NFL Player News

Siemian (shoulder) is not expected to play Sunday against the Falcons, but he could return Thursday at San Diego, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Siemian is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game, and while he was able to increase his practice workload as the week went on, his non-throwing shoulder is apparently not healthy enough to allow him to start. Paxton Lynch will be under center Sunday.

Lynch is expected to start Sunday against the Falcons, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

The Broncos' first-round pick will earn his first career start thanks to Trevor Siemian's shoulder injury. Lynch played well last week, completing 14 of 24 passes for 170 yards and touchdown in just over a half of play. The rookie could hold some value in two quarterback leagues given the fact that the Falcons defense is rather thin and expected to be without two starting linebackers.

Garoppolo (right shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Browns.

With Jacoby Brissett now on IR, we'd expect Garoppolo to suit up as Tom Brady's top backup Sunday, but he's not going to see the field again this season unless Brady suffers an injury, or until it's garbage time in either a blowout or a late-season scenario in which starters are rested.

Gradkowski was released from the Steelers' injured reserve on Friday, ESPN's Adam Caplan reports.

The 33-year-old suffered a torn hamstring in the preseason and landed on IR before the season started. Landry Jones and Zach Mettenberger remain to back up starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Brissett (thumb) has been placed on IR by the Patriots.

Brissett helped fill in at QB for the Patriots while Tom Brady was serving a four-game suspension to start the season, but now that Brady is back with the team, Brissett is slated to have his troublesome right thumb surgically repaired. Meanwhile, Jimmy Garoppolo (right shoulder) is slated to serve as the team's No. 2 QB while Brissett recovers. While landing on IR is obviously a less than ideal outcome for Brissett in his rookie season, the 2016 third-rounder did unexpectedly see some valuable on-the-job training after Garoppolo was injured in Week 2.

Siemian (shoulder) is considered questionable for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Troy Renck of ABC 7 Denver reports.

Siemian has increased his practice workload throughout this week, culminating in comfortable-looking deep throws during Friday's session. While that shows good progress following last weekend's injury to his non-throwing shoulder, Siemian is slated to undergo a thorough on-field workout Saturday before a final decision is made on his status, ESPN's Jeff Legwold reports. Knowing that, more clarity regarding the Broncos' expected starter this weekend should surface relatively soon.

Brissett is slated to undergo surgery on his right thumb Friday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.

Per the report, this was the plan for Brissett once top QB Tom Brady returned from his suspension. Look for Brissett to be officially ruled out for Sunday's game against the Browns later Friday, with IR presumably a possibility, depending on the length of his expected recovery from the procedure.

Siemian (shoulder) looked comfortable throwing again at Friday's practice, which included some 30-yard tosses, The Denver Post reports.

Siemian, who also threw passes during Thursday's session, appears to be trending toward active status following last weekend's injury to his non-throwing shoulder. The fact that he appeared comfortable throwing deep Friday seemingly suggests he wouldn't be very limited if he were indeed available this weekend, but his status will have to be confirmed in the buildup to Sunday's kickoff against the Falcons.

Gabbert completed 18 of 31 passes for 162 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in Thursday's 33-21 loss to the Cardinals. He also tallied 70 yards and a touchdown on 10 rushes.

Although he was impressively effective throughout the night on the ground-- including a game-long 24-yard run that was part of an 82-yard scoring drive-- it was Gabbert's two mistakes through the air that played a key role in the loss. The veteran signal-caller's first misfire came late in the second quarter on a pass intended for Garrett Celek that ended up in the hands of Calais Campbell, giving Drew Stanton and the Cardinals the ball on the 49ers 21-yard line. Stanton parlayed the mistake into a 21-yard touchdown on the very next play, knotting the game at 7-7. Gabbert then gave the Cardinals the ball deep in his own end again on the first play of the fourth quarter with a second interception on a pass intended for Jeremy Kerley. The 26-year-old also took seven sacks despite his mobility, and has now failed to throw for at least 200 yards in four of his first five games. With the fans chanting for Colin Kaepernick after both of Gabbert's interceptions, and the latter struggling overall to maximize the full potential of head coach Chip Kelly's offense, a switch behind center is could come to fruition in the near future.

Winston will not see any restraints placed on him by the Bucs' coaching staff, despite some early turnover troubles this season, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports. "We put a lot on a young player - as coaches, as fans, the organization - because we need him to be great now," said offensive coordinator Todd Monken. "We certainly do. And he is capable of that. We've seen that. Him playing at his best, he is a tremendous football player, as in Week 1 and at times last year."

The second-year signal-caller followed up a stellar 281-yard, four-touchdown showing in the season opener with a 4:7 TD:INT over the subsequent three games, with the interceptions of particular concern. However, the Bucs' coaches do not see the rise in turnovers as cause for reeling in Winston's improvisational and occasional risk-taking style of play, as they feel that the key to getting him (and by extension, their offense) back on the right track is for everyone around him to up the quality of their individual performances. As an example, three of Winston's eight total interceptions have come as a result of a bad route, an on-target throw that bounced off the intended target's hands, and an end-of-game Hail Mary, respectively. Although Winston has clearly made his share of mistakes, the team knows that many of his best moments in the past have come off broken plays, so they certainly want to keep his competitive dimension a vital part of their offensive attack. "What do we need to do? We need to play better around him," said Monken. "We need to be able to run the ball better. We need to be able to run routes with better precision. We need to protect him better. We need to be up in the game. He's a very competitive young man. He's going to always try to make plays that help you win. With that being said, I think that's a great trait."