NFL Player News

Thompson-Robinson (coach's decision) is a healthy inactive for Sunday's contest against the Colts.

Thompson-Robinson served as the No. 2 quarterback in Weeks 1 through 3 and subsequently started Week 4. However, he has since fallen behind PJ Walker in the pecking order under center. With Deshaun Watson (shoulder) set to return Sunday, Thompson-Robinson slots in as the Browns' No. 3 quarterback option in Week 7.

Zappe is active for Sunday's game against the Bills, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Zappe was the Patriots' emergency third QB for last weekend's game against the Raiders, but he'll be the No. 2 option behind Mac Jones this time around. Meanwhile, QB/WR Malik Cunningham is inactive, while Will Grier is the team's designated third QB on Sunday.

Cunningham is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bills, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

The versatile Cunningham suited up last weekend and logged six snaps behind starter Mac Jones. This time around, Bailey Zappe will serve as the team's No. 2 QB, with Will Grier the designated third option at the position.

Walker is will serve as the Browns' No. 2 quarterback in Sunday's game against the Bears with Deshaun Watson (shoulder) active for the contest and in line to start.

Though he was elevated from the practice squad for the Browns' third game in a row, Walker will move into a backup role Week 7 with Watson making his return from a two-game absence. After Dorian Thompson-Robinson struggled while starting in place of Watson in a Week 4 loss to the Ravens, Walker drew the nod coming out of the team's Week 5 bye while Watson remained sidelined. Though the Browns were able to secure a 19-17 upset victory over the previously undefeated 49ers, Walker wasn't a major factor in the win, as he completed just 18 of 34 passes for 192 yards while throwing two interceptions. Walker will remain ahead of Thompson-Robinson on the depth chart this week, but the Browns will have to sign Walker to the 53-man roster in order for him to be eligible to dress as Watson's backup in any subsequent contests.

Jones (neck) is listed as inactive Sunday versus the Commanders, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

As of Friday, Jones still wasn't cleared for contact due to the neck injury that he sustained Week 5 at Miami, and he'll miss a second game in a row as a result of the issue. In Jones' stead, Tyrod Taylor again will direct the Giants offense Week 7, while the former will aim to get healthy for next Sunday's matchup with the Jets.

Watson (shoulder) is active and will serve as the Browns' starting quarterback in Sunday's game at Chicago.

Though he was listed as questionable heading into the weekend, Watson is set to return two-game absence and play for the first time since Week 3 after he was able to put in a full practice Friday and take all of the first-team reps during Saturday's walkthrough. According to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Watson still has some microtears in his right rotator cuff, but he won't face any restrictions with his throwing or running as he re-enters the lineup. His return should provide a boost to the fantasy prospects of all of Cleveland's key pass catchers after rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson and journeyman PJ Walker drew one start apiece under center while Watson was out.

The Cardinals plan to take multiple weeks to evaluate Murray (knee) in practice, with the team's Nov. 12 matchup with the Falcons in Week 10 considered the likeliest game for the quarterback to make his 2023 debut, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Arizona opened Murray's 21-day practice evaluation window this past Wednesday, marking the first step toward the signal-caller's return to game action following his Jan. 3 surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. Though Murray reportedly fared well during his trio of limited practices this week, he wasn't activated from the PUP list ahead of Sunday's game against the Seahawks, and he looks like he could miss another two contests beyond that while Arizona aims to ensure that he's physically and mentally ready to play. The Cardinals already seem to be discounting the possibility of Murray returning to action Week 8 against the Ravens, as Rapoport relays that the 26-year-old won't be available until at least the team's Week 9 game in Cleveland on Nov. 5 if "all goes perfectly well on the field and off it." Joshua Dobbs will continue to direct the offense for whatever length of time Murray misses, but despite the 1-5 Cardinals' status as a non-contender, the team isn't entertaining the idea of keeping Murray on the PUP list for the rest of the season if he receives clearance from doctors. As Adam Schefter of ESPN notes, Murray's $29.9 million salary for 2025 becomes fully guaranteed if the quarterback can't pass a physical by March 2024, which had led to some speculation that Arizona would hold him out this season to avoid the risk of an injury that would make moving on from him more difficult if the team selects a new franchise quarterback in the draft next April.

Taylor is on track to make a second straight start Sunday against the Commanders, with Daniel Jones (neck) listed as questionable but not expected to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

After sitting out last week's loss to the Bills, Jones made positive strides in his recovery from the neck injury this week. Jones was listed as a limited participant in practices Wednesday through Friday, but because he has yet to be cleared to take contact as of Saturday, the Giants are likely to play it safe with their franchise signal-caller and hold him out for another week. Head coach Brian Daboll will entrust the 34-year-old Taylor to direct the offense in what will likely be a conservative game plan, though the veteran quarterback was able to do his part to keep the Giants competitive last week in a 14-9 loss to the heavily favored Bills. He completed 24 of his 36 pass attempts for 200 yards and added 24 yards on the ground while committing no turnovers as the Giants controlled time of possession.

Tannehill (ankle) hasn't yet been ruled out for the Titans' next game Oct. 29 against the Falcons, but he's considered unlikely to play coming out of the team's Week 7 bye, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Tannehill sat out the final quarter of the Titans' Week 6 loss to the Ravens in London after suffering a right high-ankle sprain. Though the sprain is to the same ankle that he had tightrope surgery on in December, the latest version of the injury isn't considered as significant and won't require another procedure. However, Tannehill is sporting a cast on his lower leg and is using crutches so as not to put any weight on his injured ankle, so he still looks like he could still require a multi-week recovery. Malik Willis dressed as the Titans' No. 2 quarterback in Week 6 and came on in relief of the injured Tannehill, but head coach Mike Vrabel hasn't revealed whether Willis or rookie second-round pick Will Levis would draw the starting nod Week 8 if Tannehill can't play.

Fields (thumb), who has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Raiders, won't require surgery on his throwing hand and may have a chance at playing in the Bears' Week 8 game against the Chargers on Oct. 29, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Fields dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand in the Bears' Week 6 loss to the Vikings, and though the team isn't putting an official timeline on his return, Rapoport relays that the quarterback's thumb injury is considered a 2-to-3-week injury. With that in mind, the Bears aren't yet ready to rule Fields out from playing Week 8, but he'll almost certainly need to practice at least once between next Wednesday and Friday just to take a questionable designation into that contest. Rapoport adds that Fields is already regaining grip strength, but the Bears likely won't be able to gauge if he's fit to play until evaluating him in a practice setting. Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent will make the start in Fields' stead Week 7 and will be backed up by Nathan Peterman.