NFL Player News

The Jets signed Hooker to the active roster from the practice squad Saturday.

Hooker was elevated to the active roster in Week 17 and served as the backup to Brady Cook. With Tyrod Taylor (knee) questionable, Hooker could serve in the same capacity in Week 18 against the Bills.

Evans brought in both targets for 34 yards in the Buccaneers' 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday.

Evans contributed 21- and 13-yard gains on his pair of catches, but the Panthers did a good job overall on limiting receiver production, which opened up plenty of opportunity for tight end Cade Otton. It was a quiet finish to an injury-shortened season for Evans, who appeared in a career-low eight games and posted a 30-368-3 line on 62 targets. The talented veteran will look to continue his season in next weekend's wild-card round, which will be made possible if the Saints tie or defeat the Falcons on Sunday.

The Seahawks elevated Akers from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, John Boyle of the team's official site reports.

Akers has spent the last five weeks with the Seahawks and has been elevated to the active roster for the last three contests. He has played exclusively on special teams in the first two of those games and is likely to see a similar role in Saturday's NFC West showdown.

Nunez-Roches (ankle) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Nunez-Roches has missed the last four games with the ankle injury and had already been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Cowboys. He appeared in only nine games and managed 23 total tackles with 3.0 sacks in 2025.

Flott (knee) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Flott had already been ruled out for Sunday's season finale against the Cowboys, so this move was just a formality. He tallied 38 total tackles with one interception and one forced fumble across 14 games in 2025.

Dowdle rushed seven times for 10 yards and brought in both targets for 20 yards in the Panthers' 16-14 loss to the Buccaneers on Saturday. He also lost a fumble and recovered another.

Neither Dowdle nor Chuba Hubbard had any success against the Buccaneers' stout defensive front, with each back netting only 10 rushing yards. Dowdle made an impact with a 25-yard grab on one of his catches, while his other reception resulted in a five-yard loss. Additionally, his lost fumble came early in the fourth quarter at the Buccaneers' 24-yard line on a botched trick play, and while it didn't lead to points since Chase McLaughlin had a 38-yard field-goal attempt blocked, it certainly robbed Carolina of what seemed to be a high-percentage scoring opportunity. Despite the disappointing finale, Dowdle had plenty of important contributions in his first Panthers season on his way to 1,076 rushing yards and six touchdowns alongside a 39-297-1 receiving line over 17 games, and he'll continue to play a key role in next weekend's wild-card round if the Falcons defeat the Saints on Sunday and make the Panthers the NFC South champions in the process.

Young completed 24 of 35 passes for 266 yards with two touchdowns and one interception and rushed twice for minus-1 yard in the Panthers' 16-14 loss to the Buccaneers on Saturday. He also committed a fumble recovered by Carolina.

Young finished with an exponentially more aesthetic stat line than in his forgettable 54-yard performance against the Seahawks in a Week 17 loss, but the end result was still the same for his team. The third-year signal-caller spread the ball around plenty, connecting with nine different targets. Young hit Tommy Tremble and Jalen Coker for his pair of eight-yard scoring tosses, while his one interception came on the first play after the two-minute warning in the first half at Tampa Bay's 42-yard line and led to a Bucs field goal. Young's passing yardage total was his second highest since Week 3, and he wraps up the 2025 regular season with career highs in completion percentage (63.6), passing yardage (3,011), touchdown passes (23) and interceptions (11) across 16 games. Young and his teammates will pull for the Falcons to defeat the Saints on Sunday and make the Panthers the NFC South champions in the process, thereby allowing them to continue their season in next weekend's wild-card round.

Mayfield completed 16 of 22 passes for 203 yards with a touchdown and an interception and rushed four times for 31 yards in the Buccaneers' 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday. He also fumbled once but recovered.

Mayfield averaged an impressive 9.2 yards per attempt while connecting with both Mike Evans and Cade Otton for passes of 20-plus yards. The veteran signal-caller's only touchdown toss came early on, as he connected with Otton from 18 yards out to cap off a nine-play game-opening drive. Mayfield repeatedly focused on Otton throughout the afternoon for several more productive gains, although his one interception in the second quarter at his own 39-yard line did lead to a Panthers touchdown. Mayfield wraps up the 2025 regular season with the lowest completion percentage (63.2) and passing yardage total (3,693) of his three-year Buccaneers tenure, but he and his teammates will be pulling for the Saints to defeat or tie the Falcons on Sunday in order to be able to continue playing in next weekend's wild-card round as the NFC South champions.

Otton secured seven of nine targets for 94 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday.

Otton comfortably set the pace for the Buccaneers in receptions, receiving yards and targets, and the middle figure was also a new season high. The fourth-year pro delivered multiple key catches, including an 18-yard TD grab to open the scoring in the first quarter, as well as a 20-yard reception just before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter that helped Tampa Bay burn some precious time while nursing a two-point lead. Otton's touchdown was his first of the season, and he finished the 2025 regular-season campaign with a career-high-tying 59 receptions and the second-highest receiving yardage total of his four seasons (572).

Irving rushed 26 times for 85 yards and brought in one of two targets for 13 yards in the Buccaneers' 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday.

Irving proved capable of handling a true workhorse role, logging a new career high in rush attempts. As his final implies, the Panthers made the second-year back work hard for his yards, but Irving was able to move the chains on five occasions, certainly a critical stat in what turned out to be a narrow win. Irving finishes his injury-hampered regular season with 588 rushing yards at just 3.4 yards per carry, but he'll have a chance for better production in the wild-card round next weekend if the Saints can upend or tie the Falcons on Sunday.