have only played two games together this season. Daniels’ arrival proved vital for McLaurin last season, ending a QB carousel that had begun to spin following Kirk Cousins‘ 2018 exit. McLaurin’s 13-touchdown season, followed by key playoff production, placed him on track to secure a three-year, $87MM extension. That deal has preceded this rare bout of McLaurin injury absences.
Washington sits at just 3-5 on the campaign, meaning the team has already lost as many games in 2025 as it did last year. A rebound in short order will be needed to reach the playoffs and leave the door open to a replication of 2024′ surprise run to the NFC title game. Having a healthy Daniels the rest of the way would be crucial, although the Commanders’ passing attack will still be notably shorthanded as long as McLaurin is absent. A long-term absence in his case is not anticipated by the team, head coach Dan Quinn said (via Keim).
Offseason trade acquisition Deebo Samuel arrived in the nation’s capital with more in the way of concerns regarding his durability compared to McLaurin. To date, though, the former 49ers All-Pro has managed to make seven appearances. In that time, Samuel has racked up 372 scrimmage yards and scored four touchdowns. An uptick in production could be in store provided Daniels returns, and in the event McLaurin missed notable time Samuel would remain a focal point on offense.
Daniels’ recovery will be handled with caution given his immense importance to the Commanders and the presence of a veteran QB2 in Mariota. Still, barring any setbacks over the coming days he will be in line to reprise his starting role against the Seahawks. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to monitor McLaurin’s recovery timeline as Washington seeks to bounce back from a poor start to the campaign and a return on the team’s latest investment in him.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
NFL Mailbag: Bills, Falcons, Garrett, Crosby
This week's PFR mailbag covers a number of trade-related questions ahead of the upcoming deadline as well as an inquiry tied to a quirk in the NFL rulebook.
Jason asks:
Are the Bills going to land a receiver at the deadline this year? When compared with what the Chiefs now have there, they seem shorthanded in that area.
Talk about Buffalo adding at the deadline has increasingly pointed in this direction. That comes as no surprise, given the impact seen from the receiver spot so far. Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Josh Palmer have combined to average only 128 receiving yards per game in 2025. A strong running attack can offset much of that low-end production, but an upgrade would be a logical target in the coming days.
Rashid Shaheed’s name has been floated for quite some time and the Bills are among the teams which have been (at least loosely) connected to him. The Saints are treating the remainder of the season as an audition period for rookie quarterback Tyler Shough so a number of pending free agents could be on the move shortly.
‘No Chance’ Browns Trade Myles Garrett Before Deadline
It’s not often that someone regrets taking $160MM. But Myles Garrett‘s visible frustration during the Browns 32-13 loss to the Patriots suggested he may have second thoughts about signing an extension in Cleveland earlier this year.
Garrett notched 5.5 sacks in New England on Sunday, setting a Browns single-game record (that he first set in 2021 with 4.5 sacks). But immediately after his final sack, Garrett slammed his helmet on the sidelines (via FOX Sports). After the game, he strode into his press conference playing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “A Simple Man” on his phone, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano, and continued to express his disappointment with the Browns’ season.
“I want to win,” said Garrett (via The Athletic’s Zac Jackson). He added that his sideline frustration stemmed from a desire to stay in the game. Cleveland had pulled their starters, but New England’s were still in the game.
When asked about the team’s current situation more generally, Garrett responded, “It doesn’t get any easier each week you ask it.”
The Browns’ struggles have reignited trade talk surrounding the four-time All-Pro, but there is no way that Garrett is moved before this year’s deadline, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
Garrett’s contract is often cited as a primary reason that he won’t be traded, but Graziano notes that the finances are still workable for Cleveland. His deal includes fully guaranteed option bonuses in 2026, 2027, and 2028 (via OverTheCap) that an acquiring team would have to pay. The Browns would only have to absorb a $41MM dead cap hit in 2026, hardly a desirable outcome but still just over half of what the Broncos ate when they parted ways with Russell Wilson. Graziano also mentioned the Browns’ offseason pursuit of public funding for a new stadium, which could have been complicated by trading away the face of the franchise. The funding was signed into law via the state of Ohio’s budget in July, so that potential obstacle to moving Garrett is now gone.
