NFL Player News

Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan used to work with Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins.

While RG III and Colt McCoy had more playing time, Cousins had more passing yards and touchdowns last season, and Shanahan is impressed with what he saw. 

Shanahan said that Cousins had a chance to be a "great quarterback some day". 

"Kirk's one of the sharper guys I've been around," Shanahan said, per NFL.com. "He processes things so fast. He lets it rip. He's as tough as can be."

The Raiders have cleared quarterback Derek Carr to participate in next week's minicamp, but the signal-caller likely will still be dealing with a finger issue on his throwing hand, per NFL Network's Albert Breer. 

While Carr may not be fully healthy at minicamp, the team expects him to be fine for training camp. Carr threw for 3,270 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2014. 

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has never had a receiver like tight end Jimmy Graham on his side of the ball, per The Seattle Times.

Wilson is already building a relationship with the 6-foot-7 Graham in order to find the perfect spots to throw him the ball. So far in organized team activities, the perfect spot has been anywhere.

“Throwing to him is easy,” Wilson said.

Graham, one of the premier targets at tight end, knows it will take a lot of repetition for him and Wilson to eventually get on the same page, but doesn't doubt that the duo will put up big numbers this season.

“That stuff takes time,” Graham said, “but honestly me and Russ have been on kind of this accelerated learning curve. He just gets it up and gives you an opportunity to be great. We’ll be keep working on that, and we’ll be just fine come the season, because that’s a big thing. That’s all about the connection, that’s all about knowing what each other is going to do and what each other likes.”

The Seahawks ranked 20th in the league last year in redzone efficiency, one thing that Graham's size and Wilson's decision-making will dramatically improve.

“That may be one of the biggest things, just the size we have down there when things start to get tight,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said.

Quarterback Jameis Winston has all the talent in the world. That's why the Buccaneers drafted him with the top-overall pick in the draft, but whether he can improve and turn that talent into skill is another thing.

Winston has impressed his veteran teammates during organized team activities thus far, per ESPN.com.

"He’s very dynamic," Wide receiver Vincent Jackson said. "He puts the touch on it when he needs to, but he will sling it. He will fire it across when he knows it’s a tight window. He’s only going to continue to get better. You see his competitiveness. He doesn’t want to miss a throw. He comes out here every day and works on his craft."

Winston, a former Heisman Trophy winner, will likely be the starter when the season begins.

Jameis Winston gets described in a number of different ways. "Quiet" is rarely the adjective used to descrive the top-overall pick in this year's draft. 

Buccaneers receiver Vincent Jackson says the rookie hasn't been the outspoken person many know him to be yet at organized team activities, per The Tampa Tribune.

Winston won the Heisman Trophy at Florida State while leading the team to a national title as a redshirt freshman two seasons ago.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw some short passes at the start of Tuesday's practice, but he still isn't taking on a normal workload, at least for the portions of practice open to the media. 

Carr is recovering from an injury to a finger on his throwing hand. Coach Jack Del Rio didn't give a timetable on his recovery. "He's doing well," Del Rio, per ESPN. "We will do what we can when we can."

Left tackle Donald Penn added that he was "not concerned at all" about Carr's injury. 

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, who flashed as a starter early last season before falling from grace, understands that only strong performances on the field can put him back on the map.

But that doesn't mean competing for the starting job. At this point, he's only battling Colt McCoy for the backup spot.

"I think it's just my job to put my head down, keep working and give them reason to play me," he told the Washington Post. "And if they're not going to play me, then to give them reason to say, 'We're excited if this guy ever does get in a game.' That's the best chance I have to be successful."

Cousins played in six games last season and led Redskins quarterbacks in passing yards (1,710) and touchdowns (10). But nine interceptions hurt his cause.

"Coaches are paid to decide where people stack up on the depth chart," he said. "But it's my job to go out on the field and play well. I think if I do that, then I can be at peace with whatever happens."

Jets guard Willie Colon has a message for underachieving quarterback Geno Smith. And it's quite critical.

"We bought a Porsche. We've given him the keys. He can't crash it," Colon told Sirius XM. "Bottom line, he can't crash it. We need him to be on top of his game."

If Smith has already been on top of his game, the Jets made quite a mistake when they drafted him to be their starter in 2013. The team is 11-18 with him in that role and he owns a career quarterback rating of 71.5.

"Geno's career right now is extremely turbulent," Colon added. "He was never ready to be the starting quarterback of the New York Jets. ... He was thrown into the fire, and he was forced to cook. Everybody knows in this league, to be a quarterback, which is the number one position on the field, it's a maturation process you have to go through.

"... Now, Geno, with that said, has made his mistakes. He's said some things where you look at him like, 'What are you talking about?' But I think that's all about his maturation period."

Eagles new quarterback Sam Bradford took some first-team reps Tuesday in 7-on-7 drills, per NFL Media. That represents a step forward in his recovery from an ACL injury sustained in 2014.

Bradford split reps with Mark Sanchez, who is also battling for the starting job.

The work in team competition was Bradford's first since arriving from St. Louis in an offseason trade.

The Texans quarterback battle will come down to more than who puts up better numbers in the preseason. Coach Bill O'Brien is looking at the big picture when it comes to Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer. 

"I really think it’s important for these guys to be able to operate the offense at a high tempo,” O’Brien said, per HoustonTexans.com. “We have a lot of different types of tempo, but to be in and out of the huddle or when it’s no huddle, changing the pace of practice and handling that on their own. Being able to communicate the play, get people lined up, change the cadence, get us into the right play and then complete the pass."