NFL Player News

McSorley will serve as Arizona's backup quarterback Sunday at Atlanta after head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday that Colt McCoy cleared the concussion protocol and is on track to start this weekend, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

After coming on in relief for a concussed McCoy in the Week 15 loss to the Broncos, McSorley drew his first career start Week 16 against the Buccaneers. He proved to be mistake-prone in the Cardinals' 19-16 overtime loss, committing three turnovers (one interception, two lost fumbles) while completing just 24 of 45 passes for 4.8 yards per attempt. Even though the 27-year-old McSorley has more theoretical upside of the two quarterbacks at this stage of his career and the 4-11 Cardinals have little on the line in the final two games, Kingsbury will turn the offense back over to the more battle-tested McCoy as Arizona looks to end the season on a high note.

Carr will step away from the Raiders for the remainder of the regular season in order to avoid being a distraction to the team, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Carr, who will be replaced as the Raiders' starting quarterback by Jarrett Stidham, isn't slated to participate in practices over the final two weeks and his absence will be listed as "not-injury related" on official injury reports. With Carr slated to be inactive for Weeks 17 and 18, Chase Garbers will be elevated from the practice squad and is set to back up Stidham in games against the 49ers and Chiefs to close out the season.

Wolford (neck) didn't practice Wednesday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Wolford hasn't logged any notable on-field work since playing the first three offensive snaps of the Rams' Week 14 win against the Raiders, which also marked Baker Mayfield's first game action with Los Angeles. A lingering neck issue is to blame for Wolford's continued absence, and as long as he's sidelined, Bryce Perkins will remain the direct backup quarterback to Mayfield.

Rodgers didn't practice Wednesday due to right thumb and knee injuries.

While the thumb issue likely is a residual one due to the fracture that Rodgers played through for a good portion of the campaign, the knee concern stems from a hit he took this past Sunday at Miami. He told Matt Schneidman of The Athletic that he isn't concerned about his potential to play Sunday against the Vikings, calling Wednesday's absence a veteran's day off. Rodgers thus should get back on the practice field in some capacity both Thursday and Friday as the Packers prepare for a Week 17 NFC North matchup that contains massive playoff implications for both squads.

Lawrence (toe) didn't practice Wednesday.

The toe injury has affected Lawrence's practice participation since Week 14 but hasn't stopped him from playing and leading the Jaguars to three straight wins while accounting for nine total touchdowns against three turnovers. Fumbles remain a problem with his 10 being fourth-most in the league, though the extent has probably been exaggerated on account of his bad luck in losing eight of them. As for Week 17, head coach Doug Pederson said he'll play to win and won't rest starters this Sunday against the Texans, even though the game is essentially irrelevant to the playoff picture, per Adam Stites of USA Today. The Jaguars will follow the Week 17 game with a winner-take-all bout with the Titans in Week 18 to determine the AFC South champion.

Willis is in line to start Thursday's game against Dallas with Ryan Tannehill (ankle) ruled out for a second straight contest, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Tannehill won't return until the playoffs, if at all this season, and Willis' performance through the first three starts of his career doesn't inspire confidence in the Titans making it beyond Week 18. The Titans' game this Thursday is all but meaningless in terms of the AFC playoff picture, which probably explains why Derrick Henry (hip) and a slew of other key players are either listed as doubtful or out. With that in mind, the Titans could let Willis take more shots -- even against a tough Dallas defense -- as their playoff fortunes are almost certain to depend on the result Week 18 at Jacksonville and nothing else.

Fields (foot) isn't listed on Chicago's Week 17 injury report ahead of Sunday's game in Detroit.

Fields has been playing through a left shoulder injury since Week 13 and had his foot stepped on in Saturday's loss to Buffalo, with the quarterback noting Wednesday that the latter injury is "fine" after he dealt with some swelling the past few days, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Head coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that he won't shut Fields down for the season so long as he's healthy enough to play, and that's apparently the case for Week 17 in a potential shootout with the Lions.

Carr will be inactive for Sunday's game against the 49ers, with Jarrett Stidham getting the start at quarterback and Chase Garbers in line to be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the backup, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Needing about a dozen games to go their way over the final two weeks to qualify for the playoffs, the Raiders have decided to prioritize evaluation of young players over pursuing their minuscule chances of reaching the postseason. Making Carr inactive down the stretch rather than the No. 2 quarterback ensures he won't have to play and eliminates injury risk -- crucial given the possibility he's traded or released this upcoming offseason. Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports that the Raiders can release him with a dead-cap charge of $5.63 million if they do it within three days of the Super Bowl in February. The Raiders are likely to make the move unless they have a verbal agreement in place to trade him to another team, since a deal can't be made official until the start of the 2023 league year in March.

Hurts (shoulder) was a non-participant at Wednesday's walk-through practice, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Even though the Eagles still have some work to do to lock down the NFC's No. 1 seed after this past Saturday's loss at Dallas, they may be without the services of Hurts for a second straight game, given that he has yet to log any practice reps due to the sprained right shoulder that he suffered Week 15 in Chicago. He still has a pair of sessions available to him this week to put himself in a position to play Sunday against the Saints, while Gardner Minshew is the next man up to direct Philadelphia's offense if Hurts requires more time to rehab his injury.

Broncos CEO Greg Penner said Tuesday that Wilson is still central to the team's long-term plan and is expected to rebuond in 2023, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

The in-season firing of first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett earlier this week led to speculation that Wilson could be the next be the next big name headed out of Denver, even though he signed a five-year, $245 million extension in early September. The more likely scenario is one where Wilson finishes out the final two weeks of the season under interim coach Jerry Rosburg before getting a fresh start in the offseason with a new coaching staff. Rosburg confirmed Wednesday that Wilson will start Sunday's game against the Chiefs, according to Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site.