In other words, the Browns could trade Garrett if they want to, but it seems the desire is just not there. Their strategy may be to wait until the end of the season when they can acquire a veteran quarterback or, more likely, target a top prospect in the 2026 draft. That could convince Garrett to stick around, but he may not be willing to trust the franchise after putting his faith in them to build a competitive team this season. It seems possible, if not likely, that he renews his trade request in the offseason in an attempt to play for a championship contender next year.
Trading Garrett could also give the Browns even more draft capital to aggressively pursue a rookie quarterback next spring. They already have two first-round picks after trading down from No. 2 with the Jaguars (who moved up for Travis Hunter), and another could ensure that they can trade for virtually any pick, if it’s available.
Jets Setting High Asking Price On Breece Hall; Team More Open To Re-Signing RB?
Five days remain until this year’s trade deadline. Even after sending Michael Carter II to the Eagles, the Jets remain a team to watch regarding more seller’s moves.
Teams are monitoring a few Jets, defenders Jermaine Johnson, Quincy Williams and Quinnen Williams among them. While Allen Lazard is known to be available, Breece Hall remains the top skill-position trade chip. As it stands, Gang Green continues to set a high price, according to Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano and Eric Williams. The team is rebuffing inquiries as it stands, and it is possible its stance has changed in recent weeks.
[RELATED: Hall Wants To Remain With Jets Past Deadline]
Although Aaron Glenn said earlier this month he did not want to see his starting running back traded, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano notes his previous expectation was for Hall to be dealt at the deadline. Now, though, some in the Jets’ building are leery about moving on from the team’s four-year starting RB.
The situation now looks to feature stronger Jets consideration of re-signing Hall as a free agent, which will obviously produce a higher asking price to part with him now in a trade. No extension talks are known to have taken place, and preseason word pointed to the former second-round pick playing out his rookie contract. Trade buzz has persisted in the weeks since.
Thus far, Hall has delivered a bounce-back season. He was instrumental in the Jets picking up their first Glenn-era win, rushing for two touchdowns and adding a TD toss to Mason Taylor. Hall has three 100-yard games this season and is naturally generating interest from RB-needy teams.
Going through a bye week, the Jets also would need to make a significant pivot if they moved Hall. The team’s top Hall complementary piece entering the season, Braelon Allen, is recovering from knee surgery, via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini. Allen was not certain to undergo a procedure, with rehab a route believed to be available as well. While the second-year back did go under the knife, Cimini adds this does not change his two- to three-month recovery timetable.
A Hall trade would bump 2024 fifth-round pick Isaiah Davis to the top of the Jets’ depth chart. Davis has provided a spark as a backup with Allen sidelined, but a Hall trade would also force the Jets to consider how an Allen-Davis tandem would look anchoring the team’s backfield come 2026.
Hall could net the Jets a 2027 compensatory pick as a departing free agent, depending on the RB’s market and how the team approaches free agency in 2026. A move now would likely hand the Jets a pick or two in 2026, as Glenn and GM Darren Mougey look to continue adding their own talent to mix in with Joe Douglas‘ pieces.
After averaging 4.2 yards per carry in 2022, Hall is at 5.0 (581 in total) through eight games. Like Javonte Williams in Dallas, Hall appears to have completed a belated return to form after a 2022 ACL tear. The Jets would have competition for his services in free agency, but the team has until the mid-March legal tampering period to negotiate exclusively with the RB — that is, if it does not move on before the Nov. 4 deadline.
Giants’ Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo Undergo Surgeries
Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has impressed since he took the reins from veteran Russell Wilson in Week 4, but injuries will deprive the first-rounder of a couple of key weapons early in his career.
Star wide receiver Malik Nabers suffered a season-ending ACL tear and a partially torn meniscus in Dart’s first start. Rookie running back Cam Skattebo, a fourth-rounder and a member of the same draft class as Dart, then went down with a brutal ankle injury in a loss to the Eagles last Sunday. Like Nabers, Skattebo is done for the year. Both players have taken important steps in their recoveries this week.
