NFL Player News

Rush is expected to serve as the Cowboys' backup quarterback Sunday against the Broncos after head coach Mike McCarthy said Dak Prescott (calf) is on track to start Week 9 upon returning to full participation in practice Thursday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Prescott appeared close to playing last week leading up to the Cowboys' eventual 20-16 win over the Vikings, so it comes as little surprise that he's on track to return to the lineup after he participated in both of the Cowboys' first two Week 9 practices. Barring a setback over the next day or two, Prescott will take back the reins of the offense from Rush, who performed capably against Minnesota in the first extended NFL action of his five-year career. He completed 24 of 40 pass attempts for 325 yards and two touchdowns in the victory, though he committed a pair of turnovers (an interception and a lost fumble).

Darnold (concussion/right shoulder) was limited at Thursday's practice, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

This marks Darnold's second consecutive capped session on the heels of suffering a concussion and hurting his right shoulder Week 8 in Atlanta. The duel injuries didn't allow him to return to that contest, and he merely stood with the coaching staff during the media-access portion of practice Thursday. Darnold still seems to have multiple steps remaining to gain clearance from the concussion protocol and be able to play Sunday against the Patriots. In the event he can't go this weekend, Darnold will yield quarterback duties to backup P.J. Walker.

Mills' teammate, Tyrod Taylor (hamstring), is in line to start Sunday's game against the Dolphins, The Athletic reports.

Mills had been handling the team's QB duties since Taylor was injured Week 2, and since then he's passed for 1,357 yards, with seven TDs and eight picks. The 2021 third-rounder will revert to a backup role now that Taylor is in line to come off IR, while Jeff Driskel will serve as the team's No. 3 signal-caller. Deshaun Watson remains on Houston's roster but has been made inactive on game days by the team all season.

Coach David Culley confirmed Thursday that Taylor (hamstring) will start Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Deepi Sidhu of the Texans' official site reports.

Culley noted that Taylor has suffered no setbacks with his hamstring injury, which sets the stage for the veteran QB to be officially activated off IR in advance of Sunday's contest. As a result, Davis Mills, the starter in Taylor's place, will revert to a backup role. In his looming return to action, Taylor, who last suited up Week 2, will be facing a 1-7 Miami defense that has allowed an average of 291.1 passing yards per game to date. Only the Ravens (296.1) have allowed more.

Murray (ankle) wasn't in attendance for Thursday's practice and is expected to be listed as a non-participant on Arizona's official report for the second straight day, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Even with the benefit of a longer turnaround for the Cardinals' Week 9 matchup Sunday in San Francisco after the team played Thursday night Week 8, Murray hasn't been able to move past a medial sprain of his left ankle. Though head coach Kliff Kingsbury described Murray as "day-to-day" earlier in the week, the star quarterback's consecutive absences from practice doesn't offer much reassurance that he'll be ready to go by Sunday. Murray will likely need to practice in some capacity Friday for fantasy managers to feel good about his chances of starting Sunday, and even if he suits up, there's a good possibility that the Cardinals look to limit his designed runs. Colt McCoy will work with the first-team offense in practice once again Thursday and would be in line to start this weekend if Murray can't go.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Prescott (calf) is expected to practice fully Thursday and is on track to play Sunday against the Broncos, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Following a Week 7 bye, Prescott sat out last week's win over the Vikings while he continued to tend to a strained right calf. Because Prescott missed most of last season with a severe injury to the ankle of the same leg, the Cowboys may have just been taking some extra precautions by holding him out Week 8. Prescott took a positive step forward to begin Week 9 prep by practicing on a limited basis Wednesday, and if he does in fact upgrade to full activity Thursday, there's a good chance he'll enter the weekend without an injury designation. The Cowboys will release their official injury report shortly after Thursday's practice concludes, at which point it will be revealed whether Prescott did in fact take part in full or if he remained limited for the second day in a row.

Walker handled all the reps with the first-team offense at Wednesday's practice, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

Walker took over for Sam Darnold midway through the fourth quarter of the Panthers' Week 8 win in Atlanta when the latter took a hit to his upper right arm. Darnold was later diagnosed with a concussion, then was listed as limited with both the head injury and a right shoulder issue on Wednesday's practice report. If he doesn't complete all five phases of the concussion protocol in time for Sunday's contest against the Patriots, Darnold will hand over the keys to the offense to Walker. In seven career appearances, Walker has completed 35 of 71 passes for 401 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions.

Herbert (right hand) was limited at practice Wednesday.

Daniel Popper of The Athletic indicates that the QB first injured his throwing hand when he made contact with a helmet during the Chargers' Week 3 win over the Chiefs. When asked Wednesday if Herbert was dealing with any lingering effects from that issue, coach Brandon Staley replied, "No." At this stage there's nothing to suggest that the QB is in any danger of missing Sunday's game against the Eagles, but Herbert will need to practice fully by Friday in order to avoid a Week 9 injury designation.

Murray (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported over the weekend that Murray was tending to a medial sprain of his left ankle in the aftermath of the Cardinals' loss to the Packers last Thursday. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has since used terms like "day-to-day" and "game-time decision" to describe Murray's status for Sunday's contest in San Francisco, according to Weinfuss. Murray doesn't necessarily need to practice this week to be able to suit up against the 49ers, but a return to the field Thursday or Friday would put the third-year signal-caller in a better position to play Week 9.

Tagovailoa was listed as a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to rib and left finger injuries, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

The finger issue is a new concern for Tagovailoa, who previously was sidelined from Weeks 3 through 5 with fractured ribs before suiting up and starting in each of the Dolphins' subsequent three contests. The fact that Tagovailoa wasn't withheld from Wednesday's practice entirely suggests that he faces minimal risk of not being ready to go by Sunday, when the Dolphins host the Texans. The two teams had been in touch in recent weeks about a potential deal that would send star quarterback Deshaun Watson to Miami, but the Dolphins ultimately elected to stand pat with Tagovailoa as their signal-caller in the aftermath of Tuesday's trade deadline. Per Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald, Dolphins GM Chris Grier reiterated Wednesday that the franchise is committed to Tagovailoa, but that won't necessarily stop Miami and Houston from revisiting trade talks this offseason, especially if Watson's murky legal situation gains more clarity by that time and/or if Tagovailoa finishes the 2021 campaign on a down note.