NFL Player News

Walker is in line to take over as the Browns' starting quarterback Sunday against the Steelers after Cleveland announced Wednesday that Deshaun Watson will require season-ending surgery to address a non-displaced fractured right shoulder, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Per Rapoport, Watson is headed to injured reserve after an MRI revealed that he sustained a left high-ankle sprain as well as the shoulder fracture in Sunday's win over the Ravens. As a result, Walker is on track to move into a starting role going forward, with Dorian Thompson-Robinson slated to serve as his backup. With that in mind, Walker represents a fantasy option for those who roster Watson or are otherwise in need of signal-caller depth heading into Week 11. Walker has struggled to impress while making two starts and playing three quarters of another game while Watson missed time with a rotator cuff strain earlier this season, completing 48 of 97 pass attempts (49.5) percent for 618 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions.

The Browns announced Wednesday that Watson (ankle) will undergo season-ending surgery to address a displaced fracture in his right shoulder.

Watson previously missed three games and three quarters of another due to what had been described as a right rotator cuff strain, but he returned to action to start both of the Browns' past two contests. During Sunday's 33-31 win over the Ravens, Watson exited late in the second quarter after he appeared to injure his left ankle, but he missed just one snap and proceeded to complete all 14 of his pass attempts in the second half to help lead Cleveland to a come-from-behind victory. The Browns sent Watson in for what was described as a precautionary MRI on Monday, and unfortunately for the quarterback, he was diagnosed not only with a high-ankle sprain, but also a fracture in his throwing shoulder, which apparently stemmed from a hit he took in the first half against the Ravens. He'll head in for surgery on the shoulder in the coming days and will be placed on injured reserve, but the Browns fully expect Watson to be ready to go for the 2024 season. P.J. Walker is expected to step in as the Browns' new starting quarterback beginning with Sunday's game against the Steelers. Since being acquired from the Texans in March 2022 and immediately signing a five-year, $230 million contract, Watson has appeared in just 12 games for Cleveland and has completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 6.5 yards per attempt, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions while adding 317 yards and two scores on 62 carries.

Watson (ankle) is still awaiting results from an MRI, but he said Tuesday that he expects to play in Week 11 against the Steelers, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports.

Watson said as long as his ankle isn't broken, torn or hanging by a ligament, he'll be suiting up for the divisional matchup. Per Cabot, the quarterback's injury isn't expected to be anything close to that severe. Watson suffered the injury late in the second quarter of last Sunday's comeback win over the Ravens and missed the final offensive snap before halftime, but he returned for the second half.

Rodgers (Achilles) said Tuesday on the Pat McAfee Show that he expects to return later in the season, but he's not targeting a specific date, Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports.

Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, NBC's Melissa Stark reported Sunday night that Rodgers had mentioned a possible mid-December return, but it appears the quarterback is taking things one step at a time. The four-time MVP suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1 against the Bills and was initially expected to miss his entire inaugural season with the Jets, but the team has stayed optimistic Rodgers might get back onto the field this season if it could stay in the playoff hunt. The Jets dropped to 4-5 after losing to the Raiders on Sunday night, but they face a reeling Bills team on the road in Week 11.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was non-committal Tuesday when asked if Jones (undisclosed) was still the team's No. 1 quarterback, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports. "We have a lot of things to work on this week as a team. We'll work through those. That is what we are going to do this week," Belichick said.

With New England heading into its bye riding a three-game losing streak, Belichick and his coaching staff appear set to re-evaluate the depth chart at multiple spots, including quarterback. Though Jones has started all 10 of the team's games to date, he's failed to finish three of those contests. His first two benchings came in blowout losses to the Cowboys and Saints, but Jones' early removal this past Sunday came while the Patriots had a chance to win the game, and his last pass attempt resulted in a costly red-zone interception with 4:24 left in the fourth quarter. Bailey Zappe stepped in under center and threw a similarly ugly interception on the subsequent possession that sealed the game for the Colts. Coming out of their bye, the 2-8 Patriots could be motivated to see if Zappe or even third-stringer Will Grier can provide a spark to a dormant offense. Jones is tied for second in the NFL with 10 interceptions, and his 6.3 yards per attempt is the third-worst mark in the NFL among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 300 passes.

Cousins (Achilles) announced Tuesday via social media that he had the cast removed from his right foot, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

Cousins will ditch the cast just under two weeks after undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn Achilles' tendon. The 35-year-old quarterback will face a lengthy rehab process, but he could receive full medical clearance in time for training camp, if not OTAs. Whether Cousins will be taking part in offseason work with the Vikings or another team is up in the air, as he's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.

Wilson completed 24 of 29 passes for 193 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Monday's 24-22 win over the Bills.

For the second consecutive game, Denver used a run-heavy offensive approach to deliver an upset win. Wilson still played a key role, connecting on touchdowns from seven and three yards away to Courtland Sutton and Javonte Williams, respectively. He also played well when needed, as he led a go-ahead drive in the middle of the fourth quarter and then ran an effective drive in the two-minute offense to set up the game-winning field goal as time expired. Wilson hasn't attempted 30 passes since Week 5, but in four games since, he's thrown seven touchdowns as opposed to only two interceptions.

Allen completed 15 of 26 passes for 177 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the Bills' 24-22 loss to the Broncos on Monday night. He also rushed four times for 13 yards and another score, threw a two-point conversion pass and lost a fumble.

Allen surprisingly was stymied by an aggressive and improving Broncos defense that was able to limit him to his second-lowest yardage tally of the season. The versatile signal-caller also tossed an interception for the sixth straight game and multiple picks for the first time since Week 1. Allen's pair of miscues through the air directly led to only three Broncos points, but his first one robbed Buffalo of a great chance for at least that much since it came on Denver's 12-yard line. Allen atoned for those errors and his third-quarter fumble with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid and a go-ahead six-yard scoring run with 1:55 remaining, but the Bills still came up short thanks to the Broncos' improbable game-winning drive. Allen will now look to prevent his team from falling below .500 in a home divisional rematch of the season opener with the Jets in Week 11.

Hill logged one rushing attempt for six yards to go along with two receptions (on four targets) for 17 yards during Sunday's 27-19 loss to Minnesota.

Hill looked like he was on pace for another productive night early on, logging two receptions and what wound up being his lone rushing attempt over the Saints' first two offensive series. He fell to the wayside until the third quarter, when he failed to haul in back-to-back passes from backup quarterback Jameis Winston, who stepped in to relieve injured starter Derek Carr (shoulder). Hill's most productive outings this season have come while being used as a running quarterback, but the Saints likely abandoned that portion of the playbook after falling behind 24-3 at halftime. Hill's role as a receiver when lined up at tight end has netted him a consistent 4.6 targets per game over the last five games, but he's still averaged just 7.9 yards per reception over this span. The 33-year-old will look to get more involved after the Saints next play following their Week 11 bye.

Mannion reverted to the Vikings' practice squad Monday.

Mannion operated as the team's backup quarterback behind Joshua Dobbs in Minnesota's 27-19 win over New Orleans, failing to enter the game. If Jaren Hall (concussion) and Nick Mullens (back) remain unavailable to play in Week 11, it's likely that Mannion will once again be elevated to the active roster for the team's contest with the Broncos.