NFL Player News

Coach Matt LaFleur said Sunday that Love had "his best day up to this point, just making some key throws downfield," Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

"I think he's consistently getting better," LaFleur said. The coach's comments come just days after a report by Matt Schneidman of the Athletic that Love had "yet to even provide a glimpse at why the Packers traded up to draft him in the first round." The Utah State product was always expected to require time to develop at the pro level, so it's not tremendously worrying to see that he's had an inconsistent training camp. The Packers will no doubt eventually give Love the opportunity to replace Aaron Rodgers, but he'll first get the benefit of at least a couple of seasons to learn as a backup behind the future Hall of Famer.

Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden said Luton has been the biggest pleasant surprise in training camp, Hays Carlyon of 1010 AM WJXL Jacksonville reports.

Gruden specifically touted Luton's poise, accuracy and arm strength before signaling that he wants to keep three quarterbacks on the roster in 2020. Luton was impressive in his senior season at Oregon State with 2,714 yards, 28 touchdowns and just three interceptions, and the Jaguars are hoping the rookie sixth-round pick can follow in Gardner Minshew's footsteps. With a strong finish to training camp, it sounds like Luton could be locked into the No. 2 role.

Coach Matt Nagy confirmed Saturday neither Trubisky or Nick Foles will be listed as the starter before the team's Week 1 matchup against the Lions, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com reports.

It seems like a bit of gamesmanship on behalf of the Bears, as Nagy did suggest the team will know who the starter is during that first week of practice ahead of Week 1. All indications from beat writers seem to lean toward Foles as the frontrunner, but only because of Trubisky's struggles throughout training camp. With two weeks left of the "preseason," it's possible the 2017 No. 3 overall pick could play his way into the starting lineup with a handful of solid practices.

Watson displayed mid-season form during Thursday night's scrimmage, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Aside from a couple of missed throws, Watson was sharp, hitting Kenny Stills for an 18-yard touchdown pass on what may have been his best throw of the scrimmage. He also connected on a deep ball with Will Fuller and later led a long touchdown drive that ended with his own rushing touchdown. That's the entire package Watson brings to a fantasy roster: pinpoint throws, a threat to throw deep and running ability.

Mayfield said he's feeling more comfortable in the new offense, May Kay Cabot and Joshua Gunter of the Cleveland Plain Dealer report.

The offensive unit struggled early in camp as the team adjusted to new head coach Kevin Stefanski's scheme. Now, after 11 days of practices, Mayfield is finding a comfort level. "The more plays we run in this camp to see what the identity is, we're starting to see what's working for us," the quarterback said following Thursday's practice. "I'm starting to feel way more comfortable. It's been great to go through installs for the first time and put everything under our belt for the first time. We're really starting to make progress, which needs to happen. We know the sense of urgency is at an all-time high." Mayfield also called out his building rapport with new tight ends Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant, which he said have a chance to be special.

Though he's been managing a hip issue, Stidham has been able to practice this week, Mike Dussault of the Patriots' official site reports.

The report notes that the QB saw his most extensive work of late during Thursday's practice session. Though the Patriots have yet to name a starting QB, the general consensus among the team's local beat writers is that Cam Newton has pulled away in the competition.

Gabbert served as the first-team quarterback in Wednesday's practice with Tom Brady getting a veteran's day off, putting together a productive session while connecting with a wide array of pass-catchers, Carmen Vitali of the team's official site reports.

Among the veterans, Gabbert and fellow signal-caller Ryan Griffin are arguably in contention for most anonymous/forgotten skill players on the Buccaneers roster, considering who they're battling to back up. However, Gabbert had a prime opportunity to make his case for the job Wednesday in Brady's absence, and the 30-year-old took advantage by connecting with the likes of Scotty Miller, O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate, Justin Watson and LeSean McCoy during the session. Gabbert was slated to serve as Jameis Winston's primary backup last season before suffering a preseason shoulder injury that knocked him out for the season, and the battle between he and Griffin to serve as Brady's No. 2 could come down to the wire this summer.

The Raiders are considering Mariota day-to-day with an unspecified injury, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

The report suggests his current issue isn't related to the ankle and shoulder injuries he dealt with during the offseason. Whatever the case, Mariota doesn't seem to be putting much pressure on Derek Carr, who will enter Week 1 with the starting job. Mariota could eventually make starts if Carr struggles and/or if the Raiders aren't competing for a playoff spot.

Watson has shown an ability to adapt well to the personnel changes to the Houston offense thus far during training camp, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

With DeAndre Hopkins no longer around and Carlos Hyde being replaced as the top running back, Watson is the key to Houston qualifying for the postseason and making a deep run. Houston head coach Bill O'Brien said the quarterback has "a really good grasp of our offense" and is "playing at a really high level." Watson, who is in his fourth year with Houston, feels that his prior starting experience has helped with incorporating the new additions to the offense, which now includes veteran weapons like Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb and David Johnson.

Cousins has displayed increased accuracy as training camp has progressed, Arif Hasan of The Athletic reports.

Cousins has a number of incumbent receivers to throw to, most notably Adam Thielen, but the offseason trade of Stefon Diggs to the Bills has opened up a significant number of reps. Rookie first-round pick Justin Jefferson likely is the long-term answer as the No. 2 WR, but 2019 seventh-rounder Bisi Johnson has been working ahead of him so far in camp. During two campaigns with Diggs on board, Cousins completed a healthy 68.7 percent of his passes and averaged 7.5 yards per attempt, marks that could be less stable as he incorporates Jefferson into what remains a run-heavy scheme.