NFL Player News

Watson's quarterback competition with Shedeur Sanders is expected to last throughout training camp and the preseason, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Todd Monken hasn't shed much light on the state of Cleveland's QB battle, besides confirming that a starter will be named prior to Week 1. Watson and Sanders split first-team reps in spring practices, and that will likely remain the case throughout training camp, with both QBs expected to feature prominently in preseason play. The 30-year-old Watson has just one regular-season win since the start of the 2024 campaign.

Engram is a candidate to increase his production in his second season with the Broncos despite the team's addition of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in the offseason, Susanna Weir of the Broncos' official site reports.

Engram could benefit from decreased defensive attention as opponents focus on containing Waddle. Per Chad Jensen of SI.com, Engram seems to have earned more trust from Denver's coaching staff compared to his first year with the team, and the veteran tight end enjoyed a strong minicamp in June. Rookie fifth-round pick Justin Joly was the most notable offseason addition to a Broncos tight end room that also includes Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull.

As the coming season approaches, Myers is set to retain his role as the Seahawks' top kicker, Michael Hanich of SI.com reports.

In that role with the defending Super Bowl champions, Myers racked up a career high and league-leading 171 points in 2025, while making 41 of his 48 field-goal attempts and all 48 of his extra-point tries in 17 regular-season contests. Looking ahead to the coming campaign, the 35-year-old -- who currently is the only kicker on his team's roster -- should maintain a solid enough weekly floor working behind the Seahawks offense to maintain fantasy viability in 2026, even if he sees a modest reduction in terms of volume.

Coleman has impressed Buffalo's coaching staff with his offseason preparation and performance at minicamp, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

Coleman received mentorship from former Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson during the offseason, trying to add intangibles to the 2024 second-round pick's impressive frame (6-foot-3, 213 pounds). New head coach Joe Brady praised Coleman during Buffalo's mandatory minicamp in June. "It's the consistency and the routine and everything he's doing, but handling everything like a pro," Brady said of Coleman. "He's positioned himself in a great place and just got to continue to build on that." Coleman is jostling for depth-chart positioning in a Bills wide receiver room that also includes DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer and Skyler Bell.

Stidham could be pushed for the second spot on Denver's quarterback depth chart by Sam Ehlinger in training camp, Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post reports.

Stidham remains the favorite to back up Bo Nix (ankle), but Ehlinger looked good in spring practices and could turn Denver's QB2 battle into a full-fledged competition if Ehlinger continues to impress during training camp and the preseason. Stidham hasn't thrown a regular-season pass since 2023, but he started Denver's AFC Championship Game loss to the Patriots this past season after Nix sustained a fractured ankle. Stidham's struggles in that game (133 passing yards, one touchdown pass and two crucial turnovers) may have helped open the door for Ehlinger to win the backup job in 2026.

Tagovailoa's former Dolphins teammate Patrick Paul believes Tagovailoa will win Atlanta's quarterback competition against Michael Penix (knee), Grant Gordon of NFL.com reports.

Both Atlanta QBs are learning the system of new coach Kevin Stefanski, and Tagovailoa has gotten a head start in that regard, as he worked with the first-team offense in spring practices while Penix was on the sidelines recovering from November surgery on a torn ACL. Penix believes he will be cleared to practice in training camp and be fully healthy by Week 1, per ESPN.com, but Tagovailoa's early edge makes the former Dolphins QB the favorite to start for the Falcons when they begin regular-season play Sunday, Sept. 13 at Pittsburgh.

Taylor is prepared to handle another massive workload in 2026, though the Colts are hoping to ease the load on their star running back, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.

"We definitely need to find ways to take some of that workload off him," running backs coach DeAndre Smith said of Taylor during the team's spring workouts, but coach Shane Steichen added, "It's hard to take (Taylor) off the field when he's running so good," and therein lies the Colts' conundrum. Taylor handled a league-high 323 rushing attempts in 2025, topping 300 for the third time in his career, and he managed to play in all 17 regular-season games for only the second time in six NFL campaigns. The Colts would like to ease some of the wear and tear on their star running back, but they likely won't feel comfortable doing so unless either 2025 fifth-round pick DJ Giddens or 2026 seventh-rounder Seth McGowan emerges as a capable alternative in the backfield.

McDuffie agreed to a one-year extension with the Packers on Thursday, Zach Jacobson of 247Sports.com reports.

McDuffie inked a two-year, $8.0 million contract extension in March 2025, so this new deal will tie him to Green Bay through the 2027 campaign. The soon-to-be 27-year-old has been an important rotational linebacker and core special-teams player over his first five seasons, and he tallied 92 tackles, including 1.0 sacks, across 17 regular-season games last year. McDuffie should slot in behind returning starter Edgerrin Cooper and new addition Zaire Franklin at inside linebacker for Green Bay this year.

Taylor (undisclosed) announced his retirement on his personal social media account Sunday, Briana Jeannel of the 49ers' official site reports.

Taylor spent the first four seasons of his career in San Francisco before playing two seasons with the Bengals and one season with the Bears. The 32-year-old returned to the 49ers and appeared in two games in 2024, but he spent the entirety of the 2025 campaign on IR with an undisclosed injury. Taylor finishes his career with 88 receptions for 845 yards and three touchdowns, and his biggest contributions came as a returner, where he accumulated 1,051 yards on 112 punt returns as well as 106 yards on eight kickoff returns.

Bowers (knee) practiced "at full speed" during OTAs and minicamp, Ryan McFadden of ESPN reports.

Bowers was plagued by a knee injury during most of the 2025 campaign and was ultimately placed on IR for the final two weeks of the regular season. However, he's been able to get back to full health during the offseason and has several other factors working in his favor ahead of the 2026 campaign. First, he'll be working with a pair of new quarterbacks in Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza, and Cousins was reportedly enthralled with Bowers during spring workouts. Second, the Raiders brought in Klint Kubiak -- "who has shown the ability to scheme the ball to his best pass catchers" -- as their new coach. Third, Las Vegas currently has an untested WR room, so Bowers is likely to feature at the team's top pass catcher.