NFL Player News

Mullens (back) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game versus Kansas City.

Mullens seems to be a coin-flip proposition to suit up in Week 5 after practicing in a limited capacity during the week. If he sits out, rookie fifth-rounder Jaren Hall would take over as Minnesota's backup quarterback.

Pickett (knee) doesn't have an injury designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Ravens, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Pickett logged full practices both Thursday and Friday, which set the stage for the quarterback -- who sustained a bone bruise in his left knee last week, per Brook Pryor of ESPN.com -- to start Sunday's contest against division rival Baltimore. While Pickett will be available this weekend, top tight end Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) has been ruled out, and with wide receiver Diontae Johnson (hamstring) on injured reserve, the Steelers' top receiving options Week 5 are likely to be wideouts George Pickens, Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin along with tight end Darnell Washington.

Howell completed 37 of 51 passes for 388 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Commanders' 40-20 loss to the Bears on Thursday night. He also rushed four times for 19 yards and recorded a two-point conversion run.

Howell's career-best passing yardage total was largely the byproduct of game script, considering the Commanders were down 27-3 by halftime. Naturally, it was still a welcome sight to fantasy managers, and with his two- and three-yard scoring tosses to Logan Thomas and Curtis Samuel, respectively, Howell generated the second multi-touchdown day of his nascent career. The 2022 fifth-round pick also took five sacks, however, as the Bears' ability to jump out to a 24-point halftime lead led to Chicago being able to largely focus on slowing down the air attack. Howell and his teammates now have some extra time to regroup after consecutive losses before a Week 6 road matchup against the Falcons on Sunday, Oct. 15.

Fields completed 15 of 29 passes for 282 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions while adding 57 yards on 11 rushes in the Bears' 40-20 win over the Commanders on Thursday night.

Four days after a stellar showing against the shaky Broncos secondary in which he threw for a season-high 335 yards and four touchdowns, Fields produced a similarly impressive performance that saw the connection between him and top wideout DJ Moore in elite form. Eight of Fields' completions and 230 of his passing yards were achieved in conjunction with Moore, who also hauled in touchdown passes of 20, 11 and 56 yards. Fields hit tight end Cole Kmet from four yards out for a four-yard scoring toss just before halftime as well, leaving him just six touchdown passes short of the 17 he threw last season over 15 games. Fields' rushing total was also his second highest of the campaign, affording him plenty of momentum for what could be another busy day for him and his pass catchers against the Vikings in a Week 6 home matchup Sunday, Oct. 15.

Mullens (back) was a limited participant at practice Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Mullens logged limited participation for the second straight day Thursday, putting his availability for Week 5 in doubt. To avoid carrying an injury designation into the weekend, he'll probably need to practice in full Friday.

Garoppolo (concussion) was listed as a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Rachel Gossen of the Raiders' official site reports.

A previous report from Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official site suggested that Garoppolo was on track to practice fully, but he ended up being officially deemed limited by the Raiders. In any case, the QB is reportedly in the final stages of the NFL's concussion protocol, which has him trending in the right direction as Monday night's game against Green Bay approaches.

Rodgers (Achilles) said Tuesday in his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he's "well ahead of the normal protocols" and remains optimistic that he'll be able to return to action before the conclusion of the 2023 season, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports. "There's nothing normal about how I'm attacking this rehab," Rodgers said. "The common practice is about six weeks in a boot, and I was in a shoe in 13 days."

In addition to recovering from the surgery he underwent three weeks ago on his ruptured left Achilles' tendon, Rodgers disclosed Tuesday that he's also dealing with a deltoid issue, which he presumably sustained when he injured the Achilles just four snaps into his Jets debut in the Week 1 win over the Bills. Rodgers is wearing a brace to protect the deltoid, but he otherwise looks to already be making strong progress in his recovery from Achilles surgery, as Cimini notes that the quarterback was "walking briskly" with the aid of crutches prior to this past Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. Rodgers will move his rehab to California for the next two weeks before rejoining the Jets following their Week 7 bye, but the 39-year-old is still facing an uphill battle to play again this season, even if New York qualifies for the playoffs and makes a deep run. A typical recovery from an Achilles' tendon tear is 6-to-9 months, and while Rodgers is optimistic he'll be able to beat that timeline, even a four-month recovery would keep him out until mid-January.

Pickett (knee) was a full practice participant Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Pickett was a limited participant in the Steelers' first Week 5 practice Wednesday after missing the final quarter of this past Sunday's loss to the Texans, but the quarterback's return to a full session Thursday puts him on track to play through a bone bruise in his left knee this Sunday against the Ravens. Barring any setbacks at practice Friday, Pickett seems destined to head into the weekend without an injury designation.

Peterman was released by the Bears on Thursday, Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com reports.

Peterman's exit comes as the team needed to create a roster spot to activate Teven Jenkins (calf) from injured reserve. The veteran quarterback was released by the team earlier in September and then brought back soon after, which could end up being the case again. However, it does appear the Oklahoma State product has lost the backup quarterback role to rookie Tyson Bagent, so a return would likely come via the practice squad.

Carr (shoulder) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

There's a good chance Carr will have a cap on his practice reps until he puts the AC joint sprain in his right throwing shoulder behind him. In his first game playing with the health concern this past Sunday against the Buccaneers, he wasn't much more than a checkdown artist, completing 23 of 37 passes for 127 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Friday's injury report will reveal whether or not Carr enters the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest at New England.