NFL Player News

Brown went 10-for-13 passing for 91 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in Sunday's preseason win over the Cardinals.

The undrafted rookie saw heavy playing time as he tries to make a case for Baltimore to carry three quarterbacks going into the season. Brown completed 77 percent of his attempts at 7.0 YPA and tossed a pair of scores to help secure the victory. Tyler Huntley is locked in as Lamar Jackson's backup, but a strong performance from Brown in the preseason finale could keep him in consideration for a practice squad spot at the very least.

Coach Dan Campbell noted Monday that Goff won't play in Sunday's preseason finale against the Steelers, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Campbell indicated that other key healthy starters on the team are in line to play about a half, but the Lions will play if safe with their starting QB this weekend. In that context, Tim Boyle and David Blough are in line to split signal-caller reps versus Pittsburgh.

Winston (knee/foot) participated in 11-on-11 drills during Monday's practice, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

The report notes that Winston didn't participate in the Saints' two-minute drill at the end of the session, but the quarterback -- who is bouncing back from a torn left ACL suffered Week 8 last season -- continues to make progress and is trending toward a Week 1 start, barring any setbacks. As for the possibility of Winston appearing in the Saints' preseason finale Friday against the Chargers, coach Dennis Allen said, "We'll see," Mike Triplett of ESPN.com reports.

Smith and Drew Lock split first-team reps at Sunday's practice, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Lock returned after missing Thursday's preseason game against the Bears due to COVID-19, while Smith bounced back quickly after bruising his knee in that contest. Lock figures to play a lot in the final preseason game, after Smith completed 10 of 18 passes for 112 yards last week in Lock's absence. Coach Pete Carroll says he's in no hurry to name a Week 1 starter.

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.