NFL Player News

Taylor (wrist/finger) won't play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Lions, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Taylor suffered a bruised wrist and a dislocated pinkie in preseason action this past Thursday, but the plan to rest him in the team's preseason finale is due to coach Hue Jackson's decision to rest his starters, as opposed to any significant injury concerns. As a result, Baker Mayfield will draw the start this week before returning to backup duties behind Taylor when the Browns open their regular-season slate against the Steelers on Sept. 9.

Lynch is expected to play the entire second half of the Broncos' fourth preseason game Thursday, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Lynch's demotion throughout the preseason has been widely publicized and the decision to play him behind Chad Kelly on Thursday suggests the Broncos are ready to move on from the former 2016 first-round pick. Playing well against third stringers in the second half of the fourth preseason game yields no upside for Lynch.

Mayfield could play the entire first half of Thursday's preseason game against the Lions, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Coach Hue Jackson confirmed that Mayfield will get the start, with potential to continue playing through the end of the first half. Jackson recently said he's leaning toward Mayfield over Drew Stanton to open the season as the team's No. 2 QB behind starter Tyrod Taylor.

Rodgers (illness) did not practice Monday, Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Rodgers' absence from practice Monday is thus not a major concern, and he'll continue to focus on his preparation for Week 1 action upon his return to the field. Per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rodgers won't play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Chiefs, a game which will feature Brett Hundley, DeShone Kizer and possibly Tim Boyle.

White completed 17 of 22 passes for 157 yards and one interception in Sunday's preseason game against the Cardinals.

He was also sacked four times. The rookie QB put up better numbers in this one than Cooper Rush, his competition for the No. 2 job behind Dak Prescott, and while Rush was mostly facing Arizona's first-team defense while White took on the Cards' backups, it looks like this battle could extend into the final week of the preseason -- especially if the Cowboys decide they can't afford to devote three roster spots to quarterback.

Smith completed seven of his 11 passing attempts for 45 yards and an interception in Saturday's 36-7 preseason loss to the Saints.

Locked in a heated battle with Cardale Jones for the backup position, Smith didn't do much to separate himself, tossing two pick-six interceptions, one of which was called back due to a penalty. The former Jets starter did enter Saturday's preseason game after Jones, but that decision seemed based more on getting the younger QB reps with the second unit as opposed an indication of the Chargers' preferred pecking order. Regardless of who wins the competition, neither player appears to be in a position to garner any sort of fantasy relevancy, considering Philip Rivers' excellent health throughout his career.

Bradford played the first two drives in Sunday's 27-3 preseason win over the Cowboys, completing one of four passes for six yards.

Bradford saw limited action while top skill-position players David Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald sat out entirely. Mike Glennon and rookie Josh Rosen (thumb) don't appear to be serious threats to Bradford's starting job heading into the Sept. 9 season opener against Washington.

Allen completed six of 12 passes for just 34 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in Sunday's preseason loss to the Bengals, posting a 56.3 passer rating.

If Allen's teammates wanted the rookie to win the starting quarterback job over AJ McCarron and Nathan Peterman, they certainly didn't do him a solid in this one between horrible blocking and missed catches. Allen was sacked five times for 39 yards -- in other words, he was dumped on his behind for more yardage than his passing total. With McCarron about ready to return from a shoulder injury, the quarterback battle in Buffalo remains wide open just two weeks prior to the start of the season.

Peterman completed 16 of 21 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown and added seven yards on two rushes in Sunday's 26-13 preseason loss to the Bengals.

Peterman entered after Josh Allen exited with a possible concussion in the final minute of the first half (Allen was later cleared). Peterman led touchdown drives on the first two possessions of the second half, capping the first with a 17-yard scoring pass to tight end Jason Croom. While Peterman looked terrific, it's important to note that he didn't have to face a starting Cincinnati defensive line that engulfed Allen with five sacks in the first half. Between his strong preseason play and the injury statuses of Allen and AJ McCarron (shoulder), Peterman's building a case to start Week 1 in Baltimore.

Dalton completed 11 of 16 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 26-13 preseason win over the Bills.

Dalton received a standing ovation from the Buffalo crowd upon entering the game thanks to his role in helping the Bills snap their 17-year playoff drought last year. Those cheers quickly dissipated after his first throw of the game resulted in a 57-yard touchdown to deep threat John Ross. Dalton added a 14-yard score to A.J. Green two drives later, then set up a field goal on his fifth and final series of the game. The 30-year-old quarterback can now turn his focus toward Cincinnati's Sept. 9 season opener in Indianapolis.