NFL Player News

Stafford feels comfortable with the passing game weapons that will be surrounding him for Sunday's game in Seattle, even though top wideout Cooper Kupp (hamstring) has been ruled out for the season opener, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports. "Cooper was out some of training camp as well and we had some guys have to come in there and step up and make plays for us and they've done that," Stafford said after Wednesday's practice. "Through joint practices, practicing against our defense, we've had a lot of guys step up and make some great plays and [I have] total trust in everybody that's put out there to go out there and make plays."

Over the past two seasons, perhaps no quarterback has been reliant on one pass catcher than Stafford on Kupp. In the 25 regular-season games the two have played together, Kupp has drawn a whopping 32 percent of the quarterback's targets. The Rams won't rely on any of their other pass catchers to singlehandedly fill Kupp's high-volume role on offense, but Stafford believes the wideout quartet of Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Puka Nacua and Ben Skowronek as well as tight end Tyler Higbee can capably absorb the vacated targets and ensure the passing attack remains productive. While the confidence that Stafford has expressed in his group of pass catchers may offer some reassurance, fantasy managers in leagues that start just one quarterback may be best off keeping the 35-year-old on the bench Week 1 with his go-to option out of the mix.

Hill (oblique) was absent from the Saints' injury report Wednesday, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

Hill had been dealing with a strained oblique since the middle of August, but his ability to take every rep at practice Wednesday clears the way for him to play Sunday against the Titans. He'll continue to serve in a diverse, jack-of-all-trades role in a Saints offense that will be without running back Alvin Kamara (suspension) for the first three weeks of the season. With Kamara suspended and with rookie Kendre Miller (hamstring) also in danger of missing Week 1, Hill could end up taking on an elevated profile in the Saints' running attack behind Jamaal Williams, who is likely to serve as the team's lead ball carrier.

Bennett has been ruled out for Sunday's season opener against the Seahawks due to a right shoulder injury, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

The Rams will call up Brett Rypien from the practice squad to serve as their backup quarterback spot behind Matthew Stafford. Bennett has been dealing with arm soreness through training camp, culminating in a disappointing preseason finale where he completed just four of nine passes for 14 yards and two interceptions. Bennett's status beyond Week 1 is unclear as of now.

Huntley (hamstring) wasn't listed on Baltimore's injury report Wednesday ahead of Sunday's game versus Houston.

Despite murmurs back in August that he was in danger of being placed on IR due to a hamstring issue, Huntley looks poised to start the season on the active roster behind Lamar Jackson. Jackson has missed at least one game in all but one of his five NFL seasons, so Huntley knows he needs to stay warm.

The NFL announced Wednesday that Haener has been suspended for six games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, Kat Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

If not for the suspension, the rookie fourth-round pick would have started his career as the Saints' third or fourth quarterback, behind Derek Carr, Jameis Winston and possibly Taysom Hill. Haener's six-game ban won't affect the team's plans for this season but will cost the 24-year-old one-third of his base salary for 2023 and could hurt his standing with the organization moving forward.

Winston (wrist) wasn't listed on the Saints' first Week 1 injury report Wednesday, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

Winston sustained a wrist injury during the Saints' final preseason game against the Texans on Aug. 26, a contest in which he completed 11 of 16 passes for 93 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. With the health concern in the rear-view mirror, Winston can turn his focus to serving as Derek Carr's primary backup for the 2023 campaign.

Burrow (calf) was listed as a full practice participant Wednesday.

Burrow has been bouncing back from a strained right calf, but now that he's practicing fully, the quarterback said that he's "ready to go" for Week 1 action. Assuming he experiences no setbacks in practices Thursday and Friday, Burrow is on track to start Sunday's season opener against the Browns and is thus slated to continue to helm a productive Bengals passing attack that welcomes back its starting receiver trio of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd .

Tune is in line to be the Cardinals' No. 2 quarterback during Sunday's season opener in Washington, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

If Rapoport's report is accurate, newcomer Joshua Dobbs will get the first opportunity to lead Arizona's offense for the recovering Kyler Murray, who is continuing his recovery from a torn ACL on the reserve/PUP list as the season gets underway. Dobbs joined the team on Aug. 24 via trade with the Browns, and despite the lack of time to acclimate to the Cardinals offense, he seems as if he'll be operating ahead of Tune, a rookie fifth-round pick. With Murray out for at least the first four games, though, Tune could make his pro debut at some point if Dobbs struggles or needs to miss time for any reason.

Dobbs is expected to start at quarterback in the Cardinals' season opener this Sunday at Washington, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Since the Steelers drafted Dobbs in the fourth round in 2017, he's played in just eight games with two starts, both of which came with the Titans last season. In those starts, he completed 40 of 68 passes for 411 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing eight times for 44 yards. Dobbs hasn't had much time to get acclimated to Arizona's playbook following his trade from Cleveland on Aug. 24, but he appears as if he'll get the first chance to start in place of Kyler Murray (knee) to kick off the 2023 campaign. Behind Dobbs, rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune will serve as the team's No. 2 quarterback.

The Bears list Peterman as the second quarterback on their official depth chart ahead of Sunday's season opener versus Green Bay, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Despite some confusion that was created when he didn't make the Bears' initial final roster cuts last week, Peterman looks like he'll serve as the top backup behind Justin Fields for a second consecutive season, at least in the early going. The Bears will still be carrying a third quarterback on the roster in undrafted free agent Tyson Bagent, however, so Peterman's grip on the backup slot probably isn't a firm one.