NFL Player News

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.

Minshew is in line start Saturday's preseason game against Dallas, with Raiders coach Antonio Pierce hoping to then name his Week 1 starter after the game, Rachel Gossen of Raiders.com reports.

Pierce presumably won't name the Week 1 starter right after Saturday's game, but it sounds like it could happen in the following days. Aidan O'Connell started the preseason opener and completed seven of nine passes for 76 yards on his lone drive, with Minshew then finishing out the first half and completing six of 12 passes for 117 yards and a TD. It was an impressive showing for the Las Vegas offense, featuring two TDs and two FGs through the first four possessions.

Mahomes and other starters are scheduled to play the first half of Saturday's preseason game against Detroit, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Per usual, the Chiefs are at the front of the pack when it comes to preseason playing time for starters. It's worked out more than alright for them in recent years, but fantasy managers that have already drafted Mahomes presumably aren't thrilled to see the multi-year trend continue. The expectation of considerable playing time makes KC's QB1 a viable choice for preseason DFS contests.

Lawrence isn't scheduled to play in Saturday's preseason game against Tampa Bay, Mia O'Brien of 1010 XL 92.5 FM Jacksonville reports.

Mac Jones and C.J. Beathard are expected to each play a half, though coach Doug Pederson didn't specify which QB would go first. Lawrence played in Jacksonville's preseason opener this past Saturday against Kansas City and completed three of four passes for 42 yards and a touchdown on his only drive.

Mullens will start Saturday's preseason game at Cleveland, Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Mullens is set to move up to second on the depth chart at quarterback behind starter Sam Darnold after the Vikings announced Wednesday that J.J. McCarthy (knee) underwent season-ending surgery.

As a result of McCarthy's injury, second-year player Jaren Hall should have a clearer path to a spot on Minnesota's Week 1 roster as a third-string quarterback. Mullens was mediocre in five games (three starts) after Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending injury in 2023, averaging a healthy 8.8 yards per attempt but throwing eight interceptions. Still, he's a veteran who can fill in and have a strong game or two with his aggressive style if Darnold is injured.

Dobbs will compete with Brandon Allen for the No. 2 quarterback role in San Francisco during the preseason, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

The 49ers' star-studded roster has created no controversy over who will start come Week 1, leaving the battle for Brock Purdy's backup as the key competition to watch this preseason. Dobbs performed well in the team's first preseason contest, completing 70 percent of his passes for 146 yards and a rushing touchdown. The journeyman quarterback threw an interception, but it came on a failed Hail Mary attempt. The key takeaway from Saturday's exhibition was that Dobbs entered the contest in the second half after Allen, who completed 53.8 percent of his passes for 98 yards. The two veteran signal-callers will continue to prove their worth over the final two preseason tilts before head coach Kyle Shanahan decides who will enter the regular season as the No. 2 quarterback.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard suggested Wednesday that Richardson is unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Cardinals, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports.

The Colts are trending toward using the same blueprint as in 2023 with Richardson, which would set the stage for the quarterback to play about a half in the team's preseason finale against the Bengals on Aug. 22. Richardson logged seven snaps during this past Sunday's exhibition opener versus the Broncos.

Stafford exited early in Wednesday's joint practice with the Cowboys due to a tight hamstring, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Stafford was active in the first half of Wednesday's session that included a handful of 11-on-11 series, but he then left the field as a precautionary measure due to the aforementioned injury. He isn't expected to play in any of the Rams' preseason games, and the same can be said for backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. With that in mind, second-year pro Stetson Bennett should continue to handle the bulk of the in-game reps under center prior to Week 1.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that Jackson will not play in Saturday's preseason game against the Falcons, Brian Wacker of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Jackson will sit out a second consecutive preseason contest, meaning Baltimore's road game against the Packers on Aug. 24 will be his final opportunity to handle exhibition reps. In the meantime, Josh Johnson is expected to start versus Atlanta, with Devin Leary and Emory Jones working behind him.