NFL Player News

Watson completed five of seven attempts for 60 yards and a touchdown while also gaining seven yards on his sole rush in the Texans' 30-23 preseason win over the Lions on Saturday.

Watson logged only one series in his first taste of preseason action, but considering it was an 11-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a four-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins, that was all head coach Bill O'Brien needed to see. Watson was sharp throughout, connecting with Darren Fells, DeAndre Carter and Hopkins during the possession. Watson may also see some time in next Saturday's exhibition against the Cowboys before sitting out the preseason finale versus the Rams the following Thursday.

Mahomes completed two of five passes for 11 yards and rushed once for eight yards in the Chiefs' 17-7 preseason loss to the Steelers on Saturday.

There'd been pregame speculation that Mahomes could play until halftime, but that wasn't anywhere close to what came to pass. The Pro Bowl signal-caller ended up logging just two series and connected with his two most important pass catchers, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, for his pair of completions. Mahomes could end up seeing the extended playing time that was expected when Kansas City faces off with the 49ers in their third preseason contest Saturday.

Mariota completed six of nine pass attempts for 63 yards, while throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to Delanie Walker during Saturday's 22-17 loss to the Patriots. He also executed a successful two-point conversion with a two-yard run.

Mariota's rush on the two-point play had Titans players and coaches waiting with bated breath, as the fifth-year quarterback escaped unscathed from a John Elway, Super Bowl XXXII-esque helicopter landing. His performance in the preseason to this point has been somewhat indicative of the player he's been over the course of his career -- establishing a high completion rate with few explosive downfield throws. He's coming off a season in which 68.9 percent of his attempts were caught, but he finished 28th among qualified passers in average completed air yards (per Next Gen Stats). In a limited sample size thus far in the exhibition slate, Mariota is completing 58.8 percent of his throws with 5.1 yards per attempt and one touchdown.

Stafford did not play in Saturday's preseason game against the Texans.

Stafford got the night off alongside other select starters. However, it wouldn't be a surprise if he sees up to a quarter of playing time in the third exhibition tilt next Friday against the Bills.

Hoyer completed six of eight pass attempts for 55 yards, while committing one interception during Saturday's 22-17 win against the Titans. He also gained two yards on his only rush attempt, and hooked up with Jakobi Meyers for a successful two-point conversion.

The 33-year-old journeyman remains the leader in the clubhouse to serve as Tom Brady's backup in 2019, though fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham had an impressive night in his own right with 193 passing yards and a touchdown throw. Hoyer had an interception on New England's second play from scrimmage but was able to lead a 10-play, 74-yard touchdown march later on -- a drive that culminated in a Brandon Bolden goal-line touchdown run, and the two-point play from Hoyer to Meyers. Hoyer built some equity for himself through the first two exhibition outings by managing an 81.9 percent completion percentage and throwing two touchdowns to one interception. He aims to continue the solid streak of play when New England faces Carolina on Thursday.

Brissett completed eight of his 10 pass attempts for 100 yards and a touchdown during Saturday's 21-18 preseason loss to the Browns.

Brissett did little on his first two drives, but he then impressed on a 10-play, 85-yard drive which concluded with his touchdown pass to Eric Ebron. The team seemingly saw what they needed to see on that drive, removing him prior to the team's next possession. Brissett will likely continue to ramp up his involvement next Saturday against the Bears as Andrew Luck (ankle) continues to rehab his injury. He could feasibly start the season opener against the Chargers if his aforementioned teammate isn't ready.

Mahomes may play most of the first half of Saturday's preseason contest at Pittsburgh, Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network reports.

Per coach Andy Reid, Mahomes may remain on the field for about one half "or somewhere thereabouts," which isn't exactly revealing of the QB's precise amount of playing time. Still, it seems as if Mahomes will get more than the one possession he directed in the Chiefs' exhibition opener. On that single drive, he completed all four passes for 66 yards en route to a Carlos Hyde one-yard TD run.

Lee was waived by the Jaguars on Saturday, Phillip Heilman of the Athletic reports.

Lee, who was selected by the Jaguars in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, has yet to make his regular season debut and will now look to latch on elsewhere. Jacksonville may elect to sign another running back to fill the vacant roster spot, as Alfred Blue (ankle) is slated to miss the upcoming week.

Mayfield has been ruled out for Saturday's preseason contest against the Colts as the Browns rest a handful of their starters, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Mayfield will not appear in Saturday's tilt after a week of joint practices in Indianapolis, so Garrett Gilbert is now slated to draw the start at quarterback ahead of fellow reserve Drew Stanton. Mayfield's next opportunity for live preseason reps will come Aug. 23 against the Buccaneers.

Winston completed two of four passes for 24 yards and added five yards on his sole rush in the Buccaneers' 16-14 preseason win over the Dolphins on Friday.

Winston's time on the field was limited to the opening series for the second straight game, and he helped the Buccaneers reach the Dolphins' 30-yard line until suffering an 11-yard sack on his last play. Winston is likely to see much more extensive action in next week's third preseason tilt against the Browns, and he seems to have a sound grasp of coach Bruce Arians' offense thus far.