NFL Player News

Herbert is expected to play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Rams, Alex Insdorf of BoltBeat.com reports.

The Chargers plan to get their key personnel one more dose of game action before the season gets underway. Other than Derwin James and Khalil Mack, the starters will be on the field for about 6-8 plays. After that final tuneup, Herbert and the Chargers will get ready for Week 1 against the Cardinals.

Allen will not play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Steelers, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

It comes as no surprise that Allen will be held out, as the Bills will ensure their starting quarterback -- and the consensus top quarterback in fantasy football -- does not take any further hits before Week 1. Allen hasn't missed a game since his rookie campaign in 2018, making 137 consecutive starts between the regular season and playoffs, tied for the eighth-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history.

Cousins is listed as the Raiders' top quarterback on the unofficial depth chart for Thursday's preseason game versus the 49ers, according to the team's official site.

With coach Klint Kubiak recently declining to formally name a starter, this depth-chart placement offers another sign that Cousins remains the leading option atop Las Vegas' quarterback room. Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O'Connell, in that order, appear to remain behind Cousins heading into the Raiders' final preseason contest. It's unclear if Cousins will see any action in that game.

Ewers (groin) returned to practice with the Dolphins on Monday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Ewers was able to make his return to the practice field after missing over a week with a groin injury that he suffered in the team's preseason opener against the Commanders on Aug. 15. The 23-year-old is considered the favorite to serve as the primary backup to Malik Willis this season, and he'll now have the chance to solidify his hold on the No. 2 role by playing in Friday's preseason finale versus Atlanta.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday that the team hasn't yet decided whether Simpson or Stetson Bennett will begin the regular season as the backup quarterback behind Matthew Stafford, Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register reports.

Simpson worked behind Bennett in Saturday's preseason win over New Orleans and did fine, completing eight of 12 passes for 73 yards while rushing three times for 10 yards. Meanwhile, Bennett shined in the contest, connecting on 19 of 31 pass attempts for 181 yards and adding two rushing touchdowns. All signs to this point have hinted at Bennett opening the regular season as the Rams' top backup behind Stafford, but McVay said Monday that he's "taking things a day at a time" in terms of making that decision. Still, McVay added that Bennett saw more second-team reps than Simpson on Monday and indicated that Simpson will "definitely" play in the team's preseason finale Thursday versus the Chargers while not committing to Bennett's participation, which could both be signs that the scale is tilting in Bennett's favor for the regular-season QB2 job.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday that he's yet to make a decision about whether Bennett or rookie Ty Simpson will open the regular season as the backup quarterback behind Matthew Stafford, Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register reports.

Bennett made a strong case for the role with his performance in Saturday's preseason matchup against the Saints, when he completed 19 of 31 passes for 181 yards and logged two rushing touchdowns. Simpson saw less action and had a more modest performance, connecting on eight of 12 pass attempts for 73 yards while rushing three times for 10 yards, but it appears both QBs are still in contention to serve as the top regular-season backup behind Stafford. McVay noted Monday that he's "truly taking things a day at a time" and mentioned that Bennett book nine second-team reps during practice to Simpson's six. The head coach also said that Simpson will "definitely" play in the team's preseason finale Thursday versus the Chargers while indicating that it hasn't yet been decided if Bennett will suit up, which may suggest that the latter has the edge in the competition for the QB2 job despite the lack of a firm decision to this point.

Beck (ribs) continued to be a limited participant at Monday's practice, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

Beck fared well in the Hall of Fame Game against the Panthers, completing 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. However, the rookie third-round pick came out of that contest with a rib injury that has capped his practice reps in the meantime and otherwise sidelined him for the Cardinals' next two exhibitions. Beck thus has one more chance for preseason action Friday at Green Bay before likely being relegated to the team's No. 3 QB role behind Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew to begin his career.

King (hamstring) will not play in Friday's preseason finale against the Texans, Mike Kaye of ESPN.com reports.

King suffered a hamstring injury in the Panthers' win over the Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 6. He played well in that contest, but given his lack of practice reps and the fact that he'll miss the last three preseason games, King's place on the 53-man roster by the end of training camp is far from guaranteed. Kenny Pickett is expected to be Bryce Young's backup this season, so if the Panthers choose to roster a third quarterback, then Kyle Trask would be King's competition for the QB3 role.

McCarthy (undisclosed) participated in Monday's practice, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

After losing out on the QB competition with Kyler Murray to begin training camp, McCarthy proceeded to get banged up in Saturday's 13-3 preseason loss to the Ravens, taking one sack while completing five of 10 passes for 81 yards. Seifert noted that McCarthy handled three reps in team drills Monday, which is a bit less than normal, but the Vikings held the session in shells and not pads, so the third-year pro likely still is dealing with the issue.

Both Tua Tagovailoa and Penix (knee) will take reps with the first-team offense Monday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Monday's session will mark Penix's first work in full-team drills this summer, a significant milestone for the QB as he works his way back from the torn ACL he suffered in his left knee Week 11 of last season. At this stage, it's unclear if Penix will play in Friday's preseason finale against the Dolphins, but the 2024 first-rounder's ability to commence working in full drills gives him an opportunity to make some strides in the team's QB competition ahead of Week 1.