NFL Player News

Lions coach Dan Campbell suggested Goff and other key players won't play in Saturday's preseason game against Indianapolis, SI.com's Christian Booher reports.

Goff was sharp in the preseason opener, completing three of four passes for 47 yards to set up a rushing TD for D'Andre Swift. The Detroit offense appears improved this year, with Swift, TE T.J. Hockenson and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown joined by veteran wideout DJ Chark and eventually rookie first-round pick Jameson Williams (knee). The team also has a solid offensive line, though things look less promising on defense, to say the least.

Coach Dan Campbell indicated Blough will start Detroit's preseason game at Indianapolis on Saturday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

It's an encouraging vote of confidence in Blough, who outplayed Tim Boyle for nearly the entire game in the Lions' preseason opener vs. Atlanta before fumbling a crucial snap late in the fourth quarter that essentially cost his team the game. It appears that he and Boyle are in a legitimate competition for the backup job behind Jared Goff, and Blough could give himself a big boost with another solid performance against the Colts.

Prescott is having the best training camp of his career according to Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports. "I thought he's had his best camp that I've seen him have since he's been a Cowboy," Jones said this week. "Velocity, his accuracy, the whole thing. Obviously, as the quarterbacks get older, they get better. The good ones do. They get better every year. There's no question in my mind, I think he's had his best training camp he's ever had."

The quarterback is also fully healthy for the first time in a couple years, which undoubtedly helps, but Prescott appears to be showing some further skill growth in camp as well. The Dallas receiving corps is currently missing both Michael Gallup (knee) and James Washington (foot), while CeeDee Lamb (toe) is a little banged up too, so Prescott likely won't get a chance to fully demonstrate he's taken a step forward until the regular season even if he does see action in the Cowboys' remaining preseason games. Once all his main targets are healthy though, he could be poised for another elite run like he had at the beginning of 2021.

Walker is expected to be the starting quarterback for Friday's preseason matchup with the Patriots, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

The Panthers are playing mostly second- and third-string players Friday night, leaving Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold on the bench while they battle for the regular-season starting spot. Walker could enter the 2022 campaign as the third option at quarterback behind Mayfield and Darnold.

Neither Mayfield nor Darnold will start Friday's preseason game against New England, with the Panthers instead turning to P.J. Walker to lead a crew of mostly backups, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Some might take it as a sign the battle for the starting QB job is all but settled, with Mayfield emerging as the favorite and Darnold not getting a chance to make up ground Friday night. Jeff Howe of The Athletic recently reported that the decision is all but made, even though the Panthers haven't announced a winner. On the other hand, Fowler's report Friday morning suggests the decision may not be finalized. Coach Matt Rhule said in early August that the earliest he'd announce a Week 1 starter would be after the upcoming matchup with New England.

Neither Darnold nor Baker Mayfield is expected to start Friday's preseason game against New England, with the Panthers resting most of their key players and giving P.J. Walker the start at quarterback, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

This reports suggests Darnold and Mayfield are still battling for the QB job, while Jeff Howe of The Athletic recently reported that Mayfield will be named the starter "when the team is ready to make the announcement." Either way, there's not much doubt Mayfield is the favorite, and Darnold won't have a chance to gain ground Friday night. He does still have practices to make an impression, and he could see action in the third and final preseason game next week.

Coach Robert Saleh isn't ready to rule Wilson (knee) out for New York's Sept. 11 season opener against the Ravens, Rich Cimini of ESPN reports.

Wilson has a return timetable of 4-6 weeks after undergoing knee surgery to repair his meniscus on Aug. 16. It's widely assumed that Joe Flacco will get the Week 1 nod under center against the veteran's former team, but Wilson still has a chance to play if his recovery lands on the shorter end of the projected window. "If Zach is ready to play, he's going to be the Week 1 starter," Saleh said. "If he's not, Joe will. That's no secret."

Jones said he had a non-football-related neck procedure this past offseason, ESPN.com Jordan Raanan reports.

Jones said it was "completely unrelated" to the neck injury that kept him out for the final six games last year. He didn't need surgery for that issue but apparently had a procedure to address something else near his neck. Jones was cleared for contact at least a month and a half before training camp and already made an appearance this preseason, completing six of 10 passes for 69 yards against the Patriots last week. Coach Brian Daboll said Jones and other starters will play in the second preseason game this Sunday against Cincinnati, though perhaps less than previously expected due to injuries on the offensive line, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Jones told reporters he expects to play in Friday's preseason game against Carolina, Mark Daniels of The Providence Journal reports.

This presumably means the Patriots are playing most of their starters, though perhaps not the entire lineup. They return every starter on offense from last year besides G Shaq Mason, who was traded to Tampa and promptly replaced back in New England by first-round pick Cole Strange. Apart from that, the big offseason changes were a trade for WR DeVante Parker and the loss of former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, with the Patriots now leaning on some combination of Matt Patricia, Joe Judge and Bill Belichick for play calling.

Brissett was on the field with the starting offense during Thursday's joint practice with the Eagles and was notable for making short throws during drills, Ashley Bastock of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Browns' offense takes on a different look without Deshaun Watson, whose suspension increased from six to 11 games Thursday, and there was evidence of how it will change with Brissett under center. He completed most of his passes and didn't turn the ball over but didn't take many chances deep. The passing game may be less daring or willing to force big plays, and there is an expectation that the offense will be a run-heavy unit. The differences between the two quarterbacks became apparent when Watson was on the field; he wasn't afraid to make big throws.