NFL Player News

Johnson should return to a backup role Sunday against the Rams after Tyler Huntley (illness) was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

Johnson was relatively effective as a spot starter in Sunday's loss to the Bengals, as he completed 28 of 40 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while rushing twice for 10 yards. However, Lamar Jackson (ankle) has returned to practice in a limited capacity this week, and Huntley will likely be in line to fill in as the starter against Los Angeles if Jackson isn't deemed ready to return.

Baltimore activated Huntley (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

Huntley missed this past weekend's loss to the Bengals, and with Lamar Jackson (ankle) also out, Josh Johnson was pressed into a spot start. As Sunday's game against the Rams approaches, Jackson is trending in the right direction after logging a limited practice Wednesday. If, however, Jackson doesn't progress as hoped in the coming days, Huntley once again is available to fill in.

Barkley was claimed off waivers by the Falcons on Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Barkley was waived by the Panthers on Tuesday and will remain in the NFC South with the Falcons. Feleipe Franks tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, so Barkley provide quarterback depth along with Josh Rosen behind starter Matt Ryan.

Though Lock was limited in practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury, Ryan O'Halloran of the Denver Post indicates that all signs continue to point to the QB starting Sunday's game against the Chargers.

At this stage, fellow signal caller Teddy Bridgewater, who suffered a concussion on back on Dec. 18, remains in the NFL's concussion protocol and Lock is trending toward his second straight start for the Broncos, in spite of the ankle issue that popped up on Wednesday's injury report.

Garoppolo (thumb) was held out of practice Wednesday, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan went into more detail Wednesday on the nature of Garoppolo's injury, labeling it as a Grade 3 sprain of the UCL in his right thumb that "pulled off a fleck of the bone," per Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News. According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, Garoppolo won't require surgery and has a shot to suit up Sunday against the Texans, which the quarterback himself mentioned during media availability Wednesday. In order to so, Garoppolo may have to log at least a limited session before week's end. If Garoppolo ends up sidelined for Week 17, rookie first-round pick Trey Lance would earn the second start of his career.

The Saints activated Siemian (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Likewise for Taysom Hill (illness), allowing the Saints to have a more desirable Hill-Siemian setup at the top of the quarterback depth chart heading into Sunday's game against the Panthers. Siemian will serve as Hill's backup moving forward, while Week 16 starter Ian Book slides back down to third in the pecking order.

Goff (knee) is considered day-to-day and could miss Sunday's game against the Seahawks, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Goff didn't practice Wednesday due to a knee strain but reportedly did some rehab work. If he isn't ready by this weekend, Tim Boyle will make his third start of the season, with the most recent coming last week while Goff remained on the reserve/COVID-19 list for the Lions' loss to the Falcons.

Dalton (hand/groin) was a full practice participant Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Justin Fields (ankle) was a limited participant after both he and Dalton sat out last week's win over the Seahawks. Head coach Matt Nagy said that he'll be careful with Fields this week while still leaving the door open for any of Chicago's three quarterbacks to get the start Sunday against the Giants. Option C behind Fields and Dalton would be Nick Foles, who led the team to a win last weekend while the top two quarterbacks were out.

Fields (ankle) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Andy Dalton (groin) returned to full participation Wednesday, though head coach Matt Nagy said it was still too early in the week to determine whether Fields or Dalton would be the team's starter for Sunday's game. Nagy mentioned, however, that Fields would need to be "extremely healthy" to play, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. In other words, the Bears won't rush the rookie first-round pick back into action at the end of a non-playoff season, but they're still open to playing him if/when he's 100 percent or close to it. Fields' work on the practice field over the next two days will likely be a big part of that evaluation.

Carr (ribs) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, Rachel Gossen of the Raiders' official site reports.

Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia said Monday that Carr was dealing with some rib soreness following last week's win over the Broncos, but the Raiders never had much concern about the quarterback missing time. Carr's ability to take every rep in the Raiders' first Week 17 practice puts to rest any questions about his availability for Sunday's game against the Colts.