NFL Player News

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.

The Texans cut McGough from the practice squad Monday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McGough was the Texans' only practice squad quarterback, so the team is expected to pick up another player to serve as depth at the position. The 2018 seventh-round pick has yet to play an NFL snap since entering the league.

Coach Adam Gase was non-committal about the chances of Darnold (shoulder) suiting up against the Chargers in Week 6 on Monday, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

"We'll kind of see how the week goes," Gase said when asked about Darnold's recovery from a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. Per Vacchiano, Gase called the injury "week-to-week." Joe Flacco was serviceable in his first start as a Jet during Sunday's loss to Arizona, a development which could lessen pressure for the team to rush Darnold back on the field. Gase said he expects to receive a more significant update on Darnold's health Wednesday.

Coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Mayfield (ribs) is still sore and will be monitored leading up to the Browns' Week 6 contest in Pittsburgh, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Mayfield's X-rays turned up negative after the conclusion of Sunday's win over the Colts, which would seem to confirm that he's avoided serious injury. He even was able to retake the field versus Indianapolis in the fourth quarter after briefly being examined on the sideline. Mayfield himself said that he doesn't consider his availability to be in question, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, but the Browns nonetheless will closely evaluate how he holds up in practice.

Allen (arm) is expected to be healthy enough to start against the Giants in Week 6, barring any setbacks, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Coach Ron Rivera has confirmed on multiple occasions that Allen will start Week 6 as long as he's healthy, and it looks as though the third-year quarterback's arm injury isn't severe enough to seriously jeopardize his availability. He was forced out of Sunday's loss to the Rams due to a hit to his non-throwing arm. Washington also has Alex Smith, who relieved Allen versus Los Angeles, on hand as a capable backup, in addition to 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins.

Prescott (ankle) received a 4-to-6-month recovery window after undergoing surgery Sunday, Jane Slater of NFL Network reports.

Prescott, who was released from the hospital Monday, will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a right ankle compound fracture and dislocation in Sunday's 37-34 win over the Giants. Over five games in 2020, the 27-year-old compiled 1,856 passing yards and a 9:4 TD:INT, in addition to three rushing scores and a receiving touchdown. He'll now hand the reins of the offense over to Andy Dalton. Prescott's anticipated rehab window hints at optimism that he could return for 2021 without major complications, though he doesn't have a contract with the Cowboys beyond this season.

DiNucci could find himself as the Cowboys' No. 2 quarterback following the season-ending ankle injury to Dak Prescott.

Andy Dalton will take over as the starting QB for Dallas, but that leaves a vacancy in the backup spot. DiNucci, a seventh-round pick in the 2020 draft, has yet to be active on game day, and if the coaching staff feels he's not yet ready to handle NFL action, the Cowboys could look to sign a veteran free agent to fill the No. 2 job. Until another quarterback joins the roster and gets up to speed on the playbook, however, DiNucci figures to be the backup, even if only by default.