NFL Player News

Prescott (shoulder) hopes to participate in team drills Monday and play in the Cowboys' Aug. 21 preseason game against the Texans, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Gehlken adds that the quarterback is slated to undergo an MRI in the coming days. Given his optimism about playing in the team's third exhibition game, Prescott's MRI may only be precautionary in nature.

The Texans' unofficial depth chart lists Taylor as the team's No. 1 quarterback, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Taylor's presence atop the depth chart isn't overly surprising, considering that he's continuing to log first-team practice reps while Deshaun Watson's future with the franchise remains unclear. Currently listed behind Taylor on the unofficial depth chart are Jeff Driskel and rookie Davis Mills, followed by Watson. At this stage, unless things change in a hurry, Taylor is trending toward being the team's starter in Week 1.

Watson is listed as the No. 4 quarterback on Houston's initial preseason depth chart, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Watson missed a week of practice with calf and ankle injuries, and even when he's been healthy he hasn't taken part in team drills, presumably because of his trade request and/or legal situation. The Texans have said as little as possible about Watson's situation, but head coach David Culley acknowledged the signal-caller is unlikely to play in the preseason opener Saturday against Green Bay. Tyrod Taylor has been leading Houston's first-team offense in practice.

Coach Mike Zimmer said Wednesday that Mond is likely to sit out Saturday's exhibition match against the Broncos, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Zimmer said Mond is "rusty" after missing 10 days of practice on the COVID-19 list, per Krammer. Mond was a "little slow with his reads," Zimmer said, and, "He needs to speed up the tempo a little bit." The rookie third-round pick is listed as the fourth quarterback on Minnesota's first depth chart of the preseason.

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.