NFL Player News

Tagovailoa was a limited participant in practice Wednesday due to left thumb and quadricep injuries, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

His ability to practice in any capacity at the beginning of the week suggests neither injury represents a serious threat to Tagovailoa's availability for a home game against Baltimore on Sunday. Assuming Tagovailoa is good to go Sunday, he could be without one of his top weapons in Jaylen Waddle (ankle), who didn't practice Wednesday and may be in danger of sitting out this weekend.

Lawrence (shoulder) didn't practice Wednesday and isn't expected to do much throwing this week, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

While Lawrence still hopes to play against the Panthers on Sunday, his plan for the week of practice will be more about rest and less about testing his injured shoulder. Lawrence's status could come down to a game-day decision as a result, though he acknowledged Wednesday that he's "still pretty sore" and "kind of working through the beginning stages" of his recovery from an AC joint sprain. C.J. Beathard replaced Lawrence at quarterback this past Sunday after the latter injured his throwing shoulder late in the third quarter of a 30-12 loss to Tampa Bay. Lawrence attended Wednesday's practice while donning shorts and a hoodie as Beathard worked as the first quarterback through drills.

Beathard took full reps with the first-team offense at Wednesday's practice while Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) sat out the session, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

Lawrence made a swift recovery from a concussion suffered Week 15 to make himself available for this past Sunday's 30-12 loss to the Buccaneers, but he missed the final 15 minutes of the game after sustaining an AC joint sprain to his throwing shoulder late in the third quarter. Beathard came off the bench for his fifth appearance of the season and directed the offense for Jacksonville's final three possessions, completing 11 of 15 pass attempts for 94 yards and a touchdown while adding six yards on one carry. On Tuesday, head coach Doug Pederson wasn't willing to speculate whether Lawrence will be able to play this Sunday against the Panthers, so the franchise signal-caller's activity in practices the next two days -- or lack thereof -- could dictate his status. Beathard would draw the Week 17 start if Lawrence can't go, while the newly signed Matt Barkley would serve as the backup quarterback.

Heinicke was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to an ankle injury, Amna Subhan of the Falcons' official site reports.

In his second stint as the Falcons' starting quarterback this season, Heinicke led the team to a 29-10 win this past Sunday against the Colts while completing 23 of 33 pass attempts for 229 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions to go with two carries for 10 yards. Wednesday's practice restrictions may be maintenance-based, but his status now will be watched as the week goes on to get a sense of if he may head into Sunday's game at Chicago with an injury designation.

Duggan signed with the Chargers' practice squad Wednesday.

Duggan has bounced between the Chargers' practice squad and active roster since the team drafted him in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The rookie out of TCU suited up for last Saturday's 24-22 loss to the Bills, then got waived Monday before joining the practice squad Wednesday after passing through waivers unclaimed. Will Grier has since been added to the 53-man roster to replace Duggan as the backup to starting quarterback Easton Stick.

Stroud (concussion) was present for practice Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Stroud, who suffered a concussion in the Texans' Week 14 loss to the Jets, has missed two straight games, but the quarterback's return to the field for the first practice of the week bodes well for his chances of returning to the lineup Sunday against the Titans. The extent of Stroud's practice participation won't be known until Houston releases its first Week 17 injury report later Wednesday.

Wilson will serve as the backup quarterback in Sunday's game against the Chargers while Jarrett Stidham takes over as the team's starter, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

The Broncos plan to bench Wilson for the final two games of the season to avoid any potential injuries and thus preserve the option to cut him before March, when his $37 million salary for 2025 becomes guaranteed. Wilson won't be inactive for the final two contests, however, so he could still wind up taking the field if Stidham gets hurt. Head coach Sean Payton could provide further insight into the team's quarterback situation when he speaks to the media after Wednesday's practice. While starting each of the team's first 15 games and playing all but four snaps on offense, Wilson has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 6.9 yards per attempt, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions to go with 80 carries for 341 yards and three scores.

Stidham is slated to start Sunday's game against the Chargers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

According to Rapoport, the 7-8 Broncos plan to hold Russell Wilson out for the remaining two games of the 2023 season in order to preserve financial flexibility this offseason. Stidham thus represents a fantasy option for those who had been considering using Wilson in Week 17 lineups, or who might otherwise scrambling for quarterback help down the stretch. Though he's been active for all 15 of Denver's games to date, Stidham has thus far taken just four offensive snaps while Wilson has been healthy all season. Stidham's last extended NFL action came late in the 2022 season, when he made two starts for the Raiders and completed 45 of 70 pass attempts (64.3 percent) for 584 yards (8.4 YPA) and a 4:3 TD:INT to go with 84 yards on 14 carries.

The Broncos plan to hold Wilson out for the final two games of the season, with an eye toward preserving financial flexibility for the upcoming offseason, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Per Rapoport, Wilson has $37 million in 2025 salary that vests in March, and if the quarterback were to suffer a serious injury before the end of this season, it would complicate the Broncos' financial outlook. Even though Denver hasn't been eliminated from postseason contention heading into Week 17 action, the team sits at 7-8 and would need to not only win its next two games but also receive considerable help to secure a playoff berth. With that in mind, the Broncos will hold out Wilson and instead turn the reins of the offense over to Jarrett Stidham, who has played just four snaps in 2023 behind a healthy Wilson after joining Denver on a two-year, $10 million deal this past offseason.

DeVito will move into a backup role for Sunday's game against the Rams with head coach Brian Daboll announcing Wednesday that Tyrod Taylor will start Week 17.

DeVito had started New York's previous six games but was benched for Taylor at halftime of Monday's 33-25 loss to the Eagles. The undrafted rookie has a solid 8:3 TD:INT and has showed some scrambling ability (36 carries for 195 yards and a touchdown), but he's averaging a middling 6.2 yards per attempt and has taken 36 sacks on 212 dropbacks (a league-worst 17 percent rate). Assuming Taylor escapes Week 17 unscathed and turns in a decent showing versus the Rams, DeVito should remain in a backup role for the Week 18 rematch with Philadelphia.