NFL Player News

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Njoku (knee) is not in line to practice Wednesday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Njoku wasn't able to practice prior to being ruled out for Cleveland's loss to the Bears in Week 15, but Stefanski indicated he and the rest of the Browns' injured players are "trending in the right direction" for Sunday's contest against Buffalo, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. If Njoku manages to gain clearance in time to return to action Week 16, he'll resume operating as the No. 2 tight end behind rookie Harold Fannin.

Melton failed to corral his lone target while playing nine of the Packers' 66 snaps on offense in Sunday's 34-26 loss to the Broncos.

After hauling in a deep ball from Jordan Love for a 45-yard touchdown in the Packers' Week 14 win over the Bears, Melton was held quiet Sunday during his limited time on the field. Green Bay listed fellow wideouts Christian Watson (chest/shoulder) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) as non-participants Tuesday on its first Week 16 practice report, so Melton could be in line for a slight uptick in snaps if either or both players aren't available for Saturday's rematch with the Bears in Chicago.

McKee rushed once for nine yards and completed all three of his pass attempts for 33 yards in Sunday's 31-0 win over the Raiders.

With the Eagles building a comfortable lead by the early part of the fourth quarter, head coach Nick Sirianni opted to hold Jalen Hurts out for the final possession of the afternoon and turned over the offense to McKee. The backup signal-caller proceeded to lead a 17-play drive that chewed up 11:22 of game time but ultimately stalled out deep in Raiders territory on a failed 4th-and-goal run by Tank Bigsby. The appearance was just the second of the campaign for McKee, who is unlikely to get extended run over the final three games of the regular season unless Hurts misses time due to injury or is rested in Week 18 if the Eagles' playoff positioning is secure.

Ewers will start Sunday's game against the Bengals with the Dolphins having decided to bench Tua Tagovailoa, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Ewers, a rookie seventh-round pick, will get the chance to draw his first NFL start in place of Zach Wilson, who has operated as Miami's backup for the majority of the 2025 campaign. Per Rapoport, Ewers' opportunity comes as the result of his simply looking more impressive than Wilson in practices. The former Texas standout compiled significant experience as a starter in college and would doubtless have come off the board earlier in the 2025 NFL Draft had it not been for injury concerns, and he now gets a favorable matchup against Cincinnati's vulnerable defense. It's conceivable Ewers may be playing for more than just short-term opportunity, as the Dolphins' decision to bench Tagovailoa with three games left in the regular season signals potential long-term uncertainty despite his having signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract last summer.

Covey went without a target while playing four of the Eagles' 69 snaps on offense in Sunday's 31-0 win over the Raiders. He also returned three punts for 22 yards.

Sunday's contest marked the first time Covey received snaps on offense in his three appearances since the Eagles signed him off their practice squad Nov. 27. The 28-year-old is merely a depth piece at receiver and will continue to offer most of his value in the return game.

Calcaterra hauled in his lone target for a four-yard reception while playing 37 of 69 offensive snaps in Sunday's 31-0 win over the Raiders.

Though he saw ample playing time behind top tight end Dallas Goedert in the blowout win, Calcaterra was deployed primarily as a blocker, as he ran just six routes on the afternoon. That's been par for the course for Calcaterra throughout the season; he's logged double-digit snaps in all but one of his 12 appearances but has just six catches for 52 yards on nine targets.

Miami plans to bench Tagovailoa for Sunday's game against the Bengals and start rookie Quinn Ewers at quarterback instead, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Tagovailoa's tenure as the Dolphins' starting quarterback comes to an end at least temporarily, and this move could certainly signal long-term upheaval for the team during the offseason. Head coach Mike McDaniel indicated after Miami's 28-15 loss to the Steelers on Monday that Tagovailoa's recent level of play has been unacceptable, as in his last four appearances the 2020 first-round pick has averaged under 200 passing yards per game and compiled just three touchdowns to go with two interceptions. Ewers will get a favorable matchup versus Cincinnati's reeling defense in his first NFL start, but key fantasy options such as RB De'Von Achane, WR Jaylen Waddle, and TE Darren Waller now face more uncertainty in terms of their respective production floors heading into Week 16. Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract last summer and has $54 million guaranteed in 2026 alone, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, but it nonetheless seems entirely possible that the Dolphins explore making a change at the quarterback position this offseason. It's possible Zach Wilson operates as the backup to Ewers, relegating Tagovailoa to third-string duties for the final three games of the regular season.

Wilson went without a target while playing 10 of the Dolphins' 50 snaps on offense in Monday's 28-15 loss to the Steelers.

After being a healthy inactive in Weeks 6 and 7 once he overcame a knee injury, Wilson has suited up in seven consecutive games for Miami. However, Wilson has yet to carve out much of a role in the passing game and hasn't played more than one-third of the offensive snaps in any of his appearances. He's thus far been limited to three catches for 25 yards on four targets over his seven outings.

Eskridge went without a target while playing eight of the Dolphins' 50 snaps offense and returned three kickoffs for 74 yards in Monday's 28-15 loss to the Steelers.

Eskridge's 16 percent offensive snap share placed him fifth among Dolphins wideouts, trailing Jaylen Waddle (84 percent), Malik Washington (56), Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (36) and Cedrick Wilson (20). The fifth-year receiver should continue to be active on game days due to his role as a return man, but he's not expected to see much involvement on offense over the final three games of the campaign.

Manhertz went without a target while playing four of the Giants' 68 snaps on offense in Sunday's 29-21 loss to the Commanders.

Manhertz has suited up for all 14 of the Giants' games this season but has seen more playing time on special teams than offense in recent weeks. Even on the occasion the reserve tight end takes the field with the offense, he's almost exclusively deployed as a blocker. Manhertz has drawn just one target all season, which came back in Week 3.