NFL Player News

Watson completed 15 of 25 passes for 179 yards and rushed three times for 24 yards and a touchdown in Wednesday's preseason opener against the Panthers.

Watson watched Tom Savage lead Houston's first three series, but then got his first taste of NFL action during the second and third quarters. Playing in front of plenty of local support from his college days at Clemson, Watson showed just why the Texans traded up to draft him in the first round. The athletic signal-caller was able to move the pocket, extend plays and evade rushers, with the latter skill leading to a 15-yard touchdown run to end the third quarter. Prior to that, though, Watson put good zip on his passes, helping the offense move the chains on a few occasions. The rookie's only negatives were a couple of misplaced seam throws, and although his productive night came against fellow backups, Watson certainly made a strong case to earn some first-team snaps in the practices and games to come.

Savage completed nine of 11 passes for 69 yards in Wednesday's preseason opener against the Panthers.

Savage got hit on two of his first three snaps but ultimately rallied to put together a decent showing. Although he wasn't asked to stretch the field over the course of his three possessions, Savage did lead the Texans on a 75-yard touchdown drive to end his evening. While rookie first-rounder Deshaun Watson was pretty impressive once Savage took a seat, the veteran's performance shouldn't hurt his chances of earning Houston's starting quarterback gig.

Dobbs will start Friday's preseason game against the Giants, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

With Ben Roethlisberger (ankle) and Landry Jones (abdomen) tending to injuries, the Steelers are expected to keep the first two quarterbacks on the roster on the sideline. Consequently, Dobbs will receive plenty of run in his initial opportunity as a professional. Once he takes a seat, undrafted free agent Bart Houston will likely be called upon to direct the offense.

Mahomes will play throughout the third quarter during Friday's preseason opener against the 49ers, Matt McMullen of Chiefs.com reports.

Mahomes will have to wait to play until the second half during his first NFL preseason contest, with Alex Smith and Tyler Bray taking snaps at quarterback throughout the first two quarters Friday. Mahomes, who was drafted 10th overall by the Chiefs, remains subject to the learning curves that come with being a rookie as Smith is the clear-cut starter heading into Week 1 of the regular season.

Lynch will run with the second team for Denver's preseason opener against Chicago before starting in the second game against San Francisco, Troy Renck of Denver 7 ABC reports.

Head coach Vance Joseph continues to try to split reps as evenly as possible, according to Renck, planning to have some first-teamers stay out with the second quarterback in both contests. Most reports have Trevor Siemian in the lead for the Broncos' quarterback battle, but it seems pretty clear that Denver will give Lynch every opportunity to win it. After originally stating that the competition will start in earnest in training camp, general manager John Elway recently said that the preseason will be what actually kicks off the competition, effectively buying Lynch a bit more time to get comfortable in this new offense and produce.

Hackenberg took 21 reps with the first-team offense on Monday, his most so far in training camp, Howie Kussoy and Brian Costello of the New York Post report. Coach Todd Bowles suggested Hackenberg could continue to see increased opportunities with the first team moving forward. "It's possible," said Bowles. "It's the second week of camp. We'll rotate [the starting quarterback candidates] and evaluate them as we see fit."

Bowles has yet to determine who will start the team's preseason opener Saturday against the Titans. Even if Hackenberg doesn't earn the nod, it sounds as though a two-way competition could be brewing between the 22-year-old Hackenberg and veteran Josh McCown, with Bryce Petty seemingly a distant third. McCown likely holds the edge for the starting gig at this point, but Hackenberg may be gaining ground. Unfortunately, the second-year signal caller's inability to break the huddle correctly, per Sports Illustrated's Tim Rohan, forced Hackenberg to leave Monday's practice briefly, and dims what was an otherwise positive day.

Mariota (lower leg) will start the Titans' first preseason game Saturday against the Jets, Jason Wolf of The Tennessean reports.

Mariota has dealt with some stiffness before and after practices, but that hasn't prevented him from running during the sessions. He probably won't play more than a series or two in the team's preseason opener, but the signal caller should ramp up his involvement in subsequent exhibitions. Mobility remains a big part of Mariota's game, so it will be worth monitoring his effectiveness outside the pocket during preseason action.

Barkley will compete with rookie C.J. Beathard for the primary backup quarterback role this preseason, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Initially, it seemed that No. 2 duties were on lock for Barkley, but Beathard's rapid progression has allowed a competition to emerge. The 26-year-old still figures to have an edge on the backup gig due to his prior NFL experience, but with a new coaching regime in town, the playing field may be more even than expected. Considering starter Brian Hoyer's lengthy injury history, whoever comes out of camp as the 49ers' primary backup will have a decent shot as seeing the field at some point this season.

Beathard has been receiving even reps with Matt Barkley during training camp as the two quarterbacks compete for the backup role behind Brian Hoyer to begin the season, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Beathard appeared destined for third-string duty after being selected in third round in April, but his progression through offseason drills and the early stages of camp has afforded the 22-year-old an opportunity to battle for better slotting on the depth chart. While Hoyer is entrenched as the starter regardless of how the backup competition shakes out, his poor track record on the health front could allow Barkley or Beathard to see some meaningful snaps at some point during the regular season.

Coach Bill O'Brien said Savage will start Wednesday's preseason opener against the Panthers, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Savage has started just two games through his first three seasons in the league, but has assumed all of the Texans' first-team snaps thus far in training camp. With that in mind, his starting assignment for Wednesday's exhibition contest was fully expected. Although rookie first-rounder Deshaun Watson figures to close the gap on Savage as he adjusts to Houston's offense and the speed of the NFL, the veteran will take pride in his current standing and look to maintain it with strong performances heading into the regular season.