NFL Player News

Barring an unexpected setback, Siemian (left shoulder) is on track to start at QB for the Broncos on Thursday night against the Chargers, 9news.com reports.

Look for Siemian, who missed Week 5's game against the Falcons with a sprained AC joint in his non-throwing shoulder, to draw an official questionable designation for the contest, but for his part, the QB has indicated that at this stage he expects to suit up for Thursday night's 8:25 ET kickoff.

Siemian (shoulder) was again limited at Tuesday's jog-through practice, Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post reports. In the portion open to the media, though, Siemian was donning pads, according to Nick Groke of the Denver Post.

Groke speculated that Siemian was testing out his range of motion, as he was the sole padded Bronco on Tuesday. A full practice Wednesday would put Siemian in line for a return to action, but a game-time decision seems to be the most likely outcome at this point. If Siemian requires another week to rest the sprained AC joint in his left non-throwing shoulder, rookie QB Paxton Lynch would be afforded another start Thursday at San Diego.

Gabbert will serve as Colin Kaepernick's backup Sunday in Buffalo, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The much-discussed benching was finally made official Tuesday, with the 49ers announcing Colin Kaepernick as their Week 6 starter against a red-hot Buffalo defense. Now all he needs is to get his contract worked out. Given how poorly Gabbert has played, Kaepernick should get at least a few weeks to prove himself, assuming he stays healthy. If another change is eventually made, the Niners could go back to Gabbert or even give Christian Ponder a shot. The San Francisco offense will remain highly reliant on starting RB Carlos Hyde, who is somehow producing 4.0 yards per carry and 75 rushing yards per game for a team with no other viable weapons.

Interim head coach Joe DeCamillis said Tuesday that Siemian (left shoulder) could be a game-time decision Thursday in San Diego, NFL Network's James Palmer reports.

According to Palmer, the second-year quarterback was a bit more optimistic than his temporary head coach, saying he still expects to play in Thursday's game against a struggling San Diego defense. Siemian was a limited participant in Monday's walk-through practice, perhaps setting himself up for full participation either Tuesday or Wednesday. For the record, Gary Kubiak is still Siemian's head coach, but DeCamillis will temporarily take over while Kubiak recovers from what his doctors are calling a "complex migraine", according to The Denver Post. The Broncos will still be running the offense put together by Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, though it's possible Paxton Lynch will be the one under center.

Whitehurst (knee) was released by the Browns with an injury settlement Tuesday.

Whitehurst replaced an injured Cody Kessler (ribs) in Week 5 and held his own, but he suffered an injury of his own in the process. The extent of Whitehurst's setback is not certain, but it apparently would have cost him some time, so the Browns decided to remove him from the roster and replace him with a healthy quarterback in Kevin Hogan. Whitehurst could hook on with a new team once he is back at 100 percent.

Goff could see the field if Los Angeles is ahead or behind by a large margin in future games, The Orange County Register reports.

The freshman continues to work with the scout team, and head coach Jeff Fisher is pleased with Goff's improvement. Last year, Fisher turned to backup Sean Mannion during a blowout loss to Cincinnati in Week 12, so there's a chance Goff receives his first game action if a similar situation arises this season. Given that the Rams are the worst offense in the league in yards per game, it remains mildly concerning for Goff's long-term fantasy stock that he doesn't appear anywhere close to being dubbed the starter.

Prescott's teammate Tony Romo (back) is still dealing with swelling around the area of his injury, making a return in Week 9 at Cleveland more realistic than Week 8 against Philadelphia, ESPN's Ed Werder reports.

Most reports have suggested Romo is targeting a return immediately after the Cowboys' Week 7 bye, as updates on his progress have overwhelmingly been optimistic. However, recovery from the injury doesn't mark the end of his process, as the 36-year-old does needs to strengthen his core and improve his conditioning before he can even practice with teammates, ESPN.com's Todd Archer reports. Furthermore, the Cowboys don't have much incentive to rush Romo back, considering Prescott has been fantastic in the veteran quarterback's stead. The rookie's strong play has led to ample speculation that the team has a QB controversy. While owner Jerry Jones said Monday that Romo remains the No. 1 signal caller, Jones then said Tuesday that the team's quarterback situation requires "a tolerance for ambiguity," according to David Helman of DallasCowboys.com. The only thing entirely clear at the moment is that Prescott will start Sunday's game in Green Bay.

Winston completed 18 of 30 passes for 219 yards and one touchdown in Monday night's win over the Panthers.

Winston entered Week 5 among the league leaders in pass attempts, but after his eight interceptions through four games, the Buccaneers emphasized running the ball early and often Monday night. That led to Winston firing a season-low 30 passes, but also resulted in his first turnover-less outing. Furthermore, Winston's 7.3 yards per attempt were his most since his stellar season-opening performance. Although Winston's decision-making was still questionable on occasion Monday, Tampa Bay's offensive gameplan produced a more controlled display from the second-year signal caller, who will now enter the bye week and aim for more consistency once back in action.

Siemian (shoulder) was listed as a limited participant at Monday's practice, Ricky Henne of the Chargers' official website reports.

It's unclear exactly what Siemian did, as the Broncos held a walk-through practice without any pads. Regardless, it's already been reported that the second-year quarterback is expected to return for Thursday's game in San Diego. Rookie first-rounder Paxton Lynch struggled in Sunday's loss to Atlanta, leaving Siemian as the unquestioned top quarterback so long as he stays healthy.

Whitehurst hyper-extended his left knee toward the end of Sunday's game against the Titans, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

The team's healthiest quarterback at that point, Whitehurst returned to take a knee on the final snap, which doesn't necessarily mean he was healthy enough to play. However, it sounds as if Cody Kessler (ribs) and/or Josh McCown (collarbone) will be ready for Week 6 against the Titans, rendering Whitehurt's health status of little importance to the team. Then again, it's a bit too early to make assumptions, so Whitehurst does have an outside shot to get a start, if his hyper-extension isn't too serious. He replaced an injured Kessler on Sunday, completing 14 of 24 passes for 182 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.