NFL Player News

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Lance will get playing time as a rookie, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports. "He's going to play for us this year," Shanahan said.

Shanahan also has made multiple comments about Jimmy Garoppolo being the starter, so he's likely referring to a situational role for Lance, though there's obviously also a chance the rookie makes starts at some point. For the immediate future, Lance could give the Niners an advantage in short-yardage and/or red-zone situations, considering Garoppolo is one of the least mobile starting QBs in the league. Lance wasn't timed in a 40-yard dash during the predraft process, but he did run for 1,100 yard and 14 TDs in his one full season (2019) at North Dakota State.

Jackson has been activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list and should return to practice Saturday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Ravens training camp isn't off to the best start, with the starting quarterback missing the first week and a half while his favorite wide receiver from last season (Marquise Brown) has been out with a hamstring injury. Jackson's return to practice will be welcome news in Baltimore, where Trace McSorley and Tyler Huntley have been taking first-team QB reps. In addition to Brown's hamstring injury, the O-line is a bit banged up, but Jackson will have some healthy pass catchers in TE Mark Andrews, RB J.K. Dobbins and WRs Sammy Watkins and Rashod Bateman.

The Bills and Allen agreed Friday on a six-year contract extension, which runs through the 2028 season. The deal is reportedly worth $258 million.

Losing Allen was never really going to be an option, but the team also didn't want to have the franchise quarterback in limbo and no one was going to negotiate if the season got started and Allen didn't have an extension. Now that this is out of the way, Allen can continue to focus on getting the Bills over the hump following last season's AFC Championship Game appearance. He'll be one of the first three quarterbacks off the board in almost any fantasy format.

Dobbs completed four of six passes for 37 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' 16-3 preseason win over the Cowboys in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game.

Dobbs entered the game in the fourth quarter behind Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins. Although the 2017 fourth-rounder saw the least work of the trio, he was the only quarterback to pass for a touchdown in the contest. Rudolph and Haskins remain the favorites to land a spot on Pittsburgh's 53-man roster in 2021, but Dobbs kept himself in contention with his effective performance in a limited sample Thursday.

The Jaguars activated Beathard from the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday, Mark Long of the Associated Press reports.

Beathard missed less than a week of practice while progressing through the league's COVID-19 protocols. He can now resume working as Jacksonville's third quarterback behind Trevor Lawrence and Gardner Minshew.

Watson (ankle) is not practicing Friday, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Watson is not on the field for the start of Friday's walkthrough session, marking his fourth consecutive absence from practice. When Watson was on the field during the early portion of training camp, prior to his ankle injury, he was reportedly stuck working with the backups. Meanwhile, veteran signal-caller Tyrod Taylor has handled most of Houston's first-team reps.

Rudolph completed six of nine passes for 84 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and rushed once for no gain during the Steelers' 16-3 preseason win over the Cowboys in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game. He also was charged with a lost fumble on a mishandled handoff in the first quarter.

The veteran backup acquitted himself well while getting a chance to play with first-team wideouts Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson. The most productive drive Rudolph was a part of was his final one, which began early in the second quarter and included a 45-yard completion to Claypool. However, it culminated in a Samuel Sloman missed field goal from 49 yards out. One-time Washington Football Team first-round pick Dwayne Haskins, battling Rudolph for the No. 2 job behind Ben Roethlisberger, also turned in a solid performance, so the competition between the two figures to extend through the balance of the team's remaining three preseason contests.

The Cowboys expect Prescott (shoulder) to be their starting quarterback Week 1 at Tampa Bay, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports.

Prescott's focus this offseason was getting back to full health from the gruesome right ankle injury he suffered Week 5 last October. He progressed enough to participate fully at the start of training camp, only to strain his right shoulder in a July 28 practice. Glazer clarified the nature of the injury before Thursday's Hall of Fame Game, relaying it's more like a baseball injury because it's "kind of under the armpit." As a result, the Cowboys contacted the Texas Rangers' training staff to get additional advice on how to proceed with his recovery. During a halftime interview with Fox Sports, Prescott said the team is "being cautious" with his health and added "it's five weeks for the season opener," time that he's using "to get myself ready for that game." Taking Glazer's and Prescott's comments into account, Dallas seemingly will take all precautions in advance of Week 1, meaning a preseason appearance may not be in the cards.

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.