Week 5 is officially in the books, and the normally calm news churn of Tuesdays received a jolt of adrenaline thanks to the AFC North.
The Cincinnati Bengals are reportedly acquiring quarterback Joe Flacco and a sixth-round pick from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Flacco lost his starting spot in Cleveland to rookie Dillon Gabriel and doesn’t have much left in the tank, but he still has the arm strength to threaten the full field, which is what the Bengals need with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
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Jake Browning has been ineffective for Cincinnati, which is still 2-3 and hardly out of the playoff race with Joe Burrow expected to be out until at least December with a turf toe injury. The Bengals are betting Flacco can keep them competitive until then. Meanwhile for Cleveland, this vaults rookie fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders to the backup quarterback spot behind Gabriel, so the Browns figure to know much more about what they have in both guys by the end of the year.
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The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, got some good news on Tuesday. Cornerback Terrion Arnold got a second opinion on his shoulder injury and could now return “sooner than expected,” per ESPN, possibly even this month. On Monday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell looked downtrodden in saying that Arnold and fellow cornerback Khalil Dorsey could be out for “a while,” with CB D.J. Reed already on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Perhaps that won’t be the case with Arnold.
Week 6 begins Thursday night with the Philadelphia Eagles visiting the New York Giants, and Saquon Barkley popped up on the Eagles’ estimated practice report Monday with a knee injury. Per NFL Network, however, it was just “general soreness” and Barkley is expected to play on Thursday.
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Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more following results from Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season: