NFL Player News

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that the Dolphins are planning to have Bridgewater start Sunday's game against Patriots after Tua Tagovailoa was diagnosed with a concussion, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Tagovailoa is following the NFL's five-step concussion protocol for the second time this season, after he previously suffered a brain injury in the Dolphins' Week 4 contest against the Bengals before going on to miss the team's next two games. Given Tagovailoa's recent history, the team will presumably proceed cautiously with him and prepare Bridgewater to make his second start of the season. Bridgewater last saw game action in relief of Skylar Thompson in the Dolphins' loss to the Vikings in Week 6, when he completed 23 of 34 pass attempts for 329 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed Wednesday that Tagovailoa sustained a concussion during Sunday's 26-20 loss to the Packers, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Tagovailoa was placed in the NFL's concussion protocol Monday after he reported symptoms of the brain injury following Sunday's loss. Per Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post, McDaniel said the Dolphins will approach this Sunday's road game against the Patriots with the expectation of Teddy Bridgewater starting. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that McDaniel declined to note whether the team will approach Tagovailoa's recovery with extra caution, given that he's now been evaluated for a concussion on three occasions this season due to an in-game hit. The last time Tagovailoa was placed in the five-step concussion protocol, he missed two games.

Heinicke will drop to second on the depth chart at quarterback with Washington naming Carson Wentz as its starter for Sunday's game against the Browns, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

With the 7-7-1 Commanders having suffered a pair of losses and a tie over their past three games, the team will turn the offense over to Wentz, who replaced the struggling Heinicke in Saturday's 37-20 loss to the 49ers. Wentz previously started Washington's first six games of the season before breaking his right ring finger on Oct. 13. Though Wentz has been healthy for several weeks, Heinicke retained the starting job after guiding Washington to a 5-3-1 overall record during his nine-game run atop the depth chart. However, the Commanders' recent slide will result in Heinicke moving back into a backup role.

Head coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that Fields won't be shut down for the Bears' final two games of the season, even though the quarterback has been playing through a left shoulder injury since Week 13 and had his foot stepped on during a Week 16 loss to the Bills, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

The 3-12 Bears don't have much at stake for the final two weeks of the season other than draft position, but that apparently won't prompt the team to exercise caution with the second-year signal-caller. Fields wasn't able to put full weight on his foot following the Week 16 contest but is expected to be good to go for Sunday's game in Detroit. Meanwhile, the injury to the quarterback's non-throwing shoulder is more of a nagging issue than one that dramatically hinders his performance, so at this stage, Eberflus is viewing the 23-year-old as healthy and available to play. Though the Bears have downplayed any concern about Fields, it's possible offensive coordinator Luke Getsy calls fewer designed runs for the quarterback over the next two weeks to limit the strain on his injured foot. After recording no fewer than 47 rushing yards in any of his previous 11 outings, Fields carried seven times for a season-low 11 yards in the 35-13 loss to Buffalo.

Brown reverted back to the Ravens' practice squad Monday.

Brown was active as the backup to Tyler Huntley for the entirety of Saturday's contest, but he ultimately didn't see the field. Normal starter Lamar Jackson (knee), is expected to resume "football-related movements" this week and could be in line to play in Week 17.

Herbert completed 24 of 31 passes for 235 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Monday's 20-3 win over the Colts.

Though the Chargers had a relatively easy win and clinched a trip to the postseason, Herbert had one of his last productive games of the season. That was in part caused by game script, though he was sacked four times and was regularly under pressure, which limited his ability to push the ball deep. Herbert has now failed to throw for a touchdown in consecutive games, though he should have the opportunity to bounce back against a Rams defense that has been depleted by injuries in recent weeks. How the Chargers, who are now locked into a playoff spot yet can only improve their seeding, play things the final two weeks also merits watching.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury said Monday that the Cardinals are hoping McCoy gets cleared through the concussion protocols and is able to start Sunday's game in Atlanta, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

After Kyler Murray tore his ACL in Week 14, McCoy assumed quarterback duties for the Cardinals, but he departed Week 15's game at Denver with a concussion and was inactive this past Sunday against the Buccaneers. McCoy showed some progress late last week by practicing in a limited fashion Friday, so the next step will be maintaining or increasing his activity level once Arizona gets back on the field Wednesday. If he makes his way through the protocols ahead of Sunday's 1:00 p.m. kickoff, McCoy will push Trace McSorley back to a reserve role.

Bridgewater is expected to receive the majority of the quarterback reps with the first-team offense during the Dolphins' first Week 17 practice Wednesday after head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed Monday that Tua Tagovailoa entered the concussion protocol following Sunday's loss to the Packers, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

McDaniel noted that it's too soon for the Dolphins to name a starting quarterback for this weekend's game in New England, but at this point, Bridgewater may be trending toward the assignment, per Furones. The veteran signal-caller had been dealing with a knee injury in recent weeks, but Bridgewater was in uniform this past Sunday as Tagovailoa's backup.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Tagovailoa is in the NFL's concussion protocol, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

As a result, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes that Teddy Bridgewater is slated to get the majority of the Dolphins' quarterback reps Wednesday and Thursday and would be in line to start Sunday against the Patriots if Tagovailoa is unable to progress through the five-step protocol. Per Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com, Tagovailoa -- who also was in the protocol earlier this season and missed two games -- met with doctors Monday in the wake of the Dolphins' 26-20 loss to Green Bay on Sunday and was experiencing concussion symptoms.

Head coach Robert Saleh said Monday that Wilson will be a healthy inactive for Sunday's matchup against the Seahawks, Connor Hughes of SNY.tv reports.

Mike White (ribs) was cleared for contact earlier Monday and is in line to reclaim the starting gig, so Saleh is opting to have veteran Joe Flacco operate as the primary backup to White, sending Wilson to the inactive list again. Even if White wasn't cleared, it's possible Wilson would've ceded the starting job to Flacco or Chris Streveler after back-to-back bad outings. Despite Wilson's struggles this year, Saleh remains confident in the 2021 first-round pick, saying the young quarterback still is a big part of the Jets' future, per Brian Costello of the New York Post.