NFL Player News

The Steelers announced that Pickett (ankle) has been ruled out for the second half of Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Though he was a full participant in practices Wednesday through Friday, Pickett appeared on the Steelers' Week 13 injury report while managing ankle discomfort. He started and completed seven of 10 attempts for 70 yards and carried three times for three yards in Sunday's contest before injuring his right ankle on a scramble near the goal line with 5:32 remaining in the second quarter. Mitch Trubisky took over at quarterback for Pickett and will now direct the Pittsburgh offense for the rest of the day. The Steelers are facing a quick turnaround for Week 14 with a Thursday night matchup versus the Patriots, so Pickett's status for that contest would appear to be murky, at best.

McKee (coach's decision) is inactive Sunday against the 49ers but is dressing as the emergency quarterback.

McKee will technically suit up, but he'll only be able to enter the game if both Jalen Hurts and Marcus Mariota suffer injuries.

Pickett left Sunday's game against the Cardinals after suffering a right ankle injury and is questionable to return, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Pickett appeared on the Steelers' Week 13 injury report due to discomfort in the same ankle, but he was a full participant in practice Wednesday through Friday. He appeared to aggravate the injury, however, when he took a shot to the ankle on a play near the goal line in the first half. Prior to his exit from the game, Pickett had completed eight of his 11 pass attempts for 75 yards and logged three carries for three yards. Mitch Trubisky took over at quarterback for Pittsburgh after Pickett headed to the locker room for further evaluation.

Cunningham is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Chargers.

Meanwhile, Bailey Zappe is expected to start Sunday's contest, while Mac Jones is also on hand. With the versatile Cunningham in uniform Sunday, the undrafted rookie could potentially see some QB snaps in designed packages and offer the team some WR depth, with both Demario Douglas (concussion) and Kayshon Boutte (shoulder/illness) out. In that context, Cunningham remains a speculative fantasy option in Week 13.

Zappe is expected to start Sunday's game against the Chargers, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site and Zack Cox of NESN.com report.

Though coach Bill Belichick declined to publicly confirm New England's starting quarterback, the signs leading up to the game pointed to Zappe getting the nod after having taken over for Mac Jones (who is in uniform Sunday) in the second half of a 10-7 loss to the Giants in Week 12. With Demario Douglas (concussion) and Kayshon Boutte (shoulder/illness) both out, Zappe is on track to be working with a thinned-out WR corps. Given the overall state of the team's offense, plus potentially rainy conditions, it wouldn't surprise us to see the Patriots lean toward a run focus as long as the flow of the Sunday's contest permits. Additionally, it's been speculated that the team has prepared a package of plays designed to get practice-squad elevation Malik Cunningham some snaps versus Los Angeles.

DiNucci (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Texans.

DiNucci was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, sparking speculation that Russell Wilson and/or Jarrett Stidham were dealing with injuries. However, that doesn't appear to be the case, so DiNucci has been made inactive.

Woodside (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's matchup against the Jets, but he'll dress and serve as the Falcons' emergency quarterback, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Woodside will handle his usual role as an emergency option. He won't count against the 53-man roster but will be available if Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke are both forced out of the game.

Rodgers remains unlikely to play again this season, despite experiencing no setbacks with his surgically repaired Achilles' tendon during his return to practice this past week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Rodgers' ability to get back on the practice field just 77 days after undergoing Achilles surgery Sept. 13 was already unprecedented for any player attempting to return from a similar injury, but since he's still facing significant limitations and isn't close to 100 percent healthy, the expectation remains that he'll be sidelined for the rest of the season, especially if the 4-7 Jets continue to fade from the playoff picture. The Jets will have until Dec. 20 to formally activate Rodgers or keep him on IR for the rest of the season, and even if the team's playoff standing hasn't improved by that point, Rapoport suggests that New York could still keep the 40-year-old on the 53-man roster as an emergency third quarterback. In such a scenario, Rodgers would continue to remain inactive on game days, though having him on the roster would help him stay connected and more involved with the Jets. While Rodgers remains on IR for now, however, the Jets will go with Tim Boyle as their starting quarterback for the second straight game Sunday against the Falcons, with Trevor Siemian and Zach Wilson on hand as the Nos. 2 and 3 signal-callers, respectively.

Denver elevated DiNucci to its active roster Saturday, Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette reports.

DiNucci has been with the Broncos organization for the majority of 2023, and he'll likely serve as the team's emergency No. 3 quarterback Sunday. The James Madison product hasn't appeared in an NFL game since 2020, when he saw playing time amongst a Cowboys QB room that was depleted with injuries.

Cunningham was elevated to the Patriots' active roster Saturday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Cunningham could wind up as the top backup behind Bailey Zappe given the coaching staff has seemingly lost faith in Mac Jones, but the Patriots have been coy in terms of ways in which the rookie quarterback could be incorporated into the offense. Cunningham has been active for one game this season, serving as a backup to then starter Jones in Week 6.