NFL Player News

Prescott (calf) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Coach Mike McCarthy laid out the plan for Prescott earlier Thursday, stating he would take part in rehab first before moving on to individual drills, at which point the Cowboys would assess to see if he was fit for some team work, according to Rob Phillips of the Cowboys' official site. Prescott proceeded to do just that, including change of direction and holding a ball after dropping back from center, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Afterward, Prescott acknowledged to Watkins that it isn't his decision whether he'll be able to play through a strained right calf Sunday in Minnesota. Such a call will be a collaboration between the coaching, training and medical staffs, but if Prescott isn't able to suit up Cooper Rush will be prepared to start under center for Dallas.

Watson (not injury-related) didn't practice Wednesday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Watson's status with the Texans remains unchanged for now, though with the NFL trade deadline approaching Nov. 2, the quarterback could be dealt in the coming days. Either way, Houston won't make Watson active for Sunday's game against the Rams.

Prescott (calf) was officially a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reports.

As expected, Prescott's practice reps were capped coming off the Cowboys' Week 7 bye, which was well-timed after he strained his right calf on his game-winning touchdown toss to CeeDee Lamb in the Week 6 win at New England. During the portion of Wednesday's session open to the media, Prescott focused on rehab work before joining individual drills, where his activity included handoffs and passes during routes on air, per Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News. Meanwhile, backup quarterback Cooper Rush handled most of the first-team reps. Lamb told Gehlken that Prescott was "the same Dak" and looked "great" during the workout. Wednesday was the first test in Prescott's quest to miss no time as a result of the calf injury, and he'll have two more practices to log a full session before Dallas gives him a designation or outright clears him to play Sunday in Minnesota.

Mayfield (shoulder) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Ulrich adds that Mayfield looked comfortable during the portion of practice open to the media, though the quarterback was mostly limited to throwing short passes while sporting a new harness over his injured left shoulder. Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram agrees that Mayfield looked fine, while Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer suggests he's on track to start Sunday's game against the Steelers if he makes it through the next few days of practice without any setbacks. For his part, Mayfield said Wednesday that he's "completely confident" he'll rejoin the lineup soon and then finish out the season, though he didn't necessarily commit to being available Week 8, per Petrak.

Lance (knee) will practice in a limited capacity Wednesday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Lance is set to take part in his first practice since picking up the injury in his Week 5 start at Arizona, where he completed 15 of 29 passes and one interception and had 16 carries for 89 yards. Of course, if he does enough this week to suit up Sunday in Chicago, Lance will be backing up Jimmy Garoppolo, who returned to action this past Sunday against the Colts after missing a game and a half due to a bruised calf. Lance has two more sessions this week to put himself into a position to be available.

Boyle (thumb) recently attempted a few "very light throws" without a brace on his injured hand, Chris Burke of The Athletic reports.

Kory Woods of WoodwardSports.com relays that Boyle ditched a hard cast for a soft one by late September, suggesting the reserve quarterback is progressing well from late-August thumb surgery. Boyle could be cleared to rejoin the Lions for practice soon.

Houston designated Taylor (hamstring) for a return from injured reserve Wednesday, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Per Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com, head coach David Culley said the Texans' plan is to ease the veteran signal-caller back into the mix starting with Wednesday's practice. However, once he's deemed ready for game action, Culley previously stated that Taylor will reclaim the Texans' starting quarterback job, which has been held by Davis Mills for the past five games. The Texans should have a better sense of whether Taylor will be ready to go for Sunday's game against the Rams after their final practice of the week Friday.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh named White the team's starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Bengals.

Per Eric Allen of the Jets' official site, the newly acquired Joe FlaccoJosh Johnson will be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the No. 2 quarterback. In relief of injured starter Zach Wilson (knee) in last week's 54-13 loss to the Patriots, White completed 20 of 32 passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Wilson is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks, but Saleh hasn't revealed his plans at quarterback beyond this weekend, with White's performance against the Bengals likely determining whether he gets another start.

Prescott (calf) is scheduled to take part in individual drills Wednesday, while backup quarterback Cooper Rush will take more first-team reps in practice, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said he wants to make sure Rush is ready to play, even though Prescott has "improved every day" since straining his calf at the tail end of the Cowboy's Week 6 win over New England. A bye week helped Prescott's chances to avoid a missed game, and McCarthy left the door open for the quarterback to jump in for some team work later in Wednesday's practice if everything goes well with individual drills. Either way, Prescott is expected to be listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's practice report, though he should be ready to go by the time Sunday's game against the Vikings arrives.

Mayfield said Wednesday that there's a "noticeable difference" in how his left shoulder feels this week compared to last, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

With his non-throwing shoulder on the mend after he sat out the Browns' win over the Broncos last Thursday, Mayfield told Trotter that there's "absolutely" a chance that he can play Sunday against the Steelers. Another update on Mayfield's status will come later Wednesday, when the Browns release their first Week 8 injury report.