NFL Player News

Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert, in a quarterback competition with Chad Henne this summer, sprained his right ankle at practice Monday when he got stepped on by one of his offensive linemen. Head coach Gus Bradley said at his press conference that Gabbert will get checked out over the next few days. 

With Matthew Stafford playing 16 games each of the past two seasons, the Lions might not keep a third quarterback this year, reports MLive.com. Shaun Hill is entrenched as the backup, while Kellen Moore and Thaddeus Lewis are fighting for the possible third roster spot.

Coach Jim Schwartz has kept three quarterbacks every year since taking over in 2009.

The Eagles opened training camp Friday with Michael Vick getting the first shot under center with the starters in team drills. A little later, Nick Foles had his chance to go first in 7-on-7 drills and team drills according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Rookie Matt Barkley primarily worked with the third string. 

ESPN's Sal Paolantonio reported from Eagles camp that the starting quarterback job is Michael Vick's to win or lose. Per Paolantonio, Vick looked the best, but later added that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman intimated Vick would be on the block or released if he wasn't the starter following training camp.  

Percy Harvin reportedly tore the labrum in his hip recently and the injury is forcing him to seek a second opinion. Surgery is a possibility. That much we know from Seahawks coach Pete Carroll from his time with the media on Thursday. 

There haven't been many times in NFL history where a player has a tear in his hip, even a slight one, and bounces back to play 16 games at an ultra-high level. In fact, most of the time when rumor of an injury gets out there and is confirmed by a team official, it's legitimate. That's the fear with Harvin's situation as of this writing. 

Fortunately, not many people are drafting their Fantasy rosters in late July. Injuries like this are why we wait (and wait, and wait) to draft. It goes without saying that if Harvin's injury is serious he'll become an untouchable Fantasy player. 

As for his teammates, there probably will be a market correction in their draft averages, starting with quarterback Russell Wilson. He was outstanding last season without Harvin but the addition of Harvin added a layer of dependability to his stat expectations and should have accounted for any decline in rushing stats Wilson would have in 2013. The receiving corps in Seattle will be headlined by Sidney Rice and Golden Tate, the two guys who helped Wilson out last season. Doug Baldwin and Zach Miller are other suitors for Wilson but not having Harvin really casts a shadow on his expectations.

If you do happen to draft between now and when Harvin's plan of action is realized, don't spend a Top-65 pick on the versatile receiver since there is a legit chance he misses some time. 

Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden hasn't shied away from how he feels about rookie tight end Tyler Eifert, who has made a big impression during spring workouts since getting drafted in Round 1 in April.

"I just learned there's really nothing that he can't do," Gruden told the Cincinnati Enquirer about Eifert. "He's smart and he can block and can line up all the routes. He can line up outside in the slot and at tight end, and I think he's going to be a major, major player around here for a lot of years."

In three seasons with Notre Dame, Eifert had 11 touchdowns on 140 catches for 1,840 yards (13.1 avg.). Eifert stands at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, a size that should be appealing to Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton on seam routes. 

Brian Hoyer will get a legitimate shot to overtake Jason Campbell for the Browns' No. 2 quarterback job behind Brandon Weeden, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. Hoyer, 27, was sharp in team drills in the spring, though Campbell took the majority of second-team reps.

No Cleveland quarterback has played a full 16-game season since Tim Couch in 2001, the report notes.

It was at the end of the Jets' offseason conditioning program when Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg told the New York Daily News that rookie quarterback Geno Smith was "way ahead of the pace of a normal rookie." Smith had mixed reviews during the offseason practices and worked out on his own away from teammates after minicamps wrapped. 

"I think Geno's close," he said. "I don't think he's there yet. But he's close to being able to get into a game and function at a high level. So our whole challenge — and his challenge — is that first preseason game. Now let's get to a point where you can function at a high level."

Smith will battle Mark Sanchez for the starting job in training camp. 

After throwing two pick-sixes in a terrible practice performance Tuesday, Ryan Tannehill looked sharp Wednesday, making several nice throws to Mike Wallace, reports ESPN.com. The highlight was Tannehill's back-shoulder touchdown strike to Wallace.

Tannehill also hit Armon Binns for two long gains, and the second-year quarterback did not commit a turnover. Wednesday's performance was a welcome sight for Dolphins fans expecting significant improvement. Miami added Wallace, Brandon Gibson and Dustin Keller in addition to re-signing Brian Hartline this offseason, giving Tannehill plenty of weapons.

Jaguars coach Gus Bradley called it an “open competition” between Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne and said each could start a preseason game.

He did not give a timetable for picking a starting quarterback but said, “Hopefully, it’s not something we do right before the season,” according to Jaguars.com.

Jacksonville averaged 14.1 points with Gabbert last year, 18.3 with Henne.

Bring it on. That’s the attitude Philadelphia’s Nick Foles is taking to the quarterback competition with Michael Vick and Matt Barkley.

"I have all the confidence in the world in my ability ... I still respect the players around me, and I know what they're capable of doing,” Foles told Philly.com. “But at the end of the day, I'm not here to be a backup. I'm here to be the guy.”

Foles started six games as a rookie last year, throwing for 1,699 yards and six touchdowns with five interceptions.

Barkley, a fourth-round pick out of USC, believes it’s a three-man race.

"The coaches have said that it's kinda there,” he said. “My mindset is that I'm in it, and I've got to do everything to prove to the coaches that (the job) is mine."

Vick did not talk to the media Monday.