NFL Player News

Tyrod Taylor has officially been named the Texans' starting quarterback in advance of Sunday's season opener against the Jaguars, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports. Though he remains on the team's 53-man roster, Watson is expected to be a healthy scratch on game days.

With Watson -- who currently faces 22 active civil lawsuits -- not expected to play for Houston this season, rookie Davis Mills is in line to be Taylor's backup Sunday, while Jeff Driskel is on the team's practice squad. Barshop previously noted that the Texans are prepared to keep Watson on their roster for the rest of the 2021 campaign. However, it's possible that the QB's standing trade request could result in him being dealt to another team at some point down the road.

Prescott (shoulder) was a full practice participant Monday, David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reports.

With the season opener just days away, Prescott will be out there Week 1 at Tampa Bay a little more than 11 months removed from the devastating right ankle injury he suffered Week 5 of last season. Previously, this was a question mark due to the latissimus strain he sustained in his right throwing shoulder early in training camp, which sidelined him for the entire exhibition slate. Prescott progressed well throughout August, though, and recently relayed to Jori Epstein of The Dallas Morning News that he hasn't endured any discomfort since returning to practice Aug. 25. On Thursday, Prescott will have the usual suspects in the skill positions in the form of WRs Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup and RB Ezekiel Elliott.

Lance (finger) didn't throw during the portion of Monday's practice open to the media, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Lance was spotted without a splint on his right hand and working on his footwork, but it appears he hasn't progressed enough to toss passes. He's a little more than a week removed from suffering what coach Kyle Shanahan called a "chip fracture" in his finger, which he was able to tough out after jamming it during the 49ers' preseason finale on Aug. 29. Lance's expected timetable at the time was about one week, but that seems to have been optimistic. With San Francisco set to travel to Detroit for a Week 1 matchup this Sunday, the team will release its first injury report of the season Wednesday, which appears as if it'll include Lance as a limited participant.

Coach David Culley confirmed Monday that Taylor will start at quarterback for the Texans in Sunday's season opener against the Jaguars, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Though last year's starter Deshaun Watson remains on the Texans' 53-man roster, heading into Week 1 he's expected to a healthy scratch on game days. Also in the team's QB mix is rookie Davis Mills, but early on Houston will turn to Taylor to helm what could end up being a run-heavy attack, an approach that's viable considering the presence of a capable backfield headed by Mark Ingram, Phillip Lindsay, David Johnson and Rex Burkhead.

Tannehill was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Tannehill missed 10 days after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list in late August. As a result, the veteran quarterback will be eligible to practice starting Monday and should be considered ready to go for the Week 1 contest against the Cardinals.

Prescott said Friday that he's 100 percent healthy and hasn't had any soreness in his right shoulder since returning to practice Aug. 25, Jori Epstein of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Prescott originally was scheduled for 7-on-7s in his first practice back with the team, but he ended up participating in 11-on-11s as well. News has remained positive in the week and a half since, including Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reporting Friday that the quarterback will be "full go" for Thursday's season opener at Tampa Bay. The shoulder injury limited Prescott's reps this summer after he completed his rehab from last year's injury, but he'll at least have CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Ezekiel Elliott helping him knock off any rust the first few weeks of the season. Right tackle La'el Collins (neck) is the top injury concern for the Dallas offense in Week 1, dealing with stingers the past couple weeks after he missed all of last season with a hip injury.

The Lions placed Boyle (thumb) on injured reserve Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Boyle is expected to miss up to eight weeks due to thumb surgery he underwent in late August, so it's no surprise to see him beginning the regular season on IR. Though the depth quarterback will be eligible to return as early as Week 4, it appears as though he's destined for a somewhat longer absence.

The Colts placed Ehlinger (knee) on injured reserve Thursday, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reports.

Ehlinger has already been ruled out for the month of September due to a knee sprain, so it's no surprise to see the Colts send him to IR. The rookie sixth-round pick will be eligible for activation as soon as Week 4 against the Dolphins.

The Titans signed Barkley to their practice squad Wednesday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Barkley spent the last three seasons operating as a backup for the Bills, but the veteran signal-caller couldn't beat out Logan Woodside for the No. 2 gig in Tennessee. Should Ryan Tannehill (undisclosed) end up missing any time this season, however, Barkley's presence on the practice squad will give the Titans an experienced emergency option.

The Dolphins signed Sinnett to the practice squad Wednesday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Sinnett will stick around in Miami as an emergency option behind Tua Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett. The signal-caller spent most of the 2020 season on the Dolphins' practice squad as well.