NFL Week 7 latest buzz, questions, news and fantasy tips

Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season is here, and insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have been making calls to sources around the league for the latest news and buzz on key situations.

This week, they asked around about the defending champion Eagles’ offense. How panicked is Philadelphia right now? Will the passing game start to click?

Jeremy and Dan also checked in on the aftermath of the Titans firing coach Brian Callahan. Why was it done now, and what should we expect from Tennessee’s upcoming coaching search? Then they broke down the 49ers’ seemingly never-ending string of injuries and whether that might prompt them to be active at the trade deadline. And speaking of trades, our insiders asked around the league to get a sense of which running backs could be available between now and the Nov. 4 deadline.

It’s all here, as our national reporters answer big questions and empty their notebooks heading into Week 7.

Jump to:
Eagles’ offensive woes
Callahan firing aftermath
49ers’ potential trades
RBs who could be moved
More notes on Week 7

Should we be worried about the Eagles’ offense? Are they worried about it?

Graziano: I lean yes on both questions, with the caveat that they’re 4-2 and in a position to be able to fix their problems in time. But there are problems, and they do need to be fixed. It’s easy to default to “Oh, there’s locker room tension,” but I really have never had the sense that Eagles players have any personal issues with one another. They all want to be better, and if there’s tension, it’s because of the two straight losses and the urgency they all feel to get it turned around.

Fowler: I was at the game against the Giants on Thursday night and definitely sensed concern. One player told me that this is starting to feel like the 2023 meltdown all over again (when Philadelphia lost five of its last six games), and the team needs to use this week to figure things out and avoid a full-blown repeat. Right tackle Lane Johnson, whose words carry weight, told reporters that the offense felt predictable. The issue is pretty clear: The Eagles aren’t dominating in the running game the way they did a year ago.

Graziano: Last year around this time, the Eagles had some bye-week meetings and decided to change the offensive approach. They wanted to rely more on Saquon Barkley and the offensive line. Obviously, it worked for the Super Bowl champs. But this season’s offensive line is not playing as well as last year’s did. It has had injury problems and misses Mekhi Becton, who left as a free agent to sign with the Chargers. By the time Barkley got to the line of scrimmage last season, the offensive line had already moved it a few yards up the field, leaving holes for Barkley. Those holes aren’t there anymore.

The question now becomes what to do about it, because during times when the Eagles have relied on Jalen Hurts and the passing game for long stretches, Hurts has had turnover issues (one of the reasons they made the change last season).

Fowler: Despite Hurts’ strengths, asking him to throw 33 times the way they did Thursday is not a winning formula. Last season, he averaged 24 passing attempts. He struggles at times against zone coverage, and without the big run plays, it’s harder to get those one-on-one matchups for A.J. Brown deep downfield. To that point, Brown’s frustrations two weeks ago probably stem more from the realities of a limited pass game than any personality clashes. The product on the field is the root of any tension — perceived or otherwise — and that can change if the on-field problems are exacerbated.

As for solutions, some in the locker room would like to see more play-action. The Eagles use it 19.6% of the time, which is 29th in the NFL. Perhaps we see more pre-snap movement/motion to open up more throwing windows, which might encourage Hurts to let it loose a little more. Hit the throws that are there, and hit them on time. Where do the Eagles turn for a spark, Dan?

Graziano: I think it has to come from Barkley. He’s the best player on an offense loaded with stars, and if they can get him going at even 80% to 85% of the level of his 2024 performance, things would look a lot different. Are there ways to vary the run game so that it’s less predictable and more creative? Are there passing-game concepts they could implement that don’t carry a ton of turnover risk and might — if they work — help make more room for Barkley in the run game? The Eagles’ bye isn’t until Week 9, and they have a trip to Minnesota this week followed by another game against the Giants in Week 8. Perhaps the “mini-bye” they have coming off last Thursday’s game will offer them a chance to reconfigure things?

Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was promoted to replace Kellen Moore, who left to coach the Saints, and he came in with a bit of a do-no-harm mandate. But the Eagles believe Patullo is ready to be an offensive coordinator, and when they talked about that during training camp, they cited all the different places he has been and the different philosophies to which he has been exposed. Surely, Patullo has his own ideas that go beyond the simple-but-effective stuff that carried the team to the Super Bowl last season. It’s time we found out what those ideas are.

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What is the biggest issue with the Eagles’ offense?

Harry Douglas explains the biggest issues with the Eagles’ offense after Philadelphia lost its second straight game.

What’s the leaguewide buzz around the Titans firing Brian Callahan?

