NFL Player News

Mayfield won't play in Saturday's preseason opener against Jacksonville, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Browns return their head coach, offensive coordinator and starting quarterback from the previous season for the first time since 2007. They also retain all their other starters on offense, so head coach Kevin Stefanski may prioritize health over in-game reps this preseason. Mayfield could still make an appearance in the second or third game, but for Saturday's opener, he'll likely be joined on the sideline by other key starters.

Watson followed the same routine for a third straight practice Wednesday, leaving the field before the Texans began full-team drills, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Watson was out for about a week with minor ankle and calf injuries, but his current limitations on the practice field likely have more to do with his trade request and/or legal situation. Texans head coach David Culley said Tuesday that Watson is unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Packers.

Allen won't play in Friday's preseason game against the Lions, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Allen recently signed a six-year, $258 million extension, the second-largest contract in NFL history. His absence Friday night leaves more playing time available for Mitchell Trubisky, Jake Fromm and Davis Webb. Allen could make an appearance -- likely a brief one -- in the Bills' second or third game of the preseason.

Dobbs will close out the second half of Thursday's preseason game against Philadelphia, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports.

Dobbs also worked behind Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against Dallas, and he ranked third among the quarterbacks by playing 29 percent of the team's offensive snaps. The 26-year-old completed four of his six passes for 37 yards, and he tossed the only passing touchdown of the game.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Tuesday that Wolford (appendix) won't be available to play during the preseason, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

The backup quarterback is continuing to recover from an appendectomy he had last week. In his absence, look for Bryce Perkins and Devlin Hodges to carry the load for the majority of the preseason snaps. However, the Rams seem set to have Wolford as their main backup to Matthew Stafford for the 2021 season.

Prescott (right shoulder) threw about 30 passes "to his left and right with most throws either short or intermediate," while working off to the side during Tuesday's practice, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

The report notes that Prescott and wideout Amari Cooper (ankle) -- who came off the PUP list Tuesday -- went through two-minute drill work together, a session that marked the most throwing the QB has done with the media present since July 28. Though neither Prescott nor Cooper seem likely to see preseason action in short order, what the duo did Tuesday aligns with the notion that both players are progressing well toward their goals of being good to go for Dallas' regular-season opener.

Hurts and the Eagles' starting offense will play in Thursday's preseason contest against the Steelers, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports.

While he has an improved supporting cast around him, Hurts also is learning a new system, so taking a test drive with the first-teamers in Philly's exhibition opener is no surprise. Coach Nick Sirianni wouldn't divulge exactly how long he'll allow the starters to remain on the field, but in any case, Hurts will be without 10th overall pick and college teammate DeVonta Smith for most of the preseason slate as Smith recovers from an MCL sprain, leaving Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward and Travis Fulgham as the team's primary wide receivers for the time being.

Coach Vic Fangio said Drew Lock will start the Broncos' preseason opener Saturday in Minnesota, while Bridgewater will get the nod in the team's next exhibition Aug. 21 at Seattle, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

As expected, Fangio is sticking to his word that Lock and Bridgewater will split first-team reps, as they've done since the beginning of training camp. Along the way, neither of the quarterbacks have separated from the other, meaning there's a decent chance Fangio may need preseason Week 3 to make the final call.

Lock will start Saturday's preseason game at Minnesota, Ryan O'Halloran of The Denver Post reports.

He took the initial snap of training camp with the first-team offense, and Lock will do the same as the Broncos open their exhibition slate. In the next breath, though, coach Vic Fangio relayed Teddy Bridgewater, Lock's competition for the starting QB role in Denver, will be under center with the starters in preseason Week 2 against Seattle. Clearly, Fangio is sticking to his word that Lock and Bridgewater will split the first-team reps from the beginning of camp until a decision is made on who will be under center Week 1.

Rudolph will start Thursday's preseason game against the Eagles, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports.

Per the report, the plan is for Ben Roethlisberger to sit this one out, while Dwayne Haskins is slated to enter the contest late in the first half, with Joshua Dobbs in line to finish the game. In this past Thursday's Hall of Fame game, a 16-3 win over the Cowboys, Rudolph completed six of nine passes for 84 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.