NFL Player News

Mayfield, who has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Broncos, is expected to require offseason surgery to repair a complete labrum tear of his left (non-throwing) shoulder, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Mayfield sustained the injury in the Browns' Week 2 win over the Texans and was initially adamant that he not only wouldn't miss any time because of the shoulder issue, but that he would also avoid surgery. The tone has since shifted after Mayfield aggravated the injury in the team's Week 6 loss to the Cardinals, as Mayfield will now see his streak of 51 consecutive regular-season starts come to an end Thursday, with Case Keenum stepping in under center. The Browns are still hopeful that Mayfield will be ready to go for their Week 8 game against the Steelers on Oct. 31 and be able to play effectively with the injury for the rest of the season, but any further damage to the shoulder could jeopardize those plans. Regardless, Mayfield is eventually expected to need a procedure to address the injury, so at the very least, he'll likely be limited in his workouts at the start of the offseason.

Bridgewater (foot/quadriceps), who is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Browns, is expected to start for the Broncos, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

While taking 17 hits (including five sacks) in Sunday's 34-24 loss to the Raiders, Bridgewater picked up a pair of injuries along the way. The left foot injury in particular appears to be the greater concern, but Palmer notes that Bridgewater has been moving around better as the week has progressed. Assuming Bridgewater checks out fine when he reports to the stadium Thursday, he should avoid the inactive list and direct the Denver offense Week 7. His status will be confirmed with the release of the Broncos' inactive list approximately 90 minutes prior to the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff.

Wolford (neck) wasn't listed on the Rams' injury report Wednesday, Kevin Modesti of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Wolford injured his neck in his first appearance of the 2021-22 campaign as he threw one interception on two pass attempts against the Giants. The backup quarterback is expected to be available for the Rams' matchup with the Lions in Week 7.

The Dolphins listed Tagovailoa (ribs) as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Per Oyefusi, Tagovailoa previously acknowledged that his ribs were sore following his return from injured reserve in the Week 6 loss to Jacksonville, but the Dolphins haven't suggested he's in danger of missing Sunday's game against the Falcons. Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston suggests that the Dolphins are holding trade discussions with the Texans regarding a potential quarterback swap of Tagovailoa and Deshaun Watson, but until or unless such a deal happens, Tagovailoa remains entrenched as Miami's starting signal-caller.

Lance (knee) won't participate in practice Wednesday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

In fact, Lance isn't expected to be available at all Sunday at Indianapolis, while Jimmy Garoppolo eases his way back into practice as a limited participant Wednesday, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. With Garoppolo slated to be under center Week 7 and Lance seemingly trending toward an absence, the 49ers are expected to roll with Nate Sudfeld as their backup quarterback.

Garoppolo (calf) will be a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

He appears to be in better physical condition than Trey Lance, as the rookie quarterback isn't expected to be available Sunday against the Colts due to a sprained left knee, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is taking it easy on Garoppolo to make sure he's as healthy as possible for his first in-game appearance since the first half of a Week 4 loss at Arizona. Garoppolo may have his practice limitations extend through Friday, at which point the 49ers will provide clarity on his potential to play Sunday.

The Texans and Dolphins have intensified trade talks surrounding Watson, and a deal between the two sides could be consummated as soon as this week, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Watson has been linked to the Dolphins for months, but Miami's interest in the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback reportedly has picked up after the team took its fifth straight loss last weekend in London to the previously winless Jaguars. According to McClain, Houston general manager Nick Caserio has been asking for three first-round and two second-round draft picks in return for Watson, who has a no-trade clause and would need to approve any deal. Due to Watson's desire to be traded in addition to the ongoing investigations he faces from both the league and law enforcement after 22 civil lawsuits were filed against him over the past several months, Houston has kept the 26-year-old inactive all season.

Bridgewater (foot/quadriceps) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice and is officially listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Browns, Ryan O'Halloran of The Denver Post reports.

Bridgewater logged a trio of limited practices this week and doesn't necessarily look like a safe bet to play Thursday, though Broncos head coach Vic Fangio expressed optimism that the quarterback will gain clearance to suit up. However, Bridgewater himself was non-committal about his own status when he spoke to the media Tuesday. In the event that Bridgewater is cleared ahead of Thursday's 8:20 p.m. EDT kickoff, he'll take on a Browns team helmed by Case Keenum and without top running backs Nick Chubb (calf) and Kareem Hunt (calf).

Stidham (back) returned to practice Wednesday after the Patriots designated him to return from the PUP list, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.

The Patriots will have a 21-day period to evaluate Stidham for a return to the active roster. Brian Hoyer has been operating as the backup quarterback behind Mac Jones, but Stidham could reclaim the No. 2 role once he's officially activated.

Texans head coach David Culley confirmed that Mills will start Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

In a related note, Culley said Tyrod Taylor (hamstring) could return to practice this week and potentially come off injured reserve Week 8, but Mills will get at least one more start while Taylor is sidelined. Additionally, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston notes that Culley maintains that Taylor will reclaim his starting job when healthy, but that won't happen until the signal-caller's hamstring is "completely right." Through his first four starts in place of Taylor, Mills has completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 6.7 yards per attempt and a 4:6 TD:INT.