NFL Player News

Coach Vic Fangio suggested Lock, Kevin Hogan and Brett Rypien will share second- and third-string reps during spring practices.

Fangio said Joe Flacco will take all the first-team snaps while Lock is busy competing with a pair of borderline NFL talents. The No. 42 overall pick has a decent shot to make starts during his rookie season, but it doesn't appear the Broncos will give him a fair shot to win the Week 1 job.

Coach Bill O'Brien expects Watson to take a big step forward in his third NFL season, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle reports. "I've always said with his work ethic and his intelligence and his hunger to be better, he'll always make a jump," O'Brien said. "I've always said that I don't think there's any ceiling on Deshaun Watson."

Watson was already quite effective in 2018, though his impressive averages of 8.2 yards per pass attempt and 5.6 per carry don't account for a league-high total of 62 sacks, which was partially a product of poor line play and partially a matter of holding on to the ball for too long. It didn't help that the Texans struggled to keep their wide receivers on the field, with Will Fuller (knee), Keke Coutee (hamstring), Demaryius Thomas (Achilles) and Bruce Ellington (undisclosed) each playing seven games or fewer. The offensive line still doesn't look particularly good on paper, but first-round pick Tytus Howard might help the matter, plus Houston is optimistic about having both Fuller and Coutee ready for Week 1. For all the sacks his playing style leads to, Watson also creates frequent long gains when he dodges pass rushers rather than throwing the ball away or settling for a dump-off. The 23-year-old should be able to refine his approach without straying too far from his aggressive instincts, assuming his supporting cast isn't just the DeAndre Hopkins Show and little else for a second straight season.

McCoy (lower leg) is expected to be sidelined until training camp, Les Carpenter of The Washington Post reports.

McCoy originally was going to be back on the field during the middle of OTAs, but he underwent a third surgery on his fractured right fibula in mid-April and now will be sidelined until much closer to the start of the regular season. Once healthy, he's expected to compete for snaps with Case Keenum, who could gain an edge for the starting job during McCoy's recovery. The Redskins also selected Ohio State product Dwayne Haskins in the first round of the draft, representing another competitor as head coach Jay Gruden tries to settle on a man to lead the offense once the season begins.

Falk was claimed off waivers by the Jets on Thursday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Barely a day after being waived by the Dolphins, Falk is reunited with head coach Adam Gase in New York. The Washington State product was inactive for four games in Miami last season before going on injured reserve with a wrist injury. Falk was waived Wednesday without an injury tag, which suggests that he is now healthy.

The Dolphins waived Falk on Wednesday, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.

Drafted in the sixth round out of Washington State last spring, Falk spent the majority of the 2018 season on the Dolphins' practice squad with an undisclosed wrist injury. That he was waived without a reported injury tag suggests he's now healthy, but Falk's future in the league is nonetheless bleak after being deemed unworthy to stick around on a Miami team that likely has the shakiest quarterback room in the NFL.

Rypien officially signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent Monday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports.

Rypien's contract apparently features a six-figure guarantee, which is a significant amount for an undrafted player. Joe Flacco and second-round pick Drew Lock should begin the season as the team's top-two quarterbacks, while Rypien, out of Boise State, is likely to be in direct competition with Kevin Hogan and Garrett Grayson.

The Seahawks are expected to sign Christion as an undrafted free agent, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

A two-year starter in the FCS for South Dakota State, Christion completed 57.9 percent of his passes for 3,020 yards and 32 touchdowns against eight interceptions in 13 games last season. With only Paxton Lynch on the roster behind Russell Wilson, Christion will certainly be a candidate to back up Wilson in 2019.

The Buccaneers are expected to sign Fitzgerald to an undrafted free-agent contract, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

A three-year starter at Mississippi State, Fitzgerald had his most impressive season as a sophomore in 2016 before regressing a bit the past two years. For his career he completed 54.2 percent of his passes, totaling 6,207 yards, 55 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. He'll compete with Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin for a backup quarterback slot with Tampa Bay in 2019.

Rypien, an undrafted free agent, is expected to sign a contract with the Broncos, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports.

Rypien, like many undrafted players, faces an uphill climb to make an NFL roster in 2019. The Broncos drafted Missouri quarterback Drew Lock in the second round of the draft Friday. Rypien, out of Boise State, will likely compete for the backup or third-string quarterback slot and could wind up on Denver's practice squad if he fails to make the 53-man roster.

Browning has agreed to a contract with Minnesota with what is believed to be the largest signing bonus, $140,000, for an undrafted free agent, the Seattle Times reports.

Browning is the Washington Huskies' all-time passing leader, throwing for 12,296 yards and 94 touchdowns. The Vikings signed Sean Mannion to be Kirk Cousins' backup, but he's hardly set in the job and there could be a competition this summer.