NFL Player News

Taylor is expected to clear the NFL's concussion protocol prior to the Browns' Week 4 game against the Raiders, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

With the Browns trailing 14-0 late in the second quarter Thursday, Taylor sustained a head injury that resulted in him missing the rest of the contest. No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield took over under center and promptly led the Browns to a 21-17 victory, Cleveland's first in 635 days. Even though Taylor seems to be trending in the right direction, Mayfield's stellar performance off the bench will earn him his first career NFL start Week 4, resulting in Taylor assuming the backup role. In the event Taylor doesn't make the progress anticipated in his recovery from the concussion over the next week, Drew Stanton would slot in as Mayfield's top understudy.

The Titans are planning to start Gabbert on Sunday against the Jaguars, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Coach Mike Vrabel said Gabbert will remain the Titans' starting quarterback until Marcus Mariota (elbow) is healthy. Gabbert was 13 of 20 passing for 117 yards and one touchdown in last week's win over Houston.

Walker signed with Indianapolis' practice squad Saturday, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports.

Walker was cut by the Colts to begin the regular season. With Jacoby Brissett being the only backup on the Colts' active roster behind Andrew Luck, Walker would be a strong candidate for promotion were either quarterback to miss any time.

Taylor is expected to yield the starting quarterback job to Baker Mayfield, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Coach Hue Jackson will wait until Monday to make the final decision, but his hand was essentially forced when Mayfield led the Browns to their first victory in 635 days Thursday versus the Jets. Taylor was knocked from the contest and diagnosed with a concussion with a little more than three minutes remaining in the second quarter, making him no guarantee to clear the protocol in time for a Week 4 matchup in Oakland on Sept. 30. Either way, Taylor is poised to move down the QB depth chart in the coming days.

Coach Hue Jackson is expected to name Mayfield the Browns' starting quarterback Monday, May Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Mayfield entered Thursday's game against the Jets after Tyrod Taylor was diagnosed with a concussion and instantly sparked the offense, cutting into a 14-point lead with a drive that ended in a successful field goal near the end of the first half. After opening the second half with a punt, the Mayfield-led Browns scored on three consecutive drives, attaining the final score of 21-17 with 2:04 remaining. He finished 17 of 23 for 201 yards in just over one half of work on the heels of Taylor guiding the offense to a miserable 79 yards on the first six possessions of the contest. Mayfield's debut clearly is enough for Jackson to make a change at signal-caller.

Rodgers (knee) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Washington, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Despite the designation, Rodgers is scheduled to practice Saturday and then play in Sunday's game. He followed the same routine last week, missing practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday ahead of a 29-29 tie with the Vikings. Rodgers didn't have his usual mobility in the contest, but he still managed to throw for 281 yards and a touchdown while playing every snap. He plans to continue playing through a sprained MCL.

Mariota (elbow) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Jacksonville, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Mariota was active Week 2 but didn't take any snaps due to lingering numbness and tingling in his right hand, which has been his reality during Week 3 prep. He appeared to look close to usual self at Thursday's practice, but the Titans still seem to be wary about introducing him to in-game contact. Coach Mike Vrabel said Friday that the team will make a decision on Mariota in the next 24 hours. If Mariota is eventually ruled out, Blaine Gabbert will get the nod at quarterback.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said Friday morning that Rodgers (knee) will practice Saturday, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The report notes that Rodgers is going through the same routine he did last week, which indicates he will not practice Friday, but will be listed as questionable and likely play Sunday against the Redskins as long as he is able to make it through Saturday's unofficial practice without issue. Fantasy players hoping to include Rodgers in their lineups for Week 3 will want to pay close attention to his status over the next several days.

Mayfield completed 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions after replacing Tyrod Taylor (concussion) in the second quarter of Thursday's 21-17 win over the Jets. He also lost two yards on his two rushes, fumbled once and completed a two-point conversion pass.

Taylor is highly unlikely to regain his starting job following the sharp contrast between his performance before injury and that of Mayfield once he entered the game with 1:23 remaining in the first half. The first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft was seemingly sharp from his first professional regular-season snap, which resulted in a 14-yard completion to Jarvis Landry. That initial late second-quarter possession resulted in a field goal, and Mayfield would go on to lead two impressive scoring marches that culminated in Carlos Hyde rushing touchdowns in the second half. The entire Browns offense looked exponentially more effective with Mayfield at the controls, leading to the team's first win since the 2016 regular-season finale. Mayfield will now have 10 days to prepare for a Week 4 matchup against the Raiders that he would appear a virtual lock to start irrespective of Taylor's status.

Darnold completed 15 of 31 passes for 169 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in Thursday's 21-17 loss to the Browns.

Darnold faced consistent pressure from an aggressive Browns front, but he also extinguished any hopes of a victory when his pass attempt to Robby Anderson was intercepted at the Cleveland 34-yard line with 15 seconds remaining. The rookie had short-circuited the previous possession with a pick as well, as Joe Schobert snagged a throw intended for Jermaine Kearse at the Jets' 43 with 1:27 left. Darnold did show encouraging rapport with Quincy Enunwa and Kearse in particular, and he was able to avoid a blanking for Terrelle Pryor by connecting with him for 25 yards to open the final series. The 2018 first-round pick will try to bounce back from his pair of costly miscues against the Jaguars in Week 4.