NFL Player News

The Lions activated Hooker (knee) from their reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday.

Hooker has spent the entire season up to this point on Detroit's reserve/NFI list, but it now looks like he'll finally be available in Week 16. As long as one of Jared Goff or Teddy Bridgewater is available, Hooker still isn't likely to see the field this year.

Pickett (ankle) was listed as limited on Tuesday's injury report, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Pittsburgh's current plan is for Mason Rudolph to be the team's starting quarterback Saturday against the Bengals, with previous fill-in starter Mitch Trubisky getting demoted to third on the depth chart. On Monday, coach Mike Tomlin left "the door ajar" for Pickett to be available this weekend for the first time since suffering a high right-ankle sprain in Week 13 against the Cardinals, per ESPN.com. Pickett may need to be listed as full on at least one of the Steelers' two remaining Week 16 practice reports Wednesday or Thursday in order to give himself a realistic chance to be available Saturday.

Rodgers said Tuesday during his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that it's unlikely that he'll be activated from injured reserve this week, which would end his 2023 season, Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports.

A player returning to action just 14 weeks after surgery to repair a torn Achilles would normally be out of the realm of possibility, but Rodgers has been on an accelerated rehab that included throwing before a Week 6 win versus the Eagles, getting designated for return from IR on Nov. 29 and logging back-to-back practices the last two weeks. Rodgers noted Tuesday that he won't be 100 percent for another 3-4 weeks, so it's apparent that Saturday's report from Adam Schefter of ESPN that the quarterback was slated to be medically cleared this week was overly optimistic. With Zach Wilson in the concussion protocol at the moment, the Jets may have to roll with Trevor Siemian under center Sunday against the Commanders.

Perry signed with the Jaguars' practice squad Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Perry will bolster the organizational depth at quarterback with Trevor Lawrence currently in concussion protocols. The former spent the entirety of the 2022 season on Jacksonville's practice squad, so he should be a natural fit to do so with his familiarity with the team and its offense.

Coach Pete Carroll confirmed after Monday's 20-17 win over the Eagles that Smith will start versus the Titans in Week 16 as long as he's healthy, Brady Henderson of ESPN reports.

Smith was active for Monday's win despite his groin injury, but Seattle opted to proceed with Drew Lock under center. That decision likely came due to Smith still operating at less than 100 percent health, but barring any setbacks in practice this week, the stage appears set for his return to the lineup. Smith hasn't played since Week 13 due to a groin issue, but he was listed as a limited participant on all three Week 15 practice reports and should resume handling first-team reps this week.

Ridder will be replaced by Taylor Heinicke as Atlanta's starting quarterback Sunday versus the Colts, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Ridder is being benched for the second time this season, a move which Kendall reports could signal the end of his starting tenure for the Falcons. The switch comes following an unimpressive performance by Ridder in poor weather conditions, when he completed 12 of 20 passes for 157 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Atlanta's narrow 9-7 loss to the Panthers in Week 15. Perhaps more crucially, Ridder set up Carolina's final game-winning drive with a crucial red zone interception. The second-year signal-caller will presumably operate as Heinicke's backup Sunday versus Indianapolis.

The Falcons intend for Heinicke to start over Desmond Ridder in Sunday's game against the Colts, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Heinicke is usurping Ridder on the depth chart for the second time this season, a change that could well last the remainder of the 2023 campaign. The move comes following Ridder's game-sealing red zone interception during Atlanta's loss to Carolina in Week 15, a mistake which put a dent in the Falcons' playoff hopes. Heinicke has been serviceable if unimpressive in limited action this season, having completed 41 of 74 pass attempts for 498, three touchdowns and one interception across three appearances.

Lock completed 22 of 33 pass attempts for 208 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 20-17 win over Philadelphia.

Lock got the nod under center Monday even though Geno Smith (groin) was able to complete his usual pregame warmup. The move was likely a precautionary one made by head coach Pete Carroll, given the slick conditions at Lumen Field and the lower-body nature of Smith's injury. Lock wound up leading the Seahawks to victory by completing two-thirds of his passes without committing a turnover over the now 10-4 Eagles. The backup's strong play Monday could earn him another start for Seattle when the club visits Tennessee on Sunday.

Hurts (illness) completed 17 of 31 passes for 143 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the Eagles' 20-17 loss to the Seahawks on Monday. He also rushed 13 times for 82 yards and two touchdowns.

Hurts was a game-time decision due to an illness that worsened over the weekend and required the star signal-caller to travel to Seattle separately from the rest of the team. He looked his usual self as a runner, where he racked up a season-high rushing yardage tally and posted his third two-score effort on the ground in the last five games. However, Hurts' three- and one-yard touchdown runs couldn't quite make up for his poor passing effort, which included a season-low 54.9 completion percentage and an average of just 4.6 yards per attempt. Hurts also had a particularly ineffective last quarter-plus, leading the Eagles to just 27 yards on 10 plays across two drives that ended in punts and short-circuiting two other possessions with interceptions, including a game-ending one with 13 seconds remaining. Monday night's loss kept Philadelphia tied with the Cowboys atop the NFC East and was the Eagles' third straight defeat, but Hurts could be primed for a resurgent effort in a Christmas Day home matchup against the Giants next Monday.

DiNucci reverted to Denver's practice squad Monday.

DiNucci will return to the practice squad after being a healthy scratch in Saturday's loss to Detroit. The 27-year-old will now wait for another opportunity to be called up for action.