NFL Player News

With rumored target Tony Romo headed to the broadcast booth, the battle for the Broncos' quarterback job narrows to Siemian (shoulder) and Paxton Lynch, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post reports.

There's no need to save face for general manager John Elway and head coach Vance Joseph, who have talked up both Siemian and Lynch during the offseason and who have, at least publicly, shown tepid-at-best interest in Romo. At the same time, with 10 playoff seasons between them over the past six seasons, there had to have been at least some curiosity about Romo making one last push in Mile High. With that option now gone, the deck certainly seems stacked against Siemian, who loses the advantage he had last year of an extra year in a system and public advocates in former head coach Gary Kubiak and passing-game coordinator Greg Knapp. Denver should have a more wide-open attack in 2017, which would seem to benefit the more physically gifted Lynch. That being said, as they have all offseason, Joseph and Elway have hedged their bets -- both praising Lynch's tools while also stating that he has a bit to go in both the mental and maturity aspects of the position. If Lynch beats out Siemian, last year's first-round selection is vindicated. If not, Elway and Joseph can say that sitting Lynch for a season or two was always part of the plan. Siemian, at some point, will have to yield to Lynch. There's just no guarantee that it will be in 2017.

Winston, who showed above-average accuracy when throwing on the run last season, is expected to have more designed rollout plays called for him in 2017, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "When Jameis was outside the pocket and had multiple receivers to throw it to or run it at times, we did well," said head coach Dirk Koetter. "So I would say we will continue to build that part of the offense."

The third-year quarterback wasn't really lauded for his mobility coming into the NFL, but he's been serviceable when scrambling and throwing on the move over his first two campaigns. Winston scored six rushing touchdowns in his rookie 2015 season, and, after focusing last offseason on improving his accuracy when throwing on the run, was one of the better outside-the-pocket passers in the league in 2016. The Bucs certainly took note as the season went on, increasing their use of a "small movement package" that they'd installed early in the season as Winston found more and more success when firing while on the move. With a receiving corps already significantly boosted by the acquisition of speedster DeSean Jackson in free agency -- and with some additional talent expected to be added in the upcoming draft -- Winston should be more dangerous than ever when he takes off and looks downfield in 2017.

The Saints plan to release McCown on Wednesday, Josh Katzenstein of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

McCown became expendable following the Saints' offseason signing of Chase Daniel, who will serve as the top backup to Drew Brees during the upcoming season. With Brees starting every game in 2016, McCown failed to see the field. The 35-year-old will look to find a home elsewhere as a depth option.

Taylor showed up for voluntary offseason workouts this week and has announced himself fully healthy following offseason groin surgery, BuffaloBills.com reports. "This was my first time actually sprinting and actually doing full movement things," said Taylor, who just restructured his contract so he could stay with the Bills as the starter for at least one more season. "I've felt great since the surgery and the doctors here and the training staff have done a great job of getting me to 100 percent and I feel real good. I feel very explosive."

Taylor, who's known as a hard worker, has already gotten on new coach Sean McDermott's good side. He's certainly not in the top tier of fantasy starters given that the Bills are a run-oriented team and are expected to remain that way, but don't sleep on him. He was actually the No. 13 fantasy QB in standard scoring last season, as those 580 rushing yards and six scores on the ground go a long way. With a full season from a healthy Sammy Watkins -- no sure thing -- and a coach that perhaps will open it up just a wee bit more than a run-stubborn Rex Ryan, there's no reason Taylor can't fit into the top 15 again.

With Tony Romo leaving football for a career in broadcasting, Savage is expected to be Houston's starting quarterback, ESPN.com's Todd Archer and Adam Schefter report.

Savage's spot atop the depth chart is unlikely to come without a challenge, as the Texans still figure to add a veteran quarterback and/or use an early-round pick on the position. The second route seems more likely, as the team hasn't hinted at any interest in signing the likes of Colin Kaepernick, Ryan Fitzpatrick or Jay Cutler. Savage has only attempted 92 career passes through three seasons, but he did appear competent upon replacing Brock Osweiler for a brief stretch late last season.

