NFL Player News

Heinicke took reps with the first-team offense at the beginning of Wednesday's practice, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Meanwhile, Alex Smith (calf) seems set to go down as a non-participant for a second consecutive session. Head coach Ron Rivera hasn't ruled out the possibility of incorporating a quarterback rotation for Saturday's wild-card matchup with Buccaneers, so the fact Heinicke is getting reps with the first team may forecast what's to come this weekend. In his sole appearance of the season Week 16 against the Panthers, Heinicke completed 12 of 19 passes for 137 yards and one touchdown while compiling 22 more yards on three carries.

Luton completed 60 of 110 passes for 624 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions while recording one carry for a 13-yard touchdown in three games this season.

The rookie sixth-round pick received a surprising opportunity to start after Gardner Minshew went down with an injury, but he failed to take advantage of the three-game opportunity. Luton and Minshew are the only quarterbacks under contract for next season with Mike Glennon hitting free agency, but Jacksonville is poised to select a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick during the 2021 NFL Draft. Luton figures to be fighting for a roster spot in training camp.

Sinnett signed a reserve/future contract with the Dolphins on Tuesday.

The rookie UDFA was elevated from the practice squad by Miami for two games this season but never saw game action. Sinnett will work through the Dolphins' offseason program and attempt to earn the backup job in 2021.

Goff (right thumb) was a limited participant at Tuesday's walkthrough practice, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Sean McVay is keeping his cards close to the vest, stating that he won't name a starting quarterback until 90 minutes before Saturday's 4:40 p.m. ET kickoff, when the inactive list is due. However, Goff has been throwing passes, and even McVay admitted that the QB is "preparing himself to play" against the Seahawks, according to Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com. The final verdict will depend on whether Goff's performance is hindered, less than two weeks removed from thumb surgery on his throwing hand. In the case that Goff is held out, John Wolford will start under center while Blake Bortles slots in as the backup. Wolford completed 58 percent of his passes for 231 yards, no touchdowns and an interception and ran for 56 yards in last week's 18-7 win over the Cardinals.

Head coach Sean McVay said Tuesday that he won't reveal whether Goff (thumb) will start in Saturday's wild-card game against the Seahawks until game time, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

The Rams are required to release their inactives list 90 minutes before Saturday's 4:40 p.m. ET kickoff, and McVay stated that his starting quarterback decision will be announced at that time. McVay did elaborate that Goff will be the Rams' starting quarterback as long as he gains medical clearance after undergoing thumb surgery last week. Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com relayed that Goff has been throwing passes and is "preparing himself to play", which certainly bodes well for his chances to return. John Wolford will be on standby in case Goff is ruled out. In Week 17, Wolford started and completed 22 of 38 passes for 231 yards and an interception, adding 56 yards on six carries.

The Dolphins remain committed to Tagovailoa as the team's starting QB for the 2021 season, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Of course, that's hardly surprising given that the team selected Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Per Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com, the team has yet to determine whether veteran QB Ryan Fitzpatrick might be back with the team next year, but in any case, the franchise -- which holds the No. 3 and No. 18 overall picks in the first round of the 2021 draft -- will continue build around Tagovailoa in advance of next season. As a rookie, the Alabama product completed 186 of his 290 pass attempts for 1,814 yards to go along with a 11:5 TD:INT in 10 games. Additionally, Tagovailoa ran 36 times for 109 yards and added three TDs via the ground game. One thing that will be working in Tagovailoa's favor as he approaches his second campaign as a pro is that is that he'll be even further removed from the dislocated and fractured hip he suffered in November of 2019.

Hoyer finished the 2020 season with 15 completions on 24 passing attempts for 130 yards and an interception in one appearance.

Hoyer did log a start in Week 4, when Cam Newton landed on the reserve/COVID list, but aside from that he served as the team's No. 3 QB for the bulk of the campaign, while Jarrett Stidham settled in as the team's top backup. Like Newton, Hoyer is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and it's uncertain whether team will try to re-sign either veteran signal caller.

Stidham finished the 2020 season with 22 completions on 44 passing attempts for 256 yards with two TDs and three interceptions in five appearances.

Stidham, who also logged seven carries for seven yards, spent the bulk of the campaign as Cam Newton's top backup and remains under contract with New England through the 2022 season. The future role of the 2019 fourth-rounder has yet to be determined, with the Patriots facing plenty of offseason personnel decisions, including whether or not to try to retain Newton, who's eligible to become an unrestricted free agent. The team could also look elsewhere in free agency and the draft, so it's way too early to get a handle on Stidham's 2021 fantasy prospects.

Sinnett reverted back to Miami's practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

Sinnett stepped in as the backup quarterback in Week 17, but he didn't see any action. He failed to make his NFL debut in 2020.

Huntley reverted back to Baltimore's practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

Huntley was called up to the active roster in Week 17, and he ended up completing his lone pass for eight yards while rushing for five yards on six carries. He'll finish the season having gone 3-for-5 for 15 yards while also recording 23 rushing yards on 10 attempts.