Penn State Professional Athletes

Micah Parsons Is Coming, and Green Bay Can Feel It

The most important Penn State story in the NFL right now isn't happening on a field — it's happening on a practice sideline in Green Bay. Micah Parsons, who hasn't played since Week 15 of the 2025 season, is eyeing a Thanksgiving eve return against the Rams, per multiple reports. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed the team hopes Parsons begins practicing as soon as next week, with Week 12 penciled in as the target for his 2026 debut.

The timing matters enormously. Green Bay has won four of its last five and is firmly in the playoff picture. Adding Parsons — a generational pass rusher — to a defense that's already been functional enough to win games raises the ceiling considerably. As Yahoo Sports framed it, his return could be the thing that makes this Packers team a legitimate Super Bowl contender. That's not hype. That's just what a healthy Parsons does to a roster.

Dani Dennis-Sutton, the other Penn Stater in Green Bay's defensive front, has been holding things down in Parsons's absence. Dennis-Sutton recorded a sack in Thursday's 27-19 win over Carolina — his second stat line in two weeks as the Packers leaned on their young edge rushers while waiting for reinforcements.

Barkley Plays Hurt, Stays Productive

Saquon Barkley gave Eagles fans a scare during Monday night's 38-21 loss to the Cowboys, exiting in the third quarter before providing a positive update on his status. By Friday, he was back at practice, and he was confirmed active for Sunday night's matchup against Washington.

He didn't disappoint in that Week 7 contest against Dallas despite the team loss, logging 62 rushing yards and a touchdown while adding two catches for 9 yards. His body of work before exiting the game was characteristically efficient, and his quick return to availability underscored why the Eagles treat him as essentially irreplaceable. When asked about playing against the Commanders, Barkley kept it simple — a three-word message that conveyed everything fans needed to know.

Fellow Penn Stater Joey Porter Jr., now with the Cowboys after a trade deadline move, was on the field for the opposing side in that Eagles-Cowboys game. Dallas executive Stephen Jones addressed the Porter Jr. acquisition publicly this week, declining to commit to a long-term extension but acknowledging the immediate impact the cornerback has made since arriving.

Scattered Notes Across the League

Elsewhere, Zakee Wheatley continues to be a bright spot in Carolina's otherwise turbulent season. The rookie safety — the Panthers' second fifth-round pick — recorded an interception Thursday against Green Bay, building on a week in which Sports Illustrated spotlighted his emergence as one of the few genuine positives in an up-and-down Panthers locker room.

Mike Gesicki hauled in a touchdown in Cincinnati's 35-13 blowout of Baltimore, finishing with 6 yards and a score on one reception. Pat Freiermuth chipped in 2 catches for 20 yards in Pittsburgh's narrow 16-10 win over New Orleans. Chop Robinson added a sack for Miami in a 28-25 win over the Jets. Chris Godwin Jr. caught 4 passes for 27 yards in Tampa Bay's dominant 43-13 win over Carolina.

Also worth tracking: Tyler Warren was confirmed active for Indianapolis after an injury scare, giving Colts fans one less thing to worry about heading into the week.

The most compelling Penn State storyline of the NFL week isn't on a Sunday — it's Monday night in Philadelphia, where Saquon Barkley is expected to return from a hamstring injury that kept him out the previous two games and suit up for an Eagles team in full crisis mode.

Jalen Hurts is done for the year. The Eagles quarterback was ruled out for the season after a blood clot traveled from his calf to his lungs — a situation serious enough that the NFLPA has demanded an investigation into his medical care. Philadelphia sits at 2-4, and the offense has looked like a broken machine without both its franchise pieces. Barkley was listed as questionable heading into the week, with head coach Nick Sirianni pumping the brakes on an outright declaration of availability through Thursday — but by the final injury report, the door was open. Barkley himself sent a message to his teammates: "Guys gotta step up."

The twist? On the other sideline, fellow Nittany Lion Joey Porter Jr. will be in full uniform for Dallas. Porter Jr. carried no injury designation into Monday night, giving the Cowboys their starting corner healthy for what amounts to a winnable game against a Philadelphia team scrambling at quarterback. It's a rare Penn State-on-Penn State prime-time collision, with Barkley trying to drag an undermanned offense forward while Porter Jr. looks to shut it down from the secondary.

Porter Jr.'s name has been swirling in Dallas for other reasons, too. An ESPN analyst floated the idea of trading newly acquired WR George Pickens to free up cap space to extend Porter, and a former Cowboys player publicly questioned the corner's discipline. None of that noise appears to have affected his availability or standing with the team.

Elsewhere Around the League

Micah Parsons won't be adding to the drama Monday night. The Packers linebacker — who did not play in Green Bay's 23-13 Week 7 win over Dallas on Sunday — was not prioritizing a return around that matchup, and his timeline remains unclear. Dani Dennis-Sutton was active for the Packers in that win over Dallas, though stats weren't notable.

In Jacksonville, Parker Washington and Brenton Strange gave Jaguars fans something to feel good about even in a loss to Houston. Washington caught four passes for 64 yards, and Strange matched him with five receptions for 44 yards — both Penn Staters contributing in a 34-31 defeat.

Jahan Dotson had his best game of the young season, hauling in three catches for 87 yards and a touchdown for Atlanta in a 31-23 loss to Chicago. The yards were there; the win wasn't.

In Indianapolis, tight end Tyler Warren was ruled out for Week 7 against the Vikings — bad timing for a Colts team already in a slide, and a tough blow for a Penn State product who had been one of the more promising young pass-catchers at his position entering the year.

Theo Johnson was also ruled out for the Giants' trip to Houston, leaving New York light at tight end as well.

