Who is starting, who is hurt, who is on the move – NFL news is nonstop, and we’re breaking it down week by week of the season
Here’s the latest on what’s happening around the league entering Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.
Matthew Stafford the planned Week 1 Rams’ QB
Matthew Stafford has been dealing with an aggravated disk that caused him back soreness, and it has kept him from participating in preseason activities or training camp for most of the summer. According to Rams’ coach Sean McVay, though, Stafford is expected to start for St. Louis at QB in Week 1 against the Houston Texans, per ESPN.
The 37-year-old Stafford has been the Rams’ quarterback since 2021, and started 16 games for the team in 2024 while throwing for 3,762 yards and 20 touchdowns against 8 interceptions. It is unclear at this point how much of an impact the back injury will have on Stafford’s Week 1 performance or season, but he has repeatedly been unable to match the timeline suggested by the Rams for his recovery during the preseason, including missing a mid-August practice when he had been slated to participate.
Micah Parsons practicing through back sprain
Before new Packers’ defensive end Micah Parsons was traded to the Packers last week, he was dealing with a sprain in his back that the Cowboys had just prescribed him a treatment plan for. Per ESPN, Parsons is suffering from an L4/L5 facet joint sprain in his back, and could even take an epidural injection for it before Sunday’s Week 1 game against the Lions to allow him to play through the injury.
Parsons, who was in a physical therapy program to help with the sprain, was prescribed a five-day prescription to a corticosteroid to help with the inflation before the trade that sent him to Green Bay, and has been practicing since while letting the prednisone do its work. It’s unclear, per ESPN’s source, if Parsons will play in Week 1, though he is attempting to do more than just rest and recover this week if it’s possible.
Ailing Dolphins getting back on track
The Dolphins have been dealing with a number of injuries heading into Week 1 of the season, but things are looking up on that front. Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters that running back De’Von Achane would practice on Monday, while wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Darren Waller are both on track to play in Week 1.
Achane started 16 games for the Dolphins in 2024, picking up 907 yards on the ground and another 582 in the air while totaling 12 touchdowns between the two. He is one of four running backs the Dolphins have, of which just one is fully cleared to play in Week 1: Achane is labeled as questionable, Jaylen Wright – who is recovering from right leg surgery – is doubtful for Week 1 and did not practice on Monday, while Alexander Mattison is on the IR with a season-ending neck injury. That leaves third-string back Ollie Gordon II as the only one with a clean bill of health as of Monday.
Steelers sign Warren to extension
The Steelers and running back Jaylen Warren have agreed to a two-year extension that brings the value of his deal to three years, $17.25 million. Per ESPN, Warren receives a $5.95 million signing bonus, and his salary for 2025 will be bumped to $7 million, with $5.05 million and $5.15 million payouts in the following two campaigns. Of the $17.25 million, $12 million is guaranteed.
Warren is the top back on the Steelers’ depth chart for 2025, but he has never started a game for the Steelers in his three years in the NFL. He has seen considerable use, though, as he has appeared in 16, 17 and 15 contests in those three seasons. He’s amassed 1,674 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 346 attempts, for an average of 4.8 yards per attempt, as well as another 894 receiving yards.
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