We don’t have a reason for Moreland’s suspension yet, but we know that it will last three weeks. He hasn’t played in the NFL since 2021, but if a team were to sign him, he wouldn’t be available for three games.
NOVEMBER 3: Love suffered no setbacks in practice this past week, and while he carries a “questionable” designation due to his groin injury, he is expected to play in Week 9, per Pelissero. Given that Green Bay (6-2) is hosting the Lions (6-1) with the NFC North lead on the line, this is especially good news for the Packers.
OCTOBER 28: Jordan Love may have avoided a serious injury during yesterday’s win over the Jaguars, but the Packers QB isn’t in the clear for Week 9. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero passes along that Love likely “avoided a long-term injury” in yesterday’s contest. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky notes that today’s tests didn’t show any significant damage, and Love has officially been diagnosed with a strain.
Love tweaked his groin and was seen hobbling throughout the first half of yesterday’s contest. He eventually left the game, with backup Malik Willis playing the majority of the second half. An MCL sprain forced the starter to miss both Week 2 and Week 3, but despite the growing list of ailments, the Packers aren’t intending to slowly nurse Love back to full health.
“Yeah, if he can go, he’ll go,” coach Matt LaFleur said of Love’s status for this weekend (via Demovsky). “So, we’ll see where he’s at by the end of the week. But if we feel like he can’t protect himself, then we certainly wouldn’t put him in that position.”
As LaFleur noted, the Packers will take the week to evaluate Love’s progress before making a final call on their QB situation for Sunday’s showdown with the Lions. If Love is forced to miss the game, Demovsky writes that it would likely only be a one-game absence for the quarterback.
After finally being elevated to the QB1 role in 2023, Love had a breakout campaign, tossing 32 touchdowns before helping guide his squad to the Divisional Round. The QB inked a four-year, $220MM extension this offseason, and Love has started the 2024 campaign with a 4-2 record and a league-leading 7.5 percent passing TD %. Despite missing two-plus games, Love has also tossed a league-leading nine interceptions.
The Packers announced the signing of former first-round pick Jamin Davis to their practice squad on Tuesday.
The Commanders originally selected Davis with the 19th overall pick in 2021, but never lived up to his draft billing in Washington. He earned a starting role partway through his rookie year after an injury to Cole Holcomb and held onto it in 2022 and 2023, though he was place on injured reserve to end both seasons. Davis led the Commanders with 104 tackles in 2022, but only played in 13 games in 2023 before Washington declined his fifth-year option in the offseason.
Davis converted to defensive end under the Commanders’ new regime in 2024 and made the team’s 53-man roster to start the regular season. He appeared in five games with 13 tackles and a 30% snap share on defense. Washington then waived him on October 22; after going unclaimed, Davis became a free agent.
The Packers have a deep and healthy defensive line, so Davis is unlikely to see much playing time in Green Bay right away. Instead, he will have time to learn the playbook and refine his craft at defensive end behind veterans Rashan Gary and Preston Smith.
The Packers released linebacker Chris Russell from the practice squad in a corresponding move. The undrafted rookie had not appeared in any games for Green Bay this season.
With the trade deadline nearing, more player movement can be expected during the coming days. Of course, a key factor in any deals will be the financial situation for contenders aiming to bolster their rosters for the second half of the campaign.
Just like last year, the 49ers find themselves with considerable cap space to work with. The team has several reasons to roll over as many funds as possible into the offseason, however, with Brock Purdyeligible for an extension and the likes of Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoirand Talanoa Hufangaon track for free agency. Major investments including a commitment beyond 2024 would thus come as a surprise.
San Francisco is among the teams to watch regarding an addition, and major injuries on both sides of the ball could lead to a stop-gap solution being targeted. The 49ers may also be open to moving away players before the deadline, though, with Ward being named as potential candidate to be dealt. Sitting at 3-4, the team’s bid to return to the Super Bowl has not gone as planned to date, but a notable midseason addition could certainly change things.
