NFL Player News

Bradford (knee) was held out of Wednesday's practice.

After undergoing Regenokine treatment on his left knee in New York over the weekend, Bradford is back in Minnesota, according to head coach Mike Zimmer. That said, Bradford's potential to suit up this Sunday against the Ravens is murky. While Bradford sat out Wednesday, Teddy Bridgewater (knee) returned to practice for the first time since August 2016, opening his three-week window for activation from the Physically Unable to Perform list. At this point, Case Keenum appears to be the best bet to lead the offense in the short term, but Bridgewater's impending return, if it happens, would fog up the quarterback situation in Minnesota.

Winston (shoulder) didn't make any throws during the portion of Wednesday's practice open to the media, Roy Cummings of WFLA NewsChannel 8 reports.

Winston was in pads and was officially listed as a limited participant Wednesday, but it doesn't sound as if he did anything to test his injured right shoulder. With the quarterback recovering from an AC joint sprain that held him out for the second half of Sunday's 38-33 loss in Arizona, the Bucs have already made it clear he'll be carefully managed in practice all week. Given the difficult matchup, along with the likelihood he'd still be dealing with some pain, Winston won't make for an attractive Week 7 option in his matchup with the Bills, even if he ends up playing.

Dalton (ankle) was a full practice participant Wednesday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

As expected, Cincinnati's bye week gave Dalton plenty of time to recover from the minor ankle injury he suffered in a 20-16 win over the Bills in Week 5. Per Terrell, Dalton said he's pain free as the Bengals prepare for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh.

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.