Oregon Professional Athletes

It was a banner week for the Duck diaspora across the NFL. Bo Nix made history, DeForest Buckner came home, and Bucky Irving ran roughshod over the NFC South. Oregon's fingerprints were all over the league in the final week of October.

Bo Nix Makes History in Denver

The question "Is Bo back?" got a resounding answer Sunday. Nix led the Broncos to a 30-16 dismantling of the Arizona Cardinals, throwing for 222 yards and a touchdown while adding 73 rushing yards and a score on the ground. The dual-threat performance was historic — per Sports Illustrated, Nix became just the latest entry in the NFL record books with his combined passing-rushing output. The win was a timely statement for a Denver team facing real questions about its quarterback's future. CBS Sports has raised alarms about the cost of a Nix extension, arguing it could "cripple" the Broncos and close their Super Bowl window. For now, though, the former Oregon signal-caller is giving the front office plenty to think about — in the best possible way.

Buckner Returns to San Francisco

The biggest Oregon-connected transaction of the week — maybe the month — came midweek when the Indianapolis Colts traded DeForest Buckner back to the San Francisco 49ers. Buckner, a three-time Pro Bowler who was originally drafted by San Francisco at No. 7 overall in 2016, is returning to the team that made him a star. The Niners sent a 2027 fourth-round pick to Indianapolis for the veteran defensive tackle, who is on an expiring deal. San Francisco made the move during their bye week as part of an aggressive push toward a Super Bowl run, with the Nov. 10 trade deadline looming. Buckner broke his silence after the deal, expressing enthusiasm about the reunion. He played his final game as a Colt on Sunday, suiting up in Indianapolis' 10-16 loss to Minnesota before the trade was announced. The 49ers are reportedly not done dealing, with additional trade rumors swirling around wide receiver help.

Irving Erupts for Tampa Bay

While the trade drama unfolded, Bucky Irving was busy reminding everyone why he's been one of October's most dynamic offensive players. The Buccaneers running back torched the Carolina Panthers for 106 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Tampa Bay's 43-13 rout — adding a reception for good measure. Sports Illustrated noted that Irving has separated himself in the NFL this month, and Sunday's performance underlined exactly why. Fellow Duck Tez Johnson also got in on the blowout, hauling in two catches for 33 yards and a receiving touchdown.

More Ducks to Watch

It wasn't all headlines for the Oregon faithful. Dillon Gabriel, the rookie QB, was activated off injured reserve by the Cleveland Browns, giving the team four quarterbacks on the active roster. Gabriel won't be throwing passes to NFL defenses anytime soon, but his return adds depth to a Browns room that's been a rotating door all season. Meanwhile, Justin Herbert remains the face of a Chargers franchise in flux — reports confirm he won't be traded despite the team's turbulent stretch, a small comfort for Ducks fans invested in the Chargers' rebuild.

Oregon's alumni base is as active as ever across the league, and with the trade deadline still days away, there may be more Duck-related moves on the horizon before the calendar flips to November.

DeForest Buckner: Oregon's Most Talked-About Duck

The most prominent Oregon alumnus in the NFL right now isn't making plays on the field — he's the subject of the league's most intriguing trade drama heading into the Nov. 10 deadline.

DeForest Buckner, the 32-year-old defensive tackle signed to a $46 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts, has become the centerpiece of deadline speculation after Indianapolis fell to 20-26 against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7. Multiple reports have linked Buckner to contenders, with Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox specifically projecting him as a fit for his former team, the San Francisco 49ers — a franchise that has made a habit of reuniting with ex-players after bringing back Dre Greenlaw and Deebo Samuel last offseason.

The 49ers connection carries real weight. Buckner was a foundational piece of San Francisco's defense before being traded to Indianapolis in 2020, and the 49ers have since been monitoring his situation, according to Heavy Sports. The Chicago Bears have also entered the conversation, though NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has tempered expectations around the Colts' willingness to deal — Indianapolis is reportedly not yet ready to go full sell mode, contingent on how the next few weeks unfold.