Fowler: This move leaves a lot to process, and the timing is curious. Titans brass seemed ready to support Callahan in camp. Six games later, he’s gone, becoming the fourth Tennessee head coach or GM to be fired in the past 34 months.

The 2025 product under Callahan was worse than imagined — and with one of the NFL’s worst rosters, that’s saying something. The goal was simple: get better. The Titans didn’t. Was 23 games enough for Callahan to establish a winning culture? Of course not. But my sense after asking around is the Titans weighed Cam Ward‘s development in all of this, and whether Callahan could spark any improvement. The roster has a long way to go. It looks as if Mike Vrabel got out at the right time.

Graziano: Vrabel heading to Nashville this week to coach the Patriots against his former team is a funny little wrinkle in all of this — especially given that Vrabel has won the same number of games with the Patriots this season as the Titans have won since they fired him after the 2023 season.

Fowler: Some people I’ve talked to believe Vrabel’s presence was a factor, at least subconsciously. One industry source told me half-jokingly, “They didn’t want Vrabel to be the one to dunk on [Callahan],” thus getting ahead of it. People around the league with a fundamental understanding of the Titans’ standing also wondered if this was a chance to reset. As one team executive put it, this is the “last cleanup” under president of football operations Chad Brinker. Now Brinker and general manager Mike Borgonzi can handpick their coach. Getting a head start on vetting candidates also can be useful.

Graziano: I get what you’re saying, but people I’ve talked to argue that if that were the case, they should have let Callahan go in the offseason and let Brinker hire his replacement then. Instead, Tennessee is pretty much in a holding pattern with Ward for the next three months until it hires someone to install a new offense and work with him in January. This smells more like dysfunction to me than the tail end of some grand plan. But we shall see. As is always the case, what matters more is what happens going forward with whom the Titans hire as their next full-time head coach and what they do roster-wise in the meantime.

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Who Dan Orlovsky would like to see as next Titans coach

Dan Orlovsky lists five coaches who could develop Cam Ward and the Titans following the firing of Brian Callahan.

Fowler: The Titans were already poised to be active at the trade deadline, and the Callahan firing only expedites that process. They know they need draft capital to rebuild the roster. Edge rusher Arden Key, cornerback Roger McCreary and tight end Chig Okonkwo are among players on my radar. There could be more. But those three are 2026 free agents and do not appear in the long-term vision of the franchise. And the plan right now is to keep defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. He’s unquestionably the Titans’ best player and turns 28 in July.

But Tennessee needs to find a way to make the job more attractive from a roster standpoint. Ward and Simmons are not enough. The team currently has seven picks in the 2026 draft and would like to add more.

Graziano: They could certainly use all the picks they can get. And it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, either, if they ended up with the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, since they wouldn’t need to use it on a quarterback and could almost certainly auction it off for a king’s ransom to some team that would.

There’s a big-picture element at play here, with the Titans building a new stadium that’s set to open in 2027. You want some excitement around your team when you’re trying to sell tickets and PSLs, and maximize the business impact of a new home field. So I would think the goal would be to have the fans and the town feeling energized about the team coming out of 2026 and going into 2027. And I would expect the major moves they make — including the new coaching hire — to take that into account. Whoever gets this job is going to have a mandate to show some level of improvement in their first season.

The 49ers are banged up. Could they get active in the trade market?

Fowler: Yes, the 49ers have been scanning the trade market for pass-rush options. I’m told the Niners consider Trey Hendrickson an ideal fit for their defense if the Bengals would part with him for reasonable compensation. But I’m also told Cincinnati has no plans to trade Hendrickson at this time. Despite a 2-4 record, Cincinnati plans to remain all-in on this season, and the offense showed signs of life with Joe Flacco on Sunday in Green Bay.

Graziano: I’ve been told the same thing on Hendrickson — that the Bengals don’t intend to trade him. Let’s see what happens these next couple of weeks. If they lose to the Steelers, Jets and Bears and wake up on trade deadine day with a 2-7 record, maybe they consider it. But if they beat Pittsburgh on Thursday, the Bengals will have reason to believe they can hang in a messy AFC North Division race, especially if they still harbor any hope of a Joe Burrow return.

Fowler: Other potential options I suspect the 49ers will check on include edge rushers Rashan Gary (Packers), Jaelan Phillips (Dolphins), Bradley Chubb (Dolphins), Jermaine Johnson (Jets), Will McDonald IV (Jets) and Arden Key (Titans). If the Packers won’t part with Gary — and I don’t think they would — they have pass rusher Kingsley Enagbare, a former starter who’s relegated to a reserve role in a contract year. Pass rusher could elicit the most movement on the trade market overall, and I suspect San Francisco will be involved to some extent.

