NFL Player News

Lawrence is questionable to return to Monday's game against the Bengals due to an ankle injury, John Oehser of the Jaguars' official site reports.

Lawrence was helped to the locker room by Jacksonville's training staff after Jaguars tackle Walker Little stepped on the quarterback's right ankle and he was bent backward by a Bengals defender in quick succession. It remains to be seen if Lawrence will be available to reenter the game. C.J. Beathard will fill in under center as long as Lawrence is sidelined.

DiNucci reverted to the Broncos' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.

DiNucci served as the emergency No. 3 quarterback option in Sunday's loss to the Texans, but his services were ultimately not required. His next chance to get elevated to the active roster will come in Week 14.

Flacco reverted to the Browns' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Flacco was serviceable in his Browns debut Sunday at the Rams, completing 23 of 44 passes for 254 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He even had Cleveland in striking distance for a win, with the score sitting at 20-19 after he threw his second TD of the contest with 8:49 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, Flacco's interception two minutes later opened the floodgates for the Rams in an eventual 36-19 victory. Rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson remains in the concussion protocol as of Monday, but even when he's cleared, the team may stick with Flacco under center considering his experience and the fact the Browns are still in the postseason mix.

The Giants waived Barkley on Monday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

With Tyrod Taylor (ribs) expected to return from the injured reserve list soon, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, the Giants decided to part ways with Barkley. He's now set to become a free agent unless he's claimed by another team during the current waiver period, but he's also a candidate to be re-signed to the Giants' practice squad if he's not picked up.

Cunningham reverted to the Patriots' practice squad Monday.

Cunningham was active for Sunday's 6-0 loss to the Chargers but didn't log any snaps in the game, per Evan Lazar of the team's official site. Leading up to the contest, it was reported that the Patriots had a package of plays drawn up for Cunningham in their Week 13 game plan, but he ultimately wasn't called upon, either as a quarterback or as a wide receiver. Given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding New England's signal-caller situation, Cunningham is a candidate to be elevated once again ahead of Thursday night's game against the Steelers.

The Bengals signed McCarron to their active roster Monday.

As the only other quarterback on the active roster, McCarron figures to step in as the backup to Jake Browning at Jacksonville. Browning has actually played relatively well for a backup in his two games with extended action this season, so it's reasonable to expect Cincinnati will stick with him unless he regresses or gets hurt.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that Trubisky will start at quarterback Thursday against the Patriots, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Trubisky will step in for his first start of the season as a replacement for Kenny Pickett, who exited Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Cardinals with a high right-ankle sprain and underwent surgery Monday. Though Tomlin clarified that the injury won't end Pickett's season, the second-year signal-caller is expected to miss "a couple weeks," according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Trubisky thus could be in line for an additional start or two beyond Thursday's game, which features a matchup of two teams who both rank in the bottom third in the league in both points and yards per game. Though Trubisky has shown flashes of fantasy relevance in the past thanks to his scrambling ability, he hasn't been particularly impressive over roughly five quarters of work while filing in for a banged-up Pickett this season. Across those three appearances, Trubisky completed 29 of 49 passes (59.2 percent) for 273 yards (5.6 YPA), two touchdowns and two interceptions while carrying six times for 23 yards.

Pittsburgh signed McSorley to its practice squad Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The move comes in the wake of reports Kenny Pickett underwent surgery to address his high ankle sprain Monday. Mitch Trubisky projects to start Thursday versus the Patriots, and Mason Rudolph is also on standby, but McSorley could suit up as an emergency option as soon as this week.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Carr's right shoulder "seems like it came out fine" after he was forced out of Sunday's 33-28 loss to the Lions, but the quarterback remains in the concussion protocol and still is being evaluated for a rib injury, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

Though Carr is still far from optimal health, the fact that he's not dealing with any new injury to his shoulder is at least a bit of good news, considering that he had previously suffered an AC joint sprain to the shoulder back in late September. Carr didn't end up missing any game action due to that concern, but he may face an uphill battle not only to clear the five-step protocol but also to fully move past the rib issue ahead of the Saints' Week 14 matchup with the Panthers this coming Sunday. He's in the concussion protocol for the second time this season, after previously suffering a head injury in a Nov. 12 loss to the Vikings in Week 10 before clearing the protocol after the Saints' Week 11 bye. Jameis Winston finished the loss to the Lions as the primary option at quarterback and would likely start Week 14 if Carr isn't able to go, while jack-of-all-trades Taysom Hill presumably would be in store for at least a handful of snaps under center, too.

Jones was active but didn't see any snaps in Sunday's 6-0 loss to the Chargers.

Heading into Week 13 action, Jones had started all 11 of the Patriots' games, but on Sunday it was Bailey Zappe who got the nod at QB. Given the results of the contest, it remains to be seen which signal-caller will handle the first snap Thursday night against the Steelers, but it would surprise if coach Bill Belichick offered much clarity on the situation in the coming days.