NFL Player News

Coach Mike McCarthy indicated Tuesday that he anticipates Prescott (ankle) being full-go by the time training camp rolls around, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Considering Prescott was nearly full-go for OTAs, it shouldn't come as a shock that he'll likely be ready to resume his duties under center next month. He didn't get a ton of time to get acclimated to McCarthy's system last year before going down for the season with a compound fracture in his right ankle, but he did complete 68 percent of his 222 pass attempts for 1,856 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions over four-plus games, including 450-plus passing yards in each of the three games prior to going down. Prescott returns to the head of a Cowboys offense loaded with wideout talent, so there's no reason to expect a drop-off from him as long as he can stay on the field.

Rodgers is not among the quarterbacks as the Packers open mandatory minicamp Tuesday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

This was the anticipated outcome at this point, but it's now official with Green Bay's minicamp underway. It remains to be seen how things will play out between Rodgers and the Packers, but it will likely be Jordan Love and Blake Bortles seeing most of the reps with the first-team offense in his absence. Rodgers stands to lose just under $100,000 by not making an appearance, but the Packers could choose to waive that fine by calling it an excused absence.

Tannehill's offensive weapons were significantly upgraded by the acquisition of Julio Jones, Gentry Estes of The Tennessean reports.

Titans offensive playmakers were instantly upgraded Sunday after the acquisition of Jones. In an offseason of change -- Corey Davis departed and former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was hired as the Falcons head coach -- it was reasonable to expect that Tannehill's elite efficiency was in significant jeopardy. However, if Jones can remain healthy, his addition to the team will give Tannehill the best receiving duo he's worked with since joining the team.

Rodgers isn't expected to attend the Packers' mandatory minicamp that begins Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Rodgers continues his standoff with GM Brian Gutekunst and could be fined nearly $100,000 for his absences should Green Bay elect to do so. The front office also has toyed with potentially making them excused absences as a show of good faith, but it's unclear at this point if that gesture would hold any weight in Rodgers' camp. Look for Jordan Love and Blake Bortles to handle most of the first-team reps in Rodgers' absence.

Winston seems like the odds-on favorite to win the starting quarterback job over Taysom Hill this summer, Larry Holder of The Athletic reports.

Even though the Saints turned to Hill as the starter last season when Drew Brees went down, that may have been at least partly a result of Hill having been part of the team's offensive system since 2017 while Winston had only been there for a matter of months. Now that Winston has considerably more experience in Sean Payton's scheme, it appears the 2015 No. 1 overall pick and true pocket passer is being viewed as the better long-term option for New Orleans to build around than the dual-threat Hill. However, the Saints aren't holding any on-field OTAs this year per Amie Just of NOLA.com, so there's not any tangible evidence that Winston is prepping for the top job. We should know more in late July when the Saints start training camp.

Jones sported a compression sleeve on his lower right leg during Friday's OTA and was limping between periods, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.

Jones was still able to complete the practice session and split reps with Jarrett Stidham under center during the second half of the session after Cam Newton left with a finger injury. The rookie doesn't seem to be dealing with a major issue at the moment, but he isn't operating at 100 percent either.

Offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn is building a scheme around Goff's strengths that "will likely look much different" than what the QB ran with the Rams in recent years, Justin Rogers of the Detroit News reports.

From a personnel standpoint, it would seem difficult for Lynn to replicate the Rams offense in the first place. However, it does seem like Goff is in for a change of pace after running a ground-based, play-action system in Los Angeles. In May, Lynn said that Detroit is preparing a "multiple offense with spread principles," per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, while taking Goff's opinion into account of how the offense will work. Considering Goff averaged just 6.9 yards per pass attempt in shotgun last year, the results will be interesting, but Goff will at least have a couple of deep threats in Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams at his disposal after missing one the past couple of years (given Brandin Cooks was largely injured in 2019 before being traded in 2020). In addition to having stud tight end T.J. Hockenson, receiving back D'Andre Swift and fourth-round receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, Goff will also operate behind one of the most talented offensive lines after Detroit used the seventh overall pick on top-rated offensive line prospect Penei Sewell.

Allen (ankle) is still not 100 percent in his recovery from a broken ankle suffered last October, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports.

Allen said that he has been happy with how his rehab has gone to this point, but there are still other hurdles for him to overcome. The goal is for him to be able to be a full-go by the time training camp starts up. Allen played solidly at times last season, but will likely be third on the depth chart heading into the 2021 campaign behind Ryan Fitzpatrick and Taylor Heinicke.

Johnson was released by the 49ers on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The 35-year-old spent time on San Francisco's practice squad in 2020 and remained in the organization on a reserve/future contract. Johnson continues to bounce around the league and last saw game action during 2018 with Washington, when he completed 52 of 91 passes for 590 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions in four games.

The Panthers waived Stevens on Tuesday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

The 24-year-old was promoted from the practice squad ahead of Week 17 and had four carries for 24 yards during his NFL debut against the Saints, filling a Taysom Hill-like role. Stevens, a seventh-round pick of the Saints last April, is once again in search of a new team ahead of training camp.