NFL Player News

Shough and most of the Saints' other starters are unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason game against Jacksonville, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Saints coach Kellen Moore said Thursday's joint practice with the Jaguars will be where Shough and other key players get their chance to square off with opponents. Moore did leave the door open for borderline starters to suit up, but it sounds like Shough, Chris Olave, Travis Etienne, etc. will all be held out.

Head coach Jeff Hafley said he's planning on having Willis play in the Dolphins' preseason opener Friday versus the Commanders, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.

Hafley could reverse course and hold Willis out Friday if the signal-caller gets sufficient reps and looks good during Wednesday's joint practice with the Commanders, but as a first-year starter on a new team, it probably wouldn't hurt the 27-year-old to get in some more snaps in the preseason opener. Because Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik's scheme includes many concepts similar to the ones Willis learned under Packers head coach and playcaller Matt LaFleur, the quarterback has seemingly had a comfortable transition to Miami and has been building chemistry with his receiving corps through the first two weeks of camp, according to David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The upcoming joint practice will be the first major test Willis has faced this summer, as he's generally received positive reviews during camp practices while matching up against a beleaguered Dolphins defense.

Browning may not play in Friday's preseason game against the Jets due to a back injury, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

With Baker Mayfield not scheduled to play Friday, Browning was slated to serve as the team's starter, with Connor Bazelak and Jalon Daniels also in the mix for reps. However, Browning strained his back toward the tail end of Tuesday's joint practice with the Jets, which puts him in jeopardy of missing Friday's preseason opener.

Leonard will be under center for the second half of Thursday's preseason game against the Patriots, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Anthony Richardson will draw the start for Thursday's preseason opener and play for the first half before turning the keys over to Leonard for the last two quarters. Richardson and Leonard are battling for the backup job behind Daniel Jones, though Richardson may not be with the Colts for the start of the 2026 regular season after requesting a trade from the team in the offseason. Leonard was a sixth-round selection of the Colts in the 2025 NFL Draft and started in Week 18 against the Texans, when he completed 21 of 34 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while turning three carries into 21 yards and a score.

Deshaun Watson and Sanders are listed as co-starters on the Brown' unofficial depth chart, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Coach Todd Monken has yet to reveal his QB plans for Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears, but it's expected that whichever of the two signal callers starts that contest will give way the other one in Cleveland's second exhibition tilt. For the time being, Watson and Sanders continue to share first-team practice reps, with no timeline offered for a decision on the team's Week 1 starter.

Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said Tuesday that Mendoza will play in Thursday's preseason opener against Arizona and may even get a few snaps with the starting offensive line, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.

It sounds like Kirk Cousins will make the start, but Mendoza could enter the game fairly early on, and he's expected to play a lot this preseason (if not necessarily Thursday night). Kubiak hasn't announced his Week 1 starter, but Cousins has been treated as the starter throughout training camp.

Richardson will start Thursday's preseason opener against the Patriots, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Richardson will handle the first half of the contest, while Riley Leonard will start the second half. Then in the team's second preseason tilt, Aug. 22 against the Falcons, that arrangement will be reversed. The two signal callers remain in contention to serve as Daniel Jones' top backup and will have their chance to make their cases in the coming weeks, with Jones not slated to play at all in the preseason.

Willis has shown increased comfort with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik's concepts during the first two weeks of training camp and has been stacking up positive performances during practices, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

After joining the Dolphins in March on a three-year, $67.5 million deal, the fifth-year quarterback is heading into his first season as a full-time NFL starter. Willis has limited his mistakes and has been able to build chemistry with a mostly unproven receiving corps during OTAs, minicamp and now training camp, but the 27-year-old will get his first real test this week. He's set to receive extended reps against the Commanders defense in a joint practice Wednesday, and he could be in line to play a few drives against them in the preseason opener two days later.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Tuesday that Mayfield will be rested for the preseason opener Friday versus the Jets, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Bowles indicated that the Bucs had been planning for backup Jake Browning to direct the first-team offense Friday, but Browning's status is now in question after he appeared to suffer a back injury during Tuesday's session. Mayfield didn't see any action during the 2025 preseason, and a similar approach with the veteran signal-caller seems likely in 2026. The 31-year-old is heading into his fourth season with Tampa Bay on an expiring contract and will be aiming for a bounce-back campaign after noticing a steep decline in his passing efficiency and touchdown total between 2024 and 2025, in large part due to injuries that accumulated over the course of last season.

Ward and other starters are scheduled to play in Thursday's preseason opener against San Francisco, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports.

The combination of a young QB and a new coaching staff could lead to more playing time than usual this preseason. Still, there's no guarantee of Ward playing more than a series or two Thursday night.