NFL Player News

Coach Mike Zimmer said his plan for Friday's preseason game against the Chiefs will be similar to last week, suggesting Cousins and other starters could get a quarter or so of playing time, Eric Smith of the Vikings' official website reports.

Cousins completed five of seven passes for 23 yards in last week's preseason loss to the Colts, failing to produce any points on three drives while playing into the second quarter. He may be throwing to a crew of backups if he suits up Friday night, as Justin Jefferson (shoulder) and Adam Thielen (thigh) are still banged up, while Dalvin Cook could be rested even if most other starters play.

Mayfield is slated to see action in Sunday's preseason finale against the Falcons, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Coach Kevin Stefanski noted Friday that the Browns will have "some select starters" -- including Mayfield -- play in the contest, but added "there are other guys we are going to hold out." With that in mind, it's unclear how many snaps Mayfield might take Sunday, but we suspect that Cleveland's starting QB won't see extended work versus Atlanta.

Winston has been named the Saints' starter for Week 1 against the Packers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

After a lengthy quarterback battle with Taysom Hill, it will be Winston who gets first crack at serving as Drew Brees' successor in New Orleans. Winston has been sharp all preseason and was particularly impressive Monday against the Jaguars, completing nine of 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. He will open the season as the starter, though Hill could still have a role in the offense.

Winston has been named the Saints' starter for Week 1 against the Packers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

After a lengthy quarterback battle with Taysom Hill, it will be Winston as Drew Brees' successor in New Orleans. Winston has been sharp all preseason and was particularly impressive Monday against the Jaguars, completing nine of 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. He will open the season as the starter, though Taysom Hill could still have a role in the offense.

Wilson is expected to play in the Jets' preseason finale Friday against the Eagles, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

Coach Robert Saleh wouldn't commit to how much Wilson may play, but did say he was leaning toward his rookie quarterback seeing some action. Wilson is the undoubted starter come the regular season, though it's understandable that the team wants him to get more game action under his belt. Between the first two preseason contests, Wilson has completed 15 of his 20 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns.

Allen will start under center in Saturday's preseason finale versus the Packers.

According to head coach Sean McDermott, the starters' action could range from as little as one play to a little more than a half. It's unclear where Allen falls on that spectrum, but it does mark his first action of the preseason, so it's possible the staff wants him to get a little tune-up in before the regular season.

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said Prescott (shoulder) looked great during Wednesday's practice and shouldn't be on a pitch count moving forward, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

After completing 11 of 12 passes in full-team drills Wednesday afternoon, Prescott is well on his way to the Week 1 start. He may be a bit rusty after the season-ending ankle injury last year and the abbreviated training camp this year, but his track record of production suggests Prescott should be started in a majority of fantasy leagues whenever he's healthy enough to play. He'll likely be a full practice participant after the Cowboys wrap up their preseason against the Jaguars on Sunday.

Coach Kliff Kingsburry said Thursday that Murray won't suit up for Saturday's exhibition finale against the Saints, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Murray played two possessions during last weekend's preseason game against the Chiefs, but the Cardinals now will opt to preserve the franchise quarterback for Week 1. "[Murray is] ready to go," Kingsbury said. It wouldn't be surprising to see Arizona hold a number of other starters out as well Saturday. With Murray on the bench, Colt McCoy and Chris Streveler are set to helm the offense against New Orleans.

The Texans may need to keep Watson on their 53-man roster even if they don't expect him to play in games, Aaron Reiss of The Athletic reports.

NFL investigators have yet to meet with Watson because they're waiting for criminal investigations to be completed. The league reportedly wants to meet with the quarterback before considering the commissioner's exempt list, which was used in the past to keep players like Michael Vick (2009), Adrian Peterson (2014) and Kareem Hunt (2018) off the field before they were officially suspended. The Texans thus may end up keeping Watson on the roster as a healthy scratch this year, likely waiting for their opportunity to trade him to another team for a haul of draft picks. Injured reserve would be an easy solution to keep Watson on the team but off of the 53-man roster, but he seems to be perfectly healthy at the moment, in part because he's done so little on the practice field this summer, mostly working with third- and fourth-stringers.

Jones took a step back Thursday after his impressive practice Wednesday, working behind Cam Newton in Newton's return to practice, Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com reports.

Newton took the first snap in every period, but Jones ended up getting more reps in full-team drills. It sounds like both were mediocre, following Wednesday reports about Jones having a dominant practice. Newton still is the favorite for the Week 1 start, but he didn't do himself any favors with the three-day absence due to a misunderstanding of COVID-19 protocols. The Patriots likely will give both QBs playing time in Sunday's preseason game against the Giants.