NFL Player News

Zappe, who's battling rookie Cade Klubnik for the Jets' No. 2 quarterback job, hurt his chances in Friday's preseason loss to the Buccaneers, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Klubnik got the surprise start Friday after Geno Smith was ruled out due to an ankle injury, and he turned in a solid first two drives of the game. Meanwhile, Zappe followed Klubnik and completed six of 10 passes for 55 yards, but two of his incompletions were interceptions, including one pick-six. Zappe will have two additional preseason games to make his case, but Cimini notes the veteran signal-caller appears to clearly be behind Klubnik at the moment.

Beck (ribs) is practicing Saturday, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

Per Brack, Beck hasn't been working in position drills during the open portion of Saturday's practice, which is expected to be a light session following the Cardinals' preseason game against the Raiders on Thursday. Beck missed that one after completing 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and one TD in the Hall of Fame Game a week earlier. He suffered a rib injury in the process, but it looks like the third-round pick may play again before the end of the preseason.

Dart and most of the Giants starters are expected to play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Vikings, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Dart and the other starters shouldn't see more than one or two series during Saturday's exhibition contest, but it will be the first time head coach John Harbaugh coaches from the sidelines for the Giants after an 18-season tenure with the Ravens. Dart is looking to build off a solid rookie campaign in which he completed 63.7 percent of passes for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions while turning 86 carries into 487 yards and nine scores across 14 regular-season games (12 starts).

Klubnik got the start in Friday's 24-16 preseason loss to the Buccaneers and completed five of seven passes for 56 yards.

Klubnik got the starting nod due to Geno Smith (ankle) being ruled out. Smith's injury isn't believed to be serious, so the veteran QB remains the clear favorite to start for the Jets come Week 1 against the Titans, but Klubnik is making a strong case for the backup role. The Jets scored 10 points on Klubnik's two drives in the game, while neither Bailey Zappe nor Brady Cook led a touchdown drive, and Zappe was picked off twice. Klubnik is likely to feature prominently in the Jets' second preseason game against the Steelers next Friday.

Head coach Dan Quinn said after Friday's 20-7 preseason win over the Dolphins that he'll provide an update on Mariota (knee) on Sunday, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Mariota may have picked up a knee injury when he was hit by Tyrel Dodson in the first quarter. Mariota initially stayed in but was favoring his right knee after handing the ball off to Kaytron Allen, with the former being tended to by trainers on the ground. Mariota was able to walk off the field on his own, but an extended absence would be a blow considering he appeared in 11 regular-season games (eight starts) last year while Jayden Daniels was sidelined due to injury. Sam Hartman and undrafted rookie Athan Kaliakmanis are the other two quarterbacks on the training camp roster, but if Mariota were to miss time, then the Commanders would likely look to add a veteran QB via free agency or trade.

Willis completed four of five passes for 43 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and added two carries for nine yards in the Dolphins' 20-7 preseason loss to the Commanders on Friday.

The Dolphins' top quarterback shined with his efficiency and grasp of the offense in his team debut, playing a key role in Miami's 14-play, 93-yard opening drive. Willis got off to a quick start with four- and eight-yard completions to Malik Washington, and the highlight of his time in the game was a subsequent third-down, 28-yard connection with Caleb Douglas that took the ball into Commanders territory. Willis has been garnering positive reviews from his work both on and off the field during training camp, and the fact he was able to carry his momentum into his first taste of game action this summer was highly encouraging.

Tagovailoa completed three of five passes for 22 yards and rushed once for no gain in Friday's 27-7 preseason loss to the Broncos.

All three of Tagovailoa's completions on Atlanta's first two drives went to tight end Kyle Pitts. Tua's performance was nothing to write home about, but it's nonetheless encouraging that he got the starting nod for the preseason opener while Michael Penix (knee) has yet to be cleared for contact drills. Given Tagovailoa's edge in health, the former Dolphins quarterback is the favorite to win Atlanta's quarterback competition ahead of the Falcons' Week 1 road game against the Steelers.

Coach Aaron Glenn said after Friday's 24-16 preseason loss to the Buccaneers that Smith sat out the contest due to a sore ankle and is day-to-day, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Per Glenn, Smith picked up the injury during the Jets' joint practice with Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Considering Smith is deemed day-to-day, the Jets likely will exercise caution with him until he's back to 100 percent. In any case, his next opportunity for exhibition action is next Friday at Pittsburgh.

Browning (back) will not participate in Friday's preseason opener against the Jets, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Browning strained his back during Wednesday's joint practice with the Jets. The quarterback is currently the primary backup to Baker Mayfield, so any injury will likely shut him down for an extended period of the preseason until it is deemed completely safe for him to return. In Browning's absence, Connor Bazelak and Jalon Daniels will split reps at quarterback as they compete for the No. 3 role.

Mariota left the first quarter of Friday's preseason game against the Dolphins due to an apparent right knee injury, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Mariota may have picked up the injury when he was hit by Tyrel Dodson right after a pass to Dyami Brown. Mariota initially stayed in but was favoring his right leg after handing the ball off to Kaytron Allen, and the veteran quarterback has gone to the locker room to undergo further tests, per Jhabvala. Sam Hartman has taken over as the Commanders' quarterback following Mariota's departure.