NFL Player News

The Panthers placed Darnold (ankle) on injured reserve Thursday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Coach Matt Rhule said Darnold will miss "at least four weeks" while recovering from a left high-ankle sprain suffered in last Friday's preseason finale, so his placement on injured reserve was inevitable. The move opens up a roster spot for kicker Eddy Pineiro. Darnold will be eligible to return Week 5 versus the 49ers, at the earliest. For now, Carolina will roll with P.J. Walker as the backup to starter Baker Mayfield.

Johnson signed with the Broncos' practice squad Wednesday, Aric DiLalla of the team's official site reports.

Johnson surprisingly failed to make the 53-man roster after seemingly running ahead of Brett Rypien for most of training camp. The veteran quarterback went unclaimed on waivers and will be on hand as a potential roster addition should Russell Wilson or Rypien have to miss any time.

Wilson and the Broncos agreed to terms Thursday on a five-year, $245 million contract extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Wilson's extension includes $165 million in guarantees and makes him the highest-played player in Denver's franchise history before taking a regular-season snap with the team. As noted by Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com, Wilson's $42.9 million per season salary links him to the Broncos for the next seven years and makes him the seventh highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. The timing of the deal provides both sides with the stability of a long-term commitment leading up to Week 1 of the 2022 campaign, a season-opener which will see the 33-year-old Wilson look to take advantage of a strong roster that includes top wideouts Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy against his former team in Seattle.

The Bengals signed Browning to their practice squad Wednesday.

Browning was waived Tuesday but went through waivers unclaimed, allowing the Bengals to add him to their practice squad. The 26-year-old quarterback likely won't be elevated to the 53-man roster unless Joe Burrow (appendix) gets hurt, though the Bengals don't have a backup on the roster at the moment after cutting both Browning and Brandon Allen.

Peterman was signed to Chicago's practice squad Wednesday, Larry Mayer of the Bears' official site reports.

Peterman joins the practice squad as expected after going unclaimed on waivers. He'll likely spend the entire season on Chicago's practice squad unless either Justin Fields or Trevor Siemian gets hurt.

Brown joined Baltimore's practice squad Wednesday, Ryan Mink of the Ravens' official site reports.

The Ravens were probably relieved to see the undrafted rookie out of Oregon go unclaimed on waivers, as Brown showed promise in the preseason with 464 yards and three touchdowns through the air across parts of three games. Brown's purely in a developmental role at the moment with Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley locked into the two quarterback spots on the 53-man roster.

Grier has signed with the Cowboys' practice squad, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Grier was competing with Cooper Rush for the opportunity to back up Dak Prescott under center. The team ultimately opted to cut both and sign them to its practice squad. One of the two will likely be called up to the roster come Week 1, as Prescott is currently the only quarterback on the roster.

Rush has signed with Dallas' practice squad, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Rush was competing with Will Grier for the backup quarterback position behind Dak Prescott during training camp. The team ultimately opted to cut both and keep Prescott as the lone quarterback on the 53-man roster. The team will likely call up one of the two to be the emergency backup come Week 1.

The Texans signed Driskel to their practice squad Wednesday.

Driskel was released by Houston as part of the team's final roster cuts but will return to the organization via the practice squad. It's possible that the veteran joins an active roster this year if a team needs a backup quarterback.

The Bills signed Barkley to their practice squad Wednesday, Alec White of the team's official site reports.

Barkley was excellent during the Bills preseason finale, completing 18 of 24 passes for 224 yards. However, Case Keenum still earned the top backup spot behind Josh Allen on the active roster. Regardless, Barkley has been brought back and will operate as an emergency option on the team's practice squad.