NFL Player News

Head coach Raheem Morris was non-committal Tuesday when asked if Cousins will remain the Falcons' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Giants, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports. "We just got back [from Las Vegas]. We still have to go through that process," Morris said. "All those things will happen over the course of the week. We didn't play well enough at the quarterback position."

Though the Falcons snapped their four-game losing streak Monday with a 15-9 win over the Raiders, Cousins' play didn't inspire much confidence. After he turned in a disastrous 0:8 TD:INT during the previous four games, the Falcons leaned heavily on their ground attack in Week 15. Cousins was unable to do much with his 20 dropbacks, taking three sacks and completing 11 of 17 pass attempts for 112 yards, one touchdown and his NFL-leading 16th interception of the season. Though a soft home matchup against the 2-12 Giants awaits in Week 16, the 7-7 Falcons may view the game as a good opportunity to see if rookie first-round pick Michael Penix can provide an upgrade as Atlanta looks to stay in the thick of the NFC South race. Expect Morris to provide an update on the Falcons' plans at quarterback when the team resumes practicing Wednesday.

Fields (abdomen) did not participate in Tuesday's walkthrough session, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Fields suffered an abdominal injury on an eight-yard rush in the second quarter of Sunday's loss to the Eagles. He'll have two more chances this week to return to practice ahead of Saturday's AFC North showdown against the Ravens. If Fields is not cleared for that game, Kyle Allen would be the next man up to serve as the Steelers' backup quarterback behind Russell Wilson.

Mahomes (ankle) was listed as a full participant in Tuesday's practice.

Kansas City didn't hold a rigorous practice session to kick off Week 16 prep just two days after Sunday's 21-7 win over the Browns, but Mahomes' full listing nonetheless suggests that he's on track to play Saturday against the Texans. The quarterback was diagnosed with a mild right high-ankle sprain following his early exit from Sunday's win in Cleveland, but Mahomes told Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star prior to Tuesday's session that he has responded "better quicker" to his latest injury than to the high-ankle sprain he sustained in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs two years ago.

Rudolph is expected to take over as the Titans' starting quarterback in Sunday's game against the Colts, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Fowler's report merely notes that Tennessee is "planning to make a switch at quarterback," but unless the Titans elect to install practice-squad member Trevor Siemian as their starter, Rudolph is the logical candidate to step in for Will Levis. Though the 25-year-old Levis has youth and his status as a recent second-round draft pick working in his favor, the Titans may have already determined that he's not their long-term answer at quarterback after he turned the ball over 17 times (12 interceptions, five lost fumbles) through 11 starts this season. Rudolph brings more experience to the table but hasn't built upon the late-season success he enjoyed as Pittsburgh's starter in 2023. Over his five appearances with Tennessee -- including three starts from Weeks 7 through 9 while Levis was out with a shoulder injury -- Rudolph has completed 63 percent of his passes for 6.6 yards per attempt and a 6:5 TD:INT to go with 75 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

Levis is expected to move into a backup role for Sunday's game at Indianapolis, with Mason Rudolph likely in line to replace him as the Titans' starting quarterback, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Unless the team elects to award the start to practice-squad member Trevor Siemian, Rudolph represents the logical candidate to replace Levis. The second-year signal-caller will head to the bench after he endured another tough outing in this past Sunday's 37-27 loss to the Bengals, when he completed eight of 12 pass attempts for 89 yards and three interceptions while also losing a fumble before being pulled midway through the third quarter. Through 11 starts this season, Levis has completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 6.3 yards per attempt and 12 touchdowns, but turnovers have been a major issue. He's lost five fumbles and has thrown 12 interceptions, including an NFL-high four pick-sixes. Levis' lack of development will likely prompt the Titans to pursue an upgrade at quarterback through the draft or free agency this offseason.

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said Tuesday that O'Connell (knee) is "trending upwards to play" Sunday against Jacksonville, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.

