HEADLINES

Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving Out For Week 6, Potentially Longer

October 11th, 2025 at 11:32am CST by Nikhil Mehta

Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving was ruled out for Week 6, per ESPN’s Jenna Laine. According to her colleague Dan Graziano, Irving may be at risk of missing Week 7 as well.

The second-year running back did not play in Tampa Bay’s last game due to a foot sprain and a shoulder injury that was later revealed to be a subluxation, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Both injuries are expected to heal in two to three weeks, per FOX Sports’ Rick Stroud.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said (via FOX Sports’ Greg Auman) on Wednesday that Irving is “getting better by the day,” but did not set any expectations for a speedy return. He will likely need to return to practice next week to have a shot at playing in the team’s next game.

Tampa Bay will be more than comfortable turning to Rachaad White and Sean Tucker in the meantime. White has not turned out to be an especially dynamic rusher, but he is among the best pass-catching backs in the league. Tucker flashed with 308 yards on 50 carries (6.2 yards per carry) in 2024 but has just four attempts so far this year. Both should see plenty of touches as long as Irving is out. He was only averaging 3.3 yards per attempt when healthy, so White and Tucker could make strong arguments for their involvement for the rest of the year.

Undrafted rookie running back Josh Williams could have seen his first offensive touches in Irving’s absence, but he entered concussion protocol after Thursday’s practice and was also ruled out for Sunday’s game.

The Buccaneers are dealing with a number of other injuries at other positions. Pro Bowl wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans were ruled out, as were cornerbacks Zyon McCollum and Benjamin Morrison. Bowles said (via team writer Scott Smith) that McCollum played through a thumb injury in Week 5 and had a minor procedure this week. He was seen by Auman sporting a cast and a sling at practice. Morrison has not played since Week 3 due to a hamstring injury and may not be close to returning.

The secondary will have veteran Jamel Dean back in Week 6 after a one-game absence due to a hip injury. He was taken off the injury report entirely and should be full-go on Sunday.

Cowboys RB Miles Sanders Out For Season

October 11th, 2025 at 10:05am CST by Nikhil Mehta

Cowboys running back Miles Sanders will miss the rest of the 2025 season due to knee and ankle injuries suffered in Dallas’ Week 4 tie with the Packers.

On Friday, team executive and co-owner Stephen Jones made the announcement on 105.3 The Fan (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota), adding that Sanders would need surgery on his knee. Specifically, he is expected to need a chondral tissue graft, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs underwent a similar procedure in January.

Sanders was Dallas’ No. 2 running back to start the season behind bell-cow starter Javonte Williams. Though he was not a featured part of the offense, Sanders recorded 20 carries for 117 yards while catching all eight of his targets across his eight appearances. His touches will likely go to Jaydon Blue, a fifth-round pick out of Texas. The Cowboys raised some eyebrows by designating Blue as a healthy scratch for his first four games, but he was active in Week 5 with Sanders sidelined. An injury to his veteran teammate will give the rookie running back his first expanded opportunities in the NFL, though Blue will still be a clear second-fiddle to Williams.

“We’re so fired up about what Jaydon Blue can do for this offense,” said Jones.

Sanders, meanwhile, is on a one-year deal for close to the veteran minimum. He will have to rehab in Dallas before he hits free agency next spring ahead of his age-29 season. He will likely need to take a ‘prove it’ deal to show that he can come back from a major injury and surgery as he approaches the traditional running back brightline of 30 years old.

The Cowboys are expected to move Sanders to season-ending injured reserve, though they have yet to officially make the move.

NFL Mailbag: Cardinals, Steelers, Cowboys, Tua, Herbert, Dolphins

October 10th, 2025 at 10:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

The debut of the Pro Football Rumors mailbag looks into the Cardinals' potential offseason moves, the Steelers' future under center, the question of whether the Cowboys can end their Super Bowl drought and Dolphins' Tua vs. Herbert debate.

Ben asks:

If the Cardinals continue on their current trajectory and definitively look like the worst team in the NFC West, this has to be considered a major disappointment after they entered the season with postseason aspirations. 

