NFL Player News

Whyle (concussion) will be a limited participant in Tuesday's practice, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Whyle missed the Packers' Week 16 overtime loss to the Bears due to the concussion he sustained in the Week 15 loss to the Broncos. The tight end's potential return for Week 17 comes at a perfect time, as Tucker Kraft (ACL) and John FitzPatrick (Achilles) both have suffered season-ending injuries, leaving Luke Musgrave as the sole healthy tight end on the 53-man roster. If Whyle can clear the league's concussion protocol in time for Saturday's game against the Ravens, he will likely have a spot as the tight end No. 2, set to contribute in both the passing game as a receiver and the run game as a blocker.

The Chargers signed Freeman to the practice squad Tuesday.

Freeman was waived Dec. 16 to make room for safety Marcus Maye but quickly finds himself back on the practice squad. The signing of fellow running back Jaret Patterson to the active roster due to the injury to Kimani Vidal (neck) seems to have cleared up a roster spot that the Chargers thought best used on additional depth at the position.

Head coach Matt LaFleur said that Willis (shoulder) will be a limited participant in Tuesday's practice, Weston Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

After Jordan Love (concussion) was forced out of this past Saturday's loss to the Bears, Willis completed nine of 11 passes for 121 yards and one touchdown while adding 44 yards on 10 carries. The dual-threat signal-caller appears to still be banged up after landing hard on his throwing shoulder late in the fourth quarter, however. Love appears to be making some progress through the NFL's concussion protocol and will join Willis as a limited participant at Tuesday's practice, but LaFleur noted that the presence of both quarterbacks on the field doesn't necessarily make him more confident that either will be available for a Week 17 game against the Ravens, per Zach Jacobson of 247Sports.com. For his part, Willis told Hodkiewicz on Tuesday that he expects to be ready to play Saturday, if needed to start in place of Love.

The Chargers signed Patterson to the active roster from the practice squad Tuesday.

Patterson has bounced between the Chargers' practice squad and active roster all season. The running back has played in four games, totalling 129 rush yards and a rushing touchdown on 32 attempts. With Kimani Vidal (neck) questionable, Patterson could see carries in Sunday's game against the Texans as a rotational back behind the starter Omarion Hampton.

Head coach Matt LaFleur said that Love (concussion) will be a limited participant in Tuesday's practice, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

Though Love was diagnosed with a concussion just three days earlier after being forced out of Saturday's 22-16 overtime loss to the Bears, he already appears to be making some progress through the league's five-step protocol. That being said, LaFleur doesn't necessarily feel any better about Love's chances of playing Saturday against the Ravens than he did 48 hours ago, with the coach noting that the Packers need to see how the quarterback progresses over the next few days, per Zach Jacobson of 247Sports.com. LaFleur offered similar sentiments about backup Malik Willis' odds of playing Saturday, as he will also be limited Tuesday after sustaining an injury to his throwing shoulder after coming on in relief of Love in Week 16. At this stage, practice-squad member Clayton Tune is the only quarterback in the organization who's fully healthy.

Ersery (hand) was absent from Tuesday's practice, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Ersery sustained a hand injury near the end of Sunday's game against the Raiders. The offensive tackle's replacement, Trent Brown (knee), also suffered an injury late in the game and was absent from practice as well. Ersery will have two more opportunities to return to practice and prove he can suit up for Sunday's game, but if neither Brown nor he can go, the Texans' offense line may have some serious issues for Sunday's game.

Coach Kevin O'Connell said Tuesday that Kelly (concussion) will not play Saturday against the Lions, Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Kelly suffered his third known concussion of the 2025 season last Sunday against the Giants. It would be extremely surprising if he plays again this season. Look for Michael Jurgens to be under center against Detroit.

Brown (knee) was absent from practice Tuesday, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brown sustained a knee injury late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Raiders. The offensive tackle's lack of participation in practice is a poor sign for his potential ability to suit up for Saturday's game against the Chargers. Brown will have two more opportunities to get back on the practice field in an attempt to dodge injury designation ahead of Saturday's game.

Hansen (chest) did not practice Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Hansen suffered a chest injury in Sunday's win over the Raiders. The reserve linebacker and special-teamer has appeared in all 15 games this season, producing 19 tackles (11 solo) on nine defensive snaps and another 306 on special teams.

The Texans designated Carter (hamstring) for return from injured reserve Tuesday.

Carter hasn't played since Week 12, but the Texans are opening his 21-day practice window Tuesday. The cornerback has logged 36 snaps on special teams across two appearances this season.