NFL Player News

Mayfield (chest/ribs) is expected to start Sunday's game at Pittsburgh, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The 25-year-old received the questionable tag after practicing as a full participant Friday, so it doesn't come as a major surprise he's expected to be under center come Sunday. Odell Beckham (illness) is clear of an injury designation and Jarvis Landry (ribs/hip) is questionable, so Mayfield may have his top wideouts while going up against a stout Pittsburgh pass rush.

Lock (shoulder) is expected to start under center Sunday versus the Patriots, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Lock's status will become official about 90 minutes before Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, but he has avoided a setback and is good to go. The 2019 second-round pick was serviceable through the first two games, completing 23 of 24 passes (62 percent) for 236 yards and a touchdown. He'll be without both Noah Fant (ankle) and Melvin Gordon (illness) on Sunday, so Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick and Phillip Lindsay are expected to be Lock's top targets against the Patriots' sturdy pass defense.

Blough signed with the Lions' active roster Saturday.

Blough was on the Lions' practice squad after getting cut in September, and according to Chris Burke of The Athletic, the Lions made this move because the Cowboys were looking to sign Blough. The Purdue product completed just 54 percent of his passes for 5.7 yards per attempt over five games last year. He will operate as the No. 3 quarterback behind Matthew Stafford and Chase Daniel.

Darnold (right shoulder) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Darnold had previously been presumed out, but the team has officially listed him as doubtful. That said, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv notes that Darnold hasn't practiced this week and is still ultimately expected to be inactive, with Joe Flacco set to start for a second consecutive week.

The Broncos list Lock (shoulder) as questionable for Sunday's scheduled game against the Patriots, Aric DiLalla of the team's official site reports.

That said, coach Vic Fangio noted Friday that the QB is trending in the right direction with regard to starting Sunday, while adding that the team chose questionable for Lock over not listing him with a status given that the "probable" designation is no longer an option. While it looks like Lock will be a go Sunday, it's worth monitoring the entire Week 6 NFL slate due to the potential of COVID-19 related postponements.

Mayfield (chest/ribs) is officially questionable for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Mayfield reportedly looked good while throwing at the portion of Friday's practice open to the media, during which he was a full participant after having begun the week with back-to-back limited sessions. The third-year quarterback has previously spoken as if he'll face the Steelers on Sunday, and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said Thursday that Mayfield is "trending in the right direction." Barring any setbacks, it currently looks as though Mayfield is on track for Sunday's divisional matchup. It's worth noting, though, that his top receivers Odell Beckham (illness) and Jarvis Landry (ribs) are also both questionable.

Coach Mike McCarthy confirmed Thursday that DiNucci is the top backup to Andy Dalton, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

McCarthy said that he's "concerned" about DiNucci's preparation now that the rookie seventh-round pick is a mere injury to Dalton away from being thrust into the starting lineup. The James Madison product threw for 3,441 yards and 29 scores in 2019 while adding 569 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

Lock (shoulder) turned in a second straight full practice Thursday, Ryan O'Halloran of The Denver Post reports. "There were no setbacks [after Wednesday's practice]," Fangio said of Lock, who was sidelined for Denver's previous two games. "He definitely could start Sunday as it looks now, but we'll hold on making that final. He had a good practice [Thursday]."

While Fangio stopped short of saying that Lock would reclaim starting duties Sunday in New England, the second-year quarterback should take back that role if he comes out unscathed Friday in the team's final practice of Week 6. Perhaps more intriguing than whether Lock will start Sunday is which of the remaining three quarterbacks on the roster might serve as his backup. Jeff Driskel and Brett Rypien both drew starts while Lock was sidelined, but Blake Bortles boasts the most experience of anyone in Denver's quarterback room.

Mayfield (chest/ribs) remained limited at practice Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Though Mayfield's reps were capped for the second straight day, head coach Kevin Stefanski relayed prior to the workout that the quarterback would throw more Thursday than he had Wednesday, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Cabot notes that after practice, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt relayed that Mayfield is "trending in the right direction" as Sunday's game against the Steelers approaches. Mayfield has expressed his belief that he'll be ready this weekend, but if not, the Browns would turn to backup Case Keenum.

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said Mayfield (chest) could play, even if he doesn't get ample reps during the practice week leading up to Sunday's game in Pittsburgh, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. "You get ready for Thursday night games with a very limited amount of full-speed team reps. I think every player is different and certainly every week is different," said the coach.

Mayfield suffered what was referred to as an injury to his ribs during last week's win over the Colts, but the quarterback was listed as limited on Wednesday's injury report with a chest injury. He was in full uniform and on the practice field Wednesday but did not throw during the portion of the practice open to the media. The team later released photos of Mayfield taking a snap from center JC Tretter. The Browns will likely run their usual run-heavy attack to limit Mayfield's exposure, but the Steelers enter the contest second in the NFL with just 64.0 rushing yards allowed per game.