NFL Player News

Lawrence completed 14 of 23 passes for 113 yards in Monday night's 23-21 preseason loss to the Saints.

Lawrence made a couple nice throws that highlighted his mobility, but it otherwise was an underwhelming outing for this year's top pick. Along with getting a few passes broken up by defenders, Lawrence led the Jags to just three points on his six first-half drives. Although Gardner Minshew did slightly better in the second half, completing 13 of 21 for 149 yards, his interception in the opposing end zone won't help his chances of unseating Lawrence to be named Jacksonville's starter. Right now, it's unclear when coach Urban Meyer will make that call, but Lawrence nonetheless will use his final week of the preseason to get as ready as possible for his hotly anticipated debut campaign.

Winston completed nine of 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns in Monday night's 23-21 preseason win over the Jaguars.

Winston started and was superb on his three drives, throwing a pair of perfectly placed touchdowns. He opened the scoring with a 43-yard bomb to Marquez Callaway, then hit Callaway again for a 29-yard score on his final throw of the evening. In doing so, Winston put forth a strong case to be named the Saints' starting quarterback over Taysom Hill, who completed 11 of 20 attempts for 138 yards and a touchdown of his own. With coach Sean Payton reportedly hoping to name his starter before Saturday's exhibition finale versus the Cardinals, Winston could be in store for good news sometime soon.

Gabbert started Saturday night's 34-3 preseason loss to the Titans and went 3-for-6 for 33 yards. He also fumbled once but recovered.

Despite the unremarkable numbers and the near turnover, Carmen Vitali of the Buccaneers' official site reports Arians has been very pleased with the projected No. 2 quarterback's recent work. "I think Blaine has been really, really good," said Arians. "He had great practices against [the Titans]. If we catch the ball for him, he's going to take us right down the field and score again. So I've got all the confidence in the world." Gabbert saw action in four games last season and went 9-for-16 for 143 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and he appears set to beat out Ryan Griffin for the top backup job for the second consecutive season.

Head coach Sean Payton hopes to name a starting quarterback before the preseason finale Aug. 28 against Arizona, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Taysom Hill started the preseason opener last week against Baltimore, and Winston will get his chance Monday night against Jacksonville. While neither has separated himself as the clear-cut frontrunner up to this point, Winston led two TD drives in five possessions during last week's exhibition game while Hill didn't lead the team to any points over three of his own drives. A respectable performance with the first-team offense Monday could make Winston the heavy favorite to come away with the starting nod -- at least for Week 1 -- though there's also speculation that Winston could be given the job if for no other reason than to keep Hill available for the gadget plays he's become famous for.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Monday that Love (shoulder) will get some work in at practice, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

LaFleur previously stated that he expects Love to participate in individual drills, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, then tentatively resume handling team reps Tuesday. The 2020 first-round pick appears to be making solid progress in his recovery from a right shoulder injury picked up during the Packers' preseason opener. If all goes well as Love ramps up his practice activity, it's possible he gains clearance in time for Saturday's exhibition contest against the Bills.

Jones is in line to see first-team QB reps at practice through Wednesday, with Cam Newton slated to remain away from the team until Thursday due to what's been described by the Patriots as a "misunderstanding" on COVID-19 tests "conducted away from NFL facilities," Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

While Newton will continue to participate virtually in team activities, Jones is in a position to work with New England's starters for the next few days. Reiss relays that coach Bill Belichick reiterated earlier Monday that Newton currently is viewed as the team's starting QB, with the usual caveat that any player's depth chart standing could change if someone performs better than the current starter or if that player isn't available for any reason.

Huntley completed 24 of 34 attempts for 187 yards and an interception in Saturday's win over the Panthers. He added seven rushes for 23 yards.

Huntley got all the snaps at quarterback with Lamar Jackson resting and Trace McSorley out with a back injury. The Utah product completed 70 percent of his passes but registered a mere 5.5 YPA and did not throw a touchdown. He projects to land the top backup job behind Jackson when camp breaks.

Keenum completed nine of 12 passes for 74 yards and one touchdown with one interception and two sacks in Sunday's 17-13 win over the Giants in preseason Week 2.

Keenum once again started, as Baker Mayfield remained on the sideline for the second consecutive preseason tilt, and was in the game for three possessions. Keenum engineered an 81-yard scoring drive the first time Cleveland had the ball, delivering a tight-window strike to KhaDarel Hodge for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the seven. Keenum then had the Browns in the red zone on the second drive but threw a nasty end-zone interception. Kyle Lauletta finished out the game from the end of the second quarter.

Lance completed eight of 14 pass attempts for 102 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in Sunday's 15-10 preseason win over the Chargers.

Lance got off to a rough start, missing four of his first five pass attempts, but he was able to settle in and finish with a solid line in his second appearance as a pro. The 21-year-old still missed a couple of open receivers on short and intermediate routes, an area of his game that will need to be cleaned up before he's given the keys to the 49ers offense. On the positive end of things, Lance once again flashed his big arm on a 41-yard rainbow that hit Trent Sherfield in stride. Lance also ran a beautiful two-minute drill to end the first half with a touchdown. Jimmy Garoppolo still is expected to begin the year as starter, but Lance has the skill set to become a fantasy factor whenever his time comes. Expect both quarterbacks to get healthy looks in the 49ers' third preseason tilt against the Raiders next Sunday.

Garoppolo completed three of six pass attempts for 15 yards and an interception in Sunday's 15-10 preseason win over the Chargers.

Garoppolo got the start as expected but only played for one series before giving way to rookie Trey Lance. The former was uncharacteristically inaccurate, most notably missing Deebo Samuel high on a crossing route that resulted in a pick. Garoppolo's best play actually came on a 10-yard scramble for a first down. There isn't much to take away here, as Garoppolo still is considered the favorite to begin the year as the starter, and both quarterbacks had bouts of inaccuracy in this one. Expect the playing time to even out a bit more in the 49ers' dress rehearsal against the Raiders next Sunday.