If the Colts slide further from contention, Buckner becomes the most logical trade chip on their roster.

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Bo Nix: A Duck Under Siege

Bo Nix's sophomore NFL season has turned into a referendum on his future in Denver. The Broncos quarterback — 4-2 as a team but personally under fire — has drawn blunt criticism from league insiders, with one calling him "hard to watch" in Sean Payton's offense. Bleacher Report reported that there is growing belief around the NFL that Denver may pump the brakes on extending Nix's contract if his play doesn't improve, with ESPN flagging concerns about a "limited ceiling."

Nix did not play this week, as the Broncos were on a mini-bye following their overtime win over Seattle. That break may have been well-timed — it gave the offense a moment to breathe before a Week 8 matchup against Arizona.

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Dillon Gabriel: The Backup Situation Gets Complicated

Dillon Gabriel's return from injury in Cleveland has already reshuffled the Browns' quarterback room. Per multiple reports, Gabriel's presence is threatening Shedeur Sanders' hold on the QB2 role and has even sparked trade buzz around Sanders. The Browns made their decision for Week 7 against the Titans — Gabriel did not start — but his return trajectory is clearly shaking things up in a franchise searching for any kind of quarterback stability.

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Around the League

A few other Oregon alumni had moments worth noting in Week 7. Evan Williams hauled in an interception for Green Bay in a 23-13 win over Dallas, continuing a strong stretch for the Packers safety who credited the team's Week 3 loss to Atlanta as a defensive turning point. Jevon Holland was ruled out for the Giants' Week 7 trip to Houston, a blow to New York's secondary. Justin Herbert and the Chargers were dismantled by Kansas City 22-6, with Herbert finishing with just 204 passing yards and a pick. And Bucky Irving contributed 46 rushing yards for Tampa Bay in a 19-26 loss to Pittsburgh, with Tez Johnson adding two catches in the same game.

Oregon has produced some of the most talked-about quarterback situations in the NFL this week — and neither story is particularly comfortable for Duck fans to watch.

Bo Nix: Winning, and Somehow Losing the Argument

The Denver Broncos are 4-2, and Bo Nix is a significant reason why. He's also the most scrutinized quarterback in the league right now, and the numbers from this week's games make it easy to understand why the critics are circling.

In Sunday's win over the Chargers, Nix threw for 123 yards with one touchdown. Then came Thursday Night Football — a 17-14 survival act over Seattle — where he managed 107 passing yards. The back-to-back performances invited a viral beatdown from former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who called Nix's TNF showing "almost disrespectful to the quarterback position" and flatly declared, "He's not playing competitive football right now." A former Broncos quarterback briefly piled on with a social media post before deleting it amid backlash, which only added more oxygen to the fire.

CBS Sports identified four statistical markers backing Fitzpatrick's harsh take, and trade calls — including a push to bring in four-time Pro Bowl QB Kirk Cousins — have grown louder in national circles. The Jaylen Waddle trade, acquired to boost Denver's passing game, looks increasingly questionable, with Waddle struggling to integrate and adding dropped passes to the mess.

Yet Sean Payton isn't blinking. The Broncos head coach has remained publicly unfazed by the offensive slump, and an NFL insider confirmed this week that the organization's internal view of Nix remains positive — benching him is not on the table. Denver's faith in their former Oregon signal-caller is holding, even as the outside world calls for a change. Fellow Duck and Broncos teammate Troy Franklin had a quiet showing in both games — two catches for 16 yards Sunday, one catch for 2 yards Thursday — as the passing offense continues to sputter around him.

Justin Herbert: Lost in a New System

If Nix's situation is complicated, Justin Herbert's is closer to a full-blown crisis. The Chargers fell to 0-5, and Herbert's struggles under first-year head coach Mike McDaniel have become one of the league's defining storylines. Against Denver on Sunday, Herbert threw for only 121 yards with one touchdown and one interception, adding 54 rushing yards in what amounted to a desperate scramble to manufacture offense.

