NFL Player News

Allen completed four of six attempts for 41 yards and rushed once for 13 yards in Thursday night's 25-19 preseason win over the Steelers.

Allen, who entered Carolina's third preseason game behind starter Cam Newton, drew the start in the team's final exhibition outing. Despite playing merely one series, Allen helped set up a field-goal opportunity, even though the ensuing kick was blocked. With rookie Will Grier committing two costly turnovers after Allen exited, it probably wouldn't be surprising if Allen is named the Panthers' second-string quarterback ahead of Week 1. Despite his recent foot issue, Newton is still fully anticipated to play.

Grier completed 11 of 18 passes for 189 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Thursday night's 25-19 preseason win over the Steelers. He also rushed once for five yards but lost a fumble.

Grier entered the game after watching Kyle Allen put the Panthers in field-goal range on their first offensive drive. Although a 54-yard completion on Grier's first attempt helped him get the team to the five-yard line on their second series, he was subsequently stripped while attempting a potential touchdown pass, suddenly resulting in an 88-yard return for a score the other way. Grier would rebound from that disappointment by leading a field-goal drive immediately after, and he also found Aldrick Robinson for a 34-yard TD toward the end of the second quarter, but an interception from his own 14-yard line set up a Pittsburgh touchdown just before halftime. Overall, it was an uneven outing for the rookie, leaving it questionable whether he or Allen will serve as Cam Newton's backup in Week 1.

McSorley completed 15 of 27 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown during Thursday's 20-7 preseason win over Washington. He added eight yards on two carries.

McSorley continued his steady improvement throughout the preseason, completing his second consecutive game without a turnover all while making some big throws, including a 24-yard shot to Jaleel Scott to give Baltimore a second-quarter lead. His frenetic style makes him a nice option to develop as Lamar Jackson's backup, but, given Jackson's own inexperience, it would be foolish to look anywhere else outside of Robert Griffin for the top backup job. McSorley figures to be destined for the practice squad or, at best, QB3.

Minshew completed 11 of 26 pass attempts for 79 yards during Thursday's 31-12 preseason loss to Atlanta.

Minshew and the Jacksonville offense were only able to manufacture six points on 10 drives, before Alex McGough led the Jaguars to six points over the final 17 minutes of regulation. The receiving corps did not do the rookie any favors -- Tyre Brady alone having four drops -- but Minshew's lackluster performance in the finale brings his preseason completion rate to 56.3 percent, with 4.9 yards per attempt and zero touchdown passes on 96 throws.

Johnson completed nine of 15 passes for 157 yards and one touchdown during Thursday's preseason game against the Browns. He added four carries for 17 yards and one rushing touchdown.

With David Fales out of the picture, Johnson split playing time with Tom Savage, who completed five of nine passes for 33 yards. While Johnson was considerably more productive Thursday, a healthy Savage was considered a shoo-in for the No. 2 role earlier this preseason and it's not certain the Lions will carry three quarterbacks on the active roster.

Rudolph completed 7 of 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in Thursday night's 25-19 preseason loss to the Panthers.

Rudolph entered the game after Joshua Dobbs was in charge of two drives ending in punts to start the contest. On his first series, Rudolph put Pittsburgh in scoring position, but a missed field goal spoiled his efforts. His next drive, however, resulted in a made kick, and then Rudolph closed the first half with a 31-yard touchdown toss to Johnny Holton. In doing so, Rudolph capped the preseason with another superb performance, almost certainly cementing himself as Ben Roethlisberger's backup ahead of the regular season.

Walker completed eight of 16 passes for 90 yards and added 10 yards on three rushing attempts in Thursday's preseason finale against the Bengals.

Walker was outplayed by Chad Kelly, who also got the start in this one. While it appears Walker will be relegated to a third-string role when Kelly returns from his two-game suspension, Walker should open the season as Jacoby Brissett's backup while Kelly sits out the first two weeks. However, the Colts may try to acquire a veteran backup before Week 1 with Walker's mediocre preseason performance.

Dobbs completed three of five passes for 21 yards and rushed once for 11 yards in Thursday night's 25-19 preseason loss to the Panthers.

Dobbs started the game for the Steelers, but couldn't get much going on his mere two drives in charge. From the sideline, he then saw fellow quarterback Mason Rudolph impress once again, likely sealing Rudolph's fate as Ben Roethlisberger's backup ahead of the regular season. Unless Pittsburgh opts to retain three signal-callers, Dobbs appears to be the odd man out at the position.

Bridgewater (illness) completed 15 of 26 passes for 126 yards with zero touchdowns or interceptions in Saturday's preseason game against the Jets.

Bridgewater played through the illness in the previous preseason contest but looked significantly more comfortable Saturday. The 26-year-old remains primed to begin the season as the Saints' top backup behind Drew Brees.

Carr has the green light to go deep more often this season, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports. "The better your receivers are, the more aggressive you are," coach Jon Gruden said. "And the better your line is, the more vertical shots you can call. We think we are better on the line. We think we are better outside. With that being said, we are going to take more shots, I hope."

There's no question about offseason acquisitions Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams providing more of a deep threat, but Gruden's analysis of the offensive line is optimistic, especially with both starting guards out at the beginning of the season. Carr specifically mentioned throwing deep to Williams, whose average depth of target (12.4) in 2018 ranked 16th among 62 wide receivers with 40 or more catches. Carr placed 31st among 33 qualified passers in aDOT (7.3) last year, with Jordy Nelson (9.2 aDOT), Seth Roberts (8.7), Jared Cook (8.0) and Jalen Richard (1.5) dominating the targets in Oakland. It sounds like the Raiders will make a concerted effort to be more aggressive, though a Week 1 matchup with the Denver secondary might encourage a return to the familiar dinking and dunking. Carr threw just two passes in the preseason, completing both for 40 yards and a touchdown.