NFL Player News

Rodgers was held out of practice Wednesday with a sore knee but is expected to play Sunday against the Vikings, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Rodgers took a hard hit to the knee during Sunday's 26-20 win over Miami, but he was able to finish the game and now has the Packers in decent shape to reach the playoffs as a wild card if Green Bay can win its final two games and get some minor help. With that in mind, he'll likely suit up Sunday if the knee issue is just a matter of pain tolerance.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday that McCoy has cleared the concussion protocol and is in line to start Sunday's game in Atlanta, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Following Kyler Murray's torn ACL that he sustained Week 14, McCoy got the nod under center Week 15, only to suffer a concussion that forced him out Week 16. McCoy has logged only one official practice since then -- he was limited last Friday -- but now that he's out of the protocol he'll be a full participant moving forward. As a result, he again will be the top quarterback on the Cardinals' depth chart, pushing back Trace McSorley to the No. 2 spot.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said Wednesday that Jarrett Stidham will replace Derek Carr as the starting quarterback Sunday against the 49ers, leaving Garbers to operate as the primary backup, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

Garbers landed on Las Vegas' practice squad after he failed to make the team's initial 53-man roster coming out of the preseason, and he's been there since. The undrafted rookie out of California passed for 6,580 yards and also rushed for 1,174 yards over his four-year college career.

Stidham will replace Derek Carr as the Raiders' starting quarterback this Sunday against the 49ers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Stidham's first career start will come against one of the best defenses in the league, and under the guidance of a coaching staff that oversaw Carr's decline despite the offseason addition of wide receiver Davante Adams. Carr played much of the season without tight end Darren Waller and wideout Hunter Renfrow, both of whom should be available to Stidham over the final two weeks of the season. The 26-year-old was a fourth-round pick of New England in 2019 and has completed only 32 of 61 passes (52.5 percent) for 342 yards (5.6 YPA), two touchdowns and four interceptions in his NFL career.

The Raiders will bench Carr in favor of Jarrett Stidham for the final two games of the season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Carr has taken a step backward under Josh McDaniels' coaching staff, and while Stidham is unlikely to fare any better, the team will take a look at the 26-year-old now that the team's playoff hopes are waning. The 31-year-old Carr is signed with the Raiders through 2025, but on a contract that isn't especially difficult for the team to get out of this offseason. Trade rumors are sure to swirl.

Jackson (knee) isn't practicing Wednesday, Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Tyler Huntley is taking the first-team reps Wednesday and appears to be headed for a fourth consecutive start. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Saturday that Jackson would return to some kind of on-field activity this week, but that might just mean running and individual work rather than actually practicing. The Ravens host the Steelers on Sunday, and Jackson has two more chances to be cleared for practice before then.

The Dolphins are preparing Teddy Bridgewater to start Sunday's game against the Patriots after Tagovailoa (concussion) was placed in the protocol for the second time this season, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Mike McDaniel noted Wednesday that Tagovailoa is being evaluated on a day-to-day basis, while adding that there's no timetable for the quarterback's return to game action. With that in mind, expect Tagovailoa -- who missed two games due to a concussion earlier this season -- to be officially ruled out Friday for the Week 17 contest, with his status beyond this weekend unclear. Rookie Skylar Thompson is likely in line to serve as Bridgewater's backup this weekend.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that the Dolphins are planning to have Bridgewater start Sunday's game against Patriots after Tua Tagovailoa was diagnosed with a concussion, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Tagovailoa is following the NFL's five-step concussion protocol for the second time this season, after he previously suffered a brain injury in the Dolphins' Week 4 contest against the Bengals before going on to miss the team's next two games. Given Tagovailoa's recent history, the team will presumably proceed cautiously with him and prepare Bridgewater to make his second start of the season. Bridgewater last saw game action in relief of Skylar Thompson in the Dolphins' loss to the Vikings in Week 6, when he completed 23 of 34 pass attempts for 329 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed Wednesday that Tagovailoa sustained a concussion during Sunday's 26-20 loss to the Packers, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Tagovailoa was placed in the NFL's concussion protocol Monday after he reported symptoms of the brain injury following Sunday's loss. Per Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post, McDaniel said the Dolphins will approach this Sunday's road game against the Patriots with the expectation of Teddy Bridgewater starting. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that McDaniel declined to note whether the team will approach Tagovailoa's recovery with extra caution, given that he's now been evaluated for a concussion on three occasions this season due to an in-game hit. The last time Tagovailoa was placed in the five-step concussion protocol, he missed two games.

Heinicke will drop to second on the depth chart at quarterback with Washington naming Carson Wentz as its starter for Sunday's game against the Browns, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

With the 7-7-1 Commanders having suffered a pair of losses and a tie over their past three games, the team will turn the offense over to Wentz, who replaced the struggling Heinicke in Saturday's 37-20 loss to the 49ers. Wentz previously started Washington's first six games of the season before breaking his right ring finger on Oct. 13. Though Wentz has been healthy for several weeks, Heinicke retained the starting job after guiding Washington to a 5-3-1 overall record during his nine-game run atop the depth chart. However, the Commanders' recent slide will result in Heinicke moving back into a backup role.