NFL Player News

The Dolphins listed Tagovailoa (ribs) as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Per Oyefusi, Tagovailoa previously acknowledged that his ribs were sore following his return from injured reserve in the Week 6 loss to Jacksonville, but the Dolphins haven't suggested he's in danger of missing Sunday's game against the Falcons. Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston suggests that the Dolphins are holding trade discussions with the Texans regarding a potential quarterback swap of Tagovailoa and Deshaun Watson, but until or unless such a deal happens, Tagovailoa remains entrenched as Miami's starting signal-caller.

Lance (knee) won't participate in practice Wednesday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

In fact, Lance isn't expected to be available at all Sunday at Indianapolis, while Jimmy Garoppolo eases his way back into practice as a limited participant Wednesday, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. With Garoppolo slated to be under center Week 7 and Lance seemingly trending toward an absence, the 49ers are expected to roll with Nate Sudfeld as their backup quarterback.

Garoppolo (calf) will be a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

He appears to be in better physical condition than Trey Lance, as the rookie quarterback isn't expected to be available Sunday against the Colts due to a sprained left knee, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is taking it easy on Garoppolo to make sure he's as healthy as possible for his first in-game appearance since the first half of a Week 4 loss at Arizona. Garoppolo may have his practice limitations extend through Friday, at which point the 49ers will provide clarity on his potential to play Sunday.

The Texans and Dolphins have intensified trade talks surrounding Watson, and a deal between the two sides could be consummated as soon as this week, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Watson has been linked to the Dolphins for months, but Miami's interest in the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback reportedly has picked up after the team took its fifth straight loss last weekend in London to the previously winless Jaguars. According to McClain, Houston general manager Nick Caserio has been asking for three first-round and two second-round draft picks in return for Watson, who has a no-trade clause and would need to approve any deal. Due to Watson's desire to be traded in addition to the ongoing investigations he faces from both the league and law enforcement after 22 civil lawsuits were filed against him over the past several months, Houston has kept the 26-year-old inactive all season.

Bridgewater (foot/quadriceps) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice and is officially listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Browns, Ryan O'Halloran of The Denver Post reports.

Bridgewater logged a trio of limited practices this week and doesn't necessarily look like a safe bet to play Thursday, though Broncos head coach Vic Fangio expressed optimism that the quarterback will gain clearance to suit up. However, Bridgewater himself was non-committal about his own status when he spoke to the media Tuesday. In the event that Bridgewater is cleared ahead of Thursday's 8:20 p.m. EDT kickoff, he'll take on a Browns team helmed by Case Keenum and without top running backs Nick Chubb (calf) and Kareem Hunt (calf).

Stidham (back) returned to practice Wednesday after the Patriots designated him to return from the PUP list, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.

The Patriots will have a 21-day period to evaluate Stidham for a return to the active roster. Brian Hoyer has been operating as the backup quarterback behind Mac Jones, but Stidham could reclaim the No. 2 role once he's officially activated.

Texans head coach David Culley confirmed that Mills will start Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

In a related note, Culley said Tyrod Taylor (hamstring) could return to practice this week and potentially come off injured reserve Week 8, but Mills will get at least one more start while Taylor is sidelined. Additionally, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston notes that Culley maintains that Taylor will reclaim his starting job when healthy, but that won't happen until the signal-caller's hamstring is "completely right." Through his first four starts in place of Taylor, Mills has completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 6.7 yards per attempt and a 4:6 TD:INT.

Texans head coach David Culley said Wednesday that Taylor (hamstring) could log some practice time this week, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Meanwhile, Culley told Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston that Taylor, who is still on injured reserve, remains the Texans' starting QB when healthy, but isn't an option for Week 7 against the Cardinals. As a result, Houston will turn to Davis Mills to direct the offense for at least one more game.

The Browns will elevate Mullens from their practice squad to serve as Case Keenum's backup for Thursday night's contest against the Broncos, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

With Baker Mayfield (shoulder) ruled out for Thursday's contest, the Browns will elect to start Case Keenum and elevate Mullens to serve as his backup. The 26-year-old spent the preseason with Philadelphia, but he joined Cleveland's practice squad after Browns offensive assistant T.C. McCartney -- who coached Mullens in San Francisco -- vouched for him.

Mayfield (shoulder) won't start Thursday's game against the Broncos, but the Browns aren't ruling him out for their Week 8 contest Oct. 31 against the Steelers, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

The quarterback's potential return to action in Week 8 hinges on the inflammation in his left (non-throwing) shoulder going down. With Mayfield having been advised by team doctors to not push himself on a short week, Case Keenum will draw the start at quarterback for Cleveland on Thursday, with Nick Mullens in line to be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the team's backup.