NFL Player News

Tannehill will be working with a depleted group of pass catchers in Tuesday's game against the Bills with receivers Corey Davis and Adam Humphries not expected to be activated from the reserve/COVID list for the Week 5 contest, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Tannehill was at risk of having to play without all three of the Titans' starting receivers, but fortunately for the quarterback, A.J. Brown (knee) -- who is listed as questionable -- will be active after missing Tennessee's previous two games. Brown is expected to be joined in the lineup by Kalif Raymond and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, neither of whom has started an NFL game. Additionally, tight end MyCole Pruitt remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list, though he typically doesn't see as much involvement in the passing game as position mates Jonnu Smith and Anthony Firkser.

Beathard is expected to be the backup quarterback Sunday versus the Rams with Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) reclaiming starting duties, Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee reports.

Garoppolo was benched during this past Sunday's loss to the Dolphins, as he performed poorly and the game quickly got out of hand. Beathard entered in his place and completed nine of 18 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Garoppolo is still dealing with an ankle injury, and that could've played a role in his disappointing outing, but coach Kyle Shanahan has no plans to bench him. Beathard has proven himself as the clear No. 2 quarterback ahead of Nick Mullens, so he'll be the next man up in case things go off the rails again Sunday.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday that he expects Prescott (ankle) will be ready to join the team for offseason workouts in late April or early May, David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reports.

A spring return to full activities essentially aligns with the 4-to-6-month recovery timeline Prescott received Monday after undergoing surgery to address the season-ending right ankle compound fracture and dislocation he suffered in the Week 5 win over the Giants. Even if his recovery proceeds as planned, the quarterback may be reluctant to report for workouts until his contract situation is resolved. Prescott, who is playing under a $31.4 million franchise tag in 2020, could be tagged again in 2021 if he and the Cowboys aren't able to come to terms on a long-term deal, although his salary on a second tag would rise to $37.7 million. Jones has suggested that he's interested in retaining Prescott, though Jones noted Tuesday that he would like the coaching staff to be more judicious in how the quarterback is used as a runner coming off the major injury, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com.

Herbert completed 20 of 34 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns in Monday night's 30-27 overtime loss to the Saints.

Herbert showed exactly why the Chargers named him their starter going forward, flashing a combination of athleticism and playmaking in the passing game. The rookie began by finding Keenan Allen on a 17-yard score, and even though his top target subsequently exited with a back injury, Herbert still tossed three touchdowns by halftime. While that tally included scores from just three and four yards, Herbert hit Mike Williams with a 64-yard pass on his fourth score. That play put Los Angeles in a position to win late, and even after the Saints tied the score, Herbert again found Williams to set up a would-be winning field goal as time expired. Despite that effort missing and Herbert ultimately enduring a fourth straight loss, he again can be proud of his performance, as he's now thrown seven touchdowns versus just one interception in the last two outings. Whether he'll have Allen available or not when the Chargers next take the field Week 7 against the Jags, Herbert's stock is soaring going into the team's bye week.

White was activated for the Jets' Week 5 loss to the Cardinals, but he reverted back to the team's practice squad after playing no snaps during the game, per the NFL's transaction log.

With starting quarterback Sam Darnold (shoulder) deemed inactive for Sunday's matchup against Arizona, the Jets were in need of QB depth behind Joe Flacco and James Morgan. Darnold's status for Week 6 remains uncertain after he participated in a throwing session Monday, meaning that White may once again be called upon during the Jets' approaching matchup against the Chargers.

Coach Kyle Shanahan expects Garoppolo (ankle) to participate in practice this week with the aim to start Sunday versus the Rams, Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee reports.

Garoppolo notably didn't play in the second half of Sunday's 43-17 loss to the Dolphins. Just before the third quarter, Shanahan told the Fox broadcast that he made the decision to "protect" Garoppolo, and Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area noted the quarterback emerged from the game "no worse, injury-wise, than he went in." Garoppolo instead is dealing with the usual discomfort from a game that marked his first since Week 2 due to a high right ankle sprain. That said, his play was uninspiring, as he completed seven of 17 passes for 77 yards and two interceptions Sunday. Behind Garoppolo, C.J. Beathard is next in line for reps, while Nick Mullens occupies the third QB spot on the 49ers' depth chart.

Darnold (shoulder) is unsure whether he'll return Sunday against the Chargers in L.A., Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

After throwing Monday, Darnold mentioned he feels "pain every now and then," but his right throwing shoulder is "feeling a lot better." He also hopes "to practice this week and play on Sunday." Earlier Monday, coach Adam Gase was similarly uncertain about Darnold's ability to return, telling Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York that the Jets "will kind of see how the week goes." In the event Darnold misses a second consecutive game, Joe Flacco is in line for another start.

Allen and the Bills remain on track to meet the Titans on Tuesday after the latest round of COVID-19 testing turned up no new positives among Tennessee's players or coaches, according to several media reports.

Things are not in the clear yet, however, as both teams still have to go through more testing with no setbacks. In a strange state of the times, if you've rolled the dice on Allen thus far you've essentially made a bold bet that the game would go on as planned -- or taking it even further, that the last few rounds of COVID-19 testing would come back clean, with your last bailout being a late pivot to Drew Brees or Justin Herbert. On the bright side, Tuesday's Bills-Titans now seems like a decent possibility at this stage given the most recent testing results.

Beathard filled in for a struggling Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) in the second half of Sunday's 43-17 loss to Miami. He completed nine of 18 pass attempts for 94 yards and a touchdown.

Beathard has had to relieve a different struggling quarterback ahead of him on the depth chart for the second consecutive week. Unlike last week's late comeback attempt against the Eagles, the backup had a more pedestrian outing when given a full half to operate. Garoppolo clearly did not look right early on, and his injured ankle may have had a big part in why he performed so poorly. It would be a surprising turn of events if an official change was made with both players being healthy, so we have to assume the job is still Garoppolo's after one ugly start.

Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that he expects Jackson to practice in full this week, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Jackson, who missed two practices last week due to an illness and knee injury, was initially listed as questionable for Sunday's 27-3 win over the Bengals. He didn't look to be dealing with any restrictions on the field, though, as he completed 19 of 37 passes for 180 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. His two carries were a career low, but the Ravens also weren't pressured to lean on Jackson's scrambling abilities at any point during Sunday's blowout victory. Barring any setbacks, Jackson looks like he'll be a full-go at Philadelphia in Week 6.