Nabers underwent knee surgery on Tuesday, Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports reports. The second-year man waited a month to have surgery, though Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes that’s common. The hope is the delay will lead to an easier rehab, per Rapoport, who says Nabers “should be good to go for next season.”
Even if New York is confident in an early 2026 return for Nabers, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team make significant moves to address its receiving corps before then. Darius Slayton, who re-signed on a three-year, $36MM deal last March, joins Nabers as the Giants’ only proven receivers under contract in 2026. Wan’Dale Robinson is the leader among Giants wideouts in catches, targets, yards, and touchdowns in 2025, but he’s due to reach free agency in the offseason.
Along with recording solid production on the ground (410 yards and five touchdowns on 101 carries), the hard-running Skattebo provided the Giants a viable pass-catching threat. He chipped in 24 receptions, 207 yards, and two more scores in his first eight games. Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary will have to pick up the slack in his absence.
In addition to dislocating his ankle, Skattebo fractured his fibula and suffered a deltoid ligament rupture, according to Rapoport. While that sounds catastrophic, he and the Giants avoided a worst-case scenario. The 23-year-old underwent successful surgery and should only require about six months to recover. That would put Skattebo on track for OTAs and minicamp, which would be a positive outcome for him and the team.
Chiefs Shopping For Defensive Line Depth
The Chiefs reunited with defensive tackle Mike Pennel yesterday, but the team may not be done adding defensive line help. According to Jordan Schultz, the Chiefs are currently shopping for a defensive lineman.
[RELATED: Chiefs To Bring Back DT Mike Pennel]
While Kansas City’s offense keeps adding reinforcement, it seemed likely that the front office would look to add to the defense ahead of the trade deadline. The Chiefs have lost defensive end Felix Anudike- Uzomah and second-round defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott for the season, and they’ve gotten one of the worst DT performances in the NFL from Derrick Nnadi. While Pennel should help shore up the middle of the defensive line, the team could still seek additional depth at that position.
The Chiefs could also look to add on the edge. George Karlaftis continues to come into his own, pacing the squad with 4.5 sacks. Otherwise, Kansas City hasn’t gotten more than a pair of sacks from any one individual on the team. That includes veteran Chris Jones, who has tallied only two sacks following his five-sack showing in 2024. Even if Kansas City doesn’t have to be as reliant on the veteran’s pass-rush ability, they’ll surely be looking to pair him with some extra depth ahead of the second half of the season.
While the defense will surely be a priority for the Chiefs front office, they could also look to add to their offense over the next few days. We already heard rumblings that they could add some running back depth, and that was before Isiah Pacheco suffered an MCL injury. Left tackle Josh Simmons will also be sidelined for a few more weeks while he deals with a personal matter, but any Super Bowl contender would be sniffing around for OL depth, anyway.
Brett Veach has generally been active with midseason moves, and this season will be no exception. While the organization has generally had more luck with scooping up midseason free agents vs. trades, we can confidently say the Chiefs will add some reinforcement ahead of the stretch run.
Latest On Bills’ Pursuit Of WR Help
The Bills were in obvious need of help at wide receiver leading up to last year’s trade deadline. General manager Brandon Beane addressed the position in mid-October, acquiring Amari Cooper from the Browns. While the five-time Pro Bowler didn’t end up as a major contributor in Buffalo, he at least gave the team another credible target. With Cooper as a role player in a high-powered offense, the Bills ultimately advanced to the AFC championship game before suffering yet another postseason loss to the Chiefs.
Although the Bills are off to a strong 5-2 start this year, the receiver position has been a glaring issue again. Dependable slot target Khalil Shakir is enjoying another productive year, but the Bills are lacking boundary threats. Cognizant of that, the Bills have been scouring the market for a “vertical deep route receiver” as the Nov. 4 trade deadline nears, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network says.
Saints speedster Rashid Shaheed is a name to keep an eye on for the Bills, according to Wolfe. It’s not the first time Shaheed has come up as a potential target for Buffalo, whose lack of cap space could be a hindrance in landing a bigger fish.
