NFL Player News

Winston (back/ankle) was listed as a limited participant at Tuesday's practice.

Winston has appeared as a limited participant on each of the Saints' last five practice reports, but the team hasn't indicated that he's on track to reclaim starting quarterback duties just yet. He made enough progress to dress as the backup to Andy Dalton in last weekend's loss to the Bengals, but Winston may have been available only in an emergency. Dalton is nursing a back injury of his own coming out of Week 6, but John Hendrix of SI.com notes that it was Dalton rather than Winston who took first-team reps under center during the open portion of Tuesday's practice. The Saints will likely wait until Wednesday to offer more clarity on Winston's role for a Week 7 matchup with the Cardinals on Thursday night, but the 28-year-old looks like he could be trending toward another week of backup duty while he continues to recover from his injuries.

Dalton (back) was listed as a limited participant at Tuesday's practice.

Dalton was labeled as a limited participant on Monday's estimated practice report, and he maintained that level of activity when the Saints got on the field for the first time since Sunday's loss to the Bengals. Jameis Winston (back/ankle) was also listed as a limited participant, but Dalton may be the healthier of the two at this stage, as John Hendrix of SI.com notes that Dalton was taking first-team reps in the open portion of Tuesday's session. Barring a dramatic increase in his activity level Wednesday, Winston looks like he could miss out on a fourth straight start Thursday when the Saints face the Cardinals in Arizona. Winston could still be available as an emergency backup behind Dalton, provided the latter doesn't regress in his own recovery from a back injury and is able to start on a short week.

Wilson (hamstring) is considered day-to-day after an MRI on Tuesday revealed no significant issues, but his availability for Sunday's game against the Jets remains in question, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Though Wilson's day-to-day designation likely takes a long-term absence off the table, he sounds like he'll have to play through some pain if he's able to suit up in Week 7. The veteran quarterback won't have the benefit of a full week of healing time, as he faces a quicker turnaround for the matchup with the Jets after playing hurt in Monday's 19-16 overtime loss to the Chargers. For the fifth week in a row, Wilson threw for less than 300 yards, and he's completed just 55.8 percent of his throws for 7.1 yards per attempt with a 4:3 TD:INT over that span. Even if Wilson is ready to go Sunday, his mobility could be limited while he manages the hamstring injury.

Wilson (hamstring) underwent an MRI on Tuesday for what could be a "fairly significant" injury, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Wilson sustained the hamstring injury during the fourth quarter of Monday's loss to the Chargers but played through the issue during overtime. While the star quarterback didn't appear limited during the contest, he struggled to move the ball in the second half as the Broncos offense fell flat. Per Pelissero, there's concern pending the test results, but Wilson has played through numerous injuries in his career. The MRI results and Wednesday's injury report should provide further clarity on the situation.

Interim head coach Steve Wilks said Mayfield (ankle) is considered week-to-week after an MRI revealed ligament damage in his ankle, Joseph Person of The Athletic reports.

Mayfield suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 5 and was sidelined for Week 6, paving the way for PJ Walker to make his first start of the season. However, Walker was knocked out of the contest due to a neck injury, which forced Jacob Eason into action. Given the MRI results, Mayfield is a likely candidate to wind up on IR, but it's unclear who'll be the Panthers' starting quarterback moving forward. Sam Darnold (ankle) has been on IR since suffering a high-ankle sprain of his own during training camp, but he's expected to be activated off IR ahead of Week 7, though it's still unclear if he'll be able to play Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera confirmed that Heinicke will start at quarterback in Sunday's game against the Packers, while Carson Wentz (finger) has been ruled out for the contest.

Heinicke's appointment to the No. 1 role was expected after Wentz fractured the ring finger on his throwing hand during the Commanders' Week 6 win over the Bears. Wentz underwent surgery Monday and is expected to be sidelined 4-6 weeks, but the Commanders haven't yet moved him to injured reserve, perhaps holding out hope that he may be ready to return as soon as Week 10. Heinicke looks to be in position to start at least the next three games, though if he struggles against Green Bay, the Commanders could be motivated to give rookie fifth-round pick Sam Howell a look.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Pickett remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, but the rookie quarterback has been cleared to participate fully in Wednesday's practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

With Pickett set to receive the green light to take contact three days after exiting Sunday's win over the Buccaneers to be evaluated for a concussion, only an independent neurologist clearing him stands in the way of the 24-year-old exiting the five-step protocol. Even though Mitch Trubisky came off the bench and performed efficiently to help lead the Steelers to victory, Tomlin noted that Pickett will start Week 7 in Miami if he clears the protocol.

Howell will take over as the Commanders' backup quarterback with Taylor Heinicke set to start Sunday versus the Packers in place of Carson Wentz (finger), Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.

Howell has been inactive through the first six weeks of the season, but the rookie fifth-round pick will get a chance to suit up as the No. 2 option behind Heinicke. Though the Commanders haven't provided an official timetable for Wentz's return, he's in line to miss multiple weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured ring finger. Howell put together solid performances during the preseason, and he could have a path to playing time if Heinicke struggles or misses any time himself.

Washington signed Fromm to its practice squad Tuesday.

Fromm gets a chance on the Commanders' practice squad, as the team works to bolster its QB depth with Carson Wentz (finger) expected to miss some time. He logged three appearances with the Giants last season, throwing one touchdown and three interceptions with an unimpressive 3.5 yards per attempt.

Herbert completed 37 of his 57 passes for 238 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Monday's 19-16 win over the Broncos. He added two rushes for nine yards.

The Chargers possessed the ball for nearly 39 minutes as opposed to Denver's 28 minutes of possession. That allowed Herbert to rack up an incredible volume of pass attempts, though he managed only an abysmal 4.2 yards per attempt, which limited him to under 250 passing yards for the second consecutive game. The performance also marked the first time that Herbert failed to find the end zone this season, though he could be in for a bounceback performance in what figures to be a fast-paced Week 7 matchup against the Seahawks.