NFL Player News

Pickett (hamstring) remained limited at practice Thursday, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

On the plus side, Pickett, who remains limited to 7-on-7 work, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com, said Thursday that he feels like he's "turning the corner." As for whether the QB can improve to the point where he can practice fully next week, Pickett acknowledged to Jackson, "I can't say that yet. It will be close." As things stand, Joe Flacco continues to trend toward getting the start Week 1, with Pickett's chances of making a late push for the assignment still hampered by the fact that he's not yet 100 percent back from his hamstring issue.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Thursday that Gabriel will start Saturday's preseason game against the Eagles as long as his lingering hamstring injury doesn't act up in pre-game workouts or after practice, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.

Gabriel has been participating in 11-on-11 drills since Monday, so his hamstring injury doesn't appear to be hampering him much. In all likelihood, the Browns are simply taking extra precautions toward the rookie third-rounder's recovery, with Shedeur Sanders (oblique) and Kenny Pickett (hamstring) already expected to miss Saturday's game due to injury, and veteran Joe Flacco in line to rest. If Gabriel is able to start, he'll be relieved by Tyler Huntley. If the rookie can't go, however, Cleveland could sign an additional signal-caller to back up Huntley.

Lance was spotted wearing a wrap/brace on his right hand at practice Wednesday, Richie Whitt of SI.com reports.

Lance sat out the Chargers' team drills Tuesday before being spotted with a wrap/brace on his right hand while the team warmed up for practice Wednesday. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman told reporters that Lance's lack of participation was not about an injury, but instead it was in an effort to get starter Justin Herbert more reps. Lance's status will be worth monitoring ahead of Saturday's preseason matchup with the Rams. To this point in camp, the 25-year-old has impressed, and he's currently in a competition with Taylor Heinicke for the No. 2 QB role in Los Angeles.

Coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday that Darnold and the Seattle starters will play in Friday's preseason contest against the Chiefs, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

"Our guys are going start the game out," Macdonald said. "We'll see how long it goes." Seattle rested its starters in the preseason opener last week versus Las Vegas, but Darnold sounds like he's going to get at least one series versus Kansas City.

Pratt (back) was placed on the reserve/PUP list by the Buccaneers on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Pratt entered training camp on the active/PUP list with a back issue, and he will now be forced to miss at least the first four weeks of action after failing a physical this week. Once healthy, the quarterback will likely operate as a member of the Buccaneers' practice squad in 2025.

Bridgewater was featured more prominently in Wednesday's quarterback rotation, and how he performs in a joint practice with the Steelers on Thursday will determine whether he plays in Saturday's preseason contest, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

The veteran signal-caller didn't play in the preseason opener against the Titans on Saturday after just having signed a contract earlier in the week. Bridgewater has been gradually getting acclimated to coordinator Josh Grizzard's offense, and he impressed head coach Todd Bowles in Wednesday's session with his increasing grasp of the system. When asked about Bridgewater's potential participation in Saturday's second preseason game against the Steelers, Bowles stated he wanted "to see how much work he can get in" in reference to Thursday's joint practice before making a decision.

Gabriel has an opportunity to potentially start Saturday's preseason game against the Eagles with Shedeur Sanders (oblique) and Kenny Pickett (hamstring) both nursing injuries, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski hasn't yet named a starter for Saturday's exhibition matchup, but with Sanders and Pickett both banged-up and Joe Flacco expected to rest, Gabriel seems a likely candidate to not only start but potentially handle a substantial amount of expanded reps. Deshaun Watson (Achilles) remains on the active/PUP list, meaning the only other healthy quarterback currently on the roster able to challenge Gabriel for playing time Saturday is Tyler Huntley. Gabriel missed Cleveland's preseason opener due to a hamstring injury of his own, so the team may also have extra motivation to allot the 2025 third-rounder increased exhibition reps for evaluation purposes.

Jackson is not in line to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Cowboys, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Per Hensley, the same goes for RB Derrick Henry, as well as other front-line starters who (like Jackson and Henry) didn't play in last Thursday's preseason opener. It remains to be seen if Jackson will see any snaps in Baltimore's Aug. 23 preseason finale against the Commanders, but even if he does, it likely won't be many, as the team's priority is understandably keeping the star QB healthy ahead of Week 1.

Sanders (oblique) is considered day-to-day due to an oblique strain suffered during Wednesday's practice and is not expected to suit up for Saturday's preseason game against the Eagles, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Sanders won't practice Thursday, and while it appears he won't be available Saturday versus Philadelphia, he could still have a chance to gain clearance in time for Cleveland's preseason finale against the Rams on Saturday, Aug. 23. With the 2025 fifth-rounder and veteran Kenny Pickett (hamstring) both trending in the wrong direction due to injury, and veteran Joe Flacco expected to rest, rookie third-round quarterback Dillon Gabriel could get a chance to start and handle expanded reps during Saturday's exhibition matchup.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson said Wednesday that Williams and the first-team units will suit up for Sunday's preseason game against the Bills, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Williams and the majority of Chicago's starters were held out of preseason action versus the Dolphins last weekend, but the first-team units will get a chance to log exhibition reps versus Buffalo. Expectations are high for Williams entering Year 2, as he's surrounded by a revamped O-line that projects as top-10 in the league and boasts an impressive supporting cast headlined by wideouts DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden and TEs Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet.