NFL Player News

Garoppolo isn't wearing a knee brace at practice this year, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Garoppolo wore a brace last season in his first year back from an ACL tear, perhaps limiting his mobility. He's never been one to contribute rushing stats, but it's possible he navigates the pocket more easily now that he's coming up on two full years removed from the severe knee injury. His bigger concern, at least for the moment, is a receiving corps that will lack established playmakers if Deebo Samuel (foot) isn't ready for Week 1. The 49ers figure to lean on their defense and running game, much as they did last season en route to the Super Bowl.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday that Murray put on some weight during the offseason, Mike Jurecki of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 207 pounds, Murray has the same approximate body type as division rival Russell Wilson. The second-year pro may be the shortest starting quarterback in the league, but his ability to withstand hits doesn't seem to be a major point of concern. While their offensive line remains a potential weak point, the Cardinals could take a big step forward on offense with DeAndre Hopkins climbing aboard for Year 2 of the Kingsbury/Murray project.

Stafford has been activated off the Lions' reserve/COVID-19 list, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Per Meinke, Stafford's recent COVID-19 test was a false positive. The Lions' starting QB is therefore available to take the field with his teammates once practices start up.

The Jaguars activated Minshew from the Reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday morning.

Placed on the list two days prior, Minshew has now passed the necessary tests to be reinstated to the active roster. He's the unquestioned starting quarterback in Jacksonville, where Mike Glennon, Jake Luton and Joshua Dobbs are expected to compete for backup work.

Woodside has the "inside track" to the backup quarterback job in Tennessee, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Selected by Cincinnati in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, Woodside failed to make the Bengals' roster but quickly resurfaced on the Titans' practice squad. He then moved to the short-lived AAF, where he completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 7.0 YPA (with seven TDs and seven INTs) for the San Antonio franchise. Woodside re-signed with Tennessee last summer and played well in the preseason -- 7.1 YPA, four TDs, zero INTs -- earning a spot on the practice squad before an arm injury sent him to injured reserve. He's now healthy for 2020 training camp, poised to compete with rookie seventh-round pick Cole McDonald for the right to serve as Ryan Tannehill's backup. The Titans' decision not to sign a veteran QB might be interpreted as a sign of confidence in Woodside, who reportedly remained heavily involved with the team while he was on IR last season.

The Jaguars placed Minshew (illness) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday.

After the Jags sent Nick Foles to Chicago back in March, Minshew had no impediments to the starting QB gig in Jacksonville. However, he's now either tested positive for COVID-19 or recently been in close contact with someone who did. NFL teams aren't allowed to reveal which one is the case, but Minshew has to pass the requisite number of tests before he's allowed in the team's facilities.

The Giants waived Cookus on Sunday, Michael Eisen of the team's official site reports.

Cookus linked up with the Giants after going undrafted back in April, participating in the virtual offseason program in the meantime. With four other quarterbacks on the roster, though, the team decided to move on from its least experienced member of the room.

Stafford was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Stafford joins a number of other big-name Lions players that were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list over the past week. The designation means either Stafford tested positive or was in close proximity to someone who texted positive for COVID-19, so until more information is provided, speculation regarding his return timeframe is baseless.

Allen signed a contract with the Bengals on Saturday.

Allen, who started three games with the Broncos last season and compiled 515 passing yards while completing under 50 percent of his passes, is expected to compete with incumbent Ryan Finley for the backup QB job behind No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow.

Taylor is trending toward getting the Week 1 start at Cincinnati, Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register reports. "He'll probably be our Day 1 starter," coach Anthony Lynn said Wednesday.

The Chargers' season opener is more than six weeks in the future (Sept. 13), but Lynn seems to be deferring to the more experienced Taylor versus rookie Justin Herbert to direct the offense off the bat. On the other side of the coin, the team made Herbert the sixth overall pick in this year's draft, so there likely will be pressure at some point to see what the signal-caller from Oregon can do. Taylor has only served in mop-up duty with the Chargers, tossing six passes in eight appearances. When he was given a chance as the Bills' regular starting quarterback from 2015 through 2017, he compiled a 22-20 record, completed 62.6 percent of his passes, and had per-16-game averages of 3,221 yards, a 19:6 TD:INT and 240 more yards on the ground.