NFL Player News

Beathard has officially won the backup quarterback job in San Francisco following the release of Matt Barkley on Friday, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The announcement was simply a formality, as Beathard had been the first to relieve starter Brian Hoyer in the 49ers' last two preseason contests. The rookie signal caller started Thursday's preseason finale against the Chargers, completing five of nine passes for 31 yards while adding 80 yards on the ground, including an impressive 62-yard touchdown run. Beathard possesses some mobility, but don't expect huge runs like this if and when he gets a shot to start a regular-season game down the road. The third-round draft pick won't move the needle in redraft leagues as a backup, but he could find himself starting games at some point this season given Hoyer's long injury history.

Knight was waived by the Cardinals on Friday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN reports.

While he had a great college career at both Oklahoma and Texas A&M, Knight was seen as a long shot to make the team's final roster. After he completed just two of 12 passes for 19 yards and an interception in Thursday's preseason finale against the Broncos, Knight's time was up in Arizona.

Lewis was released by the Ravens on Friday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

The veteran journeyman was signed for depth midway through the preseason, but with the final roster cuts set for this weekend, the Ravens opted to let Lewis go. Lewis went 8-for-13 for 55 yards against the Saints in Baltimore's preseason finale and finished the night with a 71.0 quarterback rating. His departure could mean that Baltimore will hang onto preseason star Josh Woodrum as the third quarterback.

The thumb injury Driskel suffered in Thursday's preseason game against the Colts will not require surgery, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

While that is surely a good sign for Driskel's health, it still leaves his future with the Bengals a tad cloudy. Should the quarterback's injury require a short recovery time, it's likely the team ends up keeping him on the final roster, but if it is still seen as fairly serious, the Bengals could be reluctant to keep him around.

Bridgewater (knee) is expected to remain on the Physically Unable to Perform list for the start of the regular season, but the team has not yet ruled him out for 2017, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Bridgewater has still not returned to practice since suffering a torn ACL during last year's training camp, so his opening up the season on the PUP doesn't come as much of a surprise. The good news is that the Vikings appear to be leaning on the side of optimism regarding the quarterback's status for the 2017 campaign, as they aren't going to rule him out for the season just yet. Upon being placed on the PUP for the regular season, Bridgewater won't be eligible to return until Week 7.

Jones completed 18 of 24 attempts for 158 yards and an interception in Thursday's preseason loss to the 49ers. He also carried the ball three times for 26 yards.

As predicted, Jones got the start Thursday and put together his best statistical performance thanks to sheer volume of snaps. While Jones finished his preseason with more interceptions (3) than touchdowns (0), it seems likely the Chargers will opt to keep him on the 53-man roster, as Philip Rivers and Kellen Clemens both transition into the twilight of their careers. Either way, it appears Jones has beaten out Mike Bercovici for the No. 3 QB role, considering the latter played sparingly during the preseason and finished with two interceptions across six attempts Thursday.

Morris completed two of five passes for 51 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in Thursday's preseason win over the Bengals.

Morris played just two series, so it's difficult to glean much from his performance. Veteran backup Scott Tolzien will likely start Week 1 against the Rams with Andrew Luck unlikely to play due to a shoulder injury. However, Morris showed enough this preseason that he could overtake Tolzien early in the season if the latter struggles and Luck makes slow progress in his recovery.

Peterman completed nine of 11 passes for 81 yards in Thursday's preseason finale against the Lions. He didn't have a touchdown or an interception and finished with a passer rating of 97.3.

Tyrod Taylor (concussion) looks like he's going to be ready for Week 1, but Peterman is making some observers think he could be the team's quarterback of the future. He'll enter the season as the clear No. 2 option at the position after having passed up veteran T.J. Yates (concussion), and if Taylor struggles early, there could be some calls for the rookie to play from a fan base looking for something fresh and new.

Driskel was wearing a splint on his right thumb following Thursday's preseason game against the Colts, and the Bengals fear that he suffered a broken thumb in the contest, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

The Bengals were thought to be leaning towards keeping Driskel on their 53-man roster, given the potential trade interest around the league for the services of backup AJ McCarron, but this injury muddles the picture. Cincinnati could hold Driskel out for the rest of the season by placing him on injured reserve, or designate him as a candidate to return from IR. The latter option would require the Bengals to keep Driskel through their first wave of cuts, and then put him on the IR-return list Monday, thus risking losing a player that they otherwise might keep.

Petty (knee) wasn't cleared to play in Thursday's preseason game against the Bills, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Petty, who is nursing a minor knee sprain, vowed to be healthy by the start of the regular season. Regardless of whether he heals up or not, Petty will enter Week 1 as nothing more than the No. 2 or 3 quarterback on the depth chart and thus has little value in the fantasy realm.