NFL Player News

Minnesota activated Cousins (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, shortly after head coach Mike Zimmer said the quarterback will start Sunday's game against Chicago, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Cousins will return to the lineup and boost the Week 18 fantasy prospects of his teammates, namely Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn and Tyler Conklin. Per Zimmer, the Vikings won't make any adjustments to playing time for their key players, despite the team having been eliminated from postseason contention.

Cousins (illness) is on track to come off the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Sunday's game against the Bears, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Per head coach Mike Zimmer, Cousins is back at the Vikings' facility Wednesday, which sets the stage for the quarterback to officially come off the list. With that in mind, Zimmer confirmed that Cousins is slated to start against Chicago this weekend.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski named Keenum the Browns' starting quarterback for Sunday's season finale against the Bengals, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Stefanski revealed Tuesday that Baker Mayfield wouldn't be available for Week 18 while planning to move forward with a procedure to repair a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder, but the coach didn't immediately appoint a replacement for the signal-caller in the lineup. Keenum, who has served as Mayfield's top understudy all season, was always the top candidate to get the start, and Stefanski made the matter official Wednesday. Meanwhile, Nick Mullens is back from the practice squad COVID-19 list and will be elevated to the 53-man roster later this week to serve as Cleveland's No. 2 quarterback.

Hurts (ankle) was listed as a limited participant in Tuesday's walk-through practice.

Hurts was sidelined for the Eagles' Week 13 win over the Jets with a sprained ankle, but he returned to the lineup following the team's Week 14 bye and has directed the offense to three straight victories. Though Hurts has dialed back his involvement on the ground to some degree over the past three weeks, the Eagles didn't provide any indication he aggravated the ankle injury coming out of Sunday's win over Washington. As such, Hurts is likely just getting some extra maintenance to begin the week as the Eagles face a quick turnaround before the regular-season finale Saturday versus the Cowboys.

Barkley was waived by the Falcons on Tuesday, Tori McElhaney of the team's official website reports.

The quarterback was added last week when Feleipe Franks was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but now has been let go because Franks has returned. Barkley appeared in five games with the Bills last season but likely will not enter a game during the 2021 season as he has yet to do so already and there's one game remaining.

Mullens was restored to the Browns' practice squad from the COVID-19 list Tuesday.

Mullens is likely looking at a promotion to the active roster this week to back up Case Keenum on Sunday against the Steelers. With Baker Mayfield (shoulder) out and the Browns cutting practice squad quarterback Kyle Lauletta on Tuesday, that leaves no competition for Mullens to earn the No. 2 spot on the quarterback positional depth chart.

Lock was listed as a limited participant on Tuesday's estimated practice report due to a right shoulder injury, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Lock suffered the injury in the first half of last week's 34-13 loss to the Chargers, but he missed only one series before finishing the day with 18 completions for 245 yards and a touchdown on 25 attempts. The signal-caller's ability to return to the contest suggests that his estimated limitations two days after the game are likely just maintenance-related. Assuming he upgrades to full activity by Thursday, Lock will be in line to make his third straight start Saturday against Kansas City, as head coach Vic Fangio already told the media Monday that he's planning on having the 25-year-old direct the offense once again since Teddy Bridgewater has yet to resume practicing since entering the concussion protocol Dec. 19. Brett Rypien, who made a brief cameo in relief in Week 17, is on track to serve as Lock's backup in the season finale.

Bridgewater (concussion) was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday's estimated practice report, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Though head coach Vic Fangio hasn't officially ruled Bridgewater out for Saturday's season finale against Kansas City, the coach acknowledged that Drew Lock is in line to remain the team's starting quarterback in Week 18. Unless Bridgewater takes a dramatic step forward over the next two days in his recovery from the concussion he suffered in the Broncos' Dec. 19 loss to the Bengals, he'll likely be listed as out in advance of the weekend. Bridgewater hasn't practiced in any capacity since sustaining the head injury, a sign he remains in one of the early stages of the NFL's five-step concussion protocol.

Stevens announced via Twitter that he signed a CFL contract with the Calgary Stampeders on Tuesday.

The former quarterback-turned-tight end was drafted by the Saints in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft and was expected to fill a Taysom Hill-type role. However, the 6-foot-5 hybrid player was never able to reach his potential and bounced between the Saints, Panthers and Giants' organizations during his two years in the NFL. It's unclear what position he will play for the Stampeders.

Keenum is expected to start Sunday's game against the Bengals after head coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that Baker Mayfield (shoulder) is scheduled to undergo surgery "as soon as possible" and won't be available for the season finale, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Though Stefanski didn't officially name a Week 18 starter, Keenum will presumptively receive the nod, considering he's served as the No. 2 signal-caller behind Mayfield all season when both have been available. Kyle Lauletta, meanwhile, is another option at the position, though he's bounced around multiple organizations since entering the league in 2018 and has only had a few weeks to get up to speed with the Cleveland playbook since being signed off Jacksonville's practice squad Dec. 17. Keenum previously filled in as a starter in place of Mayfield on a Thursday night game against the Broncos back in Week 7. The Browns leaned heavily on a D'Ernest Johnson-led ground attack in that contest, but Keenum was competent when his number was called, as he completed 21 of 33 attempts for 199 yards and a touchdown in Cleveland's 17-14 win.