NFL Player News

The Vikings listed Bradford (knee) as a limited participant at Thursday's practice.

As head coach Mike Zimmer promised prior to the session, Bradford was on the field for the Vikings' first practice of the week, though the quarterback didn't receive clearance for full activities. Since Bradford has been sidelined since the season opener with the left knee issue -- which has been diagnosed as a bone bruise -- the Vikings may want to see him put in a full practice before feeling more confident about his ability to play in a game. He'll have two more opportunities this week to increase his involvement in practice, and if he's able to do so, his odds of suiting up for the Monday night matchup with the Bears would increase. Case Keenum has commanded the Vikings offense the past three contests, completing 61 percent of his passes for 755 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Titans coach Mike Mularkey indicated that Mariota (hamstring) remained limited at Thursday's practice, but did "a little bit more" than he had in the team's first practice of the week Wednesday, Jason Wolf of The Tennessean reports.

While it's reassuring for the Titans to see Mariota on the field in any capacity for both of their first two practices of the week, it sounds as though the hamstring is still hindering the quarterback's mobility, which could prompt the team to take a cautious approach with his workload in Friday's session. Once that practice concludes, Mariota appears destined to enter Sunday with a questionable tag, leaving his status for the Titans' Week 5 game against the Dolphins very much up in the air. Matt Cassel would presumably start that contest if Mariota can't go, resulting in a downgrade in fantasy appeal for all of the team's receiving options.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said that Bradford (knee) would likely practice in some capacity Thursday, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "If [Bradford is] ready to play, he'll play," Zimmer said, regarding the quarterback's status for Monday's game against the Bears.

Bradford has been held out of the Vikings' last three games while managing the knee injury, but Zimmer described the signal caller as day-to-day earlier this week, leaving open the possibility that Bradford could make his return Monday night. At this point in the recovery process, it appears Bradford's knee issue will come down to a matter of pain tolerance, so if he's able to put in a few practices this week without any complications, his chances of returning to action would increase. Zimmer didn't indicate if he expects Bradford to face any restrictions during Thursday's practice, but his level of involvement will be clarified when the Vikings formally release their injury report later in the day.

Watson was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 4, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Watson completed 25 of 34 passes for 283 yards, tossed four touchdowns and ran for another in Houston's 57-14 win over Tennessee last weekend. The rookie's big game put him among legendary NFL company. Watson's the first rookie quarterback since Fran Tarkenton in 1961 to have at least four touchdown passes and another rushing in one game. His five touchdowns tied for second most by a rookie since Chicago's Gale Sayers in 1965. Watson can't rest on his Week 4 accomplishments, though, as he and the Texans have a Week 5 encounter with the league's only undefeated team, the 4-0 Kansas City Chiefs.

Titans head coach Mike Mularkey said the team is being cautious with Mariota (hamstring), who wasn't asked to do much at Wednesday's practice, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Per Wyatt, Mularkey also said he's hopeful Mariota can play Sunday in Miami, but added that the Titans aren't willing to risk further injury to their franchise signal caller. Wyatt also reports that Mariota doesn't necessarily need to log a full practice before playing in a game, though doing so undoubtedly would create a higher level of confidence in his health. While practicing in a limited capacity puts him off to a good start this week, Mariota still seems no better than a coin flip to suit up against the Dolphins. Matt Cassel is next in line to start, and Brandon Weeden was signed Tuesday to potentially serve as Cassel's backup.

Hoyer will remain the team's starter for Week 5 against the Colts, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Hoyer hasn't impressed over the first four games of the season -- throwing for two touchdowns compared to four interceptions -- but head coach Kyle Shanahan remained content with Hoyer during his Monday press conference when the announcement was made. If Shanahan changes his mind at some point later in the season, rookie C.J. Beathard would be in line to take over.

Cousins completed 14 of 24 attempts for 220 yards and two touchdowns and added 38 rushing yards on seven attempts in Monday's 29-20 loss to the Chiefs.

Cousins was firing on all cylinders to open the game, tossing a 44-yard touchdown to Terrelle Pryor in the first quarter, which helped give the Redskins an earlier 10-0 advantage. While the offense was limited in the second half, Cousins did show off his rushing ability late in the game. He picked up two key first downs with his feet on the Redskins' final drive, ending the night as the team's leading-rusher. A drop by Josh Doctson in the end zone on a well-delivered ball would of given the Redskins the lead and left Cousins with his third passing touchdown of the game, but the team instead had to settle for a field goal. The veteran quarterback performed admirably on Monday night, but is still building chemistry with his new wideouts - something the team will look to improve moving forward.

Head coach Jack Del Rio said Monday that Carr has a fracture in his back and will miss 2-to-6 weeks, Vic Tafur of The Athletic San Francisco reports.

In the aftermath of Sunday's 16-10 defeat at Denver, Del Rio relayed Carr was dealing with back spasms, but the quarterback himself said he was dealing with a significant amount of pain. With the diagnosis of a transverse process fracture, Carr has been ruled out for Sunday's outing against the Ravens, at least. While he'll seemingly be a week-to-week prospect thereafter, the Raiders will turn to EJ Manuel to direct the offense in the meantime.

Titans coach Mike Mularkey said Monday that Mariota is considered day-to-day with a hamstring strain, Paul Kuharsky of 104.5 The Zone reports.

Mariota was removed from Sunday's 57-14 loss in Houston at halftime and never returned, but it seems he escaped without a major injury. Mularkey compared Mariota's hamstring injury to the one recently suffered by DeMarco Murray, who has yet to miss a game this season. Mularkey also said the team will prepare game plans for both Mariota and Matt Cassel, with the decision on a Week 5 starter potentially not being made until hours before Sunday's game in Miami. Mularkey already seems to be hinting at a 'questionable' tag and possible game-time decision for his starting quarterback. Per ESPN.com's Cameron Wolfe, Mularkey said Mariota doesn't necessarily need to practice during the week in order to play in Sunday's game.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Bradford (knee) remains day-to-day and could return for Week 5 against the Bears on Monday Night Football, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

This isn't particularly informative, considering Zimmer has essentially been saying the same thing since the beginning of Week 2. The team ruled Bradford out for Week 4 on Thursday, after waiting until Friday the previous week. The quarterback is still recovering from a bone bruise -- a diagnosis that Dr. James Andrews confirmed during a Sept. 22 visit. With no ligament or muscular damage, Bradford should eventually be able to play once the pain subsides. He got in some practice work Weeks 2 and 3, but was then held out entirely last week. A return to practice in the upcoming days would mark a significant step in the right direction. The Vikings will have a tough time moving the ball if they have Case Keenum at quarterback without the help of Dalvin Cook (torn ACL).