NFL Player News

Rush could be putting pressure on Garrett Gilbert for the No. 2 QB job behind Dak Prescott (shoulder), Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com reports.

Rush was by far the most effective signal-caller for the Cowboys on Saturday night, completing 10 of 12 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Gilbert, who got the start, completed three of five passes for 30 yards and lost a fumble, and Ben DiNucci was picked off three times by the Texans' second and third-string defenders in the second half. Any camp battle could wind up moot if the team brings in a more established veteran after rosters get cut down across the league, but based on Saturday's showing Rush is making a case to surpass Gilbert on the current depth chart.

Rudolph completed 13 of his 18 passes for 138 yards in Saturday's 26-20 preseason win over the Lions.

Rudolph drew starts in each of the Steelers' first two preseason matchups, but he worked behind Ben Roethlisberger on Saturday. The 2018 third-rounder still led the team's quarterbacks in playing time, as he was on the field for 50 percent of the snaps in the win. Rudolph led Pittsburgh in passing yards as a result and strengthened his case for the No. 2 job under center. Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins and Joshua Dobbs will have one more chance to compete in Friday's preseason finale against Carolina, but Rudolph appears to be the front runner to serve as the Steelers' primary backup at quarterback.

Watson could spend the 2021 season on "the Texans' 53-man roster as a healthy scratch each week," Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

As Barshop mentioned, the NFL hasn't put any restrictions on Watson during training camp as the investigation proceeds with regard to his legal situation. And the league also may not place Watson on the commissioner's exempt list before the regular season. With his activity during camp practices few and far between to date and no snaps through two preseason games -- mostly due to ankle and calf injuries -- he's fallen behind in the QB pecking order in Houston, where he resides fourth on the depth chart behind expected starter Tyrod Taylor, Jeff Driskel and 2021 third-round pick Davis Mills. Clearly, the Texans aren't forced to make a decision on Watson for a few weeks, but weekly DNPs this fall could be in the cards.

Mills went 10-for-16 passing for 115 yards in Saturday's 20-14 win over Dallas in preseason Week 2.

Mills was under center for six drives between the second and fourth quarters, one of which resulted in points. The rookie quarterback engineered a drive of 70 yards that ended in a field goal. The Cowboys blitzed often during the game, which led to a sack of Mills and an intentional grounding by the rookie. "What's nice is that it's still preseason," Mills told Aaron Reiss of The Athletic. "Dallas did a really good job disguising some of their looks, but that gives us really good practice for the season - communicating with the line on protection, making sure we're on top of everything." None of Houston's quarterbacks distinguished themselves Saturday. The offense was 0-for-10 on third downs and didn't have a drive longer than 23 yards when the first teamers were on the field.

Browning was 8-of-15 passing for 82 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in Saturday's preseason loss to the Colts. Browning and Kellen Mond's lackluster performances led head coach Mike Zimmer to leave open the possibility of the team signing a veteran backup to Kirk Cousins, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Browning had drawn praise in camp, but he struggled in the first preseason game (including an ugly pick-six interception) and then followed with a lackluster effort. Kellen Mond also struggled, so the Vikings may not feel secure about their backup options to Kirk Cousins.

Mond struggled in his second preseason appearance by going 6-for-12 passing for 61 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in Saturday's preseason loss to Indianapolis. He added three carries for eight yards.

Mond fumbled a snap on his first series, and the offense didn't score on his six drives. However, Jake Browning also struggled, leaving open the possibility the Vikings could acquire a veteran to serve as the backup to Kirk Cousins. Mond likely will need a strong showing in the last preseason game to have a chance to win the backup role outright.

Mariota didn't play in Saturday's 17-16 preseason win over the Rams due to a quadriceps strain, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

Though Mariota dressed for the contest and was expected to make his preseason debut, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said after the game that the quarterback was "just not ready to go" while he works back from a quad strain. Fortunately for Mariota, he's not believed to be dealing with a major setback and still was available in an emergency Saturday, so he doesn't appear at risk of being sidelined to begin the regular season. Gruden remains hopeful Mariota will be ready to go for the preseason finale Sunday, Aug. 29 versus the 49ers.

Giants head coach Joe Judge said Jones won't play in Sunday's preseason game against the Browns, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Jones will remain on the sideline for a second straight week, as the Giants also held him out for rest purposes in the preseason opener against the Jets. Judge was satisfied enough with how Jones looked in joint practices with Cleveland in recent days, so the Giants will have Mike Glennon and Brian Lewerke split the quarterback reps in the second preseason contest.

Taylor completed two of five passes for 10 yards in Saturday's preseason win over the Cowboys.

The 32-year-old was under center for Houston's first few series before giving way to Davis Mills, and while Taylor mostly just handed the ball off, he did lead the Texans to their only offensive touchdown of the night on an opening drive capped by a Mark Ingram plunge from the two-yard line. Taylor is on track to be the Week 1 starter for the team, and as a result he likely won't see any further action in the preseason.

Lock entered Saturday's 30-3 preseason win over the Seahawks with 8:43 remaining in the second quarter and completed nine of 14 passes for 80 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also rushed once for no gain and and recovered two of his own fumbles.

After getting the starting nod against the Vikings in preseason Week 1, Lock ceded that opportunity to Teddy Bridgewater on Saturday. Bridgewater performed well while getting an opportunity to play with some first-unit skill players, while Lock's performance was unsurprisingly a bit rockier and also saw him take two sacks. With only one preseason game remaining and head coach Vic Fangio unlikely to risk the health of his starting offense, the on-field job auditions of Lock and Bridgewater may have essentially come to an end, with a decision on a Week 1 starter likely to stem from what each has put on film in camp and over the first two preseason contests.