NFL Insider Ian Rapoport on Possible Rams & Chiefs WR Trades; Micah Packers Return

The trade deadline is a couple of Tuesdays away, the Colts have already started selling, and Lamar Jackson has two ankles. Ian Rapoport covered all of it on The Rich Eisen Show, including where Jonathan Taylor stands, which receivers Kansas City could chase, and when Micah Parsons is back on a practice field.

A Possible Lamar Jackson Week 8 Return to the Ravens

The show opened with fresh video from Ravens practice and a round of what Rich called RES Consulting, the program's long tradition of studying injured players walking up and down podiums. Jackson took a low snap, tested his footing, looked one way and threw the other. "Arm looks good," came the verdict from the room. Someone in the room wondered if Jackson was eyeing the photographer while he did it.

Rapoport, zoomed in on his laptop, offered the scoop. "Look, he's got two ankles." He and Adam Schefter split the reporting: "I've got the right ankle. He's got the left."

The joke had a backstory. This week Jackson name-checked Rapoport in a press conference while debating the type of ankle injury he has, and Bleacher Report framed it as Jackson calling out a reporter. "I watch him, I'm like, yeah, no, he didn't do anything like that," Rapoport said. Jackson asked if Rapoport was part of the training staff. He is not.

Covering Jackson is uniquely hard, Rapoport explained, because he has no agent and doesn't talk to reporters. "We know less about how a player is recovering from an injury about Lamar than anyone else because there's no dialogue ever." What he does know: Jackson "is working this year incredibly hard to come back," and he wants to be 100 percent because "he's someone who has to move around to be effective."

The bottom line: "I do expect him back against the Buffalo Bills this week."

What Jesse Minter Means by Veteran Leadership

Ravens coach Jesse Minter said he needs more veteran leadership on the field in crunch time. Rapoport took it as a call for the players to police themselves. He recalled Nick Saban telling him at Alabama that on the best teams, players lead themselves. "If the coach has to be the guy to say work harder, that's a bad team."

He pointed to the great Ravens defenses, where Ray Lewis would step in and say "this is not right. In much more colorful language." After a 35-13 loss, Minter wants someone to say, "This is not okay. Let's fix this." Sometimes, Rapoport said, "it takes getting kicked in the mouth a little bit to do that."

Chances the Colts Trade All-Pro RB Jonathan Taylor

Rich asked Rapoport to walk through the last 48 hours in Indianapolis. The plan was to play the Vikings and assess. Daniel Jones played poorly, and the Colts decided to "start opening the door."

The first conversations were about DeForest Buckner and the 49ers. "When Buckner learned the 49ers were interested, it was like, send me there," Rapoport said. One side wanted a third, the other a fifth, and it landed on a fourth. Buckner is on an expiring contract, and Rapoport guesses he ends up re-signing in San Francisco.

Then teams called on Quenton Nelson, and there were a lot of them, including Green Bay and Seattle. Seattle's Monday night game created urgency: trade Tuesday, fly Wednesday, practice Thursday, play. Nelson went for a third and a fifth. "People were saying he should have gone for more," Rapoport said. "That's a lot for a midseason trade. That's about as good as it gets."

Josh Downs has asked out, and "those trade talks already going on." Rapoport thought Downs might have been dealt the day before.

Then the big one. "Jonathan Taylor to me is interesting, obviously, as well, because I know the interest is real." His guess is the price beats the third Nelson brought. But the key fact: "Carlie Irsay-Gordon loves Jonathan Taylor, views him as part of the rebuild. That is a fact." That doesn't rule out a deal. "It just means it's going to be expensive because it has to be worth it."

Deadline deals for players this good are rare, and the two recalled Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams last year: "That never happens." Tearing a roster to the studs is brutal, too. He's optimistic about the Jets, who are "building the right way," but "it has been rough to go through it." Rapoport added that his brother, a Jets fan, texts him the Kylo Ren GIF every time the Colts make a trade.

The Eagles and the Rest of the Board

The Eagles "call on every trade," Rapoport said. A Nelson deal likely would have meant moving Landon Dickerson, who played well the other night. Rich called Philadelphia the most interesting deadline team, and Rapoport could see it going both ways: adding a young player they'd want long term, the way the Bears did with Montez Sweat and the Seahawks did with Leonard Williams, or selling pieces. Riq Woolen, on a one-year deal when "everyone needs corner help," is one he could see moving.

Other names to watch: Khalil Mack, though the Chargers "haven't signaled a willingness to sell" yet, with the Bears interested in a reunion. And Brian Thomas Jr. "I have a sense that Jaguars really want to trade him," Rapoport said, with his playing time down but teams still believing he's "really good."

Possible Chiefs and Rams WR Trades

Rich asked about Brett Veach after Seattle shut down Kenneth Walker and exposed a receiver need. "I think they're going to explore every receiver available," Rapoport said. Downs fits. So does Brian Thomas. So does Calvin Ridley, with Veach's old lieutenant Mike Borgonzi running things in Nashville.

The fit is tricky, with Rashee Rice coming back eventually and Tyquan Thornton maybe back for a playoff push. "So you need a receiver, but what kind of receiver do they get is going to be interesting." His call: "Before the end of this whole thing, we do see the Chiefs trade for a receiver."

The Rams are the opposite story. Rich noted they're without Davante Adams, and he wanted to know about Myles Garrett returning to the practice field and possibly playing against the Chargers. Rapoport didn't know: "They've been really cautious." On trades, "I haven't heard the Rams a lot." After trading so much for Garrett, and with mid-round picks that "turn into Pro Bowlers for them," he doesn't expect much activity.

Micah Parsons and the Packers Return

Is Parsons around the corner for Green Bay? "Micah is going to be practicing, probably next week," Rapoport said. The Packers play tomorrow, and they've been cautious. He wouldn't promise a game, though "he could play Thanksgiving."

There's no reason to rush. "The Packers are good. They got Josh Jacobs back. They're going to be in it till the end," Rapoport said. "Play him whenever, but you'll have a fresh, awesome Micah Parsons for December and January."

The Book With Fake Pages

Rich closed by plugging Rapoport's book, "Where the Cameras Can't Go: A Year Inside the NFL with the Ultimate Football Insider," coming August 2027. One catch: it's still being written, because the year inside is this season. "I have the book title. I have the book cover, but it's fake pages inside," Rapoport admitted. TJ held up his script, and the room nominated him to ghostwrite it on the spot.