NFL Player News

Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said that Rodgers will be rested for Friday's preseason game against the Jets, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports.

McCarthy relayed that neither of Pittsburgh's veteran quarterbacks will take the field Friday, with the coach noting that he "saw what I need to see" from backup Mason Rudolph during the team's preseason opener versus the Packers last week. Second-year signal-caller Will Howard will draw the start Friday, and rookie third-round pick Drew Allar will receive snaps once Howard exits the game.

Mendoza worked with the first-team offense in Tuesday's joint practice with the Texans, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.

While Kirk Cousins got his normal reps with the ones Tuesday, coach Klint Kubiak kept the starters out there so Mendoza could also get some work in with the starting offense as well. It was the first time this summer that the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft has worked with the first-string unit. The practice reps come after Mendoza had a strong preseason debut last Thursday, completing 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown versus Arizona. Cousins has done nothing to lose his grip on the QB1 gig in Las Vegas, but Mendoza is still a good bet to make starts before his rookie season is over.

Mullens (undisclosed) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice, Jamal St. Cyr of News4JAX reports.

Mullens participated in 11-on-11 drills during Tuesday's session. The veteran quarterback went 3-for-7 for 33 yards and an interception in last Saturday's preseason opener against the Saints. Mullens' participation likely means he'll be available to check into Friday's contest against the Panthers once Trevor Lawrence's potential snaps are done. After Mullen's performance last Saturday, however, coach Liam Cohen might decide to give Carter Bradley or Joey Aguilar the bulk of the second-team snaps.

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that Purdy has a "good chance" to play in Thursday's preseason matchup with the Chargers, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Any appearance likely will be brief after Purdy took part in joint practices this week. He was held out of San Francisco's first preseason game and doesn't figure to play more than a drive or two during the exhibition slate.

Bagent suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday's preseason win over Cleveland, making him unlikely to practice or play this week, Mark Carman of CHGO Bears reports.

With Bagent unlikely to play in the Bears' second preseason game Saturday against the Bengals, Case Keenum and Miller Moss figure to take most of the QB snaps. Coach Ben Johnson hasn't yet said if Caleb Williams and other starters will play.

Herbert will get the start in Thursday's preseason game against the 49ers,Alex Insdorf of BoltBeat.com reports.

Coach Jim Harbaugh announced that the Chargers' starters will get one series of work in the tuneup contest. Herbert did not get in on the action in the team's preseason opener.

Head coach Matt LaFleur said that he plans for Love and the Packers' other offensive starters to take some snaps during Friday's preseason game versus the Broncos, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Love looks poised to play for the second week in a row after he took the field for the opening series in Thursday's 28-9 loss to the Steelers in the exhibition opener. While LaFleur didn't go into specifics regarding his plan for Love's workload, the quarterback will likely be in line to play more than the one possession, but perhaps not much more than that. LaFleur added that Love is unlikely to play in the preseason finale Aug. 28 versus the Cardinals.

Trubisky was removed from Monday's training camp practice due to a biceps injury, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Head coach Robert Saleh told reporters after Monday's practice that he was optimistic about Trubisky's biceps injury. The veteran quarterback can be considered day-to-day for now, but he'll undergo further tests to determine the extent of his injury. An extended absence for Trubisky would mean more second-team reps for Will Levis.

Browning (back) practiced Monday after missing Friday's preseason game against the Jets, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The quarterback strained his back Wednesday during a joint practice with the Jets and then had to sit out of the preseason opener. Now that he has returned, Browning should slide back into his spot as Baker Mayfield's primary backup. The fourth-year pro is in his first year with the Bucs after spending his first three seasons with Cincinnati.

Smith (ankle) was a full participant in Monday's training camp practice, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Smith was spotted wearing a sleeve on his lower leg and was limping slightly at times during Monday's practice. Still, it was a positive sign from the veteran quarterback, who did not play in the Jets' preseason opener against the Buccaneers this past Friday due to left ankle soreness. It remains to be seen whether Smith and the other starters will play in the Jets' next preseason game, which takes place this Friday on the road against the Steelers.