NFL Player News

Levis (ankle) was a full practice participant Thursday.

Coming out of Monday's 28-27 come-from-behind win over the Dolphins, Levis was nursing an ankle injury and was listed as a limited participant Wednesday on the Titans' first Week 15 injury report. The team never provided an indication that the ankle issue would be anything that put Levis' status for Sunday's game against the Texans in jeopardy, however, and the quarterback's ability to take every rep Thursday officially clears the way for him to make his eighth consecutive start. The 24-year-old has been a so-so performer through his first seven NFL outings, completing 58.3 percent of his passes for 227.6 passing yards and 1.14 touchdowns per game while adding little production as a rusher (4.6 yards per game, no touchdowns).

Hill (foot/left hand) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Hill sat out the Saints' Week 14 win over the Panthers and has had his reps capped in both of the team's first two practices of Week 15, so he may need to log a full practice Friday to guarantee his availability for Sunday's game against the Giants. If cleared to play this weekend, Hill would likely step into his hybrid tight end/backfield role that often entails a handful of targets and carries. He handled a season-high 13 carries in his most recent appearance Week 12 versus the Lions, but Hill could be eased back in with a lighter workload on the ground if he suits up Sunday.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Smith (groin) took part in a walkthrough and is slated to practice later Thursday, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Carroll didn't specify to what extent Smith will be involved in practice, but the coach added that the quarterback feels "really good" as the Seahawks kick off Week 15 prep. The longer turnaround for Monday's matchup with the Eagles should only aid Smith as he looks to make his return from a groin injury, which caused him to miss his first game as a member of the Seahawks this past Sunday against the 49ers. The fact that Smith is already practicing in some fashion at this stage of the week is an encouraging sign that he'll be available Monday, but he may need to turn in a full workout Friday or Saturday to avoid carrying a designation into the game. Drew Lock got the start under center in Week 14 and would be called upon to direct the offense once again Monday if Smith can't move past the groin issue.

Coach Kevin O'Connell announced Thursday that Jaren Hall, not Dobbs, will be Nick Mullens' backup for Saturday's game against the Bengals.

It's been a quick fall from grace for Dobbs after he helped guide Minnesota to back-to-back wins in Weeks 9 and 10 following his acquisition from the Cardinals. The Vikings then dropped two straight before scoring just three points last Sunday in Las Vegas. Dobbs has thrown two touchdowns and five interceptions in those last three games, while also fumbling three times and losing one. O'Connell is giving Dobbs a break, but there's a chance we could see him under center again if Mullens and Hall fail to impress.

Coach Kevin O'Connell announced Thursday that Hall will back up Nick Mullens in Saturday's game against the Bengals.

Now healthy after suffering a Week 9 concussion, Hall will be dressed ahead of Joshua Dobbs, who was benched in last week's 3-0 win over the Raiders. Hall has completed eight of 10 passes as a rookie, throwing for 101 scoreless yards.

Flacco signed a one-year contract with the Browns on Thursday.

The move comes as no surprise, given that head coach Kevin Stefanski announced after the Browns' 31-27 win over the Jaguars in Week 14 that Flacco would remain the team's starting quarterback for the rest of the season. Prior to his last two starts for Cleveland, Flacco was elevated from the practice squad, but now that he's officially on the active roster, no such transaction will be required in advance of Sunday's game against the Bears. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Flacco's deal includes a base salary of $370,800 and incentives worth up to $4.05 million based on how many wins he records as the Browns' starter.

Stroud remains in the NFL's concussion protocol and isn't practicing Thursday, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stroud has yet to log any on-field work since exiting this past Sunday's 30-6 loss to the Jets with the concussion, leaving him with just one more opportunity to practice ahead of Sunday's game against the Titans. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said he's "hopeful" about Stroud clearing the protocol ahead of Sunday's contest, but at this stage of the week, No. 2 quarterback Davis Mills appears to be trending toward making his first start of the season.

Levis was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday's walk-through practice due to an ankle injury, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

While the ankle issue is a new concern for the rookie quarterback, the Titans haven't suggested that Levis is in any danger of missing Sunday's game against the Texans. Assuming the quarterback practices fully by Friday, he should head into the weekend without an injury designation.

O'Connell is expected to remain the Raiders' starting quarterback for Thursday's game against the Chargers, even though interim head coach Antonio Pierce has been non-committal on a Week 15 starter, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Some had speculated that the Raiders might turn the starting job back over to veteran Jimmy Garoppolo after O'Connell threw an interception and averaged a season-low 5.3 yards per attempt in the Raiders' 3-0 loss to the Vikings on Sunday, but the rookie fourth-round pick looks like he'll get at least one more opportunity to keep his job. Over his first seven NFL appearances (six starts), O'Connell has completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 6.5 YPA and a 4:7 TD:INT.

Lawrence (ankle) was listed as a full participant in Wednesday's practice.

Lawrence's ability to take every practice rep Wednesday indicates that he experienced no setbacks with his right high-ankle sprain coming out of Sunday's 31-27 loss to Cleveland. The quarterback told Juston Lewis of The Florida Times-Union as much prior to Wednesday's practice, noting that he made it out of the Week 14 "pretty clean" and felt as though he moved around the pocket well. Lawrence threw three interceptions and struggled with accuracy (28 completions on 50 attempts) against Cleveland, but with the injury now further in the rear-view mirror, he could be a decent bet to bounce back this Sunday versus Baltimore.