NFL Player News

Taylor (ribs), who remains on injured reserve, doesn't have a designation for Monday's game against the Packers.

After the Giants designated him for return from IR on Monday, Taylor proceeded to log full practices Thursday through Saturday. Along the way, coach Brian Daboll called Tommy DeVito the team's starting quarterback for Week 14, thus relegating Taylor to backup duties, assuming he's activated. New York has until 4:00 p.m. ET on Monday to make such a transaction and get Taylor back on the active roster.

Smith is officially listed as questionable and is hopeful to play through a groin injury Sunday against San Francisco, but Seattle isn't expected to make a decision on his availability until after he complete pregame warmups, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Schefter notes that Smith's groin issue is "considered a two-week injury," which highlights the challenge the signal-caller faces in trying to take the field against the 49ers. Head coach Pete Carroll said Friday that Smith would be a game-time decision for the contest, so the quarterback would appear to have a legitimate chance at missing his first game since becoming Seattle's starting quarterback in 2022. Official word on Smith's status will arrive with the release of the Seahawks' inactive list approximately 90 minutes before Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff. If Smith can't play, Drew Lock would take the reins behind center for Seattle.

The Jaguars are planning for Lawrence (ankle) to start Sunday against Cleveland, but he's viewed as a game-time call leading up to the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, and a final decision on his status will be made after he goes through pregame warmups, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Lawrence suffered a right high-ankle sprain in Monday's overtime loss to Cincinnati, so his ability to suit up six days later would be an impressive feat considering that the injury often results in a multi-week absence. The star quarterback finished Week 14 prep with a pair of limited practices following a missed session Wednesday and entered the weekend with a questionable designation, so it's not yet a certainty that he'll be cleared to play if things don't get well in warmups. If Lawrence does suit up, it will be a big boost to the entire Jaguars pass-catching corps, which will be without Christian Kirk (groin) for the first time this season.

Mannion was elevated to the Seahawks' active roster Saturday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

It's perhaps a bad sign for the status of Geno Smith (groin) who didn't practice all week. The Seahawks already have backup Drew Lock on the roster and ready to play in case of Smith's absence, so Mannion would be the backup quarterback in that scenario. The 31-year-old last recorded a snap with Minnesota in 2021, when he completed 22 of 36 attempts for 189 yards and a touchdown.

Carr (ribs/right shoulder) was upgraded to available and doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Panthers, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

Carr cleared concussion protocol late Friday, but he had still been listed as questionable on the Saints' final Week 14 injury report after a non-displaced rib cartilage fracture to go with a right shoulder injury resulted in him turning in just one full practice this week. Though Carr is now officially cleared for Sunday's game, it's fair to wonder how healthy he truly is, given the litany of injuries he's battled this season along with the fact that he's now been in the concussion protocol twice in the past month alone. Even while playing in each of the Saints' last three contests, Carr has totaled just 640 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Though the 1-11 Panthers represent a favorable matchup on paper, Carolina's defense has gotten some reinforcement in recent weeks thanks to the returns of defensive backs Jaycee Horn and Jeremy Chinn and star edger rusher Brian Burns from injuries.

The Browns waived Walker on Saturday, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.

Walker was behind both Joe Flacco and Dorian Thompson-Robinson on Cleveland's depth chart, and he hadn't started a game in almost six weeks. The 28-year-old quarterback appeared in six games for the Browns this season, throwing for 674 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions.

The Jaguars signed Rourke to the active roster Saturday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The move comes with Trevor Lawrence (ankle) being a game-time decision for Sunday's game against the Browns. If Lawrence is unable to suit up, Rourke will serve as the backup QB behind C.J. Beathard.

Flacco was elevated to the Browns' active roster Saturday, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.

Presumably, the Browns wouldn't elevate Flacco to the active roster unless they plan to start the veteran, but the team hasn't officially made that confirmation. Flacco's 2023 season debut was a resounding success by Cleveland's passing standards, as the 38-year-old threw for the second most (254) passing yards by a Browns quarterback this season, and the most since Week 3. A costly interception late in last week's contest ruined a possible comeback attempt against the Rams, but Sunday's matchup against Jacksonville looks far more promising after the struggling defensive unit allowed Cincinnati's Jake Browning to throw for 354 yards in his first career start. Look for added context with regard to the Browns' Week 14 starting quarterback situation to arrive as Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff approaches.

Carr (ribs/right shoulder) remains listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Panthers, but he's on track to start after he cleared the NFL's five-step concussion protocol, a source tells Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.

Head coach Dennis Allen said Carr was still in the protocol when he met with the media Friday, but after he was a full participant in the Saints' practice later in the day, the quarterback apparently gained clearance when he met with an independent neurologist following practice. The Saints are unlikely to officially confirm Carr's availability for the Week 14 matchup until the team releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, but the 32-year-old is poised to direct the New Orleans as he usually does, provided he doesn't re-enter the protocol or experience a setback in his recovery from the other two injuries. Carr has yet to miss a game this season but has been included in the concussion protocol on two occasions and also exited early in a Week 3 loss in Green Bay due to a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder.

Cunningham reverted back to the Patriots' practice squad Friday.

Cunningham was elevated to the team's active roster ahead of Thursday's 21-18 win over the Steelers but didn't see any action in the contest. The versatile quarterback/receiver remains a candidate for promotion in the coming weeks, but New England's quarterback situation may have stabilized, at least temporarily, after Bailey Zappe completed 19 of 28 pass attempts for 240 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the win over Pittsburgh.