NFL Player News

Smith (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve by the Texans on Tuesday.

Smith will be forced to miss at least four weeks of action after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. The cornerback has played only seven snaps on defense this season, so his absence will carry more of an impact on Houston's special-teams unit.

The Cardinals placed Johnson (biceps) on injured reserve Tuesday.

The moves comes after Johnson was diagnosed with a torn left biceps that he sustained toward the end of the Cardinals' Week 4 loss to the Giants. He'll spend the rest of the 2026 season on IR and aim to be fully healthy for the start of the 2027 campaign, which will be the final year of his rookie contract. Jayden Williams will be the starting left tackle for now, with Josh Fryar and the recently acquired Jedrick Wills (signed from the Bills' practice squad) providing depth at the position in Johnson's absence.

The Falcons cut Jones from the practice squad Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Jones stuck around with the Falcons on the practice squad after failing to make the team's 53-man roster at the end of training camp. The undrafted rookie is now a free agent, and he should garner some interest from teams looking to add depth to the backfield.

The Chargers designated Taylor (undisclosed) for return to practice from their injured reserve list Tuesday.

The transaction opens a 21-day window during which the Chargers can officially activate Taylor before they'd have to put him back on the shelf for the rest of the year. His activity will be worth looking out for when the club releases its first injury report of the week Wednesday.

Brown recorded one carry for a loss of five yards while also adding 130 kickoff-return yards and a two-yard punt return during Monday night's 45-24 loss to the Falcons.

Brown made his return to action Monday after missing the team's Week 3 loss to Las Vegas while nursing a hamstring injury. The wide receiver logged just three snaps on offense, failing to garner a target against Atlanta. Brown will continue to have no offensive upside barring an injury to another member of the Saints' WR room.

Delp was not targeted during Monday's 45-24 loss versus the Falcons.

Delp did record a solo tackle in punt coverage after New Orleans went three-and-out on its first offensive series, but that was his only mark on the stat sheet in Week 4. On a positive note, he was second on the team in snaps at tight end (23) behind veteran Juwan Johnson (53) with Noah Fant (abdomen) sidelined. His involvement in Week 5 versus the Ravens will likely depend on the availability of Fant.

Lance turned five targets into a seven-yard catch during the Saints' 45-24 loss to the Falcons on Monday.

Lance finished fifth on the Saints in targets from quarterback Tyler Shough, though each of the four misses between the duo came on deep passes. After catching three of four targets for 42 yards in his NFL debut against the Lions in Week 1, Lance has just two catches (on nine targets) for 15 yards over his last three games. He'll continue to operate as the Saints' WR3 behind Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele, though Lance's playing time will take a significant hit once fellow rookie Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) is cleared to return from injured reserve, though Adam notes that Week 7 against the Steelers is the earliest targeted return for Tyson. The Saints will stay at home for Week 5 against the Vikings and their aggressive defense.

Hooper caught his only target for nine yards during Monday's 45-24 win at New Orleans.

The Falcons found little resistance on the ground in Week 4, rushing for 205 yards and five touchdowns as a team. This encouraged them to use their most capable blockers at tight end, and blocking specialist Nick Muse actually played more offensive snaps (17) than Hooper (12) for the first time this season. Hooper will hope to get more usage in a Week 5 matchup versus the Ravens.

Miller rushed six time for nine yards and caught two of three targets while losing a fumble in Monday night's 45-24 loss to Atlanta.

Miller was rumored to be on track for a larger workload in Week 4 after starting running back Travis Etienne (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve. Miller was only on the field for 26 percent of the team's offensive snaps, which could have been as a result of a first-quarter fumble that Atlanta ultimately recovered. Veteran Alvin Kamara was on the field for 41 percent of the offensive snaps, turning seven carries into 23 yards and two scores while also reeling in five of seven targets for 35 yards in the contest. It appears as if Miller will operate as the No. 2 option behind Kamara in Etienne's absence, making him a low-upside fantasy option.

Donaldson logged three carries for 18 yards and caught both of his targets for five yards during the Saints' 45-24 loss to the Falcons on Monday. He also added a tackle on special teams.

All of Donaldson's offensive production came on the Saints' final drive of the contest, when the game was already well out of reach. His 28 offensive snaps ended up being tied with Alvin Kamara for most among Saints running backs, with Kendre Miller (19) not far behind. Donaldson was more efficient with his touches than both Kamara and Miller, but for as much as the Saints' run game struggled in the absence of Travis Etienne (hamstring), it's hard to envision Donaldson as the lead back in New Orleans for the foreseeable future. That said, if Donaldson is trusted by head coach Kellen Moore as a backfield blocker on pass protection, then he could operate in an elevated role in Week 5 against the Vikings and their blitz-happy defense under defensive coordinator Brian Flores.