NFL Player News

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Lance emerged from Sunday's preseason win against the Raiders with "a small chip in his finger" and will be out approximately one week, Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee reports.

Lance appeared to jam a finger on his right throwing hand in the second quarter Sunday, but he was able to gut it out en route to 6-for-13 passing for 46 yards and six carries for eight yards and one touchdown. The rookie and Jimmy Garoppolo alternated series and snaps during the contest, with both QBs scoring short TD runs. This injury may have hurt Lance's chances to be named the Week 1 starter, which was trending to be Garoppolo anyway. However, Lance has two weeks to heal up in advance of the 49ers' season opener Sept. 12 at Detroit, where he'll likely be used in certain packages, assuming he's healthy and available.

Blough will enter the season as the No. 2 quarterback after it was determined that Tim Boyle (thumb) will undergo surgery for a broken right thumb, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

While it's not clear if Boyle will miss the entire season, Blough is set to serve as the backup for as long as the free-agent acquisition is sidelined. When forced into action for five games with Detroit in 2019, Blough managed 5.7 yards per pass attempt with a 54 percent completion rate.

The Texans are prepared to have Watson on their 53-man roster and inactive every week, independent NFL journalist Aaron Wilson reports.

Watson has a standing trade request, and with no deal imminent as he faces 22 civil lawsuits for allegations of sexual assault, the Texans will keep him on the roster but away from the field. The team tried to talk him into sticking around earlier in the offseason, but at this point it may be resigned to trading him -- be it next week or next offseason.

McSorley (back) returned to practice Monday, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

The Penn State product seems to have recovered from his back injury and will be ready to go for his presumed No. 2 role behind Lamar Jackson this season.

Coach Bill Belichick noted Sunday that he isn't quite ready to name his Week 1 starting QB between Cam Newton and Jones, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

To that point, Belichick noted after Sunday's preseason finale that the Patriots "still have a lot of decisions to make." That said, given that Newton started Sunday and played two series, all with New England's starters, before Jones took over and saw action deep into the third quarter, all with the backups, it would appear as though the team may be leaning toward rolling with the more experienced Newton early on this season. In that scenario, Jones would begin his pro career in a backup capacity, but the 2021 first-rounder nonetheless is a promising prospect who will eventually claim New England's starting job. Whether that occurs in the event that Newton is unavailable at some point this season due to injury or COVID-19 protocols, or simply due to the team's coaching staff looking to spark the offense, this will remain a QB situation to monitor even after a Week 1 starter is named.

Boyle needs thumb surgery, and the Lions won't have a timetable for his return until after the procedure, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The Lions seem to be preparing for an extended absence but hope to have him back this season. Boyle had been competing with David Blough, who now defaults to the No. 2 quarterback spot for Week 1.

Beathard completed five of 10 passes for 86 yards and an interception during Sunday's preseason win against Dallas.

It was a poor showing for Beathard on Sunday, but his role as Trevor Lawrence's top backup was already secured after Gardner Minshew was traded to the Eagles on Saturday. Overall Beathard played well between the three exhibition contests, completing 27 of 40 pass attempts for 309 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. The 27-year-old is a solid backup option at quarterback, though things will have obviously gone wrong for the Jaguars if he's seeing any significant playing time in 2021.

Mayfield completed six of 10 pass attempts for 113 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 19-10 preseason win over the Falcons.

Mayfield was one of a handful of starters to make their 2021 debuts in the Browns' final preseason tilt. The fourth-year quarterback did not have the assistance of his starting wideouts, but he still looked sharp in the pocket on the two drives he led to begin the game. Mayfield is hoping to have Odell Beckham (knee) back for the start of the regular season after the wideout suffered a torn ACL in Week 7 of the 2020 season. With a stable of playmakers and a solid offensive line, we could see yet another step forward for the budding signal-caller this year. Mayfield will get a chance to prove himself against the league's best when the Browns travel to Kansas City to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Week 1 of the regular season.

Trask completed 12 of 14 passes for 146 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in the Buccaneers' 23-16 preseason win over the Texans on Saturday night. He also netted minus-4 yards on four carries and lost two fumbles.

The disparity between the ultra-efficient passing effort and the two miscues embodies the rollercoaster performance typical of a rookie quarterback. Despite Trask's undeniable struggles over the first two preseason games and his pair of turnovers, Greg Auman of The Athletic includes the rookie as the third quarterback in his 53-man roster projection, with Ryan Griffin as the odd man out and heading to the practice squad.

Mills completed 10 of 27 passes for 106 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in Saturday's 23-16 loss to Tampa Bay in preseason Week 3.

Mills' two-TD/three-pick night was part of a strange game in which Houston rushed for more than 200 yards, forced three turnovers and still lost. The rookie quarterback's uneven effort is emblematic of his entire preseason: some good, some bad and not enough to be a starter come Week 1 of the regular season. He's expected to get a chance down the road, but Mills should back up Tyrod Taylor when the Texans host the Jaguars in two weeks.