NFL Player News

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer suggested he'll take things slow with Bridgewater (knee), who is practicing with his teammates Wednesday for the first time in nearly 14 months, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "We still don't know where [practice reps are] going to go or where that's going to lead to," Zimmer said. "[Bridgewater is] probably not going to play this week, so we need to put the brakes on things a little bit."

Wednesday marks the beginning of a 21-day window in which Bridgewater can practice without taking up a spot on the 53-man roster. He'll eventually need to be activated or placed on injured reserve, but the Vikings aren't likely to make a decision any earlier than next week. Bridgewater has already been doing individual drills for quite some time, so his next step will be 7-on-7 passing drills, followed by 11-on-11 work somewhere down the line. With Case Keenum performing capably in place of Sam Bradford (knee), the Vikings might be inclined to put off Bridgewater's activation until after their Week 9 bye. Bridgewater's role upon returning presumably will be dependent on some combination of his practice performance, how Keenum fares in games to come and Bradford's health. Keenum will likely pick up his fifth start of the season Sunday against Baltimore.

Titans head coach Mike Mularkey said Mariota (hamstring) made it through Monday's 36-22 win over the Colts without any setbacks, adding that the quarterback will nonetheless face a lightened practice workload on a short week as the team prepares for Sunday's game in Cleveland, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Mariota was effective as a passer in his return from a one-game absence, completing 72 percent of his passes for 9.6 yards per attempt, though his lack of rushing stats (two carries for no gain) suggests he was somewhat limited in terms of mobility. He'll likely have restrictions of some kind in practice this week, but there's no reason to believe he's in danger of missing Sunday's matchup with a Cleveland defense that's surrendered 7.9 yards per pass attempt and 2.3 passing touchdowns per game.

Knight was placed on the Falcons' practice squad injured reserve Tuesday, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

Knight suffered an undisclosed injury and will now most likely spend the remainder of the season on injured reserve. Look for more updates to come once information is made available.

The Packers signed Evans to the practice squad Tuesday.

The addition of Evans will round out the quarterback room in Green Bay in the absence of Aaron Rodgers (collarbone). After suffering a foot injury during the Eagles' offseason program, Evans has found himself in an ideal situation for a potential appearance at some point this season, especially if anything befalls Brett Hundley or Joe Callahan.

Stafford is not participating in Tuesday's practice, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

This doesn't come as much of a surprise with the Lions heading into their bye week, but it's also a reminder that Stafford likely is still somewhat hampered by his ankle injury. For now, Stafford's absence should be viewed as no more than a maintenance day for the veteran quarterback, and with the team now having a week off, it's unlikely he enters next Sunday's game against the Steelers as an injury risk.

Brissett completed 21 of 37 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's 36-22 loss to the Titans. He also rushed five times for 15 yards.

Brissett's night was highlighted by an eight-yard touchdown to tight end Jack Doyle to start the second quarter. On the down side, he came inches short of a critical fourth-down rush in the fourth quarter. With top wideout T.Y. Hilton catching just one pass for 19 yards, Brissett was unable to get much going, but he at least didn't turn the ball over. With Andrew Luck's (shoulder) outlook still unclear, Brissett will now prepare for Sunday's matchup versus a swarming Jaguars defense.

Mariota (hamstring) completed 23 of 32 passes for 306 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Monday night's 36-22 win over the Colts.

Mariota returned from a one-game absence due to a hamstring injury to top 300 yards for the first time this season. His night was highlighted by a 53-yard touchdown to Taywan Taylor during the fourth quarter, a play in which Mariota hung in the pocket to deliver a bomb downfield and give the Titans a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Although that only came after he threw an interception for a touchdown, the signal caller will generally still be pleased with his performance at less than 100 percent. That reduced mobility resulted in Mariota rushing twice for zero yardage, but with more time to heal this week, it's possible Mariota will be slightly more limber going into Sunday's splendid matchup with the Browns.

Mariota (hamstring) is slated to start Monday night's game against the Colts.

Mariota is thus available for those who waited things out on his status until Monday's game, but it's possible that the QB's mobility could be somewhat limited in his return from a hamstring injury, potentially forcing him to be more of a pocket passer than usual in Week 6. Working his favor is that the 2-3 Colts have given up an average of 294 passing yards per game to date. Only the Buccaneers and Patriots are allowing more. Veteran backup Matt Cassel -- who filled in at QB for the Titans last weekend -- is on hand in case Mariota suffers an in-game setback.

Coach Dirk Koetter confirmed Monday that Winston has an AC joint sprain but relayed that there's no structural damage in the QB's right (throwing) shoulder, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Buccaneers consider Winston day-to-day in advance of Sunday's game against the Bills, with Auman adding that the QB isn't expected to throw at all during Wednesday's practice. That might occur later in the week, but the team plans to exercise caution with Winston, in any case. Ryan Fitzpatrick is thus in line for added practice reps Wednesday, at a minimum.

Rodgers will have surgery to repair a broken right clavicle, but the Packers won't make a decision on his availability for the rest of the season until after the procedure is completed, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

The Packers likely will place Rodgers on injured reserve, which would technically make him eligible to return Week 15 against the Panthers. The current tone suggests he's unlikely to actually be available at that juncture, but a return for the playoffs (if the Packers qualify) might be a bit more realistic. Rodgers came back from a broken clavicle after seven weeks in 2013, but that injury was on the left side of his body and didn't require surgery to heal. Brett Hundley will start Sunday's game against the Saints.