NFL Player News

Browns coach Mike Pettine dismissed rumors that the team is trying to trade quarterback Brian Hoyer, possibly to the Texans, as mere "stories."

"We’re not going to comment on every story that’s out there," Pettine said. "We made a move to strengthen our quarterback room, and you just get these stories coming out. I don’t want to be in the habit of commenting on all of them. I really addressed that situation yesterday."

The Browns signed quarterback Rex Grossman on Tuesday and waived quarterback Tyler Thigpen.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who sat out the preseason opener, likely will play Saturday against the Rams and again in the third preseason game. "That's usually how it goes," McCarthy said.

McCarthy didn't say how much Rodgers would play.

Browns coach Mike Pettine has not announced which quarterback will start Monday's game against the Redskins. But he said rookie Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer will get equal or almost equal snaps with the starters, reports the Akron Beacon Journal.

After Brian Hoyer got the first reps with the starters Monday, Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel opened with the first team Tuesday, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Manziel's first pass was intercepted when top cornerback Joe Haden snatched the ball out of receiver Anthony Armstrong's hands.

Coach Mike Pettine has not announced which quarterback will start Monday against the Redskins.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill said offensive coordinator Bill Lazor has adjusted his footwork and it's made a big difference.

"It’s helped me get the ball out faster, have more velocity on some of my throws, and just be more consistent,” Tannehill told the Miami Herald. "Some of the incompletions I’ve had in the past are due to inconsistent footwork. That was his big key coming in to say: 'Hey, we’re going to get your feet right and then everything else will take care of itself.'"

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill earned praise from offensive coordinator Bill Lazor after his 6-for-6 passing performance against the Falcons. Tannehill drove the team 73 yards in 10 plays, capping the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Gibson.

"I thought he had 10 good plays," Lazor told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I thought he showed command, I thought he was very decisive on the field, the ball came out of his hand on time with all of them. He has a really good grasp of what we're doing.

"My job right now is to push him," Lazor added. "I've got to make it very hard for him out here on the practice field. I heard a rumor that some people have reported we've made it hard for him on the field. That's on purpose. That's how you build a quarterback. He's coming."

Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer got the first reps with the starters in Monday's practice, ahead of rookie Johnny Manziel, reports the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. "Not Johnny's job yet," the paper added.

Coach Mike Pettine said he has not decided who will start next Monday's game the Redskins.

With reports circulating that Kirk Cousins has been outplaying Robert Griffin III in training camp, Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay sought to dispel any notion of a quarterback controversy. "Robert is our starting quarterback," McVay emphatically told reporters.

Texans coach Bill O'Brien did not rule out a change in the quarterback rotation when asked about it Sunday, reports Pro Football Talk. Starter Ryan Fitzpatrick went 6 of 14 for 55 yards with two interceptions in Saturday's 32-0 loss to Arizona, while backups Case Keenum and Tom Savage combined to go 5 of 8 for 43 yards.

"I think you’re always thinking about what you can do to make the team better," O’Brien said. "So any time you have a chance to review things and regroup a little bit on a day off like it is today, as a head coach, you’re always thinking about things that can make the team better, whether that’s a change in the depth chart, a change in a scheme, a change of a position of a player, whatever it may be. We’ll continue to discuss that today."

The Redskins' Robert Griffin III "didn't look like the best quarterback on his own team" in joint practices with the Patriots last week, reports ESPN.com. Kirk Cousins played better than Griffin "from the perpsective of running the offense, fine-tuned mechanics and how decisively the ball came out of his hand," the report said.

That sentiment was echoed by several people in the Patriots' organization, the report added.