NFL Player News

Ewers will start Sunday's game against the Bengals with the Dolphins having decided to bench Tua Tagovailoa, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Ewers, a rookie seventh-round pick, will get the chance to draw his first NFL start in place of Zach Wilson, who has operated as Miami's backup for the majority of the 2025 campaign. Per Rapoport, Ewers' opportunity comes as the result of his simply looking more impressive than Wilson in practices. The former Texas standout compiled significant experience as a starter in college and would doubtless have come off the board earlier in the 2025 NFL Draft had it not been for injury concerns, and he now gets a favorable matchup against Cincinnati's vulnerable defense. It's conceivable Ewers may be playing for more than just short-term opportunity, as the Dolphins' decision to bench Tagovailoa with three games left in the regular season signals potential long-term uncertainty despite his having signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract last summer.

Covey went without a target while playing four of the Eagles' 69 snaps on offense in Sunday's 31-0 win over the Raiders. He also returned three punts for 22 yards.

Sunday's contest marked the first time Covey received snaps on offense in his three appearances since the Eagles signed him off their practice squad Nov. 27. The 28-year-old is merely a depth piece at receiver and will continue to offer most of his value in the return game.

Calcaterra hauled in his lone target for a four-yard reception while playing 37 of 69 offensive snaps in Sunday's 31-0 win over the Raiders.

Though he saw ample playing time behind top tight end Dallas Goedert in the blowout win, Calcaterra was deployed primarily as a blocker, as he ran just six routes on the afternoon. That's been par for the course for Calcaterra throughout the season; he's logged double-digit snaps in all but one of his 12 appearances but has just six catches for 52 yards on nine targets.

Miami plans to bench Tagovailoa for Sunday's game against the Bengals and start rookie Quinn Ewers at quarterback instead, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Tagovailoa's tenure as the Dolphins' starting quarterback comes to an end at least temporarily, and this move could certainly signal long-term upheaval for the team during the offseason. Head coach Mike McDaniel indicated after Miami's 28-15 loss to the Steelers on Monday that Tagovailoa's recent level of play has been unacceptable, as in his last four appearances the 2020 first-round pick has averaged under 200 passing yards per game and compiled just three touchdowns to go with two interceptions. Ewers will get a favorable matchup versus Cincinnati's reeling defense in his first NFL start, but key fantasy options such as RB De'Von Achane, WR Jaylen Waddle, and TE Darren Waller now face more uncertainty in terms of their respective production floors heading into Week 16. Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract last summer and has $54 million guaranteed in 2026 alone, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, but it nonetheless seems entirely possible that the Dolphins explore making a change at the quarterback position this offseason. It's possible Zach Wilson operates as the backup to Ewers, relegating Tagovailoa to third-string duties for the final three games of the regular season.

Wilson went without a target while playing 10 of the Dolphins' 50 snaps on offense in Monday's 28-15 loss to the Steelers.

After being a healthy inactive in Weeks 6 and 7 once he overcame a knee injury, Wilson has suited up in seven consecutive games for Miami. However, Wilson has yet to carve out much of a role in the passing game and hasn't played more than one-third of the offensive snaps in any of his appearances. He's thus far been limited to three catches for 25 yards on four targets over his seven outings.

Eskridge went without a target while playing eight of the Dolphins' 50 snaps offense and returned three kickoffs for 74 yards in Monday's 28-15 loss to the Steelers.

Eskridge's 16 percent offensive snap share placed him fifth among Dolphins wideouts, trailing Jaylen Waddle (84 percent), Malik Washington (56), Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (36) and Cedrick Wilson (20). The fifth-year receiver should continue to be active on game days due to his role as a return man, but he's not expected to see much involvement on offense over the final three games of the campaign.

Manhertz went without a target while playing four of the Giants' 68 snaps on offense in Sunday's 29-21 loss to the Commanders.

Manhertz has suited up for all 14 of the Giants' games this season but has seen more playing time on special teams than offense in recent weeks. Even on the occasion the reserve tight end takes the field with the offense, he's almost exclusively deployed as a blocker. Manhertz has drawn just one target all season, which came back in Week 3.

Hyatt failed to haul in his lone target while playing four of 68 snaps on offense in Sunday's 29-21 loss to the Commanders.

A healthy inactive for the Giants' previous two contests, Hyatt suited up Sunday while New York was without Gunner Olszewski (concussion). Olszewski's absence didn't free up many opportunities on offense for Hyatt, whose six percent snap share placed him fourth among Giants receivers.

Gray was active but didn't play a snap on offense or special teams in Sunday's 29-21 loss to the Commanders.

Since being activated from the reserve/PUP list in Week 12, Gray has suited up for each of the Giants' ensuing three games, but Sunday marked the first time that he had failed to receive any playing time. Gray hadn't seen any work out of the backfield but appeared on special teams in both of the previous two contests, bringing back two kickoffs for 41 yards.

The Giants appear likely to sign or elevate Sauls from the practice squad to handle kicking duties Sunday versus the Vikings after the team waived Younghoe Koo on Tuesday, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports.

Following Koo's dismissal, Sauls is the only kicker remaining on New York's 53-man roster or practice squad, making him the logical choice to replace Koo unless the Giants opt to sign another kicker in the coming days. If he receives the nod for Week 16, Sauls would become the Giants' fourth full-time kicker this season. Since going undrafted out of Pittsburgh this spring, Sauls has been part of three different organizations but has yet to make his NFL debut. He converted field-goal attempts at an 81.3 percent clip over his five-year collegiate career.