NFL Player News

Coach Matt Eberflus said Thursday that Williams and all healthy starters will suit up for Saturday's preseason game against the Bengals, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Williams looked solid in his preseason debut against the Bills last week, when he led a pair of long drives that each resulted in field goals. He'll get another chance to demonstrate on-field chemistry with receivers DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, plus running back D'Andre Swift and tight end Cole Kmet, at home against Cincinnati on Saturday.

After playing just one series in the Patriots' preseason opener, Maye is set to see increased action Thursday night against the Eagles, Albert Breer of SI.com reports.

Per Breer, look for Jacoby Brissett to play the first quarter, followed by Maye in the second quarter and into the third, with Joe Milton and Bailey Zappe on track to finish the contest. While Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is clearly the Patriots' franchise QB of the future, Brissett remains the team's presumed starter ahead of Week 1.

Coach Kevin Stefanski said Thursday that Thompson-Robinson will start Saturday's exhibition game against the Vikings, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.

Thompson-Robinson will get a chance to make a case for his spot on the 53-man roster Saturday, with Deshaun Watson not slated for on-field reps until Cleveland's preseason finale. Jameis Winston is solidified as the No. 2 option behind Watson, which leaves Thompson-Robinson competing against Tyler Huntley for the No. 3 gig.

Brissett is expected to play the first quarter of Thursday's preseason game against the Eagles, Albert Breer of SI.com reports.

After Brissett gets his reps in versus Philadelphia, look for Drake Maye to play the second quarter and part of the third, followed by Joe Milton and Bailey Zappe. At this stage, Brissett profiles as the Patriots' presumed starting QB ahead of Week 1.

Stafford (hamstring) is not present for Thursday's walkthrough practice, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

A Rams spokesperson reiterated that Stafford was removed from practice Wednesday at roughly the halfway point for 'precautionary' reasons due to hamstring tightness. Neither Stafford nor backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo are expected to play in any of Los Angeles' preseason games, so Stetson Bennett and Dresser Winn figure to dominate reps during Saturday's exhibition matchup against the Chargers. It seems the Rams are simply playing it safe with Stafford's health, but given his injury history, it will be a relief to fantasy managers if the 36-year-old signal-caller is able to retake the field without missing much more time.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Thursday that Russell Wilson will start Saturday's preseason game against the Bills, leaving Fields in position to enter the contest second, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Tomlin said he expects Pittsburgh's starters to play roughly four series Saturday, per Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com, which could leave Fields to work with the second-team offense. Though Wilson will start in his preseason debut and still seems to be atop the quarterback depth chart, Fields remains part of an ongoing competition under center. Pryor reports that Fields opened Thursday's practice with the first-team offense. After fumbling twice versus the Texans last week, it will benefit Fields if he's able to play mistake-free football against Buffalo on Saturday.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Thursday that Wilson and the first-team offense will play roughly four series during Saturday's preseason game against the Bills, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.

Tomlin said that the extent of Wilson's reps could change depending on Saturday's game, noting that "it's not etched in stone." Wilson is on track to start in his preseason debut for the Steelers, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com, but he and Justin Fields have continued to split first-team reps at practice. In fact, Pryor reports that Fields opened Thursday's practice with the first-team, an indication that this remains a true quarterback competition, though Wilson is still atop the depth chart.

Mayfield will not suit up for Saturday's game against the Jaguars, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Buccaneers will once again hold the majority of starters out of Saturday's second exhibition contest, as the team did last week versus the Bengals. Mayfield's final chance to log any preseason reps will come Friday, Aug. 23, at home against the Dolphins.

Coach Mike McDaniel said "guys who are starters" will suit up for "some action" during Saturday's preseason game against the Commanders, though he didn't specify Tagovailoa by name, Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Tagovailoa didn't suit up for the Dolphins' preseason opener last week, but it sounds like he and the first-team offense could get some reps in versus Washington. McDaniel said further decisions on which starters will play Saturday, and for how long, will be made Thursday afternoon. If Miami follows a similar plan to last offseason, Tagovailoa will play a few series Saturday and also suit up for the team's exhibition finale versus the Buccaneers on Aug. 23.

The Titans' key starters -- a group that includes Levis -- are not in line to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Seahawks, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Per Wyatt, Malik Willis will get the start at QB versus Seattle, while Levis, who logged 14 snaps in Tennessee's preseason opener, is slated to be held out. It remains to be seen if Levis will take the field in the team's exhibition finale Sunday, Aug 25 against the Saints, but if not, his next game action won't occur until his looming Week 1 start against the Bears.