NFL Player News

Stroud appears likely to miss a second straight game Sunday against the Browns while he remains in the concussion protocol, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.

Stroud hasn't been officially ruled out for Sunday's contest yet, and he could end up carrying a questionable or doubtful tag into the weekend if he manages to make some progress through the five-step protocol during the week. However, Stroud isn't expected to practice Wednesday and probably won't be anything more than a limited participant if he's cleared to get back on the field Thursday, so the Texans appear set to prepare Case Keenum for another start. While Stroud was sidelined for last week's 19-16 overtime win over the Titans, Davis Mills served as the backup to Keenum, who completed 23 of 36 pass attempts for 229 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The Texans signed Boyle to their practice squad Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Boyle will head to Houston after completing 48 of 77 of his passes for 360 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions in three games for the Jets earlier this season. The 29-year-old will now serve as a depth option if C.J. Stroud (concussion) is unable to play Sunday versus the Browns.

Mannion reverted to Seattle's practice squad Tuesday.

Mannion was active but didn't play during Monday's win over the Eagles as he served as an emergency option behind Drew Lock and Geno Smith. Mannion will now wait for another opportunity to be elevated.

The Lions activated Hooker (knee) from their reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday.

Hooker has spent the entire season up to this point on Detroit's reserve/NFI list, but it now looks like he'll finally be available in Week 16. As long as one of Jared Goff or Teddy Bridgewater is available, Hooker still isn't likely to see the field this year.

Pickett (ankle) was listed as limited on Tuesday's injury report, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Pittsburgh's current plan is for Mason Rudolph to be the team's starting quarterback Saturday against the Bengals, with previous fill-in starter Mitch Trubisky getting demoted to third on the depth chart. On Monday, coach Mike Tomlin left "the door ajar" for Pickett to be available this weekend for the first time since suffering a high right-ankle sprain in Week 13 against the Cardinals, per ESPN.com. Pickett may need to be listed as full on at least one of the Steelers' two remaining Week 16 practice reports Wednesday or Thursday in order to give himself a realistic chance to be available Saturday.

Rodgers said Tuesday during his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that it's unlikely that he'll be activated from injured reserve this week, which would end his 2023 season, Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports.

A player returning to action just 14 weeks after surgery to repair a torn Achilles would normally be out of the realm of possibility, but Rodgers has been on an accelerated rehab that included throwing before a Week 6 win versus the Eagles, getting designated for return from IR on Nov. 29 and logging back-to-back practices the last two weeks. Rodgers noted Tuesday that he won't be 100 percent for another 3-4 weeks, so it's apparent that Saturday's report from Adam Schefter of ESPN that the quarterback was slated to be medically cleared this week was overly optimistic. With Zach Wilson in the concussion protocol at the moment, the Jets may have to roll with Trevor Siemian under center Sunday against the Commanders.

Perry signed with the Jaguars' practice squad Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Perry will bolster the organizational depth at quarterback with Trevor Lawrence currently in concussion protocols. The former spent the entirety of the 2022 season on Jacksonville's practice squad, so he should be a natural fit to do so with his familiarity with the team and its offense.

Coach Pete Carroll confirmed after Monday's 20-17 win over the Eagles that Smith will start versus the Titans in Week 16 as long as he's healthy, Brady Henderson of ESPN reports.

Smith was active for Monday's win despite his groin injury, but Seattle opted to proceed with Drew Lock under center. That decision likely came due to Smith still operating at less than 100 percent health, but barring any setbacks in practice this week, the stage appears set for his return to the lineup. Smith hasn't played since Week 13 due to a groin issue, but he was listed as a limited participant on all three Week 15 practice reports and should resume handling first-team reps this week.

Ridder will be replaced by Taylor Heinicke as Atlanta's starting quarterback Sunday versus the Colts, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Ridder is being benched for the second time this season, a move which Kendall reports could signal the end of his starting tenure for the Falcons. The switch comes following an unimpressive performance by Ridder in poor weather conditions, when he completed 12 of 20 passes for 157 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Atlanta's narrow 9-7 loss to the Panthers in Week 15. Perhaps more crucially, Ridder set up Carolina's final game-winning drive with a crucial red zone interception. The second-year signal-caller will presumably operate as Heinicke's backup Sunday versus Indianapolis.

The Falcons intend for Heinicke to start over Desmond Ridder in Sunday's game against the Colts, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Heinicke is usurping Ridder on the depth chart for the second time this season, a change that could well last the remainder of the 2023 campaign. The move comes following Ridder's game-sealing red zone interception during Atlanta's loss to Carolina in Week 15, a mistake which put a dent in the Falcons' playoff hopes. Heinicke has been serviceable if unimpressive in limited action this season, having completed 41 of 74 pass attempts for 498, three touchdowns and one interception across three appearances.