NFL Player News

Ferguson (groin) will play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Browns, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Ferguson returned to practice Monday after having been forced to sit out the Rams' first two preseason games due to a groin injury, but the rookie second-round pick will get a chance to make his exhibition debut on the road versus Cleveland on Saturday. Prior sustaining his groin injury early August, Ferguson had drawn encouraging early reviews at training camp. He'll work to pick up where he left off and continue building momentum Saturday, with the goal of earning opportunities behind 32-year-old incumbent starting tight end Tyler Higbee.

Waller (undisclosed) is participating in position drills Thursday, Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald reports.

Waller's ramping up the scope of his practice participation one day after being activated from the active/PUP list. His absence from team activities prior to that activation was reportedly due to conditioning reasons, as Waller was getting back up to speed after being away from football in 2024. He's expected to serve as Miami's starting tight end in 2025 after unretiring.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Thursday that Stafford (back) has been a full participant at practice this week and has "looked like the stud we know," Stu Jackson of the team's official site reports.

McVay said Stafford has had "no restrictions" at practice this week, per Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com, completing a fourth consecutive on-field session Thursday. Of course, Stafford being a full participant in practice doesn't necessarily indicate that Los Angeles has held full-contact sessions or that he has been completely cleared to participate in such activities, but Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports that stacking days is exactly what the Rams hoped the veteran signal-caller would accomplish this week, and that he appears on track to play Week 1 barring any setbacks. As expected though, McVay confirmed that Stafford won't travel with the team to Saturday's preseason finale against the Browns, per Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.

Shough will serve as the No.2 quarterback behind Spencer Rattler during Saturday's preseason finale against the Broncos, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Shough was outplayed by Rattler during New Orleans' 17-17 preseason tie against Jacksonville on Sunday, in which he got the start but completed just nine of 12 pass attempts for 66 yards across four possessions. While head coach Kellen Moore confirms that starting Rattler on Saturday doesn't indicate that a decision for Week 1 has been made, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, Shough will certainly need to perform better versus Denver in order to make his case for opening the regular season under center. Across his two preseason showings combined, the rookie second-round pick has completed 24 of 34 pass attempts for 231 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Harris (undisclosed) didn't participate in team drills Thursday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Harris left practice Wednesday with trainers after individual drills and a day later was once again held out of the team portion of practice. The rookie wideout's unspecified injury issue thus clouds his status for Saturday's preseason finale against the 49ers.

Rattler will start Saturday's preseason finale against the Broncos, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Head coach Kellen Moore said Tuesday that he hasn't decided who will start Week 1 under center for New Orleans, calling the competition between Rattler and rookie Tyler Shough "really, really close," per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Moore also confirmed Thursday that the decision to start Rattler on Saturday isn't informative of the team's plans for the regular season, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Still, if Rattler can again outplay Shough, as he did during Sunday's 17-17 preseason tie against Jacksonville, it would be a strong argument in favor of him beginning the regular season under center.

Coach John Harbaugh confirmed Thursday that Jackson is "fine" after X-rays on the QB's foot revealed no damage, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Jackson, who left Wednesday's practice early because a teammate stepped on his foot, was held out of Thursday's session because his foot is sore, but at this stage the issue isn't viewed as a concern by Harbaugh. Chances are, Jackson will be held out of Saturday's preseason finale against the Commanders, and if that's the case, he'll turn his focus toward preparing for the Ravens' Sept. 7 regular-season opener against the Bills.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefansk said Thursday that Gabriel is set to play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Rams, entering the game second, after starter Joe Flacco and before Shedeur Sanders, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Gabriel and Sanders are competing for slotting behind Flacco, who has already been named the Week 1 starter and is in line to handle 25-30 snaps with the first-team offense Saturday. Meanwhile, Kenny Pickett (hamstring) will miss a third consecutive preseason game due to injury, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com. With roster cut-downs on deck next week, Saturday's game represents a crucial opportunity for both Gabriel and Sanders to put good reps on tape as they vie with Pickett for depth chart standing behind Flacco.

Sanders is slated to play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Rams, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Per Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, starter Joe Flacco should see around 25-to-30 snaps and then will be followed by Dillon Gabriel and Sanders, in that order. Meanwhile, Kenny Pickett (hamstring) is not in line to play this weekend. Now that Flacco has been named the Browns' Week 1 starter, the focus turns to the depth chart pecking order behind him as next week's roster cut downs approach.

Flacco is slated to start Saturday's preseason finale against the Rams, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Coach Kevin Stefanski indicated Thursday that Flacco and the Browns' healthy starters should see about 25-to-30 plays Saturday. Once Flacco departs the contest, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, in that order, are in line to see action, while Kenny Pickett won't play due to his hamstring issue, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com.