NFL Player News

McCoy (fibula) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's practice report.

JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports that McCoy was in the locker room Wednesday without a walking boot or brace on his right leg. The 32-year-old quarterback hopes to return for Week 17 or a possible playoff game, but it seems Josh Johnson will get at least one more start Saturday against the Titans.

Rodgers (groin/knee) expects to play in Sunday's road game against the Jets, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. "I want to be out there with the guys, and I look forward to being out there," Rodgers said Wednesday.

After the Week 15 loss at Chicago, Rodgers opened a can of worms by admitting he tweaked his groin, which he continued to play through while stretching out a number of times after halftime. Interim coach Joe Philbin commented on the situation Monday, telling Demovsky that the Packers had no intention of shutting down Rodgers for the season, even with the playoffs not a possibility. Per Michael Cohen of The Athletic, Rodgers opened Week 16 with a full practice session Wednesday, ending any debate over whether or not the signal-caller will be out there this weekend.

Mariota (foot) was a full practice participant Wednesday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

The upgrade from a limited showing Tuesday answers any questions about Mariota's availability for a home game against Washington on Sunday. He attempted just 44 passes the past two weeks, allowing Derrick Henry to do all the heavy lifting.

Stafford (back) was listed as a limited participant at Wednesday's practice.

For the third straight week, the Lions are placing a cap on Stafford's reps due to the back injury. However, his ensuing pair of performances yielded just 309 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions on 52 pass attempts. While there's not much doubt that he'll be available Week 16, a matchup with the Vikings' fourth-ranked pass defense isn't exactly enticing.

Heinicke is expected to start the Panthers' final two games of the season, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Carolina is wisely shutting down Cam Newton (shoulder) after falling out of the playoff hunt. Heinicke went undrafted out of Old Dominion back in 2015 and has just five NFL pass attempts to his name, but he'll at least be in a favorable spot Week 16 against a porous Atlanta defense. He'll then travel to New Orleans in Week 17 to face a Saints defense that may be resting starters in advance of the postseason. With D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel and Christian McCaffrey all offering considerable YAC potential, it won't come as a major surprise if Heinicke finds some success with a dink-and-dunk approach. The 25-year-old quarterback completed 24 of 36 passes for 323 yards, two touchdowns and one interception during the 2018 preseason, adding five carries for 23 yards. While obviously no match for the man he's replacing, Heinicke ran a 4.63 40-yard dash coming out of college.

The Raiders signed Peterman to their practice squad Wednesday, not their 53-man roster, Matt Schneidman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Given his career totals of three touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 130 pass attempts, the Raiders probably don't need to worry about another team poaching Peterman off their practice squad. Jon Gruden was a huge fan of the Pittsburgh product ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft, and the Raiders coach now gets a closer look to see if there's anything to salvage. This move comes with no real risk for the Raiders, but it's also hard to find any shred of upside, considering Peterman is substandard in terms of both physical tools and poise in the pocket.

Peterman will sign with the Raiders on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Coach Jon Gruden once referred to Peterman as the most pro-ready quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft. Ultimately selected by Buffalo in the fifth round, the Pittsburgh product tossed three touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 130 career pass attempts prior to his release in mid-November. Gruden now gets his chance to take a closer look at Peterman, who will slot in behind Derek Carr and AJ McCarron on Oakland's depth chart. He's a reclamation project without much upside, as Peterman lacks elite physical tools to offset his jitters in the pocket.

Rodgers (groin) took the initial reps during the portion of Wednesday's practice open to the media, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Rodgers' Week 16 availability against the Jets is in question due to a groin injury suffered in Sunday's 24-17 loss in Chicago. If he has his way, Rodgers expects to continue leading the Packers offense for the final two games of the season, despite having no chance at a postseason appearance. That said, interim coach Joe Philbin told Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette earlier Wednesday the team will evaluate Rodgers all week before coming to a decision.

Interim coach Joe Philbin relayed that he's "hopeful" Rodgers (groin) will practice Wednesday and added that the Packers would take the full week to decide if the quarterback will play Sunday against the Jets, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Rodgers tweaked his groin late in the first half of the Week 15 loss to the Bears, but ultimately stayed in the contest and finished with 25 completions on 42 attempts for 274 yards, no touchdowns and an interception -- his first since Week 4. With the loss officially ending the Packers' long-shot bid for the playoffs, there's reason to think the team could exercise some caution with its star signal-caller for the final two games of the regular season. Philbin noted earlier in the week that Rodgers won't be automatically shut down, however, so if the 35-year-old is able to log some practice reps by Friday, there's a good chance he'll be under center this weekend.

Mariota was listed as a limited participant on the Titans' injury report Tuesday due to a foot injury, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Mariota has played through elbow, neck, hand and abdominal issues already this season, so it's fairly safe to say he's not in danger of an absence Saturday against the Redskins due to his listing on Tuesday's practice report. That said, his status still should be watched closely as the week goes on.