NFL Player News

Shough drew positive reviews for his performance during the Saints' final practice of training camp Aug. 26, Grant Chachere of SI.com reports.

Though he didn't play at all in the preseason while the Saints instead opened up more reps for backups Spencer Rattler and Zach Wilson, Shough reportedly looked sharp throughout training camp while keeping the New Orleans offense productive. Shough was able to close out camp on a high note by tossing three touchdown passes during 11-on-11 sessions, and Shough would have had two more had Devaughn Vele secured a one-handed catch in the end zone and had Chris Olave not fumbled near the goal line on another play. New Orleans will be without one of its key playmakers to begin the season in rookie first-round wideout Jordyn Tyson (hamstring), but Shough appeared to build good chemistry with new starting running back Travis Etienne, who was a frequent target of the quarterback during camp practices.

The Falcons plan for Penix (knee) to start "eventually" this season, but head coach Kevin Stefanski has yet to decide whether Penix or Tua Tagovailoa will direct the offense Week 1 in Pittsburgh, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Penix didn't suit up for the preseason while completing his recovery from Nov. 25 surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, but he was cleared to take part in 11-on-11 drills just under two weeks ago and has been able to get some reps in with the first-team offense. Stefanski plans to continue evaluating both Penix and Tagovailoa in practices this week and next before naming a starter. Because of Penix's limitations for much of training camp, Tagovailoa initially appeared to be a strong bet to open the season as the Falcons' starter, but a poor preseason in which he fumbled twice and struggled to push the ball down the field has thus far prevented him from securing the Week 1 nod.

The Buccaneers signed Stick to the practice squad Monday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

The Colts cut Stick on Sunday, but the quarterback has found a new home with the Buccaneers and will provide additional depth in case Baker Mayfield or Jalon Daniels misses time during the 2026 season.

The Jets signed Zappe to the practice squad Tuesday, Amanda Vogt of the team's official site reports.

The Jets cut Zappe last Saturday. The quarterback was competing for the No. 2 role behind Geno Smith but lost out to Cade Klubnik and Brady Cook. Zappe will now provide additional depth at the position and be ready to be elevated as an emergency quarterback if any of the first three options must miss time due to injury.

The Cowboys signed Milton to their practice squad Wednesday.

Milton is staying in Dallas after going unclaimed on waivers. The 26-year-old completed 29 of his 43 passes attempts for 378 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions across three preseason outings and will likely serve as the team's emergency third quarterback behind Dak Prescott and Sam Howell.

The Vikings signed Brosmer to the practice squad Wednesday, Rob Kleifield reports.

Brosmer made the Vikings' initial 53-man roster before being waived on Monday. The quarterback cleared waivers and will now serve as additional depth to Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy (ankle) and Carson Wentz on the practice squad instead of the active roster.

Prescott didn't log any snaps during the Cowboys' three-game preseason schedule.

Prescott has had WR CeeDee Lamb to throw to since 2020, but the addition of George Pickens during the 2025 offseason helped the quarterback rack up the second-most passing yards in a season (4,552) of his 10-year career. Additionally, Prescott also tossed 30 TDs for the fourth time among his career-high 600 pass attempts. Dallas likely would like that latter number to come down in a more balanced offense, and a new defensive scheme under coordinator Christian Parker could mean Prescott and the offense are in catch-up mode less often. In any case, Prescott has a bonafide top receiving duo at his services, so another 4,000-yard campaign is entirely within the realm of possibilities in 2026

Darnold did not participate in any of the Seahawks' three preseason games.

Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, AJ Barner and other Seahawks offensive starters observed all three preseason games from the sidelines, with the team seemingly not wanting to risk injury to its top contributors ahead of Week 1 against the Patriots. Darnold's pass catchers are mostly the same as those he threw to during last year's Super Bowl run, though the veteran signal caller is working under new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury after Klint Kubiak accepted the Raiders' head coach position. Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker also bolted to Kansas City in free agency, and with Zach Charbonnet (knee) opening the season on the reserve/PUP list, Darnold's top options out of the backfield are rookie first-rounder Jadarian Price and George Holani. Darnold finished the 2025 regular season fifth and seventh in passing yards (4,048) and completion percentage (67.7), respectively, though his 14 interceptions were third-most behind Geno Smith (17) and Tua Tagovailoa (15).

Coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that Stidham will be the Broncos' backup quarterback to begin the 2026 season, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Sam Ehlinger pushed Stidham during training camp for his spot on Denver's depth chart behind starter Bo Nix, and the team opted to keep three quarterbacks on its initial 53-man roster, but at least for now, Stidham is second in the pecking order. Unless Nix gets hurt at some point, neither Stidham nor Ehlinger would be expected to get any snaps in a reasonably close game.

McCarthy (ankle) has practiced in full this week, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Vikings GM Nolan Teasley said Wednesday that he also expects McCarthy to remain with the team this season, whether it's as Kyler Murray's direct backup or the QB3 behind Carson Wentz. Coach Kevin O'Connell seems to want more time with the 2024 first-rounder in an effort to continue to develop the 23-year-old. Across two preseason games this summer, McCarthy completed nine of 17 passes for 115 yards.