NFL Player News

Rodgers will not play in the Packers' preseason finale against the Chiefs on Thursday.

Rodgers sat out Green Bay's first two preseason games before seeing two drives against the 49ers last week. The Packers don't want to risk the star quarterback getting hurt and will instead lean on rookies Joe Callahan and Marquise Williams to handle quarterback duties for the majority of the game.

Johnson signed with the Cowboys on Thursday.

Johnson gives the Cowboys some depth at quarterback with Tony Romo (back) out for the foreseeable future and Kellen Moore (lower leg) starting the season on IR. The 28-year-old spent some time with the Ravens this offseason and has bounced around the league his entire career, never finding a stable backup gig. Johnson gives the Cowboys depth for their game Thursday night against the Texans, although it is unknown how much he will play, if at all. Presumed starter Dak Prescott will not suit up for the preseason finale, leaving just Johnson and Jameill Showers under center.

Stafford is unlikely to play Thursday against the Bills, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Stafford figures to be held out by the Lions as they preserve his health heading into Week 1 of the regular season. Dan Orlovsky and Jake Rudock are expected to handle the duties at quarterback, but will be throwing to a below average receiving corps with the team expecting to have Golden Tate and Marvin Jones on the sideline.

Winston won't suit up for Wednesday's preseason game against the Redskins, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

No matter when this game was played, Winston was unlikely to receive many, if any, snaps in the Buccaneers' final preseason game. He'll thus yield his starting gig to backup quarterback Mike Glennon.

Bridgewater (knee) has been placed on IR by the Vikings.

Bridgewater lands on IR in short order after suffering a dislocated knee in practice Tuesday. Bridgewater's significant injury also included a complete tear to his ACL, as well as other structural damage. Though the Vikings indicated that the QB suffered no nerve or arterial damage, Bridgewater faces a long recovery/rehab period. In his absence, Shaun Hill slots in as the Vikings' top signal-caller in advance of Week 1. With Taylor Heinicke currently on the non-football injury list, undrafted rookie Joel Stave and Brad Sorensen are the team's healthy backup options.

The Steelers have placed Gradkowski (hamstring) on IR.

With Gradkowski headed for IR with his hamstring injury, the Steelers claimed Zach Mettenberger off waivers to give the team added QB depth behind Ben Roethlisberger and Landry Jones.

Jones (shoulder) is expected to play in Thursday's preseason finale, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

Jones may not be necessarily 100 percent as he recovers from a sore shoulder, but the rookie will likely be under center in Thursday's final preseason affair. The team plans to start the third-stringer and monitor his health as the game progresses. Recently, the Bills parted ways with Austin Trainor which all but assures that Jones will serve as Buffalo's No. 3 quarterback heading into the regular season.

Sorensen is re-signing with the Vikings on Wednesday, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports.

Teddy Bridgewater suffered a season-ending knee injury at Tuesday's practice, leaving Shaun Hill as the presumed top quarterback. Sorensen may still find it tough to make the final roster, as he was released by the Vikings on Aug. 20, with the team cutting him instead of Joel Stave or Taylor Heinicke (ankle). Sorensen may just be another arm for practice and/or the final preseason game.

Savage will be the starting quarterback Thursday night when the Texans face the Cowboys in their final preseason game, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Savage has been sharp during the preseason in relief of starting quarterback Brock Osweiler, earning the backup role ahead of Brandon Weeden. Through three games, the Pitt product has completed 25-of-47 passes for 318 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a rating of 95.9. His 53.9 percent completion percentage is not too impressive, but he's dealt with uneven circumstances, playing mostly with the twos and threes. "I think he's improved," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said. "I'd just like to see steady improvement from him. I think one of the things that we have to do at that position on Thursday is take care of the football, manage the game properly, move the sticks on third down, execute in the red area, get us into the right plays."

Vaughan (thumb) was placed on the Steelers' injured reserve list Tuesday.

Vaughan suffered a broken thumb in the Steelers' second preseason tilt and was subsequently waived Sunday. As it stands, only Landry Jones and Bryn Renner remain standing as candidates to back up QB Ben Roethlisberger entering 2016.