NFL Player News

Stevens is wearing No. 85 at practice and is listed as a tight end on the Saints' roster, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Listed at 6-foot-5, 235, the rookie seventh-round pick is about 15 pounds away from matching the NFL tight end size prototype, and he ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at his pro day back in March. Stevens posted a 59.9 completion percentage and 7.2 YPA on 202 pass attempts throughout this college career, but he took 159 carries for 887 yards (5.6 YPC) and 12 TDs, adding 14-62-2 as a pass catcher. The Saints may be grooming Stevens as a replacement for Taysom Hill, who is expected to spend more time focusing on the QB position in preparation for Drew Brees eventually retiring.

Darnold should have an improved offensive line in front of him this season, but the Jets' receiver group still appears shaky, Connor Hughes of The Athletic reports.

The Jets appear to have turned over four of the five spots on their O-line, and while center Connor McGovern is the only one proven to be an above-average starter, the group should at least be less of a disaster than it was last year. On the other hand, it isn't clear if newcomer Breshad Perriman will be an upgrade or downgrade from Robby Anderson (now with the Panthers) out wide, nor is it clear that second-round pick Denzel Mims will be ready to contribute out of the gate. Darnold may once again find that slot receiver Jamison Crowder is his most reliable target, especially if tight end Chris Herndon doesn't rebound the way the Jets are hoping. All in all, it's one of the weaker rosters of skill players in the league, but there is at least reason to think Darnold can improve his own play in his age-23 season.

Garoppolo isn't wearing a knee brace at practice this year, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Garoppolo wore a brace last season in his first year back from an ACL tear, perhaps limiting his mobility. He's never been one to contribute rushing stats, but it's possible he navigates the pocket more easily now that he's coming up on two full years removed from the severe knee injury. His bigger concern, at least for the moment, is a receiving corps that will lack established playmakers if Deebo Samuel (foot) isn't ready for Week 1. The 49ers figure to lean on their defense and running game, much as they did last season en route to the Super Bowl.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday that Murray put on some weight during the offseason, Mike Jurecki of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 207 pounds, Murray has the same approximate body type as division rival Russell Wilson. The second-year pro may be the shortest starting quarterback in the league, but his ability to withstand hits doesn't seem to be a major point of concern. While their offensive line remains a potential weak point, the Cardinals could take a big step forward on offense with DeAndre Hopkins climbing aboard for Year 2 of the Kingsbury/Murray project.

Stafford has been activated off the Lions' reserve/COVID-19 list, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Per Meinke, Stafford's recent COVID-19 test was a false positive. The Lions' starting QB is therefore available to take the field with his teammates once practices start up.

The Jaguars activated Minshew from the Reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday morning.

Placed on the list two days prior, Minshew has now passed the necessary tests to be reinstated to the active roster. He's the unquestioned starting quarterback in Jacksonville, where Mike Glennon, Jake Luton and Joshua Dobbs are expected to compete for backup work.

Woodside has the "inside track" to the backup quarterback job in Tennessee, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Selected by Cincinnati in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, Woodside failed to make the Bengals' roster but quickly resurfaced on the Titans' practice squad. He then moved to the short-lived AAF, where he completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 7.0 YPA (with seven TDs and seven INTs) for the San Antonio franchise. Woodside re-signed with Tennessee last summer and played well in the preseason -- 7.1 YPA, four TDs, zero INTs -- earning a spot on the practice squad before an arm injury sent him to injured reserve. He's now healthy for 2020 training camp, poised to compete with rookie seventh-round pick Cole McDonald for the right to serve as Ryan Tannehill's backup. The Titans' decision not to sign a veteran QB might be interpreted as a sign of confidence in Woodside, who reportedly remained heavily involved with the team while he was on IR last season.

The Jaguars placed Minshew (illness) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday.

After the Jags sent Nick Foles to Chicago back in March, Minshew had no impediments to the starting QB gig in Jacksonville. However, he's now either tested positive for COVID-19 or recently been in close contact with someone who did. NFL teams aren't allowed to reveal which one is the case, but Minshew has to pass the requisite number of tests before he's allowed in the team's facilities.

The Giants waived Cookus on Sunday, Michael Eisen of the team's official site reports.

Cookus linked up with the Giants after going undrafted back in April, participating in the virtual offseason program in the meantime. With four other quarterbacks on the roster, though, the team decided to move on from its least experienced member of the room.

Stafford was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Stafford joins a number of other big-name Lions players that were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list over the past week. The designation means either Stafford tested positive or was in close proximity to someone who texted positive for COVID-19, so until more information is provided, speculation regarding his return timeframe is baseless.