NFL Player News

Detroit designated Hooker (knee) to return from the reserve/non-football injury list Wednesday, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

The rookie quarterback is now eligible to practice, with the Lions having a 21-day window to place him on the active roster before he defaults back to the NFI list for the remainder of the season. Hooker suffered an ACL tear last November during his final collegiate season at Tennessee, which resulted in him dropping out of the first-round discussion before the Lions selected him early in the third round at No. 68 overall. He isn't likely to play this season given that Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater both are healthy, but the Lions are keeping the door open for Hooker to return to the roster if his knee responds well to practice activity.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh announced announced Wednesday that Rodgers (Achilles) has been designated for return from injured reserve.

The transaction officially opens up a 21-day window in which Rodgers can participate in practices while the Jets evaluate him for a return from IR. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, Saleh noted that while Rodgers has been cleared for functional football activity, the veteran quarterback is not yet ready to take contact just over two and a half months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn left Achilles' tendon. Rodgers is thus slated to be a limited participant in practices, and he's uncertain to be activated from IR once the evaluation window closes in three weeks. In any case, Wednesday's move is at least another step forward in Rodgers potentially playing again this season, though the 39-year-old has suggested that any return will hinge on the 4-7 Jets remaining in playoff contention in the weeks to come.

Head coach Bill Belichick declined Wednesday to name either Jones or Bailey Zappe the Patriots' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.

Jones has started all 11 games for the Patriots this season, but he's been pulled early in both of the team's last two contests. After completing 12 of 21 passes for 89 yards and two interceptions in the first two quarters of this past Sunday's 10-7 loss to the Giants, Jones was benched at halftime in favor of Zappe. Over the final two quarters, Zappe didn't fare dramatically better than Jones, completing nine of 14 passes for 54 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Jones and Zappe still profile as the top starting candidates for Week 13, but if Belichick elects to go in a different direction, the Patriots have Will Grier and Malik Cunningham available on the practice squad, though Cunningham has seen more of his reps at receiver of late.

The Buccaneers are optimistic that Mayfield (ankle) will be able to suit up versus the Panthers on Sunday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Mayfield injured his ankle on a quarterback sneak at the goal line in first quarter of this past Sunday's loss to the Colts, but he missed only a couple snaps before returning to the game. He may be limited in practices leading into the Week 13 matchup with Carolina, but there's reason to be optimistic about his chances of playing. He underwent an MRI on Monday, with negative results confirming he avoided any ligament damage. Mayfield has thrown exactly two passing touchdowns in four of his last five appearances, making him a possible streaming option for fantasy purposes against a lackluster Carolina secondary.

Rodgers (Achilles) said Tuesday during his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show that he's "not at an ability to play at this point" but noted that he's still not ruling out a return to game action in 2023 so long as the Jets remain in playoff contention, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

While going into detail about his rehab, Rodgers said that he's now back at the Jets' facility on a full-time basis and has resumed running on an anti-gravity treadmill. The veteran QB noted that his next step is to resume throwing to his teammates and going through the individual portions of practice, something that Ian Rapoport of NFL Network previously reported could happen as soon as this week. Before Rodgers is eligible to take part in individual work at practice, the Jets will have to designate him for return from IR, opening a 21-day window in which to evaluate him for a return to the 53-man roster. Since Rodgers would likely need the entire three weeks to get himself in position to play, he's believed to be targeting a return for the team's Christmas Eve matchup with the Commanders. However, the Jets have lost four games in a row and hold a 4-7 record, and if they continue to fade from playoff contention, Rodgers will likely turn his focus toward getting back to 100 percent in time for New York's offseason program.

Pickett is dealing with ankle soreness and could have his practice participation limited during Week 13 prep, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.

Head coach Mike Tomlin didn't seem concerned Tuesday about Pickett's availability for a Week 13 contest against the Cardinals, but the signal-caller still looks like he could be at risk of missing out on some reps when the Steelers hold their first practice of the week Wednesday. In his first game this past Sunday working with a new offensive coordinator (Eddie Faulkner) and play-caller (Mike Sullivan), Pickett turned in a quality performance in the Steelers' 16-10 win over the Bengals, completing 24 of 33 pass attempts for a season-high 278 yards while taking no sacks and committing no turnovers.

Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell said after Monday's 12-10 loss to the Bears that he'll evaluate Dobbs' four-game performance at quarterback before naming a starter following the Vikings' Week 13 bye, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

O'Connell mentioned that he debated putting Nick Mullens into Monday's game after Dobbs struggled and threw four interceptions, so the Vikings could be serious about considering a quarterback change. Dobbs would still likely be the favorite to start over Mullens or Jaren Hall, but it doesn't sound like a given. Since being acquired from the Cardinals on Oct. 31, Dobbs has started in three of his four appearances and has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 6.5 yards per attempt, five touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 142 yards and three scores on the ground and fumbling six times (losing three).

Dobbs completed 22 of 32 passes for 185 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions in the Vikings' 12-10 loss to the Bears on Monday night. He also rushed twice for 11 yards.

Dobbs ultimately cobbled together a decent completion rate, but he averaged just 5.8 yards per attempt and constantly short-circuited drives with his interceptions. Improbably, only one of Dobbs' four picks led to any Bears points, and only a field goal at that. However, the first three came in Chicago territory, which was particularly costly in a game decided by two points. Dobbs did manage to pull the Vikings ahead just past the midway point of the fourth quarter with a 17-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Hockenson, but Justin Fields ultimately one-upped him by leading a game-winning drive. Dobbs takes a 13:10 TD:INT (4:5 in four games with Minnesota) into a Week 14 road matchup against the Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 10 following a Week 13 bye.

Fields completed 27 of 37 passes for 217 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and rushed 12 times for 59 yards in the Bears' 12-10 win over the Vikings on Monday. He also lost two fumbles.

Fields opened the game red-hot from an efficiency standpoint, completing his first 12 passes before one of his throws hit the ground for the first time at the 14:24 mark of the second quarter. The dynamic signal-caller went on to connect with a narrow pool of five targets, and his chemistry with DJ Moore was on display throughout the night to the tune of 11 completions and 114 yards. Fields' first fumble, which came on a Danielle Hunter sack early in the fourth quarter, led to the only touchdown of the night for either club, but Fields atoned for it by putting Chicago into position for what would prove to be the game-winning field goal on a drive in which he hit Moore for gains of 16 and 36 yards. The Bears remain extreme long shots for the postseason at 4-8, but Fields heads into the Week 13 bye with some momentum and gets a rematch with a shaky Lions secondary in his Week 14 return to action Sunday, Dec. 10.

Burrow underwent surgery to repair the torn ligament in his right wrist Monday.

The Bengals released the following statement regarding the surgery: "The procedure went as planned and he is expected to make a complete recovery. Joe will return to Cincinnati this week to be with the team and begin the recovery and rehab process." Burrow is in line to miss the rest of the campaign, capping him at 2,309 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions over 10 games. He's expected to be healthy well in advance of the 2024 season.