NFL Player News

Beathard was not used in Saturday's dress rehearsal preseason game against the Chiefs.

Beathard was not listed on the injury report, so Saturday's absence heavily signifies that Nick Mullens will be Jimmy Garoppolo's primary backup to begin the regular season. That said, head coach Kyle Shanahan stated that the 49ers will unconventionally keep all three of its signal callers this season, Cam Inman of The Mercury News reports. The possibility remains that one of the NFL-capable backups is traded before the season (potentially to Indianapolis following Andrew Luck's sudden retirement).

Mullens completed eight of 11 pass attempts for 84 yards in Saturday's 27-17 preseason win over the Chiefs.

Mullens was the first and only quarterback to relieve starter Jimmy Garoppolo in Saturday's dress rehearsal. This all but confirms that the 24-year-old will be the primary backup to begin the season. Coach Kyle Shanahan said he plans to keep both Mullens and C.J. Beathard on the 53-man roster, according to Cam Inman of The Mercury News. While that may simply be a ploy to keep both signal callers' trade value in tact, Mullens at least seems like a strong bet to stick around.

Keenum will begin the season as Washington's starting quarteraback, according to head coach Jay Gruden, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Rookie Dwayne Haskins will almost certainly push Keenum for the starting role at some point this season, but Keenum is set to start Week 1 against Philadelphia.

Rush completed 15 of 25 passes for 173 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in Saturday's preseason win over the Texans.

The third-year QB has played error-free, if not exactly electric, football this preseason, completing 61.2 percent of his passes (41-for-67) for 408 yards (6.1 YPA) with a 1:0 TD:INT through three games. Unless the Cowboys front office looks outside the organization when rosters get cut down for a veteran alternative, Rush appears locked into the No. 2 spot behind Dak Prescott on the depth chart.

Stick completed 12 of 16 pass attempts for 82 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions while also rushing three times for 14 yards and another score in the Chargers' 23-15 preseason loss to the Seahawks on Saturday.

The rookie fifth-round pick may have sewn up a roster spot with his performance, which saw him lead 11- and eight-play touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Stick connected on an eight-yard scoring toss to Andrew Patton to cap off the first successful series, and he logged a four-yard touchdown rush to finish off the latter march. Stick clearly outperformed competitor Cardale Jones (4-for-5, 50 yards) on Saturday, although both signal-callers figure to see plenty of action in next Thursday's preseason finale against the 49ers.

Taylor completed six of nine attempts for 61 yards and rushed six times for 34 yards in the Chargers' 23-15 preseason loss to the Seahawks on Saturday.

Taylor played the first three series and was able to lead a 12-play, 58-yard mark that culminated in a Mike Badgley 40-yard field goal. The mobile veteran actually led the Chargers in rushing yardage on the night and appears firmly entrenched as Philip Rivers' primary backup to start the season.

Darnold completed eight of 13 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 28-13 preseason loss to the Saints.

Darnold played deep into the second quarter. He finished his night on a high note, floating a perfect touch pass to Ty Montgomery for a two-yard touchdown after connecting with Robby Anderson on a 41-yard deep ball earlier in the drive. The second-year quarterback took a few drives to get going in this one but has looked sharp throughout the exhibition slate. Now it's up to Darnold to carry that level into the regular season.

Smith completed 11 of 18 passes for 117 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and added 24 yards and a touchdown on six rushes in the Seahawks' 23-15 preseason win over the Chargers on Saturday.

Smith entered Saturday's contest on the final series of the first half and played the duration of the contest with Paxton Lynch (head) unavailable. The veteran performed well after missing last week's game following a cyst removal from his knee, and he made a direct contribution on the scoreboard with an eight-yard scoring scamper to cap off a 13-play, 69-yard drive in the third quarter. Smith seems set to go for the regular season, and he appears ready to enter as Russell Wilson's immediate backup.

Allen completed 12 of 19 passes for 162 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the Rams' 10-6 preseason win over the Broncos on Saturday. He also rushed once for seven yards.

Allen drew the start and saw the bulk of playing time, and although he was efficient overall, he only was able to put together one scoring drive. John Wolford followed Allen, and while he only completed 50.0 percent of his 12 attempts, he did manage to notch the only touchdown of the game with a four-yard scoring throw to Jalen Greene. Allen has the advantage of having been on the practice squad all of last season, and he may therefore have the upper hand if the Rams opt to keep three quarterbacks.

Walker was 6-of-13 passing for 65 yards with an interception and also lost a fumble in Saturday's preseason loss to Chicago.

Walker struggled Saturday and hasn't been impressive this preseason. It was notable that Chad Kelly got the start Saturday with Jacoby Brissett sitting out as Walker may have fallen to third string. With Kelly suspended the first two games, Walker will likely be Indy's backup quarterback with the surprise retirement of Andrew Luck. However, the Colts could be in the market to boost their quarterback depth with the news of Luck's retirement, so Walker's spot on the roster could be in jeopardy.