NFL Player News

Cookus was waived by Minnesota on Thursday, Craig Peters of the Vikings' official site reports.

Minnesota brought in Cookus while the team had three quarterbacks in the league's COVID-19 protocols, but the team waived him upon getting Kirk Cousins and Nate Stanley back Thursday.

Tagovailoa has shown improvement with his downfield passing through the first week of training camp, but he still looks indecisive against blitzes, according to David Furones of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

The lack of a downfield passing game was Miami's biggest weakness last season, particularly when Tagovailoa was under center. Out of 35 qualified quarterbacks, he placed 31st in yards per completion (9.8) and 25th in average depth of target (7.8), struggling to find big plays while directing an undermanned Dolphins offense (he also finished 22nd in sack rate - 6.5 percent). Tagovailoa will have more help for his second NFL season, particularly in the downfield passing game with WRs Will Fuller and Jaylen Waddle. Injuries have prevented Fuller, DeVante Parker and Preston Williams (foot) from getting steady reps with Tagovailoa this summer, while rookie first-rounder Waddle -- a former college teammate at Alabama -- largely has been available for practice.

Barkley announced Thursday that he's signed a contract with the Titans.

Barkley, who spent the last three seasons operating as the Bills' reserve signal-caller, now joins Logan Woodside behind Ryan Tannehill in the Titans' quarterback room. The 30-year-old is an experienced veteran whose presence in the locker room has previously drawn praise. He'll have a shot at winning the No. 2 gig, though Woodside arguably has the advantage as an incumbent in the role.

Watson will be held out of practice Thursday with calf and ankle tightness, NFL reporter Aaron Wilson reports.

Watson wasn't doing much at camp before the injury, seemingly participating just to avoid fines. He still wants to be traded, and he's still facing 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and misconduct. Tyrod Taylor has been handling most of Houston's first-team QB reps, but rookie Davis Mills could also make starts if Watson eventually is traded, suspended or placed on the commissioner's exempt list.

Cousins has been activated from the COVID-19 reserve list for Thursday's practice, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

As expected, Cousins will rejoin his teammates after missing five days. He was a close contact of rookie QB Kellen Mond, who tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend and remains out of action Thursday. The third-round pick may eventually be a threat to Cousins, but the 33-year-old is safe for the time being and even has guaranteed base salaries for the final two years (2021-22) of his contract.

Stevens signed a contract with the Giants on Wednesday, Michael Elsen of the team's official site reports.

Stevens was waived by the Panthers at the start of June and will now join the Giants in training camp. The 2020-seventh round pick appeared in one game as a rookie and totaled four carries for 24 yards.

Dobbs is expected to finish the second half in Thursday night's Hall of Fame Game against the Cowboys, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Press-Gazette reports.

The Steelers plan to rest Ben Roethlisberger in Thursday's preseason opener, so Dobbs will follow Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins in the exhibition game. The 2017 fourth-rounder has an uphill climb to secure a spot on the 53-man roster while competing against Rudolph and Haskins, who both have more in-game experience than Dobbs.

Rudolph will start Thursday night's Hall of Fame Game against the Cowboys, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Coach Mike Tomlin plans to rest Ben Roethlisberger on Thursday, so Rudolph will begin the preseason opener under center. The 26-year-old will be replaced by Dwayne Haskins to close out the first half before Joshua Dobbs enters the contest to finish the second half. Rudolph appeared in five games during the 2020 campaign and completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 324 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He's had more in-game experience than Dobbs across the last two seasons, but he'll face competition for the Steelers' No. 2 job at quarterback from Haskins during training camp and in the preseason. The Steelers will likely give Roethlisberger plenty of rest ahead of his age-39 season, so Rudolph should have plenty of opportunities to play during the team's four exhibition games.

Prescott (shoulder) won't play in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Steelers, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Prescott spent the offseason rehabbing his surgically repaired right ankle, making enough progress to be a full participant at the start of training camp. There was an expectation he would make an appearance during exhibition season, but a strain in his right throwing shoulder has thrown a wrench into those plans. As of Wednesday, Prescott has missed four practices in a row, instead going through individual drills before moving on to conditioning work on the side. After Thursday's contest, the Cowboys have three more preseason games on the schedule, so Prescott is likely aiming to be available for action Aug. 21 versus the Texans. Head coach Mike McCarthy has described that game as the Cowboys' dress rehearsal for the regular season.

Watson missed practice again Wednesday due to an apparent foot injury, Coty Davis of The USA Today reports.

Even once he's past the reported foot issue, Watson's status with the Texans remains unclear. Between Watson's desire to be traded and his pending legal situation, there's plenty of uncertainly with regard to how things will play out between the signal-caller and the franchise that drafted him in 2017. While Watson's participation in training camp has been limited, Tyrod Taylor continues to handle Houston's first-team reps in practice.