NFL Player News

Watson and the Texans will cope with rain and wind in Sunday's game at Cleveland, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Watson has been terrific over the past six weeks, never falling below a 109 passer rating, but the downfield passing game will be challenged Sunday. The forecast for the 1:00 ET kickoff in Cleveland predicts winds gusting up to 30-35 MPH with rain likely during the early window. The wind could play an issue in how the Texans plan to attack when throwing the ball. It could result in a shorter passing attack, one that favors tight ends and routes close to the line of scrimmage, as well as a greater reliance on the ground game. Watson is averaging 297 passing yards per game in 2020.

Darnold (shoulder) is expected to return Week 11 against the Chargers, and he'll have his top three wide receivers all healthy at once for the first time all season barring any setbacks, Andy Vasquez of NorthJersey.com reports.

Darnold missed the team's Week 9 loss to New England, but the benefit of a well-timed bye Week 10 is expected to provide enough time for his latest shoulder injury to heal. Backup quarterback Joe Flacco benefited from having all three of Jamison Crowder, Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims healthy at once for the first time, leading the offense to nine plays of 15-plus yards en route to a near-upset of the Patriots. Darnold hasn't had a game with more than five such plays this season, but he has the skill set to outperform Flacco with a full complement of weapons and will need to do so for the Jets to pick up that elusive first win.

Garoppolo has met with a foot specialist and confirmed that he won't need to undergo surgery to address his high-ankle sprain, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Garoppolo's meeting with Dr. Bob Anderson affirmed the advice of San Francisco's team doctors, so the signal-caller will continue to rest his ankle with the intention of testing it out for a possible return at a later date. High-ankle sprains normally carry a 4-to-6 week recovery timetable, and GM John Lynch confirmed that if Garoppolo doesn't come along on schedule, surgery could come back into play as an option. In the meantime, Nick Mullens will start for the 49ers, with C.J. Beathard serving as his primary backup.

Tannehill completed 15 of 27 passes for 147 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in the Titans' 34-17 loss to the Colts on Thursday night. He also rushed twice for nine yards.

Four days after taking nine hits overall from the Bears, including three sacks, Tannehill was knocked around six more times and taken down once in a game in which the Colts top-ranked defense seemed to pick up substantial steam in the second half. Tannehill compiled most of his numbers in the first half, when he capped the opening drive of the contest off with a five-yard touchdown to D'Onta Foreman. The veteran quarterback would go on to lead another pair of scoring marches that totaled 10 points before halftime, but he was shut out in the second half and eventually replaced by Logan Woodside for Tennessee's final possession. Tannehill will now have some extra down time to rest up before attempting to bounce back from his second sub-200-yard effort of the season when the Titans face off with the Ravens in a Week 11 rematch of January's AFC Divisional Round Game.

Trubisky (shoulder) did not practice Thursday.

The Bears have a Monday night matchup against the Vikings on deck, so Trubisky will get the benefit of an extra day to get healthy, but at this time it looks as though he's trending toward another absence. Chicago will go on bye Week 11, so it seems likely that the team will hold Trubisky at least until then in order to guarantee that his shoulder heals without setbacks.

Stafford (neck) is listed as a full participant on Wednesday's injury report.

The injury report notably omits mention of a concussion, confirming that Stafford wasn't forced out in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Vikings due to a head injury. Instead, Stafford is tending to a more minor neck issue, but his ability to take every rep at practice Wednesday suggests his availability for a Week 10 matchup with Washington isn't in question. However, with Kenny Golladay (hip) still not practicing, Stafford could realistically once again be without his top target versus the Football Team.

Head coach Doug Marrone hinted Wednesday that Minshew may not resume duties as the Jaguars' starting quarterback once he recovers from his right thumb injury, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Minshew hasn't been cleared to throw since being diagnosed Oct. 29 with multiple fractures and a sprained ligament in his thumb, so he'll be sidelined for a second straight game Sunday in Green Bay. In Minshew's stead, Luton will pick up another start after turning in a respectable outing in his NFL debut Week 9, completing 26 of 38 attempts for 304 yards, one touchdown and one interception while adding a 13-yard touchdown run in the Jaguars' 27-25 loss to the Texans. Marrone noted that a decision on which quarterback starts beyond Week 10 will hinge on how Minshew heals from the injury and how Luton performs against Green Bay.

The Browns reinstated Mayfield from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

Though he never actually tested positive for COVID-19 himself, Mayfield was placed on the list Sunday after he was deemed to be in close contact with an infected Browns staff member. Mayfield continued to test negative in each of the subsequent days, resulting in the Browns granting him clearance to resume team activities. Since he's now expected to be on the field Wednesday for the Browns' first Week 10 practice, Mayfield's ability to prepare for Sunday's game against the Texans shouldn't be affected.

Stevens was released from New Orleans' practice squad Tuesday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

The 23-year-old failed to make the Saints' season-opening roster and remained with the organization on the practice squad, but he's now been let go. Stevens was a seventh-round pick during the 2020 draft out of Mississippi State.

The Packers activated Love from the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday.

Love was placed on the COVID-19 list last Friday, but he's available for team activities immediately after clearing the necessary hurdles. The rookie first-round pick hasn't suited up in a game this season, as Tim Boyle has been the backup for Aaron Rodgers.