Graziano: They will not be able to find a one-for-one replacement for linebacker Fred Warner (ankle), who is the heart and soul of their defense, or for Nick Bosa (torn ACL), who is their best player. I do think — given their history, their 4-2 record and their goals for this season — that the 49ers will look to add at any or all of the three levels of the defense. They have plenty of cap space to take on contracts if teams are unloading them. I don’t think it needs to be edge help, though that’s probably a priority. If the Jets are dealing players, as most people seem to expect they will, could linebacker Quincy Williams (who’s playing on the final year of his contract) make sense for San Francisco?

Fowler: The Warner injury leaves a massive hole in the middle of the 49ers’ defense that can’t be replaced. But adding reinforcements would be a sensible option. Williams has a long history with 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh from their days with the Jets. He became an All-Pro under Saleh. And sitting at 0-6 feels like a unique window for the Jets to acquire assets for the future. So, on paper it makes sense. Another linebacker on my radar is Houston’s Christian Harris, a multiyear starter who is now in a backup role. He plays for DeMeco Ryans, who’s an extension of the 49ers’ defensive principles.

Still, my sense is the 49ers will try to find a balance between adding help and preserving picks. After all, this season was considered a quasi-transitional period for San Francisco, which let several starters walk and replenished with younger players on less expensive contracts. I’m not sure giving up quality picks for both the edge and linebacker positions is the most prudent thing, given the plan outlined all offseason. Perhaps the 49ers can utilize or repackage one of their three fourth-round picks in 2026 to acquire two quality players. Getting edge help, to me, is crucial because of how the defense is built.

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Schefter: NFL trades will happen this week

Adam Schefter details to Pat McAfee the buyers and sellers in the NFL trade market.

Graziano: It also doesn’t have to be defense for the 49ers. They’ve been extremely banged up in their wide receiver corps this season. They still don’t know for sure when Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is coming back. They already signed Kendrick Bourne, who has been a star the past two weeks with Ricky Pearsall (knee) out and Jauan Jennings (ribs) playing hurt, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the help the 49ers bring in from the outside comes on the offensive side of the ball.

San Francisco is still in a win-now window, with veterans such as Trent Williams and George Kittle in or nearing the back ends of their careers. And being 4-2 gives the Niners reason to think that, if they get healthy, they can still make a run this season. Just so many holes to fill, you wonder which direction they’ll go.

Name one running back who could be traded before the deadline.

Graziano: The name that comes up most is the Jets’ Breece Hall. He’s 24 years old and in the final year of his contract, and the Jets have made no move to sign him long term. Braelon Allen is out because of a knee injury, which complicates things for the Jets from a 2025 depth-chart perspective. But Allen is only 21 years old and under contract for two more years after this one. They also like Isaiah Davis, who is 23 and also signed through 2027. So there are plenty of reasons Hall might not be in the Jets’ long-range plans, and they could be open to a nice offer. Teams I expect to have interest in acquiring a running back ahead of the deadline include, but are not limited to, the Chiefs, Texans and Chargers.

Fowler: Team execs have also pegged the Patriots among teams that could look to add a back in the coming weeks. And good call on Hall. He has said publicly he doesn’t want to be traded, but he’s also on an 0-6 team, so it feels as if all bets are off.

I’ll go with the Browns’ Jerome Ford. It’s a rookie show in Cleveland. Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson will man the backfield moving forward. The Browns have remained active in the market with three trades executed in recent weeks. And Ford has enough cachet in the league — with 1,378 rushing yards and seven touchdowns over 2023-24 — to attract interest.

Graziano: If Miami decides to trade players before the deadline, it could move on from Jaylen Wright. He was a healthy scratch Sunday against the Chargers and seems to have been supplanted by rookie Ollie Gordon II on the depth chart behind starter De’Von Achane. And with Tyrone Tracy Jr. back healthy, and Cam Skattebo running people over, the Giants don’t seem to have a screaming need for Devin Singletary anymore. He’s making $3.5 million in fully guaranteed salary this season. But at this point, more than $1 million of that has been paid by the Giants, who are looking around for receiver help and might be willing to eat some salary if it’s the right kind of deal to help them.

Fowler: Wright is a player I’ve had on my radar for that very reason. A lot of teams were high on him in the 2024 draft, including Dallas, which has a soft need after the Miles Sanders injury. And here’s a change-of-pace option: Baltimore’s Keaton Mitchell. He has game-changing speed but is the odd man out in the Ravens’ backfield. It’s worth noting that Chargers GM Joe Hortiz was with Baltimore when the team signed Mitchell as an undrafted free agent in 2023.