A Hall of Fame quarterback publicly dissected what's gone wrong, pointing to Herbert looking "lost" in McDaniel's new system. Sports Illustrated argued Herbert needs to pick a fight emotionally — provide a spark — as the Chargers prepare to face Kansas City. McDaniel, meanwhile, has been trying to explain away Herbert's interception problems publicly, a posture that signals the offense's issues run deeper than play-calling adjustments.

Trade rumors around Herbert emerged after the 0-4 start, but Jim Harbaugh shut them down emphatically once the team hit 0-5. Harbaugh's own job security is being questioned in national circles, though reports indicate he is not on the hot seat. Fellow Ducks on the LA roster — linebacker Troy Dye, defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell, guard Alex Harkey, and offensive tackle Isaiah World — are along for the turbulent ride.

Elsewhere, Colts tight end Pharaoh Brown earned a promotion to the active roster, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez returned to full practice ahead of Week 6, and Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner chipped in a sack in Indianapolis's loss to Pittsburgh. But make no mistake: this was Oregon's quarterback week, for better and for worse.

Bucky Irving Owns Thursday Night

No Oregon alumni had a better week in the NFL than Bucky Irving, and it wasn't particularly close. The Buccaneers' second-year back turned Thursday Night Football into a personal showcase, rushing for 165 yards and a touchdown while adding two receptions for 10 yards and another score in Tampa Bay's 24-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The performance cemented Irving as one of the more electric young backs in the league and gave Bucks fans something to talk about heading into the bye.

Irving's week actually started productively too — he carried for 61 yards in Tampa's narrow 17-14 loss to Green Bay on Sunday, Oct. 4, making him one of the most-used backs across the full week. Buccaneers teammate Tez Johnson also had a moment Thursday, hauling in a 64-yard reception, giving Oregon a full Duck showcase on TNF.

Herbert's Historic Struggles Continue

While Irving soared, Justin Herbert continued to sink. The Chargers quarterback threw for just 189 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 23-30 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 4 — a result that left Los Angeles in genuine freefall. According to The Sporting News, Herbert was one interception away from setting a deeply unflattering franchise record for picks, while Heavy Sports reported he leads the NFL in a painful turnover-related stat dating back to 2020.

The situation grew bleak enough that Sports Illustrated surfaced a wild-take segment from NFL writer Field Yates suggesting the Chargers may eventually need to consider moving on from their franchise quarterback — a sentence that would have sounded absurd a year ago. Herbert also took a controversial hit from a Seahawks defender that drew league punishment, a moment that underscored just how difficult his afternoon was.

At 0-4 (and facing Denver), Los Angeles and Herbert were staring at a potential 0-5 start. Fellow Duck and Chargers LB Troy Dye did provide a sack in the loss, giving the defense at least one bright moment.

Sewell Returns, Harmon Goes Down

On the injury front, the Bears activated linebacker Noah Sewell from reserve/PUP, clearing him to return after missing the season's first month. Sewell's activation gives Chicago's defense a needed boost as the team sits atop the NFC North with a 4-0 record — though Sewell did not appear in the stats from the Jets game on Oct. 4.

Not as fortunate: Steelers defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was placed on injured reserve, costing Pittsburgh the promising young Duck for at least four games.

Around the Rest of the Duck Nation

Marcus Mariota's shaky Commanders tenure took another hit — the veteran quarterback exited Washington's blowout 13-30 loss to the Colts with an injury, leaving the team in the hands of third-stringer Athan Kaliakmanis. Mariota had managed just 46 passing yards and 35 rushing yards before departing.

Christian Gonzalez was ruled out for New England's Week 5 matchup against the Raiders with a shoulder injury, missing his second straight game. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel offered little clarity on a timeline, and Gonzalez himself declined to speak on the matter.

In Green Bay, safety Evan Williams had himself a Sunday — recording a sack and an interception as the Packers edged Tampa Bay 17-14, meaning he directly contributed to the one Irving blotch of the week. Arik Armstead also posted a sack for Jacksonville in their 22-17 win over Cincinnati.

It was, in every sense, a week of extremes for the Ducks.