NFL Player News

Watson (shoulder) isn't participating in Thursday's practice, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski already announced that Watson won't start Sunday's game in Seattle after the veteran signal-caller didn't look to be fully healed from his right rotator cuff strain in his brief return from a two-game absence during the team's Week 7 win over the Colts. Though PJ Walker will get the starting nod Sunday, the Browns haven't officially ruled Watson out from being available as an emergency backup, though the 28-year-old's back-to-back absences at practice to begin Week 8 prep suggests that he's trending toward being inactive for the game. Look for Dorian Thompson-Robinson to serve as the No. 2 option behind Walker on Sunday while Watson focuses on rehabbing his shoulder this week. Stefanski confirmed Wednesday that an MRI on Watson's shoulder came back clean following his departure from the Week 7 game, but the signal-caller is still dealing with "residual swelling that's affecting his throwing," per Jake Trotter of ESPN.com. For his part, Watson told Trotter that while he won't need surgery, he's uncertain how long the injury might linger, making it far from a lock that he'll be ready to play Week 9 against the Cardinals.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said that Garoppolo (back) will practice Thursday and is "hopeful" the quarterback will play Monday against the Lions, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

Garoppolo didn't practice at all last week before sitting out Sunday's loss to the Bears, but the Raiders appear confident that the veteran signal-caller won't be headed for any further absences, barring a setback. The Raiders will release theri first Week 8 injury report later Thursday, which will indicate whether Garoppolo was a limited or full participant in his return to the field.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll said that the status quo remains in place for Jones (neck), who still hasn't been cleared for contact and will be a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Jones will go down as a limited participant for the fifth practice in a row, and unless he takes a dramatic step forward in terms of his practice activity Friday, he'll most likely miss a third consecutive game this Sunday against the Jets. The Giants listed Jones as questionable ahead of their Week 7 game versus Washington, but he was ultimately inactive while practice-squad call-up Tommy DeVito served as the backup behind fill-in starter Tyrod Taylor. With Taylor taking all the first-team reps to begin Week 8 prep Wednesday, he appears to be headed for a third straight start while Jones gets more time to heal up from his neck injury.

Mayfield (knee) is expected to suit up for Thursday's game at Buffalo, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Mayfield is officially listed as questionable for the Week 8 game, but the expectation is that he will take the field and play through his knee injury after being listed as a full participant on Wednesday's injury report. Chris Godwin (neck) is also expected to play versus the Bills. Official word on Mayfield's status will come when the Buccaneers release their inactive list roughly 90 minutes before Thursday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.

Purdy (concussion) officially didn't take part in Wednesday's walk-through session, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News on Wednesday that Purdy developed concussion symptoms on the flight back to San Francisco after Monday's 22-17 loss at Minnesota. Per Wagoner, Shanahan wasn't sure when Purdy sustained the injury but thought it may have happened on one of his two quarterback sneaks in the fourth quarter. Purdy may have a tough time passing through all five phases of the concussion protocol on a short week, and if he's unavailable Sunday against the Bengals, the 49ers will turn to Sam Darnold under center.

Cunningham cleared waivers Wednesday and is slated to re-sign with the Patriots' practice squad, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Cunningham -- who served as Mac Jones' top backup Week 6 against Las Vegas -- was waived by the Patriots after being inactive for this past Sunday's win over the Bills, but the versatile quarterback/receiver is back with the organization in short order. Meanwhile, Bailey Zappe and Will Grier remain on the 53-man roster as quarterback depth behind Jones.

Murray (knee) practiced fully Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Murray is in the second full week of his 21-day window in which he can be activated from the reserve/PUP list. Last week, he operated with a cap on his reps Wednesday through Friday, but those limitations appear to be in the rear-view mirror as the Cardinals begin Week 8 prep. Head coach Jonathan Gannon has been coy about when Murray may make his season debut, but if he continues to put together uninhibited practices this week, there's a chance he'll be available this Sunday against the Ravens. Arizona has until Saturday at 4 p.m. ET to activate Murray for the Week 8 contest.

Mayfield (knee) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game in Buffalo, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

After opening Week 8 prep with an absence due to a knee injury, Mayfield was subsequently limited during Tuesday's walk-through session before turning in a full practice Wednesday. Still, as with wide receiver Chris Godwin (neck), Mayfield's status for game day remains up in the air. Expect Mayfield's availability to be clarified about 90 minutes before Thursday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, when Tampa Bay will release its inactive list.

Fields (thumb) didn't practice Wednesday.

The absence from practice was expected after head coach Matt Eberflus referred to Fields as "doubtful" to play Sunday against the Chargers when asked Monday for an update on the quarterback's status. The 24-year-old likely will work with the training staff for most of the week while Tyson Bagent prepares for his second NFL start this weekend in Los Angeles.

Lawrence (knee) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

Lawrence approached this past Thursday's win over the Saints listed as questionable, but he was able to play though a mild left knee sprain while sporting a brace. Per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, Lawrence expects to wear a brace on the knee again in Sunday's game in Pittsburgh, but he should have a better chance of ditching an injury designation this week. Lawrence last practiced fully in Week 6, and he'll need to upgrade to all activity by Friday in order to avoid the questionable tag.