NFL Player News

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.

Levis (right shoulder), who was limited at practice this week, is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Lions, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Though Levis hasn't been ruled out for the contest as he recovers from his right shoulder injury, coach Brian Callahan indicated earlier in the week that the Titans anticipated Mason Rudolph being the team's starter Sunday. Look for added context regarding Tennessee's QB situation to arrive ahead of Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, but at this stage Levis isn't a high-percentage Week 8 fantasy lineup option.

Tagovailoa (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Tagovailoa suffered his fourth concussion in the last five years back on Thursday, Sept. 12, which forced some tough questions about his future in football. He eventually spent time on injured reserve, and while he reportedly was free of concussion symptoms as of Oct. 3, the Dolphins didn't designate him for return from IR until this Wednesday, and he officially didn't clear the protocol for head injuries until Friday, per Louis-Jacques. Tagovailoa ended the week with back-to-back full practices, but in order to have a chance to play Sunday, the team will need to activate him before Saturday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline. With Tyler Huntley's (shoulder) placement on IR on Friday, the options to be Miami's backup QB this weekend are Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle or practice-squad member C.J. Beathard, assuming Tagovailoa starts, as expected.

Rodgers (hamstring/knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Patriots.

Rodgers upgraded to full participation in practice Friday after a pair of limited sessions. Per John Pullano of the Jets' official site, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said Wednesday that Rodgers' injuries "flared up" during the Week 7 loss to the Steelers, but they aren't expected to affect the veteran quarterback's availability on game days. Rodgers will have a high Week 8 ceiling against the 1-6 Patriots in what will be Davante Adams' second game as a Jet.

Daniels (rib) is listed as questionable for Sunday's contest against the Bears.

Daniels lasted just one possession this past Sunday against the Panthers due to a rib injury that left his status truly up in the air for Week 8. He opened it with back-to-back absences Wednesday and Thursday, but according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, head coach Dan Quinn relayed Friday that Daniels would be limited in practice Friday and would be listed as questionable for Sunday's game, which has come to pass. Daniels' status thus won't be confirmed until about 90 minutes before a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. If Daniels ends up sitting out, Marcus Mariota will direct the Commanders offense.

The Dolphins placed Huntley (shoulder) on injured reserve Friday.

Huntley's move to IR comes on the same day that Tua Tagovailoa officially cleared the NFL's concussion protocol. As a result of the transaction, Huntley won't be available before Week 12. With Tagovailoa slated to reclaim starting duties Sunday against the Cardinals, the loss of Huntley leaves Miami with Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle and practice-squad member C.J. Beathard as potential backup options at quarterback.

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said Friday that Ridder will work as the backup to Gardner Minshew during Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Heidi Fang of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Ridder was inked by Las Vegas off Arizona's practice squad Monday, so it's unlikely that he's fully acclimated to his new team's playbook quite yet. With Aidan O'Connell (thumb) on IR and out at least four games, Ridder looks primed to hold onto the backup role behind Minshew for at least the next month. In the event that Minshew's struggles under center continue, Ridder may even have an opportunity to compete for more significant reps at quarterback.

Carr (oblique) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Chargers.

Carr was able to do some throwing earlier in the week, but he went down as a non-participant in practices Wednesday through Friday and is on track to miss a third straight game Sunday in Los Angeles. Though Spencer Rattler will pick up another start this weekend, head coach Dennis Allen has previously said that Carr is "very likely" to return to action Week 9 versus the Panthers, per Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune. Carr, however, will need to increase his practice activity during the upcoming week for a return to the lineup next Sunday in Carolina to become a reality.

Coach Antonio Pierce confirmed Friday that Minshew will be the Raiders' starting quarterback Sunday against the Chiefs, Heidi Fang of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Aidan O'Connell came out of a Week 7 loss to the Rams with a broken thumb that forced him to injured reserve and will require 4-to-6 weeks to recover from. Minshew unsurprisingly will retake the reins of Las Vegas' offense, but he does have another experienced option behind him after the team signed Desmond Ridder off the Cardinals' practice squad earlier this week. Ridder will be the No. 2 QB on Sunday, while Minshew will make his fifth appearance of the campaign. In the first four, Minshew completed 52 of 82 passes for 455 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.