NFL Player News

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that Dobbs will start Sunday's game at Arizona, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Dobbs served as the 49ers' backup quarterback over Brandon Allen in Monday's 40-34 loss to the Lions, and the former saw the field late in the fourth quarter when Brock Purdy exited with an elbow injury. Dobbs proceeded to complete three of four passes for 35 yards and ran for a seven-yard touchdown on his five snaps. Purdy since has been diagnosed with a contusion and nerve inflammation in his throwing elbow, which is expected to sideline him for Week 18 action. Dobbs thus is in line for his first start of the campaign as the 49ers close out the season.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo suggested Wednesday that Maye is expected to start Sunday against the Bills, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports. "Drake is our starting quarterback. If he's healthy and ready to go, as we go through this week of practice, then he'll play," Mayo said of the rookie quarterback.

The 3-13 Patriots would secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with a loss to Buffalo, but Mayo didn't indicate that he has any intention of resting healthy starters in the season finale. While Maye thus appears likely to play versus the Bills, New England could elect to give 2024 sixth-round pick Joe Milton some playing time at some point during Sunday's contest.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that the Dolphins are preparing as though Huntley will start Sunday against the Jets rather than Tua Tagovailoa (hip), Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Wolfe notes that Tagovailoa is slated to be a limited participant in practice Wednesday, and a decision on Miami's starting quarterback for Sunday likely won't be made until the end of the week. That said, Huntley looks to be trending toward another start, on the heels of helming the Dolphins' 20-3 win over the Browns this past weekend. He turned in perhaps the finest performance of his five-year career in Week 17, completing 22 of 26 pass attempts for 225 yards, one touchdown and no interception while adding 52 yards and another score on seven carries.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that the Dolphins are preparing as though Tyler Huntley will start Sunday's game against the Jets rather than Tagovailoa (hip), Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

McDaniel said that Tagovailoa will be a limited participant in practice Wednesday, and while a decision on the Dolphins' Week 18 starting quarterback isn't final, Huntley looks to be trending toward directing the Miami offense for a second straight game. The 8-8 Dolphins are one of the few teams around the league with something on the line in Week 18, as they need a win plus a Broncos loss to the Chiefs on Sunday in order to clinch their spot in the postseason.

Head coach Andy Reid confirmed Wednesday that Wentz will start Sunday's regular-season finale against the Broncos, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

With the Chiefs having clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed, Reid said that "it wasn't a hard decision" to rest normal starter Patrick Mahomes in Week 18, according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic. Wentz is thus slated for his first extended action with the Chiefs, after playing just nine snaps in total over his previous two appearances this season. Chris Oladokun will likely be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the backup to Wentz on Sunday while Mahomes is expected to be inactive as the emergency No. 3 quarterback.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Wednesday that Hurts (concussion) isn't likely to play Sunday against the Giants, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Sirianni relayed that the Eagles intend to rest a number of starters in the regular-season finale, a list that includes Hurts, who remains in the concussion protocol. It's unclear if Hurts has made any progress in his recovery from the concussion, but the Eagles are still deciding on who will be under center Week 18 after Kenny Pickett started in place of Hurts in last Sunday's win over the Cowboys but was forced out with a rib injury. Tanner McKee finished out that contest and would be next in line to start Week 18 if Pickett can't go, while Ian Book also is on the active roster.

Head coach Andy Reid said that Mahomes won't start in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Broncos, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Reid confirmed that Carson Wentz will direct the offense in Week 18, with the coach noting that the decision to rest Mahomes wasn't a difficult decision with the Chiefs having clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, per Nate Taylor of The Athletic. With Kansas City having earned a first-round bye, Mahomes' next game action won't come until the divisional round of the playoffs on Jan. 18 or 19. An extended break should be beneficial for Mahomes, who suffered a mild high-ankle sprain Week 15 and had played through the injury in the Chiefs' last two contests.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday that he's hopeful Richardson (back) will be available for Sunday's season finale against the Jaguars, Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Back issues prevented Richardson from playing in Week 17, but the quarterback could return to action this weekend depending on how he fares in practice over the next three days. With the Colts holding a walk-through session Wednesday, what Richardson is able to do during Thursday's session will provide a better indication of which direction he's trending in for Sunday's contest. For his part, Richardson -- who dislocated that he's dealing with a disc issue -- said Wednesday that he's feeling much better this week compared to last, per Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star.

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that both Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (calf) could see snaps at quarterback in Saturday's game at Baltimore, Patrick Warren of the Browns' official site reports. "There's a scenario where we [play both], but I want to make sure we get through the week before making the final determination," Stefanski said.

Zappe was signed to the Browns' active roster Oct. 22 but has yet to make his team debut. He served as the emergency third quarterback initially upon his arrival, but Zappe was elevated to the backup spot the last two weeks with Jameis Winston (shoulder) being the emergency quarterback. Stefanski said that Winston will likely be inactive once again Saturday, but a determination on whether Thompson-Robinson or Zappe starts won't be made until the end of the practice week.

Stroud admitted to being banged up Tuesday as the Texans prepare for Sunday's game at Tennessee, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans acknowledged Stroud is dealing with soreness, as many NFL players are at this point of the season. The quarterback practiced Monday, and while he looks like he'll be available to play Sunday, Houston is locked in as the fourth seed for the AFC playoffs and can't improve its position. Though Ryans suggested that all players healthy enough to suit up will play -- including Stroud -- the Texans could turn the game over to backup players at some point during the contest.