NFL Player News

Smith completed 12 of 22 pass attempts for 167 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 13-10 loss to the Saints.

Smith got off to a great start when he placed a perfect deep ball to hit DK Metcalf in stride for an 84-yard touchdown in the first quarter, but that's pretty much where his effectiveness ended. The veteran backup did protect the football and kept Seattle in the contest until its last drive, but he was promptly sacked twice (five times overall), ending any chance of a heroic comeback. Smith does have a favorable matchup against Jacksonville on tap for Week 8, but the lack of upside makes him a hard sell.

Winston completed 19 of 35 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 13-10 win over the Seahawks. He added 40 yards on eight rushing attempts.

Winston kept his composure after dropping the snap on his lone touchdown of the night, calmly retrieving the ball before turning his eyes downfield toward Alvin Kamara, who took Winston's pass 13 yards to the house to give New Orleans a 10-7 lead with 47 seconds left before halftime. Kamara was Winston's favorite target throughout, accounting for more than half of the quarterback's completions (10) and passing yards (128). Some of Winston's struggles in this one can be blamed on rainy conditions, but he'll need to play better to give the Saints a chance in Week 8, when Winston's former team from Tampa Bay pays a visit to New Orleans.

Sinnett was claimed off waivers by the Eagles on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The signing followed the Eagles trade of Joe Flacco to the Jets on Monday. Sinnett will slot in as the team's No. 3 quarterback behind Jalen Hurts and Gardner Minshew.

Lance (knee) is "on pace" to take part in Wednesday's practice, coach Kyle Shanahan told Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com on Monday.

Assuming he does so, Lance isn't expected to be anything more than a limited participant as he works his way back from a sprained MCL in his left knee. If he does enough to be active for the first time since Week 5, he'll serve as the backup to Jimmy Garoppolo in Sunday's game at Chicago. That likely would yield the sporadic snaps and reps Lance earned in the 49ers' first three-plus games of the season before he was thrust into a lead role after Garoppolo bruised his calf in the first half of a Week 4 loss to the Seahawks.

Garoppolo is expected to start Sunday's game at Chicago, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

The playing conditions in San Francisco were less than ideal this past Sunday against the Colts, with heavy rain and wind impacting much of the contest. Garoppolo didn't fare well at all, completing 16 of 27 passes for 181 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while losing one of his two fumbles in the 30-18 loss. There was some uncertainty from coach Kyle Shanahan afterward about Garoppolo's health, but his balky right calf passed a checkup Monday morning, giving Shanahan confidence that Garoppolo will remain atop the depth chart, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Backup Trey Lance (knee) is in line to return to practice Wednesday, so the 49ers may soon have their QB alignment from the first three and a half games of the season (Garoppolo the starter, Lance mixing in occasionally).

With Wilson slated to miss 2-to-4 weeks with a PCL injury, per coach Robert Saleh, the Jets have made a trade to acquire Joe Flacco from the Eagles, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

With the Jets 1-5, there's little incentive for the team to rush the No. 2 overall pick in the draft back to action. By acquiring an experienced signal-caller in Flacco, the Jets can proceed deliberately with Wilson. Though it's still possible that the rookie could be back as soon as Week 10 against the Bills, that's a best-case scenario, and if there's any doubt about the soundness of Wilson's knee at that time, expect the Jets to err on the side of caution.

Minshew moved up the depth chart to No. 2 behind starter Jalen Hurts after the Eagles traded Joe Flacco to the Jets on Monday, Josh Tolentino of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "We feel really good about Gardner Minshew being our No. 2 quarterback," coach Nick Sirianni said.

Since he landed in Philly on Aug. 28 after playing out the preseason with the Jaguars, Minshew has been the Eagles' third quarterback behind Hurts and Flacco, relegating him to inactive status for each of the team's seven games to date. Now with Flacco back in New York, Minshew will be on hand in the event of a Hurts injury or demotion. In his first two pro campaigns in Jacksonville, Minshew went 7-13 as a starter, averaged 240.4 yards per game and posted 37 touchdowns versus 11 interceptions in 23 appearances. He also made an impact as a runner, compiling 497 yards and one TD on the ground.

White likely will remain the Jets' backup quarterback following Monday's trade for Joe Flacco from the Eagles, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

A 2018 fifth-round pick, White stepped in in place of an injured Zach Wilson (knee) on Sunday at New England, earning his first NFL action in the process. Overall, White fared modestly, completing 20 of 32 passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He was slated to remain the No. 1 quarterback following news that Wilson is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks due to a sprained PCL, but the deal for a known entity in Flacco makes sense for the Jets. White thus is poised to be Flacco's backup while latter directs the offense in Wilson's absence.

Johnson will likely be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the primary backup to Mike White during Sunday's contest against the Bengals, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Zach Wilson is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks after suffering a sprained PCL in his right knee during the Jets' Week 7 loss to the Patriots. Mike White, who made his NFL debut Sunday, is expected to draw the start in Wilson's absence, but Johnson will likely be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the backup Sunday.

White is expected to start the Jets' Week 8 game against the Bengals with top quarterback Zack Wilson (knee) likely to miss 2-to-4 weeks after he was diagnosed Monday with a PCL sprain, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

White, who went undrafted out of Western Kentucky in 2018, was summoned off the bench for his first NFL snaps in relief of an injured Wilson in Sunday's 54-13 loss to the Patriots. Though he quickly converted on a three-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis after Wilson exited the game in the second quarter with the Jets facing a goal-line situation, White largely struggled to guide the offense most of the afternoon, finishing with 20 completions on 32 attempts for 202 yards and two interceptions. White could deliver an improved performance with the benefit of a full slate of first-team reps in practices Wednesday through Friday, but he likely won't warrant much consideration Week 8 outside of fantasy leagues that start two quarterbacks or have a QB flex spot.