NFL Player News

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Friday that Mahomes (knee) is unlikely to play in the Chiefs' preseason opener against the Rams on Saturday, Aug. 15, Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star reports.

Reid isn't sure if Mahomes will play in the second or third preseason game, either. The Chiefs typically play their starters more than other teams in August, but it won't be shocking if they make an exception for a superstar QB coming back from an ACL tear. Mahomes' return has gone well, by all accounts, with no signs of limitation early at training camp. He may not run as often as he did last year, but he's on track for a Week 1 appearance.

Murray has taken around two-thirds of the first-team snaps at training camp, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell hasn't announced his timeline to name a Week 1 starter, but he is providing hints that Murray is a strong favorite over J.J. McCarthy, including earlier this week when O'Connell told reporters that Murray has "shown improvement every single day" during camp. Seifert's report notes that McCarthy has also shown progress, but not enough to truly challenge Murray in the supposed job battle.

McCarthy has taken around one-third of the first-team snaps at training camp so far, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert.

The Vikings have divided snaps, as promised, but with Kyler Murray getting significantly more work than McCarthy. That's no surprise given McCarthy's performance last year, but the team does still seem to have some interest in developing him. The report notes that McCarthy has spent much of the summer leading Minnesota's second-string offense against the first-string defense, with mixed results. Murray remains a strong favorite to start Week 1.

Pickett started the Hall of Fame Game against the Cardinals on Thursday, completing eight of 11 passes for 62 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Pickett was in on the first three drives for the Panthers, but the first pair of possessions netted a modest 38 yards on eight plays. However, the 2022 first-round pick was able to lead Carolina to its first touchdown the third time he had the ball, connecting with four different targets while helping drive the Panthers a total of 67 yards on 10 plays. Pickett kept most of his throws close to the line of scrimmage, but he recorded 19- and 18-yard completions to John Metchie and AJ Dillon, respectively, during the scoring march. Pickett projects to serve as the primary backup to Bryce Young during the regular season, and if Thursday's performance is any indication, the former appears to be picking up head coach Dave Canales' offense well in his first summer in Carolina.

Beck started Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Panthers and completed 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions while adding two rushes for three yards.

The rookie third-round pick had built significant momentum in training camp leading into Thursday's preseason opener, and Beck looked every bit as sharp as he'd often had during recent practices. The UM product showed immediate command of the offense by spreading the ball around to seven different pass catchers over his first two drives, and he put together a masterful march on his second possession that spanned 13 plays, 96 yards and 7:17 of game time. Beck showed off his deep ball with a 35-yard strike to Jalen Brooks during the drive, and he narrowly missed his first touchdown pass when Corey Kiner was brought down inside the 1-yard line on a catch. However, Beck would make up for it the next time he had the ball, moving the Cardinals 60 yards on four plays with the help of a 49-yard connection with Brooks and capping the drive off with a deft five-yard fade in the right corner of the end zone to Simi Fehoko. Beck played the entirety of the first half and certainly gave a nearly impeccable accounting of himself in his pro debut, and he's expected to continue seeing plenty of opportunity in Arizona's second preseason game on the road against the Raiders next Thursday.

Murray impressed at Wednesday's practice, connecting on multiple deep passes and showing off his speed on scrambles, according to SI.com's Jason Harmon.

The report suggests Murray may be putting some distance between himself and J.J. McCarthy, who reportedly has struggled at training camp while sharing the first-team reps. Reports on Murray also hadn't been great, at least until Wednesday, but he seems to be trending in the right direction, taking the lion's share of the snaps with the starters during Wednesday's practice, per The Minneapolis Star Tribune. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said in July that he has a timeline in place to name his Week 1 starting QB, but he didn't share that timeline with the media.

Pickett is set to play only a series or two in Thursday's Hall of Fame game against the Cardinals, Joseph Person of The Athletic reports.

After Pickett plays, rookie undrafted free agent Haynes King is set to play the rest of the game at quarterback. Pickett has bounced around teams since leaving the Steelers in 2024, playing for the Eagles and then the Raiders before settling with the Panthers this offseason. The 2022 first-rounder is looking to operate at a high level and display that he has what it takes to be an insurance option for the current NFC South champions.

Coach Todd Monken confirmed Wednesday that Sanders and Deshaun Watson will continue to alternate first-team signal-caller reps every practice until he names a starter, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Meanwhile, Sanders reportedly turned in a strong effort during Tuesday's session, per Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, while Petrak indicates that on Wednesday, Watson had his best day of training camp to date. In any case, this is a job battle in which a clear-cut favorite has yet to emerge, and in terms of a timetable for his decision on naming the Browns' Week 1 starter, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal notes that at this stage Monken has neither determined the order in which starts will be assigned during the preseason, nor has he set a deadline for tabbing his starter ahead of the regular-season opener.

Coach Todd Monken noted Wednesday that Watson and Shedeur Sanders will continue to alternate first-team QB reps every practice until he names a starter, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

While Sanders reportedly looked sharp during Tuesday's session, per Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, Petrak indicates that Watson had his best day of camp thus far Wednesday, notably in terms of his accuracy and decision-making. With regard to a timetable for his decision on naming the Browns' Week 1 starter, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal relays that Monken has neither solidified the order in which starts will be assigned during the preseason nor when a top option will emerge. The team's exhibition opener is Aug. 15 against the Bears.

Sanders and Deshaun Watson are each expected to start one of Cleveland's first two preseason games, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Sanders and Watson are jockeying for the Browns' No. 1 QB role for the upcoming campaign, and the pair has been rotating first-team reps so far in camp. With neither signal-caller having separated himself to this point, how each performs during preseason games will likely be the determining factor in who gets the Week 1 start. Head coach Todd Monken is planning to start the leader of the competition in the team's third preseason game, per Wolfe, so fantasy managers may know at that point which quarterback is the more desirable option, though neither Sanders nor Watson is looking like a particularly appealing asset in leagues that deploy one starting QB.