NFL Player News

With Johnny Manziel (hamstring) sidelined for the season finale and Brian Hoyer's (shoulder, bicep) status up in the air, the Browns signed quarterback Tyler Thigpen, according to CBSSports.com Jason La Canfora on Tuesday.

The team announced the move, waiving fullback Ray Agnew and signed defensive lineman Christian Tupou to the practice squad.

If Hoyer is unable to play, the Browns could turn to Connor Shaw Week 17 against Baltimore. According to La Canfora, Thigpen will be the No. 2 quarterback if Hoyer can't play.

Thigpen played with the Browns in the preseason before getting cut on Aug. 12. He has not made an appearance since 2012 with the Bills, and has not made a start since 2010 with the Dolphins.

After suffering a calf injury during Sunday’s victory over the Buccaneers, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sore, but coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Rodgers is 'upbeat and positive' about the injury, reports ESPN.com.

“He told me he wants to work, but we'll see what the medical [report says]," McCarthy said. "I really haven't talked to the medical staff about his specific injury."

Rodgers was able to participate in Tuesday's light practice. The Packers face the Lions for the division title on Sunday and Rodgers said it would 'definitely take a lot to hold me of the game.'

The Packers are 7-point favorites.

Jets quarterback Geno Smith sounded like a man who knows the fate of his current head coach on Monday. When asked about dealing with coaching changes while at West Virginia, Smith told reporters that a "change could be good for us all," according to the New York Post.

Smith, the 39th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, has completed only 58.2 percent of his passes, compiling 2,167 yards through the air, with 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions his sophomore season.

"It is all about what you make it," Smith said. "I think the toughest part about it is not being able to continue to play for the same coach the same guy that you learned to love, you invest so much in, and you believe [in] them. To reset and readjust is a tough thing to do, but we are professionals and we have to do it. A change could be good for us all, so if it happens, when it happens, then we will see."

Team owner Woody Johnson is reportedly interested in hiring former general manager Charley Casserly as a consultant, should the Jets choose to make a change in leadership. After reaching the AFC Championship in his first two seasons, Ryan is in the midst of his worst season as a head coach (3-12) and could be out the door along with general manager John Idzik following Sunday's season finale at Miami.

Playing much of the game without top target A.J. Green, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton dinked and dunked his way to a Week 16 win over the Broncos. Dalton overcame an early pick-six to complete 17 of 26 throws for 146 yards and two touchdowns.

Dalton relied on his running game and repeatedly looked for tight end Jermaine Gresham over the middle, finding him for a 2-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Running back Giovani Bernard later took a dumpoff pass 22 yards for a score.

Dalton averaged 5.6 yards per attempt after averaging 4.9 the week before. It's unclear if Green (arm) will be available when the Bengals visit the Steelers in Week 17. 

Rex Grossman would rather hang out with his family than quarterback the Browns. So reports ESPN, which said the Browns talked to Grossman about signing for Week 17 but that the sides could not agree on logistics. The report noted Grossman has his "whole family" in.

Cleveland cut Grossman, 34, right before the season. Now the eternally quarterback-needy Browns are desperate for a quarterback: Rookie Johnny Manziel is out with a hamstring injury and Brian Hoyer is nursing a shoulder injury.

With Grossman -- who has not thrown a regular-season pass since 2011 -- turning them down, the Browns likely will start undrafted rookie Connor Shaw at Baltimore on Sunday. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports the Browns also might reach out to journeyman Tyler Thigpen, who played for the team in the preseason opener before getting cut.

Browns practice squad quarterback Connor Shaw is set to receive significant snaps with the first team in practice this week. The team might also sign another quarterback, per the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram.

The potential moves announced by Mike Pettine are in response to injuries sustained on Sunday by Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel. The former has not been ruled out for Sunday at Baltimore, but the latter has.

Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer sustained a right shoulder injury late in the Week 16 game at Carolina and is considered day-to-day, per CBSSports.com NFL Insider Jason La Canfora.

His potential absence Sunday in Baltimore, as well as the loss of Johnny Manziel to a hamstring problem, could open the door for undrafted rookie and current practice squad quarterback Connor Shaw to start against the Ravens.

Shaw is set to be activated if the two can't play. Given the monumental struggles of Hoyer and Manziel lately, a strong performance by Shaw could complicate the situation regarding the position heading into the offseason. The Browns have been searching for their franchise quarterback since returning to Cleveland in 1999.

With the Cardinals struggling to get anything going offensively behind third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley, the Seahawks offense got repeated opportunities to shine Week 16 in Arizona. And quarterback Russell Wilson took advantage, throwing for a season-high 339 yards while rushing for 88. For the second time in three games, he contributed three total touchdowns, two in the air and one on the ground.

The Seahawks have gotten back to winning with their defense in recent weeks, making Wilson at times an afterthought. But when pressed to make plays, he's shown he's still capable of putting up big numbers.

Chances are he'll need to make plays in Week 17 against a Rams team that has played well of late, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Wilson's previous season high in passing yards came in his first meeting with them back in Week 7, when he threw for 313 and ran for 106. Despite his up-and-down tendencies, you'll want him active for the season's final week.

When Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford disappointed with just 153 passing yards and one touchdown Week 15 against Minnesota, I was willing to make excuses for him. "The Vikings pass defense really isn't so bad," I said while penciling in Stafford for another 390 yards and two touchdowns Week 16 at Chicago. That's what he did against the Bears in Week 13, after all, and they entered Week 16 ranked 31st against the pass.

So of course, Stafford throws for 243 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.

The performance could have been so, so, so much better. He threw one of those interceptions in the end zone and another just short of the end zone. But the fact is he completed those passes to Bears and not Lions, and so it was an awful performance despite a favorable matchup.

Stafford has been one of the most up-and-down quarterbacks in Fantasy this season, but the one thing he appeared to have going for him was that he played to the matchups. Remove predictability from the equation, and he's as frustratingly inconsistent as Cam Newton.

How can you trust him Week 17 at Green Bay? He threw two interceptions with no touchdown passes in his previous meeting with the Packers this year, so if you have a Mark Sanchez or even Newton type on the waiver wire, you might want to go that route instead.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson turned in a fantastic start Week 16 against the Cardinals.

Wilson completed 20 of 31 passes for 339 yards and two scores. Despite playing one of the tougher defenses in the NFL, Wilson did not turn the ball over during the contest. He had a mostly clear pocket, or at least was able to escape when things got muddy, taking just one sack. When Wilson did have time, he was able to hit on big play, averaging 10.9 yards per completion. 

On top of that, Wilson turned in a fine game on the ground. An early 55 yard run started things off, but a late 5 yard scramble really put the nail in the coffin. Wilson stiff-armed a defender on his way to the end zone.

Wilson will take on the Rams Week 17.