Assuming they miss the postseason and finish around .500, what changes (or lack thereof) do you anticipate this offseason? Will they double down and invest more on pieces surrounding Kyler [Murray]? Could a rebuild be in the cards (including moving on from Murray altogether)? 

Year 1 of the Monti Ossenfort-Jonathan Gannon regime resulted in four wins, but that figure doubled last year. That meant another step forward and playoff contention was a reasonable expectation for 2025, and I would agree falling short (at least by a wide margin) would be a notable disappointment. But the first five weeks of the year certainly suggest Arizona should be in the mix.

The Cardinals won two straight one-score games before their current streak of three consecutive losses on game-ending field goals. Sunday’s blown lead – especially given the Emari Demercado goal line fumble – cannot be repeated if Arizona is going to contend in the NFC West with the division's other teams starting a combined 10-5. Still, a wild-card berth will be in reach if the Cards wind up back on the right side of those close games moving forward.

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Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Out Until He Can Return To Dual-Threat Nature

October 10th, 2025 at 10:06pm CST by Ely Allen

The Ravens still have tomorrow to make final injury designations for their Week 6 matchup against the visiting Rams, but their Friday injury report already lists six players with “out” designations, the most notable of which would be star quarterback Lamar Jackson. Unfortunately, it may be a while until he returns to the field.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, team sources have said that “he’s not going to go back out there unless he can be his normal, dual-threat self.” He hasn’t practiced once since injuring his hamstring over a week and a half ago, and depending on the severity, hamstring injuries can take weeks to come back from. There have been reports that Jackson has been rehabbing behind the scenes, getting pool work with the underwater treadmill in the Ravens facility.

Fowler’s report came before the injury report, and he claimed that if Jackson could see the practice field Saturday, there would be a chance of him playing against Los Angeles, but obviously, that’s no longer the case. Instead, the Ravens will either return to Cooper Rush to make his second start in a Ravens jersey, or they’ll return to practice squad passer Tyler Huntley to make his first start in Ravens jersey since 2023.

Likely Rush will be under center to start Sunday. Despite the rough, three-interception performance last weekend, Baltimore paid Rush way too much in free agency to come be the primary backup to just give up on him after one start. And while Huntley has seen success at times as a close fit for Jackson’s gameplan, his effectiveness has waned as team’s get more film on him each year.

On one last note with Jackson, ESPN’s Dan Graziano noted recently that despite Baltimore’s recent efforts to extend key players on expiring deals, there hasn’t been much movement on a new record extension for Jackson. The pressure is mounting to make something happen in that regard as a $75MM cap hit looms on the horizon for the 2026 season.

While one might think this recent injured stretch may give the Ravens the upper hand in negotiations, Jackson’s MVP-level play last year and the massive cap hit lingering as a potential consequence of not finding common ground swing momentum in Jackson’s corner pretty heavily. The two sides have plenty of time to work something out still, but like with their previous contract dispute, this may go down to the wire before seeing an eventual resolution.

Browns Officially Name Shedeur Sanders QB2

October 10th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Ely Allen

After it was announced that rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel had officially been named the Browns’ starting quarterback, there were a lot of questions about why fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders wasn’t moving up the depth chart, as well. With only two healthy quarterbacks on the roster, though, head coach Kevin O’Connell told the media today that Sanders would be the primary backup.

We covered the reason that Sanders hadn’t been named QB2 when the team’s initial starter, Joe Flacco, was demoted. Essentially, Cleveland didn’t want Sanders’ introduction to the NFL to be him running an offensive gameplan designed for a shorter, shiftier, left-handed quarterback in a desperation setting. Not wanting to see Sanders struggle early, the Browns resolved to keep him off the field unless he was ready to run a gameplan designed around his own capabilities.

This thought process led the team to keep Flacco ahead of Sanders on the depth chart, thinking that Flacco’s leadership and experience would make him more well-suited to the uncomfortable situation of running an unfamiliar offensive gameplan than Sanders. But then, a surprise trade removed Flacco as an option as he made his way southwest to Cincinnati.

Even with Flacco out of the picture, though, the Browns weren’t quite ready to commit to naming Sanders the primary backup behind Gabriel, likely for the same reason as previously mentioned. The primary Browns starter, Deshaun Watson, remains on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, where he’s likely to be for the rest of the season as he recovers from multiple tears of his Achilles tendon, but there is one other option.

