NFL Player News

Rypien signed with the Broncos' practice squad on Sunday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Rypien was in contention for the No. 2 job behind Joe Flacco with Drew Lock (thumb) sidelined, but the Broncos ended up claiming Brandon Allen off waivers to fill the role. Rypien completed 27 of 44 passes for 207 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in three preseason games.

Former Rams quarterback Brandon Allen will serve as Denver's No. 2 quarterback with Lock (thumb) being placed on injured reserve, Troy Renck of ABC 7 Denver reports.

It is worth noting that Allen, a third-year veteran, and Lock have exactly the same number of regular-season passes on their resumes -- zero. General manager John Elway and head coach Vic Fangio have both seemed open to keeping Lock on injured reserve the entire season, but that was before it was known who would come in as the No. 2. Though there is plenty of football to be played -- and injuries to be incurred -- before the Broncos decide who they will reactivate, bringing Lock back midway through the season to replace Allen makes more sense than activating the rookie to replace a more established backup such as Brian Hoyer.

Hoyer is signing a three-year, $12 million contract with the Colts, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM Radio reports.

Released by New England on Saturday, the 33-year-old quarterback rebounded quickly with a contract that includes $9 million guaranteed. The Patriots will ride with rookie fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham as the backup to Tom Brady, while the Colts now have Hoyer for veteran depth behind Jacoby Brissett. The new locale gives Hoyer a small shot at playing time without an injury in front of him, as it isn't entirely clear Brissett will be a capable starter.

The Titans signed Woodside to their practice squad Sunday, Paul Kuharsky of 104.5 The Zone Nashville reports.

Woodside spent training camp as the team's third quarterback and put together a fairly impressive resume across the team's four preseason contests. Despite connecting on just four of 13 pass attempts in the team's second exhibition, he completed 60.5 percent of his passes and averaged 7.1 yards per attempt overall. The Titans elected to keep only Marcus Mariota and Ryan Tannehill on their active roster, so if either one suffers an injury, Woodside could find himself locked into the backup role.

Smith (knee) is re-signing with the Seahawks, Josina Anderson of ESPN reports.

Smith was cut Saturday to temporarily free up a roster spot. He's once again positioned as Russell Wilson's backup, with no other quarterbacks on the roster as of Sunday afternoon.

Allen was claimed off waivers by the Broncos on Sunday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

With rookie Drew Lock heading to injured reserve with a thumb injury, the Broncos elected to bring in Allen as their backup for the time being. Allen had some solid performances during the preseason, and could be serviceable should starter Joe Flacco go down due to an unforeseen reason.

Rudolph won the backup quarterback job for the Steelers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Rudolph didn't see the field at all in 2018 behind Ben Roethlisberger and Joshua Dobbs despite being a third-round pick. This year he beat out Dobbs for the No. 2 quarterback gig. It's unclear if the Steelers will roster three quarterbacks again in 2019 or if they'll opt to cut or trade Dobbs.

Browning was waived by Minnesota on Saturday, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Browning made headlines when he was given the largest signing bonus ever for an undrafted free agent back in April. He was battling for the backup quarterback spot in Minnesota and ultimately lost out to Sean Mannion. There's a chance Browning gets picked up off waivers by another team but, if not, he'll be a strong practice squad candidate for several clubs.

The Seahawks released Smith (knee) on Saturday, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

The news comes as a bit of a surprise, as Seattle released third-string quarterback Paxton Lynch on Friday, supposedly leaving Smith as the backup behind Russell Wilson. The Seahawks also released J.T. Barrett on Saturday, currently leaving Wilson as the only quarterback on the roster. Smith hasn't seen a large role under center since his first two seasons in the league. The 28-year-old started in 29 games and threw for 5,571 yards, 25 touchdowns and 34 interceptions for the Jets in 2013 and 2014. Smith has appeared in 10 games and passed for 611 yards, four touchdowns and two picks over the last four seasons.

Johnson survived roster cuts and will be the Lions' backup quarterback in 2019, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.

Johnson was battling with Tom Savage for the No. 2 quarterback slot behind Matt Stafford. Johnson was out of the NFL for four years before joining the Redskins last year and seeing a couple spot starts. He provides the Lions with a veteran option should Stafford miss any time with injury.