NFL Player News

Though coach Vic Fangio is safe, John Elway's decision to move to a new role within the team and hire a new general manager may affect Lock's future, Benjamin Allbright of KOA News Radio reports.

As Allbright notes, Elway was inclined to give Lock a third season to prove that he's the team's answer at quarterback. Now, a new GM -- presumably one without any ties to the Missouri product -- will head into the offseason with the ninth overall pick and some potential veteran options on the market. Lock, playing in a new offense and with a very young supporting cast, showed strides during Denver's final six games even though the stat line seldom looked pretty. During that span, he completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,436 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions while scoring another touchdown on the ground. Still, that improvement amounted to a quarterback rating of 85.7, which -- extrapolated over the course of the season -- would have ranked 27th among qualifying quarterbacks.

The Jets signed White to a reserve/future contract Monday.

White was elevated to the Jets' active roster on more than one occasion over the latter half of the season, as starting quarterback Sam Darnold missed time with a right shoulder injury. The 25-year-old ultimately did not reach the field, however, keeping White without a game appearance since he entered the league as a fifth-round draft pick of the Cowboys in 2018.

Dobbs completed four of five passes for two yards while rushing twice for 20 yards in Sunday's 24-22 loss to the Browns.

Dobbs saw his first work of the season late in Sunday's matchup, playing nine offensive snaps in the regular-season finale. While he generated some modest production on the ground, he'll revert to his third-string role for the playoffs. If he finds a spot on another roster in 2021, he'll likely serve as a backup once again.

Rush signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on Monday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

The quarterback first joined Dallas back in 2017 as an undrafted free agent and has bounced back and forth between the practice squad and active roster since that point.

Rudolph completed 22 of 39 passes for 315 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while also rushing once for one yard in Sunday's 24-22 loss to the Browns.

Rudolph received a spot start in Sunday's regular-season finale while Ben Roethlisberger rested ahead of the team's playoff run, completing 56.4 percent of his passes and averaging 8.1 yards per attempt. He was replaced by Joshua Dobbs late in the game but still topped 300 yards for the first time in his career. Rudolph will revert to a backup role during the playoffs and should do the same in 2021 if Roethlisberger continues playing next season.

The Vikings signed Browning to a reserve/future contract Monday, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

An undrafted rookie in 2019, Browning has spent the last two seasons on the Vikings' practice squad. The 24-year-old quarterback will compete to be Kirk Cousins' backup in 2021.

Getting Prescott signed to a long-term deal is the Cowboys' top offseason priority, according to executive vice president Stephen Jones, Mike Fisher of Sports Illustrated reports.

"(It's) certainly at the top" of the team's to-do list, Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan. With the Cowboys' season officially over after Sunday's loss to the Giants, negotiations on a long-term contract can resume at any time, and both Stephen and his father, owner/GM Jerry Jones, have repeatedly insisted Prescott is their quarterback of the future. That said, the QB played last season under the franchise tag because the two sides couldn't agree on the length of a new deal, as Prescott and his camp wanted one that made him a free agent a year sooner than what Dallas was offering. Prior to his season-ending ankle injury Week 5, the 27-year-old was only improving his bargaining position with an explosive start to the campaign that had him on pace for nearly 6,000 passing yards. Assuming Prescott is a Cowboy again in 2021, he should have all the key pieces of the offense back around him -- including offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who received an extension of his own over the weekend -- and the only thing standing between Prescott and another huge statistical season might be improvement from a Dallas defense that was among the worst units in the NFL in 2020.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury said Monday that Murray (ankle) still is limping but won't require offseason surgery, Katherine Fitzgerald of The Arizona Republic reports.

Murray managed to retake the field despite injuring his ankle during Sunday's 18-7 loss to the Rams, but he clearly was hobbled upon doing so in the fourth quarter. That the second-year pro won't require surgery should bode well for his chances of making a full recovery in time for Arizona's offseason program. The 23-year-old emerged as a bonafide fantasy superstar this season, in no small part due to the 819 rushing yards and 11 scores he accumulated on the ground. Murray also took a step forward as a passer, racking up 3,971 yards through the air and a 26:12 TD:INT across 16 contests.

Goff (thumb) hasn't been ruled out for Saturday's wild-card matchup in Seattle, but it could be challenging for him to gain clearance, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Goff sat out the Rams' playoff-clinching win over the Cardinals last Sunday due to a dislocated thumb, but the team is reportedly hopeful that he'll be able to return for the playoffs. As Rapoport notes, it's possible that the cold weather in Seattle could provide Goff with additional hurdles as he looks to gain medical clearance. John Wolford, who threw for 231 yards and an interception while rushing for 56 yards Week 17, would stand to draw another start if Goff can't go.

Hurts completed just seven of his 20 passing attempts for 72 yards, no touchdowns and an interception while adding 34 yards and two rushing touchdowns on eight carries before being benched in favor of Nate Sudfeld in the second half of Sunday's loss to the Washington Football Team.

Hurts will finish his abbreviated time as a rookie starter with a 52 percent completion rate, 1,061 passing yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions to go along with 354 rushing yards and three more scores on 63 carries over 15 games (three starts). Controversy has swirled around the 2020 second-round pick from the time he replaced Carson Wentz to his benching Sunday in a game that enabled Washington to clinch the NFC East division with a 7-9 record. Fans of the New York Giants may be upset with the late change under center, but Hurts certainly performed poorly enough to warrant the benching. On the plus side, the mature first-year player provided a spark for the Eagles, and his ability as a runner kept opposing defenses on their heels while also providing valuable fantasy production. On the flip side, Hurts clearly has a long way to go in terms of his ability as a pocket passer, which was one of the knocks on him heading into last year's draft. The 22-year-old struggled when having to go past his initial read, and some inaccuracy issues are also present. He is still a rookie and has plenty of room to grow, and his added value as a runner will undoubtedly lead to some strong fantasy lines in the future.