The Bills rank last in the NFL with around $1.67MM in spending room, per Over the Cap. Shaheed, like Cooper was last year, is on an expiring contract. With a $4.2MM base salary and a $4.46MM cap hit, he’s reasonably priced.
After Shaheed averaged anywhere from 15.6 to 17.5 yards per catch in each of his first three seasons, that number has dropped to 11.1. However, with 39 catches and 431 through eight games, he’s easily on pace to surpass his current career highs of 46 and 719, respectively.
Sitting at 1-7 and set to hand the reins to rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, New Orleans is open to trading Shaheed. The 27-year-old has never paired with a high-level QB in the NFL, but that would change in Buffalo with Josh Allen at the helm.
Despite having the benefit of playing with Allen, Keon Coleman and Josh Palmer – the Bills’ top receivers after Shakir – have underwhelmed. Coleman dazzled with an eight-catch, 112-yard showing in a Week 1 win over the Ravens, leading to hope that the 2024 second-round pick was in for a breakout sophomore campaign. Since then, though, Coleman has totaled just 19 receptions and 155 yards in seven games.
Palmer, previously a Charger, didn’t rise to stardom playing with Justin Herbert from 2021-24. He still impressed the Bills enough to land a three-year, $36MM contract in free agency last offseason. While Palmer has averaged a robust 16.7 yards per catch in Buffalo, he has only hauled in 14 passes in six games. He missed the Bills’ win over the Panthers last week with a knee/ankle injury, an issue that could keep him out of a crucial meeting with the Chiefs this Sunday.
Aside from Shakir, Coleman, and Palmer, no other Bills receiver has more than five catches in 2025. Veterans Curtis Samuel and Elijah Moore, free agent pickups over the previous two offseasons, have been nonentities. Practice squad wideout Gabe Davis, a Bill from 2020-23 and a Jaguar last season, is the best hope for an in-house upgrade. Davis is now recovered from the meniscus surgery he underwent last year. While he could factor into the Bills’ receiving corps soon, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Beane bring in an outside reinforcement by Tuesday.
Sean McVay: “I Certainly Would Never Rule” Out Additional Trades
The Rams have already made one pre-deadline trade when they acquired cornerback Roger McCreary from the Titans. Considering the deal featured a swap of conditional 2026 Day 3 picks, many pundits assumed that the Rams would still be shopping around for additional reinforcement.
[RELATED: Rams Acquire Roger McCreary From Titans]
Sean McVay confirmed as much while speaking with reporters yesterday, although the coach seemed to hint that the front office may only be searching around for a “[significant] upgrade.”
“I wouldn’t say no,” McVay said when asked if the team was done dealing (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). “It’s not something that we’ve really talked about. I think if certain opportunities arise that you feel like give you a chance to be able to significantly upgrade your football team, but I feel really good about our group and the growth that I still think can be had from us in spite of doing some good things. That’s really in all three phases. It hasn’t been something that we’ve really talked about, but I certainly would never rule that out.”
As Florio notes, the Rams have never been afraid to take big swings. A few years ago, the team made a major deal for Von Miller, and that move ended up helping them in their quest towards a Super Bowl victory. The Rams don’t necessarily have the same championship chances in 2025, but the organization is clearly willing to pull off major midseason trades.
At the beginning of the month, the Rams were mentioned as a potential buyer. ESPN’s Aaron Schatz recently suggested that the Rams could be in the hunt for some offensive line reinforcement, while Florio notes that the organization lacks depth at WR behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. In other words, there are plenty of different directions the Rams could take their deadline approach, and if McVay was being truthful, there could be some fireworks.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/30/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Jalen Brooks, TE Messiah Swinson
- Released: CB Jaden Davis
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Liam Anderson, LB Brian Asamoah
- Released: DE Myles Cole
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Myles Gaskin
- Released: WR Velus Jones
A day after adding Velus Jones and releasing Myles Gaskin, the Seahawks have reversed course. Gaskin had more than 600 rushing yards with the Dolphins back in 2021, but he’s been limited to 26 rushing yards in seven total games since that season. Jones got into five games with the Saints earlier this year, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams.