NFL Player News

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced that Mayfield (shoulder) won't start Thursday's game against the Broncos, with Case Keenum instead drawing the nod at quarterback, Dan Labbe of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Though Mayfield was adamant that he could play Thursday despite tending to a complete labrum tear in his left non-throwing shoulder, the quick turnaround for the Week 7 contest ultimately prompted the Browns to heed the advice of doctors and err on the side of caution with the 26-year-old. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Mayfield now will shift his focus to rehabbing over the next few days with the hope of demonstrating enough progress to play Week 8 against the Steelers on Oct. 31, but Keenum will step in Thursday for his first start since 2019, when he was a member of Washington. Mayfield sees his streak of 51 consecutive regular-season starts come to an end as a result of the injury. Expect Cleveland to elevate Nick Mullens from the practice squad to back up Keenum after the team formally rules Mayfield out for Week 7 following the release of Wednesday's practice report.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Keenum will start Thursday's game against the Broncos in place of Baker Mayfield (shoulder), Dan Labbe of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Mayfield presumably will be ruled out for the contest while he recovers from a complete tear of the labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, but the Browns haven't decided on his status beyond Week 7. Nonetheless, Keenum -- who came on in relief for Mayfield in last week's blowout loss to the Cardinals -- will step in under center for his first start since 2019, when he was with Washington. Keenum has plenty of experience running Stefanski's offensive system from their time together in 2017 with Minnesota, so the transition from Mayfield to Keenum could prove to be a relatively smooth one.

Bridgewater (foot) was limited at Tuesday's walkthrough, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Bridgewater relayed Tuesday that he injured his foot Sunday against the Raiders when he was stepped on during his late TD pass to tight end Noah Fant (foot), who like his quarterback has been limited on both Week 7 practice reports. There have also been mixed signals from the Broncos, as coach Vic Fangio told Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com that he expects Bridgewater to play Thursday at Cleveland, while the signal-caller himself was more muted. During media availability, Bridgewater was non-committal, instead saying, "Honestly, we're just hitting it aggressively in the training room right now." Bridgewater will have one more chance to bump up to full activity Wednesday, at which point the Broncos could make a decision on his availability. Otherwise, the call likely won't be made until 90 minutes before Thursday's 8:20 p.m. EDT kickoff.

Ehlinger (knee) was activated off injured reserve Tuesday.

Ehlinger slots in as the team's third-string quarterback behind Carson Wentz and Brett Hundley following the news that the team released Jacob Eason on Tuesday. Ehlinger seems unlikely to see the field in 2021 barring injuries to the two ahead of him in the pecking order.

Mayfield (shoulder) was limited at Tuesday's practice, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

As expected, Mayfield upped his activity level from none Monday to some Tuesday. He's dealing with a painful injury to his non-throwing shoulder that he revealed to be a completely torn labrum he sustained Week 2, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. After aggravating it this past Sunday versus the Cardinals, Mayfield is in worse shape this time around, but he's doing everything possible to be available Thursday against the Broncos. Wednesday's injury report could clear up the situation, or the Browns could wait until 90 minutes before Thursday's 8:20 p.m. EDT kickoff to make a decision on his status. If Mayfield can't go, Case Keenum will earn a spot start.

Bridgewater (foot) was unwilling to say for certain he will start Thursday against the Browns when asked Tuesday, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Bridgewater reportedly suffered his foot injury when he was stepped on throwing a touchdown pass to Noah Fant late in the fourth quarter Sunday. Per Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com, Bridgewater has a noticeable limp at this point, but coach Vic Fangio stated earlier in the day that he anticipates Bridgewater suiting up for the contest. If he does suit up, Bridgewater will be facing a Browns defense that sports 14 players on IR and another 13 on the injury report, so he should have a great matchup in store.

Coach Vic Fangio anticipates Bridgewater (foot) being able to play Thursday at Cleveland, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Bridgewater was listed as limited on Monday's practice estimate due to a foot injury, and he's likely to retain that activity level Tuesday after he was seen walking with a deliberate limp to the Broncos' indoor practice facility, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports. Fangio's subsequent comments indicate Bridgewater will be under center Thursday, assuming he gains clearance to suit up. Bridgwater will be facing a MASH unit on the other side in the Browns, who have 13 players on IR and 13 others on their injury report. Per Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com, Bridgwater indicated Tuesday the foot is still bothering him, so it will certainly be worth monitoring his practice and status leading up to the game. Fortunately, he's the first game of the week, so fantasy managers should have plenty of options to choose from if Bridgewater can't go.

Coach Kevin Stefanski expects Mayfield (left shoulder) to practice in a limited capacity Tuesday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Earlier Tuesday, Mayfield was unsure whether he'd fit in any work after being listed as a non-participant on Monday's estimated injury report, per Ulrich. Mayfield later got into some specifics regarding his health, telling Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer that he's been playing through a completely torn labrum since dislocating his non-throwing shoulder back in Week 2, and that the issue is worse this time around. While a return to practice Tuesday will put Mayfield in a better spot to uphold his belief that he'll play Thursday against the Broncos, the Browns could very well take a decision on his Week 7 availability down to the wire. Case Keenum is on hand if Mayfield is unable to go.

Luton reverted to the Seahawks' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transactions report.

Luton was elevated for Sunday's loss to the Steelers, in which he operated as Geno Smith's backup, but he didn't ultimately see the field. If the Seahawks don't explore other options at backup quarterback, Luton could bump to the active roster again Oct. 25 versus the Saints.

Mayfield (shoulder) isn't certain whether he'll practice Tuesday, but he expects to suit up Thursday against the Broncos, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Mayfield has been tending to an injury in his left non-throwing shoulder since Week 2, an issue that he aggravated this past Sunday against the Cardinals. The Browns are getting a second opinion on the issue, but Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports that Mayfield's status is more TBD than the quarterback himself indicated. Fortunately for Mayfield, the Browns believe the partially torn labrum in his shoulder isn't structurally worse than it was prior to getting taken down by Arizona's J.J. Watt on a strip sack, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic. It remains to be seen if Mayfield will join his teammates on the practice field Tuesday, but any activity there would bode well for his availability for Thursday's game.