NFL Player News

Fields (thumb) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Tyson Bagent will make a second consecutive start with Fields missing another game due to a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand. The Bears haven't commented on Fields' availability beyond Sunday, so a return for Week 9 at the Saints on Nov. 5 isn't out of the question. After the Week 9 game, the Bears have a Thursday night game just four days later against the Panthers in Week 10.

Watson (shoulder) is officially listed as out for Sunday's game against the Seahawks, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.

After playing less than a quarter of action in last week's win over the Colts in his return from a two-game absence, Watson was dealing with some residual swelling in his throwing shoulder, which prompted the Browns to play it safe with their top quarterback this week. Rather than practicing, Watson has spent all week focusing on rehab work for the shoulder. As a result, PJ Walker has already been named the starter for Sunday's contest, with Dorian Thompson-Robinson slated to serve as the team's top backup versus Seattle. Watson's next chance to see game action will come Nov. 5 against the Cardinals, but he's not a lock to be ready by then, per Jake Trotter of ESPN.com. Watson noted Thursday that while he hopes to return "as soon as possible," he acknowledged that he's unsure when exactly when he'll be available.

Head coach Mike Vrabel said Friday that both Levis and Malik Willis will take snaps at quarterback Sunday against the Falcons with Ryan Tannehill (ankle) ruled out for Week 8, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Vrabel made similar comments about the Titans' quarterback situation earlier in the week when Tannehill's status for Sunday's game looked to be in doubt, and the coach hasn't named a fill-in starter even with Tannehill having now been officially ruled out. Given that Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Wednesday that Levis is being prepped for the start and is expected to see the bulk of the playing time behind center, the second-round pick out of Kentucky appears to be a higher percentage fantasy play than Willis, despite Vrabel's lack of commitment regarding how the playing time might break down between the two. Even if two quarterbacks don't alternate series and Levis does get the bulk of the playing time, the rookie could still cede snaps to the more mobile Willis when the Titans want to get more of a rushing threat on the field to complement lead back Derrick Henry. The uncertain playing-time outlook along with the fact that the Titans are likely to lean heavily on their ground game makes Levis a low-end lineup option at best, especially while all 32 teams are playing Week 8.

Head coach Mike Vrabel said Friday that both Willis and Will Levis will take snaps at quarterback Sunday against the Falcons with Ryan Tannehill (ankle) ruled out for Week 8, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Vrabel made similar comments about the Titans' quarterback situation earlier in the week when Tannehill's status for Sunday's game looked to be in doubt, and the coach hasn't named a fill-in starter even with Tannehill having now been officially ruled out. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Wednesday that Levis is being prepped for the start and is expected to see the bulk of the playing time behind center, and even if that comes to pass, Willis is still expected to have a role in the game plan. If the two quarterbacks don't alternate series, the Titans could make use of the more mobile Willis by deploying him as a change-of-pace option behind Levis.

Dobbs worked with the starting offense during the open portion of Friday's practice while Kyler Murray (knee) continued throwing to practice-squad players, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

The Cardinals haven't yet indicated whether Dobbs is scheduled for another start, or if his appearance with the first-team offense was an act of gamesmanship on the part of head coach Jonathan Gannon to create that impression. Murray was removed from the injury report Thursday and will need to either be re-added Friday or activated from the PUP list by Saturday in order to be eligible to play this weekend. Even if Murray is added back to the 53-man roster, it's possible that he'll merely handle a backup role Sunday in what would be his first game since last November.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed Friday that Tannehill (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

As anticipated, Tannehill won't be ready to play this weekend while he continues to recover from the right high-ankle sprain he suffered in the Titans' Week 6 loss to the Ravens before Tennessee went on bye for Week 7. Per Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site, Vrabel was unwilling to name a starting quarterback for Sunday, instead noting that he plans to have both Malik Willis and Will Levis get reps under center. After failing to practice in any fashion Week 8, Tannehill may struggle to gain clearance for Week 9, as the Titans are set to travel to Pittsburgh for a Thursday night game and are likely to hold walk-throughs or light practices leading up to that contest.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon expressed uncertainty Friday when asked if Murray (knee) would be active for Sunday's game against Baltimore, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Murray remains on the PUP list but was removed from the Cardinals' injury report Thursday, with Gannon relaying Friday that the quarterback is considered fully healthy. The Cardinals presumably already know whether Murray or Joshua Dobbs will start this Sunday, and there's a good chance the information comes out before Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff even if the team tries to guard it. The Cardinals need to move Murray to the active roster by 4 p.m. ET on Saturday if they want him eligible for Sunday's game, either as the starting quarterback or merely as Dobbs' backup.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll was non-committal Friday when asked if Jones (neck) will definitively play again this season, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Daboll previously said Jones would be the team's starting quarterback once he gained medical clearance, and while that's presumably still the case, it's not clear when that will actually happen. Jones has been taking scout-team reps since last week, with his availability for games based on gaining clearance for contact from the medical staff rather than his ability to participate in practice. Jones is tending to his second significant neck injury in three years, and there's reportedly a risk of suffering a severe spinal injury if he takes contact before the issue fully subsides. The Giants haven't ruled Jones out beyond Sunday's game against the Jets, but it certainly sounds like he's in danger of missing additional time. Tyrod Taylor will make a third consecutive start this Sunday.

Taylor will start Sunday's game against the Jets after Daniel Jones (neck) was ruled out, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Taylor will make his third straight start, after nearly upsetting the Bills in Week 6 and then leading the Giants to a 14-7 win over the Commanders in Week 7. The Giants are still expected to return Jones to the starting role once he's medically cleared, though head coach Brian Daboll was non-committal Friday when asked if Jones will be available to play again this season, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. With that in mind, Taylor could have more starts in his future, even if Daboll wasn't ready to confirm anything beyond this Sunday.

Jones (neck) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Jets, Matt Citak of the Giants' official site reports.

Tyrod Taylor will make his third consecutive start, as Jones remains limited in practice and still doesn't have clearance for contact. The quarterback's next chance to play will come Week 9 at Las Vegas on Nov. 5. Head coach Brian Daboll has already stated that Jones will reclaim the starting role once he's medically cleared to play.