NFL Player News

Levis will start Thursday's game against the Steelers with Ryan Tannehill (ankle) having been officially ruled out for the Week 9 contest.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel had already said Tuesday that Levis was trending toward a second straight start, and with Tannehill having remained a spectator for Wednesday's practice while tending to a right high-ankle sprain, the rookie second-round pick will remain atop the depth chart for at least one more week. In his NFL debut this past Sunday against the Falcons, Levis looked more seasoned than anticipated. In addition to playing turnover-free football and taking just two sacks, Levis completed 19 of his 29 pass attempts for 238 yards and four touchdowns while adding 11 yards on the ground. Though replicating the Week 8 performance will be a tough task, Levis at least gets a somewhat favorable draw in matching up with a Steelers pass defense that has given up 245.4 passing yards per game, good for 24th in the NFL.

Tannehill (ankle) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Steelers, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

As expected, Tannehill will miss his second straight game after he hasn't been able to practice in any fashion coming out of the Titans' Week 7 bye while he recovers from a right high-ankle sprain. Will Levis will draw another start in place of Tannehill and will be looking to build on his four-touchdown performance in his NFL debut this past Sunday against Atlanta. Tannehill's next chance to return to game action will come Nov. 12 against the Buccaneers, but if Levis submits another strong outing Thursday, it's conceivable that the rookie could settle atop the depth chart on a more permanent basis even if Tannehill is deemed fully healthy for Week 10.

Allen (right shoulder) was listed as a non-participant in practice Wednesday.

Per Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site, Allen was originally in line to open Week 9 prep as a limited participant, but that ultimately didn't come to his pass. For what it's worth, Allen told Glab that he took it easy Wednesday with an eye toward being in a better position for Sunday's contest against the Bengals, adding that he hopes to practice in some capacity Thursday.

Fields (thumb) was projected as a non-participant for Wednesday's walk-through practice.

The Bears haven't officially ruled out Fields for their Week 9 game in New Orleans, but the signal-caller appears headed for a third straight absence with head coach Matt Eberflus having already confirmed that Tyson Bagent will pick up another start at quarterback Sunday. Fields hasn't been able to practice in any fashion since dislocating his right thumb in the Bears' Week 6 loss to the Vikings, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network relays that Eberflus has optimism that Fields will be able to practice in some capacity this week. At this stage, Fields' primary obstacle in returning to game action is regaining grip strength with his thumb. If he shows meaningful progress in practice this week, Fields could have a shot at starting the Bears' Week 10 game against the Panthers next Thursday.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that Watson (shoulder) will be a limited practice participant Wednesday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

At this stage, the Browns' plans at quarterback for Sunday's game against the Cardinals have yet to be solidified, but Stefanski said Wednesday that PJ Walker will make a second straight start this weekend if Watson isn't available, per Cabot. Watson -- who was inactive for Cleveland's Week 8 loss to Seattle -- has been dealing with a rotator cuff strain in his throwing shoulder and has made just one brief appearance over the Browns' last four games while managing the injury.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll said that Jones (neck) will be a full participant at practice Wednesday, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Jones gained clearance for contact prior to last Sunday's loss against the Jets, though he had already been ruled out for Week 8. It was the third consecutive missed game for Jones, but his return to full practice Wednesday seemingly puts him on track to return to the starting lineup this weekend in Las Vegas. Before confirming Jones as the team's Week 9 starter, Daboll and the Giants' medical staff will likely wait until Friday to make sure the signal-caller makes it through the week of practice without any setbacks. The timing of Jones' return is fortuitous for the Giants, with fill-in starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor (ribs) considered week-to-week after exiting the game against the Jets with the injury. If Jones is cleared to play Week 9, he could still be working with a depleted line and potentially without his top pass catcher; left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring) hasn't played since the season opener, right tackle Evan Neal (ankle) has missed the last two games, and tight end Darren Waller's (hamstring) status for Sunday's game is uncertain after he exited early in the loss to the Jets and didn't return.

Taylor (rib cage) won't practice Wednesday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Taylor was discharged from the hospital Monday after injuring his rib cage in the second quarter of this past Sunday's 13-10 overtime loss to the Jets. Tommy DeVito replaced Taylor and completed just two passes over the rest of the game. Taylor's absence Wednesday is no surprise, and he's unlikely to heal in time to face the Raiders this coming Sunday. Fortunately for the the Giants, top quarterback Daniel Jones (neck) has been cleared for contact and will be a full participant in Wednesday's practice, likely setting the stage for him to make his first appearance since Week 5 after Taylor had started each of the previous three games.

Allen will be a limited participant in practice Wednesday due to a right shoulder injury, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

Per Skurski, Allen hasn't suffered any setbacks in his recovery from the shoulder issue, which resulted in him appearing on injury reports both of the past two weeks. Allen was a full participant in every practice in those weeks, however, so his limited activity to begin Week 9 prep makes his status worth tracking as Sunday's game against the Bengals approaches. So long as Allen returns to full practice participation by Friday, he'll likely head into the weekend minus an injury designation. For his part, Allen told Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site that he's hoping to increase his practice activity Thursday.

Head coach Arthur Smith said Wednesday that Ridder has been medically cleared but will serve as the top backup to Taylor Heinicke in Sunday's game versus the Vikings, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Smith noted that the decision to start Heinicke over Ridder for Week 9 was made with the short-term in mind. Ridder was forced out of last week's loss to the Titans in the first half and evaluated for a concussion, and even after he was medically cleared to return, the Falcons stuck with Heinicke at quarterback to finish out the contest. Smith is seemingly still taking a cautious approach to Ridder's health, though the Falcons will allow him to suit up Sunday in a backup capacity. Even if the starting decision was made solely with Sunday's game against Minnesota in mind, if Heinicke is able to show well, he could end up sticking as the team's No. 1 signal-caller going forward. Through eight games, Ridder has turned the ball over 12 times (six interceptions, six lost fumbles) and compiled just nine touchdowns (six passing, three rushing).

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said that Heinicke will start Sunday's game against the Vikings, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Heinicke will pick up his first start of the season, despite incumbent Desmond Ridder having been cleared to serve as Atlanta's backup after passing all concussion tests following his removal from this past Sunday's loss to the Titans, per Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site. While coming on in relief of Ridder in Week 8, Heinicke played the final two quarters and completed 12 of 21 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown. Smith noted that the quarterback change is a short-term decision focused on the Minnesota matchup, but if Heinicke can move this offense efficiently on Sunday, he could keep a grip on the starting gig over Ridder, who had turned the ball over 12 times (six interceptions, six lost fumbles) through Atlanta's first eight games.