NFL Player News

Hackenberg could see his first NFL snaps in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Patriots, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

While still committed to Bryce Petty as the starting quarterback, Jets head coach Todd Bowles acknowledged Wednesday that Hackenberg could be used as a mid-game replacement. It's increasingly clear that the Jets don't view either player as a potential franchise quarterback, but there's no harm in giving Hackenberg a brief look, given that Petty has completed less than half his passes and produced just 4.1 yards per attempt this season. Hackenberg can't possibly be much worse.

Petty is still in line to start Sunday's game in New England, but Jets head coach Todd Bowles acknowledged that backup Christian Hackenberg might also get some playing time, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

The possibility of a mid-game replacement further dampens Petty's outlook for what is already a difficult matchup. Petty hasn't looked the part of a viable NFL quarterback this season, completing only 36 of 76 passes (47.4 percent) for 312 yards (4.1 YPA) with one touchdown and three interceptions.

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett confirmed Wednesday that Prescott and the team's other healthy starters would play Sunday against the Eagles, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

The Cowboys were officially eliminated from playoff contention after their Week 16 loss to the Seahawks, with Prescott's poor play during the game contributing heavily to his club's demise. Though the team has little at stake in Week 17, Garrett evidently wants the Cowboys to close the season on a high note, so the team's key contributors will suit up like usual. After posting a 16:4 TD:INT ratio and 7.0 yards per attempt while adding four scores on the ground through Dalllas' first eight games, Prescott's production has cratered in the second half of the season. Over the club's last seven contests, Prescott sports a 5:9 TD:INT, 6.6 YPA and has two rushing touchdowns.

The Texans signed Johnson to a contract Wednesday.

The re-signing of Johnson, who previously served as a third-string quarterback for Houston for two weeks in November before being released, suggests the team isn't confident backup signal caller Taylor Heinicke (concussion) will be available for the regular-season finale in Indianapolis. If that's the case, Johnson would be active for the first time all season as the No. 2 quarterback behind starter T.J. Yates.

Smith is expected to be inactive for Sunday's game against the Redskins, allowing rookie Davis Webb to serve as Eli Manning's backup, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Aside from Smith's dalliance as the Giants' starter Week 13 in Oakland, he's only earned four offensive snaps in his first season with the team. The upcoming swap of backup quarterbacks has been in the works for a few weeks at this point, as Webb has been building up his practice reps with the first-team offense of late. An unrestricted free agent in the offseason, Smith seems as if he'll be searching for another employer in a few months.

Mahomes will start at quarterback in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Broncos, Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star reports.

With the Chiefs locked in as the AFC's No. 4 seed for the postseason, the team will give the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft his first regular-season playing time. Veteran starter Alex Smith will thus defer to the rookie signal caller in Week 17 before reclaiming the starting gig for the first round of playoffs. Mahomes brings a tremendous arm and a degree of mobility to the table, but it remains to be seen how aggressive the Chiefs will be in terms of play calling in his NFL debut. Given his bargain price, however, Mahomes profiles as an intriguing Week 17 dice roll in daily formats.

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said Wednesday that he anticipates Bradford (knee) returning to practice next week, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

After weeks of failing to show much improvement in his recovery from the left knee injury he sustained in the Vikings' season opener, Bradford underwent arthroscopic surgery Nov. 7 to address the matter and was promptly placed on injured reserve. The Vikings haven't missed a beat while Bradford has been sidelined, with Case Keenum leading the team to a 10-3 record as starter and putting Minnesota a Week 17 victory away from claiming a first-round bye during the postseason. If Bradford does indeed return to practice next week and demonstrates that he's healthy enough to join to the active roster for the postseason, it seems rather unlikely that Zimmer would turn the keys of the offense back over to a potentially rusty Bradford, especially given how well Keenum has performed in his stead.

Rams head coach Sean McVay suggested Tuesday that Goff and several other key starters could be rested for the regular-season finale Sunday against the 49ers, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

The 11-4 Rams, who clinched the NFC South with last week's win over the Titans, won't be able to claim a first-round bye in the playoffs with the Eagles and Vikings locked into the top two spots in the conference. That leaves Los Angeles with little to play for in Week 17 beyond competing for the third seed and avoiding a fall to fourth, but since the Rams earn a first-round home game in either scenario, McVay is prioritizing the health of the team's core contributors above all else. Goff, who has taken a major leap forward in his second NFL season, is certainly part of that nucleus. Even if Goff is allowed to suit up Sunday, he likely wouldn't play more than a series or two, leaving backup Sean Mannion in line to see his most extensive NFL action to date.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson hinted Tuesday that Nick Foles would start Week 17 against the Cowboys but also that he would like to get Sudfeld into the game at some point, Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal reports.

The Eagles kept up their winning ways Sunday against the Raiders while Foles made his second start in place of the injured Carson Wentz (knee), but the victory came mostly on the strength of the Philadelphia defense. Foles completed only half of his 38 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown and threw a costly interception in the fourth quarter, an outing that likely didn't inspire much confidence from Pederson ahead of the playoffs. With the 13-2 Eagles locked into the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the team's top priority will be avoiding injuries to key players, but Foles appears likely to direct at least a drive or two in an attempt to enter the postseason on a high note. Expect Foles to eventually give way to Sudfeld, though the uncertainty regarding when the quarterback change might occur makes both signal callers unappealing options in Week 17 matchups and DFS contests.

Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said he won't give any consideration for resting Stafford during Sunday's season finale against the Packers, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

The 8-7 Lions were officially eliminated from playoff contention after their Week 16 loss to the Bengals, but with a winning record for the season still achievable, it doesn't sound like the team will rest its regulars for an otherwise meaningless finale. Stafford has been playing through a bruise on his throwing hand throughout this month and sprained his ankle in late November, but it hasn't translated to a dramatic downturn in his productivity over the last five games. During that time, he's completed 70.4 percent of his passes for 272.6 yards per game and seven touchdowns. He shouldn't have much difficulty finding success against a vulnerable Green Bay secondary that he torched for 361 yards through the air in the two sides' previous matchup this season.