NFL Player News

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.

New York ruled Darnold (shoulder) out for Sunday's game in Miami, Ethan B. Greenberg of the Jets' official site reports.

The news was fully expected after head coach Adam Gase said earlier Wednesday that Joe Flacco would draw a second straight start under center this weekend. Darnold, who didn't practice Wednesday, still needs more time to recover from his sprained throwing shoulder, an injury he sustained in the Jets' Oct. 1 loss to the Broncos. The Jets remain optimistic that Darnold will be ready to reclaim starting duties in the team's Week 7 game versus the Bills on Oct. 25.

Garoppolo (ankle) practiced fully Wednesday, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

As anticipated, Garoppolo faced no restrictions in the 49ers' first session of Week 6, just as head coach Kyle Shanahan predicted earlier in the day. Just a few days removed from playing his first half of football since Week 2, Garoppolo appears as if he'll be able to handle every rep this coming Sunday against the Rams. Still, with a meager performance in an ugly Week 5 loss to the Dolphins -- 7-for-17 passing for 77 yards and two interceptions -- he'll be attempting to right the ship against L.A.'s tough pass defense.

Hoyer is slated return to the No. 2 or 3 quarterback role for the Patriots' Week 6 game against the Broncos after starter Cam Newton, was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Even if Newton wasn't cleared for Week 6, Hoyer wasn't expected to start Sunday anyway, with Jarrett Stidham likely to have drawn the assignment. After flopping in his turn as a starter in place of Newton in the Patriots' Week 4 loss to the Broncos, Hoyer could be a healthy inactive moving forward if head coach Bill Belichick elects to roll with Stidham as the top backup quarterback.

Stidham is expected to remain in a backup role for the Patriots' Week 6 game against the Broncos after Cam Newton was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

With that, Newton is in line to start Sunday, leaving either Stidham or Brian Hoyer to dress as the No. 2 quarterback. Though he was inactive for New England's first three games, Stidham may have moved ahead of Hoyer on the depth chart after the latter struggled mightily while starting in place of Newton in the Patriots' Week 4 loss to the Chiefs. Hoyer completed 15 of 24 attempts for 130 yards and an interception before being removed from the game late in the third quarter in favor of Stidham.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects Garoppolo (ankle) to be a full practice participant Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Garoppolo returned to action in last Sunday's loss to the Dolphins for the first time since Week 2, but his high right ankle sprain didn't allow him to finish the contest. When Garoppolo stepped aside at halftime, Shanahan noted he wanted to "protect" the quarterback, which may have been cover for his brutal performance to that point in the game (7-for-17 passing for 77 yards and two interceptions). Assuming he practices in full Wednesday and maintains said status through the end of the week, Garoppolo will have his hands full this weekend versus the Rams' second-ranked pass defense.

Lock (shoulder) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Lock missed Denver's last two games due to a strained shoulder, but his ability to practice in full to begin Week 6 puts him in position to reclaim starting duties Sunday against the Patriots. According to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic, head coach Vic Fangio has yet to announce that Lock will be fit to start this weekend, but that should merely be a formality if he's able to continue practicing fully Thursday and Friday.