NFL Player News

The Texans placed Mertz (knee) on injured reserve Saturday.

Mertz suffered a torn ACL during Thursday's preseason opener against the Chargers. The quarterback's season is over, so a move to injured reserve is not surprising. The Texans signed Brett Rypien in a corresponding move.

The Texans signed Rypien to a contract Saturday.

With Graham Mertz (knee) being moved to season-ending injured reserve, the Texans were looking for another quarterback to bolster depth at the position. Rypien played in one regular-season game for the Bengals in 2025, taking just three offensive snaps. The quarterback will slot behind C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills as an emergency option.

Dart (undisclosed) was cleared to return to Saturday's preseason game against the Vikings, Patricia Traina of SI.com reports.

Dart was briefly evaluated in the blue medical tent after taking a bit hit from Jay Ward. It was a quick check by trainers, as Dart was given the green light to return and proceeded to throw a 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie Malachi Fields.

Dart went to the medical tent during the first quarter of Saturday's preseason game against the Vikings, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Dart took a big hit from Vikings safety Jay Ward in the first quarter, and he was evaluated by team doctors shortly thereafter.

Zappe, who's battling rookie Cade Klubnik for the Jets' No. 2 quarterback job, hurt his chances in Friday's preseason loss to the Buccaneers, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Klubnik got the surprise start Friday after Geno Smith was ruled out due to an ankle injury, and he turned in a solid first two drives of the game. Meanwhile, Zappe followed Klubnik and completed six of 10 passes for 55 yards, but two of his incompletions were interceptions, including one pick-six. Zappe will have two additional preseason games to make his case, but Cimini notes the veteran signal-caller appears to clearly be behind Klubnik at the moment.

Beck (ribs) is practicing Saturday, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

Per Brack, Beck hasn't been working in position drills during the open portion of Saturday's practice, which is expected to be a light session following the Cardinals' preseason game against the Raiders on Thursday. Beck missed that one after completing 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and one TD in the Hall of Fame Game a week earlier. He suffered a rib injury in the process, but it looks like the third-round pick may play again before the end of the preseason.

Dart and most of the Giants starters are expected to play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Vikings, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Dart and the other starters shouldn't see more than one or two series during Saturday's exhibition contest, but it will be the first time head coach John Harbaugh coaches from the sidelines for the Giants after an 18-season tenure with the Ravens. Dart is looking to build off a solid rookie campaign in which he completed 63.7 percent of passes for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions while turning 86 carries into 487 yards and nine scores across 14 regular-season games (12 starts).

Klubnik got the start in Friday's 24-16 preseason loss to the Buccaneers and completed five of seven passes for 56 yards.

Klubnik got the starting nod due to Geno Smith (ankle) being ruled out. Smith's injury isn't believed to be serious, so the veteran QB remains the clear favorite to start for the Jets come Week 1 against the Titans, but Klubnik is making a strong case for the backup role. The Jets scored 10 points on Klubnik's two drives in the game, while neither Bailey Zappe nor Brady Cook led a touchdown drive, and Zappe was picked off twice. Klubnik is likely to feature prominently in the Jets' second preseason game against the Steelers next Friday.

Head coach Dan Quinn said after Friday's 20-7 preseason win over the Dolphins that he'll provide an update on Mariota (knee) on Sunday, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Mariota may have picked up a knee injury when he was hit by Tyrel Dodson in the first quarter. Mariota initially stayed in but was favoring his right knee after handing the ball off to Kaytron Allen, with the former being tended to by trainers on the ground. Mariota was able to walk off the field on his own, but an extended absence would be a blow considering he appeared in 11 regular-season games (eight starts) last year while Jayden Daniels was sidelined due to injury. Sam Hartman and undrafted rookie Athan Kaliakmanis are the other two quarterbacks on the training camp roster, but if Mariota were to miss time, then the Commanders would likely look to add a veteran QB via free agency or trade.

Willis completed four of five passes for 43 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and added two carries for nine yards in the Dolphins' 20-7 preseason loss to the Commanders on Friday.

The Dolphins' top quarterback shined with his efficiency and grasp of the offense in his team debut, playing a key role in Miami's 14-play, 93-yard opening drive. Willis got off to a quick start with four- and eight-yard completions to Malik Washington, and the highlight of his time in the game was a subsequent third-down, 28-yard connection with Caleb Douglas that took the ball into Commanders territory. Willis has been garnering positive reviews from his work both on and off the field during training camp, and the fact he was able to carry his momentum into his first taste of game action this summer was highly encouraging.