NFL Player News

Johnson agreed to terms Tuesday on a contract with the Texans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Johnson will replace the recently signed Matt McGloin as the Texans' third quarterback, with the potential to eventually challenge the uninspiring duo of Tom Savage and T.J. Yates for the starting or top backup roles, respectively. Though the 31-year-old Johnson has just five NFL starts on his resume, he's enjoyed a long career as a backup in the league thanks in large part to his live arm and mobility. Johnson's last regular-season NFL snap came in 2013 as a member of the Bengals.

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph named Brock Osweiler the team's starting quaterback for the Week 10 game with the Patriots while noting that Lynch isn't ready to contribute yet, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post reports. "Physically he's been hurt," Joseph said Monday, in clarifying why Lynch wasn't ready to play. "He played his last football game in Week 3 of the preseason and he threw for four days prior to our last game. That's the physical part. The mental part, I was speaking more to that he hasn't played football. He hasn't been on the football field. He's missed so much time, so to put him in an NFL game Week 10 wouldn't be fair to our football team or fair to Paxton."

Osweiler replaced the struggling Trevor Siemian as the team's starter in the blowout loss in Week 9 to the Eagles and provided little evidence that he would add stability at quarterback, completing 19 of 38 passes for 208 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and a fumble. Though the Broncos will give Osweiler another chance to redeem himself, it seems inevitable that Lynch will get a look as the starter once Joseph determines the 2016 first-round pick is ready to go from a physical standpoint following the lengthy absence due to a sprained right shoulder.

Watson will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair his torn right ACL, Mike Garofolo of NFL Network reports.

The Texans moved Watson to injured reserve shortly after he suffered the injury on a non-contact play during practice Nov. 2, spelling an end to what had been an outstanding rookie campaign. Watson is expected to require 8-to-9 months to recover from the procedure, which could result in him being limited when training camp opens next summer. Assuming Watson endures no significant setbacks, however, he should be on track to open the 2018 campaign as the Texans' starting quarterback.

Bridgewater (knee) will be activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list Wednesday, but won't start the Vikings' Week 10 game against the Rams, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports.

As expected, the Vikings will activate Bridgewater with his 21-day window to return from the PUP list set to expire this week, and with the 24-year-old's surgically repaired left knee apparently responding well to practices, he should displace Kyle Sloter as the top backup to Case Keenum on Sunday. Mortensen relays that the Vikings believe Bridgewater, who missed the entire 2016 season while recovering from the dislocated knee, will be ready to start relatively soon, but it's unlikely that Keenum will be moved to the bench unless his performance dramatically dips following his strong half of the season. Sam Bradford had previously opened the season as the Vikings' starting quarterback, but he's been sidelined since aggravating a knee injury in Week 5 and may be a more likely candidate to head to injured reserve at this point than challenge either Keenum or Bridgewater for the top role.

Bradford will visit Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday for a second opinion on his injured left knee, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports.

Though the VIkings have indicated that Bradford is making progress since aggravating his left knee injury in a Week 5 start against the Bears, the team still doesn't have a definitive timetable for the quarterback's return. Bradford's visit with Dr. Andrews could perhaps be helpful toward determining when the veteran might be available again or if another surgery on the problematic knee will be necessary, but the Vikings have already begun discussing the possibility of placing Bradford on season-ending injured reserve, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports. With Case Keenum thriving in Bradford's stead as the Vikings' starting quarterback and Teddy Bridgewater (knee) set to return from the Physically Unable to Perform list this week to provide additional insurance at the position, Minnesota may not have much incentive to waste a roster spot on Bradford while his return timeline remains murky.

Keenum will start at quarterback Sunday in the Vikings' game against the Redskins, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports.

Keenum has gone 4-2 in his six starts and shined in his lone appearance in relief of Sam Bradford (knee) this season, completing 63.9 percent of his passes while posting a 7:3 TD:INT. Bradford hasn't made much notable progress in his recovery coming out of the Vikings' bye week and is without a timetable to return, but despite his success thus far, Keenum may soon face a new challenger for the starting role in Teddy Bridgewater (knee), who is set to be activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list Wednesday and act as the backup in Week 10. Given that Bridgewater has impressed the Vikings' brass since returning to practice in October and was once viewed as a franchise quarterback, Keenum probably won't have as much margin for error as the Vikings kick off the second half of their season. That being said, unless Keenum's performance takes a dramatic dip, it's unlikely that head coach Mike Zimmer will deviate from what has been a winning formula to date.

Stafford completed 26 of 33 passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns in Monday night's 30-17 win over the Packers.

Stafford finished Detroit's first drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones and never looked back, leading an offense that did not punt the ball Monday. Along with tossing another score to Jones during the fourth quarter, Stafford posted his third straight game with at least 300 yards through the air. Fresh off the momentum provided by Monday's win, Stafford will now look forward to a tasty home matchup against the lowly Browns in Week 10.

Winston (shoulder) will be shut down for at least two weeks, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

For the second time in four games, Winston didn't log a second-half snap as the team's medical staff made an executive decision to rule him out Sunday in New Orleans. A subsequent MRI revealed damage aside from the previously-known AC joint sprain in his right throwing shoulder, spurring Monday's development. While Winston turns his focus to rehabilitation, the Bucs will give Ryan Fitzpatrick at least a few opportunities to direct the offense, starting Sunday versus the Jets.

Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said he expects Savage to start Week 10 against the Rams, Deepi Sidhu of the Texans' official site reports. "We've got to get Tom playing better. We all have to do better," O'Brien said Monday.

After star rookie Deshaun Watson (knee) suffered a season-ending injury in practice Nov. 2, Savage stepped back in as the starting quarterback for the first time since Week 1 in Sunday's 20-14 loss to the Colts, and the results weren't encouraging. Savage completed just 19 of 44 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown while losing one of two fumbles, with his wayward accuracy almost leading to a pair of interceptions during the contest. The fourth-year signal caller was able to right the ship to some degree in the fourth quarter and nearly engineered a potential game-winning drive, but he took a sack as time ran out to end the Texans' comeback bid. Despite Savage's poor overall numbers, O'Brien evidently saw enough to justify sticking with him over the other options on the roster, T.J. Yates and Matt McGloin. Savage will likely have a shorter leash in Week 10, however, so if he's unable to move the offense effectively early on in the contest, Yates could be called upon in relief.

Winston required X-rays and an MRI after Sunday's loss to the Saints for the AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder along with a rear deltoid issue, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Buccaneers have yet to reveal the exam results of the two injuries, which resulted in Winston's early departure Sunday. Winston first sustained the shoulder injury Week 6 and has seen his effectiveness wane in the last two games, completing 54.9 percent of his passes and throwing no touchdowns against two interceptions. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who came on in relief for Winston on Sunday to complete eight of 15 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown, would start Week 10 against the Jets in the event Winston is unable to suit up for that contest.