NFL Player News

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Rush will serve as the top backup to starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the Falcons' Week 1 game against the Steelers, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Though the decision on the Falcons' Week 1 starter came down to Michael Penix (knee) and Tagovailoa, Penix will ultimately be inactive for the season opener rather than serving as the No. 2 quarterback. Penix took part in just six 11-on-11 practices during training camp while completing his recovery from the ACL surgery he underwent last November, so the Falcons will wait for him to get more reps in before making him available for his 2026 debut, either as a replacement in the starting lineup for Tagovailoa or as Tagovailoa's top backup. With Penix out of the mix for at least the first game, Atlanta will go with the more seasoned Rush over undrafted rookie Jack Strand as the No. 2 option behind Tagovailoa.

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said that Penix (knee) will be inactive for Sunday's season opener in Pittsburgh, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

While addressing the media shortly after the Falcons named Tua Tagovailoa their Week 1 starter Monday, Stefanski noted that Penix had taken part in only six 11-on-11 practices during training camp, so the third-year quarterback will need some more time to get back to full speed following last November's ACL tear before making his 2026 debut, per Raimondi. The Falcons were pleased enough with Penix's progress to wait until less than a week before the opener to name a starter, which suggests that he'll likely get a chance to supplant Tagovailoa atop the depth chart at some point this season. While Penix is in street clothes for Week 1, Cooper Rush will step in as Tagovailoa's backup, and undrafted rookie Jack Strand will serve as the No. 3 quarterback.

Penix (knee) won't start the season opener Sunday in Pittsburgh, after the Falcons named Tua Tagovailoa their top quarterback heading into Week 1, Will McFadden and Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.

Though Penix is expected to receive the opportunity to start at some point in 2026, he'll have to wait at least one more week before getting his chance while he continues to work his way back from the torn ACL he sustained last November. Penix didn't play in the preseason and wasn't cleared to take part in 11-on-11 drills until Aug. 22, so he'll need to get some full practices under his belt before the Falcons consider moving him into the starting role over Tagovailoa, who completed 10 of 13 pass attempts for 117 yards in two exhibition contests but fumbled twice and generally struggled to push the ball downfield during the preseason and training camp. The Falcons kept four quarterbacks on their roster following cut-down day, so Cooper Rush and Jack Strand will be available as backup options if Penix isn't ready to serve as Tagovailoa's understudy in the season opener.

The Falcons will have Tagovailoa start at quarterback in Sunday's season opener against the Steelers, Tom Pelissero of Netflix reports.

The Falcons were deciding between Tagovailoa and Michael Penix (knee) for the Week 1 starting assignment, and with the latter still getting back up to full speed as he works his way back from a torn ACL, Tagovailoa will get the nod. Tagovailoa likely won't have much leash as a starter, coming off a poor preseason in which he completed 10 of 13 pass attempts for 117 yards while fumbling twice (losing one).

Winston and the Giants agreed Sunday on a two-year, $13 million extension, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports.

The extension gives Winston a slight bump in pay and keeps him on the Giants' books through the 2028 season. The 32-year-old Winston will provide the Giants will an experienced insurance option behind second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart, who missed two games due to a concussion during his rookie campaign.

Kaliakmanis made the Commanders' 53-man roster as the third-string quarterback, but he could be the team's backup for Week 1 against the Eagles if Marcus Mariota (knee) is not cleared to play.

Mariota suffered an MCL sprain in his right knee during the Commanders' preseason game against the Dolphins on Aug. 14. The hope for the Commanders is that the veteran quarterback will be available to serve as the backup to Jayden Daniels for Week 1, but if that's not the case, then it would be Kaliakmanis who steps into the QB2 role behind Daniels. Across three preseason games, Kaliakmanis -- a seventh-round pick of the Commanders in the 2026 NFL Draft -- completed 24 of 37 passes for 294 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions.

The Chiefs waived Oladokun (undisclosed) from injured reserve with an injury settlement Friday, Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com reports.

The settlement allows Oladokun to sign and play with another team once he's fully healthy. He's a candidate to stay in Kansas City on the practice squad, which currently doesn't have a quarterback.

Brissett is listed with the first-team offense on the Cardinals' unofficial depth chart.

After Arizona released Kyler Murray in March, the team signed Gardner Minshew in free agency and then rounded out the QB room by drafting Carson Beck (ribs) in the third round of the 2026 Draft. Despite those notable additions, Brissett was expected to be the starter, and as a result he held a hold-in during the offseason program and at the starting training camp before agreeing to a revised contract with the team on July 26. Brissett made a cameo in preseason Week 1 versus the Raiders, completing all five of his passes for 44 yards and a touchdown strike to Marvin Harrison. Considering he'll have TE Trey McBride, WRs Harrison and Michael Wilson and RBs Jeremiyah Love (ankle) and Tyler Allgeier at his disposal, Brissett very well may produce like he did during his 12-game starting stint to end last season. Whether that'll be enough for Brissett to hold on to the No. 1 gig throughout the campaign is up in the air, especially with Beck waiting in the wings.

Allen made one appearance during the Bills' three-game preseason schedule.

Allen suited up for a preseason Week 1 matchup with the Panthers on Aug. 15 and led two scoring drives, completing six of eight passes for 111 yards and one touchdown. His final connection with Keon Coleman resulted in a nine-yard touchdown, after which Allen's exhibition action came to a close. The cameo displayed that Allen already was in midseason form, and he'll be aiming to get back to 4,000 yards through the air in 2026 for the first time since doing so in four consecutive campaigns from 2020-23. He'll be aided in that quest by the offseason addition of WR DJ Moore.

New offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has worked with Ward to hone in his decision making ahead of the 2026 season, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

The first overall pick in the 2025 Draft, Ward started all 17 regular-season games as a rookie, completing 323 of 540 passes (59.8 percent) for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions while turning 39 carries into 159 yards and two more TDs. He also fumbled 11 times, losing seven of them. The Titans added WR Carnell Tate in the first round of this year's draft and also signed WR Wan'Dale Robinson to a four-year, $70 million deal in the offseason, so Ward does have a bit more support as he enters his second pro campaign. Whether or not that helps Ward cut down on mistakes remains to be seen.