O'Connell was inactive for Monday's loss to the Falcons, but he was cleared to operate as Las Vegas' emergency third quarterback. Desmond Ridder struggled in his spot start versus Atlanta, throwing for 208 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in. A return to the lineup on O'Connell's part could provide a spark to the Las Vegas offense, which would be especially notable for rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who was limited to three catches for 35 yards (on six targets) with Ridder under center Monday.

Head coach Andy Reid said that Mahomes (ankle) will attempt to practice Tuesday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports. "We'll see how Pat does. He's going to go through some stuff and we'll see how it works out for him," Reid said.

While the fact that Reid hasn't entirely ruled Mahomes out from practicing to kick off Week 16 prep offers encouragement, Kansas City isn't likely to hold anything more than a light walk-through session just two days after Sunday's 21-7 win over the Browns. As such, even if Mahomes is listed as a limited participant, it shouldn't be interpreted as a clear sign that he'll be on track to play Saturday against the Texans. Backup Carson Wentz is expected to get in plenty of reps with the first-team offense to keep himself prepared in the event Mahomes is forced to miss his first game of the season.

Head coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that Love took a hit to his thigh during Sunday's 30-13 win over the Seahawks, but the quarterback is expected to be a full participant in practice this week, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Though Love played all 64 of the Packers' offensive snaps in the Week 15 win, he was seen limping late in the game. With the coach downplaying any concern about Love's health, fantasy managers should feel comfortable deploying the quarterback as they normally would heading into a favorable Week 16 matchup with the Saints on Monday night. While Green Bay's heavy reliance on Josh Jacobs has limited his overall passing volume of late, Love has been highly efficient over his last four starts with an average of 218.0 yards per game and 8.9 yards per attempt to go with seven touchdowns and no interceptions.

Winston appears set to move into a backup role for Sunday's game against the Bengals while Dorian Thompson-Robinson takes over as the Browns' starting quarterback, Brad Stainbrook of 247Sports.com reports.

The quarterback change isn't expected to be confirmed until head coach Kevin Stefanski speaks to the media Wednesday, but the Browns appear motivated to give Thompson-Robinson an extended look under center as the season winds down to better assess whether the 25-year-old fits into their long-term plans. Winston, meanwhile, is on an expiring contract, and has seen his mistakes compound in recent weeks. Since taking over as the Browns' starting quarterback in Week 8 in place of the injured Deshaun Watson (Achilles), Winston completed 61.6 percent of his throws for 2,038 yards (7.2 YPA) and 12 touchdowns over his seven starts, but he's also thrown 12 interceptions and has lost two fumbles while Cleveland has gone 2-5. He tossed three of those interceptions and led just one scoring drive in this past Sunday's 21-7 loss to Kansas City before being lifted midway through the fourth quarter in favor of Thompson-Robinson.

Thompson-Robinson is expected to replace Jameis Winston as the Browns' starting quarterback in Sunday's game against the Bengals, Brad Stainbrook of 247Sports.com reports.

Though Winston initially breathed life into a stagnant Cleveland passing attack when he took over for the injured Deshaun Watson (Achilles) as the team's starter in Week 8, he's also been mistake-prone. After throwing a trio of interceptions -- including two in the end zone -- in Sunday's 21-7 loss to Kansas City, Winston was pulled from the game midway through the fourth quarter in favor of Thompson-Robinson, who completed four of nine pass attempts for 18 yards and an interception to go with 16 yards on three carries during the Browns' final two possessions. With a 1:7 TD:INT over 12 career appearances (three starts) through two seasons in the league, Thompson-Robinson hasn't been immune to sloppy play either, but the 3-11 Browns are presumably eager to take a longer look at the 25-year-old as the season winds down. While he brings much more rushing upside to the table than Winston, Thompson-Robinson likely represents a major downgrade for the Cleveland passing game and for pass catchers such as Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore and David Njoku (hamstring).