NFL Player News

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.

Darnold (shoulder) said Wednesday that he doesn't know whether his AC joint sprain is a one-week injury, or if he'll need more recovery time, Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports.

The Jets have already ruled Darnold out for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, but his status for Week 6 and beyond is more muddled while he contends with an injury that the team is viewing as a week-to-week concern. At least for one game, Joe Flacco will step in as the Jets' new starting quarterback.

Lock (shoulder) will practice on a limited basis Wednesday, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Lock's limited session Wednesday signifies his first recorded practice work since suffering a rotator/labral injury to his right throwing shoulder Week 2. The Broncos will evaluate Lock in practice as the week continues before making a final decision on his availability for Sunday's game in New England, but the second-year signal looks as though he has a legitimate chance of playing this weekend. Mike Klis of 9News Denver notes that Lock was cleared to resume throwing Monday, giving the Broncos additional hope that he might be ready to go after a two-game absence.

Jackson isn't participating in Wednesday's practice, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

The official reason for Jackson's absence will be revealed when Baltimore releases its first Week 5 injury report later Wednesday. At this time, the Ravens haven't indicated whether their star quarterback is dealing with any sort of injury, or if he's sitting out the session for rest/personal reasons.

Darnold (shoulder) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

As a result, Joe Flacco will start at quarterback for the Jets in Week 5, and possibly longer, given that head coach Adam Gase said Darnold is in "a lot of pain" as a result of his AC joint sprain, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Beyond Sunday, Darnold is viewed by the Jets as week-to-week, which clouds his status for the team's Week 6 contest Oct. 18 versus the Chargers.

Washington will name Allen its new starting quarterback ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Football Team's No. 2 quarterback for the first quarter of the season, Allen will ascend to the top spot on the depth chart after Dwayne Haskins (61.0 percent completion rate, 6.4 yards per attempt, 4:3 TD:INT) was benched after generally struggling to move the offense through Washington's first four games. Allen's existing familiarity with first-year head coach Ron Rivera from their time together in Carolina the past two seasons may have accelerated the change at quarterback, but expectations for the 24-year-old should be tempered as he steps in as Washington's new signal-caller. Allen was unable to keep turnovers in check while seeing extended action for the Panthers in 2019, throwing 16 interceptions and fumbling 13 times (losing seven) in 13 games. Allen will need to clean up the mistakes with Washington if he hopes to maintain his starting role throughout the season and hold off veteran Alex Smith, who will elevate to the backup role Week 5 while Haskins falls to third on the depth chart, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Lock was a spectator at the part of the Broncos' practice open to the media Tuesday, Aric DiLalla of the team's official site reports.

Lock was knocked out of the Broncos' Week 2 loss in Pittsburgh with what was later termed a rotator/labral issue in his right throwing shoulder. The given timeline for a recovery was 2-to-6 weeks, so he reached the front end of that window last week. Tuesday's session was an unofficial one, so Lock's true status won't be updated until Denver releases its first Week 5 injury report Wednesday. With Lock out of the lineup, Jeff Driskel started Week 3 but Brett Rypien handled those duties Week 4, and Blake Bortles has been learning the system the past two weeks. If Lock us unable to return Sunday in New England, it's unclear who among the aforementioned trio will get the next shot to start under center.

Asked about the condition of Allen's injured left shoulder Monday, coach Sean McDermott said, "Josh is in pretty good shape, as of this morning," Dante Lasting of the Bills' official site reports.

Although Allen didn't miss any plays, he landed on the shoulder awkwardly in the Week 4 win over Las Vegas and had to go to the locker room for evaluation, while Bills Nation collectively held its breath. We'd be surprised if Allen misses any time since the injury is now officially not considered severe and it's to his non-throwing arm. The third-year quarterback has been nothing short of excellent this season with 12 TD passes and three rushing scores to go with one interception, though the shoulder could potentially limit him in practice this week. It's also worth noting that Buffalo's Week 5 opponent -- the Titans -- still has to work through a COVID-19 outbreak before the game can go off as scheduled in the early wave Sunday.

Tagovailoa will remain a reserve for Sunday's game at San Francisco, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports.

Coach Brian Flores seemed to hint that a QB change was possible when he wouldn't commit to Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starter for Week 5 on Monday. Just one day later, though, Fitzpatrick will continue to direct the offense, at least to begin Sunday's outing. On a positive note, the veteran's completed a career-best 69 percent of his passes, but Miami is sitting on a 1-3 record. Tagovailoa has been active for each of those games but has yet to experience his first NFL snap. Perhaps the 2020 first-rounder will do just that if Fitzpatrick stumbles this weekend.