NFL Player News

Burrow has connected on only one of his 20 attempts on passes thrown 20 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage through four games, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

It's a historically low percentage of completions of that type, since the stat first started being tracked, but it's not all attributable to Burrow's failings. He has missed on some of those throws, but he's also not been helped by his receivers in hauling those passes, plus opposing defenses have been trying to force him to throw more intermediate passes.

Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn said Thursday that Herbert will serve as the team's starting quarterback moving forward, Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register reports.

The decision, which comes in advance of Monday's game against the Saints, is a reversal of Lynn's previous stance, as the coach originally indicated that Week 1 starter Tyrod Taylor (ribs/chest) wouldn't lose his job due to an injury. Herbert's impressive play while filling in for Taylor forced Lynn's hand, however, and the rookie will now assume the position the Chargers had in mind for him when they selected him sixth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Garoppolo (ankle) was spotted at the early portion of Thursday's practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Garoppolo was limited in his return to practice Wednesday, and considering the nature of his high right ankle sprain, it wouldn't surprising to see his reps capped again Thursday. San Francisco will continue to monitor Garoppolo's health in order to make a decision about his availability for Sunday's game against the Dolphins. David Lombardi of The Athletic notes that the 49ers' primary focus may be making sure that Garoppolo is fully ready to suit up for Week 6's divisional matchup against the Rams.

Coach Ron Rivera said Allen, who will be Washington's starting quarterback Sunday against the Rams, will be evaluated on a game-by-game basis, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Despite losing the past three games, Washington finds itself behind just the Eagles (1-2-1) and tied with the Cowboys (1-3) in the NFC East. Allen himself served as the backup to Dwayne Haskins through the quarter mark of the season, but the latter's play seems to have been at the forefront of Rivera's decision. Even after posting season bests in completion percentage (71) and yards (314) this past Sunday against the Ravens, Haskins was sitting at 61 percent, 234.8 yards per game and four touchdowns versus three interceptions. Meanwhile, Allen, who followed Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner from Carolina to DC, has experience in the system. In 12 starts last year for the Panthers, Allen completed 62 percent of his passes, averaged 252.3 yards per game and had 17 TDs versus 15 picks.

Jackson (knee) didn't practice Thursday, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Hensley points out that this is the first time that the QB has missed back-to-back regular season practices during his three-year NFL career. Initial reports indicated that Jackson's knee issue isn't considered serious, but obviously what he's able to do at practice Friday will be telling with regard to his status for Sunday's game against the Bengals.

Mayfield completed 19 of 30 pass attempts for 165 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 49-38 win over the Cowboys. He also added six yards on three rushing attempts.

Mayfield wasn't particularly effective Week 4 with just 5.5 yards per attempt, but he didn't need to be, as Nick Chubb (knee) and Kareem Hunt led a potent ground attack, while wideout Jarvis Landry performed some trickery on a touchdown pass to Odell Beckham, who also rushed for a touchdown. It's fair to discount Mayfield's performance while going up against a putrid Cowboys defense, but a Week 5 matchup against the Colts should prove to be a better test, especially with Chubb sidelined. The Colts rank first in the league with just 159 passing yards allowed per game.

Garoppolo (ankle) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

As expected, Garoppolo's reps were capped in his first on-field work since suffering a high right ankle sprain Week 2. He'll have two more chances to prove the health of his ankle before the 49ers make a decision on their starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Dolphins. Another absence from Garoppolo will result in one of Nick Mullens or C.J. Beathard starting at quarterback.

Jackson sat out practice Wednesday with a knee issue that isn't considered serious, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The report notes that Jackson was held out of practice for "precautionary reasons," which led to Robert Griffin handling first-team reps at quarterback. Jackson's status will be revisited when the Ravens practice again Thursday, but so far, there's no reason to think that his availability for Sunday's game against the Bengals is in any danger.

Garoppolo (ankle) is expected to practice in a limited capacity Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

The appearance at practice will mark Garoppolo's first since he sprained his right ankle Week 2. Coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned Monday that he hoped Garoppolo would take the field Wednesday, and it appears as if the quarterback will do just that. That said, it's unclear whether Garoppolo will do enough this week to return Sunday against the Dolphins. If Garoppolo doesn't play, Shanahan will have to make a decision to start either Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard under center.

Allen (left shoulder) practiced fully Wednesday.

Allen's ability to take every rep at the Bills' first Week 5 session signals that he avoided a significant injury to his non-throwing shoulder during Sunday's win over Las Vegas. He'll resume his starting role Sunday in Tennessee, though the status of the game itself remains up in the air due to several positive COVID-19 test results of late among Titans players and staff.