NFL Player News

Brissett threw for 172 yards and rushed for nine more in Monday's preseason loss to the Ravens.

Brissett got most of the usage during Monday's outing, and while he failed to throw a touchdown pass and completed just 60 percent of his passes (14-for-23), he did lead the Colts on two scoring drives that culminated in 10 points. The Colts seem to have plenty of confidence in Brissett's ability as a backup quarterback with Andrew Luck set to make his return from a shoulder injury.

Coach Hue Jackson said Mayfield "will play quite a bit" against the Eagles on Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Mayfield has been practicing with his left knee wrapped. However, Jackson indicated there's no concern there, a notion supported by the fact that the Browns want to get the rookie QB as much exposure to NFL action as possible before he assumes backup duty to start the coming season. With Thursday's game in mind, Tyrod Taylor and the team's starters are expected to play about one half, which sets the scene for Mayfield to take center stage for a good portion of action once Taylor is lifted from the contest.

Coach Hue Jackson said Taylor and the other starters will play approximately half of Thursday's preseason game against Philadelphia, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Jackson doesn't plan to leave his starters in after halftime but didn't entirely rule out the possibility. Taylor completed nine of 12 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown over the first two weeks of the preseason, adding two carries for seven yards. He's done nothing to lose his job as the Week 1 starter.

Peterman's teammate Josh Allen will start Sunday's preseason game against the Bengals, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Peterman still has a chance to win the Week 1 job after AJ McCarron went down with a collarbone injury, but it's not a great development the Bills are tabbing the rookie Allen to start what many would consider the most important preseason game. The battle's not over yet, but Peterman better outshine Allen with the limited time left before the team has to make a decision.

Jackson completed seven of 15 attempts for 49 yards and a touchdown while playing six series in Monday night's 20-19 win over the Colts in the third preseason game. He also rushed four times for 26 yards.

Jackson continues to be a work in progress from inside the pocket, particularly on throws outside the numbers. While he again completed less than half of his attempts, Jackson did find Chris Moore for a seven-yard touchdown on a rollout pass. As expected, he also offered some sizzle running the ball when nothing else was open. Overall, Jackson still looks pretty raw as a passer, but maintains a knack for making plays outside of the pocket.

Allen will start Sunday's preseason game against the Bengals, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

This is a huge opportunity for the rookie, who should play with the starters well into the game. The news doesn't mean Allen has won the starting job over Nathan Peterman and an injured AJ McCarron (collarbone), but it does mean he's in the running for the Week 1 start, and he may just be the favorite after two strong preseason showings. Coach Sean McDermott should have a good idea of his starter after Allen takes his turn with the ones in what's normally the most important preseason game.

Rodgers may not play in Friday's preseason game against the Raiders, Jason Wilde of ESPN.com reports.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said his squad won't approach Friday's game the way most teams treat the third week of the preseason, providing a hint that some key starters could be held out or at least restricted to only one or two drives. Rodgers and most of the other offensive starters are running scout team Monday, which is the same thing they did leading up to the first game of the preseason -- a contest the 34-year-old quarterback didn't play in. Rodgers played two drives and attempted five passes in the third week of the preseason last year.

Trubisky completed nine of 14 passes for 90 yards with a touchdown along with an interception in Saturday's preseason game against the Broncos.

Trubisky was able to find TE Trey Burton on four occasions, resulting in 45 yards and a score. It appeared that the coaching staff made that connection a focus in the contest. On his interception, the quarterback appeared frustrated that Tarik Cohen didn't flatten out his route, which allowed the defensive back to step in front of Cohen to pick off the pass. In fantasy drafts, it'll only take a low investment to select Trubisky as a backup with potential for upside.

Allen worked with the starting group during Monday's practice, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports. "(Josh) will be working with the ones and Nate will be working with the twos today," said coach Sean McDermott. "We're staying with the rotation. Nate had the reps with the ones yesterday. Josh will have them today."

AJ McCarron suffered a collarbone injury during Friday's preseason game, and all McDermott would say about the matter is that McCarron would miss Monday's practice and is still under evaluation. Consider Allen firmly in the mix to start Week 1 given that he'll be alternating with the ones and twos as long as McCarron is out. We'll see if the rookie, who has looked progressively better through training camp and two preseason tilts, or Nathan Peterman gets the start in Sunday's third preseason game, a contest in which the starting group usually plays a good deal.

Heinicke is entrenched in a close competition with Garrett Gilbert for the Panthers' second-string quarterback position, the team's official site reports.

Heinicke entered Friday's second preseason game ahead of Gilbert, going on to complete five of nine attempts for 88 yards and an unfortunate interception. Following his turnover, Heinicke led Carolina on an eight-play, 92-yard touchdown drive before handing the keys over the Gilbert to start the fourth quarter. While neither player will be needed as long as star Cam Newton is healthy during the regular season, a No. 2 gig would still be an upgrade to both players' previous positions elsewhere.