NFL Player News

Tagovailoa (concussion) is slated to gain full clearance from the NFL's concussion protocol Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Tagovailoa, who remains on IR for the time being, turned in a full practice session Thursday, indicating that he's progressed to the fifth and final stage of the concussion protocol. The Dolphins now expect Tagovailoa to gain clearance from an independent neurological consultant Friday, which will make the franchise quarterback eligible to be activated from IR and start Sunday's home matchup against the Cardinals. Top wideouts Tyreek Hill (foot) and Jaylen Waddle (quadriceps) were both limited in Thursday's practice, but if both they and Tagovailoa are able to suit up versus Arizona, it will represent a tremendous boost for Miami's offense.

Stafford completed 25 of 34 passes for 279 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in the Rams' 30-20 win over the Vikings on Thursday night. He also rushed three times for minus-4 yards.

Stafford had a banner night across the board, clearly benefiting from the return of both Puka Nacua (knee) and Cooper Kupp (ankle) to the field. The duo predicably served as Stafford's top targets, accounting for 12 of the quarterback's completions, 157 of his yards and one of his touchdown passes (Kupp). Stafford also hit Demarcus Robinson for scoring tosses of 25 and 10 yards in the second half, and his first end-zone strike of the night went to Kyren Williams from five yards out. Stafford's passing yardage was his second highest of the campaign and game also marked his first multi-touchdown tally of the season, affording the veteran signal-caller plenty of momentum heading into a Week 9 road showdown against the division-rival Seahawks on Sunday, Nov. 3.

Darnold completed 18 of 25 passes for 240 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed three times for six yards in the Vikings' 30-20 loss to the Rams on Thursday night.

Darnold's final numbers were acceptable from a fantasy perspective, but he also wasthe subject of a controversial play that essentially sealed the Vikings' defeat. Lined up in shotgun formation at his own five-yard line with 1:36 remaining, Darnold struggled to find an open man and then was brought down in the end zone by the Rams' Byron Young, although the second-year edge rusher clearly appeared to pull the quarterback's face mask in the process of generating a safety. Nevertheless, there was no flag on the play, and Darnold never had a chance to get the ball back. The 2018 third overall pick did post his fifth multi-touchdown game of the season courtesy of five- and 10-yard first-quarter scoring tosses to the unlikely duo of Josh Oliver and Trent Sherfield. Darnold also facilitated another 100-yard performance for Justin Jefferson, but following consecutive losses, the onus will be on the veteran signal-caller to capitalize on a favorable Week 9 home matchup against the Colts on Sunday night, Nov. 3.

Bennett (coach's decision) is inactive but will serve as the Rams' emergency quarterback against the Vikings on Thursday, Wyatt Miller of the Rams' official site reports.

Bennett will only see the field Thursday if starter Matthew Stafford and backup Jimmy Garoppolo are both injured.

Rypien (coach's decision) is inactive for Thursday's game against the Rams but will serve as the Vikings' emergency third quarterback, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

As he's done all season, Rypien will serve as the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Sam Darnold and backup Nick Mullens. As the emergency QB, Rypien will only see the field if both Darnold and Mullens were to be injured.

Levis (shoulder) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

According to Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site, Levis said after Thursday's session that the pain and range of motion in his shoulder have improved since he suffered an AC joint sprain back in Week 4. After a timely Week 5 bye, Levis started the Titans' Week 6 loss to the Colts, but with the shoulder issue hampering his mechanics and arm strength in that game, head coach Brian Callahan elected to hold the second-year signal-caller out of the team's Week 7 loss to the Bills. Mason Rudolph started that contest and looks to be trending toward another start this Sunday in Detroit, but Levis' improving condition could put him in consideration to serve as Rudolph's backup. If the Titans elect to make Levis inactive for a second straight game, however, Trevor Siemian would likely be elevated from the practice squad once again to handle backup duties.

Rodgers (hamstring/knee) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

On the Jets' initial Week 8 injury report released Wednesday, Rodgers was listed as a limited participant due to hamstring, knee and ankle injuries. Only the first two injuries are listed alongside his name on Thursday's report, but Rodgers may still need to upgrade to full participation Friday to avoid carrying a designation into Sunday's game against the Patriots. At this stage, the Jets haven't suggested that Rodgers' status for Sunday is in any real jeopardy.

Daniels (ribs) officially didn't practice Thursday.

Daniels didn't see any game action after the first possession of this past Sunday's win against the Panthers due to a rib issue. On Monday, coach Dan Quinn termed Daniels "week-to-week," per Ben Standig of The Athletic, but there's been hope along the way that he'd be able to suit up for a Week 8 matchup against the Bears. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Thursday that the Commanders plan for Daniels to take the practice field Friday, so his ensuing listing on the team's injury report may give a sense of his chances to suit up this weekend.

Tagovailoa (concussion) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

On Wednesday, Tagovailoa returned to practice for the first time since suffering a concussion Sept. 12. He was eased back in as a limited participant to begin the week, but his ability to take every rep Thursday indicates another step forward in the recovery process as he looks to clear the five-step concussion protocol. With another full practice Friday, Tagovailoa will put himself in good position to start Sunday against the Cardinals, but he'll still need to gain clearance from an independent neurologist before he exits the protocol and before Miami formally reinstates him from injured reserve.

Carr (oblique) didn't participate in practice Thursday, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Carr was able to resume throwing earlier this week, but with his left oblique strain continuing to keep him from taking part in practice drills, he's trending toward missing a third straight game Sunday against the Chargers. Rookie Spencer Rattler took reps with the first-team offense Thursday and looks on track to make another start in place of Carr.