NFL Player News

Stick will back up Justin Herbert in Sunday's game versus the Panthers, Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today reports.

Tyrod Taylor is expected to miss Week 4 against the Buccaneers as well after he suffered a punctured lung from a misplaced injection in Week 2. Therefore, Stick will likely serve as the backup to Herbert for the next two games and possibly beyond if Taylor remains out. Stick had a solid collegiate career, throwing for 2,752 yards, 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his senior season at North Dakota State, but he hasn't played a regular-season snap since being selected by the Chargers in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Taylor (chest), who has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Panthers, is unlikely to gain clearance to play Week 4 at Tampa Bay, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

In addition to dealing with the cracked ribs he sustained in the Chargers' season-opening win over the Bengals, Taylor is recovering from a punctured lung, the result of a misplaced injection he received from a team doctor prior to the Week 2 loss to the Chiefs. Justin Herbert took over as the starter for that game on short notice and will likely be under center again for at least two more games, as doctors have advised Taylor to avoid strenuous activity for two weeks. Head coach Anthony Lynn has said that Taylor will reclaim the starting job when healthy, but the Chargers' thinking on that front could change depending on how well Herbert performs Weeks 3 and 4.

Stidham (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game versus the Raiders, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.

Stidham is the No. 3 quarterback behind Cam Newton and Brian Hoyer, so he'll watch Sunday's game in street clothes. Newton is the unequivocal starting QB for the Patriots, and as long as he stays healthy, Stidham -- a 2019 fourth-round pick -- will focus on developing this season.

The Broncos promoted Rypien from the practice squad to the active roster Friday, Aric DiLalla of the team's official site reports.

In the wake of Drew Lock's shoulder injury, Jeff Driskel is slated to start at least the next two games for the Broncos. The next question surrounds who will serve as Driskel's backup. The team brought in Blake Bortles this week, but coach Vic Fangio doesn't expect the veteran signal-caller to be ready for more than emergency work in his first outing as a Bronco. As a result, Rypien has been plucked from the practice squad to handle No. 2 QB duties for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, at the very least.

Taylor (lung) has officially been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Panthers.

Taylor, who suffered a punctured lung while receiving a pain-killing injection to his rib area just before last Sunday's kickoff, will sit out Week 3 action, at a minimum, which sets the stage for rookie Justin Herbert to make his second straight start this weekend. It doesn't seem likely that Taylor will be available Week 4 either, while the Chargers have yet to outline a return timetable for the veteran signal-caller.

Mullens will start Sunday's game against the Giants, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The 25-year-old has been taking first-team reps at practice this week with Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) sidelined, and he'll receive his first start since 2018 now that Garoppolo has been ruled out. Mullens completed eight of 11 passes for 71 yards with one interceptions when filling in last week, but he should be more prepared with a full week of practice. He averaged 284.6 passing yards, 1.6 touchdowns and 1.3 interceptions over eight starts in 2018.

Coach Kyle Shanahan ruled out Garoppolo (ankle) for Sunday's game against the Giants and named Nick Mullens the starting quarterback, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Mullens has been taking the first-team reps all week with Garoppolo unable to practice due to the high right ankle sprain, so Friday's announcement hardly comes as a surprise. RBs Tevin Coleman (knee) and Raheem Mostert (knee) have also been ruled out, and TE George Kittle (knee) has yet to be cleared.

Minshew completed 30 of 42 passes for 275 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in the Jaguars' 31-13 loss to the Dolphins on Thursday. He also rushed three times for 22 yards and lost a fumble.

Minshew had one of the better stat lines you'll see for a quarterback on the wrong end of an 18-point decision. The second-year gunslinger once again displayed above-average accuracy while averaging 6.5 yards per attempt, but he found himself frequently under duress while taking four sacks and 10 hits overall. Minshew's first turnover, a third-quarter fumble at his own seven, was particularly costly and came on one of those sacks, while the second occurred late in the contest with Jacksonville trying to tack on a meaningless touchdown. Despite Thursday's so-so fantasy effort, Minshew does still sport solid numbers in that regard through his first three games, as he owns a 6:2 TD:INT and has quickly amassed 787 passing yards. He and his teammates will look to regroup ahead of a favorable Week 4 road matchup against the Bengals on Sunday. Oct. 4.

Garoppolo (ankle) didn't participate in Thursday's practice, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Garoppolo's lack of reps for the second practice in a row doesn't come as much of a surprise after coach Kyle Shanahan hinted earlier this week that he wasn't counting on the quarterback to be available for Sunday's game against the Giants while he tends to a high-ankle sprain. Nick Mullens has taken the first-team reps during the Niners' first two practices of the week and is expected to draw his first start since 2018 after coming on in relief of an injured Garoppolo to complete eight of 11 attempts for 71 yards and an interception in last weekend's win over the Jets.

Head coach Vic Fangio said Thursday that the Broncos intend to call Rypien up from the practice squad to serve as the team's backup quarterback Sunday against the Buccaneers, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports.

Though the Broncos will delay placing Drew Lock (shoulder) on injured reserve, the team's starting signal-caller is still expected to miss at least two games. Denver signed Blake Bortles earlier this week to add some experienced depth at the position while Lock is sidelined, but Fangio suggested Bortles likely won't be ready to serve as anything more than an emergency option at quarterback Sunday, if he's even active for the contest. Since Rypien has familiarity with the Broncos' system after spending the past year and a half with the organization as a member of the offseason roster, 53-man roster or practice squad, Fangio views him as an ideal backup in the short term for Jeff Driskel, who will start in place of Lock in Week 3. Rypien could return to the practice squad as soon as Week 4, when Bortles will presumably be up to speed with the new playbook.