NFL Player News

Taylor (concussion) will be a limited participant during Wednesday's practice, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reports.

Taylor replaced Daniel Jones, who suffered an ankle injury, during the fourth quarter of the team's Week 4 win over the Bears, but the backup quarterback also had to leave the contest due to a concussion. Despite optimism, Taylor remained sidelined for Week 5, but Jones returned and led a comeback win over the Packers. It's encouraging to see Taylor back at practice, albeit in a limited fashion, and he appears on track to reprise his role as the top backup heading into Sunday's match against the Ravens.

The Cowboys are preparing for Rush and not Dak Prescott (thumb) to start Sunday's game versus the Eagles, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

While the Cowboys aren't completing dismissing the idea of Prescott putting an end to his four-game absence this weekend, McCarthy noted that the franchise signal-caller will only do "light throwing" on the sideline Wednesday during Dallas' first official Week 6 practice, per Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports. Unless Prescott's surgically repaired thumb shows dramatic healing in the next two days that allows him to grip the football and throw at optimal velocity without inhibition, Rush looks as though he'll be making his fifth consecutive start. The Cowboys have thus far gone 4-0 under Rush's stewardship, though much of the credit during that unbeaten run goes to the team's stalwart defense. For his part, Rush hasn't turned the ball over and has thrown for four touchdowns, but he's averaging a so-so 7.4 yards per attempt while completing 61.9 percent of his passes.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday the Cowboys are planning for Cooper Rush and not Prescott (thumb) to start Week 6 versus the Eagles, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Prescott is scheduled to throw Wednesday, but unless he shows dramatic improvement in his ability to grip the football and ramps up the intensity of his throwing in the subsequent two days of practice, Rush will be making his fifth consecutive start this weekend. The Cowboys' Week 7 matchup with the Lions now looks to be the most realistic return date for Prescott. In any case, an official word on the Week 6 starter may not come until after Dallas has had a few days to monitor Prescott in practice.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that Bridgewater will handle backup duties behind Skylar Thompson if Bridgewater can clear the concussion protocol in time to suit up Sunday against the Vikings, Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post reports.

The Dolphins will proceed through practices Wednesday though Friday with the plan of having Thompson start Week 6, with Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) having already been ruled out for a second game in a row and Bridgewater not yet cleared to resume practicing. Per Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com, McDaniel said Bridgewater will be in attendance for Wednesday's session, but he won't be partaking in any football activities and will instead do only light aerobic work. Bridgewater appears to be in the second phase of the five-step concussion protocol, and since he's unlikely to be a full participant until Friday at the earliest, the Dolphins won't be comfortable starting him Sunday without the benefit of a full slate of first-team reps in advance of the game.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that he's planning on having Thompson start at quarterback in the Dolphins' Week 6 game against the Vikings, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Inactive for the first four games of the season, Thompson dressed as the backup for last week's loss to the Jets while Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) was ruled out. Fill-in starter Teddy Bridgewater landed in concussion protocol as well after playing just one snap, resulting in Thompson stepping in to play essentially the entire contest. The seventh-round rookie completed just 19 of his 33 attempts for 166 yards, no touchdowns and an interception while losing a fumble in the 40-17 loss, but the Dolphins are hopeful that Thompson can deliver better results while having a week's worth of first-team practice reps to prepare for the starting assignment. Though Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) will be on the field Wednesday for individual work, McDaniel has already ruled him out for Week 6. Meanwhile, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post relays that Bridgewater has a "solid chance" of clearing the five-step concussion protocol before Sunday, but because he may not be ready to practice fully by Friday, he would likely dress as a backup if he's active against the Vikings.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that he's excited to have Tagovailoa back at practice Wednesday, but the quarterback won't be active for Sunday's game against the Vikings, Safid Deen of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, McDaniel said he's tentatively planning on having rookie Skylar Thompson make his first career start at quarterback this weekend, though McDaniel acknowledged that Teddy Bridgewater -- who filled in for Tagovailoa in the Week 5 loss to the Jets before exiting after playing just one snap and entering the concussion protocol -- may clear the five-step protocol before Sunday. At this point, however, McDaniel said that Bridgewater is in the second phase of the protocol, according to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com, and Tagovailoa looks to be at a similar spot in his recovery from the concussion he sustained in the Sept. 29 loss to the Bengals. McDaniel told Louis-Jacques that Tagovailoa will throw and go through individual drills at Wednesday's practice, and if he continues to avoid setbacks in his recovery from the concussion, he could mix into team work later in the week or early next week. At least for the time being, Tagovailoa looks like he could realistically return to the lineup as soon as the Dolphins' Week 7 game against the Steelers on Oct. 23.

Tagovailoa (concussion) will return to the practice field Wednesday and will resume throwing, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Tagovailoa reportedly remains "highly unlikely" to play Sunday against the Vikings, even though his presence on the field Wednesday suggests that he's made at least some progression through the NFL's five-step concussion protocol. The third-year quarterback hasn't practiced in any capacity since Sept. 29, though Pelissero relays that Tagovailoa has done rehab work and consulted with four independent specialists. With Teddy Bridgewater entering the concussion protocol after exiting early in the Week 5 loss to the Jets and Tagovailoa seemingly still not a candidate to immediately return to the lineup, Miami could turn to third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson to make his first career start Week 6. In any case, though, it's a positive sign to see Tagovailoa progressing in his recovery.

Mayfield (ankle) is considered day-to-day going into the Panthers' Week 6 matchup with the Rams, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Mayfield suffered a high-ankle sprain in Carolina's Week 5 loss to the 49ers, which is typically a multi-week injury. However, given his pain tolerance, he has a day-to-day outlook as of now. P.J. Walker would be the prime candidate to replace him under center should he ultimately be unable to go, as Sam Darnold (ankle) is not ready to be activated from IR and rookie third-rounder Matt Corral (foot) is out for the season. If Mayfield does ultimately sit out, Jacob Eason would presumably be elevated from the team's practice squad to back up Walker.

Coach Nathaniel Hackett said Tuesday that Wilson (shoulder) "should be ready to play" Monday at the Chargers, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

In the wake of the Broncos' Week 5 loss to the Colts, Wilson received a PRP injection in his right throwing shoulder to relieve what has been termed a partially torn lat, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Wilson initially suffered the injury Week 4 against the Raiders, but he's yet to take off an offensive play through five games this season. With a Monday night AFC West matchup on tap, Denver isn't required to post a practice report until Thursday, at which point his activity level on the field will be one to watch as the weekend approaches.

The second opinion on Mayfield's high left-ankle sprain revealed that he doesn't have a major injury and won't require surgery, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Mayfield played through the issue in the second half of Sunday's loss to the 49ers, eventually finishing 20-for-36 passing for 215 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He also yielded the Panthers' final drive of the game to backup P.J. Walker. Now that the severity of Mayfield's injury is confirmed, he's trending toward an absence this Sunday at the Rams, but he isn't slated to go on injured reserve. Walker is expected to step in for Mayfield during his absence. With Sam Darnold (ankle) not ready to be activated from IR and rookie third-rounder Matt Corral (foot) out for the season, Jacob Eason may be elevated from the team's practice squad to be the No. 2 QB.