NFL Player News

The Panthers have named Mayfield as their starting quarterback ahead of Week 1, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

The decision was relayed Monday by head coach Matt Rhule, with Mayfield now set to start the Panthers' Week 1 contest against the Browns. Meanwhile, Sam Darnold is slated to serve as the team's No. 2 QB, with P.J. Walker in line to slot in as the Carolina's third signal-caller, given that rookie Matt Corral is sidelined by a foot injury. The Panthers plan to start Mayfield in their preseason finale Friday against Buffalo, giving him a few more reps to warm up for Week 1, according to James Palmer of NFL Network.

The Panthers have chosen Baker Mayfield over Darnold as their Week 1 starting quarterback, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

The expected outcome was finalized Monday morning, resigning Darnold to a backup role in which his playing time will depend on Mayfield's health and performance. The battle played out on the practice field this summer, with Darnold attempting only three passes through the first two games of the preseason.

Stidham is set to be the backup quarterback with Las Vegas this season, Marcus Mosher of USA Today reports.

Stidham will operate as Derek Carr's backup in 2022 after Nick Mullens was traded to the Vikings on Monday. Head coach Josh McDaniels prefers keeping just two quarterbacks on the active roster, which, when combined with Stidham's strong preseason performance thus far, helped lock him into the No. 2 role.

The Vikings have traded a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to the Raiders in exchange for Mullens, Craig Peters of the team's official site reports.

Now that he's with the Vikings, Mullens will have an opportunity to compete for the team's No. 2 QB job behind starter Kirk Cousins. Also currently in the mix on that front are Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond. Additionally, the trade solidifies Jarrett Stidham's standing as Derek Carr's top backup for the Raiders.

Rudolph completed 17 of 21 pass attempts for 127 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions during the Steelers' 16-15 preseason win over the Jaguars on Saturday.

Rudolph was the third quarterback to enter Saturday's matchup for the Steelers, but he led the team's signal-callers in playing time since he was on the field for the entire second half. The 2018 third-rounder was efficient for a second consecutive week, and he threw a go-ahead touchdown pass with under a minute remaining in the matchup. While Rudolph's preseason play has been strong, he worked mainly with the Steelers' third-team offense this week, while Kenny Pickett has played primarily with the second-stringers. Rudolph's strong results during the preseason strengthen his case for a spot on Pittsburgh's 53-man roster, but it's possible that he'll be forced to settle for the No. 3 job under center to begin the regular season.

Johnson completed eight of 16 passes for 70 yards in Saturday's 42-15 loss to the Bills.

Johnson had a quiet day in Saturday's game against the Bills, opening the door for fellow quarterback Brett Rypien to showcase his abilities as the two compete for the No. 2 spot behind Russell Wilson. Though Johnson was impressive in Denver's first preseason game against Dallas, his lackluster showing Saturday may give Rypien a chance to make the competition closer. This is especially true since Rypien looked sharp, completing 22 of 26 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. Johnson appears to be the favorite to be the backup once the season starts, but the Broncos' third preseason game against Minnesota on Aug. 27 will be an opportunity for the 36-year-old to prove he deserves that spot.

Coach Pete Carroll intends for Lock to play "a lot" in Friday's preseason finale against the Cowboys, Brady Henderson of ESPN reports.

Lock missed the team's previous preseason game due to COVID-19, but he should get a chance to make up for lost time with plenty of playing time Friday. Carroll added that the team is unlikely to decide on a starting quarterback between Lock and Geno Smith (knee) until closer to the regular season. Still, a strong performance Friday would go a long way in helping Lock make his case for the Week 1 starting job.

Jones completed 14 of 16 passes for 116 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 25-22 preseason win over the Bengals. He added five yards on one rushing attempt in three drives of action.

Jones completed his first six passes but capped New York's second drive with an interception. In fairness to Jones, his interception first bounced off the hands of rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger and then appeared to hit the ground, but it was ruled that Bengals safety Daxton Hill possessed the ball. The 25-year-old quarterback bounced back nicely on his third and final possession of the game, leading a touchdown drive capped by a two-yard Jashaun Corbin run. Despite the presence of veteran alternative Tyrod Taylor on the roster, Jones is locked in as the Giants' starting quarterback while healthy.

Jones and the bulk of the Giants' healthy first-team offense participated in warmups ahead of Sunday's preseason game against the Bengals, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

While it looks like running back Saquon Barkley may not appear in the contest, it seems as though Jones is in line to see some action versus Cincinnati. With that in mind, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record indicates that Jones could make an abbreviated appearance in the contest before giving way to Tyrod Taylor.

Allen is starting Sunday's preseason game against the Giants, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Allen started the Bengals' preseason opener against Arizona last weekend and completed all three of his pass attempts for 29 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions before sustaining a concussion. He should have more opportunities to prove himself during Sunday's preseason matchup.