NFL Player News

Tagovailoa has the "inside track" to be named the Falcons' starting quarterback ahead of Week 1, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Helping Tagovailoa's cause so far in training camp has been his accuracy, though Michael Penix's ongoing recovery from the torn ACL he suffered Week 11 of last season has contained him to 7-to-7 drills, at best, in practice. Fowler noted that coach Kevin Stefanski "might wait this out until after the preseason to name a starter," so it appears he'll make Tagovailoa earn the role on his merits. Tagovailoa is slated to start Friday's exhibition against the Broncos, which may help him stake a claim to the eventual No. 1 role.

Daniels isn't slated to suit up for Friday's preseason game versus the Dolphins, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Other key skill-position players like RBs Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White, WRs Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs and TE Chig Okonkwo are in the same boat as Daniels. Because White, Diggs and Okonkwo all are newcomers to the Commanders this season, Daniel likely will see some exhibition action before Week 1, with his next chance to do so Saturday, Aug. 22 in Detroit.

Coach Mike Macdonald said Friday that Darnold won't suit up for Saturday's preseason game versus the Cowboys, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.

Darnold will have two more opportunities to log some exhibition action before the regular season, with the next such chance coming Sunday, Aug. 23 at Tennessee. While the Seahawks' receiving corps didn't experience significant changes in the offseason, the backfield lost Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs in free agency, while Zach Charbonnet remains in recovery mode from a January ACL tear. Darnold thus will be handing off to some combination of rookie first-rounder Jadarian Price (lower body), George Holani and Emanuel Wilson to kick off the regular season.

Price (lower body) won't suit up for Saturday's preseason game against the Cowboys, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.

Price has been tending to lower-body soreness since last Friday and hasn't practiced in the interim, but he was spotted running on a side field Tuesday and then took part in Wednesday's walkthrough, per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. Coach Mike Macdonald said Friday that Price is still "on the mend," so it remains to be seen when he'll mix back into at least individual drills. It also should be noted that Price was listed as the Seahawks' No. 2 RB on the team's first unofficial depth chart of training camp behind George Holani and ahead of Emanuel Wilson, so the rookie first-round pick may have some work to do to handle a larger share of the backfield work to begin the regular season.

Boutte logged 16 snaps in Thursday's preseason opener against the Colts.

Boutte wasn't targeted in the contest. However, what's more notable is that he suited up while A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and slot man DeMario Douglas, who are listed as first-teamers on New England's unofficial depth chart, were held held out of the game along with a number of other skill players, while Boutte, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism all saw action in the contest. As long as Boutte -- who has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate -- stays with the Patriots, his path to targets looks murky, at least as long as Brown and Doubs are healthy.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Friday that Jacobs (groin) could potentially return to practice later next week, Weston Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

Jacobs, of course, didn't play in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Steelers and has been sidelined for the past week. With Jacobs missing reps, MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks have been seeing additional snaps with the first-team offense in Green Bay. Lloyd is shaping up as one of the better late-round fantasy fliers this summer after Jacobs battled nagging injuries during the 2025 campaign.

The NFL suspended Pearce eight games Friday for violating the league's personal conduct policy, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Pearce was arrested in February following a domestic dispute in Florida. With Pearce now set to miss essentially half the regular season and Jalon Walker done for 2026 with a torn ACL, the Falcons are in a dire situation at edge rusher. Veterans Azeez Ojulari and Samson Ebukam are next up at the position. Per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com, ahead of the regular season, Pearce, who isn't appealing his suspension, is eligible to participate in all preseason activities, including games. He will be eligible for reinstatement Nov. 2.

Coach Kellen Moore acknowledged that Tyson's right hamstring injury "could" linger into the start of the regular season, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

"We've just got to let these experts evaluate this and then we'll put together a plan," Moore said. "Not going to jump to conclusions. I don't have a doctor in front of my name, so I'm not going to jump to put together a timeline on it." Tyson -- who is reportedly seeking multiple opinions, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network -- was injured in practice Thursday and has dealt with hamstring issues in the past. If he's unable to play Week 1 against the Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13, the Saints would need to lean more on Devaughn Vele and rookie Bryce Lance behind Chris Olave.

Samuel did not play in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Titans.

Samuel joined Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed), Mike Evans (quadriceps) and a host of other injured Niners in street clothes against Tennessee. Samuel is 30 years old and just signed with the team two weeks ago. He's expected to push Christian Kirk (calf) and rookie De'Zhaun Stribling for targets alongside Evans this season.

Coach Kellen Moore confirmed Friday that Tyson is dealing with a right hamstring injury, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Tyson missed time over the spring with an injury but was cleared for the start of training camp last month. He has an injury history with the hamstring, but Moore indicated the new injury isn't related to the one Tyson dealt with prior to the 2026 Draft. The Saints are gathering more information, with Moore noting that the team "will know more in the next few days," but it sounds like Tyson could be dealing with a multi-week injury as Week 1 approaches. New Orleans kicks off its regular season with a road game against the Lions on Sept. 13.