NFL Player News

Peterman is on track to start Sunday's game against the Bears after teammate Derek Anderson (concussion) was downgraded to out for the contest.

It will be the fourth career start for Peterman, who has provided little evidence to date that he's an NFL-caliber backup, let alone a No. 1 option. Given the Bills' all-time anemic passing game over eight games and the fact that Peterman can improve his career passer rating by throwing every single pass Sunday directly into the ground, the 25-year-old makes for a rather undesirable fantasy option, even in two-quarterback formats. In fairness, he's shown enough skill at times to where there's some hope he'll show the Bills something against the Bears, in what might be a last chance to convince the team he's worth keeping around as Josh Allen's backup into next season.

Bradford was released by the Cardinals on Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Bradford signed a one-year, $20 million contract with Arizona in March and began the season as the starting quarterback, but has been relegated to third-string duties. The 30-year-old completed 50 of 80 passes for 400 yards with two touchdowns, four interceptions and two lost fumbles before being replaced by rookie Josh Rosen late in the Week 3 loss to the Bears. Bradford will hope to latch on elsewhere after a disastrous stint with the Cardinals, though his potential contract could make that a reason teams look elsewhere.

Coach Kyle Shanahan declined to name Mullens or C.J. Beathard the team's starting quarterback for the Week 10 matchup against the Giants when he met with the media Friday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Given that Beathard was viewed as San Francisco's the clear No. 1 signal-caller before a combination of wrist and thumb injuries limited him to backup duties Thursday against the Raiders, Shanahan's silence on the matter seemingly bodes well for Mullens' chances of earning another nod. Despite entering the Week 9 contest with no career NFL regular-season snaps, Mullens delivered the best performance of any 49ers quarterback in 2018, completing 16 of 22 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns in the 34-3 win. While the Raiders' lack of pass rush and beleaguered secondary contributed to Mullens' success, the flawless outing probably makes the 23-year-old deserving of another opportunity to build on that effort. The 49ers have more draft capital invested in Beathard, a 2017 third-round pick, but his 1-9 record as a starter and penchant for turning the ball over don't offer much optimism for his long-term prospects. Shanahan could remain mum on his Week 10 starter until next Thursday, when the 49ers will reconvene for practice.

Savage signed a one-year contract with the 49ers on Friday.

Savage will join the 49ers for his third stint with the club in just over a week after the team opened room for him on the roster by placing Raheem Mostert (forearm) and Emmanuel Moseley (shoulder) on injured reserve. The veteran signal-caller will step in as the No. 3 option on the depth chart behind Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard, in some order.

Allen (elbow), who has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bears, logged a limited practice Friday, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Allen's return to a limited practice suggests that he could return as soon as the Bills' Week 10 game against the Jets. Alternatively, if the Bills elect to take things slow with the rookie quarterback, Allen could be held out through the team's Week 11 bye. As for Sunday's game, with Derek Anderson still in the NFL's concussion protocol, Nathan Peterman is trending toward earning the starting nod.

The Dolphins announced Friday that Tannehill's lingering right shoulder injury is related to the capsule that surrounds the joint and rotator cuff tendons, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

It had previously been suspected that Tannehill was dealing with an AC joint sprain, but coach Adam Gase refuted speculation on that front when he met with the media Thursday. The Dolphins' clarification of the injury offers further optimism that Tannehill won't need surgery to address the matter, but the quarterback's timeline for a return remains murky nonetheless. While Tannehill recently started a throwing program, he hasn't progressed to the point of tossing a football at normal velocity, prompting the Dolphins to rule him out for a fourth straight game Sunday against the Jets. Brock Osweiler will receive the starting nod in his stead and could get the call again in Week 10 against the Packers if the Dolphins aren't comfortable with rushing Tannehill back before their Week 11 bye.

Coach Kyle Shanahan hasn't announced his plans at quarterback for the 49ers' Week 10 matchup with the Giants, but Beathard seems unlikely to receive the starting nod over Nick Mullens after the latter's stellar outing in Thursday's 34-3 win over the Raiders, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Listed as questionable heading into the Week 9 contest with wrist and thumb injuries that had made gripping the football in an issue, Beathard was cleared to suit up but was limited to backup duties. That paved the way for Mullens to pick up his first career start, with the 23-year-old acing the assignment while completing 16 of 22 passes for 262 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the resounding win. Considering that Beathard has been a turnover machine (seven interceptions, three lost fumbles) in his six appearances this season and owns a 1-9 career record as a starter, it makes sense for the 49ers to give Mullens an extended look even if Beathard's health isn't a concern moving forward. With San Francisco not playing until Monday night in Week 10, it may be several more days before Shanahan commits to a quarterback.

Allen (elbow) was spotted wearing a helmet at Friday's practice, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW.com reports.

Allen has already been ruled out for Sunday's matchup with the Bears, but it's notable that he had his helmet on for the first time since injuring his right elbow in Week 6. That indicates he's making progress in his recovery and could have a chance to return to action Week 10 against the Jets. However, the Bills are on bye in Week 11, so unless he makes rapid progress over the next few days, it seems likely Allen will be held out at least until Week 12. Either Derek Anderson -- if he clears the concussion protocol -- or Nathan Peterman will get the nod Sunday while Allen remains sidelined for at least one more contest.

Peterman likely remains in line to start Sunday against Chicago with Derek Anderson (concussion) uncertain to play, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports.

Josh Allen (elbow) has already been ruled out and Anderson remains in the concussion protocol, so unless the latter's condition takes a dramatic turn for the better in the next couple of days, Peterman will be under center in Week 9. The Bills signed Matt Barkley on Wednesday, so the team will at least have two healthy quarterbacks heading into the weekend.

Mullens completed 16 of 22 passes for 262 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the 49ers' 34-3 win over the Raiders on Thursday. He also lost three yards on four rushes and fumbled once, but it was recovered.

Either the Raiders are indescribably bad, Mullens is a diamond in the rough, or a little bit of both is at play. The undrafted rookie provided one of the more surprising performances of the season Thursday, connecting with eight different receivers and leading touchdown marches of 75, 66, 75 and 68 yards. Mullens showed excellent rapport with tight end George Kittle in particular, finding the second-year pro for 108 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. The stellar effort could potentially earn Mullens a Week 10 start against the Giants even if C.J. Beathard (wrist) is healthy enough to return. However, with 11 days before that Nov. 12 Monday night affair, it's unlikely any plans are confirmed for quite some time.