NFL Player News

Coach Ron Rivera said Monday he is committed to Howell as the Commanders' starter but left the door open for a change at some point in 2023, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

After starting the season 2-0 with wins over the Cardinals and Broncos, the Commanders have dropped four of their last five, and Howell is on pace to absorb a record-breaking 97 sacks. The current record is 76 taken by David Carr in his 2002 rookie season with the Texans. Howell is simply holding onto the ball too long and led the Commanders to just seven points in Sunday's seven-point loss to the Giants and backup QB Tyrod Taylor. If the losses keep piling up and Howell doesn't show improvement, Washington could turn to veteran Jacoby Brissett to stabilize the offense.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Watson will undergo additional medical testing to ensure the quarterback isn't dealing with any further damage to the right rotator cuff he strained Week 3, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. "We'll continue to take that day to day," Stefanski said, in regards to both Watson's availability for next Sunday's game in Seattle or whether the signal-caller will require a stint on injured reserve.

After missing two games over the past three weeks due to the shoulder injury, Watson practiced fully Friday and was given the green light to start in the Browns' Week 7 game against the Colts. However, Watson took just 12 snaps and completed one of five pass attempts for five yards and an interception before exiting in the first quarter and not returning to the eventual 39-38 win. Cleveland never officially ruled Watson out for the game after he passed all concussion testing, but Stefanski said at halftime that he wasn't willing to expose Watson to any further injury to his shoulder, resulting in PJ Walker finishing out the contest. Assuming Watson's upcoming tests reveal nothing concerning, the Browns presumably will continue to evaluate him in practice this week before deciding whether he's fit to return to the starting role Sunday in Seattle.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that Bagent will remain the team's starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Per Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com, Eberflus noted that there is "no change" in the status of No. 1 quarterback Justin Fields, who sat out the Week 7 win over the Raiders with a dislocated right thumb and is being classified as "doubtful" at the early stages of Week 8. Based on Eberflus' comments, Fields doesn't look as though he'll be available as even an emergency backup, leaving Nathan Peterman in the No. 2 role behind Bagent. The undrafted rookie out of Division II Shepherd managed the game effectively in the Bears' convincing 30-12 win over Las Vegas, completing 21 of 29 pass attempts for 162 yards and a touchdown while adding 24 yards on the ground and committing no turnovers. Because the Bears are likely to rely on a ground-heavy game plan once again Week 8 while limiting Bagent's opportunities to the throw downfield, the 23-year-old profiles as a low-end fantasy option in leagues that start two quarterbacks or have a QB flex spot available.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Fields (thumb) is being classified as "doubtful" for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Eberflus relayed that while Fields' condition is improving, there is "no change" in his status while the third-year signal-caller continues to recover from the dislocated right thumb he sustained in the Bears' Week 6 loss to the Vikings on Oct. 15. The Bears have already named Tyson Bagent as their Week 8 starter after the undrafted rookie out of Division II Shepherd completed 21 of 29 pass attempts for 162 yards and a touchdown to go with three carries for 24 yards in Chicago's 30-12 win over Las Vegas in Week 7. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Fields is regaining grip strength and is expected to require 2-to-3 weeks to make a full recovery from the injury, so it's still possible that he may be able to practice in some capacity Week 8. Fields will turn his focus to making a potential return to game action for the Bears' Nov. 5 matchup with the Saints in Week 9.

Hurts is believed to have sustained a knee injury during Sunday night's 31-17 win over Miami but said, "I'll be fine," after the contest, Tim McManus of ESPN reports.

Hurts also responded, "I hope not," when asked whether his knee will bother him going forward. Though the quarterback had to play the second half of Sunday's win over the Dolphins with a brace on his left knee, three of his 11 carries came after halftime, and he still displayed his usual elite mobility in the pocket. It doesn't appear that Hurts is in serious danger of missing time heading into Week 8's road matchup against the Commanders. Backup QB Marcus Mariota warmed up on the sidelines to begin the second half versus Miami but wasn't needed.

Tagovailoa completed 23 of 32 pass attempts for 216 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Eagles.

Tagovailoa had a down game by the lofty standards he set in the six games leading up to Sunday's dud. The 25-year-old's only turnover came late in the fourth quarter as the Dolphins were trying to even the score, down 24-17. Tagovailoa was pressured to throw into coverage on third and long to keep the drive alive, resulting in an errant throw that was picked off for his sixth interception of the season, which helped contribute to Miami's third loss. In the quarterback's defense, this was a road game against a tough opponent looking to rebound from an ugly loss in Week 6. Tagovailoa will look to bounce back in his own right as the Dolphins attempt to get back into the win column against New England next Sunday.

Hurts completed 23 of 31 pass attempts for 279 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while adding 21 rushing yards and another touchdown on 11 attempts in Sunday's 31-17 win over Miami.

Hurts recovered from the three interceptions he threw in last week's upset loss to the Jets by leading his team to victory over a cross-conference contender. The star quarterback did throw another interception (his seventh of 2023) while also coughing up the ball on one of his three sacks taken Sunday. The increase in turnovers likely has less to do with a regression in play and more to do with opponents shifting their defensive focus to slow down the 2022 breakout star. Hurts still generates enough volume as a passer to complement his RB-like production on the ground to maintain elite fantasy status heading into next Sunday's tilt against Washington.

Walker completed 15 of 32 passes for 178 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 39-38 win over the Colts. He added three rushes for three yards.

Walker entered Sunday's contest as the backup, though he was forced into a significant relief role after Deshaun Watson (shoulder) left the game. He was unsurprisingly inefficient and was aided in the win by a defensive touchdown and three field goals from more than 50 yards away. The status of Watson is up in the air heading into a Week 8 matchup at Seattle, though there's some initial optimism that Walker will shift back to his backup role.

Pickett completed 17 of 25 passes for 230 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and netted zero yards and a touchdown on eight rushes in the Steelers' 24-17 win over the Rams on Sunday.

Pickett completed a season-best 68.0 percent of his passes while hitting the 230-yard mark for the third time in the first six contests. The second-year signal-caller also stayed interception-free for the second straight game and third time in the last four contests overall, and his one-yard rushing touchdown early in the third quarter erased a 9-3 deficit while also serving as his first score on the ground since Week 10 of last season. Pickett's next opportunity to build on what may have been his best all-around performance of the season comes in a Week 8 home matchup against the Jaguars.

Minshew completed 15 of 23 passes for 305 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 39-38 loss to the Browns. He added three rushes for 29 yards and two additional scores.

Though the score indicates this was a shootout, the Colts came out with a focus on the ground game as they had 40 rushing attempts compared to Minshew's 23 passes. He made an impact in both areas of the game, as he launched a pair of long touchdowns that went for 59 and 75 yards to Josh Downs and Michael Pittman, respectively. Minshew also showed surprising effectiveness with his legs, rushing for scores of 17 and four yards. On the downside, he committed four total turnovers including three lost fumbles, with one of them resulting in a defensive touchdown for Cleveland. The Colts aren't likely to ask him to do too much moving forward, but they have the skill-position players to make plays, which could result in spike performances like Sunday's on occasion for Minshew.