NFL Player News

Young will start Sunday's game against the Broncos in place of the injured Andy Dalton (thumb), and the second-year quarterback could have the opportunity to keep the starting job beyond this week if he plays well in Denver, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Even though he was benched after leading the Panthers to uncompetitive losses in the first two games of 2024, Young was always expected to get another look in a starting role before the end of the season after getting some extended time to watch from the bench. However, with Dalton spraining his thumb in a car accident Tuesday and being listed as doubtful for the Week 8 contest, Young will return to the starting role perhaps a bit sooner than anticipated. While serving as the Panthers' scout-team quarterback for the past five weeks, Young has remained "engaged and involved," according to head coach Dave Canales, and the Panthers are hoping that the time off from starting with leave the 23-year-old better prepared as he returns to the lineup Sunday. Young won't be set up especially well for success in his first start since Week 2, as he'll not only be facing off against an imposing Denver defense, but he'll also be operating without his top two receivers in Diontae Johnson (rib) and Adam Thielen (hamstring).

Daniels (rib), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's contest against the Bears, looks to be tracking toward playing, but the team will need to see how he feels during pregame warmups before deciding on his status, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Daniels took the field for just one possession in last Sunday's win over the Panthers due to a rib injury that kept him from practicing Wednesday and Thursday. He returned to the field Friday as a limited participant, and he said after the session that he felt good and wanted to play against the Bears. The decision ultimately won't be Daniels' alone, with the coaching staff as well as the Commanders' medical team likely to make a call on whether he'll play based on how he looks while warming up Sunday. Daniels' status won't be confirmed until about 90 minutes before the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, when Washington posts its inactive list. If Daniels ends up sitting out, Marcus Mariota will make his first start of the season.

The Buccaneers elevated Pratt from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Pratt, a rookie seventh-round pick, was initially drafted by Green Bay but ended up on Tampa Bay's practice squad after late August roster cuts. It looks like he'll get a chance to work as an emergency No. 3 option behind Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask versus Atlanta on Sunday.

The Raiders elevated Bradley from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.

Bradley will be available to suit up as a depth option in Las Vegas' quarterback room during Sunday's game against the Chiefs. Gardner Minshew is slated to start the Week 8 contest, while Desmond Ridder will work as his top backup.

The Dolphins activated Tagovailoa (concussion) from injured reserve Saturday and cleared his injury designation for Sunday's contest against the Cardinals, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Though Tagovailoa was listed as questionable following Friday's practice, head coach Mike McDaniel had effectively confirmed that the star quarterback would start in his return from a four-game absence, per Louis-Jacques. The return of Tagovailoa should help reignite an offense that has the potential to be one of the most explosive and potent in the league but currently ranks last in the NFL with an average of 11.7 points per game.

Tagovailoa (concussion) was activated off injured reserve Saturday ahead Sunday's game against the Cardinals. The quarterback is still listed as questionable, but he's expected to play.

The Dolphins didn't remove Tagovailoa's injury designation, but head coach Mike McDaniel already suggested Friday the Pro Bowl quarterback would play. The 26-year-old said he's been symptom-free since Sept. 13, so it's fair to assume the Dolphins offense will effectively return to one of most formidable in the league with Tagovailoa now back.

The Titans elevated Siemian from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, John Glennon of NashvillePost.com reports,

Siemian will work as the backup to Mason Rudolph in the event that Will Levis (shoulder), who is officially listed as questionable, isn't able to suit up for Sunday's game at Detroit. This constitutes Siemian's second of three possible elevations from the practice squad for Tennessee.

The Panthers elevated Plummer from the practice squad Saturday in advance of Sunday's matchup against the Broncos, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Plummer appears set to work as the backup to Bryce Young versus Denver on Sunday, with Andy Dalton (thumb) officially listed as doubtful for Week 8. Plummer, an undrafted rookie out of Louisville, appeared in all three of Carolina's preseason contests, throwing for 406 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Watson underwent successful surgery Friday to repair a ruptured right Achilles' tendon, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.

With his surgery going off without any complications, the 29-year-old quarterback should be back to full health for the start of the 2025 season, provided he steers clear of setbacks during what will be a lengthy rehab process. Though the Achilles surgery could curb Watson's rushing ability moving forward, the bigger question is whether he'll re-emerge as a starter in 2025 for the Browns or another team. He's still on the Browns' books through 2026 on a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract, but Watson has hardly resembled the franchise quarterback that Cleveland thought it was getting when they acquired him in March 2022. Through his 19 career starts with Cleveland over three seasons, Watson has led the team to 9-10 record while completing 61.2 percent of his throws for 6.0 yards per attempt and a 19:12 TD:INT to go with 465 rushing yards and three more scores.

Tagovailoa (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cardinals after practicing fully both Thursday and Friday and is in line to play, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Tagovailoa -- who has cleared the NFL's concussion protocol -- remains on injured reserve for the time being, but once he's officially activated by the Dolphins on Saturday, it's possible that his current questionable designation will be lifted. In any case, Tagovailoa is poised to return to action Sunday after a four-game absence, and at this stage, there's more uncertainty surrounding who is slated to back him up Sunday.