NFL Player News

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Bridgewater (knee) is expected to begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

While Bridgewater threw passes in individual drills and worked on his dropback while using a resistance band during organized team activities and minicamp, he doesn't appear ready to participate in full practices. It would seem likely that Bridgewater would also begin the regular season on the PUP list, and it's uncertain if he'll be able to be on the active roster at all in 2017 after suffering a torn ACL and dislocated left knee during a training-camp practice last August.

Orlovsky signed a contract with the Rams on Thursday.

Orlovsky's signing gives the Rams three quarterbacks entering training camp. The 12-year veteran spent the past three seasons backing up Matthew Stafford in Detroit, and he'll now compete with Sean Mannion for the backup slot behind Los Angeles starter Jared Goff.

Cousins and the Redskins failed to reach an agreement on a long-term contract prior to Monday's 4:00 PM EDT deadline, meaning he'll play a second straight season under the franchise tag, Stephen Czarda of the Redskins' official site reports.

Cousins is scheduled to earn nearly $24 million guaranteed this season, which could end up being his last with the Redskins. The signal caller will become a free agent next offseason, and with 9,083 passing yards and 63 touchdowns (54 passing, nine rushing) on his ledger the past two years, he's sure to draw heavy interest around the league. With the leverage to command even more guaranteed money next offseason, Cousins will be betting on himself once again in 2017. Although he's lost his top two receivers from last season, as well as his offensive coordinator, Cousins' motivation ahead of a massive payday makes him a player worth monitoring in both fantasy and real life.

Cousins is expected to play the upcoming season under the Redskins' franchise tag, Nick Shook of NFL.com reports.

Cousins has until 4:00 p.m. EDT on Monday to ink a long-term contract with Washington, or else he'll play a second straight season under the tag. Without a recent breakthrough in negotiations, the latter scenario is widely expected to unfold, which would result in Cousins earning nearly $24 million guaranteed this season. Cousins would then be able to reevaluate his future with the Redskins after the season, all the while preserving the possibility to secure a long-term pact elsewhere ahead of the 2018 campaign.

Brissett doesn't appear in danger of losing his roster spot in 2017, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.

The Patriots likely had a long-term approach in mind when they spent a third-round pick on Brissett in 2016, considering Tom Brady's on the back nine of his career and Jimmy Garoppolo's a candidate to leave in free agency next offseason. While in the past New England has only carried two quarterbacks on the active roster in order to open up a spot at a position elsewhere, the Patriots would risk losing Brissett to another team if they simply stashed him on their practice squad. As such, the second-year NC State product likely won't be going anywhere else anytime soon.

Demaryius Thomas says that Lynch turned heads as minicamp came to a close, Mike Klis of KUSA-TV 9 News reports.

Thomas' words carry significant weight and echo what the media, coaching staff and Lynch himself have said about the second-year quarterback's progress. The Broncos' quarterback competition has always been about Siemian's experience versus Lynch's superior athletic traits. The more comfortable Lynch gets in Denver's new offense, the better chance he has to win the job. One of the peculiar myths being used in Siemian's favor is that, given his affability and moxie, the Broncos players would have trouble rallying around the less experienced Lynch. If Thomas, an offensive team captain, is so willing to throw support behind Lynch, consider that myth busted.

Cousins remains a long shot to secure a new contract with the Redskins prior to next week's July 17 deadline, ESPN's John Keim reports.

Cousins is currently scheduled to play a second straight year under Washington's franchise tag, which is slated to earn him $23.9 million in guaranteed money this season. Although his representatives and the Redskins have reportedly met at least twice since late March, the parties remain apart on how much guaranteed money Cousins' next contract should include. Without common ground on his annual salary either, there's little optimism Cousins' prolonged contract saga will suddenly be solved by next week. As a result, Cousins could be entering his final season with the Redskins, but the motivation of another big payday looming should once again drive him to prove his worth. In two seasons as a starter, Cousins has totaled a whopping 9,083 passing yards to go with 63 touchdowns (54 passing, nine rushing) versus 23 interceptions.

Savage emerged from offseason activities as the starting quarterback, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

That means status quo for Savage, who was the putative starter following the 2017 draft when Houston selected Deshaun Watson with its first-round selection. The Texans were impressed by how Watson picked up the system, but head coach Bill O'Brien affirmed that Savage is "ahead in how he functions with the offense." So, Savage enters training camp as the starter, but as O'Brien has said several times, he'll need to earn the No. 1 job every day.

Smith (knee - ACL) was a limited participant during the Giants' OTAs, ESPN's Jordan Raanan reports.

Smith -- who tore his right ACL in Week 7 of last season -- declared himself 100 percent healthy in May, but the Giants evidently weren't convinced considering they prevented him from taking part in 11-on-11 drills during OTAs. It likely won't be long until he's back to full strength so we'll revisit Smith's status when training camp commences in late July.

Trubisky, who has yet to sign his rookie contract, said he'll report for training camp when it begins July 26, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The second overall pick of this year's draft, Trubisky is still the subject of negotiations between the Bears and his representatives, but the North Carolina product insists he'll be on the field for the first day of practice regardless of whether he's signed by that point. Furthermore, Trubisky said his agents aren't worried about getting a contract ironed out, as they have a great relationship with Chicago's front office. News that the 22-year-old isn't a holdout threat is obviously encouraging, as Trubisky is anticipated to need some seasoning before he's thrown into the fold. In fact, on that front, the rookie recently voiced his support of Mike Glennon being the Bears' starting quarterback until he's ready.