NFL Player News

If Stroud (concussion), who is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Titans, isn't available this weekend, either Davis Mills or Case Keenum could start in his place, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN reports.

When Stroud -- who didn't practice this week -- was forced out of last Sunday's 30-6 loss to the Jets in the fourth quarter, Mills closed out the contest for the Texans. However, Bien-Aime indicates that Mills and Keenum split practice reps this week, and when asked Friday if Mills would start if Stroud can't, coach DeMeco Ryans replied, "Both guys have prepared this (whole) week, just like every position, everybody's prepared." In any case, look for added context regarding Stroud's status (and his potential Week 15 fill-in, if necessary) to arrive closer to Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.

Rodgers (Achilles) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at Miami, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Since Rodgers was designated for return from injured reserve Nov. 29, he's been listed as limited on six of nine Jets practice reports, including both Thursday and Friday this week. The team will need to make a decision on activating him from IR by the middle of next week, which may be contingent on winning Sunday's key AFC East matchup. In the end, it seems highly unlikely that Rodgers will complete his quick rehab from the torn Achilles that he sustained back in Week 1 and be able to play before season's end, but there's still a small chance of that coming to pass. New York will continue to roll with Zach Wilson under center moving forward.

Hill (foot/left hand) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's contest against the Giants, Brooke Kirchhofer of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Hill failed to practice at all before sitting out Week 14 versus the Panthers due to a combination of foot and left hand injuries. This time around, he opened the week with back-to-back capped sessions before getting back to all activity Friday, clearing the path for his return to action. Hill thus is slated to take on his usual gadget role in the Saints offense, which has amounted to 90 touches, eight passes, 647 yards (from scrimmage plus through the air) and six touchdowns overall in 12 appearances this season.

Stroud (concussion) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Titans.

The Texans are leaving the door slightly ajar for Stroud to make a miraculous late recovery after missing practice throughout the week. The much more likely scenario entails Stroud being listed as inactive ahead of Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, with Davis Mills then stepping in as the starter and Case Keenum taking the backup QB role.

Stroud (concussion) wasn't spotted during the media-access portion of Friday's practice, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stroud, who is in the NFL's concussion protocol, didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, so at this stage it appears as though Davis Mills is trending toward starting Sunday's game against the Titans. In any case, the Texans' upcoming injury report will reveal whether the door is open at all for Stroud to potentially play Week 15.

Stick completed 23 of 32 passes for 257 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in the Chargers' 63-21 loss to the Raiders on Thursday night. He also rushed twice for 11 yards and lost two fumbles.

Stick's stat line was highly deceptive when taken in the context of the Chargers' 42-point loss, with the first-time starter piling up a bulk of his numbers when the game was already well out of reach. The North Dakota State product, who's in the top job due to Justin Herbert's season-ending finger injury, did have to play without top target Keenan Allen (heel), and he was able to complete passes to nine different players overall. Stick hit Alex Erickson and Quentin Johnston for late touchdown passes of 13 and six yards, respectively, but the highlight of his night was a 79-yard scoring strike to Joshua Palmer early in the third quarter. However, Stick's one interception was a pick-six, and one of his two fumbles also was returned for a touchdown by John Jenkins on the final play of the third quarter. Despite the utterly forgettable team outcome Thursday, Stick is expected to remain the starting quarterback in a Week 16 Saturday night home matchup against the Bills on Dec. 23.

O'Connell completed 20 of 34 passes for 248 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the Raiders' 63-21 win over the Chargers on Thursday night.

O'Connell was thought to be in danger of potentially losing his job coming into Thursday, considering interim head coach Antonio Pierce declined to confirm his starter all week. However, the rookie bought himself another game, to say the least, racking up a new career high in touchdown passes while connecting with Tre Tucker (30 yards), Jakobi Meyers (22 yards), Michael Mayer (11 yards) and Tre Tucker (20 yards) in the first half. O'Connell didn't have to do much in the second half, and he'll now have some extra time to relish his first career multi-touchdown game before facing off with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on the road in a Week 16 Christmas Day matchup.

Hooker (knee) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Broncos.

The third-string quarterback remains on the reserve/non-football injury list despite being listed as a full participant in practice on eight straight injury reports. Since the Lions designated Hooker to return Nov. 29, he would have to be added to the 53-man roster in Week 16 in order to play this season.

Smith (groin) was a limited practice participant Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Earlier Thursday, coach Pete Carroll told Brady Henderson of ESPN.com that Smith took part in the team's morning walkthrough and was slated to practice to open Week 15 prep. Those generally are positive signs after the groin injury that he suffered during last Thursday's session didn't allow him to mix into drills last Friday or play this past Sunday at San Francisco. Smith now will have two more chances to increase his activity level ahead of Monday's game against the Eagles.

Rodgers (Achilles) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

The 5-8 Jets kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a win over the Texans last Sunday, so at least for one more week, Rodgers will continue his accelerated rehab program for his surgically repaired left Achilles with the hope of making an improbable late-season return. Before he resumed practicing Nov. 29, Rodgers implied that he was targeting the Week 16 game against the Commanders on Dec. 24 for his return to the lineup, but even if the Jets are able to score another upset win over the Dolphins this Sunday, it's unclear if the four-time league MVP will realistically be able on a path to play one week later. Rodgers has thus far been listed as a limited participant five times in the Jets' eight practices since he had his 21-day evaluation window opened, and in his most recent appearance Tuesday on "The Pat McAfee Show," the 40-year-old quarterback downplayed reports suggesting that he was on track to be medically cleared next week, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. As such, Zach Wilson appears more likely than not to make the Week 16 start versus the Commanders, regardless of the outcome of Sunday's game in Miami.