NFL Roundup: Payton Reclaims Broncos' Plays; Jets' Taylor Back at Practice
Most of what moved around the league Thursday was availability news, not identity news. One item is neither.
Sean Payton said he'll take an increased role in the Broncos' offense and call the plays himself, after a slow start to the 2026 season that came under Davis Webb. "I'll call the plays," Payton said. My read: this is about the leash more than the scheme. When the head coach grabs the headset, the quarterback loses his buffer and the play caller loses his alibi. If Denver's problem is protection or personnel rather than sequencing, Payton calling plays fixes nothing and simply puts his name on it. That's the outcome that would prove me wrong.
The Jets got the quiet kind of good news. Mason Taylor, out the last two games with a thumb injury, was a full participant in both days of practice ahead of New York's Week 5 game against the Browns. This matters more in the run game than the pass game. A healthy tight end changes early-down personnel and pushes whoever absorbed his snaps back into a smaller role. Not a headline, but a real swing in what the Jets can call.
Indianapolis practiced without wide receiver Ashton Dulin and defensive end Arden Key, both hamstring, on Thursday. Key is the one that changes a game plan. If he can't go against Pittsburgh, the Steelers' offense gets a lighter edge to block for, which is precisely the help a conservative approach needs.
Which is where McCarthy comes in. The word out of Pittsburgh is that he's staying the course with an uneven Steelers team against an improving Colts team, and I think that's the wrong read for this week. Improving is the operative word. Indianapolis is the side changing. Standing still against a team that's getting better makes you the one falling behind. My expectation: Pittsburgh leans on the run and shorter drops, and the Colts' missing pass rusher makes that plan look smarter than it is.
In New York, the Giants got Malik Nabers back at work Thursday after knee soreness kept him off the field Wednesday. He was limited Thursday, and Andrew Thomas was limited too. Nabers' return is the reassuring part and probably not the important one. A receiver can't produce if the pocket doesn't hold, so Thomas's status is the one I'd track through the weekend. Nabers practicing is nice. The line is the offense.
Carolina signed running back Anthony Tyus III to the practice squad, a move dated Oct. 8. Practice-squad running backs in October are insurance, not threats. The depth chart doesn't change until a Panthers back lands on the injury report. Until then this is a name to file, not to roster.
Malik Washington has no team attached to this item, so I won't guess an employer, and ESPN's fantasy outlook clip gives me no numbers to lean on. The clip's existence is the actual information. Fantasy outlook segments this deep into the season tend to trail the hype rather than lead it. If you're hearing the name for the first time this week, you're already late, and I'd rather miss someone else's breakout week than buy it at the top.
My verdict for the week: the coach who takes back the playsheet owns the result, and Payton just volunteered for that. Taylor's return in New York is the one on this list I'd bet actually changes a scoreboard.
