Chairshot NFL News Report (9/13/2026): Rush Hurts His Back, Packers Pay Kraft & Stroud Talks Stop

Cooper Rush develops back spasms before starting for Atlanta, Green Bay pays Tucker Kraft and Houston shuts down C.J. Stroud extension talks.

Sunday’s full NFL slate has finally arrived, and Atlanta somehow managed to make its quarterback situation even more uncomfortable before kickoff.

Cooper Rush developed back spasms one day after replacing the injured Tua Tagovailoa, Green Bay locked up Tucker Kraft with a major extension and Houston officially put C.J. Stroud’s contract negotiations away until after the season.

It’s the Chairshot NFL News Report for September 13, 2026!

Cooper Rush Develops Back Spasms Before His Falcons Start

Atlanta announced Saturday that Cooper Rush is dealing with back spasms but is still expected to start against Pittsburgh. Rush had already replaced Tua Tagovailoa, who was ruled out because of an oblique injury, while Michael Penix Jr. remains unavailable during his recovery from last season’s torn ACL.

That leaves undrafted rookie Jack Strand as the only other available quarterback if Rush cannot finish the game. The Falcons have gone from entering camp with multiple plausible quarterback options to reaching Week 1 with their fourth option potentially one awkward movement away from taking meaningful snaps.

Rush’s injury does not automatically mean Atlanta changes the game plan, but it does reduce the margin for improvisation. Pittsburgh already knows the Falcons have every reason to protect the quarterback, which makes Atlanta’s ability to establish the running game even more important.

Packers Give Tucker Kraft a Massive Extension

Green Bay agreed to a four-year, $75 million extension with tight end Tucker Kraft that can reach $92 million through incentives. The deal keeps Kraft under contract through 2030 and establishes him as one of the league’s highest-paid players at the position.

Kraft’s development made this decision relatively straightforward. Green Bay has spent years constructing an offense around young skill players, and allowing one of the most important ones to reach the open market would undermine that entire approach.

The contract also reflects how dramatically tight-end economics have changed. Teams increasingly treat high-level tight ends as offensive matchup pieces rather than glorified blockers, and the money is beginning to reflect that value.

Raiders Lock Up Michael Mayer

Las Vegas agreed to a three-year, $45 million extension with tight end Michael Mayer that includes $30 million guaranteed. The agreement comes while Brock Bowers is expected to miss early-season time following his knee procedure, making Mayer even more important to the immediate offense.

Mayer’s career changed the moment Las Vegas drafted Bowers, but the Raiders have clearly decided the two players are complementary rather than redundant. Keeping both gives the offense flexibility to use heavier personnel without sacrificing legitimate receiving threats.

The timing also makes sense. Mayer now enters Week 1 knowing exactly where he fits long term rather than spending the season wondering whether Bowers’ arrival eventually pushed him out of the organization.

Texans and C.J. Stroud Table Contract Talks

Houston and C.J. Stroud have ended extension negotiations for the season after failing to reach an agreement before the club’s self-imposed Week 1 deadline. The Texans exercised Stroud’s fifth-year option earlier this year, so he remains under contract through the 2027 season.

This follows the stance Nick Caserio established earlier in the month, but Saturday made the pause official. Stroud now enters the season with no possibility of weekly contract updates hanging over every performance.

That can work in Houston’s favor as much as his. If Stroud delivers another elite season, the price rises, but the decision becomes simple. If his uneven stretches continue, the Texans gain more evidence before making one of the largest financial commitments in franchise history.

Cowboys Lose Malik Davis to Injured Reserve

Dallas placed backup running back Malik Davis on injured reserve after he suffered a significant hip injury in practice and required surgery. Emari Demercado is expected to move into the primary backup role behind Javonte Williams, while Dallas promoted Israel Abanikanda from the practice squad.

The Cowboys already lost Tyler Smith to injured reserve earlier in the week, so another offensive injury adds to a frustrating opening stretch. Davis was not the centerpiece of the running game, but depth starts mattering quickly once the regular season begins.

Demercado was acquired specifically to strengthen the room behind Williams, and Dallas now needs that move to pay off immediately. The Cowboys have not played their opener and are already using roster depth they expected to preserve for later in the season.

Eagles Put Eli Stowers on Injured Reserve

Philadelphia placed rookie tight end Eli Stowers on injured reserve Saturday because of quad and hamstring injuries. The second-round pick must miss at least four games, while offensive tackle Cameron Williams was also moved to injured reserve.

Stowers entered the season as one of the more interesting developmental pieces behind Philadelphia’s established offensive weapons. Missing the first month does not dramatically alter the offense, but it delays the process of determining how quickly he can become part of it.

The Eagles have enough offensive depth to absorb the absence. What they lose is the opportunity to start figuring out where another potential mismatch player fits before the schedule gets more demanding.

Giants Add Receiver Depth Behind Malik Nabers

The Giants signed Dalen Cambre from the practice squad and temporarily elevated Braxton Berrios ahead of Sunday night’s game against Dallas. Malik Nabers remains questionable as he decides whether he is comfortable returning from the ACL and meniscus injuries that ended his 2025 season.

The moves do not confirm Nabers will sit, but they give New York options if he does. That is the correct way to handle a player who has already said he will not risk his long-term career simply because the opener happens to be a divisional game.

The Giants can survive one Sunday without Nabers much more easily than they can survive another setback to his knee. Having additional receivers available makes it easier to respect that calculation.

Patrick Mahomes Is Cleared for Monday Night

Kansas City removed Patrick Mahomes from the injury report ahead of Monday night’s game against Denver. Mahomes had been managing a knee issue, while tackle Josh Simmons and safety Chamarri Conner have been ruled out.

There was never much indication Mahomes was in serious danger of missing the game, but an official clearance removes the final uncertainty. Kansas City begins another season with the same advantage it has enjoyed for years: as long as Mahomes is playing, the offense has a solution available that most teams simply do not.

Denver still has reasons for optimism entering the matchup. The Broncos are not preparing for a compromised quarterback anymore, which at least gives them clarity about the problem they have to solve.

Sunday’s NFL Week 1 Slate

The first full Sunday of the 2026 season features 13 games, followed by Dallas and the Giants on Sunday Night Football. Buffalo-Houston, Green Bay-Minnesota and the Jets facing former coach Robert Saleh’s Titans provide several of the more interesting early-window matchups.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals
• New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions
• Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans
• Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts
• Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars
• Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers
• New York Jets at Tennessee Titans
• Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears
• Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers
• Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders
• Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
• Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles
• Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

The first two NFL games gave us Seattle surviving New England and San Francisco crushing Los Angeles in Australia. Sunday finally gives the rest of the league an opportunity to replace projections with evidence.

Several teams are already arriving with compromised plans. Atlanta is down one starting quarterback and trying to keep the replacement healthy, Dallas has already lost multiple offensive contributors and New York still does not know whether Nabers is ready to return.

That is why Week 1 matters. Every team spent six months building an ideal version of itself, and September immediately begins revealing how much of that version actually survives contact with a real season.

This report includes information from: NFL.com, Reuters.com, NBCSports.com, Giants.com, and NFL transaction reporting.