NFL Player News

The Bills selected Jones in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, 139th overall.

Jones is one of the more intriguing quarterback prospects in this year's crop given his combination of size (6-5, 253 pounds) and immense arm talent. He could have been the third quarterback off the board had he come out after leading Ohio State to the National Championship in 2014, but he returned to Ohio State and was ultimately unseated by J.T Barrett in 2015. Jones will be a project that needs time to develop and adapt to a pro-style offense, but he should be able to sit out and watch with no pressure as a rookie behind Tyrod Taylor.

The Cowboys selected Prescott in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, 135th overall.

Prescott is far from the NFL prototype at quarterback, as he was a raw passer before his senior year in college and was otherwise a run-heavy quarterback. But Prescott showed impeccable in-game character as the likely best player in Mississippi State history, proving both tough and clutch while carrying the team on his back. Prescott should be an excellent runner in the NFL and, while he might not be more than a backup, the year-to-year improvements he made as a passer in college give reason to hope he might be Dallas' quarterback of the future.

Despite taking Lynch with the 26th overall pick, the plan is to start Mark Sanchez in 2016, 9NEWS reports.

The word on Lynch throughout the draft process has been that he is talented, but raw. Head coach Gary Kubiak told reporters after the first round, however, that Lynch clearly displayed everything Denver would ask him to do in its offense in his Memphis tape. Lynch often rolled out in Memphis' offense and had either a predetermined read or read a defender for an either-or option - so there is a learning curve - but Kubiak's wide-zone/boot-action focused offense could simplify Lynch's reads and allow his athletic skills to take over. A team that will be dependent on defense and the running game like Denver has little incentive to rush Lynch, but he'll be waiting in the wings if Sanchez falters.

Smith will enter OTAs atop the quarterback depth chart, head coach Todd Bowles said Saturday. "Without [Ryan Fitzpatrick] being on the team right now, Geno's first-team and then we'll go from there," Bowles said. "Obviously we're still working on a deal if we can get Fitzpatrick back. So until that's addressed and we take care of that situation right now, Geno will go into OTAs as a starter."

The Jets drafted quarterback Christian Hackenberg in the second round of the draft on Friday, and he'll likely compete for the backup job with Bryce Petty if the Jets are unable to bring Fitzpatrick back. Smith has failed to show any consistent production during his career, and the Jets are clearly still very much interested in bringing Fitzpatrick back, though the two sides continue to be very far apart on money. If Smith does somehow end up starting in Week 1, he'll at least have the best weapons of his career, with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker on the outside, Matt Forte out of the backfield and a healthy Jace Amaro.

The Patriots selected Brissett in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, 91st overall.

Brissett (6-foot-4, 231 pounds) is a big and nimble quarterback who has some rawness and accuracy issues to address as a passer, but otherwise has the frame, arm strength and temperament to turn into a viable NFL quarterback. Brissett stands with exceptional poise in the pocket and shakes off attempted tacklers as if they were fleas, showing a rare ability to extend plays. It's not out of the question that he could eventually establish himself as New England's quarterback of the future over Jimmy Garoppolo.

The Jets selected Hackenberg in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, 51st overall.

Hackenberg was profoundly ineffective for his last two years at Penn State, but his arm talent gets him drafted in the second round anyway. All of pocket presence, route progressions and accuracy were huge problems for Hackenberg, so the Jets are banking on the theory that all of Hackenberg's struggles were the fault of Penn State coaches. Few players are given so much benefit of the doubt, but Hackenberg definitely has the arm to develop into a starter if the rest of his game comes along.

The Broncos selected Lynch in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, 26th overall.

The Broncos traded a third-round pick to Seattle in order to move up five spots to take Lynch, who was widely expected to go sooner than this. In terms of his frame, Lynch isn't unlike former Denver quarterback Brock Osweiler, though Lynch likely has the better arm and definitely has more athleticism. There's a good chance that Lynch takes a year or two to earn the starting job in Denver, but his ability to run should make him an intriguing fantasy consideration at that point, especially if it's still a Gary Kubiak offense.

Hoyer will wait to see how the NFL Draft plays out before choosing where to sign, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

Released by the Texans in mid-April, Hoyer has already visited with the Broncos and Jets. The former team reportedly hopes to trade for Colin Kaepernick, while the latter will likely reach an agreement with Ryan Fitzpatrick eventually. Hoyer makes sense as a backup plan for both franchises, and he could also be a fit in San Francisco if Kaepernick is traded.

Winston has lost 18 pounds since the end of the 2015 season, NFL.com reports.

Winston also lost approximately 15 pounds the previous offseason, eventually playing his rookie year at around 235 pounds. It may have taken a while, but he finally seems to be in top shape, which could help with his rushing stats and ability to avoid the pass rush. On the other hand, Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger has proven that it's not always bad for a quarterback to carry some extra weight. Regardless, Winston should benefit from continuity in his second season, with the Bucs returning all of his key weapons and promoting Dirk Koetter from offensive coordinator to head coach.

Washington GM Scot McCloughan is optimistic Cousins and the team will agree to a long-term extension before the July 15 deadline, CSN Mid-Atlantic reports.

If the two parties don't reach an agreement by July 15, Cousins will play out 2016 at his franchise-tag salary of $19.953 million. Washington would then have to wait until the following offseason to offer him a new contract, with the asking price potentially much higher. There's no guarantee a deal gets done, as the team is understandably hesitant to give Cousins true franchise quarterback money after just one good season.