NFL Player News

Pickett (hamstring) participated in 7-on-7 drills Wednesday, but he remains absent from 11-on-11s, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.

Pickett continues to manage a hamstring injury sustained July 26, and which at this stage has caused him to miss a majority of training camp reps, as well as Cleveland's preseason opener against the Panthers last Friday. Meanwhile, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports that Joe Flacco has entrenched himself as the clear favorite to open Week 1 as Cleveland's starting quarterback, while Dillon Gabriel has returned to practice after nursing a hamstring issue of his own, and Shedeur Sanders (oblique) exited Wednesday's session due to injury. Saturday's preseason reps against Philadelphia figure to be split between a combination of Gabriel, Sanders and Pickett, with much depending on the health of the latter two players.

Sanders suffered an oblique injury while throwing during Wednesday's practice, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com, Sanders' oblique issue sidelined him for the remainder of the session. As a result, the 2025 fifth-rounder's status for Saturday's preseason contest against the Eagles is now in question.

Coach Andy Reid noted Wednesday that there's "a good chance" Mahomes won't play in Friday's preseason game against the Seahawks, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Apart from Mahomes, the Chiefs may sit some other starters Friday, with Reid suggesting that he wants the team's younger players to get as many reps as possible. Mahomes started the team's preseason opener this past Saturday against the Cardinals but logged just three snaps before giving way to fellow QBs Gardner Minshew, Bailey Zappe and Chris Oladokun.

Flacco, who will take the majority of first-team reps at practice Wednesday, is not expected to suit up for Saturday's preseason game against the Eagles, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski hasn't yet officially named a starting quarterback for Week 1, but all indications remain that it will be Flacco who lines up under center against the Bengals in the regular-season opener, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic. Ashley Bastock of cleveland.com reports that 40-year-old veteran is expected to continue handling first-team reps throughout Cleveland's two joint practices with Philadelphia, while rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel figure to split game reps Saturday. Kenny Pickett (hamstring), meanwhile, remains limited to 7-on-7 drills.

Stafford (back) isn't practicing Tuesday, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Saturday that Stafford looked great during a workout and was on track to resume practicing Monday. That didn't happen, as Stafford didn't feel great after the workout and now remains sidelined for at least a few more days. McVay said there's been no discussion of surgery, adding that the team wants to be "flexible and fluid" while taking a cautious approach to Stafford's injury management. The Rams seemingly expect the 37-year-old QB to start Week 1, but fantasy managers aren't wrong to harbor a degree of concern now that his absence from practice has lingered well into August.

Taylor will not suit up this preseason while completing his recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Coach Aaron Glenn said Tuesday the Jets are hoping Taylor will be available for Week 1, per Brian Costello of the New York Post, but iit will fall to Adrian Martinez and Brady Cook to handle quarterback reps behind starter Justin Fields for the remainder of the preseason. New York figures to add another signal-caller to the roster as temporary depth.

Love is undergoing a procedure for a ligament injury in his left thumb, with the Packers hoping he'll be back at practice next week, Paul Bretl of ESPN LaCrosse 105.5 reports.

Love suffered the injury during Saturday's preseason loss to the Jets, in which he completed one of five passes for seven yards over two drives. He wasn't expected to play in Green Bay's second preseason game anyway, and it sounds like he'll be back in practice well before the start of the regular season. The thumb injury would be a much bigger concern if it impacted his throwing hand. As is, Love doesn't seem to be in much danger of missing Week 1.

Penix won't play in Friday's preseason game against the Titans, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Falcons coach Raheem Morris didn't use veteran starters in the preseason last summer, nor in the 2025 preseason opener against Detroit on Friday. Morris also suggested Kirk Cousins may be held out again, in which case Easton Stick and Emory Jones would take QB snaps for a second straight week.

Bazelak completed six of nine passes for 48 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the Buccaneers' 29-7 preseason win over the Titans on Saturday night.

The undrafted rookie came into the contest with 9:16 remaining in the third quarter and played the entirety of the second half. Bazelak's first three drives culminated in a punt, a fumble and a punt, but he was able to lead short marches that netted a field goal and a touchdown to close out the game. Bazelak is firmly behind Kyle Trask and Teddy Bridgewater on the depth chart, but a strong body of work this summer could lead to a practice-squad spot.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Monday that Stafford (back) did not participate in practice because he didn't feel well enough coming off a workout Saturday, Stu Jackson of the team's official site reports.

McVay had said Saturday that Stafford had no limitations in his workout and was expected to handle individual activity Monday, per Jackson, but he now mentioned a desire "to be flexible and fluid" while opting for caution and holding the veteran QB out of practice. Additionally, according to Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register, McVay said it's unclear whether Stafford will practice Tuesday and that the possibility of surgery as a potential treatment for his aggravated disc "hasn't been a conversation that we've had." The red-light therapy chamber Stafford was spotted entering at team facilities Monday also is available to the entire roster, per Jackson, rather than having been brought in specifically for the veteran signal-caller's treatment. Jimmy Garoppolo will continue handling first-team reps until such time as Stafford retakes the field.