NFL Player News

Though Taylor has been cleared from the NFL's concussion protocol, he was limited by a back injury at Thursday's practice, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

As a result, it's not a lock that Taylor will be available to back up Baker Mayfield on Sunday against the Raiders. If he can't go, Drew Stanton would work behind Mayfield in Week 4. Browns head coach Hue Jackson said he would name a No. 2 quarterback Friday before the team's flight to Oakland, according to Cabot.

Rodgers (knee) was a limited practice participant Thursday, Michael Cohen of The Athletic reports.

Rodgers fulfilled coach Mike McCarthy's proclamation that the quarterback would return to drills Thursday with a cap on his workload. During the portion of practice open to the media, Rodgers had numerous reps with Packers wide receivers and tight ends while also showing mobility, according to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. The development is a huge step for Rodgers, who didn't practice the last two weeks until the typical Saturday jog-through. While Rodgers likely won't have his injury designation cleared by week's end, he seems far more ready to handle the stress placed on his balky left knee.

Taylor has cleared the NFL's concussion protocol and will take part in Thursday's practice, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

It remains to be seen if Taylor will be eased back into on-field activity with a limited or full practice, but either way, it looks like he's trending toward being available Sunday in Oakland. Head coach Hue Jackson already announced Monday that Taylor would be slated for backup duties behind No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield, who gets his first NFL start after coming off the bench to guide the Browns to their first victory in 635 days in Week 3 against the Jets.

Coach Mike McCarthy said Rodgers (knee) would be a limited participant in practice Thursday, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Over the previous two weeks, Rodgers has only practiced with his healthy teammates on Saturdays, so the fact that he's involved in Thursday's team session even on a limited basis seemingly amounts to a positive step forward with his health. Even if Rodgers' condition continues to improve in the next couple of days, he'll still likely have to manage pain in his left knee on some level during Sunday's game against the Bills. The injury hasn't hindered Rodgers too much from a performance standpoint thus far, with the quarterback completing 66.3 percent of his throws for 546 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions over the Packers' last two contests.

Bradford was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a pectoral injury, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Bradford's health isn't much of a concern for the Cardinals now that Josh Rosen has been promoted to the No. 1 job. The team may opt to move forward with Mike Glennon as the backup quarterback on game days rather than paying Bradford a sizable bonus for each week he's on the active roster.

Coach Mike Vrabel said Mariota (elbow) will start Sunday's game against the Eagles, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports.

Mariota ended up playing the majority of Sunday's 9-6 win over Jacksonville after Blaine Gabbert suffered a concussion in the first half. Vrabel acknowledged that Mariota still had some limitations in terms of the throws he could make during the narrow victory, but the team is optimistic that won't be the case in Week 4. Vrabel said said Austin Davis will serve as the No. 2 quarterback, dropping a strong hint that Gabbert isn't expected to clear the concussion protocol before Sunday.

Gabbert remained in the NFL's concussion protocol when the Titans resumed practice Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

If Gabbert is unable to gain clearance from the protocol and suit up Sunday against the Eagles, Austin Davis would likely dress as the understudy to Marcus Mariota. Gabbert had started the previous two games while Mariota managed an elbow injury, but the Titans are confident that Mariota will be able to run the direct the offense effectively in Week 4, according to Wyatt.

Taylor (concussion) didn't practice Wednesday, Andrew Gribble of the Browns' official site reports.

Per head coach Hue Jackson, there's still hope that Taylor will clear the NFL's concussion protocol in advance of Sunday's game against the Raiders. If that doesn't occur, Drew Stanton would be in line to back up rookie Baker Mayfield, whom the Browns officially named as their starting quarterback for Week 4 on Monday.

The 49ers placed Garoppolo (knee) on injured reserve Wednesday.

After Garoppolo's left knee injury was diagnosed as a torn ACL on Monday, this roster move was inevitable as the 49ers embark on Week 4 preparations. Garoppolo is slated for surgery once swelling around the knee diminishes, which should take place in the next 1-2 weeks. He'll then commence his rehabilitation with an eye toward returning to full health ahead of the 2019 season. With Garoppolo out of commission, the 49ers will turn to C.J. Beathard to direct the offense while Nick Mullens serves as the backup quarterback.

The Buccaneers haven't named a starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Bears, but "all signs point to" Ryan Fitzpatrick retaining the gig over Winston, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Winston is eligible to rejoin Tampa Bay this week after completing his three-game suspension, but the Buccaneers may not officially add him to their 53-man roster until Friday after they were granted a three-day exemption from the commissioner's office. It appears that activating Winston is merely a formality at this point, but once that happens, head coach Dirk Koetter may not immediately announce a starter for Week 4. Regardless of when a decision is made on that front, it's difficult to see Koetter making a switch, given that Fitzpatrick has completed 70.2 percent of his throws and leads all qualified passers with 11.1 yards per attempt while guiding Tampa Bay to a 2-1 record against a trio of 2017 playoff teams. Further hurting Winston's case is the fact that he hasn't practiced with the team in 28 days, which looms larger with the Buccaneers on a short week following their Monday night loss to Pittsburgh. Even if he's bypassed for the starting nod Sunday, Winston could warrant consideration for the No. 1 gig in the Buccaneers' subsequent game Oct. 14 against the Falcons, as he would have the benefit of added practice time with the team on bye in Week 5.