NFL Player News

Allen will start Saturday's preseason game against Baltimore, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

With Ryan Fitzpatrick and Taylor Heinicke held out, Kyle Allen and Steven Montez will split the QB reps. Washington will open the game with a crew of second- and third-stringers, releasing a starting lineup with RB Peyton Barber, WRs Antonio Gandy-Golden, Dax Milne and DeAndre Carter and TE John Bates. In any case. Allen should be the No. 3 quarterback if Washington keeps one.

Ehlinger is expected to miss about five or six weeks after being diagnosed with a knee sprain, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Jacob Eason will be the Week 1 starter if Carson Wentz (foot) isn't deemed ready. Ehlinger, a rookie sixth-round pick, gave Eason a real challenge this summer, so the backup QB spot could be fluid once if/when everyone is healthy. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Ehlinger is dealing with an ACL sprain, putting the timeline around four weeks rather than five-to-six.

Heinicke will not play Saturday against the Ravens, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Both Heinicke and Ryan Fitzpatrick will be held out Saturday, leaving the final preseason contest to be helmed by Kyle Allen and Steven Montez. Allen was rumored to be pushing Heinicke for the backup spot after a solid preseason, but if this is any indication it seems like the Panthers transplant is clearly behind Heinicke on the team's depth chart.

Love completed 12 of 18 passes for 149 yards and an interception in Saturday's preseason game against the Bills.

Love played all three drives in the first half and one more in the third quarter, failing to put up any points despite moving the ball with relative ease. The Packers were stuffed at the goal line on fourth down on their opening drive, and Mason Crosby missed a 28-yard FG attempt on the second series. In between, Love spoiled an otherwise pretty drive when he heaved the ball into the end zone for an easy interception on 1st-and-10. He still has a lot to work on, but the past few weeks represent progress after he struggled last summer and then spent his rookie season buried in the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. Love now moves up to No. 2 in what could be Aaron Rodgers' final season with the Packers.

The Dolphins have emerged as frontrunners in trade discussions to acquire Watson from the Texans, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo.

Robinson notes that the Panthers, Broncos and Eagles have also expressed interest, with some teams seeking protection for their draft picks in the event Watson faces criminal prosecution and/or an NFL suspension as a result of ongoing investigations into sexual assault allegations from multiple women.

Allen completed 20 of 26 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's preseason game against Green Bay.

With Stefon Diggs (knee) held out, Allen completed five passes to Gabriel Davis and four apiece to Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders while leading the first-team offense to 14 points on three drives against Green Bay's second-string defense. Allen will get a real challenge Week 1, with Buffalo hosting the Steelers at 1 p.m. ET on Sept. 12. Diggs should be ready for the opener after going through pregame warmups in uniform Saturday morning.

Blough likely will take over as Jared Goff's primary backup if Tim Boyle (thumb) is forced to miss significant time, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Boyle, who started Friday's preseason finale against Indianapolis, reportedly hit his thumb on the helmet of a defensive player on the opening drive of the game. Blough took over and completed 13 of 21 passes for 117 yards with one interception and 14 rushing yards on four carries. While it's not yet clear how long Boyle may be sidelined, Blough split No. 2 duties with him all summer and will be set to handle backup duties in the interim.

Johnson completed seven of eight passes for 73 yards and a touchdown while playing the first half of Friday's preseason finale against the Eagles. He added four yards on one rushing attempt.

Johnson led a touchdown drive on the Jets' first possession, capping it with a two-yard fade route to Lawrence Cager on fourth down. The veteran backup was efficient throughout but spent most of his time handing the ball off rather than slinging it. If Mike White (ribs) fails to heal up before the season starts, the Jets will keep either Johnson or James Morgan as the backup to Zach Wilson.

Love (shoulder) will start Saturday's preseason game against the Bills, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Love is returning from a shoulder injury but nonetheless is expected to play the entire first half. Coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday that the second-year QB might even play into the third quarter.

Prescott (shoulder) completed three passes of 25 yards or more during Friday's practice, DallasCowboys.com reports.

He hit Malik Turner on a go route for about 45 yards and also connected with Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson over the middle for completions of about 25 yards, giving further proof that his shoulder injury won't be an issue Week 1 against Tampa Bay. He won't play in Sunday's preseason finale, but with Prescott also fully recovered from the ankle injury that cut short his 2020 campaign, the 28-year-old appears poised for a healthy start to 2021.