What else are you hearing this week?

Graziano’s notes:

• Remember when the Chiefs signed offensive tackle Jaylon Moore from the 49ers in March? Kansas City was desperate for a real left tackle after the Super Bowl embarrassment in which it could not protect Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs had been hoping to get a shot at the Ravens’ Ronnie Stanley, but Stanley surprised everyone by taking a below-market deal to stay in Baltimore right before free agency opened. That left slim pickings on the market at a position where elite talent is scarce.

So the Chiefs signed Moore, who had been a swing tackle in San Francisco, for two years and $30 million. The move was criticized in some places as insufficient, since Moore had never been a starter and likely wasn’t the answer at left tackle. But the Chiefs believed they’d take a left tackle in the draft. They hoped it would be Josh Simmons, and it was — but not knowing that in March, they thought Moore would be a competent placeholder if the rookie wasn’t ready right away.

Fast forward to Sunday, when Simmons was a surprising late scratch for the game against Detroit because of a personal matter. Moore stepped in and played left tackle and held up well in the latest strong performance by Mahomes and the Kansas City offense. Would he have been the answer if he had to play left tackle all season? Maybe not. But Kansas City signed him as part of a larger plan, and it has come together the way they hoped. It’s a reminder that not every free agent signing has to be a grand slam, instant-solve-the-problem move. Roster building is complex, and some teams are better than others at seeing the bigger picture.

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Does the road to the Super Bowl go through the Chiefs?

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• The Ravens are a fascinating team to watch ahead of the trade deadline. They’ve already been active. Last week they traded Odafe Oweh from an already thin pass-rush group to get safety Alohi Gilman. That’s an unconventional in-season move, but Baltimore is now 1-5 and desperate for any kind of answers in a season that had carried Super Bowl hopes. Will it go out and add more pass-rush help on the trade market? Are there players on the roster we might not assume are available (like Oweh) but could be if Baltimore determines it could solve a problem with another player-for-player deal? If the Ravens lose in Weeks 8 and 9 (they have a bye this week) and are 1-7, could they be dealing players for picks at the deadline?

These next few weeks are critical ones for the organization, which has another Lamar Jackson extension situation looming and could have big decisions to make if this season continues to get away from them.

• The “Fire Harbaugh” chants at Baltimore’s Week 6 game against the Rams are worth addressing. Anything is possible, of course, if a team continues to lose games it expected to win at a high rate. But at this point, I don’t think John Harbaugh is in any danger of losing his job. And if he did, he’d instantly become the top head coaching candidate on the market this winter. In a league that keeps cycling through coordinators-turned-head-coaches, teams would jump at the chance to bring in a guy who has done the big job for 18 years and has won more than 60% of his games — including 13 playoff games and a Super Bowl. Tough times in Baltimore right now, and the fans are going through it, but it’s a smart, circumspect organization that knows how good it has it at the head coach spot.

• Jacksonville’s performance in Sunday’s home loss to Seattle was a big disappointment after the Week 5 victory over the Chiefs. The offense still looks like a work in progress, and it was missing starting center Robert Hainsey, who came over from Tampa Bay with coach Liam Coen and is a critical part of what the Jags want to do on offense. Seventh-round rookie Jonah Monheim was the fill-in, and before the game, Jaguars coaches were telling me they’d likely have to adjust the game plan to help him more with the guards and try to run more outside zone runs.

The Jaguars never got anything going, largely because the Seahawks manhandled them with their defensive line. But watch the injury reports on Hainsey’s health if you’re wondering what to expect from the Jaguars in London against the Rams’ tough defensive line this week.

• As for the Seahawks, their people were telling me after that game that they were intentionally more conservative on offense due to the ability the Jaguars had shown to generate takeaways (14 in their first five games). Aside from that one picture-perfect deep shot from Sam Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle kept things fairly scaled-down on offense — and it worked. It was the first game this season in which Jacksonville’s defense didn’t come away with a turnover.

• Fantasy managers continue to be frustrated at the carry share between running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, but the Seahawks believe they complement each other well and will continue to vary their usage according to the weekly game plan and opponent. They felt like Charbonnet was the better back for what they wanted to do Sunday, especially once they got the lead. Actual success running the ball wasn’t as important to them as a demonstrated willingness to continue to run the ball and avoid turnovers. This also worked! So don’t go around thinking the Seahawks are somehow desperate for one of those backs to take over a huge chunk of the workload. They like the way it’s going.

Fowler’s notes:

• The Jets will be a focus for teams looking to poach key players at the trade deadline, most notably pass rushers McDonald and Johnson. New York wanted to get back from London before making any sweeping determinations of whether to move players. My sense is the Jets would prefer more modest moves (think corner Michael Carter II), but much will depend on the type of offers New York receives for key players.

