The Minnesota Vikings are adding depth to the quarterback position by signing veteran free agent Desmond Ridder to the 53-man roster, the NFL Network reported on Tuesday.

Starter J.J. McCarthy is week-to-week with a high ankle sprain, with veteran Carson Wentz is set to start and rookie Max Brosmer his backup before Ridder’s arrival.

The Cincinnati Bengals signed Ridder, 26, in July and released him on Aug. 26.

The Atlanta Falcons selected Ridder in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of the University of Cincinnati.

Ridder went 2-2 as a starter as a rookie, then 6-7 in his second season in Atlanta. He lost his only start while making six appearances for the Las Vegas Raiders last season.

His career totals are 374-of-588 passing (63.6 percent) for 4,002 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 25 games (18 starts). He also rushed for five touchdowns with the Falcons in 2023.

The Vikings on Sunday host the Bengals, who lost starting quarterback Joe Burrow (turf toe) last Sunday against Jacksonville.

Cincinnati bolstered the depth behind new starter Jake Browning by elevating Brett Rypien from the practice squad and signing Sean Clifford and Mike White to the practice squad on Tuesday.

–Field Level Media

The Carolina Panthers reached into the practice squads of the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday to fill two roster spots available when starting offensive linemen Austin Corbett and Robert Hunt went on injured reserve.

The Panthers signed former Bengals linebacker Maema Njongmeta and former Ravens center Nick Samac after losing center Corbett (left knee) and right guard Hunt (left biceps) to injuries sustained in Sunday’s road loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Samac, 24, was a seventh-round pick by Baltimore in the 2024 NFL Draft and did not appear in any games. He was waived on Aug. 27 and signed to the practice squad.

Njongmeta, 24, originally an undrafted rookie from Wisconsin, played in 17 games (one start) for the Bengals last year, primarily on special teams. He had 13 tackles.

Cade Mays replaced Corbett and Chandler Zavala replaced Hunt, a Pro Bowl selection in his first season in Carolina in 2024, in the lineup on Sunday.

–Field Level Media

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey will undergo season-ending surgery on his torn pectoral muscle, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday.

Per the reports, an MRI conducted on Tuesday confirmed the diagnosis for Kancey. He is scheduled for surgery on Friday.

Kancey sustained the injury during the second quarter of the Buccaneers’ 20-19 victory over the host Houston Texans on Monday.

He recorded one tackle in two games this season for Tampa Bay (2-0), which will look to seventh-year veteran Greg Gaines and rookie Elijah Roberts, a fifth-round pick, to fill the void.

Kancey, 24, has totaled 55 tackles and 11.5 sacks in 28 career games (all starts) since being selected by the Buccaneers with the 19th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Pittsburgh.

–Field Level Media

Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith is out for Week 3 with an ankle injury but should avoid a longer absence necessitating an injured reserve stint.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that Highsmith “can be classified as out” with a sprained ankle. He was injured Sunday in Pittsburgh’s 31-17 loss to the Seahawks and won’t be on the field this week at New England.

The Steelers are waiting to see rookie first-round pick Derrick Harmon on the practice field before determining his status. A defensive tackle at Oregon, Harmon can play multiple spots on the 3-4 front but missed the first two games of the season with a knee injury. His debut this week would be a timely return as the Steelers (1-1) already ruled defensive tackle Isaiahh Loudermilk out with a high-ankle sprain.

Linebacker Patrick Queen (oblique) and defensive back Darius Slay (shoulder) are dealing with injuries but likely to play, Tomlin said. Safety DeShon Elliott (knee) and cornerback Joey Porter (hamstring) are questionable.

Rookie running back Kaleb Johnson wasn’t ruled out, but Tomlin indicated he was demoted from the kickoff return role. Johnson did not field a kickoff that bounced in front of him in Sunday’s loss, which resulted in a Seahawks recovery in the end zone for a touchdown.

Kenneth Gainwell filled the role after Johnson’s error, and Tomlin said it’s no longer Johnson’s job.

“Probably not in the short term,” Tomlin said. “I’m certainly going to give him an opportunity to work his way back. I believe in his talent, he’s a sharp young man, he’s a hard worker. You leave a light on for him to give him an opportunity to move on from it. But he has to do that, he has to display that with his daily work, and he’s gotta earn himself back into position to be a participant.”

–Field Level Media

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay sustained a serious foot injury during Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans.

During Monday night’s appearance on his “Coach McVay Show,” he revealed that an MRI had confirmed a torn plantar fascia.

“Foot’s good,” McVay said. “I did tear my plantar fascia, so yeah. Well, that’s a good thing, because I guess it allows you to heal a little faster. But I was being dramatic, limping around towards the end of the game, but the MRI confirmed I did that. Good news is I’m not playing. I’m just on the sidelines watching, so if I have a little cool limp to add some swag, then you’ll know why.”

McVay, 39, did not say exactly when the injury occurred during the 33-19 victory.

Although he won’t miss any time, McVay may need to wear a walking boot during his recovery and will have to dial back his intensity. The former college football wide receiver is known for sprinting down the sidelines to call timeouts or to celebrate touchdowns with his players.

The Rams (2-0) visit the Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) on Sunday afternoon.

–Field Level Media

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones apparently knows what he has in kicker Brandon Aubrey.

Jones had a bird’s-eye view of Aubrey drilling a game-tying 64-yard field goal as time expired in regulation and the winning 46-yard kick in overtime of the Cowboys’ 40-37 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday.

With Aubrey playing in the final season of his three-year, $2.695 million contract, Jones was asked on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday if the team is working to sign the kicker to a contract extension.

