The Atlanta Falcons have had trade talks surrounding defensive end Takkarist McKinley, and other teams think the former first-round pick will be traded before next Tuesday’s deadline, according to sources. The Falcons will hold McKinley out of the Thursday night game against Carolina so that his lingering groin injury can heal. No deal is imminent, however, but that’s led to more speculation that he’ll be

Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said that running back Dalvin Cook (groin) will take part in practice on Wednesday. It’s a good sign for Cook’s availability coming off their bye week as they get ready to face the division-rival Packers on Sunday. He missed the Week 6 game before the bye, so he’s had two weeks to rest up. Continue to monitor his practice

The Houston Texans will close their facility on Wednesday due to a player testing positive for COVID-19, according to a source. They are testing all other players, but the good news is that the Texans are currently on their bye week. With an extra week to get everything sorted out and to allow the necessary high-risk contacts to quarantine, the Texans should be good to

The Dallas Cowboys have told defensive tackle Dontari Poe and cornerback Daryl Worley that they’ll be released on Wednesday if the team cannot find a trade partner for them, according to sources. With Dallas sitting at 2-5 and with an atrocious defense, they’re making drastic changes. It started on Tuesday when they shipped veteran defensive end Everson Griffen to the Lions in a trade. The

The Miami Dolphins are signing tight end Adam Shaheen to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday that’s worth a maximum value of $7.85 million, including $3.2 million fully guaranteed, according to a source. Shaheen’s deal was set to expire after the 2020 season. The 26-year-old has done very little since the Bears took him in the second round in 2017. He has only 31 catches

The Cincinnati Bengals have told defensive end Carlos Dunlap to stay home rather than coming to practice on Wednesday as they sort out his future, according to sources. The Bengals have had trade talks centered around the disgruntled pass-rusher with the trade deadline approaching next week. The Lions briefly discussed the 31-year-old with Cincinnati before they settled on defensive end Everson Griffen on Tuesday. Dunlap

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy doesn’t intend to bench quarterback Nick Foles in favor of Mitchell Trubisky after the team’s 24-10 Monday night loss to the Rams in Week 7. The Bears are 5-2 but rank 27th in points per game (19.7), 30th in yards per play (4.8), 30th in yards per run (3.8), 29th in yards per pass (5.6), 30th on third-down conversions

Atlanta Falcons wide receivers Julio Jones (hip) and Russell Gage (knee) were both limited in practice on Tuesday. Jones’ injury is new, but the 31-year-old always seems to be fighting through some sort of injury and he should be fine for the Thursday night matchup with the Panthers. The All-Pro wideout missed the Week 5 matchup with Carolina due to an injury, but he should

The San Francisco 49ers reached an injury settlement with wide receiver Tavon Austin (knee) on Tuesday, and he is no longer on their Injured Reserve list. Austin was put on IR before the 2020 regular season started. He spent the last two years in Dallas, recording 21 catches on 37 targets for 317 yards and three touchdowns in 21 games. The eighth overall pick in

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said that rookie third-round safety Terrell Burgess (ankle) broke his ankle in the Monday night win over the Bears and will miss the rest of the season. The 21-year-old will finish his rookie season with eight tackles (seven solo) and one pass defensed in seven games of action. Burgess was taken with the 104th overall pick in April

Because of COVID-19 protocols, the Detroit Lions Defense will not have newly acquired defensive end Everson Griffen available to play in Week 8 against the Colts. Griffen’s debut with Detroit will come on Nov. 8 against the Vikings, the team that he spent the first 10 years of his career with while earning four Pro Bowl nods. The Lions sent a sixth-round draft pick in

San Francisco 49ers running back Tevin Coleman (knee) could be back in the mix as soon as Sunday versus Seattle, with head coach Kyle Shanahan saying that he was hopeful that they’d have Coleman for the game. The 49ers’ backfield has been a constant shuffling endeavor with Raheem Mostert (ankle) and Jeff Wilson Jr. (ankle) both now out of the mix for the foreseeable future.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers has not been much of a season-long fantasy commodity in 2020, aside from superflex leagues in which you can start two QBs. But after a three-touchdown, 371-yard passing performance last weekend, it appears that Rivers has plenty of zing left in his right arm. He gets a middle-of-the-road showdown against Detroit come Sunday, having had ample time to prepare as

New York Giants running back Wayne Gallman may wind up being the bell-cow out of the backfield for Monday’s contest against the Buccaneers after starter Devonta Freeman (ankle) worked on the side during practice Tuesday. Freeman exited the team’s game last Thursday against Philadelphia early, carrying the ball only three times. While Gallman notched his first touchdown of the season when given an increased role,

Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker has multiple factors working against his possible success Sunday against the Rams. The first obvious hurdle is that Tua Tagovailoa is making his first NFL start, with the two needing to establish a rapport. Additionally, Los Angeles has allowed just three touchdowns to opposing receivers this season, with All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey likely to flank Parker for much of

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson had a breakout performance in Week 6 versus Atlanta, snagging nine receptions for 166 yards and two touchdowns. But exceeding the 100-yard plateau was not an anomaly for the rookie, who has already done so in three of his first six career outings. Green Bay presents a stout matchup for Jefferson, who saw just three targets the last time

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has established himself as one of the preeminent TE options across the NFL in 2020, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have a tough test Sunday against Pittsburgh. In three career meetings versus the Steelers, Andrews has yet to find the end zone, and this season the Steelers Defense has allowed just one touchdown to opposing tight ends. Having

Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence is the prohibitive favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, no matter what franchise sits atop the list to acquire his services. But on Tuesday, Lawrence, a junior, said that he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning to the Tigers for his senior season, thereby forgoing next season’s draft. The move could be considered

Cornerback Eli Apple was released by the Panthers on Tuesday after logging 28 defensive snaps during Sunday’s loss to New Orleans. Apple made just four tackles over the course of two games with the Panthers, but the team is already set to move on from the former starter, who has spent the four previous years with the Saints and Giants. Injuries have scuttled Apple’s performance

Denver Broncos defensive tackle Mike Purcell (foot) will miss the remainder of the 2020 season due to a Lisfranc fracture, serving an additional blow to the depth of the Broncos Defense. Purcell, who had started all six games to begin the year, combined for 15 tackles, including two for a loss, while adding one quarterback hit and one sack prior to his season coming to