NFL Player News

Washington head coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday that Mariota (hand/quadriceps) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Cowboys, Tashan Reed of The Washington Post reports.

With Mariota set to be sidelined due to the pair of injuries he sustained in last Saturday's 29-18 loss to the Eagles, Josh Johnson will be called upon to make his first start since the 2021 season. Meanwhile, newly signed Jeff Driskel will serve as Johnson's backup, and Washington plans to sign Sam Hartman off its practice squad to serve as the team's emergency No. 3 quarterback, per John Keim of ESPN.com. According to Ben Standig of Big 100 Washington D.C., Quinn said he still has hope that Mariota will be able to return for the Commanders' Jan. 4 regular-season finale in Philadelphia, though Mariota's availability will hinge on what he's able to do in practice next week.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed Tuesday that Oladokun will start at quarterback for the Chiefs in Thursday's game against the Broncos, Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com reports.

Kansas City will be breaking in its third starting quarterback in as many games, with Oladokun getting his chance after Patrick Mahomes (knee) suffered season-ending ACL and LCL tears in Week 15 and after Gardner Minshew (knee) went down with a season-ending tibial plateau fracture in Week 16. A 2022 seventh-round draft pick, Oladokun ended up seeing his first extended NFL snaps in relief of Minshew in last Sunday's 26-9 loss to the Titans, completing 11 of 16 pass attempts for 111 yards while adding seven yards on two carries. Oladokun doesn't profile as a recommended option in fantasy lineups for Week 17 while he makes his first NFL start against one of the league's top defenses and potentially without the services of top wideout Rashee Rice (concussion), who has yet to practice this week and appears likely to sit out Thursday.

Interim head coach Mike McCoy told reporters Wednesday that Harris (knee) won't play for the remainder of the season, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

The 24-year-old sustained a knee injury in Tennessee's Week 16 win over the Chiefs that will now sideline him for the rest of the year. Harris, a 2025 sixth-round pick from California, had an impressive rookie season, recording 28 total tackles, five passes defensed and one forced fumble across 14 appearances. Kaiir Elam and Micah Robinson will both likely have expanded roles in the Titans' secondary while Harris is sidelined.

Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday that Hughes (ankle) probably won't play Monday against the Rams, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Hughes therefore seems set to miss his second straight game due to the ankle injury he suffered against Tampa Bay in Week 15. Rookie Cobee Bryant saw more work at cornerback this past Sunday against Arizona, as did veteran C.J. Henderson. Both could again have a defensive role if Hughes indeed sits out against Los Angeles.

Coach Shane Steichen noted Wednesday that Richardson (orbital) won't be activated from IR ahead of Sunday's game against the Jaguars, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Steichen previously confirmed that Philip Rivers will draw the start at QB for the 8-7 Colts on Sunday. With Richardson not slated to come off IR in advance of Week 17 action, Riley Leonard will continue to back up Rivers this weekend.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters Wednesday that Baker is in concussion protocol following Sunday's 26-19 loss to the Falcons, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Despite playing 68 defensive snaps and recording 10 total tackles and one pass defensed in the Week 16 loss, the 29-year-old appears to have sustained a concussion. Baker must clear the NFL's five-step protocol in order to play in the Week 17 matchup against the Bengals. If he's unable to suit up Sunday, expect Kitan Crawford to start at free safety.

Williams tore his Achilles in Week 16 against Atlanta, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

This confirms the initial fear after Williams had to be carted off the field Sunday versus the Falcons. Williams was placed on IR on Tuesday and now faces a lengthy recovery. Kei'Trel Clark may move into a starting cornerback role for the final two games of the regular season.

Tuten (finger) was spotted at practice Wednesday, Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union reports.

Per Harvey, Tuten was sporting a non-contact jersey, which suggests that he'll likely be listed as a limited participant in the session. The running back, who is dealing with a finger injury, was inactive in Week 16, but his presence at Wednesday's practice offers hope that he could be available for Sunday's game against the Colts.

The Raiders are reportedly set to place Chinn on IR due to a back injury, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Chinn has been dealing with a back issue for most of December, but to this point the injury hasn't caused him to miss any games. With the Raiders tied for the league's worst record (2-13) and in the driver's seat for the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, the team appears to be shutting Chinn down. If that's indeed the case, he'll finish his first season in Las Vegas with 114 tackles (including 1.0 sacks), two forced fumbles and two defensed passes over 15 contests.

Carolina designated Hunt (biceps) for return from injured reserve Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Hunt can now practice for the first time since he tore his biceps Week 2 against Arizona. The veteran offensive guard is technically eligible to be activated any time and could return to game action as soon as Sunday against Seattle, though that's unlikely to happen since coach Dave Canales has said that Hunt will need some time to ramp back up following his long absence, per Gantt. If Hunt is able to play again this season, it would be a big boost to the Panthers' offensive line considering that he's coming off a Pro Bowl 2024 campaign.