NFL notebook: Flacco practices on limited basis for Ravens

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco practiced on Thursday but it was only on a limited basis and he could sit out again for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons. Flacco last played in Week 9 when he suffered a hip injury in a 23-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 4. He sat out Baltimore's wins over the Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals as rookie Lamar Jackson delivered two flashy performances. In the two games Flacco has sat out, Jackson rushed for 190 yards, including 117 in 24-21 win over Cincinnati in Week 11 after Baltimore's bye week. Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Award winner, was not officially named the starter for the third straight week but in the part of practice open to the media, Flacco appeared to be limited in his activities as he took part in passing drills with Jackson and Robert Griffin III Flacco saw a specialist Monday, and Wednesday coach John Harbaugh said Flacco was "progressing very well" from the hip injury. Harbaugh also said Flacco would need to practice in order to return but did not specify how much he needed to participate in practice. --Former Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson has many detractors and one is rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield, who let his feelings be known following last week's win in Cincinnati. Browns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens said he did not have any issues with Mayfield's recent public statements about Jackson and an Instagram comment calling Jackson "fake" Jackson was fired by Cleveland on Oct. 29 after posting a 3-36-1 record in two-plus seasons with the team. He joined the Bengals as a special assistant to head coach Marvin Lewis on Nov. 13. After last week's 35-21 win at Cincinnati, Mayfield said he did not appreciate Jackson taking a job with a division rival after being fired two weeks earlier. In three games since Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were fired, the Browns have won twice and Mayfield has completed 74 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and complied a quarterback rating of 129.5. --When the Washington Redskins claimed controversial linebacker Reuben Foster off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams cited conversations with a few former Alabama teammates currently on the roster. On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and defensive lineman Jonathan Allen said they never discussed Foster with any member of Washington's front office. On Thursday, while making his weekly appearance on a local radio show, Williams admitted he did not talk with all of Foster's college teammates currently on the roster. "We didn't hold a convention," Williams said during his appearance on The Team 980 on Thursday. "It wasn't like we talked to all five. The ones we did talk to knew him very well." Besides Clinton-Dix and Allen, Washington's roster contains three former Alabama teammates of Foster in linebackers Ryan Anderson and Shaun Dion Hamilton along with defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne. Foster has a charge of misdemeanor domestic violence pending as the result of an alleged incident on Saturday before San Francisco's game in Tampa Bay. Foster will not be permitted to practice or play in games for the Redskins until further notice because the NFL placed him on the Commissioner's Exempt List while the league reviews his arrest. If charges are filed, a suspension could be imposed. --With the Los Angeles Rams closing in on clinching a postseason berth and the NFC West, cornerback Aqib Talib is expected to return for this week's game in Detroit. Rams coach Sean McVay said that Talib is progressing well in practice but did not give a definitive amount of snaps when asked how much the veteran would play. Talib is returning from missing the past nine weeks following ankle surgery. He was injured in the Rams' Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.