NFL Player News

Smith was not spotted warming up prior to Saturday's preseason game against the Broncos and is not likely to play, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Smith cleared concussion protocol Friday so is available to play. However, it makes sense that the team would take no chances with his health, as he's expected to serve as the team's backup quarterback come the regular season. Alex McGough and Sean Mannion are slated to see the majority of the time under center in this contest.

Wilson is not likely to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Broncos, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

GM John Schneider appeared on the pregame radio show and spoke of the great opportunity that backup quarterbacks Alex McGough and Sean Mannion would have in Saturday's contest. That presumably means Wilson will remain sidelined, as he also didn't appear in the team's first preseason contest against the Raiders.

Love (shoulder) has not been cleared to return to the field yet, but he may be able to play in the Packers' final preseason game at Buffalo, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Love was held out of Saturday's contest against the Jets with the injury, but it sounds as if he's nearing a return. Coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that when Love is cleared from the injury, he'll be the team's backup quarterback. Love played fairly well in the team's first preseason contest -- he completed 12 of 17 pass attempts for 122 yards and a touchdown -- and it would benefit him to get more reps in game action before the regular season begins.

White suffered a rib injury during Saturday's preseason contest against the Packers, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

White was struck by Jack Heflin as he released a pass in the second half of Saturday's contest and did not return to the game. White signed a reserve contract with the Jets in January and is serving as the primary backup behind No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson. James Morgan and Josh Johnson will be the next men up if White has to miss the Jets' next preseason game against the Eagles on Aug. 27.

Goff will not play in Saturday's preseason game against Pittsburgh, DetroitLions.com's Tim Twentyman reports.

Tim Boyle will start for the Lions, likely marking him as Goff's backup for 2021. Goff completed 7-of-9 passes for 56 yards in Detroit's preseason opener against Buffalo.

Tyler Huntley drew the start at QB for the Ravens in Saturday's preseason game against the Panthers, while Jackson is in line to sit out his second straight contest, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

It remains to be seen if Jackson will play at all in the team's preseason finale, but doing what needs to be done to keep their star QB healthy and fresh for Week 1 action is a sound approach, given the Ravens' current injury issues at wide receiver and along the offensive line.

Coach Matt Nagy said Dalton will start against the Rams in Week 1, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

Nagy said the Bears need to see Dalton in the regular season, which may or may not be his reason for standing by journeyman veteran over Justin Fields, the 11th overall pick from the 2021 draft. The Bears offensive line is questionable and might be uniquely vulnerable to Week 1 opponent Aaron Donald, so it wouldn't be shocking if the Bears wanted to keep Fields out of those treacherous waters. With that said, even if the Bears are in part trying to protect Fields, Dalton could earn a longer leash if he plays competently in that tough matchup. As much as Fields is the inevitable future for the Bears, it seems Nagy is committed to giving Dalton at least one chance to prove himself as the team's starting quarterback of the present.

Dalton completed 11 of his 17 pass attempts for 146 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Saturday's preseason game against Buffalo.

Dalton played the entire first half, leading six offensive drives. Half of those possessions ended after three plays, with an interception ending an additional drive. Dalton did connect with Rodney Adams for a 73-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter, making up the majority of his production on the day. The Bears seem willing to stick with Dalton as their starting quarterback to begin the season, but he's unlikely to hold onto the role for the entire campaign.

Fields completed nine of his 19 pass attempts for 80 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions in Saturday's preseason game against the Bills. He also chipped in 46 yards on the ground.

Fields once again worked behind Andy Dalton and entered the game for the team's first possession in the second half. He wasn't particularly effective as a passer by averaging only 4.2 yards per attempt. That mark is even less encouraging after factoring in that he accounted for nearly half of his production through the air with a 32-yard completion to Jesse James. On the other hand, Fields showed the ability and willingness to use his legs, as he scrambled for significant gains of 16, 13 and 11 yards. Bothered by a groin injury for much of the week leading up to this contest, Fields should be able to continue his push for the starting quarterback job in Chicago moving forward.

Rodgers was not in uniform in advance of Saturday's preseason game against the Jets, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

The same applies to top backup Jordan Love (shoulder), meaning that Kurt Benkert and Jacob Dolegala are slated to handle Green Bay's QB duties Saturday. Looking ahead, Rodgers seems unlikely to see action in the Packers' preseason finale, with an eye toward having him healthy and fresh for Week 1.