Keenum is signing with the Vikings, Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston reports, with ESPN's Adam Caplan adding that the deal is for one year and $2 million.

The veteran began last season as the Rams' starting quarterback, but he relinquished those duties to then-rookie Jared Goff after an inauspicious nine-game stretch. Keenum finished with 2,201 yards, nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 10 appearances. While that display has likely ruled him out of being considered as a starter in the future, the 29-year-old embodies a decent backup option to Sam Bradford in Minnesota, where Teddy Bridgewater's (knee) status for the upcoming campaign remains uncertain.

Savage is a candidate to be the Texans' starting quarterback in 2017, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

When Brock Osweiler was struggling mightily down the stretch last season, head coach Bill O'Brien turned to Savage for the first time since he was a rookie in 2014. During the initial appearance in Week 15, Savage entered in the second quarter and led the Texans to a divisional triumph over the Jaguars with 260 yards through the air. He tacked on 176 more yards in his first professional start, but a concussion forced Savage out of the regular-season finale and sidelined him throughout the team's two-game playoff run. Outside of jettisoning Osweiler so far this offseason, the Texans have been laying in wait when it comes to the Cowboys' dealings with Tony Romo. With a stellar defense in place, Houston is a premier QB away from challenging New England for supremacy in the AFC. If the Texans are unable to land Romo and instead scoop up a signal-caller in the draft, Savage could be called upon as the starter due to his experience in O'Brien's system.

The Jets hope Hackenberg will beat out Josh McCown and Bryce Petty (shoulder) in a competition for the starting job, Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News reports.

Hackenberg will still have to earn the job with his performance in training camp and the preseason, but it does make sense that a rebuilding team would be rooting for its 22-year-old quarterback to beat out the 25-year-old Petty and 37-year-old McCown. Also working in Hackenberg's favor is the fact he was selected in the second round of last year's draft, whereas Petty was a fourth-round selection in 2015 and McCown was signed to a modest one-year contract. Given the general direction of the organization, Hackenberg could be the Week 1 starter even if McCown or Petty looks a little bit better during camp. McCown is still the best bet to earn the Week 1 starting job, though he's unlikely to hold it throughout the year.

According to head coach Mike Zimmer, Bridgewater (knee) has upgraded to running in a pool and taking part in non-weight bearing exercises, Alex Marvez of the Sporting News reports. "The big thing for Teddy is that he's got to keep progressing with where he's going," Zimmer told Marvez and Tom Pelissero on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "He's doing a great job in the rehab. These [trainers] will get him back and ready to go. I honestly don't know when. No one really knows. He had a great doctor do [the surgery] and he's done phenomenal work. We're anticipating getting him back at some point."

"At some point" may occur during the 2017 season, but there's the distinct possibility that Bridgewater misses back-to-back campaigns due to the devastation wrought upon his left knee during practice on Aug. 30. With uncertainty reigning, the Vikings can only take a wait-and-see approach as rehab dominates his day-to-day regimen. The team can take solace in the fact that Sam Bradford filled in admirably for the 2014 first-round pick last season, setting an NFL record for completion percentage (71.6), accruing a career-best 3,877 yards and compiling a 20:5 TD:INT ratio across 15 games. Expect the risk-averse Bradford to helm the offense for most, if not all, of the upcoming campaign, no matter the progress made by Bridgewater.

Head coach Adam Gase said Tannehill (knee) does not have any restrictions, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

Tannehill missed the end of the 2016 season with a sprained MCL and partially torn ACL, but Gase said Tuesday that Tannehill likely would've played in the playoffs if the Dolphins had advanced beyond the opening round, the Herald's Armando Salguero reports. The 28-year-old quarterback is expected to participate in the team's offseason program, albeit with a knee brace he'll likely continue to wear throughout the regular season. Gase doesn't expect the brace to impact his signal-caller's mobility, which has been one of Tannehill's consistent assets during a not-so-consistent career. If he does need to stay in the pocket more, he should at least benefit from an improved supporting cast that now includes tight end Julius Thomas.