NFL Player News

Murray (knee) was a full practice participant Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

For a second consecutive week, Murray doesn't have any practice limitations, but his on-field work continues to occur solely with members of the Cardinals' practice squad, per Howard Balzer of GoPHNX.com. Meanwhile, rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune took snaps from starting center Hjalte Froholdt, and practice-squad quarterback Jeff Driskel also threw passes to players on the team's active roster. There's a chance Murray progresses enough to prove to Arizona's coaches, trainers and medical personnel that he's good to go for Sunday's game at Cleveland. Head coach Jonathan Gannon even told Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com on Wednesday that Murray is "fired up" and "ready to go." Still, Tune appears to be getting the reps consistent with the player who will get the start this weekend, leaving Murray somewhat behind the eight ball.

Mayfield (knee) practiced fully Wednesday.

Mayfield told Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site on Wednesday that he initially banged up his left knee Week 4 at New Orleans and aggravated the injury Week 7 against the Falcons. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, Mayfield is dealing with a contusion, but the quarterback relayed that his knee is feeling better by the day, and he intends to play through the injury. Mayfield's activity level to begin Week 9 prep indicates that he's good to go for Sunday's visit to the Texans.

Watson (shoulder), who was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, didn't appear to be restricted with his throwing and took every rep with the first-team offense in the portion of the session that was open to the media, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Watson has sat out three of the Browns' past four games due to a rotator cuff strain in his right shoulder, with his lone appearance coming in a Week 7 loss to the Colts and lasting less than one quarter after he was shut down for the day when his ability to throw at full velocity appeared to be compromised. After sitting out all three of the Browns' Week 8 practices while focusing on rehabbing his throwing shoulder, Watson is seemingly in much better condition physically as Cleveland begins Week 9 prep. Jackson was one of several Browns beat writers that came away convinced about Watson's health in his return to practice Wednesday, with Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram going as far to say that Watson "threw with more zip than at any point since he was injured Sept. 24 during a win over the Titans." Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that he wasn't yet ready to make a decision on Watson's status for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, though Stefanski noted that PJ Walker will draw a second straight start if Watson remains sidelined this weekend. The Browns will likely wait and see how Watson fares during practices Thursday and Friday before providing an update on their plans at quarterback for Week 9.

Pickett (ribs) was listed as a full participant for Wednesday's practice and doesn't carry an injury designation for Thursday's game against the Titans, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Pickett, who was forced out of this past Sunday's 20-10 loss to the Jaguars due to a rib injury, previously stated that he planned to play Thursday. His availability for Week 9 has now been confirmed upon the release of Wednesday's injury report. Now that Pickett's availability has been confirmed, he'll be working with a fully healthy wideout corps that includes Diontae Johnson, who logged 14 targets Week 8 in his second game back from a stint on injured reserve.

Garoppolo has been demoted from the starting quarterback role, with Las Vegas interim head coach Antonio Pierce announcing Wednesday that Aidan O'Connell will serve as the team's new top signal-caller beginning with Sunday's game against the Giants, Rachel Gossen of the Raiders' official site reports. "We just feel like he gives us the best chance," Pierce said of O'Connell.

After being appointed as the interim coach following the firing of Josh McDaniels earlier in the day, Pierce didn't wait long to make his first major personnel change. Pierce didn't clarify whether Garoppolo or Brian Hoyer will serve as the No. 2 quarterback Week 9, but the 3-5 Raiders appear set to give the rookie O'Connell an extended evaluation in what's shaping up to be a non-contending season. Garoppolo's move down the depth chart comes after he turned in a dismal performance in his return from a one-game absence due to a back injury in a 26-14 loss to the Lions on Monday, when he completed just 10 of 21 pass attempts for 126 yards and an interception while also taking six sacks. Despite missing two of the Raiders' eight games -- he also sat out Week 4 due to a concussion -- Garoppolo leads the NFL with nine interceptions at the halfway point of the season and has regressed mightily from an efficiency standpoint over his past three starts, completing just 62.2 percent of his passes for 6.7 yards per attempt. Garoppolo signed a three-year deal with the Raiders in the offseason that contains $33.75 million guaranteed, but Las Vegas could look to move on from him by next March, when he'll be due a $11.25 million bonus if he's still on the roster on the fifth day of the new league year, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Stafford (thumb) won't practice Wednesday, adding that the quarterback remains "day-to-day," Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Stafford missed the entire second half of this past Sunday's loss at Dallas due to a right thumb injury that he suffered just before halftime. On Monday, McVay termed the issue a UCL sprain, and as of Wednesday, he noted he'll give Stafford "right up before the game" this Sunday at Green Bay to determine whether or not he'll be available. Such comments indicate Stafford doesn't necessarily need to practice Thursday or Friday to be able to suit up. Instead, his availability (or lack thereof) will come down to reduced swelling in his right hand and also grip strength. If Stafford ultimately is unable to go this weekend, Brett Rypien will direct the Rams offense.

Interim head coach Antonio Pierce confirmed Wednesday that O'Connell has been named the Raiders' starting quarterback going forward, Rachel Gossen of the team's official site reports. "We just feel like he gives us the best chance," Pierce said of O'Connell.

The rookie's promotion to the top of the depth chart sends struggling veteran Jimmy Garoppolo into a backup role. In two appearances (one start) this season, O'Connell has accounted from three yards and a touchdown on the ground and has completed 34 of his 52 passing attempts for 313 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Now that he's been installed as Las Vegas' starter, the 2023 fourth-round picks profiles as a lineup option in deeper leagues or in formats that start two quarterbacks or have a QB flex spot. A classic pocket passer who didn't show much scrambling ability during his collegiate career at Purdue, O'Connell appears to have a limited fantasy ceiling, though he'll at least have some capable pass-catching weapons to work with in wideouts Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers and running back Josh Jacobs.

Hill was a limited participant in practice Wednesday due to a hip injury, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

Despite dealing with a chest issue during Week 8 prep, Hill had a season-best performance this past Sunday at Indianapolis, notching nine carries for 63 yards and two touchdowns, hauling in his only target for 14 yards and completing one of two passes for 44 yards. Now that he's tending to a new health concern, his status will be one to monitor as the weekend approaches to get a sense of his odds to suit up Sunday versus the Bears.

Levis will start Thursday's game against the Steelers with Ryan Tannehill (ankle) having been officially ruled out for the Week 9 contest.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel had already said Tuesday that Levis was trending toward a second straight start, and with Tannehill having remained a spectator for Wednesday's practice while tending to a right high-ankle sprain, the rookie second-round pick will remain atop the depth chart for at least one more week. In his NFL debut this past Sunday against the Falcons, Levis looked more seasoned than anticipated. In addition to playing turnover-free football and taking just two sacks, Levis completed 19 of his 29 pass attempts for 238 yards and four touchdowns while adding 11 yards on the ground. Though replicating the Week 8 performance will be a tough task, Levis at least gets a somewhat favorable draw in matching up with a Steelers pass defense that has given up 245.4 passing yards per game, good for 24th in the NFL.

Tannehill (ankle) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Steelers, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

As expected, Tannehill will miss his second straight game after he hasn't been able to practice in any fashion coming out of the Titans' Week 7 bye while he recovers from a right high-ankle sprain. Will Levis will draw another start in place of Tannehill and will be looking to build on his four-touchdown performance in his NFL debut this past Sunday against Atlanta. Tannehill's next chance to return to game action will come Nov. 12 against the Buccaneers, but if Levis submits another strong outing Thursday, it's conceivable that the rookie could settle atop the depth chart on a more permanent basis even if Tannehill is deemed fully healthy for Week 10.