NFL Player News

Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said Monday that Bridgewater (concussion) is "highly unlikely" to play Week 16 against the Raiders, George Stoia III of The Denver Gazette reports.

Although Fangio said that Bridgewater is doing "much better" Monday after he was carted off the field in Sunday's loss to the Bengals, it appears as though the quarterback will be forced to miss at least one game after landing in the concussion protocol. Assuming Bridgewater is held out against Las Vegas, Drew Lock is in line to start under center.

Darnold (shoulder) has been cleared Monday to resume taking contact reps, Jonathan M. Alexander of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Coach Matt Rhule said Monday that he won't make a decision about a Week 16 starter until evaluating Darnold at practice, a hint that the signal-caller could be nearing a recovery from his right shoulder injury. Rhule also noted that he'd like to get Darnold more opportunities on the field this season, per David Newton of ESPN.com, perhaps lending credence to the idea that the 2018 first-round pick would reclaim the starting job were he to return to full health. For the time being, Darnold remains on IR, but if the Panthers believe he's made enough progress to return to action he could be activated ahead of Week 16's matchup against Tampa Bay.

The Broncos announced Monday that Bridgewater was placed in the league's concussion protocol after he was discharged from a hospital earlier in the day.

According to the team's official statement, Bridgewater is "doing well" one day after he was carted off the field in Sunday's loss to the Bengals and shuttled to a local hospital for further evaluation. Bridgewater will now enter the league's five-step concussion protocol, which he will need to fully clear before returning the field. Denver will undoubtedly take a cautious approach with Bridgewater's recovery, potentially setting the stage for Drew Lock to draw the start under center Week 16 in Las Vegas.

Bridgewater (head) is expected to be released from the hospital Monday, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Bridgewater was taken to the hospital via ambulance after he sustained a head injury in Sunday's loss to the Bengals, but he's now regained consciousness and has movement in all his extremities. He was kept overnight at the hospital as a precautionary measure but will be able to head home Monday. His status for Sunday's Week 16 matchup against the Raiders isn't yet clear, but Drew Lock will likely draw the start if Bridgewater is unavailable.

Keenum (illness) has yet to clear all protocols and won't be activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Monday's game against the Raiders, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Even with the NFL pushing back its Week 15 game two days, Cleveland will be without both of its top signal-callers, as Keenum remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list along with regular starter Baker Mayfield. Their absences pave the way for practice-squad call-up Nick Mullens to make his Browns debut Monday, directing a shorthanded Browns offense that will also be without top wideout Jarvis Landry (illness), who is also on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Kyle Lauletta, whom Cleveland recently signed off Jacksonville's practice squad, will serve as the No. 2 option behind Mullens. Both Keenum and Mayfield will now work to gain clearance in time for Saturday's upcoming road matchup Week 16 in Green Bay.

Mullens is in line to start Monday's game against the Raiders with neither of Cleveland's top two quarterbacks -- Baker Mayfield (illness) and Case Keenum (illness) -- able to clear the league's COVID-19 protocols, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Though he'll be making his Browns debut Monday, Mullens has 16 games' worth of starting experience in the NFL, all of which came with the 49ers between the 2018 and 2020 seasons. He's completed a respectable 64.5 percent of his throws for 7.9 yards per attempt and a 25:22 TD:INT for his career, but he could struggle to replicate that sort of production while working with a shorthanded Browns pass-catching corps that will be missing top receiver Jarvis Landry (illness) and tight end Austin Hooper (illness), as both remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Kyle Lauletta appears set to serve as Mullens' backup.

Mayfield (illness) has yet to clear all protocols and won't be activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Monday's game against the Raiders, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Mayfield remains asymptomatic since testing positive for the virus Wednesday, but he apparently wasn't able to get the negative test he needed to gain clearance to play Week 15. Jake Trotter of ESPN.com confirms that both Mayfield and backup Case Keenum (illness) will remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list for Monday's game, leaving practice-squad call-up Nick Mullens in line to start at quarterback in his Browns debut. Meanwhile, wideout Jarvis Landry (illness) and tight end Austin Hooper (illness) weren't activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list either, so Mullens looks like he'll have to make do without two of Cleveland's top pass-catching options. Mayfield now will turn his focus to getting ready for the Browns' Week 16 game this Saturday in Green Bay.

Mayfield posted on his Instagram account that he is asymptomatic and hopes to test negative and play against the Raiders on Monday.

The Browns-Raiders' Week 15 game was moved from Saturday to Monday at 5 p.m. EST after a wave of COVID-19 struck many members of the Browns, including Mayfield and backup quarterback Case Keenum. Nick Mullens has been added to the active roster and will get the start should neither Mayfield nor Keenum clear the protocols.

Driskel was active as a tight end and played 10 snaps on special teams in Sunday's 30-16 win over Jacksonville.

Driskel, a quarterback who has added tight end to his resume, was active for the second straight week. He did not get into last week's game against Seattle but made his non-quarterback debut against Jacksonville on Sunday.

Lock completed of six of his 12 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 15-10 loss to the Bengals.

Lock entered the game early in the third quarter after Teddy Bridgewater (concussion) exited with an apparent head injury. He immediately led the Broncos to the end zone, finding Tim Patrick for a 25-yard score. Lock was also able to move the offense at a decent clip from that point on, though he turned the ball over on a fumble deep in Cincinnati territory -- costing Denver a chance to go ahead in the game -- early in the final quarter. As has been the case throughout his professional career, Lock was plagued by inconsistency, and that should be expected to continue if he takes over under center for a Week 16 matchup against Las Vegas.