Having lost Aidan Hutchinsonuntil at least the Super Bowl, the Lions have an obvious need along the edge. Replacing his production with any one addition will not be feasible, but bringing in at least a rotational option would not come as a surprise. Indeed, Detroit has been involved in the edge market with respect to showing interest in some of the veterans who could be on the move.
That list no longer includes Haason Reddick, but the Lions have also been connected to Za’Darius Smith. The Browns have already moved Amari Cooper, so it would come as little surprise if the team were to deal away the three-time Pro Bowler in a move which would allow him to return to the NFC North. Smith certainly seems to be open to a trade, and Detroit would easily be able to absorb the remainder of his $1.2MM 2024 salary.
While Smith could be on the move, fellow Cleveland edge rusher Myles Garrettis (understandably) seen as untouchable. That is also the case for Raiders start Maxx Crosby, with owner Mark Davis making it clear a trade will not be considered before or after the deadline. Even though the Titans have been active already on the trade front, they too will not entertain a deal involving two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons. While talks have taken place related to Cooper Kupp, the Rams do not expect to move on from the former Super Bowl MVP.
The NFC North has been the best division in football this season. All four teams reside above .500 and carry a combined 19-7 record (.733 winning percentage) that far outpaces the other seven divisions’ marks.
If the season ended today, all four NFC North teams would make the playoffs, which would be the first time an entire division qualified for the postseason since the NFL added a third wildcard in 2020 (it was impossible for this to occur from 2002-19). But each team will be aiming to win the division, which would guarantee home-field advantage in the wild-card round and potentially beyond.
The Lions finished Week 7 atop the division at 5-1 with a plus-62 point differential that leads the NFC. Jared Goffis playing at an MVP level after signing a massive extension in May, leading an offense that ranks second in the league with 6.4 yards per play. Detroit has largely carried over its success under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson from last season after spending most of their money this offseason on internal extensions for Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, and Taylor Decker. A two-game suspension forJameson Williamswill force other playmakers to step up in the coming weeks, but the backfield duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery has churned out almost 200 yards from scrimmage per game this season.
The Lions focused on defense for their external additions in the offseason, trading for Carlton Davisand signing D.J. Reader and Marcus Davenport in free agency. After giving up 24.3 points per game in 2023, the seventh-most in the league, Detroit has surrendered just 20 points per game this year, the ninth-fewest. Injuries have plagued the unit, however, with Davenport and Derrick Barnes suffering season-ending injuries and Aidan Hutchinson‘s Defensive Player of the Year campaign coming to a screeching halt with a broken tibia and fibula in Week 7.
Hutchinson does have an outside shot to return if the Lions make the Super Bowl, but he won’t play again in the regular season, depriving the defense of its most impactful pass rusher and run defender. Detroit has the third-hardest strength of schedule remaining; its remaining opponents have a combined .581 winning percentage. The Lions may need to look for edge-rushing help at the trade deadline to withstand the losses of Hutchinson and Davenport. They checked in with Haason Reddick‘s camp, before he ended his Jets holdout, and are believed to be interested inZa’Darius Smith.
The Vikings started the season as the NFL’s hottest team, stringing together five straight wins before back-to-back losses to the Lions and the Rams dropped them to 5-2 and second place in the NFC North. Minnesota underwent a minor roster overhaul this offseason, letting Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter walk in free agency and replacing them with less expensive options in Sam Darnold and Jonathan Greenard. The surplus money went toward Justin Jefferson‘s record-setting contract as well as veteran free agents like Aaron Jones, Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, and Shaquill Griffin. The Vikings also traded up twice in the draft to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthywith the 10th overall pick, though a preseason meniscus tear prematurely ended his rookie year.
