NFL Player News

Taylor (ribs/chest) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Jacksonville.

If Taylor's active for the first time since having his lung punctured by a pain-killing injection prior to Week 2, he will back up rookie Justin Herbert, who topped 300 yards in his first two starts and added a 7:1 TD:INT in the two subsequent games. Depending on Taylor's health, the Chargers could opt to keep third-stringer Easton Stick active as well.

The Jets are planning on having Darnold (shoulder) start Sunday's game against the Bills, barring a setback, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The 23-year-old returned to practice this week after missing the last two games with the right shoulder sprain, and the team appears to be satisfied with where he stands on the health front heading into the weekend. According to Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York, coach Adam Gase said he's not worried about Darnold reinjuring the shoulder, though the quarterback will likely have to manage some pain if he suits up. The Jets will release their final Week 7 injury report later Friday, which should provide more information about Darnold's outlook this weekend.

Jones completed 20 of 30 passes for 187 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Giants' 22-21 loss to the Eagles on Thursday night. He also rushed four times for 92 yards and lost a critical fourth-quarter fumble.

Jones' night, and the Giants season thus far as a whole, could largely be defined by a pair of individual moments within the back-and-forth affair. The first occurred in the third quarter, when the QB bolted upfield from the pocket and appeared to have a clear path to a TD before tripping himself up at the Eagles' eight-yard line. While New York would ultimately score on that drive, Jones then saw his defense give up a pair of touchdowns on consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter, and he then lost control of the ball on a sack with 28 seconds left while trying to drive the Giants into field-goal range while down by a point. Jones also has his triumphant moments in the form of scoring strikes to Golden Tate and the returning Sterling Shepard (toe) in the first and fourth quarters, respectively. New York would likely not have been in the unfavorable last-drive position it found itself in had Evan Engram corralled a perfectly thrown downfield pass from Jones with 2:14 remaining. Jones' late miscue ultimately snuffed out any hopes of a victory, and he'll now look to regroup and prepare for a tough Week 8 Monday night showdown against the aggressive Buccaneers defense.

Mayfield (chest) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

The quarterback had been a limited participant Wednesday in the Browns' first Week 7 session, but coach Kevin Stefanski never expressed much concern that Mayfield's injury would sideline him Sunday in Cincinnati. Mayfield's ability to take every practice rep with the first-team offense Thursday confirms he'll be good to go this weekend, but the signal-caller may need a solid showing on the road to restore the faith of his fantasy managers. His efficiency has fallen off precipitously over the past three weeks, with Mayfield completing only 58.8 percent of his passes for 6.2 yards per attempt and a 5:4 TD:INT over that stretch. Mayfield has also taken seven sacks across those three games.

Darnold (shoulder) "looked good" at practice Wednesday, according to coach Adam Gase, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

"From what he's saying right now, he feels good coming into practice today," Gase noted before Thursday's practice, in which Darnold will be listed as as a limited participant, per Connor Hughes of The Athletic. The next hurdle for Darnold will be reestablishing his throwing velocity, but as things currently stand the QB is trending in the right direction in advance of Sunday's game against the Bills.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said he has to be a better job of varying pre-snap counts for Mayfield (ribs/chest), Ellis L. Williams of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "Varying those snap counts. Not letting teams time it up. Getting the play in quickly so we can line up and are not up against the clock. Because that is one way to jump, for a defense, they are just staring at that play clock," said Stefanski.

Mayfield has come under a lot of scrutiny following last week's loss to the Steelers, and neither the quarterback nor the head coach would use Mayfield's injury as an excuse for his two interceptions, poor reads or predictable snap counts. Mayfield practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday, but he participated more this week than he did last week, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Garoppolo (ankle) wasn't listed on Wednesday's injury report.

Garoppolo's appearance on the Week 7 injury report wouldn't have been shocking after he missed Weeks 3 and 4 due to a high right ankle sprain. Additionally, coach Kyle Shanahan held Garoppolo out of the second half in his return to action Week 5 against the Dolphins, seemingly as a precautionary measure. Garoppolo then put together a season-best effort Sunday versus the Rams, completing 23 of 33 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. With his ankle injury behind him, he'll take aim this weekend at New England's ninth-ranked pass defense (219.8 yards allowed per game).

Taylor (ribs/chest) was a full participant during Wednesday's practice.

Prior to a Week 6 bye, Taylor had missed the past four games after receiving a pain-killing injection prior to a Week 2 loss to the Chiefs that accidentally punctured his lung. Though Taylor is apparently back to full health, coach Anthony Lynn already confirmed earlier this month that Justin Herbert would serve as the Chargers' starting quarterback moving forward. Taylor should now assume backup duties for the Week 7 game against Jacksonville, with Easton Stick relegated to the No. 3 position on the depth chart.

Darnold (shoulder) took first-team reps in practice Wednesday and is hoping to suit up Sunday against the Bills, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Coach Adam Gase said the team will evaluate Darnold as the week progresses and will have him split first-team reps with Joe Flacco. Gase noted that the most important factor in determining a Week 7 starter will be based on how Darnold's shoulder responds Thursday after he resumed throwing the ball Wednesday. If Darnold is able to suit up Sunday, he could finally have the top three receivers on the Jets' depth chart available to him, with rookie Denzel Mims (hamstring) expected to make his NFL debut alongside Jamison Crowder and Breshad Perriman.

Mayfield was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice with a chest injury, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Mayfield had to be removed from Sunday's blowout loss to the Steelers while struggling through what had previously been labeled as a rib injury, but the Browns reportedly think the quarterback is on track to suit up at Cincinnati in Week 7. If the signal-caller is able to upgrade to practicing in full Thursday or Friday, any lingering doubts about his availability will dissipate.