NFL Player News

Garoppolo completed three of six passes for 36 yards during Thursday's preseason opener against the Cowboys.

Garoppolo completed passes to three different receivers, but only one of those went for more than nine yards as the first-team offense mustered a short drive before punting. His night was over after that initial series, but there isn't much for the organization's brass to see with the star signal caller. Garoppolo should play more next week against the Texans and will look to make a bigger splash as he inches closer to his first full season with the 49ers.

Allen completed nine of 19 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's preseason opener, rushing for 29 yards on three carries.

The results were mixed in that Allen just missed on a number of passes while also proving to anyone who hadn't seen him yet that he's got a rocket for an arm. He also did a nice job running the two-minute drill at the end of the game. The Bills appear set on starting the season with the winner of the AJ McCarron/Nathan Peterman battle, there's little doubt the long-term future of the franchise rests on Allen's rifle.

Mahomes completed five of seven passes for 33 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the Chiefs' 17-10 preseason loss to the Texans on Thursday.

The promising second-year quarterback saw limited action as expected in the preseason opener, taking a seat after two drives. However, Mahomes got plenty of important work done on those possessions, hooking up with Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Kareem Hunt, three players whose play figures to be key to Mahomes' success in his first year under center. Having gotten a modest taste of live action Thursday, Mahomes figures to see notably more work when the Chiefs take on the Falcons a week from Friday in their second preseason game.

Watson played one series in the Texans' 17-10 preseason win over the Chiefs on Thursday, completing his only pass for four yards.

The dynamic second-year quarterback was able to get back into game action just over nine months after tearing his ACL last Nov. 2. Watson's presence was expected Thursday after he'd practiced without limitations since the onset of camp, but it was nevertheless encouraging to see him face live defenders. Head coach Bill O'Brien was unsurprisingly cautious with his star signal caller, giving him a quick hook after the opening possession. Watson is likely primed for a healthy boost in snaps when the Texans take on the 49ers in their second exhibition tilt a week from Saturday.

Tannehill completed four of six passes for 32 yards in Thursday's 26-24 loss against the Buccaneers.

In the veteran quarterback's return to the field after 20 months, Tannehill completed passes on the first four plays of the night. The 30-year-old was off target on the final two throws of his only drive, but the Dolphins' first-team offense appeared in sync with Tannehill on the field. Miami's pass protection looked much improved, with Tannehill concluding the game untouched. Tannehill seems fully recovered from the ACL and MCL sprains sustained in his left knee in Week 14 of the 2016 season, but improved pass protection should nonetheless remain a focus of the Dolphins offense this preseason.

Mariota opened the preseason by completing two of three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown while adding a seven-yard scramble in his lone drive of work during Thursday's 31-17 loss to Green Bay.

Mariota looked sharp despite the underwhelming cast of receivers around him, completing a 38-yard pass to Nick Williams before hitting Darius Jennings for a four-yard score. Expected to have more freedom under new head coach Mike Vrabel, the fourth-year quarterback out of Oregon looks primed for a bounce-back campaign after posting a disappointing 13:15 touchdown to interception ratio last season. His ability to lead the offense down the field without top two receivers Rishard Matthews (undisclosed) or Corey Davis (undisclosed) is certainly encouraging.

Jackson completed seven of 18 passes for 119 yards, adding five carries for 21 yards and a touchdown, in Thursday's 33-7 preseason win over the Rams.

This was an improvement over Jackson's performance last week in the Hall of Fame Game, though he was inconsistent after starting his night with a 36-yard completion and a beautiful nine-yard touchdown run on his first drive. It was noteworthy to see the rookie playing ahead of Robert Griffin, who entered the game midway through the third quarter and completed five of seven passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. Joe Flacco actually had the best night among the three quarterbacks, completing five of seven passes for 71 yards and a touchdown on his only drive. Jackson figures to stay busy throughout the preseason, with Baltimore hoping to get him ready for the No. 2 job before Week 1. The Ravens remain committed to Flacco as their 2018 starter, but the plan could change if the 33-year-old struggles and/or the team fails to compete for a playoff spot.

Trubisky completed two of four passes for four yards during Thursday's 30-27 loss to Cincinnati.

Fans looking forward to seeing Trubisky in Matt Nagy's new scheme didn't get much more than a peek. The sophomore passer tossed a short pass to new tight end Trey Burton, had a third-down scramble called back for holding, and was out after two unproductive series. Being guided by innovative offensive minds like Nagy and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich should, in theory, be a return to more familiar territory for Trubisky, who worked in a spread-out system in North Carolina. Reports from camp and Thursday's preseason opener indicate that there's still some adjustment needed for the young quarterback.

Mayfield completed 11 of 20 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns while rushing three times for 13 yards in Thursday's 20-10 win over the Giants to open the preseason.

Tyrod Taylor got the start in this one and played the first two drives, then Mayfield took over until early in the fourth quarter. The offense went 3-and-out on Mayfield's first possession, but the 2018 first overall pick capped the next drive with a 10-yard touchdown to David Njoku and later added a 54-yard score to fellow rookie Antonio Callaway on his final throw. While Mayfield's ability to pick up big chunks of yardage was encouraging, the rookie still has a lot of ground to make up on Taylor in the race for the starting quarterback job. He'll need to put together more sustained drives in future preseason games in order to close that gap.

Rudolph completed seven of 12 passes for 101 yards and fumbled twice during Thursday's 31-14 victory over Philadelphia.

From a pure passing perspective, Rudolph was decent in his debut -- leading the Steelers to a trio of field-goal drives after entering the game after halftime. Pittsburgh's brass felt as though they received good value for a potential quarterback of the future by snatching up Rudolph in the third round. Thursday's game, in which both Landry Jones and Joshua Dobbs made big plays, showed that Rudolph will likely need some seasoning and Pittsburgh can afford to bring him along slowly.