NFL Player News

Westbrook-Ikhine hauled in his lone target for a one-yard gain in Monday's 27-21 win over the Jets.

Westbrook-Ikhine's 47 percent snap share placed him behind fellow wideouts Jaylen Waddle (90 percent) and Malik Washington (48 percent), but the workloads for both Westbrook-Ikhine and Washington should rise with Tyreek Hill having suffered a season-ending knee injury during the contest. While Westbrook-Ikhine had nine touchdowns in 17 games with the Titans in 2024, the scoring output came on just 32 catches and 60 targets, making it tough to rely on him repeating that sort of production even if his snaps increase dramatically in the weeks to come. Waddle, Washington, running back De'Von Achane and tight end Darren Waller are all likely to be higher priorities in the passing game than Westbrook-Ikhine, who has earned plaudits mainly for his blocking rather than his receiving abilities through his first six NFL seasons.

Autry (knee) is expected to be activated this week, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Week 5 is the first week that Autry is eligible to come off the physically unable to perform list. Once the club makes his activation official, Autry's 21-day window will begin. The veteran defensive end recorded 13 tackles and 3.0 sacks over 10 games as a backup in 2024. Autry missed six contests last season in violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Reed (ankle) is expected to be activated from the injured reserve list this week, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

This is the first week that Reed is eligible to return, after he opened the season on the IR with a designation to return. If the Texans eventually make it official, Reed's 21-day window will kick in. Once Reed is ready to return to the field, the 2025 sixth-round draft pick is expected to be a backup on defense and serve as a regular on special teams. Reed was initially hurt in training camp during a special teams portion of practice.

Stroud's pre-snap reads were instrumental to the 24-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Higgins in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 26-0 win over the Titans in Week 4, Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Warren gets into the weeds, outlining the pre-snap reads, adjustments and execution of the play, but the main point is that Stroud may have found his groove in the new offense. That offense, put in place by new offensive coordinator Nick Caley, involves Stroud taking more control. It may have taken three-and-a-half games to click in, as the quarterback completed 11 of 13 attempts (eight different targets) for 144 yards while directing touchdown drives on successive possessions from late in the third quarter and into the fourth. Following an ugly 0-3 start and head coach DeMeco Ryans' defense of Caley, Stroud's intuition and execution of the offense may extend forward to Week 5 on the road against the Ravens.

Washington reeled in two of three targets for 13 yards and added eight yards on two carries in Monday's 27-21 win over the Jets.

Washington started and was on the field for 28 of the Dolphins' 58 offensive plays (48 percent), but his snap share appears destined to rise in the upcoming weeks after star wideout Tyreek Hill sustained a season-ending knee injury during Monday's contest. Jaylen Waddle is expected to settle in as the clear No. 1 target for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sans Hill, but fellow receivers Washington and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as well as running back De'Von Achane and tight end Darren Waller could all see their profiles in the passing game expand to varying degrees.

Hickman recorded nine tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage, in Sunday's 34-10 loss to the Lions in Week 4.

That was a career-high number of tackles for Hickman who topped the Browns and has 22 stops through the first four weeks. The 2023 undrafted free agent is poised to blow past the 45 tackles he recorded last season. Hickman has played every defensive snap in 2025 while also working on special teams and should reach new playing-time levels by midseason if healthy.

Hill was diagnosed with multiple ligament tears, including one to his ACL, after dislocating his left knee during Monday's 27-21 win over the Jets, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Hill is slated to undergo surgery Tuesday, and based on the severity of his injury, the wideout is facing a lengthy recovery process that could extend into the start of the 2026 season. In the looming absence of Hill, Malik Washington and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine are candidates to see added snaps at receiver alongside new No. 1 wideout Jaylen Waddle, while running back De'Von Achane and tight end Darren Waller could also be in line for expanded pass-game roles. In addition to his surgery Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes that Hill could require additional procedures to address the extensive damage to his knee. The 31-year-old is under contract at a non-guaranteed salary of $29.9 million for 2026, though $11 million will become fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster by the third day of the new league year in March.

Wilson finished Sunday's 24-21 victory versus the Vikings with 13 tackles (eight solo).

Wilson paced Pittsburgh with his 13 stops, which represented a career high. It was the second time in three weeks that he's hit the double-digit tackle mark after doing so twice during the regular season as a rookie last year. Wilson has seen his role grow in 2025, as he's logged over 85 percent of the Steelers' defensive snaps three times through four weeks.

Watt registered five tackles (three solo), including 1.0 sacks, and intercepted a pass Sunday in a 24-21 win over the Vikings in Week 4.

Watt made back-to-back big plays in the third quarter when Minnesota was in Pittsburgh territory. First, he sacked Carson Wentz for a five-yard loss on second down. Then, on the next play, he intercepted Wentz and brought the ball back 13 yards to help set up a Steelers touchdown. Watt was held sackless through two weeks but now was 3.0 sacks over his past two games.

Queen registered 11 tackles, including 1.0 sacks, in Sunday's 24-21 victory versus the Vikings.

In addition to the sack he registered, Queen had two more tackles for loss. His sack was a first-quarter takedown of Carson Wentz on a third-down play to hold Minnesota to a field-goal attempt. Queen has been productive to begin the campaign with 35 stops and two defensed passes through four weeks.