NFL Player News

Head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Johnson "probably" won't be returning kickoffs against the Patriots in Week 3, Brooke Pryor of ESPN reports.

Johnson saw just six snaps (two on offense, four on special teams) during the Steelers' 31-17 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday. Despite the limited playing time, he made a big impact in a bad way by failing to retrieve a kickoff return into the end zone, which led to George Holani recovering the ball for a Seattle touchdown. Johnson has turned two carries into minus-1 yard over the first two games of the regular season, and depsite plenty of preseason hype, the 2025 third-round pick is far from being relevant in the Steelers' offense behind Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell on the backfield depth chart.

The Rams signed Brown to a one-year contract Tuesday, Stu Jackson of the team's official site reports.

The move gives the Rams additional depth at corner after Ahkello Witherspoon (collarbone) was placed on injured reserve Monday. Brown was part of the 49ers' training-camp roster but was cut with an injury settlement in early September after suffering a heel injury. The 2021 fourth-rounder logged 26 tackles (21 solo) and one pass defense across 13 regular-season games in 2024 as a member of the Seahawks.

Overshown told reporters Monday that he's "feeling good" about his recovery from a from a severe injury from the 2024 season and noted, "I feel like I'll be playing football before Thanksgiving with the team," Joe Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Overshown started the season on the active/PUP list while recovering from a torn ACL, MCL and PCL that he suffered in December. He's unlikely to be available to return when first eligible (Week 5 against the Jets on Sunday, Oct. 5), but a mid-November return is in the cards for the 2023 third-rounder. Damone Clark and Marist Liufau will continue to see snaps at linebacker for as long as Overshown is sidelined.

Head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters Tuesday that Highsmith (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Patriots, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Highsmith suffered a high ankle sprain during the Steelers' 31-17 loss to the Seahawks this past Sunday. High ankle sprains typically mean a multiweek absence, though it appears Highsmith's injury isn't that severe, as Tomlin relayed Monday that the 2020 third-rounder is not expected to spend time on injured reserve, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Nick Herbig will likely step into a starting role opposite T.J. Watt, and Jack Sawyer should see an uptick in defensive snaps in a rotational edge role for as long as Highsmith is sidelined. Highsmith's next opportunity to suit up is Week 4 against the Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 28.

The Bengals signed Pryor to the practice squad Tuesday.

Pryor was cut by the Bengals at the end of training camp in late August but will get another shot with the team on the practice squad. He appeared in two regular-season games for Cincinnati in 2024, playing 24 snaps (19 on offense, five on special teams) and logging one catch for nine yards and 43 kick return yards. Pryor is a candidate to be elevated to the active roster if there is an injury to the Bengals' wide-receiver corps or return unit.

The Bengals signed Clifford to the practice squad Tuesday.

Clifford was unable to make the Packers' active roster at the end of training camp. However, the 2023 fifth-rounder has a new opportunity in Cincinnati, where he and Mike White will join the practice squad after Brett Rypien was promoted to the active roster to serve as the QB2 behind Jake Browning. Clifford appeared in two regular-season games in 2023 with the Packers but did not start in either of those contests.

The Vikings plan to place Jones (hamstring) on injured reserve Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell had already indicated that Jones was on track to sit out Sunday's game against the Bengals after straining his hamstring in the Week 2 loss to the Falcons, but the veteran running back will now have to miss at least four games while he heads to IR. Minnesota added Cam Akers to its practice squad Tuesday to bolster its backfield depth, but Jordan Mason looks set to operate as the Vikings' clear No. 1 running back in Jones' absence. Over the first two games of the season, Jones had been part of a timeshare with Mason, playing fewer than half the offensive snaps in both contests while carrying 13 times for 46 yards and adding three catches for 44 yards and a touchdown on four targets.

The Bengals signed White to the practice squad Tuesday.

The Bengals added both White and Sean Clifford to the practice squad in the wake of Joe Burrow (toe) being placed on injured reserve. Brett Rypien was promoted to the active roster and will serve as Jake Browning's backup, but White or Clifford could eventually challenge Rypien for QB2 duties. White was cut by the Bills in late August after failing to beat out Mitchell Trubisky for the backup role behind Josh Allen. White has appeared in 15 regular-season games (seven starts) since being selected by the Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Carlson went 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts during Monday's 20-9 loss to the Chargers.

The Raiders' offense was limited to just 218 total net yards in Monday's loss, but Carlson put the team on the board with field goals from 54, 40 and 37 yards. The veteran kicker has started the season 5-for-6 on field-goal tries and 2-for-2 on PATs. Next up for the Raiders is a tough road game against the Commanders on Sunday.

Dicker made both of his field-goal attempts and went 2-for-2 on extra-point tries during the Chargers' 20-9 win over the Raiders on Monday.

All four of Dicker's kicks came from within 40 yards, with his 38-yard try early in the first quarter being his longest kick. He hasn't attempted a field goal more than 40 yards, but his distance has never been an issue as he went 16-for-20 across the 2023 and 2024 regular seasons. Dicker's leg will be needed in the Chargers' Week 3 contest against a Broncos defense that yielded five field goals to Spencer Shrader across the Colts' seven offensive scoring drives in Week 2.