NFL Player News

Stroud will start Thursday's preseason opener against the Patriots, per coach DeMeco Ryans, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Stroud will make his NFL debut Thursday. The second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft is competing with Davis Mills for the starting quarterback job in Houston, but considering Stroud has been receiving the vast majority of recent first-team reps, the starting spot is his to lose.

Lawrence and the rest of Jacksonville's starters on offense will play one or two series in Saturday's preseason opener against Dallas, according to coach Doug Pederson, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Lawrence should get his first opportunity to build chemistry with wide receiver Calvin Ridley in a game situation. The third-year quarterback also will look to rekindle his connections with running back Travis Etienne, wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones and tight end Evan Engram, all of whom are returning from last year's team.

Young will start Carolina's first preseason game Saturday against the Jets, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Coach Frank Reich said he has a plan regarding how long Young would stay in the game, though he wouldn't elaborate on the details. Saturday will mark the much-anticipated NFL debut for Young, whom the Panthers selected first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Alabama after trading up. Young will likely be accompanied by most or all of Carolina's first-team offense for the duration of his time in the game.

Coach Sean Payton noted Saturday that the Broncos' starters, including Wilson, are slated to see playing time during the preseason, Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post reports.

With that in mind, Wilson is among the team's healthy key players who are candidates to see snaps in Friday night's preseason opener against the Cardinals. In the event that he does log snaps in the contest, we wouldn't expect it to be a long appearance for Wilson, with fellow QBs Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci also on track to see action versus Arizona.

Mills did not operate with the first-team offense during 11-on11 drills for a second consecutive practice Saturday, Deepi SIdhu of the Texans' official site reports.

Mills and C.J. Stroud have been splitting reps the first week of camp, but the pattern changed Friday. That's when Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans told Sidhu that Stroud has developed since the beginning of camp. "With C.J., what I've seen is he's definitely made adjustments," the coach said. Mills will get his opportunities during Thursday's preseason opener against the Patriots, but recent events indicate Stroud has the edge in the quarterback competition.

Stroud took all the first-team reps Saturday for a second consecutive day, Deepi Sidhu of the Texans' official site reports.

Stroud and Davis Mills had been splitting first-team reps each day during 11-on-11 drills, but that pattern changed Friday and Saturday. "With C.J., what I've seen is he's definitely made adjustments," Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans told Sidhu after Friday's session. "He's getting the ball out quick, he's making the proper reads." This could be a sign that Ryans plans to have Stroud start Thursday's preseason opener against New England.

The Cowboys have suggested the team is unlikely to play Prescott during the preseason, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

This isn't incredibly surprising given the Cowboys' playoff aspirations and Prescott's status as a seven-year veteran. The switch from offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to Brian Schottenheimer will likely result in a shift in offensive schemes, but it seems as if the team is confident it will work out the kinks throughout training camp and doesn't need to expose Prescott to any unnecessary hits during the team's three exhibition contests.

Levis has had an inconsistent rookie training camp but has shown leadership qualities, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Wyatt reported a specific story during two-minute drills Friday, when Levis scrambled up the middle for a nice gain. Derrick Henry was quick to congratulate him on the play, which Wyatt used as an example of the rookie winning over some of the veterans on the team. Levis is in competition with Malik Willis for the backup quarterback job, though that likely won't be settled until at least a couple of preseason games occur.

Zappe has worked primarily with the second-team offense in training camp, Karen Guregian of MassLive.com reports.

The Patriots haven't outright named Mac Jones their starting quarterback, but all signs point to that being the case. Jones has received the lion's share of reps with the starters and looked good while doing so, leaving Zappe to run the second-team offense. If Zappe can hold off Trace McSorley for the backup spot, he'll at least be in position to take advantage if Jones underperforms or gets hurt.

Boyle completed six of 11 passes for 61 yards in Thursday's 21-16 preseason loss to the Browns.

Boyle was in the game for New York's only touchdown drive, which was capped by a 10-yard Israel Abanikanda run in the second quarter. He came into the game after Zach Wilson and before Chris Streveler, suggesting Boyle has the upper hand on Streveler for the third-string quarterback job. Given Boyle's career 3:8 TD:INT in the NFL, he isn't a threat to usurp Wilson as Aaron Rodgers' backup.