The Cardinals won’t have Carson Palmer when they face the 49ers on Thursday night at San Francisco.
Arizona coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday the quarterback remains in the concussion protocol and has not been cleared to play. Arians said Palmer would not make the trip.
‘‘Carson’s made great progress, but there’s no way I’m going to take any chances with him,’’ Arians said. ‘‘He argued with me a little bit, but he has not cleared.’’
Backup Drew Stanton will make the 13th start of his 10-year NFL career, but first since 2014. He went 5-3 as a starter that year when Palmer went down with shoulder and knee injuries.
Arians said he is ‘‘very optimistic’’ Palmer, 36, will be back for the Cardinals’ next game, a Monday night matchup at home against the New York Jets on Oct. 17.
Palmer was injured when his head slammed to the turf on a sack by Aaron Donald late in Arizona’s 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
The loss of the 36-year-old quarterback is a big blow to a struggling team that entered the season with the highest of expectations, but has sputtered to a 1-3 start.
Newton sits out
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton missed practice with a concussion, raising concerns about his availability for Monday night’s division game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The league’s reigning MVP remains in the concussion protocol, three days after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from linebacker Deion Jones in the fourth quarter of a 48-33 loss to the Falcons.
Panthers coach Ron Rivera did not address reporters and the team was not required to release an injury report, so there was no official update on Newton’s status. Newton did not make an appearance in the locker room on Wednesday and did not speak to reporters.
Derek Anderson would start for Carolina if Newton can’t play.
Bears’ White on IR
Bears wide receiver Kevin White will be placed on injured reserve with a fractured left fibula, costing him much of the season after missing his entire rookie season with a stress fracture in the same leg.
White was injured Sunday in a 17-14 victory over the Lions.
In addition to the broken bone, White suffered a high ankle sprain as he was tackled during the third quarter.
White leads the Bears this season in receptions with 19, and has 187 receiving yards. The seventh overall draft pick in 2015, he went on IR during the preseason last year because of left shin injury.
Texans’ Still out
The Texans placed defensive end Devon Still on injured reserve because of a foot injury that required surgery.
Still made a comeback this season after spending all of 2015 as a free agent following three seasons with the Bengals. Still appeared in three games for the Texans this season and had three tackles.
Still became an inspiration by sharing details of his now 6-year-old daughter Leah’s fight with cancer when he was with the Bengals. Cincinnati kept him on the roster in 2014 in part so he'd have health insurance to cover her treatments.
The Bengals donated more than $1 million in sales from Still’s No. 75 jersey to Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati for pediatric cancer research and treatment during her fight.
With Leah in remission, Still rededicated himself to football this offseason and earned a spot on Houston’s roster. He had an opportunity for more playing time in the wake of the season-ending injury to J.J. Watt before he suffered his injury on Sunday.
Miami offices closed
The Miami Dolphins’ offices will be closed Thursday in anticipation of Hurricane Matthew, giving players and coaches extra time to prepare for the storm and be with their families.
‘‘Our biggest thing is making sure everybody is being smart once they leave here,’’ coach Adam Gase said. ‘‘We want the safety of our players and the people in our building.’’
Gase declined to say whether he would stay home or come to work.
‘‘I’ll stay somewhere,’’ he said.
The original schedule had the team not practicing Thursday. The Dolphins’ most recent game was last Thursday, and they’re scheduled to play Tennessee at home Sunday.
Comings, goings
Aqib Talib could still be disciplined by the NFL even if the Broncos star cornerback faces no criminal charges in the shooting last summer in Texas which a bullet pierced his right leg. Dallas police have not confirmed a Dallas television report that their investigation is closed and no charges are forthcoming against Talib after detectives determined he shot himself on June 5. Even if he faces no legal consequences, Talib could still be suspended or fined by the NFL, which doesn’t require criminal charges or a conviction to mete out player punishment. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Talib’s case ‘‘is under review of the personal conduct policy.’’ . . . After absorbing several injury blows, the Redskins signed hard-hitting safety Donte Whitner to bring some experience and physicality to their defense. Whitner has 856 tackles in 10 seasons with the Bills, 49ers, and Browns. He spent the past two seasons with the Browns, who released him in April just before offseason workouts began . . . The Jaguars signed fourth-year offensive tackle Bryce Harris to the active roster and placed starting left guard Luke Joeckel (knee) on injured reserve . . . Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett said he has a partially torn ACL in his left knee and his season ‘‘is done with.’’ Verrett, who was a Pro Bowler last year in his second NFL season, said an MRI revealed the injury and that he'll need surgery.