NFL Player News

Adkins (knee) did not participate in Tuesday's walkthrough practice, Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post reports.

Adkins has suited up in consecutive games after missing five due to a knee injury, which he potentially reaggravated last Sunday against the Jaguars. The tight end left in the first half and was unable to return to the game, a report that, combined with Tuesday's practice participation, does not bode well for his chances of playing in Thursday night's game against the Chiefs. Adkins will have one more chance to increase his participation level in the hopes of avoiding an injury designation ahead of Thursday's contest.

The Patriots signed Smith to the practice squad Tuesday.

Smith was waived from the Jets' practice squad Dec. 2. The former Jet may have a chance for a revenge game this Sunday, as the wide receiver is a prime candidate for practice squad elevation with Kayshon Boutte (concussion) and DeMario Douglas (hamstring) both nursing injuries ahead of the contest.

The Vikings claimed Rypien off waivers Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Rypien was cut by the Colts on Monday and lands in a familiar place after he spent the offseason with the Vikings. With J.J. McCarthy (hand) out for Saturday's game against the Lions, Rypien is a veteran backup option to undrafted rookie Max Brosmer. Rypien last attempted a regular-season pass in 2023 with the Rams.

The Patriots placed Farmer (hamstring) on injured reserve Tuesday.

Farmer suffered the injury in Sunday night's win over the Ravens and will now miss the final two games of the regular season and at least the first two games of the playoffs. The fourth-round rookie defensive tackle has appeared in 13 games this season, making three starts, and has recorded 15 tackles (seven solo), one pass breakup and one fumble recovery.

The Patriots signed Mitchell to the practice squad Tuesday.

Mitchell was waived by the Chiefs last Saturday and has already found a new home. The running back has a chance to be elevated for Week 17 against the Jets due to the Patriots' starting back TreVeyon Henderson (concussion) potentially not clearing the league's five-step concussion protocol in time for Sunday's game.

The Cardinals placed Williams (Achilles) on injured reserve Tuesday.

Williams is believed to have suffered a torn Achilles in Sunday's loss to the Falcons, requiring a cart to the locker room in the first quarter. A third-round pick in the 2023 Draft, Williams developed into a starting cornerback for Arizona and started all 10 games in which he appeared this season, recording 46 tackles (25 solo), five pass breakups, including one interception, and one forced fumble.

The Cardinals signed Karty off the Rams' practice squad Tuesday, Darren Urban of Arizona's official site reports.

Karty lost out of the Rams' kicking job after missing five of 15 field-goal attempts through the first eight games of the season, but the 23-year-old converted a more palatable 79.6 percent of his attempts through his first two NFL campaigns. The Rams thought enough of Karty to stash him on their practice squad once he cleared waivers in late November, but the Cardinals will bring him aboard and see if he can provide an upgrade over Chad Ryland. Expect the two to compete for the Cardinals' kicking duties throughout Week 17 prep in advance of Sunday's game in Cincinnati, after Ryland missed field-goal tries of 50 and 44 yards in a Week 16 loss to Atlanta.

The Cardinals placed Nolen (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday.

Nolen suffered a noncontact left knee injury during Sunday's loss to the Falcons and had to be carted off the field. The exact nature of his injury isn't yet clear, but Nolen will miss the final two games of the season. This comes after Nolen missed the first seven games of his rookie campaign dealing with a significant calf injury. Through six games as a rookie, Nolen racked up 11 tackles (eight solo), including 2.0 sacks, two pass breakups and one fumble recovery across 169 defensive snaps.

Ryland is facing competition for the Cardinals' kicking job heading into Sunday's game at Cincinnati after Arizona signed Joshua Karty off the Rams' practice squad Tuesday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

Ryland converted field goals at an 87.5 percent clip in 2024, but the third-year kicker has seen his performance take a step back this season. After missing field-goal tries of 50 and 44 yards in this past Sunday's 26-19 loss to the Falcons, Ryland has now knocked down just 23 of 31 attempts through 15 games in 2025. Ryland is set to be a restricted free agent this offseason and hasn't made a strong case to be retained, so the Cardinals could see if Karty can provide an upgrade at the position over the final two weeks of the campaign.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday that the Browns will not activate Watson (Achilles) from the reserve/PUP list this season, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Watson tore his right Achilles tendon in October of last season, then subsequently re-ruptured the tendon and required another surgery Jan. 9. The veteran quarterback had made enough progress in his recovery for the Browns to clear him to practice Dec. 3, but Watson was always viewed as a longshot to be activated at any point in 2025. With his 21-day evaluation window officially coming to a close Tuesday, Watson wasn't reinstated and won't be eligible to practice with the team over the final two weeks of the season. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Cleveland is expected to keep Watson on the roster in 2026, the final year of his five-year, $230 million deal. Watson hasn't played in a game since Week 10 of the 2024 campaign, and it's unclear if the Browns will seriously consider him for a starting role if he's indeed on the team next season.