NFL Player News

The Falcons plan to install Ridder as their new starting quarterback after their Week 14 bye, with the rookie set to make his NFL debut in the team's Dec. 18 game in New Orleans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The shakeup at quarterback comes after the Falcons dropped four of their last five games heading into the bye week, with incumbent starter Marcus Mariota having completed 59 percent of his throws for 6.5 yards per attempt and a 5:3 TD:INT over that stretch. Ridder, a third-round pick out of Cincinnati, possesses a dual-threat skill set like Mariota, and Atlanta is hoping that his insertion as the new starter can help jumpstart an offense that ranks in the bottom five in the NFL in points per game. Ridder hasn't seen any action in relief of Mariota this season, but he showed promise in the preseason. In three exhibition contests, he completed 34 of 56 attempts (60.7 percent) for 431 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions while carrying eight times for 58 yards.

Mayfield, who is expected to be active for Thursday's game against the Raiders, will be in line to start if John Wolford (neck) isn't deemed healthy enough to play in the Week 14 contest, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Even though Mayfield has only practiced once for the Rams after being claimed off waivers from the Panthers on Tuesday, he already appears to have leapfrogged Bryce Perkins on the depth chart at quarterback. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Mayfield is already up to speed with the Rams' game plan after joining the team late Tuesday, but the team would presumably to keep him in a backup capacity this week if Wolford is ready to play. Wolford is listed as questionable and will go through pregame warmups before the Rams make a decision on his availability leading up to the team's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said Watson will start Week 14 against the Bengals, despite showing some rust in his season debut during last week's win over the Texans, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. " Deshaun is our quarterback. We're focused on having a really good day of practice [Wednesday] and having a great day on Sunday," Stefanski said.

While taking the field last week for his first regular-season action since Week 17 of the 2020 campaign, Watson completed 12 of 22 passes for 131 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. At 5-7, the Browns hope to keep their slim playoff chances alive, but Stefanski has no plans to turn the offense back over to Jacoby Brissett, who closed his tenure as Cleveland's starting quarterback on a high note before Watson was reinstated from his suspension last week. Cabot notes that Watson looked sharper during Wednesday's practice, but those sessions are much different than game conditions.

Bridgewater (knee) was limited in Wednesday's practice, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Bridgewater once again practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday while tending to a knee issue. The veteran quarterback hasn't been available for each of the Dolphins' last six contests, and rookie Skylar Thompson has thus served as Tua Tagovailoa's primary backup in that stretch. Bridgewater will have two more opportunities to ramp up to full speed before the team is forced to make a decision on his weekend availability.

Tagovailoa (ankle) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network previously relayed that Tagovailoa -- who suffered an ankle injury late in the Dolphins' Week 13 loss to the 49ers -- could have returned to the contest and is expected to start this weekend against the Chargers. That said, the quarterback's activity in practice over the next few days is still worth tracking as Sunday's game approaches.

Wolford (neck) is listed a questionable for Thursday's game against the Raiders, Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee reports.

Wolford drew the start at quarterback for the Rams in Week 13, a contest in which he missed one snap after getting his foot stepped on by a Seahawks defender. On Monday, head coach Sean McVay said Wolford was dealing with a sore neck, which resulted in him being listed as a non-participant on Monday's estimated practice report before upgrading to limited listings during Tuesday's walk-through session and Wednesday's jog-through session. With Wolford's status in question for Thursday, the Rams' quarterback situation remains unsettled, especially after the team's claim of Baker Mayfield off waivers Tuesday. If he's active, Wolford likely will be out there for L.A.'s first offensive snap, but Mayfield and Bryce Perkins are the other candidates to get reps Thursday.

Head coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that he's leaning toward keeping Mayfield active for Thursday's game against Las Vegas, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.

The Rams claimed Mayfield off waivers Tuesday and presumably won't start him two days later, but they might make him active as the backup, especially if incumbent starter John Wolford (neck) doesn't play. Wolford and Perkins both have made starts in recent weeks with Matthew Stafford (neck) out for the season, and neither has been impressive. Mayfield didn't perform any better for the Panthers this season, but he might get another chance to start all the same at some point in December and January while the Rams play out the string.

Mahomes (foot) was a full practice participant Wednesday.

The foot bruise he picked up in Sunday's loss to Cincinnati shouldn't be an issue for the upcoming matchup with Denver. Mahomes will be without wideout Mecole Hardman (abdomen) for at least one more week, while receiver Kadarius Toney (hamstring) returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant and could be ready to rejoin the lineup.

Tannehill was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice due to an ankle injury, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Tannehill missed two games with an ankle injury earlier this season, and he apparently rolled his other ankle during Sunday's blowout loss in Philadelphia, according to Wyatt. He doesn't sound worried about missing the upcoming matchup with Jacksonville on Sunday, but his mobility may be limited, and top target Treylon Burks (concussion) may not play.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that he isn't optimistic about Garoppolo (foot) returning during the playoffs, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

The 49ers are in good position to qualify for the postseason even with backup Brock Purdy taking over at quarterback, but the team doesn't seem as though it'll be counting on Garoppolo, who only has an "outside chance" to be ready to go by late January, according to Shanahan. The good news for Garoppolo is that he avoided a Lisfranc injury and ligament damage after exiting early in Sunday's win over the Dolphins, though his recovery from a broken foot is expected to take around two months despite not requiring surgery to address the injury. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Tuesday that Garoppolo might be able to return in 7-to-8 weeks if all goes well, which would line up with a return for the divisional round or NFC Championship Game. Making a deep run in the playoffs won't be an easy task now that the Niners are down to their third starting quarterback of the season.