NFL Player News

Blough will start Sunday's game against Denver and could get the nod in the Dec. 29 season finale against Green Bay after the Lions placed Matthew Stafford (back/hip) on injured reserve Tuesday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Stafford had already missed the Lions' past six games, but the move to IR means he's officially been shuttered for 2019. With Jeff Driskel (hamstring) moving to IR prior to Stafford, the Lions are now down to Blough and Kyle Sloter as their available quarterbacks for the final two games. Since his surprisingly solid debut as a starter in the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Bears, Blough has struggled in back-to-back matchups, completing just 57.8 percent of his throws for 5.6 yards per attempt and a 1:3 TD:INT. If the 24-year-old turns in another poor outing in Denver, it wouldn't be surprising if coach Matt Patricia elects to take a look at Sloter in Week 17.

Winston (thumb/knee) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday.

With a slight thumb fracture in tow, Winston seems to be operating under a similar practice regimen to last week, when he didn't throw until Friday's session. Winston certainly didn't appear to be limited when game day arrived, though, as he proceeded to put together a season-best 458 yards on 28-for-42 passing in a win over Detroit, compiling four touchdowns and an interception along the way. Even if he heads into the weekend as questionable, Winston seems poised to be available Saturday against a Texans defense that has allowed the fourth-most passing touchdowns (30) to quarterbacks this season.

Prescott (shoulder) officially was limited at Wednesday's practice, David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Prescott came out of Week 14 with a sprained left hand and injured right index finger. While playing through both issues during this past Sunday's win against the Rams, he completed 15 of 23 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns and added 12 yards on seven carries. On Wednesday, it emerged Prescott picked up yet another injury, which teammate Ezekiel Elliott termed as an AC joint sprain in the quarterback's right throwing shoulder, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. "He just banged it up and it's hard for him to function right now, so [I] don't want him throwing much in practice [Wednesday]," coach Jason Garrett added. With confirmation of his limitations in practice, Prescott's status will be monitored closely as the Cowboys prepare for this weekend's key divisional matchup at Philadelphia.

Minshew was limited at practice Wednesday due to a right shoulder injury.

So far there's nothing to suggest that Minshew -- who helped the Jaguars snap a five-game losing streak in the Week 15 win over the Raiders -- is in any danger of missing Sunday's game against the Falcons. With that in mind, unless it's revealed that Minshew tweaked his shoulder during Wednesday's practice, his limitations to begin Week 16 are more than likely maintenance-related.

Interim coach Perry Fewell said Grier received all the quarterback reps during Wednesday's practice, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Grier is expected to get his first NFL start Sunday at Indianapolis, which also will mark his initial in-game reps as a professional. Having said that, Fewell won't make a final decision on the swap of Grier for Kyle Allen until the Panthers complete practice Thursday, according to Steve Reed of the Associated Press.

Jones (ankle) is a full participant in Wednesday's practice, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

Jones has missed the last two weeks while recovering from a high-ankle sprain, but his full practice Wednesday marks his first of the sort since he sustained the injury. Per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com, coach Pat Shurmur said the rookie quarterback handled "most" of the first-team reps, an indication the Giants are expecting Jones to return to the starting lineup Sunday against Washington. A final decision on Jones' availability will likely come down to whether he's able to continue handling a full workload during the final two practices this week without any setbacks.

Prescott (finger) will be limited in Wednesday's practice due to a right shoulder injury he picked up during the first half of Sunday's 44-21 win over the Rams, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Prescott also hurt his right index finger in the Week 14 loss to the Bears, but neither that injury nor the shoulder issue seems to pose much threat to his availability for a crucial Week 16 matchup with the Eagles. Coach Jason Garrett said Prescott won't do much throwing at Wednesday's practice but is "fully expected to play" this weekend in Philadelphia. The quarterback seemed fine in the blowout victory over Los Angeles, completing 15 of 23 passes for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Jones (ankle) is working with the starters at Wednesday's practice, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Jones practiced with the second unit at the same point last week; a clear indication that the Giants expected Eli Manning to garner the Week 15 start. The rookie's presence with the first-team offense offers another hint that Jones could return to the lineup for Sunday's game at Washington, after coach Pat Shurmur said earlier this week that the Giants tentatively expect their rookie quarterback to play. It remains to be seen if Jones is a limited or full participant in Wednesday's practice.

Winston (thumb/knee) was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice, Carmen Vitali of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Winston may be "limited" to open Week 16, but he appeared anything but in the Buccaneers' 38-17 victory over the Lions this past weekend. While playing without any significant protection on his fractured right thumb, Winston completed 28 of 42 attempts for a season-high 458 yards and four touchdowns, with his 221 first-quarter yards representing the most by any quarterback since 2004. Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Winston didn't throw in the portion of Tuesday's practice open to the media, but the signal caller will likely resume doing so in the Buccaneers' final session of the week Thursday. Winston appears in little danger of missing Saturday's game against the Texans.

Stafford (back/hip) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Stafford had been sidelined for each of the past six games with multiple fractures in his back in addition to a minor hip issue, but he maintained hope he would be able to make it back into action before the season ended. The typically durable veteran ultimately wasn't able to heal as quickly as he anticipated, prompting the Lions to shut him down for their final two games. With top understudy Jeff Driskel (hamstring) having previously moved to IR, the Lions will turn to David Blough and Kyle Sloter as their quarterbacks for the remainder of the season.