NFL Player News

Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell said that Dobbs, whom the Vikings acquired from the Cardinals on Tuesday, isn't expected to start Sunday's game at Atlanta but could be available to play, Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press reports.

O'Connell noted that the Vikings are preparing rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall to make his first career start in the wake of Kirk Cousins suffering a season-ending Achilles injury Week 8 against Green Bay. While Hall could end up sticking atop the depth chart on a more permanent basis if he performs well against Atlanta, Dobbs at least gives Minnesota a battle-tested option to turn to at quarterback if Hall doesn't prove to be NFL ready. As the starter for Arizona's first eight games of the season, Dobbs completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 5.9 yards per attempt, eight touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 258 yards and three scores on 47 rushing attempts.

Head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed Tuesday that Levis is likely to remain the Titans' starting quarterback Thursday at Pittsburgh, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Ryan Tannehill hasn't been cleared to resume practicing since suffering a right high-ankle sprain in the Titans' Week 6 loss to the Ravens on Oct. 15, so unless his condition takes a dramatic turn for the better in the next two days, he'll miss a second straight game coming out of Tennessee's Week 7 bye. The Titans aren't incentivized to rush Tannehill back after Levis turned in arguably the best performance of the season by any Tennessee quarterback in this past Sunday's win over the Falcons. In what was his NFL debut, Levis completed 19 of 29 pass attempts for 238 yards and four touchdowns. He added 11 yards on the ground and didn't turn the ball over, after Tannehill and Malik Willis had accounted for six interceptions and a lost fumble between them through the first eight weeks of the season.

Head coach Mike Vrabel said Tannehill (ankle) won't practice Tuesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports. "As of right now, I'd imagine it will be Will [Levis starting Thursday at Pittsburgh]," Vrabel told Turron Davenport of ESPN.com.

Citing a source close to the situation, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported Monday that Levis was on track to make a second consecutive start Week 9, so Vrabel's comments about the Titans' quarterback situation don't come as a major surprise. Barring dramatic improvement over the next couple of days in his recovery from the right high-ankle sprain he sustained in the Titans' Week 6 loss to the Ravens, Tannehill will be inactive for the second game in a row this week. The Titans will likely wait and see if Tannehill is able to do anything at Wednesday's practice before providing more clarity on his status heading into Thursday.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell said Tuesday during his appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio that the Vikings are preparing as if Hall will be the team's starting quarterback Sunday in Atlanta, Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press reports.

The comments came mere minutes after Minnesota acquired quarterback Joshua Dobbs, whom O'Connell said could be available to play Sunday, too. In the wake of Kirk Cousins' season-ending torn Achilles, Hall is the top in-house option at the moment with Nick Mullens (back) on injured reserve and Sean Mannion on the practice squad. If Hall gets the nod this weekend, he'll be making his second appearance as a pro after completing three of four passes for 23 yards, rushing twice for minus-1 yard and losing a fumble this past Sunday in Green Bay following Cousins' exit in the fourth quarter.

Pickett (ribs) said Tuesday that he intends to play in Thursday's game against the Titans, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Pickett opened Week 9 with a limited listing on Monday's estimated practice report, and he relayed one day later that he did some light throwing in what was yet another walk-through session. He thus appears poised to be listed as a limited participant once again, which will be confirmed when the Steelers post their next injury report later Tuesday.

The Cardinals traded Dobbs to the Vikings on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Two days removed from Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon reaffirming Dobbs' status as the team's starting quarterback and then rescinding it one day later, Dobbs is on the move to a QB-needy team after the Vikings lost Kirk Cousins for the season to a torn Achilles this past Sunday. It's unclear if Dobbs will start over rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall immediately, but the veteran at least will have three days to practice with his new team before new coach Kevin O'Connell will need to make such a decision.

The Buccaneers signed Wolford to their 53-man roster Tuesday, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.

Russini initially reported Monday that the Rams signed Wolford off the Bucs' practice squad in response to Matthew Stafford dealing with a thumb injury, but the former will ultimately stay in Tampa Bay. The Rams and Vikings -- who lost Kirk Cousins to a season-ending Achilles injury Sunday -- were reported to be interested in Wolford, but the Bucs ultimately decided to promote Wolford to the 53-man roster and will continue to operate as the third quarterback behind Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask.

Goff completed 26 of 37 passes for 272 yards with one touchdown and one interception and rushed twice for minus-2 yards in the Lions' 26-14 win over the Raiders on Monday night.

Goff racked up 256 yards through three quarters before slowing down in the fourth, but he impressively spread the ball around to eight different targets on the night. The fact top receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was able to overcome an illness to play was naturally a major benefit to the veteran quarterback, who connected with the talented wideout on six occasions for 108 yards. Goff has thrown for at least Monday's yardage total in three straight games, giving him some solid momentum heading into a Week 10 showdown against Justin Herbert and the Chargers following a Week 9 bye.

Garoppolo (back) completed 10 of 21 passes for 126 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Monday's 26-14 loss to the Lions. He added two rushing attempts for 12 yards.

Garoppolo looked rusty in his return from a one-game absence due to a back injury. He had just 31 passing yards with an interception in the first half, and things didn't get much better after halftime. Vegas' first touchdown was scored by Josh Jacobs on the ground, and the second came courtesy of the defense on a pick-six. Garoppolo's leg bent awkwardly when he took an illegal low hit in the fourth quarter, but the oft-injured quarterback managed to stay in the game, and a silver lining from this ugly performance is that Garoppolo seems to have walked away healthy. He'll look to shake off the rust at home against the Giants in Week 9.

Willis did not attempt a pass in Sunday's 28-23 win over the Falcons. He rushed the ball twice for four yards.

Willis was expected to earn some reps under center alongside Will Levis with Ryan Tannehill (ankle) sidelined, though he found himself on the field for only two snaps. Given the success Levis had in producing explosive plays, it's unlikely Willis sees an expanded role in the Titans' Week 9 matchup against Pittsburgh.