NFL Player News

Hoyer is in line to start Sunday's game against the Bears in place of the injured Jimmy Garoppolo (back), sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Head coach Josh McDaniels never officially confirmed a Week 7 starting quarterback after Garoppolo was ruled out for the game following Friday's practice, but Hoyer looks like he'll get his first start of the season after rookie Aidan O'Connell previously drew the assignment when Garoppolo was sidelined for a Week 4 loss to the Chargers due to a concussion. Hoyer was active as the No. 2 quarterback for this past Sunday's game against the Patriots and stepped in capably when Garoppolo exited the contest in the second half. He proved to be a competent game manager as the Raiders finished out the 21-17 win, completing six of 10 pass attempts for 102 yards while committing no turnovers. Adam Schefter of ESPN relays that Garoppolo is expected to return to the lineup for the Raiders' Week 8 game against the Lions, so Hoyer's run atop the depth chart will likely last just one contest.

Garoppolo (back), who is listed as out for Sunday's game at Chicago, is expected to return to the lineup for the Raiders' Week 8 game in Detroit on Oct. 30, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Garoppolo will be missing his second game of the season Sunday, this time on account of a back injury after he sat out the Raiders' Week 4 loss to the Chargers while in concussion protocol. Though Garoppolo didn't practice in any fashion this week while dealing with what has been described as overall back soreness, Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels said the signal-caller "dodged a big bullet" after scans showed no internal injuries, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Brian Hoyer -- who came on in relief of the injured Garoppolo in the Raiders' Week 6 win over the Patriots -- will pick up his first start of the season this Sunday while Garoppolo gets some extra time off to heal.

Watson (shoulder) remains listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Colts but is on track to start the contest, barring a setback prior to the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Rapoport notes that Watson took first-team reps during Saturday's walkthrough, which comes on the heels of the quarterback having returned to a full practice Friday. Though head coach Kevin Stefanski wasn't yet willing to commit to Watson making his return from a two-game absence this weekend, Stefanski relayed that the signal-caller looked good in his return to full activity Friday. Assuming the rotator cuff injury presents no unexpected complications while he throws in pregame warmups, Watson should be back under center Sunday. Through three appearances on the season, Watson has completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 678 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions while adding 83 yards and a score on 15 carries.

DeVito was elevated to the Giants' active roster ahead of Sunday's game against the Commanders, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

DeVito's elevation hints that quarterback Daniel Jones won't be available for the second consecutive week. The 25-year-old DeVito signed with the Giants after going undrafted this past offseason, and he'll likely back up Tyrod Taylor during Sunday's contest.

Rourke was waived by the Jaguars on Saturday, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

Rourke was elevated from Jacksonville's practice squad to the active roster ahead of Thursday night's game against the Saints, and he served as the team's emergency quarterback. The Ohio product has since been waived and could very well end up on the Jaguars' practice squad if he clears waivers.

Jones (neck), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's matchup versus the Commanders, is considered a long shot to play, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Fowler's report seems to echo one given Friday by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, who relayed that Jones was "on the wrong side of questionable." As of Saturday, Jones has yet to be cleared for contact, making it unlikely that he suits up Sunday despite turning in a trio of limited practices this week. As a result, Tyrod Taylor appears likely to make his second consecutive start for Big Blue after throwing for 200 yards on 36 pass attempts in a 14-9 loss to the Bills last week.

The Browns elevated Walker from the practice squad Saturday.

The transaction doesn't necessarily indicate that Walker is in store to make a second straight start, as he could be working ahead of Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the No. 2 quarterback behind Deshaun Watson (shoulder). The Browns are listing Watson as questionable for the Week 7 contest, but he may be on track to put an end to his two-game absence after practicing fully Friday. Expect more information on the Browns' quarterback situation to arrive prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

O'Connell is in line to serve as Brian Hoyer's backup this Sunday at Chicago with Jimmy Garoppolo (back) ruled out for the Week 7 contest, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

O'Connell previously got the nod for Garoppolo when the latter missed Week 4 due to a concussion, completing 24 of 39 passes for 238 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, rushing three times for three yards and a TD and fumbling three times (two lost). With Garoppolo now sidelined due to a back injury, Hoyer will get the first chance to step in after leading the Raiders to a 19-17 win against the Patriots this past Sunday. In the end, though, O'Connell is just one play away from seeing his next game action.

Murray (knee), a limited practice participant throughout the week, has been ruled out for Sunday's game in Seattle, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon already said that Joshua Dobbs would get at least one more start, even though Murray took some of the first-team reps in practice this week, per Weinfuss. The quarterback's return to practice Wednesday started a 21-day window in which he can be activated to the roster before defaulting back to injured reserve for the rest of the season, and the Cardinals haven't ruled out the possibility of Murray starting Week 8 against the Ravens or Week 9 at the Browns.

The Raiders have yet to confirm whether Hoyer or Aidan O'Connell will start Sunday's game against the Bears in place of Jimmy Garoppolo (back), but Hoyer is expected to draw the assignment, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.

Though O'Connell drew the start when Garoppolo was sidelined Week 4 against the Chargers due to a concussion, it was Hoyer who stepped in for Garoppolo after he exited this past Sunday's win over the Patriots. This time around, the Raiders appear set to proceed with the more experienced option in Hoyer, and assuming that's confirmed, the veteran signal-caller will represent a lineup option for those who roster Garoppolo or are otherwise scrambling for a quarterback in Week 7.