NFL Player News

Mayfield (ribs) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.

In the wake of this past Sunday's loss to the Saints, coach Todd Bowles revealed Monday that Mayfield was tending to sore ribs, but he also expected the quarterback to "be fine by Sunday," according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The Buccaneers didn't hold practice Wednesday, but if they had, Mayfield wouldn't have mixed into any drills. After returning to the field Thursday, he was described by offensive coordinator Dave Canales as looking "functional" and also "ripped some throws" downfield, per Scott Smith of the team's official site. In the end, Mayfield appears as if he'll be available for Sunday's contest at Carolina, but his status will continue to be monitored to ensure he's out there this weekend.

Hall will cede starting quarterback duties to Nick Mullens for Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Lions, but head coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday that he hasn't decided whether Hall or Joshua Dobbs will serve as the team's No. 2 signal-caller in Week 18, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

The Vikings' decision to move Hall down at least one spot on the depth chart comes as little surprise after the rookie fifth-round pick struggled to move the offense during his second career NFL start in this past weekend's 33-10 loss to the Packers. Hall completed just five of 10 pass attempts for 67 yards and an interception, took three sacks and lost a fumble in the first two quarters before being benched in favor of Mullens after halftime. The Vikings' decision to reinstall Mullens as their starter for Week 18 marks the fifth quarterback change that O'Connell has made since Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending torn Achilles' tendon in late October.

Levis (foot) didn't practice Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Per Wyatt, Levis said Wednesday that while he's dealing with some pain from pushing off his right foot, he hopes to be able to play in Sunday's season finale against the Jaguars. If, however, the rookie signal-caller is unable to progress to the point that the Titans feel comfortable playing him this weekend, Ryan Tannehill would be in store for another turn as Tennessee's starting quarterback.

Tagovailoa (quadriceps/left shoulder) was a full participant in practice Wednesday, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Tagovailoa experienced some shoulder soreness during this past Sunday's 56-19 loss to the Ravens in addition to a quad injury, but neither issue is significant enough to threaten his availability for Sunday's home game against the Bills. A win Sunday would clinch the AFC East crown and the No. 2 seed in the AFC for the Dolphins.

Bagent didn't participate in practice Wednesday due to an illness.

The nature and severity of Bagent's ailment aren't known, but he'll still have two more days to potentially return to practice and clear up his availability for Sunday's season finale versus the Packers. Since starting four straight games between Weeks 7 and 10, Bagent hasn't seen any snaps in any of the Bears' subsequent six contests while Justin Fields has made his return from a thumb injury.

Wilson -- who remains in concussion protocol and won't play in Sunday's season finale against the Patriots -- may not return to the Jets in 2024, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

After struggling for his first two seasons as the Jets' primary starting quarterback, Wilson was demoted to a backup role behind Aaron Rodgers heading into his third NFL season. Rodgers tore his Achilles' tendon four plays into the season, thus thrusting Wilson back into a starting role. The second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has shown flashes of brilliance, but he hasn't sustained strong play while catching some bad breaks along the way. After posting his best game of the season with 301 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 14 win over the Texans, Wilson was concussed in the first half of the team's Week 15 loss to Miami, and that may mark his final appearance with the Jets. With Rodgers set to return in 2024, the Jets will likely opt for a more reliable backup to their 40-year-old starter.

Jackson won't play in Saturday's game against the Steelers, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

With the Ravens having secured the top seed in the AFC playoffs, Jackson will be rested in the team's regular-season finale. In his stead, Tyler Huntley will draw the start at quarterback this weekend, with Josh Johnson backing him up. Jackson -- the presumptive frontrunner for the NFL's MVP award -- will get an extended breather before the Ravens' postseason opener in the divisional round.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Huntley will start Saturday's game against the Steelers.

Baltimore has clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs and will rest MVP frontrunner quarterback Lamar Jackson, paving the way for Huntley to make his first start of the season. Huntley will face a motivated Pittsburgh defense, as the Steelers have almost no path to the postseason without a win Saturday. The mobile backup has a 3-5 record over eight previous career starts, but Huntley has been effective in limited relief action this season, completing six of nine passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns while adding 15 rushing yards on seven attempts.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that Purdy won't play in Sunday's game against the Rams, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

On Monday, Shanahan ruled out Christian McCaffrey for Week 18 due to the strained right calf that he suffered this past Sunday at Washington. Two days later, Shanahan did the same with the 49ers' starting quarterback, telling Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News, "Brock's the only guy for sure I don't plan on playing." With the team locked into the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Purdy thus will yield quarterback duties to backup Sam Darnold this weekend. Purdy next will take the field in the divisional round of the postseason.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Wednesday that Darnold will serve as the 49ers' starting quarterback for Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Rams, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

The 49ers have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a 12-4 record, so they will give starting quarterback Brock Purdy a breather before the playoffs. Star running back Christian McCaffrey (calf) has already been ruled out, and it's possible that Darnold won't have Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel or George Kittle at his disposal either against a Rams team that's also in rest mode prior to the postseason and will start Carson Wentz at quarterback.