NFL Player News

Darnold likely suffered a high left ankle sprain during Friday's preseason game versus the Bills, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The diagnosis follows an initial examination of Darnold's left ankle, which rolled to the inside as he was taken to the turf by a Buffalo defender in the third quarter. He already had lost the Panthers' quarterback competition to Baker Mayfield this week, and Darnold's prospects to be the No. 2 signal-caller Week 1 now have taken a hit. Darnold will undergo an MRI on Saturday to learn the severity of the injury and whether or not there's additional damage in the region, but coach Matt Rhule told Darin Gantt of the team's official site postgame that he doesn't believe he has a fracture. This marks the second significant health concern to impact Carolina's QB room following a season-ending foot injury to rookie third-rounder Matt Corral. With Corral sidelined and Darnold potentially joining him in short order, P.J. Walker is in line to back up Baker Mayfield to begin the 2022 season.

Darnold won't return to Friday's preseason game against the Bills due to a left ankle injury, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

In the same week in which he lost Carolina's quarterback battle to Baker Mayfield, Darnold now may be in danger of missing the start of the coming campaign after having his left ankle roll to the inside as he was taken to the ground by a Buffalo defender in the third quarter. Darnold required a cart to go to the locker room, while P.J. Walker replaced him on the team's next possession. With rookie third-rounder Matt Corral (foot) out for the season, Walker is the only healthy signal-caller on the roster behind Mayfield.

Darnold needed a cart to go to the locker room after suffering an apparent left ankle injury during Friday's preseason contest versus the Bills, Schuyler Callihan of SI.com reports.

While throwing an incompletion, Darnold's left ankle rolled to the inside as he was taken the ground by a Bills defender. He attempted to get to his feet but was unable to put any weight on his left leg, and after trainers checked him out he went to the locker room. In a week in which he lost the Panthers' quarterback battle to Baker Mayfield, Darnold now is in danger of beginning the upcoming season in street clothes instead of in uniform and at the ready if called upon by coach Matt Rhule. With rookie third-round pick Matt Corral (foot) already out for the season, P.J. Walker is the only healthy QB currently on Carolina's roster aside from Mayfield.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Grier (groin) will be "full speed" and likely play during the first three quarters of Friday's preseason finale against the Seahawks, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Grier aggravated his groin injury during last week's exhibition game, but he played through the issue and won't be limited during the preseason finale. The 2019 third-round pick has looked solid at times during training camp, but he'll likely need to significantly outperform Cooper Rush on Friday to have a real chance at claiming the No. 2 job.

GM John Schneider told Seattle Sports 710 AM that Smith will play "a series or two" during Friday's preseason game at Dallas, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Smith thus will get the first QB reps in all three of the Seahawks' exhibitions, but his workload will be far less than in the first two contests, when he handled the entire first half both times. This time around, he'll welcome back Drew Lock after the latter sat out preseason Week 2 due to a positive test for COVID-19. The competition between Smith and Lock remains unsettled, but Smith has maintained his lead from the offseason program into training camp and the preseason, so it appears he's the favorite to be under center for Seattle in Week 1.

Winston (knee/foot) is expected to play in Friday's preseason finale against the Chargers, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.

Winston has not seen game action since he suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 of the 2021 season, but he's been practicing leading up to Friday's tilt and is now poised to see some preseason snaps. Though we'd expect him to log an abbreviated appearance versus the Chargers, it's clear that Winston is on track to play in Week 1 against Atlanta, barring any setbacks.

The Jaguars waived Luton on Monday.

Luton was waived by the Jaguars last week but returned to the team Tuesday. However, he once again finds himself on waivers after the team claimed Jake Verity off waivers from the Colts. Luton appeared in two preseason games with Jacksonville and completed 22 of 38 passes for 186 yards and one interception.

Prescott and most other starters aren't expected to play in Friday's final preseason game against Seattle, with the Cowboys looking ahead to their Week 1 matchup with the Buccaneers, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Prescott hasn't played in the preseason since coach Mike McCarthy took over, and this year it had nothing to do with an injury or pandemic. The 29-year-old QB stayed healthy throughout spring and summer after having minor surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in February, but he may nonetheless find the upcoming season more challenging than last, as the Cowboys no longer have WR Amari Cooper, won't have WR Michael Gallup (knee) for Week 1 and expect LT Tyron Smith (knee) to miss most or all of the season. Prescott still has WR CeeDee Lamb and TE Dalton Schultz at his disposal, plus RBs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, so it's not like he won't have some help when the Cowboys square off with Tom Brady and Co. on Sunday Night Football in Week 1.

Coach Mike Tomlin relayed that Trubisky will start Sunday's preseason finale against the Lions.

Per Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site, Trubisky will be followed in the contest by Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph. At this stage, the team has yet to declare a Week 1 starting QB, but Trubisky has been viewed as the favorite on that front. That said, Pickett -- the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft -- remains a threat to overtake his veteran counterpart at some point, and how the two fare in Sunday's action could well add some intrigue to the competition.

Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes that the expectation is for Jones and most of the Patriots' top players to see minimal action in Friday's preseason finale against the Raiders.

Per Reiss, Jones and company got in some good work during a pair of joint practices with the Raiders this week, so it seems likely that key starters who suit up Friday will log limited snaps. In that context, rookie QB Bailey Zappe is a candidate to see extended action in New England's exhibition finale.