NFL Player News
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Sean Clifford QB | CIN
Packers' Sean Clifford: Spends season as backup
Clifford completed one pass for 37 yards and had three carries for minus-2 yards over two appearances in the 2023 regular season.
Clifford spent his entire rookie season backing up Jordan Love, and he made brief appearances in both Weeks 1 and 17 and another in Green Bay's playoff opener. With Love perhaps receiving a lucrative extension over the offseason, Clifford is well-positioned to remain a cost-effective backup.
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Case Keenum QB | CHI
Texans' Case Keenum: Under contract for 2024
Keenum has one year remaining on his contract heading into the offseason. He completed 34 of 53 passes for 291 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions in two regular-season games during the 2023 season.
Keenum was locked in as the third-string quarterback when C.J. Stroud was healthy, but when Houston's No. 1 quarterback sat out in Weeks 15 and 16 due to a concussion, head coach DeMeco Ryans opted for Keenum over Davis Mills as the starter. Both backups are under contract for the upcoming season, but Keenum would carry a dead cap hit of just $1.5 million if he were to be released, meaning his roster spot is far from guaranteed.
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Davis Mills QB | HOU
Texans' Davis Mills: Enters final year of contract
Mills has one year remaining on his rookie contract entering the 2024 offseason. He completed 18 of 39 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns over six regular-season games in 2023.
Mills operated as the primary backup when C.J. Stroud was healthy and starting, but when the No. 1 quarterback couldn't go in Weeks 15 and 16 due to a concussion, the Texans used Case Keenum as their starter. Both backup QBs are under contract for 2024, although Keenum's cap hit would be minimal if he were to be released.
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Kyle Allen QB | BUF
Bills' Kyle Allen: Limited action in seven games
Allen finished the 2023 regular season with seven appearances, most of it coming in mop-up duty, and zero starts.
Mop-up duty may be selling Allen's role a bit strong, as he never attempted a pass and rushed for minus-13 yards. Given the amount of time that teammate Josh Allen has to play the role of Superman and his propensity for running the ball so frequently, it's a bit of a surprise that Kyle Allen wasn't needed for at least 1-to-2 starts. We'll see if the Bills bring him back for the No. 2 role again next season, where he'd potentially be given the keys to a fantasy luxury vehicle if his teammate were to miss any time. At the very least, it would save some extra tailoring work for the team equipment manager again.
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Tim Boyle QB | TEN
Texans' Tim Boyle: Signs future deal with Houston
The Texans signed Boyle to a reserve/future contract Monday.
Boyle landed in Houston last month with a practice-squad deal following his departure from the Jets. In three games (two starts) with New York in 2023, he completed 62.3 percent of his 77 pass attempts for 360 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions, while absorbing nine sacks and fumbling twice. Boyle will look to make it to training camp with the Texans behind C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills.
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Trey Lance QB | LAC
Cowboys' Trey Lance: Doesn't play a snap in 2023
Lance didn't see the field for a single snap in 2023 while serving as the Cowboys' No. 3 quarterback.
Acquired from the 49ers in August, Lance spent the entire season as the emergency third QB as Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush both stayed healthy for the entire year. Lance still possesses the upside that made him the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he attempted only 102 passes in two seasons with San Francisco due to injuries, and there's no way to know how much the lack of action has caused his development to stagnate. The 23-year-old will likely head into 2024 competing for the No. 2 role with Rush.
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Cooper Rush QB | BAL
Cowboys' Cooper Rush: Sees little action as backup
Rush completed 18 of 24 passes for 144 yards and an interception over seven regular-season games in 2023.
While the Cowboys' penchant for early-season blowouts gave Rush plenty of garbage-time opportunities, the 30-year-old quarterback didn't get a start as Dak Prescott stayed healthy all year. Rush is under contract for one more season at a modest $2.25 million, and while his familiarity with the offense should ensure he returns to Dallas in 2024, he could face a challenge for the No. 2 role from Trey Lance.
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Josh Allen QB | BUF
Bills' Josh Allen: Scores thrice in crushing defeat
Allen completed 26 of 39 pass attempts for 186 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 72 yards and two scores on 18 attempts in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Chiefs.
Allen did everything in his power to lift the Bills past the Chiefs in the postseason contest, but a heartbreaking missed field goal capped off multiple follies that eventually cost Buffalo its season. Patrick Mahomes had the better passing performance out of the two (131.6 passer rating to Allen's 86.1), but Allen's gaudy rushing line gave him the upper hand in terms of fantasy scores. Allen could have had an even better statistical night had top wideout Stefon Diggs (3-21-0) not dropped an absolute howitzer that hit him in the hands deep in Kansas City territory late in Sunday's narrow loss. Allen will wrap up the 2023-24 campaign with 51 total touchdowns (44 in the regular season) and over 5,365 combined yards from scrimmage when you include his two big games in the playoffs.
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Patrick Mahomes QB | KC
Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes: Efficient in win over Bills
Mahomes completed 17 of 23 passes for 215 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 27-24 win over the Bills. He added six rushes for 19 yards.
The Chiefs possessed the ball for only 22:57 and ran only 47 offensive plays, so Mahomes was reliant upon efficiency to produce a good stat line. While it was hardly his most memorable postseason performance, he did what was necessary by throwing a pair of touchdowns to Travis Kelce from 22 and three yards away. Mahomes also hit Marquez Valdes-Scantling for gains of 32 and 30 yards, helping him average an impressive 9.3 yards per attempt. He and the Chiefs will appear in their sixth consecutive AFC Championship Game on Sunday against the Ravens.