NFL Player News

Mayfield was limited at Wednesday's walkthrough due to a knee injury, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Mayfield was stymied by the Lions defense in Monday's 24-9 loss, completing 28 of 50 passes for 228 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also didn't record a carry after being effective as a scrambler through the first six games of the campaign. Perhaps the knee issue was partly responsible, and he'll now have two chances to get back to full this week or else risk entering the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest at New Orleans.

Jackson was officially limited at practice Wednesday.

In his first practice since injuring his right hamstring in a Sept. 28 loss to Kansas City, Jackson was eased back into the mix, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, while taking QB reps along with Cooper Rush and Tyler Huntley. When asked about Jackson's status for Sunday's game against the Bears, coach John Harbaugh noted Wednesday that "it's hard to put a number on it. I don't have any shareable injury intelligence." Jackson now has two more chances to practice fully before the Ravens post their Week 8 injury designations Friday afternoon.

McCarthy (ankle) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game at the Chargers.

Coach Kevin O'Connell announced Tuesday that McCarthy was slated to serve as the emergency third quarterback Week 8 for a second consecutive contest, meaning he'll be inactive and designated as such once the Vikings post their list about 90 minutes before Thursday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. O'Connell also told Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com that McCarthy's on-field workout Tuesday was "just not there" but could have been if Minnesota had a Sunday game on tap. In any case, Carson Wentz (left shoulder) will get the start Thursday while McCarthy will turn his focus to a Week 9 road matchup against the Lions on Sunday, Nov. 2.

Taylor (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

It's a good sign for Taylor that the knee injury he picked up Sunday didn't stop him from practicing Wednesday, although he didn't do enough to be listed as a full participant. Fellow Jets quarterback Justin Fields told reporters that he and Taylor split first-team reps, with Fields also saying that he doesn't know which of them will start Sunday's game at Cincinnati, per Connor Hughes of SNY.tv. It at least appears Taylor's knee injury won't be the deciding factor. Meanwhile, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Wednesday that he's already made his decision on the Week 8 starter but is keeping it a secret, with Cimini reporting that his sources consider Taylor the favorite.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Purdy (toe) will be limited in practice Wednesday, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

Shanahan added that Purdy is "steadily getting better every week" from the turf toe injury that has sidelined him for five of the last six games. This comes on the heels of Shanahan telling Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area on Monday that it'll be a "stretch" for Purdy to return to action Sunday at Houston. Nevertheless, Purdy's status will continue to be watched as the week goes on to get a sense of who between him and Mac Jones will be under center for the 49ers in Week 8.

Young (ankle) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

According to Joe Person of The Athletic, Young attended Carolina's first session of Week 8 prep in uniform and without a walking boot for the high-ankle sprain that he suffered this past Sunday at the Jets. Coach Dave Canales told Sheena Quick of Fox Sports Radio 1340 after practice Wednesday that the team isn't ruling out Young for Sunday's game agains the Bills, instead calling the third-year quarterback "day-to-day." Typically, such an injury results in a multi-week absence, but it appears both Young and backup QB Andy Dalton remain in the mix to start Week 8.

Coach Raheem Morris said Penix (foot) remains "day-to-day" and will be listed as limited on Wednesday's injury report, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Penix was visibly hobbled late during this past Sunday's 20-10 loss at San Francisco in which he completed 21 of 38 passes for 241 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, had two carries for six yards and lost a fumble. According to Raimondi, Morris added that he feels good about Penix heading into the weekend, but his status still will be watched in the coming days to get a sense of his availability for Sunday's game against the Dolphins. Kirk Cousins is on hand in the event Penix ultimately isn't able to go Week 8.

Fields said Wednesday that he hasn't been told if he or Tyrod Taylor (knee) is in line to start Sunday's game against the Bengals, Connor Hughes of SNY.tv reports.

Coach Aaron Glenn noted Wednesday that Taylor was managing a knee issue, but that didn't prevent the QB from splitting practice reps with Fields in the Jets' ensuing practice. With that in mind, it doesn't appears as though Taylor's Week 8 status is in any danger, which keeps him in contention to draw the start this weekend for the 0-7 Jets. Per Rich Cimini of ESPN, Glenn declined to name the team's starter Wednesday while indicating that he wants to create a competitive advantage by keeping Cincinnati guessing which signal-caller to game plan for.

Jackson (hamstring) was spotted on the field for Wednesday's practice, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Jackson looks set to take part in his first practice since injuring his right hamstring in a Sept. 28 loss to the Chiefs. Though Jackson appears likely to be a limited participant Wednesday, the Ravens will reveal the extent of his activity when the team releases its first Week 8 injury report following the practice session. In Jackson's absence, the Ravens -- who had a Week 7 bye -- have gone 0-2 with Cooper Rush as their starter.

Howard (hand) was designated to return from the injured reserve list Wednesday.

The 2025 sixth-round pick from Ohio State fractured a bone in his hand in early August, causing him to miss the Steelers' first six games this season. He now has 21 days to be added to the team's active roster before reverting to IR. Once fully healthy, Howard is expected to compete with Mason Rudolph for the Steelers' No. 2 quarterback spot.