• The Eagles are lurking in the trade market, as always. People I’ve talked to around the league believe cornerback or edge rusher (or both) could be a focus at the deadline. Keep in mind that Philly has already made several trades — acquiring corner Jakorian Bennett, wide receiver John Metchie III and running back Tank Bigsby — and those moves haven’t paid off yet.

• Teams I’ve spoken to believe the Raiders are open to trading wide receiver Jakobi Meyers but are not actively trying to move him. The sense is the Raiders would prefer to play out the season before making major determinations about the roster. But Meyers requested a trade in the preseason, so a potential deal feels at least on the table.

• I’ve spoken to some teams that believe that trading marquee quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins will be a challenge due to scarcity of jobs. The Bengals had an opening last week but opted for a financially sensible option in Joe Flacco. And both the Falcons and Giants have quarterbacks who have an injury history (Michael Penix Jr.) or play a physical style that could lead to injury (Jaxson Dart). Keeping their respective No. 2s could pay off.

• The Rams head to London with uncertainty around the league’s receptions leader. Receiver Puka Nacua avoided major damage to his ankle Sunday against Baltimore, but the people I’ve talked to believe he is a long shot Sunday against Jacksonville. Los Angeles gets a much-needed bye week after that, giving Nacua and others the chance to heal. Nacua’s physical style of play could lead the Rams to sit him.

• Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (shoulder) plans to practice as early as Wednesday despite what’s considered a pretty painful injury. He’s day-to-day. Wentz is enjoying a golden opportunity with the Vikings’ offense while J.J. McCarthy (ankle) is out. He wants to be available in the event that the Vikings need him again this week against his old team, the Eagles.

• The Bucs are going on second- and third-string receivers due to injury, but Mike Evans (hamstring) will give it a go in practice this week with hopes of playing Monday against Detroit. Evans has missed three games and had hoped to avoid a fourth. It’s worth noting that he is tied with Jerry Rice for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (11). If he’s back this week, he has 11 games to get from 140 to 1,000.

• Dallas is optimistic about its health in Week 7. There’s a chance that all three key injured players with extended absences — wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (ankle), guard Tyler Booker (ankle) and KaVontae Turpin (foot) — return Sunday. “This is the week that they ramp up,” a team source said.

• The Chiefs won’t be easing Rashee Rice back into action. They will be allocating a heavy workload for him as soon as possible. Rice, who returns from suspension this week, has been in the building for weeks, had an excellent training camp and is in peak physical shape. A team source says Rice will be “full bore” this week as he gets back onto the practice field. The Chiefs have long envisioned an offense with a receiving trio of Rice, Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown on the same field, with Tyquan Thornton and JuJu Smith-Schuster as complementary guys. That’s a really strong five-man receiving group.

• The Panthers have a decision to make on which running back to start after Rico Dowdle scorched the Dolphins and Cowboys for a combined 389 rushing yards on 53 carries while Chuba Hubbard was sidelined with a calf injury. Hubbard will be back soon. While Dowdle has earned a prominent role, I’m told the Panthers are taking the approach that both players will get their touches regardless of who gets the first snap. Both fit the Panthers’ tough-minded, grind-it-out mold.

The Panthers want to be a run-first team, and since it’s a long season, they will need both players. But the rotations will inevitably change due to Dowdle’s star turn. Dowdle said the previous setup was that Hubbard got the first two series and Dowdle would get the third. Expect Carolina to tweak that to accommodate the prowess of both players. Hubbard rushed for nearly 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, so he will remain a focal point.

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Is Rico Dowdle’s fantasy production sustainable?

Tristan H. Cockcroft breaks down whether Rico Dowdle can maintain his current fantasy output.

• When talking to people with the Steelers this week in advance of Thursday night’s matchup with Cincinnati, a few themes emerged. First, Pittsburgh’s offense believes it’s a run-first attack now. The Steelers believe the interior offensive line in particular has emerged in recent games to provide an additional push up the middle that benefits backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. This helps protect a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers and plays to offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s strengths as a run-game guru with a tight end background. Expect that identity to continue.

It’s also noteworthy how Rodgers and Smith have hit it off. As right tackle Troy Fautanu told me recently, Rodgers and Smith are both quick-witted and sarcastic, kindred souls in that way, razzing each other like old friends during team meetings. “They are always messing around with each other,” Fautanu said. “It’s a healthy dynamic.” Rodgers and Smith also respect each other’s football acumen. It’s a match that has worked well.