NFL Player News

The Rams activated Lake (elbow) from injured reserve Tuesday.

Lake practiced fully Thursday and Friday last week, so it appears he's ready to roll for Saturday afternoon's wild-card matchup against the Panthers. Lake hasn't played since he was injured in Week 11. Across 10 appearances this season, he's logged 61 tackles (37 solo), including 1.0 sacks, 10 pass breakups, including one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on 92 percent of the defensive snaps.

The Texans waived Wallace on Tuesday.

Houston signed Wallace to the 53-man roster from the practice squad Dec. 26, and he handled a starting role on defense for the team in Week 17 and Week 18, totaling nine tackles (seven solo) in those appearances. He could now be a candidate to resurface on the team's practice squad, as the Texans prepare to make a hopeful run during the playoffs.

Miami signed Henning to a reserve/future contract Tuesday.

Henning spent the entire 2025 season on the Dolphins' practice squad, and he was never called upon to suit up for a regular-season game. He's fully served the two-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy he received early December, and will now spend the offseason competing for a depth role with Miami.

The Chargers cut McLachlan from the practice squad Tuesday.

McLachlan's spot on the practice squad will be taken by wide receiver Luke Grimm. A second-year pro, McLachlan ultimately was not elevated to suit up for a regular-season game with Los Angeles in 2025.

The Commanders signed Nash to a reserve/future contract Tuesday, Zach Selby of the team's official site reports.

Nash spent time on the Falcons' practice squad in 2025, and he'll now get a chance to compete for a reserve role with Washington during the offseason. The wide receiver is still looking for an opportunity to make his regular-season debut.

Mevis connected on all three field-goal attempts and all four PAT tries during Sunday's 37-20 victory against the Cardinals.

It was more of the same for Mevis, who has been rock solid since taking over the starting kicker role from Joshua Karty in Week 10. Over his nine games as the starter, Mevis was a perfect 39-for-39 on extra-point tries and 12-for-13 on field-goal attempts, with the lone miss a costly one in overtime against the Seahawks in Week 16. Despite the lone blemish on his record, Mevis has proven to be a reliable option at kicker for the Rams, something they've sorely lacked since the departure of Matt Gay after the 2022 season. The Rams likely will extend a contract offer to Mevis, an exclusive-rights free agent, after the playoffs, but for now he'll prepare for a wild-card round showdown against the Panthers on Saturday.

Smith-Schuster reeled in both of his targets for 13 yards during Sunday's 14-12 defeat to Las Vegas.

Smith-Schuster saw some run early in the season while Rashee Rice was suspended and again at the end with Rice out for the season due to injury, but he also tallied just four catches for 27 yards over seven games in the middle of the season. The veteran wideout finished with only 33 grabs for 345 yards and one touchdown overall and hasn't hit paydirt more than three times in a season since 2020. Smith-Schuster inked just a one-year deal with KC prior to the season, so he'll head into the offseason looking for another deal, whether with the Chiefs or elsewhere.

Horn caught 11 of 15 targets for 108 yards and rushed eight times for 69 yards across 14 regular-season games in 2025.

Horn didn't play an offensive snap until the Week 5 win over the Dolphins and wasn't a major portion of Carolina's offensive game plan during his rookie season. The Colorado product finished the year as the Panthers' 10th-leading receiver and fifth-leading rusher. However, after flashing his blazing speed on a few occasions this season, Horn will likely be more involved in Carolina's offense following the team's 2025 playoff run.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that Love will serve as the team's starting quarterback in Saturday's wild-card game in Chicago, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

After sustaining a concussion in Week 16, Love missed a Week 17 loss to the Ravens and served as the backup to third-string quarterback Clayton Tune in the regular-season finale despite clearing the league's protocol, with nothing on the line for the Packers. According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, LaFleur noted that Love still got in a "mostly normal amount of practice work" last week. The QB will benefit from another full week of practice leading up to Saturday's contest and will be aided by the expected return of right tackle Zach Tom (back), who should be available to play against the Bears after missing the Packers' final three games of the regular season, per Schneidman.

Etienne rushed the ball 20 times for 94 yards and caught all three of his targets for 13 yards across 17 regular-season games in 2025. Additionally, he recorded 733 kickoff return yards and 163 punt return yards.

The 2025 fourth-round pick from Georgia was buried behind Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard in the Panthers' backfield, so it's no surprise he didn't see much work on offense as a rookie. However, Etienne established himself as Carolina's top return man, finishing the regular season 19th in return yards in the NFL. While Dowdle is set to hit unrestricted free agency, the Panthers will still have Hubbard and 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks (knee) under contract next season, so the backfield could remain crowded, but Etienne's special-teams value should at least keep him in the mix.