NFL Player News

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Mayfield won't play in Sunday's season finale against the Bengals, as the quarterback will instead undergo surgery to address a torn labrum in his left shoulder "as soon as possible," Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Mayfield previously said after Monday's 26-14 loss to the Steelers that he was debating whether to have surgery during the offseason or prior to Week 18, but Stefanski's announcement confirms that the quarterback has chosen to go the latter route. He'll wrap up a disappointing, injury-plagued 2021 campaign having completed 60.6 percent of his 418 pass attempts for 3,010 yards and a 17:13 TD:INT. Case Keenum should step in for Mayfield and make his second start of the season Sunday in a game that doesn't hold much importance with the Browns eliminated from playoff contention. According to Jake Trotter of ESPN.com, Mayfield is expected to make a full recovery from surgery before OTAs in the spring, when he'll begin preparing to play out the final year of his rookie contract in 2022.

Head coach Zac Taylor said he hasn't decided whether Burrow (leg) or any other key starters will rest for Sunday's game against the Browns with the Bengals having already secured a playoff spot, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Cincinnati enters Week 18 in the No. 3 spot in the AFC standings, but it could have the opportunity to clinch the No. 1 seed with a win and losses by the Titans, Chiefs and Patriots or a win plus a Bills win and losses by the Titans and Chiefs. That may incentivize Taylor enough to put his best players on the field, even though Burrow could probably benefit from some rest after the quarterback acknowledged his leg got twisted late in late week's win over Kansas City. At any rate, Burrow's injury doesn't look to be a major concern, so his play shouldn't be compromised if he does in fact suit up this weekend. Burrow handsomely rewarded those who kept him active in fantasy playoffs matchups Week 16 and 17, as he combined for eight touchdown passes and 971 yards through the air between those contests.

Mariota played five snaps on offense Sunday in the Raiders' 23-20 win over the Colts, throwing an incompletion on his lone pass attempt and carrying three times for 16 yards.

Mariota reclaimed backup quarterback duties from Nathan Peterman as he made his return to the lineup after a one-game absence while he was on the reserve/COVID-19 list due to a positive test for the virus. Though he was unable to connect on a deep shot to wideout Hunter Renfrow, Mariota's mobility provided an added dimension to the Las Vegas offense. Expect him to have a small role on offense in this weekend's regular-season finale against the Chargers.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday that he's proceeding as though Boyle will be the team's starting quarterback for Sunday's season finale versus the Packers, but Jared Goff (knee) could reclaim the job if he demonstrates progress in practice this week, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.

Boyle made his second and third starts of the season in losses to the Falcons and Seahawks in Weeks 16 and 17, respectively, after Goff missed both games, first due to a positive COVID-19 test and then due to a strained knee. Since Goff wasn't able to practice in any fashion last week on account of the injury, he may need to upgrade to full activity by Friday for the Lions to feel confident enough with his health to reinsert him into the lineup for a largely meaningless Week 18 game. If not, Boyle will be prepared to face his former team for the first time, though the "revenge game" narrative probably won't be enough to make the 27-year-old a reliable fantasy option. Through his first three starts, Boyle has averaged 175.3 passing yards, 4.6 rushing yards, 1.0 passing touchdowns and 2.0 interceptions per game.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday that Goff (knee) has a "50-50" chance of playing in Sunday's game against the Packers, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.

Campbell noted that for the time being, the Lions will proceed as though Tim Boyle will be making a third consecutive start, but those plans could change if Goff checks out better than anticipated in practice over the next few days. After sitting out the Lions' Week 16 loss to the Falcons while on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Goff was activated last Monday, but he wasn't able to practice at any point last week due to a strained knee before he was ultimately inactive for this past Sunday's 51-29 loss to the Seahawks. The 2-13-1 Lions have little beyond an outside shot at the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft on the line in the season finale, so the coaching and training staffs could be inclined to hold Goff out again if he's not close to 100 percent by the time Sunday arrives.

Keenum could start in the Browns' season finale Sunday against the Bengals with Baker Mayfield weighing whether to undergo surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left non-throwing shoulder prior to the Week 18 game or during the offseason, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Mayfield fought through multiple injuries this season that contributed to his poor play, but he also struggled with accuracy and made poor decisions. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 NFL Draft remains on the books through 2022 after the Browns exercised his $18.86 million team option this past spring, but Monday's 26-14 loss to the Steelers could mark his last outing as a starter if Cleveland elects to pursue an upgrade this offseason. With the Browns eliminated from playoff contention, the team could be reluctant to expose Mayfield to further injury, potentially paving the way for Keenum to pick up his second start of the season. Keenum's first start came against the Broncos back in Week 7, when he completed 21 of 33 attempts for 199 yards and a touchdown in a Cleveland victory.

Mayfield said after Monday's 26-14 loss to the Steelers that he will require surgery to address the labrum tear in his left shoulder, but he'll confer with his agent and family before deciding whether to go under the knife prior to the Browns' Week 18 game against the Bengals or wait until the offseason, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Even if Mayfield decides to postpone the procedure until the offseason, he may still sit out Week 18, given that the Browns are already eliminated from playoff contention in addition to the fact that he's also battled left foot soreness and a right knee contusion this season. Mayfield has been playing through the torn labrum since Week 2, and though the injury is to his non-throwing arm, playing with his left shoulder in a harness may have had at least some effect on his poor play in 2021. The 26-year-old suffered through another rough outing in Pittsburgh on Monday, taking nine sacks and throwing two interceptions while also tossing 10 consecutive incompletions at one point during the contest. The Browns and Mayfield could mutually decide that it's in his best interest to rest for the regular-season finale, which would allow Case Keenum to nab his second start of the campaign.

Sudfeld reverted to the 49ers' practice squad Monday.

Sudfeld was elevated to serve as Trey Lance's backup with Jimmy Garoppolo (thumb) out against the Texans. The Indiana product could again get the call in Week 18 depending on Garappolo's health.

Mayfield completed 16 of 38 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in Monday night's 26-14 loss to the Steelers.

Mayfield found Jarvis Landry for a 20-yard gain on his first throw before things went south. In fact, amid passes being batted down by opponents and dropped by his teammates, Mayfield's next 10 attempts were incomplete, marking a record by a quarterback this season. That streak also included an interception, which was the result on Mayfield's final throw of the night as well. In his defense, the signal-caller was under siege most of the game, taking a career-high nine sacks, and Mayfield at least contributed a pair of touchdown tosses in the second half. Still, after four picks in his outing prior, Mayfield's showing Monday didn't do anything to raise his stock heading into Week 18's finale versus the Bengals.

Browning reverted to the Bengals' practice squad Monday.

Browning was put on the active roster ahead of Week 17 in case Brandon Allen wasn't able to return from the COVID list. The Washington product will have to keep waiting for an opportunity to make his NFL debut.