NFL Player News

Allen and the starters will play in Saturday's preseason game against the Steelers.

Allen will draw his preseason debut Saturday, after he and Stefon Diggs sat out last week's contest against the Colts. Coach Sean McDermott said Allen and the starters will play "a quarter and a half," so the offense will have a chance to get plenty of reps.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that he hasn't made a decision on whether or not Purdy and the rest of the 49ers starters will play in Saturday's preseason game against the Broncos, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Purdy didn't suit up for the 49ers' first preseason game, but as of Monday, he's been cleared for all activity following his recovery from March surgery on his right throwing elbow, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. If Shanahan decides not to risk Purdy's health Saturday, the duo of Trey Lance and Sam Darnold likely will split quarterback reps like they did in the team's exhibition opener. Beyond this weekend, Purdy's next chance for game action comes Aug. 25 versus the Chargers.

Huntley (hamstring) still isn't practicing as of Wednesday, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Huntley left Saturday's preseason opener against the Eagles with the injury and hasn't yet been cleared to resume team drills. His exit from the contest was labeled as precautionary, though it's possible the team is still playing it safe with Huntley in practice, too. Huntley should be locked into the No. 2 role at quarterback behind starter Lamar Jackson.

Allen completed five of eight pass attempts for 36 yards and an interception in Sunday's preseason loss to Las Vegas.

Allen was the third quarterback to enter the exhibition for San Francisco behind starter Trey Lance and Sam Darnold. With Brock Purdy (elbow) expected to be ready for Week 1, Allen is likely the odd man out come roster cuts. The veteran backup will continue to display his skills for the 49ers or potentially other suitors this preseason.

Bagent is battling with Nathan Peterman to be Chicago's third-string quarterback, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Bagent is an undrafted free agent, but the Bears may be more interested in seeing if they can develop him instead of sticking with Peterman, who has NFL experience. Ultimately, this camp battle is expected to determine who is behind Justin Fields and PJ Walker on the depth chart.

Peterman is competing with Tyson Bagent for the Bears' third-string quarterback role, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Peterman provided the Bears with needed veteran experience last year. However, the team has the potential to develop Bagent, which may be more beneficial to the team. Regardless, the winner of the camp battle projects to be Chicago's No. 3 quarterback.

Walker is expected to be the backup to Justin Fields when the regular season begins, Adam Jahns of The Athletic reports.

Walker has had struggles during training camp, but his experience gives him an edge over Tyson Bagent and Nathan Peterman. Should Fields miss time, the likely drop off to Walker may be significant.

Dorian-Thompson will get the start Thursday against the Eagles, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Dorian-Thompson has been solid during the preseason, completing 17 of 21 passes for 184 yards, with 47 rushing yards on nine carries. This may be evidence that he has at least surpassed Kellen Mond, who will come in after the UCLA product, on the team's positional depth chart. Joshua Dobbs will not suit up.

Dalton is dealing with back tightness, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Dalton's back issue doesn't currently sound like it will impact his Week 1 availability. 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young is locked in as the Panthers' starter, but Dalton remains one of the league's most experienced backups and should be key as a mentor for the rookie. As long as he's sidelined, 2022 third-round pick Matt Corral figures to see increased reps behind Young.

Minshew will head into Week 1 as the Colts' backup quarterback after head coach Shane Steichen announced Tuesday that Anthony Richardson will open the regular season as the starter.

Steichen's decision isn't a major surprise, as the Colts' goal heading into training camp was to get Richardson, the No. 4 overall draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, ready to stake his claim to the starting role. The fact that Steichen made the announcement after just one preseason game is more of a surprise, but the rookie has apparently shown enough in camp and turned in a decent performance in the Colts' exhibition opener. Unless Richardson gets hurt or fails to show much growth over his first several starts, Minshew doesn't look as though he'll be in store for much playing time in 2023.