NFL Player News

Jones is in line to start Friday's preseason game against the Panthers, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

After sitting out the Giants' exhibition opener, Jones and most of the team's starters will be out there Friday. It's unclear how much run Jones can expect, but he may be afforded at least a few possessions with running back Saquon Barkley, tight end Darren Waller and company.

Burrow (calf) didn't travel with the Bengals for the team's preseason game against the Falcons on Friday night, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

A non-contact calf injury that he sustained on the second day of training camp has sidelined the QB since then, but prior to last Friday's preseason opener against the Packers, Burrow was encouragingly spotted on the field doing some running and throwing. Conway notes that coach Zac Taylor has kept details of Burrow's timeline for a return to practice to a minimum, but it seems pretty safe to assume that the Bengals' franchise signal-caller won't see exhibition action ahead of Week 1.

Stick is slated to start Sunday's preseason game against the Saints, Bridget Condon of NFL Network reports.

Stick also started this past Saturday's preseason opener against the Rams before giving way to Max Duggan. A similar pattern figures to transpire again this weekend, as the two compete for backup slotting behind top QB Justin Herbert.

Young and Carolina's starters are on track see some action in Friday's preseason game against the Giants, Schuyler Callihan of SI.com reports.

As for how much work Young might see Friday, coach Frank Reich noted "probably similar to last game as far as play time. You know, plus or minus." In this past Saturday's 27-0 preseason loss to the Jets, Young started and logged 11 snaps, en route to completing four of six passes for 21 yards, before giving way to Matt Corral.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that Sam Darnold, and not Lance, would be getting the first-half snaps in Saturday's exhibition against Denver, Josh Dubow of the Associated Press reports.

Lance started the 49ers' first preseason contest over Sam Darnold with starter Brock Purdy (elbow) not playing, so the backups will flip roles as they continue to vie for No. 2 on the depth chart. The 2021 third-overall pick completed 66 percent of his passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in the exhibition start, but he benefited from a couple of lucky bounces which masked two would-be interceptions. Shanahan wouldn't demote Lance based on one preseason performance, so this swap was likely planned and not an indication of which quarterbacks San Francisco will keep when roster cuts roll around. The team may wind up keeping all three signal-callers after running out of healthy arms and falling one game short of the Super Bowl last season.

Brissett is slated to open the coming season as Washington's No. 2 QB, with coach Ron Rivera having named Sam Howell as the team's starter Friday, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site reports.

Though Howell had been in a competition with Brissett since the start of OTAs, the report notes that the 2022 fifth-rounder had been taking almost all of the team's starting reps in practice, so the decision is not a surprising one. For his part, Brissett, who has 48 career NFL starts under his belt, provides the Commanders with a reliable insurance policy in the event that Howell suffers any injuries or struggles at all during the 2023 campaign.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that Darnold will play during the first half ahead of Trey Lance on Saturday, with the latter running the backup offense following halftime against the Broncos, Josh Dubow of the Associated Press reports.

Shanahan also hinted at a possible return for starter Brock Purdy (elbow), but he would only play for a drive or two if active before giving way to the veteran backup. The flip in order between Darnold and Trey Lance confirms that the 49ers' coaching staff views this as an honest competition for the backup job. Darnold threw for 84 yards on eight attempts while only playing the third quarter last week, so the team will get a longer look at 2018's third-overall pick against the Broncos on Saturday.

Coach Ron Rivera announced Friday that Howell has been named the Commanders' starting quarterback, Zach Selby of the team's official site reports.

Howell will thus draw the nod in the Commanders' regular-season opener against the Cardinals, with veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett set to work as his top backup. In addition to confirming Howell as the team's Week 1 starter, Rivera also relayed that the 2022 fifth-rounder will play in Monday night's preseason contest against the Ravens, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Mariota started the Eagles' 18-18 preseason tie with the Browns on Thursday night and completed nine of 17 passes for 86 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed once for five yards.

Mariota needs game reps in his new team's offense, so his extended stint in Thursday's contest makes sense. The veteran signal-caller was sharper in Philadelphia's preseason opener versus the Ravens while completing seven of 11 passes, but Mariota remains a lock for the role of Jalen Hurts' top backup come the regular season.

Thompson-Robinson completed 13 of 25 passes for 164 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and rushed four times for 18 yards in the Browns' 18-18 preseason tie with the Eagles on Thursday night. He also committed a fumble that he recovered.

The UCLA product was afforded the start and made good use of the opportunity, playing a turnover-free first half during which he only took one sack. Thompson-Robinson immediately led a 12-play, 75-yard drive on the Browns' first possession, only to see it culminate in a John Kelly fumble at the Eagles' three-yard line. Cleveland's next three drives ended in punts, but Thompson-Robinson was able to bounce back and lead the Browns to a pair of field goals before the end of the first half. Thompson-Robinson outperformed his competition for a roster spot, Kellen Mond, after also turning in solid performances during his first two preseason games, so the No. 3 job may be the rookie's to lose going into the team's exhibition finale against the Chiefs on the road on Saturday, Aug. 26.