NFL Player News

Bears head coach Matt Nagy reiterated during a recent appearance on "The Cris Collinsworth Podcast" that Fields will open the regular season as the Bears' No. 2 quarterback behind Andy Dalton, Jelani Scott of NFL.com reports. "Andy is our starter," Nagy told Collinsworth. "Again, I can't predict anything. You know how it goes. There's so many things that can happen between today and that Week 1, but Andy is our starter and Justin's our No. 2. And we're going to stick to this plan."

After the Bears selected Fields with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, many speculated that the rookie would get the chance to open the season as the team's starting signal-caller. Based on Nagy's comments, Fields doesn't sound like he'll even get the chance to compete for the No. 1 role, assuming Dalton remains healthy throughout training camp and the preseason. Dalton's underwhelming track record as a starter in Cincinnati and Dallas in recent seasons along with the fact that he's playing on an expiring contract means he's unlikely to sit atop the depth chart all season, but Fields may have to wait for Dalton to falter before getting an opportunity.

Burrow (knee) said Tuesday that he's aiming to be 100 percent healthy by the time training camp arrives in late July, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Burrow estimated that his surgically repaired left knee was at about 85 percent during this week's minicamp, and he said he experienced no setbacks during any of the Bengals' nine OTA sessions during the offseason. He still has some work to do to get prepared for training camp, but even if he has some limitations in the Bengals' initial practices, he looks well on track to be available for the Week 1 matchup with the Vikings on Sept. 12.

Over the last two days of the Patriots' mandatory minicamp, Jones has been following 2020 starter Cam Newton in the team's QB rotation, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.

Also in the team's signal-caller mix are third-year player Jarrett Stidham, as well as veteran Brian Hoyer, but at this stage Newton remains atop the depth chart while Jones -- the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft --gets acclimated to the Patriots' offensive system. Down the road, Jones figures to push Newton for the top job, but how quickly he'll be ready to supplant the incumbent remains to be seen.

Lawrence didn't take part in 11-on-11 drills Monday due to a minor hamstring issue that coach Urban Meyer had decided to take precautions with, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

It doesn't sound like Lawrence would have been in danger to miss had it been a game day, especially considering he still took part in the 7-on-7 portion of the session. He still has plenty of offseason to prepare but likely will aim to miss as little as possible as he gets acclimated to the top level of football heading into his rookie season.

The Eagles signed Mullens (elbow) to a contract Monday.

An eight-game starter for the 49ers in 2020, Mullens will find himself third on the depth chart behind Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco as he begins his tenure in Philadelphia. Since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2017, the 26-year-old signal-caller has appeared in 19 games (16 starts) for San Francisco, completing 64.5 percent of his throws for 7.9 yards per attempt and a 25:22 TD:INT. Mullens required surgery in December to address an injury to his right throwing elbow, but the Eagles' willingness to sign him suggests he'll likely be cleared for full activities before training camp or shortly after it begins.

The Eagles waived Newman on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old signed with Philadelphia in May after going undrafted, but he apparently didn't impress during his brief time with the team. Newman opted out of the 2020 collegiate season at Georgia, though he completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,898 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for Wake Forest in 2019.

Coach Mike McCarthy indicated Tuesday that he anticipates Prescott (ankle) being full-go by the time training camp rolls around, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Considering Prescott was nearly full-go for OTAs, it shouldn't come as a shock that he'll likely be ready to resume his duties under center next month. He didn't get a ton of time to get acclimated to McCarthy's system last year before going down for the season with a compound fracture in his right ankle, but he did complete 68 percent of his 222 pass attempts for 1,856 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions over four-plus games, including 450-plus passing yards in each of the three games prior to going down. Prescott returns to the head of a Cowboys offense loaded with wideout talent, so there's no reason to expect a drop-off from him as long as he can stay on the field.

Rodgers is not among the quarterbacks as the Packers open mandatory minicamp Tuesday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

This was the anticipated outcome at this point, but it's now official with Green Bay's minicamp underway. It remains to be seen how things will play out between Rodgers and the Packers, but it will likely be Jordan Love and Blake Bortles seeing most of the reps with the first-team offense in his absence. Rodgers stands to lose just under $100,000 by not making an appearance, but the Packers could choose to waive that fine by calling it an excused absence.

Tannehill's offensive weapons were significantly upgraded by the acquisition of Julio Jones, Gentry Estes of The Tennessean reports.

Titans offensive playmakers were instantly upgraded Sunday after the acquisition of Jones. In an offseason of change -- Corey Davis departed and former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was hired as the Falcons head coach -- it was reasonable to expect that Tannehill's elite efficiency was in significant jeopardy. However, if Jones can remain healthy, his addition to the team will give Tannehill the best receiving duo he's worked with since joining the team.

Rodgers isn't expected to attend the Packers' mandatory minicamp that begins Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Rodgers continues his standoff with GM Brian Gutekunst and could be fined nearly $100,000 for his absences should Green Bay elect to do so. The front office also has toyed with potentially making them excused absences as a show of good faith, but it's unclear at this point if that gesture would hold any weight in Rodgers' camp. Look for Jordan Love and Blake Bortles to handle most of the first-team reps in Rodgers' absence.