NFL Player News

Prescott (thumb) will take part in a mock game Wednesday and throw 40-to-50 passes afterward, with the expectation that he'll then be a full participant in Thursday's practice, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Prescott is gearing up to return for Sunday's game against the Lions, though the Cowboys haven't yet declared him the starter. They'll want to see how he looks in practice before making that decision, with early reports looking promising after teammate James Washington (foot) told Machota that Prescott seems to have his grip strength back.

Rodgers (thumb) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Rodgers also sat out last Wednesday's practice with the right thumb injury before he returned to full practices to conclude Week 6 prep. He's still tending to the injury he suffered on the Packers' last offensive play of a Week 5 loss to the Giants in London, but it hasn't yet affected his ability to play on game days. Still, Rodgers didn't fare too well in this past Sunday's loss to the Jets, completing 26 of 41 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown while taking four sacks and losing one of his two fumbles.

Interim head coach Steve Wilks said Darnold (ankle) looked good in his return to practice Wednesday but won't be activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game against Tampa Bay, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Darnold's return to practice opened a 21-day window to be moved back to the active roster or remain on IR for the rest of the season. It'll almost certainly be the first outcome, and there's even potential for Darnold to make starts soon given that Baker Mayfield has played poorly and now is dealing with an ankle injury. Wilks named PJ Walker as his Week 7 starter and Jacob Eason as the backup quarterback.

Head coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday that he'll wait until Thursday to decide between Dalton (back) and Jameis Winston (back/ankle) as the starting quarterback for Thursday's game in Arizona, Erin Summers of the Saints' official website reports.

Health presumably will be a key factor, with Dalton likely in better shape from that standpoint despite dealing with a back injury that limited his practice participation this week. Winston is recovering from back fractures and an ankle injury, after missing two straight games before serving as Dalton's backup in a loss to the Bengals on Sunday. Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football believes Dalton is likely to start Thursday's game.

Interim head coach Steve Wilks confirmed Wednesday that Walker (neck) will start Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Though Wilks noted that Sam Darnold (ankle) looked good in his return to practice Wednesday, the team will turn to Walker in Week 7 while incumbent starter Baker Mayfield continues to tend to an ankle injury. Jacob Eason is slated to serve as Walker's backup on Sunday, per Joe Person of The Athletic. Walker, who suffered a neck injury late in last week's loss to the Rams but has since been cleared, thus represents a short-term fantasy lineup option for managers in two-quarterback or superflex formats or for those who are in need of a bye-week replacement.

Mayfield (ankle) was present but wasn't in uniform for Wednesday's practice, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Newton notes that the quarterback wasn't sporting a walking boot on his left foot, and Mayfield appeared to be moving well Wednesday while doing running drills, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. Meanwhile, Sam Darnold (ankle) has been designated to return from injured reserve and was at practice Wednesday, as was PJ Walker (neck), who started last week's loss to the Rams but suffered an injury.

Carolina designated Darnold (ankle) to return from injured reserve Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Darnold, who suffered an ankle injury during the team's preseason finale on Aug. 26, will take part in practice Wednesday and now has a 21-day window in which the Panthers can evaluate him for a return to the 53-man roster. Whether Darnold has a legitimate chance of being available Week 7 against the Buccaneers has yet to be determined, but the timing of his return to practice is welcome news for the Panthers' banged-up quarterback ranks. Baker Mayfield is still dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out Week 6, and fill-in starter PJ Walker sustained a neck injury in last Sunday's loss to the Rams that leaves his status for Week 7 in question.

Luton signed with the Saints' practice squad Tuesday.

Luton was signed to the team's active roster from its practice squad Oct. 1; however, after the team's wide receiver corps was depleted by injuries, Luton lost his spot on the team to make room for practice squad elevations.

Winston (back/ankle) was listed as a limited participant at Tuesday's practice.

Winston has appeared as a limited participant on each of the Saints' last five practice reports, but the team hasn't indicated that he's on track to reclaim starting quarterback duties just yet. He made enough progress to dress as the backup to Andy Dalton in last weekend's loss to the Bengals, but Winston may have been available only in an emergency. Dalton is nursing a back injury of his own coming out of Week 6, but John Hendrix of SI.com notes that it was Dalton rather than Winston who took first-team reps under center during the open portion of Tuesday's practice. The Saints will likely wait until Wednesday to offer more clarity on Winston's role for a Week 7 matchup with the Cardinals on Thursday night, but the 28-year-old looks like he could be trending toward another week of backup duty while he continues to recover from his injuries.

Dalton (back) was listed as a limited participant at Tuesday's practice.

Dalton was labeled as a limited participant on Monday's estimated practice report, and he maintained that level of activity when the Saints got on the field for the first time since Sunday's loss to the Bengals. Jameis Winston (back/ankle) was also listed as a limited participant, but Dalton may be the healthier of the two at this stage, as John Hendrix of SI.com notes that Dalton was taking first-team reps in the open portion of Tuesday's session. Barring a dramatic increase in his activity level Wednesday, Winston looks like he could miss out on a fourth straight start Thursday when the Saints face the Cardinals in Arizona. Winston could still be available as an emergency backup behind Dalton, provided the latter doesn't regress in his own recovery from a back injury and is able to start on a short week.