NFL Player News

Garoppolo (shoulder/thumb) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports

Despite coming down with another injury this past Sunday in Dallas, Garoppolo gutted out a uncapped practice Wednesday and didn't appear worse for wear while throwing with sprains in both his right shoulder and thumb, per Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News. With his status all but confirmed as the 49ers' starting quarterback for Saturday's divisional-round matchup at Green Bay, Garoppolo will turn has focus to the Packers' ninth-ranked pass defense, which allowed 219.1 yards per game during the regular season.

Mayfield underwent a successful procedure Wednesday to repair the torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder, Anthony Poisal of the Browns' official site reports.

According to the report, the quarterback's recovery period is expected to fall in the 4-to-6 month range. Additionally, the Browns anticipate that Mayfield should be able to begin light throwing in April and participate in the team's offseason program on a limited basis. Beyond that, the expectation is Mayfield will be fully recovered for the start of training camp and enter 2022 as the Browns' starting signal-caller, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft is heading into the final year of his rookie contract, which is worth a fully guaranteed $18.86 million in 2022.

Mayfield (shoulder) will have surgery Wednesday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Mayfield's outlook for 2022 would be more worrisome if the surgery was for his throwing arm. As is, Mayfield should be ready for training camp, if not the Browns' offseason program. He's scheduled to play out 2022 under the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, and while the Browns reportedly plan to retain him as their starter, according to Rapoport, it's unclear if they'll seriously discuss an extension. Even after accounting for the injury that plagued him since Week 2, the past season was a clear step back from the year before, both for Mayfield personally and the Browns offense as a whole.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said Wednesday that Hurts (ankle) showed enough to keep his job as the starting quarterback entering the 2022 season, Zach Berman of The Athletic reports.

The Eagles have the requisite cap space and draft picks to pursue an upgrade, but Roseman said his plan for the offseason is to build around Hurts, who went 8-7-0 as a starter in 2021 and finished the regular season with 3,144 passing yards, 784 rushing yards, 26 total touchdowns and 11 turnovers. While he placed just 26th among 31 qualified passers in completion rate (61.3 percent), Hurts was above-average at avoiding sacks and turnovers, in addition to leading all signal-callers in rushing yards (784) and rushing touchdowns (10). That's solid work for an age-23 season, especially given that Hurts has been stuck with a different coaching staff four straight years dating back to his college days. He'll now have continuity with head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, as well as his top two targets in wideout DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert. Next, Hurts will likely take some time to rest and recover, hoping to avoid offseason surgery on the ankle he initially injured in late November.

Garoppolo (thumb/shoulder) will be limited at Tuesday's practice, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Garoppolo added to his list of recent injuries during the 49ers' wild-card win at Dallas, suffering a sprained right shoulder "early in the second quarter," coach Kyle Shanahan told David Lombardi of The Athletic. While playing the past two games with a right thumb sprain, Garoppolo has been up and down, completing 39 of 57 passes for 488 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. That hasn't stopped San Francisco from posting back-to-back road victories, however, and he's kicking off this week with an on-field appearance. How Garoppolo fares in practice Tuesday through Thursday likely will determine whether he heads into Saturday's divisional-round game at Green Bay with an injury designation.

Rodgers (toe) was a full practice participant Tuesday.

In his previous media availability last Wednesday, Rodgers relayed that his left pinkie toe fracture wouldn't be a problem for him during the playoffs. With the Packers set to open their postseason run Saturday versus the 49ers, he opened the week of prep without limitations on the practice field, a change from the norm that had been established since he sustained the injury. Stretching back to Week 11, Rodgers has put together 1,929 yards, 20 touchdowns and no interceptions in his last seven games.

Rudolph could be the Steelers' starting quarterback in 2022, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.

Ben Roethlisberger is expected to retire, while Rudolph is under contract with the Steelers through 2022 thanks to a one-year extension signed last spring worth slightly more than $4 million -- decent money for a backup but far from what most starters make. Of course, Rudolph's odds of starting will depend on the alternatives as much as anything else, and it isn't yet clear if Pittsburgh will make a move for any of the high-profile, disgruntled, veteran QBs that may be available this offseason. Even if they don't, Rudolph won't necessarily be a lock to start, potentially facing competition from Dwayne Haskins, Joshua Dobbs or someone new who the Steelers bring in.

Murray completed 19 of 34 passes for 137 yards and two interceptions in Monday night's 34-11 wild-card round loss to the Rams. He also threw for a successful two-point conversion and gained six yards on two carries.

Murray was rattled by the Rams' pass rush in the first half, at one point throwing a careless three-yard interception for a touchdown before being picked on a screen pass on his next drive. Despite being down 28 points early in the third quarter, he still didn't manufacture much in predictable passing situations afterward. In fact, he set a season low in yards per attempt. Prior to Monday's horrendous playoff exit, Murray enjoyed another successful regular season, ranking second league-wide in completion percentage at 69.2 percent while throwing for 3,787 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 14 games. He also rushed for 423 yards and five more scores. Now eligible for a contract extension, Murray's supporting cast will be interesting to monitor ahead of the 2022 campaign, as many key offensive contributors are slated to hit free agency. Given his familiarity and production within coach Kliff Kingsbury's system, however, the 24-year-old figures to remain one of the better playmaking quarterbacks in the NFL.

Stafford completed 13 of 17 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns in Monday night's 34-11 wild-card round win over the Cardinals. He also rushed six times for 22 yards and another touchdown.

Stafford started by finding Odell Beckham for a four-yard touchdown to cap the Rams' second offensive drive. He then marched Los Angeles down to the goal line on its next series, which he punctuated with a one-yard sneak into the end zone. To begin the second half, Stafford found favorite target Cooper Kupp for a seven-yard score, giving Los Angeles 28 unanswered points at the time. Although that commanding lead as well as Los Angeles' apparent gameplan resulted in a more balanced offensive approach, Stafford was nonetheless very efficient with his play. Whether or not he's needed to pass more often in the NFC divisional round versus the Buccaneers, Stafford should take confidence from Monday's clean performance into that tough matchup.

The Cowboys signed DiNucci to a reserve/future contract Monday.

DiNucci failed to make the team's 53-man roster ahead of the regular season and spent the entirety of the 2021 campaign on the team's practice squad. The quarterback appeared in three games in 2020 and completed 23 of 43 passes for 219 yards while starter Dak Prescott was out due to a season-ending ankle injury. The seventh-round pick will have another opportunity to find a full-time backup role with Dallas this coming offseason.