Kevin O’Connell is an early frontrunner for Coach of the Year after resurrecting the career of Darnold, the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft. The Vikings’ offense ranks sixth with 26.9 points per game on the back of another dominant start from Jefferson, while Brian Flores‘ defense has allowed just 19.6 points per game with one of the league’s best run defenses and relentless blitzing against the pass. Their 0.545 strength of schedule remaining is the seventh-hardest in the league, but the easiest of the NFC North, giving them a solid chance at retaking the division lead by the end of the season.
The third-place Packers are also 5-2, with a loss to the Vikings already on their record. They managed to win two games with Malik Willis, whom they acquired via trade with the Titans in August, at quarterback after Jordan Love‘s Week 1 MCL sprain. Green Bay made Love the highest-paid player in NFL history in July, and he has delivered thus far with an average of 270.2 yards and three touchdowns through the air per game this year.
Love’s quick recovery from injury and return to high-level play bodes well for his long-term future as a franchise quarterback. The Packers also extended Kenny Clark and signed Xavier McKinney and Josh Jacobs to free agency contracts during the offseason as they moved on from veterans David Bakhtiari, De’Vondre Campbell, and Aaron Jones.
The Packers’ 11 turnovers committed this season rank are the fourth-most in the league, but their 6.1 yards per play and 26.6 points per game are both top-seven marks. If they can take care of the football, they should finish as one of the NFL’s best offenses. The defense, meanwhile, ranks in the top 10 of both points per game and yards per play allowed with a league-leading 17 turnovers. Green Bay’s .544 strength of schedule remaining is the fifth-hardest in the NFL, but the team has avoided major injuries to key players.
The 4-2 Bears represent one of the league’s biggest surprises after remaking their franchise overnight with the selection of Caleb Williams with the first overall pick. Williams withstood some early hiccups to rip off three consecutive wins with 71 combined points in the last two weeks. Chicago also invested in its wide receiver room, extending D.J. Moore, trading for Keenan Allen, and drafting Rome Odunze in the first round to give Williams a strong array of weapons to ease his adjustment to the pros. The Bears also signed D’Andre Swift to lead their backfield after rotating between three running backs last season. The offense has been inefficient with just 4.7 yards per play, the fifth-fewest in the league, but they have been clinical in the red zone with a 70.6% touchdown rate.
Chicago also invested in its secondary over the offseason with a major extension for Jaylon Johnson and the addition of Kevin Byard in free agency. The Bears have reaped the rewards with the fourth-fewest points per game (16.8) and the fifth-fewest yards per play (5.0) and per game (292.0) allowed.
The Bears have benefitted from an easy schedule, beating the struggling quarterbacks of the Titans and the Panthers as well as an injured Rams team and a slumping Jaguars squad in London. The rest of the season will be more difficult, with a league-high .613 strength of schedule remaining that will make the playoffs an uphill climb for Chicago. Still, even finishing above .500 would be a resounding success for the long-suffering franchise and a clear sign that this regime is on the right track.
How will this division’s historically successful start turn out over the next two-plus months? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Although the Chiefs have been hit hard by wide receiver injuries, they have managed to draw some opponents in the same boat. Between a Bengals matchup sans Tee Higgins and an upcoming Buccaneers tilt without Chris Godwin and, in all likelihood, Mike Evans, Kansas City faced a 49ers team down all of its starters by halftime. Brandon Aiyuk is now out for the season with an ACL tear, and Jauan Jennings has not practiced this week — due to a hip injury — after missing Week 7. Deebo Samuel needed to be hospitalized due to pneumonia, but the veteran wideout returned to practice Thursday and may be on track to suit up against the Cowboys.
Samuel’s status is now vital to the 49ers, who gave Aiyuk a $30MM-per-year extension only to see him join Samuel in struggling in the season following a new deal. The 49ers also have first-round pick Ricky Pearsall back in action weeks after he was wounded in a robbery attempt. Despite all this, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows does not expect the defending NFC champions to add a WR piece at the trade deadline.
