NFL Player News

Brissett started the Patriots' 17-3 preseason win over the Panthers on Thursday and failed to complete any of his three pass attempts.

Brissett handed off to Rhamondre Stevenson on his first play before throwing the three straight incompletions. The veteran signal-caller's brief appearance wasn't surprising, and his empty stat line won't have any bearing on his standing on the Patriots' quarterback depth chart for the moment. Rookie Drake Maye, who followed Brissett and played one series Thursday, may have a chance to lay claim to the No. 1 quarterback job with a strong enough preseason, but the pecking order will presumably remain unchanged heading into New England's second exhibition game against the Eagles next Thursday night.

GM Joe Schoen said on the Giants' broadcast that Lock will be fine after injuring his left hip during Thursday's preseason game versus the Lions, Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic reports.

Lock was in clear pain after taking a hit late in the first quarter. With Daniel Jones not playing Thursday, Tommy DeVito ended up taking over for Lock, and the second-year pro may be destined for second-team reps in the short term until Lock is healthy.

Lock sustained a hip injury during Thursday's preseason game against the Lions, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Lock displayed clear discomfort late in the first quarter, favoring his left side in the process. Prior to his exit, he got the start in place of Daniel Jones, completing four of 10 passes for 17 yards and one interception while taking two carries for 12 yards. Tommy DeVito took over for Lock following his departure.

Smith isn't slated to play in Saturday's preseason contest at the Chargers, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Smith has tended to hip and knee injuries during training camp, so it's no surprise that coach Mike Macdonald will delay what may be just a cameo for the first-team offense during exhibition season. In two campaigns as the Seahawks' starting quarterback, he's averaged 247.1 passing yards per game while accruing a 50:20 TD:INT across 32 regular-season contests.

Head coach Todd Bowles announced Thursday that Trask will start in Saturday's preseason opener against the Bengals, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield and several other Bucs starters -- including wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and tight end Cade Otton -- will not suit up for Saturday's contest, per Dix. Trask will lead the offense to the start the game, with third-string quarterback John Wolford expected to take over at some point. Saturday's contest gives Trask an opportunity to solidify himself as the backup quarterback to Mayfield and will also give players like 2024 third-round wideout Jalen McMillan the chance for extra reps.

Burrow is on track to play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Buccaneers, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

While coach Zac Taylor wouldn't say how long Burrow is likely to play Saturday, the Bengals' franchise QB is poised to make his first game appearance since Nov. 16, when he suffered a season-ending wrist injury. Once Burrow gets his reps with fellow starters in versus Tampa Bay, look for some combo of Jake Browning, Logan Woodside and Rocky Lombardi to finish up the contest.

Jones will suit up for Saturday's preseason game against the Chiefs after Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Beathard have taken the field, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Jones, who had his fifth-year option declined after being dealt to Jacksonville by New England earlier this offseason, appears to currently be behind Beathard in the Jaguars' backup quarterback competition. There's plenty of time for that standing to shift ahead of Week 1 -- especially if the 2021 first-round pick can impress during his preseason appearances -- but for now, Jones' fantasy value is minimal outside of deeper two-QB formats.

Haener participated fully in practice Wednesday, Todd Graffagnini of the Saints' official site reports.

Haener missed Monday's session as he was slated to undergo a procedure to remove a cancerous growth on his right cheek. After Tuesday's scheduled off day, Haener resumed practicing with his teammates Wednesday and once again is in line to continue competing with Spencer Rattler for backup slotting behind top QB Derek Carr.

Coach Doug Pederson said Thursday that Beathard will be the second quarterback to enter Saturday's preseason game against the Chiefs, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Beathard will get a chance to handle preseason reps Saturday after Trevor Lawrence has finished with his allotment of plays. That could be read as an indication that Beathard is currently ahead of Mac Jones in Jacksonville's backup quarterback competition, but real clarity on that front may not arrive until closer to the end of the preseason.

Coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that McCarthy will get "a significant amount of work" during Saturday's preseason game against the Raiders, but that Sam Darnold will start at quarterback, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

McCarthy may or may not get a chance to work with the first-team offense after Darnold on Saturday, but in any case it sounds like the rookie first-round pick will get plenty of opportunities to display his talents. Though McCarthy has ceded the majority of first-team reps to Darnold to start training camp, the expectation is for that split to grow more even as the regular season approaches. Darnold remains the favorite to start Week 1 against the Giants, but a strong preseason showing by McCarthy on Saturday could make that conversation more interesting.