NFL Player News

Hall is expected to be the Vikings' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Packers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The rookie fifth-round pick has made two brief appearances this season, completing eight of 10 passes for 101 yards, rushing four times for 10 yards and losing a fumble back in Weeks 8 and 9 at Green Bay and Atlanta. In the meantime, Joshua Dobbs and then Nick Mullens have gotten the call under center, but with Minnesota coming off back-to-back losses and needing a win Sunday to keep playoff hopes alive, Hall will get his second career start. Hall won't have TE T.J. Hockenson (knee, IR) at his disposal, but WR Justin Jefferson will be around this time to provide a safety net in the passing game.

Head coach Doug Pederson said he expects Lawrence (shoulder) to practice in some capacity Thursday, Mia O'Brien of 1010 XL 92.5 FM Jacksonville reports.

Per O'Brien, it's anticipated that Lawrence, at a minimum, will go through the individual portion of practice. The Jaguars will release their second Week 17 injury report later Thursday, when the extent of the quarterback's participation will be known. Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com previously reported that Lawrence -- who suffered a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder during the Jaguars' Week 16 loss to the Buccaneers -- doesn't plan to do much throwing ahead of Sunday's contest against the Panthers. If Lawrence is forced to miss the first game of this career this weekend, C.J. Beathard would be in line to serve as Jacksonville's starting quarterback.

Purdy (left shoulder) was listed as a full participant on Wednesday's estimated injury report, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

In both of the last two contests, Purdy has been diagnosed with a stinger in his non-throwing shoulder, and while he was cleared to return Week 15 at Arizona, he was deemed questionable to return to this past Monday's 33-19 loss to the Ravens but was ultimately kept on the sideline for the remainder of the contest. After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahn downplayed the decision to finish the game with backup quarterback Sam Darnold under center and also said that he was confident in Purdy's availability for the 49ers' next game Sunday in Washington, per NFL.com. San Francisco likely will continue to keep a close eye on Purdy, but his full listing to kick off Week 17 prep is a positive sign that he'll indeed lead the team's offense this weekend.

Pickett (ankle) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Pickett is gradually working his way back from a Dec. 4 procedure on his right ankle, but at this stage, the Steelers seem to be proceeding as though Mason Rudolph will start Sunday's game against the Seahawks. Added clarity regarding Pickett's status will arrive when Pittsburgh releases its final injury report of the week Friday, but given Rudolph's strong play in this past Saturday's 34-11 win over the Bengals, the Steelers can afford to proceed deliberately with Pickett.

Stroud (concussion) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Stroud has missed two straight games, but the quarterback's return to practice in some capacity has him trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday's game against the Titans. Per DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com, head coach DeMeco Ryans relayed that Stroud is in "phase four" of the NFL's five-step concussion protocol, which suggests that the signal-caller has made considerable progress in his recovery after failing to practice in any fashion in Weeks 15 and 16.

Levis (ankle) was a full participant in practice Wednesday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site notes that Levis "looked pretty good" while practicing without any limitations, though the rookie acknowledged Wednesday that he's still dealing with some pain, per Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. As such, Levis could be less mobile than usual in Week 17, but he at least is set to return to the starting role this Sunday at Houston after missing the Titans' 20-17 loss to the Seahawks last weekend.

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.