NFL Player News

Gradkowski, who is an unrestricted free agent, dislocated a finger on his non-throwing hand during a pre-season game that required season-ending.

Gradkowski has played for five different teams in his career, and the signing of Michael Vick, as well as the emergence of Landry Jones as a viable back-up to the oft-injured Ben Roethlisberger, suggests Gradkowski could be backing-up a quarterback for a sixth NFL team in 2016.

Dalton was seen in the locker room Wednesday following Wednesday's practice trying to avoid using his thumb with any activity, Local 12 WKRC reports.

It's extremely unlikely that Dalton plays this weekend, and even if the Bengals win it doesn't necessarily look good for him then.

Dalton (thumb) did not suit up for practice Wednesday, ESPN's Coley Harvey reports.

Moreover, at this stage, Dalton has still not thrown a football since injuring his right thumb back on Dec. 13, thus making his status for Saturday night's Wild Card Game against the Steelers iffy, at best. With that in mind, per coach Marvin Lewis, the Bengals are "preparing with AJ McCarron to be the starting QB. Whether Andy is the backup or where Andy is, we'll know down the line. He'll be ready when he's ready."

Garoppolo was on the field for the the Patriots' last four snaps on offense in Sunday's 20-10 loss to the Dolphins, after entering the game with 1:56 remaining on the clock, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports. Garoppolo completed one pass (on his first four attempts of the season) for six yards in the process.

As the 2015 season approached, Garoppolo was penciled in as the Patriots' early-season starter, thanks to starter Tom Brady's NFL-imposed four-game suspension, but once that ruling was overturned, Garoppolo reverted to his duties as the team's No. 2 QB. While that kept the 24-year-old in a reserve role, coach Bill Belichick noted after the completion of the regular season that Garoppolo has made "great strides" this year in various areas of his game. "We see it on a daily basis," Belichick added. In advance of the postseason, Brady is nursing an ankle injury, but it's not an issue that is expected to sideline him for any game action.

Bills general manager Doug Whaley said Taylor did enough in 2015 for the team to "continue down the road to see if he can be the franchise guy of the future", The Buffalo News reports.

Whaley seemingly intended for his comment to be taken as praise, but it's still a bit perplexing how hesitant the Bills have been to commit to Taylor as their quarterback of the future, perhaps because acknowledging the extent of his success would illuminate just how disappointing the rest of the organization was this season. In addition to his obvious running prowess, Taylor overcame a mediocre receiving corps to complete 63.7 percent of his passes for 8.0 yards per attempt, with a 20:6 TD:INT ratio. Even with the Bills sporting a potent rushing attack, it was odd to see how conservative the team typically played on offense in the first half of games, seemingly unaware that it had an effective quarterback and a lousy defense. Buffalo still managed to go 8-6 in the games Taylor played, and with slightly better health and coaching, the team likely would've contended for a playoff spot. In any case, Taylor probably won't face any competition for the starting job next season, but it does seem the Bills are hesitant to extended his contract beyond 2016.

Dalton (thumb) had his cast removed Monday, ESPN's Bob Holtzman reports.

Dalton's visit with his doctor yielded a clear sign of progress, yet the quarterback is still highly uncertain to be ready for Saturday's playoff game against the Steelers. Although he may be willing to push things in the playoffs, previous reports suggested that Dalton likely wouldn't be available until mid-January.

Head coach Jeff Fisher confirmed Monday that Keenum enters the offseason as the Rams' starting quarterback, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

As a restricted free agent, Keenum is the only quarterback on the roster that will be subject to free agency in the coming months, with both Nick Foles and Sean Mannion signed through the end of the 2016 season, at the very least. Considering the preceding, Keenum will almost certainly return to the Rams, though a veteran addition or player selected in the NFL Draft could place his current status in question. In six outings in the recently-completed campaign, he was risk averse but far from explosive, completing 61 percent (76 of 125) of his passes for 828 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.

Winston completed 29 of 47 passes for 325 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in Sunday's 38-10 loss to the Panthers. He also gained 14 yards on three rushes and scored a rushing touchdown.

The 2015 first overall pick's closing performance of his rookie year was a mixed bag, with Winston tallying his second 300-yard performance of his career (and of the last three weeks), but also throwing multiple interceptions for the first time since Week 10 versus the Cowboys. Winston also eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark for 2015, and completes the season with a respectable 22:15 TD:INT ratio. He impressively started all 16 games and undoubtedly garnered invaluable experience that should serve him well as he intends to take a significant leap in Year 2. With stud wideout Mike Evans and stalwart all-around back Charles Sims on board, Winston is guaranteed two solid weapons heading into 2016. If Tampa can secure free agent Doug Martin over the offseason, it will only serve to further enhance Winston's arsenal heading into what will be a pivotal year for both the franchise and Lovie Smith regime.

Rodgers completed 28 of 44 passes for 291 yards, with a touchdown and an interception in Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Vikings.

Rodgers added 12 yards on five carries, was sacked five times and lost a fumble. Once again, he made a bunch of plays that were reminiscent of his form from previous seasons, but with quite a few ugly throws also mixed in. Though it was an improvement from the previous week's massacre in Arizona, Rodgers still looks very uncomfortable in a Green Bay offense that's been decimated by injuries. Sunday's loss may have cost the Packers a division title and home playoff game, but it does mean that Rodgers will get to face the Washington defense, whereas Teddy Bridgewater will have his hands full with the Seahawks.

Bridgewater completed 10 of 19 passes for 99 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception in Sunday's 20-13 win over the Packers.

An effective game manager for most of the season, Bridgewater was unquestionably terrible Sunday night, with the lowlight being a left-handed interception. He later botched an attempted hand-off right before the two-minute warning but was luckily bailed out when Adrian Peterson came up with the ball. With Sunday's win leading to a first-round matchup against the Seahawks, Bridgewater will need to play much better in order to avoid an embarrassing loss. Seattle beat Minnesota by a score of 38-7 in Week 13, turning in one of the more impressive road performances in the NFL all season.