NFL Player News

While most expect Matt Cassel to open the season as the Vikings' quarterback, coach Mike Zimmer told USA Today he won't name a starter until well into training camp.

"I want to give everybody an opportunity and make sure that it's a legitimate opportunity for all of them," Zimmer said after the team opened its mandatory minicamp Tuesday. "Then we'll start narrowing down the reps as we get going. But it won't be for a while."

Cassel will have to fend off rookie Teddy Bridgewater and former first-rounder Christian Ponder.

Texans coach Bill O'Brien named Ryan Fitzpatrick the starting quarterback, the official team website reports Tuesday.

Fitzpatrick was expected to battle rookie Tom Savage for the job in training camp, but O'Brien has apparently seen enough to trust Fitzpatrick with the role now.

"He's a guy that earned the job," O'Brien said.

Savage will now compete with Case Keenum and T.J. Yates for the No. 2 job. O'Brien said "I don't know" when asked if he will carry two or three quarterbacks on the roster this season.

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said he plans on giving all of his quarterbacks an opportunity to compete for the starting job in camp, suggesting that rookie Teddy Bridgewater could overtake veteran Matt Cassel for the gig. 

"Everybody wants to rush into things," Zimmer said according to ESPN. "I want to give everybody an opportunity and make sure it's a legitimate opportunity for all of them. And we'll start narrowing down the reps as we get going."

Cassel had taken the majority of snaps through the early OTAs with Bridgewater behind him and Christian Ponder running third string. It was previously believed that Cassel would begin the year as the starter and eventually give way for Bridgewater. 

Zimmer said he wouldn't name a starter "for a while."

If Browns linebacker Paul Kruger was making the decision on the starting quarterback for 2014, he would go with Brian Hoyer over rookie Johnny Manziel, reports NFL.com.

"In my mind, Hoyer's the guy," Kruger said during a radio interview on KFAN-AM in Utah. "Hoyer came in, won us four games, unfortunately got hurt. The guy was on fire when he was healthy and he's proven himself at a different level and has worked extremely hard."

Hoyer actually started three games before an ACL injury ended his 2013 season. As it stands coming into training camp, coach Mike Pettine said Hoyer is "securely ahead" of Manziel. But Pettine also added Hoyer's lead wasn't "insurmountable."

"You let the preseason go, see how they look and then make a decision," Kruger said. "In my mind, Hoyer has been a good leader for us and somebody who has been able to win us a few games. It's tough to say but I think the preseason will be a big deal for both of them."

Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who is competing for the starting job this season, plans to wear gloves, reports USA Today.

"Man, I don't think gloves have been much of a deal like this since Michael Jackson," Bridgewater said. "But to this day and for the rest of my career, I'm going to continue to wear gloves."

Bridgewater will wear Nike gloves engineered specifically for quarterbacks.

"It feels like the ball actually — like the texture of the ball," Bridgewater said. "I guess that's why it's a perfect match for when the ball is in my hand. When the ball is in my hand, it just sticks to my hand. It feels like I'm bare-handed, but I'm not."

The Texans' quarterbacks -- all four of them between Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tom Savage, T.J. Yates and Case Keenum -- continue to be a work in progress, reports the Houston Chronicle.

Coach Bill O'Brien said that Fitzpatrick, the expected Week 1 starter, had a "decent offseason" and has done a good job of picking a new offense. But O'Brien said the quarterback competition is wide open.

"T.J. and Case ... they've also done a good job," O'Brien said. "Savage is a rookie. He's a little bit behind. But you can see he's got some tools. He can throw the football and he works extremely hard."

The backup position is expected to come down to Keenum and Yates. But O'Brien didn't rule out Savage for the spot.

"I don't know. We'll see. We'll let it play out a little bit," O'Brien said.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has "looked precise" and comfortable over the first two days of minicamp, says the Detroit News. The coaching staff has done a lot to help with his footwork, a problem for him over the past couple of seasons. As he's learning the details of a new playbook, Stafford will be allowed to change plays at the line of scrimmage. The idea behind it is if he sees a coverage that could make a route change to one of his receivers more favorable, he can take advantage. 

"He's done it before, he has a good understanding of it, and he even does some now," coach Jim Caldwell said. "That's kind of part of the package because he's got to have a little bit of autonomy from time to time to get you in the right play. You may be able to call a play, but he's out there on the field. He can see it happening. He can see the defense, so there's some times we have some overriding checks and things of that nature that we'll utilize."

Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr could push Matt Schaub for the starting job, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Coach Dennis Allen said "everything is written in pencil."

Offensive coordinator Greg Olson said Carr has been "better than we thought he would be." Carr came in behind Schaub and second-year player Matt McGloin during practice but has already started taking away second-team snaps from McGloin.

"I really, really like him," Olson said of Carr. "Everybody knew he was accurate, but he is more accurate than we thought. ... We'll have to wait and see how he does against a live rush, but so far his intelligence, accuracy and quickness in getting the ball out has been excellent."

Browns coach Mike Pettine said that Brian Hoyer is "securely ahead" of rookie Johnny Manziel to be the Browns' starting quarterback, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

However, Pettine said Hoyer's lead was in no way "insurmountable." Which means that nobody will be surprised if Manziel, the 22nd-overall pick in May's draft, ends up under center at some point early in the year.

"It's been hard to evaluate because Brian hasn't been able to take the 11-on-11 reps, but when we put the depth chart together, Brian will be No. 1," Pettine said of Hoyer, who is coming back from last year's torn ACL.

The Texans may enter training camp with only three quarterbacks on the roster, coach Bill O’Brien said Monday per the Houston Chronicle.

Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick is the Texans' expected Week 1 starter and signed a two-year, $7 million deal this offseason. Rookie Tom Savage was a fourth-round pick and is being groomed by O’Brien to eventually take over the position.

If the Texans trim their roster either T.J. Yates or Case Keenum is expected to be the odd man out.