NFL Player News

The 49ers restored Johnson (illness) to the practice squad from the COVID-19 list, Josh Dubow of the Associated Press reports.

Johnson will now be eligible to resume participating in team activities. Should the 49ers choose, he could join the active roster alongside C.J. Beathard and Josh Rosen against Seattle in Week 17.

Tagovailoa will be backed up by Jake Rudock against Buffalo on Sunday, with Ryan Fitzpatrick having tested positive for COVID-19, Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post reports.

Tagovailoa has been replaced by Fitzpatrick with the Dolphins trailing twice this season, most recently during last weekend's narrow win over the Raiders. With Fitzpatrick now destined for the reserve/COVID-19 list, though, the rookie signal-caller won't get the benefit of a relief option should he struggle against Buffalo. The Dolphins would guarantee a playoff berth with a win over the Bills, so pressure may be mounting for Tagovailoa to take convincing command of the offense.

Stafford (ankle) won't participate in Thursday's practice, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

After exiting early in last week's loss to the Buccaneers with a right ankle sprain, Stafford has now missed consecutive practices as the Lions prepare for Sunday's season finale versus the Vikings. Though Stafford has also battled rib and right thumb injuries in recent weeks in addition to the ankle sprain, the Lions aren't yet ruling him out from playing Sunday, despite the team having little at stake in Week 17. Backup quarterbacks Chase Daniel and David Blough will continue to take reps at practice this week to stay prepared to start in the event Stafford can't gain clearance for the finale.

Murray (leg) practiced fully Wednesday, Katherine Fitzgerald of The Arizona Republic reports.

During the portion of Wednesday's practice open to the media, Murray participated in a scrambling drill, a good sign as he works through the lower leg injury he suffered in Saturday's loss to the 49ers. He proceeded to do enough for him to log an uncapped session, setting him up to helm the Cardinals offense, per usual, this weekend against the Rams. In three career matchups versus Los Angeles, Murray has averaged 220.3 passing yards per game while tossing five touchdowns versus four interceptions and turning 11 carries into 43 yards and one score.

Head coach Doug Marrone said Wednesday that Minshew will remain the Jaguars' backup quarterback behind Mike Glennon for the team's Week 17 game in Indianapolis, John Oehser of the team's official site reports.

When he met with the media Monday, Marrone left the door open for Minshew to supplant Glennon as the Jaguars' Week 17 starter, but the coach ultimately elected to maintain the status quo after reviewing the game film following Sunday's loss to the Bears. Minshew has outproduced Glennon from a statistic standpoint this season -- 66.1 percent completion rate, 6.9 yards per attempt, 16:5 TD:INT -- but the second-year signal-caller has put up a good chunk of his production in garbage time and clearly isn't viewed as the Jaguars' long-term answer at quarterback. Glennon is set to become a free agent this offseason and may not be retained, but Minshew won't have a clear path to the starting role in 2021 with Jacksonville likely to select a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Watson (arm) isn't listed on Wednesday's injury report.

Watson appeared to be in pain after taking a sack late during last weekend's loss to the Bengals, but his absence from the injury report implies the Texans have no concerns about his availability for Sunday's season finale versus the Titans. Though the Texans have little at stake in Week 17, Watson appears poised to play the entirety of the contest as the team looks to pull an upset and potentially deny its divisional rival out of the postseason.

Jones said Wednesday that he "intends to play from the pocket more" until he's fully healthy, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Jones logged 55 carries for 406 yards through the Giants' first 11 games of the season, but since Week 12, he's had to substantially adjust his playing style due to hamstring and ankle injuries. In his two appearances since the injuries surfaced, Jones has only rushed once for three yards. An inability to make plays with his legs has likewise limited Jones' ability to attack defenses through the air, with just one passing touchdown in his last two games. According to Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site, Jones was listed on Wednesday's practice report as a full participant, but he's still likely be playing at less than 100 percent during Sunday's game against the Cowboys.

Coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that Mahomes will sit out Sunday's regular-season finale against the Chargers, Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star reports.

Mahomes will get a week of rest with the Chiefs already having secured the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed, allowing Chad Henne to draw the start. Reid said he'll sit some of the Chiefs' other key regulars as well, so players like Tyreek Hill (hamstring), Travis Kelce and Chris Jones also seem destined to miss the regular-season finale as the Chiefs prioritize health above all else heading into the postseason.

Garoppolo (ankle) won't be activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's season finale against the Seahawks, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The 49ers designated Garoppolo to return from injured reserve at the beginning of Week 16, but that mostly seemed to be about getting him back on the practice field rather than preparing him for game action. Once the team was eliminated from playoff contention, there was never any suggestion Garoppolo might return for the final two weeks. While head coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects Garoppolo to be the 49ers' starting quarterback in 2021, it won't come as any great surprise if the team pursues an upgrade. Garoppolo has two years remaining on his contract, scheduled for non-guaranteed base salaries of $24.1 million and $24.2 million in 2021 and 2022, respectively, per OverTheCap.com. The dead-cap charge will be only $2.8 million if he's traded or released this offseason.

Murray (lower leg) expects to suit up Sunday against the Rams in Los Angeles, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Murray managed some reps at Wednesday's practice, taking part in a scrambling drill, according to Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site. Wednesday's injury report will reveal exactly how much work Murray was able to handle, but he appears to be putting himself in a position to play this weekend after sustaining a lower leg issue in last weekend's loss to the 49ers.