NFL Player News

Bernard (ankle) is active for Sunday's game against the Panthers.

Bernard picked up an ankle injury during the Bills' Week 6 loss to the Falcons, which limited his practice participation during Week 8 prep. He's gone through pregame warmups without issue, and the 2022 third-rounder has been cleared to play in Sunday's road contest. Bernard's availability is crucial for a Bills linebacker corps that will be without Matt Milano (pectoral) for the fourth time in five games.

Milano (pectoral) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Panthers.

Despite the extra rest courtesy of the Week 7 bye, Milano will miss a second consecutive game to a pectoral injury that he aggravated during the Bills' Week 5 loss to the Patriots. Shaq Thompson will continue to work in an expanded role in the Bills' defense for as long as Milano is sidelined.

Gifford is active for Sunday's game against the Texans.

Gifford was a limited participant at practice Friday with a hamstring injury but has since been cleared of any injury designation and is active for Sunday's contest. The linebacker has been a consistent special teams presence, contributing 144 snaps already this season. His presence will provide added depth to the team in a tough matchup.

Smith (hamstring) is active for Sunday's game against the 49ers.

The Texans activated Smith from injured reserve Saturday after the rookie third-rounder ended the week with back-to-back full practices. He was still listed as questionable for Week 8, but he's been officially cleared to make his return after going through pregame warmups. Prior to his injury, Smith saw most of his work on special teams while also contributing to the secondary in a rotational role and logged four tackles (two solo) across two regular-season games.

Hendrickson (hip) is active for Sunday's game against the Jets.

The 30-year-old received the questionable tag after sitting out Friday's practice due to the hip issue that sidelined him for Week 7, but he's been cleared to take the field versus New York. Hendrickson has recorded 15 total tackles, including 4.0 sacks, through six games this season.

Wilson will back up Tua Tagovailoa during Sunday's game against the Falcons, with Quinn Ewers serving as the emergency No. 3 QB.

Wilson and Ewers switched roles last week, but the former had been the primary backup for the first six weeks of the season. Wilson has appeared in only one game this season, completing five of eight passes for 32 yards and rushing once for three yards across nine offensive snaps in Week 1.

Autry (knee) is active for Sunday's game against San Francisco.

Despite not practicing Friday, Autry has been cleared to play in Week 8 after going through pregame warmups without issue. He made his 2025 regular-season debut in Week 7 against the Seahawks, when he logged two solo tackles, including 1.0 sacks, while playing 10 snaps on defense.

Allgeier (hip/knee) is active for Sunday's game versus the Dolphins, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

After a week in which he was limited in all three practices due to hip and knee injuries and listed as questionable, Allgeier will be available to a Falcons offense Week 8 that will be led by QB Kirk Cousins, who is getting a spot start for the injured Michael Penix (knee). Allgeier has averaged just 3.6 YPC on his 57 rushes in six contests this season, but he could take advantage of the touches that don't go to top RB Bijan Robinson against a Miami defense that has allowed the fourth-most YPC (5.2) to opposing running backs in 2025.

Williams (shoulder) is active for Sunday's game against the Bengals.

The Jets activated Williams from injured reserve Saturday, and the 2019 third-rounder has been officially cleared to return from a four-game absence due to a shoulder injury. He'll likely see a heavy dose of defensive snaps in his return, which means there will be less opportunities for Ja'Markis Weston and Mykal Walker to see the field on defense.

Cousins will start Sunday's game against the Dolphins with Michael Penix (knee) inactive, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Penix came out of last Sunday's defeat in San Francisco with a bone bruise in his knee that limited him in practice Wednesday through Friday and resulted in a questionable tag for Week 8 action. Adam Schefter of ESPN then reported Saturday morning that Cousins likely was going to start for Penix, before reporting later Saturday that Cousins was in line to direct the Falcons offense this weekend. With Penix's lack of availability confirmed, Cousins will earn his first start since Week 15 of last season, but he'll be without top WR Drake London due to a hip injury.