Week 8 will be decided by who is actually available

Reserve lists reshape two defenses

The weekend's transaction wire was dominated by injured reserve moves, and two defenses felt it first. The Los Angeles Chargers placed safety Derwin James Jr. on the Reserve/Injured list, signed cornerback Isas Waxter to the active roster to fill the vacancy, and elevated cornerback Kaiir Elam from the practice squad for Sunday's game. m:…1039

The New York Jets made the same kind of swap on their defensive line, placing defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat on injured reserve and signing defensive tackle Payton Page to the active roster. Sweat had played in all seven games this season, registering 17 tackles and 2 tackles for loss, and the Jets also elevated offensive lineman Brant Banks and edge rusher Quinton Bell from the practice squad for the Week 8 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. m:…9423

Baltimore moved in the opposite direction, activating cornerback T.J. Tampa from injured reserve to the 53-man roster. Tampa suffered a knee injury in the Ravens' season opener in Indianapolis and returned to practice on October 21, after playing in all 17 games during the 2025 season with 29 tackles and one interception. The Ravens also elevated offensive tackle Chuma Edoga and outside linebacker Adisa Isaac from the practice squad for the game in Buffalo. m:…5760

New England enters Sunday shorthanded

No team enters Sunday thinner than New England. The Patriots downgraded wide receiver A.J. Brown and running back TreVeyon Henderson to out for the Week 8 game against the Dolphins, with Brown sidelined by an ankle and knee injury and Henderson by an illness. Brown missed the final two practice sessions of the week after a knee flare-up ended his Wednesday practice early. m:…0184

The absences leave the Patriots with three healthy wide receivers on their 53-man roster: DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism III and Kyle Williams. The offense will also be without Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins, and second-year tackle Marcus Bryant was downgraded to out and will not be activated from injured reserve this week, with the team holding until November 4 to activate him. m:…0184

To fill the gaps, the Patriots signed running back Lan Larison to the 53-man roster and elevated wide receiver Ryan Miller from the practice squad for Week 8. The workload now tilts further toward Rhamondre Stevenson, who played 64.8 percent of the offensive snaps in the last four games, while Henderson is averaging 3.9 yards per rush this season. m:…0184

Atlanta keeps shuffling its defense

Atlanta's injury list kept growing into the weekend. The Falcons downgraded inside linebacker Divine Deablo and defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. to out for the Week 8 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and running back Brian Robinson Jr. is also ruled out. Wide receivers Beaux Collins and Cameron Williams are ruled out for Sunday's game and remain on injured reserve. m:…5176

The Falcons answered by elevating running back Khalil Herbert and linebacker Brian Asamoah from the practice squad for the second consecutive week. Harold Perkins Jr. is expected to start at inside linebacker, Kendal Daniels is expected to serve as the defense's green dot, and Avieon Terrell is questionable with an illness, with the final inactives list due 90 minutes before the 1 p.m. ET kickoff. m:…5176

Denver resets its backfield

Denver's backfield took the week's hardest hit. The Broncos placed running back RJ Harvey on injured reserve after he was added to the injury report on Thursday with a knee injury and ruled out on Friday. Harvey must miss the next four games and is eligible to return in Week 13, after averaging 6.2 yards per touch in 2026 with 304 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. m:…2381

The Broncos promoted safety Taylor Rapp from the practice squad to the active roster and elevated running back Cody Schrader and offensive lineman Gavin Ortega from the practice squad for the game against the Chiefs. Rapp played nearly 70 percent of the defensive snaps in the Broncos' last two games and recorded eight tackles in his two games with the team, while safety Talanoa Hufanga has been ruled out for Week 8. m:…2381

Monday night brings two returns

Monday night in Seattle offers the week's clearest contrast between a return and an absence. Chicago linebacker T.J. Edwards will return to action after missing the previous two games with a hamstring injury, having been a full participant in practice all week. Coach Ben Johnson said Edwards provides critical communication and play-calling for the defense, according to the team site. m:…9762

Chicago still has questions elsewhere: Malik Muhammad is listed as questionable with a toe injury, D'Marco Jackson is questionable with an ankle injury, and Kyle Monangai will miss his fourth consecutive game with toe and thumb injuries. Colston Loveland is on the injury report with a neck injury and Jack Sanborn with a concussion, but neither carries a designation for the Monday game. m:…9762

Seattle, meanwhile, gets running back Zach Charbonnet back for his 2026 season debut in the Monday night game against the Bears, while Jadarian Price is ready to play but requires a roster move by Monday afternoon to join the 53-man roster. Left tackle Charles Cross is ruled out with an ankle injury, so Josh Jones will start in his place, and Rashid Shaheed is out with a knee injury and Velus Jones Jr. with a hamstring injury. Uchenna Nwosu is doubtful with an ankle injury, while Drake Thomas and Chazz Surratt return to the lineup after missing games through injury. m:…3734