NFL Player News

James (hamstring) suffered a setback in his recovery and will likely miss Sunday's game against the Rams, Eric Smith of the Chargers' official site reports.

James is a candidate for injured reserve and could be out for some time with a persistent hamstring injury. The star strong safety has also been discussed in trade rumors as the 0-6 Chargers' season appears to be all but over. Tony Jefferson is set to start at strong safety in Sunday's game against the Rams.

Franklin (shin) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Panthers, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

Franklin is considered week-to-week due to a hairline fracture in his leg, and the injury will cause him to miss a second consecutive game. Isaiah McDuffie and Ty'Ron Hopper will continue to serve as the Packers' starters at inside linebacker in the absence of Franklin, whose next chance to play is Week 9 against the Patriots on Sunday, Nov. 8.

Coach Ben Johnson said Wednesday that Bryant (knee) will start running again in the "near future," Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Johnson said that Bryant's timeline for return is still indefinite, but it still looks like a possibility he could be back on the field as soon as December or January. He is recovering from a knee surgery he underwent back in August after he suffered a hyperextension during training camp. Per Cronin, he is still on a 4-6 month timeline to return.

The Rams signed Karty to the practice squad Wednesday.

The addition of Karty gives the Rams additional depth at the kicker position in case current starter Brandon McManus were to miss time. Karty was a sixth-round selection of the Rams in the 2024 NFL Draft but lost his starting job to Harrison Mavis in November of 2025 before eventually being waived by the team later in the month.

Evans (triceps) has been ruled out ahead of Thursday night's game against the Packers.

Evans logged three consecutive DNPs in Week 8 prep. The cornerback was unable to overcome his new injury during the Panthers' short week, leaving him sidelined for Thursday's contest. Will Lee and Chau Smith-Wade are now the only cornerbacks on the Panthers' active roster, meaning multiple defensive backs will likely be elevated to the active roster for Thursday's game.

The Bills designated Shavers (knee) to return from the reserve/PUP list Wednesday, but he will not play against the Ravens on Sunday, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Shavers has progressed enough in his recovery from a torn ACL to return to practice, and he was a limited participant in Wednesday's session. Shavers saw his role in the Bills' offense steadily increase over the course of the 2025 season before suffering his injury in the wild-card round against the Jaguars in January. His next opportunity to play is Week 9 against the Vikings on Monday, Nov. 9.

The Cardinals signed Jones to the practice squad Wednesday.

Jones spent the final week of training camp with the Texans but was unable to crack the 53-man roster. He's now with the Cardinals as a member of the practice squad and would be a candidate for elevation to the active roster if Arizona was in need of depth at wide receiver. Jones played in eight regular-season games for the Cardinals in 2025 before being placed on injured reserve in mid-November due to an Achilles injury.

Phillips (hamstring) has been ruled out ahead of Thursday night's game against the Packers.

Phillips did not practice at all during the Panthers' Week 8 prep. The linebacker aggravated a hamstring injury in the team's Week 6 win over the Eagles and continues to pay the price. It is unclear whether Phillips is tracking to return to practice ahead of Week 9 or will need to miss even more time due to the injury.

The Vikings placed Briscoe (undisclosed) on their practice squad injured list Wednesday.

It's not immediately clear exactly what happened, but as a result of the move, Briscoe will not be eligible for elevation to the active roster for Minnesota's next four games. He's still waiting to make his regular-season debut since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in May.

Head coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday that Kinlaw (knee) is "unlikely" to play against the Eagles on Sunday, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site reports.

Kinlaw injured his knee during the first half of the Commanders' Week 6 loss against the 49ers. He had additional time to recover thanks to the Week 7 bye, but it looks like the veteran defensive lineman will not play in Sunday's NFC East tilt. Charles Omenihu (groin/ankle), Shy Tuttle and Deatrich Wise would all be in line for more defensive snaps if Kinlaw is indeed ruled out.