NFL Player News

Rypien will serve as the backup to Russell Wilson in Sunday's contest against the Rams after head coach Nathaniel Hackett confirmed that Wilson cleared the concussion protocol and will reclaim starting duties following a one-game absence, Zack Kelberman of SI.com reports.

Wilson actually cleared the five-step protocol last Friday, but his lack of practice time leading up to the team's Week 15 contest prompted the Broncos to hold him out of the matchup with the Cardinals. Rypien proceeded to pick up his second start of the season and guided the Broncos to a 24-15 win, completing 21 of 26 pass attempts for 197 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Though Rypien helped Denver end a five-game losing streak, he never appeared to be a serious threat to earn more starts over a healthy Wilson, given what the Broncos invested into acquiring the former Seattle quarterback this past offseason.

Book is expected to dress as the backup quarterback behind starter Gardner Minshew with Jalen Hurts (shoulder) ruled out for Saturday's game in Dallas, Dave Spadaro of the Eagles' official site reports.

Since the Eagles claimed him off waivers from the Saints in late August, Book has yet to suit up in a game this season while both Hurts and Minshew have been healthy up to this point. Book will finally get the opportunity to don a Philadelphia uniform Saturday, but he likely won't be called upon from the bench unless Minshew suffers an in-game injury or if the game turns non-competitive.

Trubisky is set to serve as the No. 2 quarterback behind Kenny Pickett in Saturday's game against the Raiders after Pickett cleared the NFL's five-step concussion protocol Monday and resumed practicing fully this week, Dale Lolley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Despite struggling in relief of a concussed Pickett in the Steelers' Week 14 loss to the Ravens, Trubisky drew the starting assignment over No. 3 quarterback Mason Rudolph while Pickett remained in the protocol for this past week's game against the Panthers. Though Trubisky was believed to be on a short leash entering the contest, he ended up playing every snap on offense and served as an effective game manager in the 24-16 win over Carolina, completing 17 of 22 pass attempts for 179 yards while rushing for a score and committing no turnovers. The performance won't be enough for Trubisky to remain the starter now that Pickett is healthy again, but it should allow Trubisky to stick ahead of Rudolph on the depth chart until further notice.

Pickett will start Saturday's game against the Raiders after he confirmed that he was cleared by an independent neurologist Monday and removed from the NFL's five-step concussion protocol, Dale Lolley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Pickett entered the concussion protocol for the second time this season during the Steelers' Week 14 loss to the Ravens, when he exited the contest and then briefly re-entered before leaving the game for good after self-reporting symptoms of a brain injury, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The rookie signal-caller wasn't able to advance beyond limited participation in practice last week and ended up sitting out Pittsburgh's win over Carolina on Sunday, but he's been able to take every rep with the first-team offense so far in Week 16. Though he'll reclaim starting duties from Mitch Trubisky this weekend, Pickett told Lolley that he'll be switching helmets and wearing a visor with the hope of offering better protection against another head injury over the final three games of the season.

The Eagles list Hurts (shoulder) as out for Saturday's game in Dallas.

Head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed earlier Thursday that Gardner Minshew will pick up his first start of the season in place of Hurts, who won't be made available as an emergency backup after failing to practice in any capacity this week while managing a right shoulder sprain. The Eagles haven't decided on Hurts' status beyond Saturday's contest, but it's possible that the 24-year-old ends up sitting out Week 17 against the Saints and/or Week 18 against the Giants with Philadelphia close to securing the NFC's No. 1 overall seed. At least for this weekend, No. 3 quarterback Ian Book will dress as Minshew's backup while Hurts is in street clothes.

Lawrence remains listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Jets, but he's been cleared to play through a sprained toe on his left foot, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Lawrence first picked up the injury in the Jaguars' Week 13 loss to the Lions, but he was able to return to that contest and has proceeded to play at a high level over the past two weeks while leading Jacksonville to wins over the Titans and Cowboys. Even though Lawrence carried a designation into the Thursday's contest, the Jaguars never had much concern about his availability after he practiced in a limited fashion Tuesday and Wednesday. He'll officially shed his injury designation when Jacksonville releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to the game's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.

Huntley (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Falcons but is on track to make his third straight start with Lamar Jackson (knee) ruled out for the contest, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Even though Huntley was listed as a limited participant in practices Wednesday and Thursday while battling right shoulder tendinitis, head coach John Harbaugh said he has no concern about the quarterback's ability to complete passes while he tends to an injury to his throwing arm. Per Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun, Huntley looked to be more actively involved during Thursday's practice than he did Wednesday, even though it didn't translate into any change in how the Ravens listed his level of participation. While the injury might not dramatically affect Huntley's outlook for Week 16, the 24-year-old hasn't been overly impressive in his first two turns filling in for Jackson. Between games against the Steelers and Browns -- the former of which he exited early due to a concussion -- Huntley completed 25 of 42 attempts (59.5 percent) for 226 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception while rushing 15 times for 46 yards.

The Ravens have ruled Jackson (knee) out for Saturday's game against the Falcons.

Even though initial reports indicated that he was expected to miss only two games due to the PCL sprain he suffered to his left knee during the Ravens' Week 13 win over the Broncos, Jackson will be sidelined for a third consecutive contest this weekend after failing to resume practicing in any fashion since suffering the injury. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh hasn't provided many specifics regarding where exactly Jackson stands in his recovery from the injury, so at this stage, the 2019 NFL MVP looks uncertain to make it back for Baltimore's Week 17 matchup with the Steelers on Jan. 1. Tyler Huntley (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Saturday's contest, but he's expected to make his third consecutive start after he was able to practice in a limited capacity Friday for the second day in a row.

The Titans have ruled Tannehill (ankle) out for Saturday's game against the Texans, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Though the right ankle injury Tannehill sustained in the Titans' Week 15 loss to the Chargers cost him only one offensive series before he was able to return, the veteran signal-caller wasn't able to practice in any fashion Tuesday through Thursday before Tennessee opted to rule him out for the third time this season. Malik Willis will step in as the Titans' starting signal-caller this weekend, and quite possibly the rest of the way, as Davenport reported Wednesday that Tannehill is likely to require season-ending surgery on the ankle. For now, the Titans are ruling Tannehill out only for one game, but an eventual move to injured reserve would signal that the Tennessee isn't counting on the 34-year-old playing again in 2022.

Head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed Thursday that Willis will start Saturday's game against the Texans with Ryan Tannehill (ankle) ruled out for the contest, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

For the time being, Tennessee has ruled Tannehill out only for the Week 16 contest, but Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reported Wednesday that the Titans' top signal-caller is "very likely" done for the season due to a right ankle injury that is expected to require surgery. Tannehill's absence sets up Willis to make his third start of the season, including his second against the Texans, which came back in the two teams' previous matchup in Week 8. During Willis' prior two-game run as the starter, the Titans leaned heavily on running back Derrick Henry, with the rookie signal-caller attempting just 26 total passes and accounting for only 135 yards the air between a win over Houston and a Week 9 loss to Kansas City. The speedy Willis at least proved to be more of a threat on the ground, rushing 13 times for 52 yards in those games. While his rushing ability gives him some theoretical fantasy upside, Willis' lack of reliable passing volume makes it difficult to justify starting him in one-quarterback lineups.