NFL Player News

Beathard (wrist/thumb), who is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Raiders, is considered "truly 50-50" for the contest, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.

As coach Kyle Shanahan noted earlier this week, the injuries to Beathard's throwing hand are still making it difficult for him to grip the football, a troubling development for a player that has already fumbled five times in six games. The 49ers will presumably wait and see if Beathard's condition has improved at all closer to game time before rendering a decision on his availability, but Nick Mullens -- who has yet to attempt a pass in the NFL -- will direct the offense if Beathard isn't deemed fit to play. An official call on Beathard's status will likely come around 6:50 p.m. EDT, when the 49ers will release their inactive list approximately 90 minutes before kickoff.

Beathard (wrist) participated in Wednesday's walk-through practice and is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Raiders, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

The 49ers upgraded Beathard to limited participation on the final injury report after listing him as a non-participant Monday and Tuesday. His wrist injury isn't believed to be serious, but a short week means he'll likely play through soreness and discomfort if he does end up getting the start. Barrows speculates that the 49ers might want to use Beathard's wrist injury as a convenient excuse to look at untested quarterback Nick Mullens in a game situation. It isn't a crazy idea for a team with no hope of reaching the playoffs, but coach Kyle Shanahan would probably still prefer to start Beathard if that's realistic option. The 2017 third-round pick reportedly has been struggling to hold a football, and he acknowledged Wednesday that his wrist and thumb are "kind of messed up." An official call on Beathard's status may not come until Thursday, with Shanahan referring to Beathard as a game-time decision. It doesn't help that skill-position players Matt Breida (ankle), Pierre Garcon (shoulder/knee) and Raheem Mostert (ankle) are also listed as questionable, potentially leaving Beathard or Mullens without enough help to take advantage of a favorable matchup.

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

Having his practice reps capped is status quo for Rodgers, who has toughed out a sprained MCL to rank third in the NFL with 326 passing yards per game while boasting an outstanding 13 touchdowns versus just one interception through seven games. Expect him to ditch his injury designation by week's end as he prepares for Sunday's visit to New England, whose pass defense sits 27th overall (277.3 yards per game) in the league.

Coach Adam Gase relayed that Tannehill's lingering shoulder injury isn't a sprain, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports.

Tannehill was officially ruled out for a fourth consecutive week, leaving Brock Osweiler to make another start Sunday against the Jets. With a Week 11 bye on the horizon, it would be somewhat surprising if the Dolphins brought Tannehill back for their Nov. 11 game in Green Bay. Tannehill's shoulder injury was previously believed to be an AC joint sprain, an issue quarterbacks often are able to play through after a short period of rest. Gase didn't elaborate on the actual diagnosis, but he did say he expects Tannehill to make a full recovery without requiring surgery.

Peterman's chances of starting Sunday against the Bears seemed to improve Wednesday after Derek Anderson (concussion) missed practice and Josh Allen (elbow) was officially ruled out for Week 9.

While Adam Schefter of ESPN already reported that Anderson won't start this week, the Bills haven't publicly confirmed the news yet even though everything seems to point in that direction. The team also signed journeyman quarterback Matt Barkley on Wednesday, a pretty clear indication they're rolling with two healthy options for Sunday with Allen out and Anderson unlikely to play. If Peterman has another bad game, the national media will certainly have another field day at his expense since he's already tossed 10 interceptions on a mere 85 attempts between regular-season and postseason action. An optimist would say this will be a good final chance to see if Peterman truly does have NFL chops, something he displayed during the preseason. The pessimist would wonder aloud if the team's two best healthy quarterback options don't even play that position for the team, between tight end Logan Thomas and newly signed wideout Terrelle Pryor.

Tannehill (shoulder) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Jets, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

The early decision isn't a great sign for Tannehill's availability beyond Week 9, though coach Adam Gase did mention Monday that the quarterback progressed to throwing a tennis ball last week. Brock Osweiler will get at least one more start, and it won't come as any surprise if he also gets the nod Week 10 in Green Bay. The Dolphins do at least have a bye coming up Week 11, offering Tannehill some additional recovery time. Gase still believes Tannehill's shoulder can be treated with rest rather than surgery, per Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald.

Rodgers (knee) didn't participate in the open portion of Wednesday's practice, Michael Cohen of The Athletic reports.

Rodgers is maintaining his practice regimen from past weeks to avoid putting any undue pressure on his left knee. Assuming he upholds that standard, he likely will log a full session Thursday, when the Packers typically put in their most on-field work in a given week.

Tannehill (shoulder) wasn't seen throwing during the portion of Wednesday's practice open to the media, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

Though Tannehill's status for Sunday's game against the Jets hasn't been cemented, the fact that he's not yet throwing in practice doesn't bode well for his chances of returning from a three-game absence. Assuming Tannehill again remains unavailable, Brock Osweiler would get another nod at quarterback for Miami.

The Bills signed Barkley to a one-year contract Wednesday, Chris Brown of the team's official site reports.

Barkley will give the Bills some healthy depth at quarterback with Josh Allen (elbow) and Derek Anderson (concussion) both battling injuries. The Bills have indicated that Nathan Peterman will likely serve as their starting quarterback for Sunday's matchup with the Bears, while Allen has been ruled out for another week. If Anderson is unable to clear the NFL's concussion protocol by the weekend, Barkley would step in as the backup to Peterman, despite having only a brief period to familiarize himself with the team's playbook. Barkley will be a candidate for release once one or both of Allen and Anderson are back to full strength.

Beathard acknowledged Wednesday that his right wrist and thumb "are kind of messed up," casting some doubt on his availability for Thursday's game against the Raiders, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Coach Kyle Shanahan indicated Tuesday that Beathard's two injuries have affected the quarterback's ability to grip the football. It appears the second-year signal-caller hasn't demonstrated much progress a day later. The 49ers should provide an update on Beathard's condition as well as an official injury designation for the game following Wednesday's practice, but it's looking more and more likely that the 23-year-old will be sidelined for Week 9. If that's the case, Nick Mullens would likely pick up the start in what would amount to his first meaningful NFL action, while veteran Tom Savage would be on hand as the No. 2 quarterback.