NFL Player News

Darnold is expected to be out at least four weeks after he was diagnosed Tuesday with a partial non-displaced fracture of his right scapula, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

Head coach Matt Rhule relayed the news Wednesday, and while the Panthers haven't yet placed Darnold on injured reserve, the transaction will likely be made official by the end of the week. In Darnold's stead, Carolina will turn to P.J. Walker under center. Behind Walker, Matt Barkley also is on the active roster after Carolina signed him off Tennessee's practice squad Tuesday.

Wilson (knee) practiced Wednesday in a limited capacity, but Jets head coach Robert Saleh said that Mike White will start at quarterback Sunday against the Bills, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft, is clearly viewed as the team's long-term answer behind center, but the Jets plan to take a cautious approach with ushering him back into the lineup while he contends with a sprained PCL in his right knee. Though Wilson will practice this week, the Jets aren't expected to keep him active this weekend, as Saleh noted that Joe Flacco will back up White. Cimini notes that White's solid play since stepping in as the team's interim starter Week 8 gives Saleh the luxury of taking a conservative approach with Wilson for the time being.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh confirmed Wednesday that White (forearm) will start Sunday's game against the Bills.

While top signal-caller Zach Wilson (knee) is in line to practice this week, he's not ready to return to the lineup, which sets the stage for Joe Flacco to back up White this weekend, according to Eric Allen of the Jets' official site. Whether White continues to start beyond Week 10 isn't clear, though Saleh said that Wilson will "for sure" reclaim quarterback duties for the Jets once he gets a clean bill of health, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. White exited his second start Week 9 against the Colts with a forearm injury, but he'll open the current week as a full participant in practice, alleviating any concern about his own health. In his first career start Week 8, White threw for 405 yards in the Jets' upset win over the Bengals, but he'll draw a tough matchup Week 10 against a Bills defense allowing a league-low average of 177 passing yards per game this season.

Allen played six snaps and completed one of two pass attempts for six yards Sunday in the Bengals' 41-16 loss to the Browns.

Though starter Joe Burrow has stayed healthy this season, Allen has still gotten the opportunity to play in three of the last four games, with all of his appearances coming in garbage-time scenarios. Unlike the prior two occasions, the Bengals were on the wrong side of the blowout this time around, and Allen was merely getting reps to spare Burrow further beatings after he took five sacks earlier in the contest.

Walker is on track to start Sunday against the Cardinals with Sam Darnold (shoulder) dealing with a partially fractured scapula, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Darnold is expected to be sidelined multiple weeks, and Walker is the next man up as the only other quarterback currently on Carolina's active roster. Matt Barkley is being added from the Titans' practice squad, pending a physical, but he should serve as the backup quarterback. Walker has completed three of 15 pass attempts for 33 yards across three appearances this season, but he's now poised to receive a more extended look under center for the Panthers.

Darnold was diagnosed with a partial non-displaced fracture of his right scapula Tuesday and could be sidelined for multiple weeks, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

The Panthers labeled Darnold day-to-day after he underwent an MRI on Monday, but his injury is apparently more significant than that. It's believed he sustained the fracture during the second quarter of Sunday's loss to the Patriots, though he still played every offensive snap in the contest. P.J. Walker is poised to step into the starting role for Carolina, while Matt Barkley was signed off Tennessee's practice squad to provide another option at quarterback.

Stidham (back) has been activated off the Patriots' PUP list, Michael Giardi of NFL Network reports.

Stidham returned to practice on Oct. 20, which means he was nearing the end of his 21-day window to be activated. He is now set to back up Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer as the team's No. 3 quarterback.

The Panthers are signing Barkley off the Titans' practice squad Tuesday.

The 31-year-old has been on Tennessee's practice squad since being cut from the active roster in early September, but he'll now join Carolina with Sam Darnold considered day-to-day after undergoing an MRI on his right shoulder. P.J. Walker should continue to serve as the Panthers' No. 2 quarterback while Barkley provides veteran depth.

Tagovailoa (finger) was listed as a limited participant on Tuesday's estimated practice report, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Miami also listed Tagovailoa as a limited participant in each of their three practices last week as he dealt with a fractured left middle finger and a rib issue before he was ultimately active for Sunday's win over the Texans, but only available as an emergency backup. A similar fate could await Tagovailoa in Week 10, as the Dolphins face a quick turnaround before a Thursday night matchup against Baltimore. The Dolphins' decision to list Tagovailoa as limited on both practice reports so far of the week -- albeit with only one injury attached to his name instead of two -- doesn't seem to imply that the second-year signal-caller has made much meaningful progress in his recovery. For what it's worth, head coach Brian Flores told Oyefusi that Tagovailoa resumed throwing Monday and looked good, but the 23-year-old remains day-to-day. Flores added that if the Dolphins were playing Tuesday, Jacoby Brissett would be making his second straight start, according to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com.

Rodgers (illness) said Tuesday during his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he's confident he'll clear all necessary COVID-19 protocols in order to play Sunday against the Seahawks. "I believe there's a health hurdle -- movement, sweating and getting into it and making sure my body, especially my heart -- is fine with physical exertion," Rodgers said, when asked about any potential barriers to him playing this weekend.

Since Rodgers is following the protocol for unvaccinated players, he won't be eligible to return to the Packers' facility any earlier than Saturday, 10 days after he initially tested positive for the virus. Based on Rodgers' comments, he doesn't seem to be exhibiting any symptoms of the virus, but in order to be eligible to play, he'll still need to turn in consecutive negative test results at least 24 hours apart by the end of the 10-day period. Because of the timing of his placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Rodgers won't be able to take part in practice this week, but he'll continue to stay on top of the Packers' game plan virtually while gradually picking up the intensity of his conditioning work during his final days of quarantine. In the meantime, Jordan Love will take the first-team reps in practice and keep prepared to make his second start this weekend in the event Rodgers doesn't clear the protocol before Sunday's game.