NFL Player News

Leary signed with the Ravens' practice squad Wednesday, Ryan Mink of the team's official site reports.

Leary was a sixth-round selection for Baltimore in the 2024 Draft, but he was unable to beat out Josh Johnson for the No. 2 spot behind starter Lamar Jackson in camp. Instead, he'll serve as the No. 3 quarterback option while on the practice squad.

The Browns restructured Watson's contract Thursday by converting $44.8 million of his base salary into a signing bonus, freeing up $35.8 million in cap space, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports

Watson's restructure could be positioning Cleveland for impending roster moves, as the team now has a NFL-leading $62 million in available salary cap space. Meanwhile, Watson still carries a tremendous $72.9 million salary cap hit for the Browns in both 2025 and 2026. Now heading into his age-29 season, Watson is coming off a quiet preseason in which he was held out of exhibition action and received regular rest days while working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. The team's Week 1 regular-season opener against the Cowboys will represent Watson's first game action since last November.

The Vikings signed Rypien on Thursday, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

Rypien, who was released earlier this week by the Bears, will move into a depth role with Minnesota in the wake of Jaren Hall having been waived by the team. Also in the Vikings' signal-caller mix are starter Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens.

The Vikings waived Hall on Thursday, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

With Hall having been let go, the Vikings signed Brett Rypien to bolster a QB room that also includes starter Sam Darnold as well as Nick Mullens. The report notes that Hall suffered a leg contusion during Saturday's preseason finale against the Eagles, but the 2023 fifth-rounder was not waived with an injury designation.

The Browns are slated to release Huntley on Thursday, Jordan Schultz of BleacherReport.com reports.

Cleveland kept four quarterbacks on the first iteration of the 53-man roster and had attempted to trade Huntley, but it looks like there weren't any takers. With Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jameis Winston viewed as the top backups to Deshaun Watson, Huntley will now get an opportunity to search for a premium reserve role elsewhere. He suited up for 20 games with Baltimore across the past four seasons.

Head coach Jerod Mayo has informed his team that Jacoby Brissett will be the Patriots' starting quarterback in Week 1 against the Bengals, while Maye will serve as Brissett's backup, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Though Brissett appeared to have the upper hand in the competition for much of the summer, Maye -- the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft -- made a late push for the job. However, the Patriots coaching staff ultimately elected to turn to the more experience Brissett to helm the offense to begin the season. That said, Maye, who turns 22 years old Friday, is no doubt viewed as the team's quarterback of the future, and the North Carolina product has plenty of upside down the road. Maye boasts the prototypical size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) for the position and possesses the arm talent and mobility of a potential star signal-caller.

Head coach Jerod Mayo has informed his team that Brissett will be the Patriots' starting quarterback Week 1 against the Bengals, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

A shoulder issue that Brissett sustained in New England's preseason finale is evidently not a concern, and the veteran quarterback is now slated to face Cincinnati on Sept. 8. As a result, rookie first-round pick Drake Maye will serve as the team's top backup out of the gate this season, though he's eventually destined to ascend to the top of the depth chart. With Brissett at the helm and the wide-receiver corps in transition, the Patriots offense could be heavily run-based early on, a context that limits his fantasy ceiling.

The Chargers acquired Heinicke from the Falcons on Wednesday in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.

Heinicke was the odd man out in Atlanta's quarterback room, where both Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix stood firmly above him on the depth chart. He now joins a Los Angeles team that will feel more secure with a more proven option behind Justin Herbert (foot), who recently returned to 7-on-7 work while recovering from a plantar fascia injury. Herbert is expected to be ready for Week 1, but if the Chargers have any concerns about his recovery timetable, Heinicke and Eason Stick could both be in the mix as backup options. Stick is familiar with the offense and looked fine in limited action in 2023, but Heinicke is the more experienced signal-caller, having started 28 games over the last three seasons.

Hartman signed with the Commanders' practice squad Wednesday.

Hartman sat out for most of training camp due to a shoulder injury, but he will stick around in Washington to serve as the team's practice squad quarterback. Marcus Mariota (groin) and Jeff Driskel are slated behind 2024 No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels on the depth chart. Hartman would figure to move up to the active roster should either of those three quarterbacks miss time.

The Bears signed Reed to the practice squad Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Reed was unable to beat out Tyson Bagent for the backup quarterback job behind Caleb Williams. However, Reed will stick around on the practice squad and will serve as the emergency quarterback unless Chicago picks up another signal caller before Week 1 against Tennessee.