NFL Player News

Badgley agreed to a contract with the Colts on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

With Spencer Shrader (knee) suffering a season-ending injury in Sunday's 40-6 win over the Raiders, the Colts worked out eight kickers Tuesday. Badgley ultimately emerged from the tryout with a contract, and he'll now have the opportunity to kick for a Colts squad that has fielded a surprisingly prolific offense through the first five weeks. Despite having his day cut short by the injury in Week 5, Shrader had racked up an NFL-high 53 points while knocking down 13 of 14 field-goal tries on the season. With a career 82.4 percent success rate on field goals over stops with five different teams in his career, Badgley can't be counted on to match the accuracy Shrader had displayed, but the 30-year-old should at least benefit from playing his home games indoors. Badgley looks like a worthy pickup in fantasy leagues for managers seeking a fill-in for Shrader or a replacement for a kicker who is on bye or isn't tethered to as formidable of an offense as Indianapolis.

The Ravens signed Gardner-Johnson to the practice squad Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Gardner-Johnson started each of the Texans' first three games this season and played 96 percent of the defensive snaps in that span, but the two sides split ways ahead of Week 4. In Baltimore, Gardner-Johnson will give the Ravens an experienced veteran in their injury-riddled secondary.

Homer (calf) was designated for return from injured reserve by the Bears on Tuesday, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Once he's cleared to play, Homer will be making his 2025 season debut. The veteran running back and special-teams player appeared in 10 regular-season contests last season but carries zero fantasy value.

Booker (knee) was designated for return from injured reserve by Chicago on Tuesday, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

This opens Booker's 21-day practice window for activation. He's yet to appear in a game this season after playing in all 17 regular-season contests as a rookie in 2024.

Sanders could be in line to serve as the direct backup to starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel beginning with Sunday's game in Pittsburgh after the Browns traded Joe Flacco to the Bengals on Tuesday, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

After starting the summer with four quarterbacks, the rebuilding Browns are down to a pair of rookies in Gabriel and Sanders on the active roster after shipping off Kenny Pickett and Flacco in trades. Sanders has been inactive as the Browns' emergency No. 3 quarterback through the first five weeks, but unless the team elects to promote Bailey Zappe from the practice squad to serve as Gabriel's top understudy, Sanders should be in line for the top backup role in Week 6. Though the Browns are expected to proceed with Gabriel as their starter for the foreseeable future, Sanders is expected to play at some point during the 2025 campaign once the coaching staff deems him ready, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Bengals acquired Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Browns on Tuesday in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The trade is the first between the instate rivals since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999, but it's a deal that makes sense for both parties. Flacco was recently demoted to the No. 2 role in Cleveland in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel, but the Bengals could view the 40-year-old as an upgrade over the struggling Jake Browning as their interim starting quarterback while Joe Burrow (toe) remains on injured reserve. Though Flacco threw six interceptions and failed to lead the Browns to more than 17 points in any of his four starts this season prior to being benched, he'll give the Bengals a quarterback capable of getting the football to star wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins while keeping Cincinnati more competitive in the short term. Assuming he can get up to speed quickly with head coach Zac Taylor's playbook as he joins the sixth different team of his career, Flacco should be the favorite to draw the start over Browning in Sunday's game against the Packers.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll said that Slayton (hamstring) won't take part in Tuesday's walk-through practice, Evan Barnes of Newsday reports.

After tweaking his hamstring in Sunday's 26-14 loss to the Saints, Slayton could be hard-pressed to make a full recovery from the injury ahead of the Giants' Week 6 matchup with the Eagles on Thursday night. Daboll suggested that Slayton is trending toward being a game-time decision for Thursday, though the Giants will wait until Wednesday before formally giving the wideout a designation heading into the contest. If Slayton can't rally to play on a short week, the Giants would be left with Wan'Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, Beaux Collins and Gunner Olszewski as their available options at receiver. New York has three receivers on its practice squad (Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Dalen Cambre) as potential candidates for elevation in Week 6.

Ramsey (hamstring) will be limited in practice this week, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Ramsey must have picked up the injury in the Steelers' Week 4 win over the Vikings in Dublin, as he played just 72 percent of the defensive snaps against Minnesota. The Week 5 bye came at a good time for Ramsey, who has 14 tackles (eight solo) and four pass breakups, including one interception, across four appearances this season.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Austin (shoulder) will be a limited participant in practice to begin Week 6 prep, but the wideout could ramp up his workload later in the week and potentially be ready to play Sunday against the Browns, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Austin was forced out early in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' 24-21 win over the Vikings in Dublin in Week 4 due to the shoulder injury, but a Week 5 bye has afforded him some time to heal. Though Tomlin noted that Austin aggressively attacked his rehab over the bye week, the Steelers aren't ready to turn him loose for full contact just yet. However, if Austin is able to advance to full participation Friday in the Steelers' final practice of the week, he should have a good chance at suiting up against Cleveland.

Arnold's second opinion on his injured shoulder revealed that the injury is not as severe as the Lions originally thought, and he's not expected to need season-ending surgery, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Schefter adds that Arnold could return at some point in October, but he's still expected to miss some time. It's still welcomed news for the Lions after coach Dan Campbell stated Monday that Arnold would be sidelined for "a long time." Arnold is needed with D.J. Reed (hamstring) on injured reserve and Khalil Dorsey (concussion) expected to have an extended absence.