NFL Player News

Owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday on his weekly radio show that Prescott remains the Cowboys' starting quarterback both this season and for the foreseeable future, Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News. "Listen, Dak is the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys," Jones said. "He's young and he's going to get extended."

After a highly impressive rookie campaign in which he displaced the since-retired Tony Romo as the No. 1 signal-caller, Prescott has regressed over the subsequent season and a half. Through eight games in 2018, Prescott has already turned the ball more often (five interceptions, four lost fumbles) than he did while starting throughout his rookie season (four interceptions, four lost fumbles). Two of those turnovers came in Monday's game against the Titans, with the Cowboys taking a 28-14 loss in that contest to drop their record to 3-5 for the season. Though the Cowboys now appear on track to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive year under Prescott's stewardship, the 25-year-old is still a major bargain as a passable NFL starting quarterback on a rookie deal. He'll be less valuable once his contract expires after the 2019 season, but based on Jones' comments, it sounds like the Cowboys intend to work out a new deal to keep him in the fold long term. Unless Prescott's productivity takes a dramatic turn for the worse in the second half of the season, look for the quarterback and the front office to engage on preliminary extension talks during the offseason.

Prescott completed 21 of 31 passes for 243 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in Monday night's 28-14 loss to the Titans. He also rushed twice for 11 yards and lost a fumble.

Prescott got Dallas into scoring position on each of its first three drives, but experienced mixed results following a missed field goal to start. After hooking up with new weapon Amari Cooper on a four-yard touchdown on the Cowboys' second series, Prescott forced a throw in the end zone to Cooper on the team's third possession, resulting in an interception. While Prescott would find Allen Hurns for a 23-yard score before halftime, one of the five sacks he took resulted in a lost fumble early in the third quarter. Unable to get much going afterward, it was overall another frustrating performance for Dallas' offense, even though Prescott passed for multiple scores for the third time this season. To make matters worse, the team now faces a Week 10 trip to the defending-champion Eagles.

Mariota completed 21 of 29 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns in Monday night's 28-14 win over the Cowboys. He also rushed 10 times for 32 yards and another score but lost two fumbles.

Mariota got off to a rough start, fumbling on Tennessee's first two possessions, but he rallied with back-to-back touchdown drives afterward. While Derrick Henry ran in the team's first score of the night, Mariota found fellow tailback Dion Lewis on an 18-yard screen pass to put the Titans ahead in the second quarter. Although Dallas would quickly answer with a touchdown of its own, Mariota's seven-yard shuffle pass to Jonnu Smith gave his team a third-quarter lead it wouldn't relinquish, and the quarterback's nine-yard touchdown run two drives later sealed a needed victory. All in all, Mariota bounced back well from a rocky beginning, accounting for three total touchdowns after entering Monday with merely four through his first six outings.

Bradford cleared waivers Monday, making him a free agent, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Arizona marked the fourth stop of Bradford's career, but his 2018 campaign lasted all of three appearances before coach Steve Wilks pulled him in favor of rookie quarterback Josh Rosen. During his time on the field, Bradford posted a career-worst 62.5 QB rating, which was fueled by a miserable 5.0 yards per attempt and two touchdowns versus four interceptions on 80 passes. Despite not making an appearance on Cardinals injury reports this season, Bradford reportedly didn't practice the five weeks before his release due to longstanding issues with his left knee, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN. As a result, any organization interested in Bradford will expose the veteran signal-caller to a physical to scrutinize his health.

Allen (elbow) threw again Monday, and afterwards coach Sean McDermott said, "We're going to take it day to day at this point in terms of his availability for this week," Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

McDermott won't make any promises about Allen's status for Sunday's game against the Jets, but he's leaving open the possibility while also noting that the team gets a bye in Week 11 should it choose to be extra cautious. Either way, it looks like the Bills will get their potential franchise quarterback back in one of the next two games. While he's struggled at times in his first campaign, Allen has already proven to be a vastly better option than Derek Anderson (concussion) or Nathan Peterman.

Hackenberg was released from the Bengal's practice squad Monday.

Hackenberg joined Cincinnati's practice squad during the beginning of the 2018 regular season, but was ultimately unable to stick with the unit. The 2016 second-round pick will look to earn a depth role elsewhere in the league.

Coach Sean McDermott said Peterman will only get another start if both Josh Allen (shoulder) and Derek Anderson (concussion) are unavailable, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

Peterman tossed three interceptions during Sunday's 41-9 loss to the Bears, bringing his total to 12 picks on 130 career pass attempts. If nothing else, the Bills should have a decent chance to get Anderson through the concussion protocol in time for a Week 10 game against the Jets. There's really no reason to give Peterman another start, even if it means turning to recent addition Matt Barkley.

Coach John Harbaugh suggested he isn't yet thinking about starting Jackson over Joe Flacco, though Harbaugh did say he still views the rookie as a quarterback in the long run, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Jackson got some snaps at quarterback in the second half of blowouts Weeks 1 and 8, but he's otherwise been used as a gadget player with Flacco on the field at the same time. A three-game losing streak has led to some rumbling as the Ravens enter a bye week, perhaps speeding up the timeline for Jackson to get a real look under center. That being said, the Ravens don't seem ready for such a drastic change, as Flacco is still on track for his best season since 2014. It would be hard to make an argument against starting Jackson if the team eventually falls out of the playoff race -- something that could essentially happen as soon as Week 11 with a loss to the Bengals.

Coach Adam Gase admitted he isn't sure if Tannehill (shoulder) will be ready to return after a Week 11 bye, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports.

Gase is essentially acknowledging Brock Osweiler will get the nod Wednesday when the team names its starter for Week 10 in Green Bay. The hope was to get Tannehill back after a bye the following week, but it doesn't seem like something that should be counted on. Gase said the 30-year-old quarterback has been inconsistent in his throwing sessions, with discomfort still present in his shoulder. Tannehill was initially reported to be dealing with an AC joint sprain, but it turns out he has a less commonly seen injury to the capsule that surrounds the joint and rotator cuff in his shoulder.

Jackson completed his lone pass attempt for 12 yards and added five carries for 10 yards Sunday against the Steelers.

For the second straight week, Jackson played double-digit snaps. Unlike Week 8 against the Panthers, Jackson's inclusion in the offense came when the game was still undecided rather than late in the fourth quarter with the result already determined. Jackson's most notable play came when he floated out into the flat and looked to be wide open for a touchdown, but quarterback Joe Flacco didn't see him and instead looked for a receiver in the back of the end zone. Baltimore has now lost three straight going into its bye week, so it will be interesting to see whether the Ravens adjust their offense to further incorporate Jackson for the second half of the season.