Kendrick Bourne, whom the 49ers discussed with the Patriots during the summer Aiyuk trade drama, said he is not eager to return to his original team; Bourne instead prefers to stay in New England. It remains to be seen if the 49ers will shop for some help, but if they are to add (as they usually do at deadlines, as the past Chase Young, Charles Omenihu, Emmanuel Sanders and Jimmy Garoppolo moves show), Barrows expects the move to come elsewhere.
Here is the latest from the trade market:
San Francisco made it this far without adding a running back to cover for Christian McCaffrey‘s nagging Achilles injury, as the reigning Offensive Player of the Year has a decent chance to return in Week 10 after the team’s bye. Two of the 49ers’ former RBs would have been a good fit, as the Dolphins roster Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson. Of the duo, ESPN.com’s Marcel Louis-Jacques notes Wilson is the more likely trade chip. Wilson re-signed with the Dolphins, on a two-year deal that features a veteran-minimum 2024 base salary ($1.13MM), but saw the team trade up for Jaylen Wright in April. The fourth-round rookie joins 2023 third-rounder De’Von Achane on Miami’s roster. The Dolphins have not used Wilson much this season, giving him eight carries. Wilson (29 next month) has an 860-yard season on his resume, during a 2022 season in which he was traded from San Francisco to Miami, and would make for an interesting addition by one of the several teams using a 49ers-like scheme.
The Packers are certainly not in position to sell, but teams have shown interest in both Preston Smith and Andre Dillard, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Smith, 31, has started every game for Green Bay this season. Although his snap rate sits at 56% — which would be a Packers-years low for the veteran edge rusher — it would surprise if the team entertained such a move in-season, even with 2023 first-rounder Lukas Van Ness at this position. Dillard, conversely, has not played an offensive snap. The former Eagles first-rounder has drawn deadline interest in the past, and with Jordan Morgan in reserve, it would be interesting if the Packers discussed trading the veteran.
Following the Roy Robertson-Harristrade with the Seahawks, Doug Pederson said he did not expect the Jaguars to make any additional deals. Though, teams will be calling due to the Jags’ poor start. That said, ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco notes Jacksonville — despite the potential for a new regime taking over in 2025 — does not view this as a rebuild-like situation, so a deadline sell-off should not be expected.
Robert Saleh turned up at Packers practice Wednesday, and it does not appear the recently fired Jets HC was merely visiting. Matt LaFleur has a role in mind for the veteran defensive coach.
Crediting Saleh with helping him break into the NFL coaching ranks, LaFleur said (via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky) Saleh will work with the team through Thursday in a fluid role. Saleh was not expected coach elsewhere this season, but he has decided to help LaFleur for at least this week.
Saleh and LaFleur lived together while graduate assistants at Central Michigan in the 2000s. Saleh then encouraged Gary Kubiak to hire LaFleur as a Texans offensive assistant in 2008, Demovsky adds. LaFleur was the best man at Saleh’s wedding. Were Saleh to backtrack on a plan to stay out of coaching for this season’s remainder, it would make sense for that change of heart to involve the Packers.
The Jets fired Saleh after five games this season. Woody Johnson made the decision, going around GM Joe Douglas to do so. Saleh has remained in touch with interim Jets HC Jeff Ulbrich and would stand, based on his 49ers past and the Jets’ defensive turnaround over the past three seasons, to be a coveted DC candidate come 2025. Saleh, 45, may well stay busy in the meantime.
Some Jets players, per Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline, view Johnson as acting too quickly. As a result of this — and presumably the team’s two losses under Ulbrich — less-than-ideal vibes are present in the locker room. Saleh went 20-36 as Jets HC, though much of that tenure involved QB bust Zach Wilson at the controls. Johnson cited a lack of belief in Saleh’s ability to turn this season around. While Ulbrich and Aaron Rodgers could eventually do so, they have dug a deeper hole since the full-time HC’s firing.
LaFleur said Saleh is working on the offensive side, but the temporary assistant has a history with new Packers DC Jeff Hafley as well. Hafley worked under Saleh as San Francisco’s DBs coach from 2017-18.