“Well, he certainly is coming,” Jones said of the potential extension. “We’ll be looking at that, probably have had communications since the kick. He’s certainly in the future.”

Aubrey, 30, has made all three field-goal attempts this season and all six extra-point tries to boot.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Aubrey has drilled 82 of 91 field-goal attempts and 85 of 88 PATs in 36 career games with the Cowboys.

–Field Level Media

Joe Burrow’s chances of winning his first NFL Most Valuable Player Award evaporated with a toe injury expected to sideline the quarterback until mid-December, while the Cincinnati Bengals’ odds of being a factor in the highly competitive AFC have taken a massive hit.

Injured in Sunday’s win over Jacksonville, Burrow was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and will undergo surgery on a Grade 3 turf toe injury. The biggest liability in the MVP market at several sportsbooks, oddsmakers have now taken Burrow off the board entirely.

Until the time of his injury, Burrow had been backed by the most total bets (14.6 percent) and money (20.5 percent) wagered at BetMGM, where he had the third-shortest odds at +750.

“Joe Burrow was the most bet player to win NFL MVP. The Bengals quarterback is now off the board following his injury,” BetMGM senior trading manager Christian Cipollini said. “With Burrow out, Josh Allen (+325), Lamar Jackson (+325), Justin Herbert (+800), and Jordan Love (+800) are the favorites to win MVP.”

Allen and Jackson also are the co-leaders at +320 at DraftKings, followed by Love (+700) and Herbert (+800).

Meanwhile, Cincinnati will move forward with veteran Jake Browning under center while elevating Brett Rypien to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor professed “full confidence” in Browning as the starter, but oddsmakers clearly are far more skeptical.

Cincinnati stands alone atop the AFC North at 2-0, with Baltimore and Pittsburgh 1-1 and Cleveland mired in an 0-2 start.

Burrow’s injury still led BetMGM to shift the Bengals’ odds of winning the division from +275 to +650, while the Ravens moved to -400 and the Steelers are now +600. Cincinnati’s AFC Championship odds lengthened from +1100 to +3000 at the book, while there odds of winning the Super Bowl plummeted from +2000 to +6600.

“It’s a rollercoaster,” Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said. “Every game is going to be a rollercoaster. Every week from here on out, we’ve got to focus and execute. That’s the only thing. Our quarterback got (knocked) down, we’ve got to go ‘Next man up,’ and it’s on from there.”

Browning, 29, has played in 13 career games with 14 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions, including three picks in Sunday’s 31-27 win against Jacksonville.

“If you’re wearing a Bengals uniform on Sunday, I’m going to give you a chance and go down swinging,” Browning said of his demeanor.

The Bengals travel to Minnesota and Denver the next two weeks before returning home to play host to Detroit in Week 5. They then hit the road again to face the Green Bay Packers, who have trended the other way with oddsmakers during their impressive 2-0 start.

Green Bay opened at +2000 to win the Super Bowl at BetMGM, where they are now being offered at +650. That’s third behind only Buffalo (+500) and Baltimore (+550).

“The Packers have looked like one of the best teams in football after impressive wins against two playoff teams from last year,” Cipollini said. “Green Bay has quickly moved from +2000 to +650 to win the Super Bowl. Since Week 1, 29 percent of money (most) is on the Cheeseheads to lift the Lombardi Trophy.”

At DraftKings, the Bills are also the +425 Super Bowl favorite, followed by the Raves (+475), Packers (+650) and the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles at +750. The Bengals are now tied for the 14th shortest odds at +6000.

–Field Level Media

When the owner calls, head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly pick up, especially when the minority owner of the Raiders is Tom Brady.

Brady, approved as part of the ownership group in Las Vegas in October 2024, sat in the coaching box at the Raiders’ home stadium with a headset on Monday night. When the ESPN broadcast team for the “Monday Night Football” audience shared that Brady regularly discusses the game plan and film review with Kelly, Carroll was asked postgame if it’s true the seven-time Super Bowl champ meets with Kelly multiple times a week.

“That’s not accurate,” Carroll said. “That’s not accurate. That’s not accurate. We have conversations. I talk to Tom, Chip talks to Tom. Regularly. I mean, we have a tremendous asset. And so we all get along well, we respect each other. And so we talk about life and football and whatever it comes. And he has great insight. So we’re lucky to have him as an owner.”

The league reiterated on Tuesday there was no violation of NFL rules committed on Monday night by Brady’s presence in the box with coaches, and wearing a headset to listen in on team communication during the game is also above board.

“There are no policies that prohibit an owner from sitting in the coaches’ booth or wearing a headset during a game,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in the statement. “Brady was sitting in the booth in his capacity as a limited partner. All personnel sitting in the booth must abide by policies that prohibit the use of electronic devices other than league-issued equipment such as a Microsoft Surface Tablet for the Sideline Viewing System.”

NFL owners approved lighter measures for Brady to meet with other coaches and players in production meetings as part of his role with Fox. Those meetings are required to be remote when Brady is involved, as he’s not permitted to attend practices held at team facilities.

Brady will be on the broadcast team on Sunday when the Dallas Cowboys face the Chicago Bears, whom the Raiders play in Las Vegas the following week.

This past weekend, Brady was in Kansas City to broadcast the Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. Those teams are also on the Raiders’ schedule this season.

In Week 1, Brady was part of Fox’s broadcast of the New York Giants’ game against the Washington Commanders, who will host the Raiders on Sunday.

Las Vegas lost 20-9 to the Chargers on Monday.

–Field Level Media