NFL Player News

Cousins is expected to be named starting quarterback for the Raiders, Matt Zenitz of CBSSports.com reports.

Raiders coach Klint Kubiak had refused to announce a decision on Las Vegas' Week 1 quarterback throughout the preseason, but Cousins has been listed as the No. 1 QB on the team's depth chart during training camp and the exhibition slate. The veteran signal-caller was also more effective than rookie No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza during preseason play, completing 13 of 17 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions to Mendoza's 25-for-45 line with one TD and two pickoffs. Cousins will thus have the first opportunity to helm the Raiders offense, which features an elite tight end in Brock Bowers but one of the NFL's shallowest wide-receiver corps. Should Cousins and/or the team struggle, Mendoza could eventually be given a chance to start later in the campaign, though it's possible he'll be asked to observe and learn from the bench for his entire rookie season.

Rush completed 13 of his 18 pass attempts for 106 yards and a touchdown in Friday's preseason finale against the Dolphins.

One of Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix (knee) is set to start Week 1 against the Steelers, but Rush has put consistent tape together as the No. 3 quarterback. Penix is supposedly set to start the regular season, but the quarterback has yet to progress his game availability as the preseason comes to a close. Tagovailoa was accurate in his short stint but fumbled the football early on in the contest, meaning that if Penix is not ready for Week 1 and Tagovailoa fails, Rush could see a fair amount of pass attempts in the early weeks of the regular season.

The Dolphins traded Ewers to the Jaguars on Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The trade will send Ewers to Jacksonville in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2028 NFL Draft, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Ewers appeared to be ahead of both Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski for the Dolphins' backup quarterback job behind starter Malik Willis. Instead, Ewers will head to Jacksonville, and it's unclear whether he'll be the team's QB2 behind Trevor Lawrence or whether the 2025 seventh-rounder will drop behind Nick Mullens on the depth chart.

The Texans cut Rypien on Saturday, Matt Zenitz of CBSSports reports.

Rypien had just signed with the team two weeks ago following Graham Mertz's season-ending knee injury but wasn't able to earn a spot on the roster. With C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills as the only healthy quarterbacks on the roster, Rypien could be a candidate to join Houston's practice squad and serve as the team's emergency third-string quarterback.

The Ravens waived Reed on Saturday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.

Reed is headed to waivers just three weeks after initially signing with Baltimore. Reed most recently played professionally for the UFL's Dallas Renegades and will now look to find a new opportunity elsewhere.

Mahomes (knee) is on track to start Week 1 against the Broncos, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Mahomes said a week ago he was "extremely confident" he would be ready for Kansas City's season opener, and the latest report keeps him on track to do so. It's unclear how close he is to 100 percent, but it's growing more and more likely that the torn left ACL he sustained last December will not cost him any action during the 2026 campaign.

The Buccaneers waived Bazelak on Saturday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Bazelak was the No. 3 quarterback for the Bucs last year. The second-year player's role seems to have been usurped by undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels, who is set to be the emergency option behind Baker Mayfield and Jake Browning for the 2026 season. Bazelak will now remain on waivers through Sunday's cutdown day. If the 25-year-old goes unclaimed, he will become a free agent Monday able to sign with any franchise's 53-man roster or practice squad.

Huntley completed all four of his passes for 61 yards and a touchdown while adding 14 rushing yards on two carries in Friday's 41-3 preseason win over the Commanders.

The veteran backup QB was under center for only one possession, but Huntley set the tone for the night by leading an eight-play, 69-yard drive that culminated in a 25-yard TD strike to Chris Moore. Lamar Jackson is the undisputed starter under center for Baltimore, but he missed four games last season due to injury and dealt with significant absences in 2021 and 2022 as well. If Jackson gets banged up again, Huntley offers a reliable fallback option after completing 77.6 percent of his pass attempts (52-for-67) and committing zero turnovers in five appearances last year.

Wentz completed three of four passes for 15 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and ran once for no gain in Friday's 34-6 preseason loss to the Broncos. He also fumbled once but recovered.

The battle for the Vikings' No. 2 quarterback job has been a fluid situation this summer, and J.J. McCarthy's absence Friday due to an ankle injury only served to add further intrigue. Wentz had already forced head coach Kevin O'Connell to modify his stance on the role being McCarthy's by going 18-for-25 for 173 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions over his first two preseason games, and McCarthy hurt his own cause in the second exhibition by missing two open receivers for potential touchdowns. Wentz drew the start in McCarthy's absence against Denver on Friday, and in a perhaps telling sign, was protected from injury by playing on only the first two drives.

Wilson completed nine of 12 passes for 93 yards while rushing once for minus-1 yard in Friday's 27-24 preseason win over the Cowboys.

Wilson played the second half of Friday's preseason finale after Spencer Rattler played the first half. Rattler started two of the Saints' three preseason games and looks like the favorite to win the backup job behind Tyler Shough. Wilson had 14 more passing yards than Rattler on Friday and neither one threw a touchdown pass, but Rattler scored an eight-yard rushing TD.