NFL Player News

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.

Tagovailoa completed three of five passes for 22 yards and rushed once for no gain in Friday's 27-7 preseason loss to the Broncos.

All three of Tagovailoa's completions on Atlanta's first two drives went to tight end Kyle Pitts. Tua's performance was nothing to write home about, but it's nonetheless encouraging that he got the starting nod for the preseason opener while Michael Penix (knee) has yet to be cleared for contact drills. Given Tagovailoa's edge in health, the former Dolphins quarterback is the favorite to win Atlanta's quarterback competition ahead of the Falcons' Week 1 road game against the Steelers.

Coach Aaron Glenn said after Friday's 24-16 preseason loss to the Buccaneers that Smith sat out the contest due to a sore ankle and is day-to-day, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Per Glenn, Smith picked up the injury during the Jets' joint practice with Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Considering Smith is deemed day-to-day, the Jets likely will exercise caution with him until he's back to 100 percent. In any case, his next opportunity for exhibition action is next Friday at Pittsburgh.

Browning (back) will not participate in Friday's preseason opener against the Jets, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Browning strained his back during Wednesday's joint practice with the Jets. The quarterback is currently the primary backup to Baker Mayfield, so any injury will likely shut him down for an extended period of the preseason until it is deemed completely safe for him to return. In Browning's absence, Connor Bazelak and Jalon Daniels will split reps at quarterback as they compete for the No. 3 role.

Mariota left the first quarter of Friday's preseason game against the Dolphins due to an apparent right knee injury, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Mariota may have picked up the injury when he was hit by Tyrel Dodson right after a pass to Dyami Brown. Mariota initially stayed in but was favoring his right leg after handing the ball off to Kaytron Allen, and the veteran quarterback has gone to the locker room to undergo further tests, per Jhabvala. Sam Hartman has taken over as the Commanders' quarterback following Mariota's departure.

Mertz (knee) suffered a torn ACL during Thursday's preseason opener against the Chargers, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

With the severity of the injury confirmed, Mertz will undergo season-ending surgery shortly. The reserve quarterback behind C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills played just one half of football in 2026, completing four of seven passes for 23 yards and rushing three times for 15 yards. The Texans will likely bring in another quarterback to shore up the unit's depth before the start of the regular season.

Rourke (ribs) was discharged from the hospital Thursday night, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Rourke left Thursday night's preseason opener against the Titans with shortness of breath due to a rib injury. The quarterback's next chance to get preseason reps will be in next Thursday's contest against the Chargers. Rourke is competing with Adrian Martinez for the No. 3 quarterback role behind Brock Purdy and Mac Jones. Healthy preseason snaps will be a must for the 2025 seventh-rounder as he tries to remain on the 49ers' 53-man roster in consecutive seasons.

Smith won't play in Friday's preseason game against the Buccaneers due to a sore foot, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

On Tuesday, coach Aaron Glenn told Al Iannazzone of Newsday that Smith and the rest of the Jets' starters would log some snaps Friday. While an injury to Smith has quelled those plans, the team isn't concerned about it, and he'd play through it if it was the regular season. Instead, New York will take a cautious approach with its starting quarterback, meaning his next chance for exhibition action is next Friday at Pittsburgh.

Tagovailoa has the "inside track" to be named the Falcons' starting quarterback ahead of Week 1, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Helping Tagovailoa's cause so far in training camp has been his accuracy, though Michael Penix's ongoing recovery from the torn ACL he suffered Week 11 of last season has contained him to 7-to-7 drills, at best, in practice. Fowler noted that coach Kevin Stefanski "might wait this out until after the preseason to name a starter," so it appears he'll make Tagovailoa earn the role on his merits. Tagovailoa is slated to start Friday's exhibition against the Broncos, which may help him stake a claim to the eventual No. 1 role.