NFL Player News

Allen will be a limited participant in practice Wednesday due to a right shoulder injury, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

Per Skurski, Allen hasn't suffered any setbacks in his recovery from the shoulder issue, which resulted in him appearing on injury reports both of the past two weeks. Allen was a full participant in every practice in those weeks, however, so his limited activity to begin Week 9 prep makes his status worth tracking as Sunday's game against the Bengals approaches. So long as Allen returns to full practice participation by Friday, he'll likely head into the weekend minus an injury designation. For his part, Allen told Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site that he's hoping to increase his practice activity Thursday.

Head coach Arthur Smith said Wednesday that Ridder has been medically cleared but will serve as the top backup to Taylor Heinicke in Sunday's game versus the Vikings, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Smith noted that the decision to start Heinicke over Ridder for Week 9 was made with the short-term in mind. Ridder was forced out of last week's loss to the Titans in the first half and evaluated for a concussion, and even after he was medically cleared to return, the Falcons stuck with Heinicke at quarterback to finish out the contest. Smith is seemingly still taking a cautious approach to Ridder's health, though the Falcons will allow him to suit up Sunday in a backup capacity. Even if the starting decision was made solely with Sunday's game against Minnesota in mind, if Heinicke is able to show well, he could end up sticking as the team's No. 1 signal-caller going forward. Through eight games, Ridder has turned the ball over 12 times (six interceptions, six lost fumbles) and compiled just nine touchdowns (six passing, three rushing).

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said that Heinicke will start Sunday's game against the Vikings, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Heinicke will pick up his first start of the season, despite incumbent Desmond Ridder having been cleared to serve as Atlanta's backup after passing all concussion tests following his removal from this past Sunday's loss to the Titans, per Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site. While coming on in relief of Ridder in Week 8, Heinicke played the final two quarters and completed 12 of 21 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown. Smith noted that the quarterback change is a short-term decision focused on the Minnesota matchup, but if Heinicke can move this offense efficiently on Sunday, he could keep a grip on the starting gig over Ridder, who had turned the ball over 12 times (six interceptions, six lost fumbles) through Atlanta's first eight games.

The Raiders plan to move forward with O'Connell as their starting quarterback beginning with Sunday's game against the Giants, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Las Vegas appears set to make a change at quarterback after the team announced major staff changes earlier Wednesday, when head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler were fired from their positions. With the 3-5 Raiders sitting on the periphery of the AFC playoff picture, O'Connell, a rookie fourth-round pick out of Purdue, looks as though he'll get an extended evaluation in place of Jimmy Garoppolo, who struggled in Las Vegas' Week 8 loss to the Lions and has thrown a league-high nine interceptions despite playing in only six of Las Vegas' first eight games. O'Connell represents a fantasy option for managers who had rostered Garoppolo or who are otherwise in need of quarterback depth heading into the Week 9 slate.

Garoppolo appears to be headed for a bench role, as the Raiders are "leaning toward" having rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell start Sunday's game against the Giants, a source tells Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Bonsignore issued his report just over an hour after the Raiders announced the firings of head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler. The coaching and front-office shakeup looks as though it may extend to the team's personnel, as the 3-5 Raiders could be motivated to give O'Connell a longer look in the midst of a losing season, especially with Garoppolo having underwhelmed through his first six starts with Las Vegas. Despite missing one game apiece due to a concussion and back injury, Garoppolo has thrown a league-high nine interceptions on the season. He had completed 68.1 percent of his throws and averaged a respectable 7.5 yards per attempt through his first three starts, but since returning from the concussion that kept him out Week 4, Garoppolo has seen his efficiency dip substantially over his subsequent three starts (62.2 percent completion rate, 6.7 YPA). Garoppolo is in the first season of a three-year, $72.75 million contract, but only $33.75 million of the deal is fully guaranteed. The Raiders would still take a $28.3 million dead-cap hit for 2024 if they release Garoppolo next year, but they could lower his cap hit to $15.5 million for 2024 and $12.8 million for 2025 if they designate him as a post-June 1 cut.

The Raiders are "leaning toward" having O'Connell start Sunday's game against the Giants, a source tells Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Bonsignore's report was published just over an hour after the Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler earlier Wednesday. Interim head coach Antonio Pierce will likely meet with the media later Wednesday to clarify the Raiders' plans at quarterback moving forward, but with Las Vegas sitting on a 3-5 record and not shaping up as a playoff contender, the team may be inclined to evaluate the rookie O'Connell rather than sticking with struggling veteran Jimmy Garoppolo as the team's starter. O'Connell previously drew a start Week 4 while Garoppolo was out with a concussion and also relieved Brian Hoyer for the second half of a Week 7 loss to the Bears. Between those two contests, O'Connell completed 34 of 52 pass attempts (65.4 percent) for 313 yards (6.0 yards per attempt), one touchdown and two interceptions. He also added a score on the ground.

Cousins announced Wednesday via social media that he underwent successful surgery to repair his torn right Achilles' tendon.

Cousins is already on the road to recovery after having suffered a season-ending Achilles tear during Sunday's win over the Packers. According to The Athletic, full healing of an Achilles' tendon typically takes about 4-to-6 months, and given his age, the 35-year-old quarterback could need more time beyond that period before he's cleared for high-impact football activities. In any case, Cousins should have a chance at being ready to go when NFL training camps open next July, but as a pending unrestricted free agent, it remains to be seen whether he'll stick around in Minnesota or land elsewhere. For the immediate future, the Vikings will turn to rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall to replace Cousins as their starting quarterback Week 9 at Atlanta. The Vikings also acquired a more experienced quarterback in Joshua Dobbs from the Cardinals on Tuesday, giving the team an alternative under center if Hall doesn't prove to be NFL ready.

Watson (shoulder) isn't expected to be ready to start Sunday's game against Arizona, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Browns haven't officially ruled Watson out for Week 9, but the quarterback's status has been murky every week since he emerged from the team's Week 3 win over the Titans with a rotator cuff injury. After struggling to throw the football at optimal velocity in his brief return to the lineup in a Week 7 win over the Colts, Watson sat out this past Sunday's loss to Seattle and could be poised for another absence this weekend. Watson didn't practice in any capacity last week while he focused on rehabbing his right shoulder, but he could be able to take a step forward in terms of practice activity this week. If Watson isn't available Sunday, the Browns will turn to either PJ Walker or Dorian Thompson-Robinson as their starter.

The Giants signed Barkley to their practice squad Tuesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Barkley was let go from the Bills' practice squad Sept. 1 after sustaining an elbow injury during the preseason. With Tyrod Taylor (ribs) knocked out of Sunday's 13-10 overtime loss to the Jets and Daniel Jones just (neck) cleared for contact, the Giants signed Tommy DeVito to their active roster Tuesday and added Barkley to their practice squad as insurance in case Jones or Taylor are unable to suit up this week.

Pickett (ribs) was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice.

According to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, the Steelers held more of a walk-through session than a traditional practice Tuesday, and Pickett was spotted doing some light throwing in the portion of the workout that was open to the media. After injuring his ribs and exiting this past Sunday's loss to the Jaguars, Pickett and the Steelers face a quick turnaround Week 9 with a Thursday night game against the Titans. Despite having limited time to heal from the injury, Pickett said Tuesday that he expects to start Thursday's game. Unless he upgrades to full practice participation Wednesday, however, Pickett will likely be listed as questionable heading into the contest.