NFL Player News
-
Chris Godwin WR | TB
Buccaneers' Chris Godwin: Active in Week 18, despite illness
Godwin (illness) is listed as active Saturday against the Panthers, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Tampa Bay added Godwin to its Week 18 injury report Saturday due to an illness but at the same time didn't give him a game status, implying that he was expected to play. Now that that has been confirmed, Godwin will be available as the Bucs seek a win, plus a Falcons loss or tie to the Saints on Sunday, to officially win the NFC South and thus the No. 4 playoff seed in the conference. He's logged between 64 and 96 percent of the offensive snaps over the last five games en route to a 24-291-2 line on 32 targets during that span.
-
Calijah Kancey DT | TB
Buccaneers' Calijah Kancey: Returns for Week 18
Kancey (pectoral) is active for Saturday's game against the Panthers, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Kancey is set to play in his first game since the Buccaneers' Week 2 win over the Texans, where the defensive end suffered a pectoral injury. The 24-year-old should suit up for rotational snaps with the defensive line behind starters Elijah Roberts and Logan Hall. Kancey logged 7.5 sacks over 12 regular-season games last year, and his return should provide additional depth to the Buccaneers' pass rush.
-
Connor Bazelak QB | TB
Buccaneers' Connor Bazelak: Emergency QB once again
Bazelak (coach's decision) is inactive for Saturday's game against the Panthers but will serve as the Buccaneers' emergency third quarterback, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
Bazelak is set to play his usual role as the No. 3 quarterback behind Baker Mayfield and Teddy Bridgewater. The QB will be able to enter the game only if both quarterbacks on the active roster must exit due to injury, illness or ejection.
-
Sterling Shepard WR | TB
Buccaneers' Sterling Shepard: Healthy scratch for Week 18
Shepard (coach's decision) is inactive for Saturday's game against the Panthers, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Shepard played a key role in the Buccaneers' offense for most of the year, but he will end up missing the final four games of the regular season. That absence has coincided with the returns of Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan from injured reserve, and Shepard will end the 2025 regular season with 39 catches (on 53 targets) for 371 yards and one touchdown while adding four carries for 19 yards across 13 games. The Buccaneers would clinch the NFC South division title with a win Saturday and a Falcons loss to the Saints on Sunday, though Shepard would be unlikely to play in the postseason, barring an injury or absence to Tampa Bay's wide receiver corps.
-
Bryce Oliver WR | TEN
Titans' Bryce Oliver: Activated from IR
The Titans activated Oliver (knee) from injured reserve Saturday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.
Oliver's questionable tag has also been dropped, meaning that he is on track to play against the Jaguars on Sunday, per Wyatt. If he plays, it will be Oliver's first game since Week 2. He figures be the No. 5 receiver behind Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, James Proche and Mason Kinsey.
-
Kemon Hall DB | TB
Titans' Kemon Hall: Joins active roster
The Titans signed Hall from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Hall is coming off back-to-back appearances for the Titans, where he played on both defense and special teams. The 28-year-old could have a similar role in Week 18, looking to add to his season totals of nine solo tackles.
-
Cole Turner TE | MIA
Titans' Cole Turner: Elevated for Week 18
The Titans elevated Turner from the practice squad to the active roster ahead of Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.
Due to the absence of No. 2 tight end Gunnar Helm (toe), Turner has an opportunity to see some snaps in Sunday's divisional contest. The tight end is in line for a blocking role with the offense and special teams units alongside Chig Okonkwo and David Martin-Robinson. If he plays, Sunday will be the first game of Turner's season.
-
Breece Hall RB | NYJ
Jets' Breece Hall: Won't play Week 18
Hall (knee) has been been downgraded from questionable to out for Sunday's game against the Bills.
Hall initially drew the questionable tag for Week 18 after logging back-to-back limited practices Thursday and Friday. The fourth-year running back will end up being sidelined for Sunday's regular-season finale, and with Isaiah Davis (concussion) also ruled out, the Jets' backfield duties will fall upon Khalil Herbert and Kene Nwangwu. Hall will end the 2025 season with 243 carries for 1,065 yards and four touchdowns along with 36 catches (on 48 targets) for 350 yards and one score across 16 games. He will enter the 2026 offseason as a free agent. Coming off the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his NFL career, Hall should garner plenty of interest from teams looking to upgrade their backfield, though the Jets could retain him using the franchise or transition tags.
-
Ali Gaye DE | HOU
Titans' Ali Gaye: Activated off IR
Gaye (knee) was activated off injured reserve Saturday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Gaye hasn't played since suffering a knee injury in the Titans' Week 8 matchup against the Colts. Despite missing Week 17, the 27-year-old has recorded back-to-back weeks of full practice. His injury designation has also been dropped, per Wyatt, so the second-year pro will likely play a depth role at linebacker in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Jaguars.
-
Larrell Murchison DT | LAR
Larrell Murchison: Waived by Rams
Murchison was waived by the Rams on Saturday.
The Rams activated tight end Tyler Higbee off injured reserve Saturday, and with the move, Murchison became the odd man out. The 28-year-old played a depth role on the defensive line this season, totaling 126 snaps on defense and 44 on offense and accounting for eight tackles (two solo), including 2.0 sacks.