NFL Player News

Altmyer will have a chance to compete for the No. 2 quarterback role, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Altmyer is set to receive a ton of No. 2 reps after former Lions backup Teddy Bridgewater stated he is likely retiring. Altmyer, an undrafted free agent out of Illinois, is set to compete with whichever veteran backup the Lions bring in. The quarterback completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,007 yards and 22 touchdowns, throwing just five interceptions, over 13 games in his final collegiate season. He also added 242 rushing yards for five touchdowns on the ground during the campaign with more than 100 attempts.

Thompson (undisclosed) is aiming to play in Saturday's preseason contest against the Eagles, Sam Cohn of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Thompson is dealing with a minor, undisclosed injury, but Coach Jesse Minter says they are aiming to have him ready to play Saturday. The No. 4 quarterback will likely see the majority of the snaps against the Eagles, with Huntley likely starting the game before turning it over to Thompson and Joe Fagnano.

Jones is unlikely to play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Patriots, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Boyd adds that Jones will only participate in Tuesday's joint session against New England, and the veteran quarterback may not play any preseason games while in the final stages of his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon that he suffered in December. Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson will be the Colts quarterbacks for Thursday's exhibition contest, the first opportunity for the duo to compete for the backup role behind Jones.

Watson took every starting rep in team drills during Saturday's practice, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Shedeur Sanders was scheduled to work with the first-team offense Saturday, but he ended up splitting second-team reps with Dillon Gabriel while Watson ran with the starters. Watson made the most of the opportunity with a productive practice, when he made nice connections with Isaiah Bond and Denzel Boston during team drills. Head coach Todd Monken will use Sunday's scheduled off day to deliberate whether Watson or Sanders will start in Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears.

The Panthers signed Trask to a contract Sunday, Kassidy Hill of the team's official site reports.

Trask is likely a temporary signing to hold down depth at the position throughout the preseason as current No. 3 quarterback Haynes King (hamstring) recovers from the injury he sustained during Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Cardinals. Trask will likely see the field against the Bills next Saturday after Kenny Pickett and the starters get a few drives in. The Panthers waived/injured Malick Meiga (undisclosed) and Nick Hampton (undisclosed) in corresponding moves to make room for Trask on the roster.

King (hamstring) has been ruled out ahead of next Saturday's preseason game against the Bills, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

King sustained a hamstring injury during Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Cardinals and is considered week-to-week as he manages the issue. Due to the issue, the Panthers signed quarterback Kyle Trask on Sunday.

Head coach Dan Campbell told reporters Sunday that Goff and other key starters will not play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Bengals, Justin Rogers of DetroitFootball.net reports.

Although Goff won't see action Thursday, he could see some action in the Lions' second exhibition game against the Commanders on Saturday, Aug. 22. With Teddy Bridgewater stepping away from the team Sunday, Luke Altmyer is the only other quarterback on the 90-man roster, so the Lions will work out some veteran QBs to compete for the backup job behind Goff, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Bridgewater was placed on the Lions' reserve/retired list Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Bridgewater inked a one-year deal with the Lions in March after serving as the Buccaneers' backup quarterback to Baker Mayfield in 2025, but Bridgewater has now decided to step away from football. With undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer the only quarterback other than starter Jared Goff on the 90-man roster, the Lions will work out some quarterbacks to bring in competition for the backup job. Bridgewater was selected by the Vikings with the No. 32 overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. The Louisville product suited up for seven different NFL teams during his career and appeared in 83 regular-season games, with a 33-32 record over 65 starts. He completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 15,182 yards, 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions.

Head coach Dave Canales told reporters Sunday that Young and the Panthers starters will play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Bills, Kassidy Hill of the team's official site reports.

Canales added that the starters will get about 10-to-20 reps in Buffalo. Young, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, is coming off the best year of his three-year career. Across 17 regular-season games in 2025, he completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while adding 216 yards and two scores on 54 carries. The fifth-year option on Young's rookie contract was picked up for the 2027 season, and it looks like any contract negotiations between the 25-year-old quarterback and the Panthers won't take place until after the 2026 campaign.

King picked up a hamstring injury during Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Cardinals, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

King played well in Thursday's exhibition game, completing 21 of 34 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns while turning three carries into 39 yards and a score in Carolina's 33-30 victory. However, it appears King tweaked his hamstring in the process, which could prompt the Panthers to bring in another quarterback like Kyle Trask and Jack Plummer for the rest of training camp, per Joe Person of The Athletic. King entered training camp listed as the Panthers' QB3 behind starter Bryce Young and backup Kenny Pickett.