The week belongs to Barkley, though. With Hurts gone and Philadelphia's season hanging by a thread, Monday night isn't just a game — it's a referendum on whether the Eagles can survive. And their best Penn Stater is the one carrying the load.

Penn State alumni had one of their best collective weeks of the 2026 NFL season in Week 6, with five former Nittany Lions finding the end zone or the quarterback across a loaded Sunday slate.

Washington and Warren Headline the Offensive Explosion

The biggest individual performance came from Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington, who turned in a genuine breakout game. In Jacksonville's 19–17 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles — a game played in London — Washington hauled in 6 catches for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was the kind of performance that ends "who is he?" conversations.

On the other side of that game, tight end Brenton Strange quietly put together one of the stronger stat lines of his young career, catching 7 passes for 68 yards for Jacksonville. Two Nittany Lions accounting for 13 catches and 192 yards in the same game is not a coincidence — it's a coaching staff leaning on what it knows.

Meanwhile in Indianapolis, the Steelers-Colts matchup turned into a showcase for Penn State tight ends. Pat Freiermuth delivered a 2-TD performance for Pittsburgh — 5 catches, 44 yards, two scores — as the Steelers won 34–22. He did it despite entering the week listed as questionable with a calf injury, which makes the output even more notable. Across the field, Colts tight end Tyler Warren answered with a multi-score game of his own: 7 catches, 83 yards, plus a rushing touchdown. Warren found the end zone both through the air and on the ground in a losing effort, but his individual production was unmistakable.

The Bengals' Mike Gesicki also got in on the scoring, catching 1 pass for 4 yards — but that pass went for a touchdown as Cincinnati topped Miami 31–24.

The Pass Rushers Deliver

The defensive side had its moments too. Abdul Carter, the Giants' first-round edge rusher, recorded a sack in New York's 27–27 tie with Washington — a frustrating result for a Giants team that entered the week leading the NFC East. Carter has quickly become one of the more disruptive young pass rushers in the league.

In Green Bay, Dani Dennis-Sutton added a sack of his own as the Packers dismantled the Bears 31–7. Dennis-Sutton continues to carve out a role in Green Bay's defensive front, even as fellow Penn Stater Micah Parsons remains sidelined. Parsons, who was traded to Green Bay in the offseason, had been targeting a Week 6 return from his ACL injury but missed the Cowboys matchup — his former team — and reports indicate his debut timeline has shifted further back.

Elsewhere Around the League

Jahan Dotson caught 2 passes for 54 yards in Atlanta's 23–30 loss to Baltimore. Theo Johnson had a modest 2-catch, 35-yard outing for the Giants in the tie with Washington. Saquon Barkley remained sidelined for Philadelphia with a hamstring injury, missing his second straight game.

Six touchdowns. Two sacks. Penn State's NFL footprint in Week 6 was hard to miss.

It was a week that had everything for Penn State's NFL diaspora: a blockbuster trade, a promising rookie cut loose, a pass-rusher turning heads, and the defending rushing champ suddenly sidelined. The Nittany Lions' NFL footprint was impossible to ignore from Sunday through Thursday.

Porter Jr. Goes to Dallas — and Wins

The biggest story belongs to Joey Porter Jr., who was dealt from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Dallas Cowboys after a contract standoff over second-year guarantees. Porter learned of the trade late at night, and by Sunday he was suiting up in blue and silver. He played 24 snaps — including 16 in coverage — in Dallas's 34-30 win over the Houston Texans, allowing no receptions and sending a pointed message to the receivers across from him. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer called the debut a success, and Porter himself had one word for it. His father, Joey Porter Sr., wasn't subtle about his feelings toward Pittsburgh, either, taking a public shot at his former franchise during the celebration.

The week had one more twist: Porter was ruled out for Dallas's Thursday night game due to illness, cutting short an otherwise electric stretch. He had played 25 snaps total in his 2026 debut before the setback.

Carter Dominates, Somehow Misses the All-Star List

Abdul Carter's week deserves its own banner. The Giants linebacker put up a 90.1 PFF grade and generated six pressures in New York's 36-24 win over the Arizona Cardinals — numbers that earned him buzz as one of the best pass-rushers in the league on that Sunday. He was notably left off PFF's Team of the Week, a snub that sparked immediate debate. Two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long weighed in, urging Giants fans to evaluate Carter by a different standard given how rare his skillset is at this stage of a career. His teammate Theo Johnson also contributed, hauling in a touchdown reception in the same victory.

Barkley Out, Allen Cut

On the injury front, Saquon Barkley was ruled out for Week 5 after managing just eight rushing yards and two receiving yards in Philadelphia's 20-24 loss to the Rams in Week 4. For the Eagles, who have leaned heavily on their star back, the absence is significant. The circumstances of the injury were not detailed in available reporting, but the fantasy and real-world implications are considerable.

Meanwhile, Kaytron Allen's NFL journey hit a roadblock. Washington waived the rookie running back — a 2026 sixth-round pick — just weeks into the season. Allen had carried once for one yard in the Commanders' 13-30 loss to the Colts on Sunday before the roster move. Heavy Sports noted the move came as a surprise to those tracking Penn State alumni in the league. Allen is now listed with the Dolphins on the alumni roster.

Around the League

Elsewhere, Mike Gesicki took personal responsibility for a dropped pass that could have been a game-winning touchdown in Cincinnati's 17-22 loss to Jacksonville — a costly moment in what was a back-and-forth game. Jahan Dotson was a bright spot in Atlanta's 45-24 demolition of New Orleans, catching two passes for 54 yards and a touchdown on Monday night. And Brenton Strange quietly put together a standout outing on the other side of that Bengals-Jaguars game, catching seven passes for 95 yards for Jacksonville.

It was, by any measure, a week that reminded the league Penn State keeps producing.