Practice squad quarterback Bailey Zappe was the other name in consideration for the QB2 role. Zappe started eight games over his first two years in the league with the Patriots and even got a start in Cleveland last year. While he may not give the Browns a better chance at winning than Sanders, his use as a backup would protect Sanders from having to run Gabriel’s offense in his first NFL snaps.

Ultimately, Sanders got the job. It’s hard to say whether it was Sanders who advocated to play regardless of the offensive gameplan or if the coaches finally resolved to just put their best arms on the field. Regardless, the first man off the bench behind Gabriel will be his draft classmate taken two rounds later.

Gabriel shouldn’t have to worry about his own job, though. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Gabriel is expected to get a pretty “lengthy run” as the starter. Even with Sanders rising in the ranks behind him, Gabriel should have a fairly long lead with which he can find his sea legs. Sanders may get a run of his own down the line, but for now, he’ll be available off the sideline in case of injury.

49ers Working Out QBs Amidst Injuries In The Room

October 10th, 2025 at 9:29pm CST by Ely Allen

A lengthy 49ers injury report this week gave some context to a workout today that included three quarterbacks. Starter Brock Purdy has already been ruled out for this weekend after missing practice all week, and primary backup passer Mac Jones is questionable after being a limited participant in every session this week. This leaves only one fully healthy option on the roster.

It’s still assumed that Jones should be good to go on Sunday, but if he isn’t, Adrian Martinez will be waiting in the wings for the opportunity to make his NFL debut. But if the team’s injury luck continues to disappoint, some planning ahead would certainly be worthwhile. To that end, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, San Francisco hosted three quarterbacks — Desmond Ridder, Nathan Peterman, and Quinten Dormady — for a workout today.

Oddly enough, Ridder, the youngest of the three, was the most experienced passer at the tryout. Over two years in Atlanta, Ridder started 17 contests, including most of the 2023 season. He went 8-9 as a starter for the Falcons, only throwing around 187 yards per game with 14 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.

Despite being drafted five years before Ridder, Peterman has appeared in fewer games than Ridder has starts. In two seasons apiece with the Bills, Raiders, and Bears, Peterman has made five starts in 15 appearances, going 1-4 in his starts. After completing only 52.3 percent of his passes in Buffalo and throwing only three touchdowns to 12 interceptions, Peterman’s opportunities have been few and far between. In his 2018 season alone, he threw more touchdowns to opposing defenses than he did his own team. He failed to make an appearance in both the 2019 and 2024 seasons.

If Dormady was signed, it would be his first NFL contract. Transferring out of Tennessee after three years in college, Dormady spent a year at Houston before transferring again to Central Michigan, where he was finally able to play most of a season as a starter for the Chippewas. After an average season at CMU, Dormady went undrafted and signed briefly to a Canadian Football League practice roster. After off and on stints in Montreal, he became a backup for Paxton Lynch in the XFL. He eventually overtook Lynch for the starting job and, when the XFL folded, found his way to the UFL as a backup in San Antonio and Memphis before, ultimately, announcing his retirement from the sport.

While his presence at the tryout makes it seem very likely that he would unretire for a chance at the NFL, no contracts were signed after today’s auditions. According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, Purdy was seen at practice pushing a weight sled, which sounds like some pretty serious work for his injured toe, and Jones was throwing today after staying away from that activity earlier in the week. Both players are clearly on the mend with hopes that other help will be on the way, as well.

For now, until there’s any word to the contrary, it’ll be Jones under center when the 49ers host Tampa this weekend, and Martinez will be ready and waiting on the sideline. As long as Purdy stays on track and Jones stays healthy enough, a contract for Ridder, Peterman, or Dormady may not be necessary.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/10/25

October 10th, 2025 at 6:53pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves as we head into the sixth weekend of the regular season:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Tennessee Titans

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.

NFL, NFLPA Investigating Giants’ Handling Of Jaxson Dart Concussion Protocol

October 10th, 2025 at 5:05pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

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.

Cardinals Preparing For Kyler Murray Or Jacoby Brissett To Start

October 10th, 2025 at 3:53pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

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.

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