NFL Player News

Bears head coach Matt Nagy announced Wednesday that Justin Fields will start at quarterback Sunday against the Browns with Dalton nursing a bone bruise in his left knee.

Per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com, Nick Foles is in line to serve as the Bears' No. 2 quarterback Sunday, while Nagy reiterated that Dalton -- who will be officially ruled out by the team later in the week -- is viewed as Chicago's starter, when healthy. For now, the veteran signal-caller should be viewed as week-to-week.

Head coach Matt Nagy announced Wednesday that Fields will start Sunday's game against the Browns, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Andy Dalton (knee) is considered week-to-week and now can be ruled out for at least one game. The rookie thus gets his first NFL start, though Nagy cautioned that he plans to reinstate Dalton as the starting quarterback once he's healthy. Of course, Fields' performance can also affect the plan, especially if Dalton ends up missing multiple games.

Brissett will start under center in Sunday's game against the Raiders, replacing an injured Tua Tagovailoa (ribs), Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Tagovailoa was ruled out Wednesday and is considered week-to-week after being diagnosed with fractured ribs. Brissett replaced the second-year pro at the start of Miami's third drive in Sunday's 35-0 loss to the Bills, ultimately completing 24 of 40 passes for only 169 yards, while taking four sacks and tossing an interception. Brissett should look a bit better with more practice reps this week, and the ice-cold Miami offense could get a boost from Will Fuller's expected season debut.

Dolphins head coach Brian Flores confirmed Wednesday that Tagovailoa is dealing with fractured ribs and will be out for Sunday's game against the Raiders, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

As a result, Jacoby Brissett is slated to start at quarterback this weekend, at a minimum, while Reid Sinnett is in line to be promoted to Miami's active roster from the team's practice squad. Beyond Week 3, Tagovailoa should be considered week-to-week, making it far from a safe bet that he'll be able to play in the Dolphins' Oct. 3 contest against the Colts.

Mayfield underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed no structural damage to his left shoulder, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Both Mayfield and coach Kevin Stefanski downplayed the injury while acknowledging the blow Mayfield took Sunday had an impact. He's been diagnosed with an MCL sprain to his left, non-throwing shoulder. It would not be surprising to see Mayfield limited during practice sessions this week in preparation for Week 3's home game against the 0-2 Bears.

Taylor (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

Coach David Culley already ruled Taylor out two days in advance of Thursday's game against the Panthers after the quarterback strained his left hamstring in Sunday's loss to the Browns, but the 32-year-old signal-caller's move to IR means he'll be sidelined through at least Week 5. Rookie third-round pick Davis Mills is the next man up on the depth chart and he'll presumably start at least the Texans' next three games while the organization remains content to keep Deshaun Watson inactive.

Dalton (knee) is considered week-to-week and appears unlikely to start Sunday's game against the Browns, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Though the Bears haven't officially ruled Dalton out for Week 3 and head coach Matt Nagy said Monday that the veteran would remain the team's top quarterback when healthy, rookie first-round pick Justin Fields looks to be trending toward the starting nod Sunday. An MRI has cleared Dalton of any structural damage to the left knee he injured in a Week 2 win over the Bengals, but he's still tending to a painful bone bruise that could make a full recovery on a seven-day turnaround difficult. Given that Dalton joined the Bears on a one-year deal this offseason with the plan of having him serve as a bridge to Fields, it's possible that Dalton loses hold of the starting job for good if the youngster acquits himself well against a tough Cleveland squad.

Fields appears in line to make his first NFL start Sunday in Cleveland with No. 1 quarterback Andy Dalton considered week-to-week with a knee injury, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The rookie first-round pick came on in relief of an injured Dalton in the Bears' 20-17 win over the Bengals this past weekend, taking 41 snaps in total and completing six of 13 pass attempts for 60 yards and an interception while rushing 10 times for 31 yards and fumbling once. Though he didn't have an especially productive showing in extended action after he scored on a run in a season-opening loss to the Rams, Fields could quickly emerge as a viable fantasy option thanks to his game-breaking rushing ability. For what it's worth, head coach Matt Nagy said Monday that Dalton -- when healthy -- remains the Bears' starting quarterback, but that could change if Fields delivers an impressive performance in place of the veteran.

Driskel is expected to be promoted to the Texans' active roster Thursday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Tyrod Taylor (hamstring) has been ruled out for Thursday's contest against the Panthers. In his absence, rookie third-round pick Davis Mills is expected to draw his first career start. Driskel, who has nine career starts, is expected to be promoted to serve as the backup behind Mills in Week 3.

Taylor (hamstring) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Carolina, Deepi Sidhu of the Texans' official site reports.

The announcement from coach David Culley comes as little surprise after Taylor sustained what's believed to be a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in Sunday's 31-21 loss to the Browns, per Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston. The injury typically carries a four-week recovery timeline, so Taylor could be a candidate to move to injured reserve, which would entail an absence of at least three weeks. Third-round selection Davis Mills will step in at quarterback for his first NFL start Thursday, while the Texans plan to elevate Jeff Driskel from the practice squad to serve as the rookie's understudy.