NFL Player News

Hurts (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday.

The Eagles continue to manage Hurts' practice reps due to the ankle sprain that sidelined him Week 13. He's played in the Eagles' three ensuing games, completing two-thirds of his passes for 709 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while taking 17 carries for 89 yards and two more scores. Hurts' status for Saturday's game against the Cowboys may receive some clarity upon the release of Thursday's injury report.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that he'll wait until Sunday to announce either Lance or Jimmy Garoppolo (hand) as the 49ers' starting quarterback for their Week 18 game against the Rams, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Given the importance of Sunday's game, Shanahan won't pass up the potential competitive advantage of forcing the Rams to prepare for two very different signal-callers. Shanahan said Lance will get most of the snaps at Wednesday's practice, per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, with Garoppolo returning as a limited participant after sitting out last week.

Garoppolo (thumb) will return to practice Wednesday as a limited participant after his throwing session Tuesday went well, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan shared the news before practice Wednesday, though it doesn't necessarily mean Garoppolo will be back in action Sunday against the Rams. Rookie Trey Lance played much better in his second NFL start than his first, completing 16 of 23 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns and an interception in last week's 23-7 win over the Texans. Even so, Shanahan has been clear about his desire to have Garoppolo under center if and when he's healthy enough to play. Shanahan suggested he'll wait until Sunday to name his starter even if he knows beforehand, per Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Allen is expected to start Sunday's game against the Browns, while Joe Burrow (knee/finger) will be rested ahead of the postseason, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Bengals haven't officially ruled out Burrow, who isn't in line to start but could still be active in a backup role. Meanwhile, running back Joe Mixon (reserve/COVID-19 list) is also expected to miss the game, and the Bengals could look to hold out or limit other key starters with little on the line Week 18 in terms of playoff positioning. Allen has attempted only five passes this season, after making five starts in 2020. He guided Cincinnati to a 1-4 record in those outings while completing 90 of 142 passes for 925 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Lock (shoulder) remains on track to start Saturday against the Chiefs after Teddy Bridgewater (concussion) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Lock was listed as a limited practice participant Tuesday, so barring a setback with his right shoulder, he'll pick up his third consecutive start to close out the season. He'll still likely need to practice fully Thursday to avoid taking an injury designation into the contest.

Denver placed Bridgewater (concussion) on injured reserve Wednesday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

The move officially ends Bridgewater's 2021 season, with the quarterback finishing with a 66.9 percent completion rate for 3,052 yards and an 18:7 TD:INT to go with 106 rushing yards and two scores on the ground over 14 appearances. Drew Lock is in line to make his third straight start in Saturday's contest against Kansas City, provided he's able to play through a shoulder issue he picked up during Denver's Week 17 loss to the Chargers.

Rodgers (toe) didn't take part in practice Wednesday, Mike Spofford of the Packers' official site reports.

Rodgers made a rare appearance at practice last Friday, mixing in as a limited participant. It was his first notable practice activity since Week 14, but the fractured toe hasn't stopped him from producing on game days, as he's accounted for 1,791 yards, 18 touchdowns and no interceptions with a 71.6 percent completion rate over the last six contests. With the NFC's No. 1 seed already locked up, the Packers may opt to hold Rodgers out or limit his snap count Sunday at Detroit. Speaking to the media Wednesday, head coach Matt LaFleur said "if and when" he removes the starters from the game will be based off "feel," according to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. As a result, it appears Rodgers will make a Week 18 cameo, at the very least.

Head coach Matt Nagy said Fields (ankle) will return to full practice participation Wednesday and then start Sunday's game in Minnesota, Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reports.

A couple weeks back, Nagy made it clear he'd be cautious with Fields, saying the rookie would need to be "extremely healthy" to return to game action. That's apparently now the case, after Nick Foles and Andy Dalton led the Bears to wins the past two weeks. Fields was showing improvement before suffering the ankle injury, including in his last appearance, which came Week 15 against the same Vikings team he'll face again in the season finale. The rookie threw for 285 yards and a touchdown in the first matchup, though his lost fumble and struggles on third and fourth downs contributed to an all-around sloppy effort that left the Bears with a 17-9 loss despite out-gaining the Vikings by nearly 200 yards. Both Fields and Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins will return Sunday for what's almost certainly the final duel between Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and Bears head coach Matt Nagy.

Carolina activated Walker (undisclosed) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Walker stands to be available for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Buccaneers, but he's unlikely to see action with both Sam Darnold and Cam Newton available. He was a healthy scratch Week 16.

Burrow (knee) said that he doesn't expect to play in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Browns, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.

Burrow said Wednesday that his knee is "sore, but not bad," after he appeared to sustain the injury late in the Bengals' thrilling 34-31 win over the Chiefs in Week 17. He added that he could play Week 18 if needed, but with Cincinnati unlikely to dramatically improve its playoff positioning in the regular-season finale, the team appears prepared to rest or limit Burrow and several other key contributors with an eye on entering the playoffs in optimal health. Assuming Burrow sits out this Sunday as he predicts, Brandon Allen would be in line to start this weekend. According to Ben Baby of ESPN.com, Burrow is still expected to practice in some fashion this week, which supports the notion that his knee issue isn't a major concern.