NFL Player News

Walker is on track to start Sunday against the Cardinals with Sam Darnold (shoulder) dealing with a partially fractured scapula, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Darnold is expected to be sidelined multiple weeks, and Walker is the next man up as the only other quarterback currently on Carolina's active roster. Matt Barkley is being added from the Titans' practice squad, pending a physical, but he should serve as the backup quarterback. Walker has completed three of 15 pass attempts for 33 yards across three appearances this season, but he's now poised to receive a more extended look under center for the Panthers.

Darnold was diagnosed with a partial non-displaced fracture of his right scapula Tuesday and could be sidelined for multiple weeks, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

The Panthers labeled Darnold day-to-day after he underwent an MRI on Monday, but his injury is apparently more significant than that. It's believed he sustained the fracture during the second quarter of Sunday's loss to the Patriots, though he still played every offensive snap in the contest. P.J. Walker is poised to step into the starting role for Carolina, while Matt Barkley was signed off Tennessee's practice squad to provide another option at quarterback.

Stidham (back) has been activated off the Patriots' PUP list, Michael Giardi of NFL Network reports.

Stidham returned to practice on Oct. 20, which means he was nearing the end of his 21-day window to be activated. He is now set to back up Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer as the team's No. 3 quarterback.

The Panthers are signing Barkley off the Titans' practice squad Tuesday.

The 31-year-old has been on Tennessee's practice squad since being cut from the active roster in early September, but he'll now join Carolina with Sam Darnold considered day-to-day after undergoing an MRI on his right shoulder. P.J. Walker should continue to serve as the Panthers' No. 2 quarterback while Barkley provides veteran depth.

Tagovailoa (finger) was listed as a limited participant on Tuesday's estimated practice report, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Miami also listed Tagovailoa as a limited participant in each of their three practices last week as he dealt with a fractured left middle finger and a rib issue before he was ultimately active for Sunday's win over the Texans, but only available as an emergency backup. A similar fate could await Tagovailoa in Week 10, as the Dolphins face a quick turnaround before a Thursday night matchup against Baltimore. The Dolphins' decision to list Tagovailoa as limited on both practice reports so far of the week -- albeit with only one injury attached to his name instead of two -- doesn't seem to imply that the second-year signal-caller has made much meaningful progress in his recovery. For what it's worth, head coach Brian Flores told Oyefusi that Tagovailoa resumed throwing Monday and looked good, but the 23-year-old remains day-to-day. Flores added that if the Dolphins were playing Tuesday, Jacoby Brissett would be making his second straight start, according to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com.

Rodgers (illness) said Tuesday during his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he's confident he'll clear all necessary COVID-19 protocols in order to play Sunday against the Seahawks. "I believe there's a health hurdle -- movement, sweating and getting into it and making sure my body, especially my heart -- is fine with physical exertion," Rodgers said, when asked about any potential barriers to him playing this weekend.

Since Rodgers is following the protocol for unvaccinated players, he won't be eligible to return to the Packers' facility any earlier than Saturday, 10 days after he initially tested positive for the virus. Based on Rodgers' comments, he doesn't seem to be exhibiting any symptoms of the virus, but in order to be eligible to play, he'll still need to turn in consecutive negative test results at least 24 hours apart by the end of the 10-day period. Because of the timing of his placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Rodgers won't be able to take part in practice this week, but he'll continue to stay on top of the Packers' game plan virtually while gradually picking up the intensity of his conditioning work during his final days of quarantine. In the meantime, Jordan Love will take the first-team reps in practice and keep prepared to make his second start this weekend in the event Rodgers doesn't clear the protocol before Sunday's game.

Tagovailoa (finger) will serve as the Dolphins' emergency backup quarterback Thursday against the Ravens if he's unable to start the game, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Similar to this past weekend's game against the Texans, Tagovailoa would be on hand as a backup if he doesn't make enough progress in the next couple of days to give it a go. Jacoby Brissett was serviceable in a spot start last week and would be in line to face Baltimore if Tagovailoa isn't cleared.

Fields completed 17 of 29 passes for 291 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Monday night's 29-27 loss to the Steelers. He also rushed eight times for 45 yards.

Fields was only effective using his legs and finding tight end Cole Kmet in the first half, but he was excellent while nearly engineering a comeback victory in the second. Besides a 50-yard bomb to begin the third quarter, Fields found top wideout Allen Robinson for a 39-yard gain on a third-and-two play with two minutes remaining. He then connected with Darnell Mooney for a 15-yard touchdown on the very next play to put the Bears ahead. Although Fields' late-game heroics were spoiled by Chicago subsequently allowing a field goal, the quarterback at least showed great flashes as he now enters the Bears' bye week.

Taylor will be the starting quarterback when the Texans resume their season Week 11 against the Titans, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Houston head coach David Culley will stick with Taylor despite a rusty performance in Sunday's loss to the Dolphins in the quarterback's first action since Week 2. Rookie Davis Mills filled in for Taylor while he was sidelined with a hamstring injury, but the Texans were outscored 206-68 in six straight losses. Culley stressed the need to be competitive and feels the veteran Taylor gives Houston its best chance at breaking an eight-game losing streak. Taylor is coming off one of the worst performances of his career, during which he threw three interceptions, failed to get the Texans into the end zone on three red-zone trips and posted a 42.8 quarterback rating.

Stafford sprained his ankle during Sunday's 28-16 loss to the Titans, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.

Stafford suffered the injury while attempting to evade pressure midway through the fourth quarter, and coach Sean McVay called the issue a "mild kind of ankle sprain" Monday. "He was sore today, but expect him to be able to take it a day at a time," McVay said. "But I think he'll be good to go." That's a mishmash of coach speak, and as such Stafford's activity level will be watched closely as the week goes on to get a sense of his odds to play Monday in San Francisco.