NFL Player News

Flacco isn't scheduled to play in Friday's preseason opener against the Panthers, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Browns are holding him out even though Shedeur Sanders was their only other healthy quarterback prior to signing Tyler Huntley on Monday. Huntley spent time with the team last year and has experience operating coach Kevin Stefanski's playbook, but it'll be Sanders getting the start Friday night. While Stefanski said he plans to play some starters, Flacco's absence is the latest sign that the 40-year-old is on track for the Week 1 start. Making it through the season without getting benched or injured will be the more challenging part.

Sanders will start Friday's preseason opener against Carolina, as Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel both have hamstring injuries, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

With multiple injuries in the QB room, the Browns signed Tyler Huntley on Monday to give them a third healthy body in camp. They apparently don't want to play Joe Flacco in the preseason opener, although coach Kevin Stefanski said some starters will play, and will instead let Sanders and Huntley handle reps under center. Huntley spent time with the Browns last year, so he could be more comfortable with the playbook than Sanders is. Prior to the Pickett and Gabriel injuries, there hadn't been any whispers out of Cleveland training camp of Sanders climbing the depth chart or otherwise making a strong impression. The fifth-round pick figures to get a lot of reps with the second-string offense in practice, after working with depth players for the first two weeks of camp.

Tampa Bay signed Bridgewater to a one-year contract Tuesday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Bridgewater will spend training camp and the preseason picking up the Buccaneers' offensive scheme and competing with Kyle Trask for the No. 2 quarterback role behind starter Baker Mayfield, who missed a couple days due to a hand contusion but retook the field Tuesday. Now 32 years old, Bridgewater came out of retirement last December to join Detroit's playoff push, but he didn't see any regular-season action with the team and played just three snaps during the NFC divisional round loss to Washington.

Jackson and other key starters won't play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Colts, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Jackson didn't play at all last preseason and likely won't stay in for long if he does start the second or third exhibition. There's been no report of any health issues or missed practice time this summer for the QB, but TE Isaiah Likely (foot) hasn't been so fortunate and may miss the regular-season opener at Buffalo.

Murray and other starters are scheduled to play in Saturday's preseason opener against Kansas City, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

Coach Jonathan Gannon informed reporters Tuesday afternoon, marking a departure from previous years when he used the first preseason game to evaluate the lower portions of his depth chart. Gannon didn't say how much Murray and other starters will play, and it's unclear if WRs Michael Wilson (concussion) and Marvin Harrison (knee) will be available -- although Harrison did return to practice Tuesday.

Colts coach Shane Steichen said Tuesday that Anthony Richardson will start Thursday's preseason game at Baltimore, with Jones then starting the following week against Green Bay, Angela Moryan of WISH News 8 reports.

The plan calls for Richardson to play until midway through the second quarter Thursday night, with Jones then finishing out the first half. They'll reverse roles in the second week of the preseason, giving Jones a chance to work with the starters, though some may interpret the preseason rotation as a sign that he's trailing Richardson in their summer job battle. Reports from Indianapolis beat writers suggest nothing from the practice field convincingly points to one QB over the other.

Colts coach Shane Steichen said Tuesday that Richardson will start Thursday's preseason game at Baltimore and play until midway through the second quarter, Angela Moryan of WISH News 8 reports.

Steichen said Daniel Jones will finish out the first half Thursday and then start the next week's exhibition against Green Bay while also playing into the second quarter. Reports out of Indianapolis training camp suggest it's been a close competition, with both QBs starting slowly before improving at the end of July and into August. A strong performance Thursday could make Richardson the favorite to start in Week 1, if he isn't already.

Bears coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday it's still "to be determined" whether Williams and the rest of the starting unit will suit up for Sunday's preseason opener against the Dolphins, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Johnson said any playing time for Williams won't be determined until he's had a chance to talk to Miami head coach Mike McDaniel, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, so it sounds like Chicago's first-team units won't se much action unless they're getting a chance to hone their skills against the Dolphins' starters. As Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic notes, Williams has had an up-and-down training camp to date, with Johnson saying that the first-team offense was "sloppier than we were hoping we would be at this point" during Sunday's open practice scrimmage. It's worth noting that Williams had a particularly challenging offseason, which included rehab from January wrist surgery, learning a new offensive system, and building chemistry with both a revamped offensive line and a pair of significant rookie pass-catchers in Colston Loveland and Luther Burden. Growing pains are to be expected, but fantasy managers anticipating a Year 2 breakout would get some reassurance if Williams looks comfortable in preseason action.

Raiders coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday that "everyone will be ready to go" when asked whether Las Vegas' starters will suit up for Thursday's preseason opener against the Seahawks, Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official site reports.

Smith, who signed a two-year extension with the Raiders this offseason shortly after being acquired from Seattle, boasts an intriguing supporting cast in Las Vegas, with second-year tight end Brock Bowers, rookie running back Ashton Jeanty and veteran wideout Jakobi Meyers as the headliners. It remains to be seen whether Smith will handle more than a handful of drives Thursday alongside his new personnel group.

Shough played well during Sunday's scrimmage, but Spencer Rattler took more first-team reps, Ross Jackson of LouisianaSports.net reports.

Both QBs have gotten mixed reviews from beat writers in terms of performance, but the reps seem to be shaking out in Rattler's favor lately, as he led five of seven drives with the first-team offense Sunday and was then under center with the first team at the start of the next practice Tuesday. While Jake Haener has also mixed in with the starters on occasion, coach Kellen Moore's decision ultimately figures to be between Rattler and Shough. Moore recently said he's "close" to deciding on his Week 1 starter.