NFL Player News

Gabbert completed five of 12 passes for 42 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and rushed once for six yards in the Buccaneers' 16-14 preseason win over the Dolphins on Friday.

Gabbert checked in on the second series of the game and quickly saw the possession short-circuited by an Andre Ellington fumble. However, the veteran couldn't help the Buccaneers get anything going over the next two drives either before finally managing a choppy 11-play, 36-yard march later in the second quarter that culminated in a field goal. Of additional concern for Gabbert's job prospects is the fact fellow backup Ryan Griffin put together an appreciably better stat line for the second time in as many preseason games. With only two exhibitions remaining, the veteran is fighting for his roster spot despite his prior experience in coach Bruce Arians' offense.

Allen completed nine of 11 passes for 102 yards during Friday's 27-14 win over the Panthers.

Allen hit on several nice passes early Friday, perhaps none as impressive as the 25-yard shot up the seam to tight end Tommy Sweeney to convert a third down on Buffalo's second-possession touchdown drive. Those who bashed Allens' rookie season probably undersold it and vice versa. As a rookie, Allen was able to get by on athleticism, but seldom appeared in rhythm passing the ball like he was on Friday. He now has two strong preseason performances under his belt and appears set to surprise some doubters in 2019.

Jones completed 11 of 14 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown during Friday's preseason win over the Bears. He also lost a fumble.

Jones got off to an inauspicious start as he relieved Eli Manning for the team's second drive, which ended with his fumble in the red zone. He picked it up after that point, however, and completed 79 percent of his passes while connecting with TJ Jones for a 15-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Jones has been rather impressive during his two preseason outings and will look to continue his ascent Thursday against the Bengals.

Allen is slated to start Friday's preseason game against the Bills, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

With Cam Newton a healthy scratch during exhibition season to date, Allen has been given the first shot to run the Panthers offense. In preseason Week 1 against the Bears, Allen completed seven of 11 passes for 76 yards. Once his cameo is over, he'll hand the reins to Will Grier and Taylor Heinicke to close out the contest.

Trubisky isn't expected to play in Friday's preseason contest against the Giants.

Trubisky opened the preseason Thursday, Aug. 8 with three offensive snaps, all of them handoffs. While he wants to get in more in-game reps before the regular season, coach Matt Nagy may err on the side of caution and hold him out for the two exhibitions games to come. If Trubisky doesn't get another chance to suit up this month, Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray will direct the Bears offense.

Coach Matt LaFleur expects Rodgers (back) to practice Sunday, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Rodgers was a late scratch for Thursday's preseason game at Baltimore as a precautionary measure due to back tightness. If the issue persists, there's a chance he won't be on the practice field Sunday with an eye toward ensuring his health for the regular season. As for the rest of exhibition season, Rodgers' next chance to suit up comes Thursday against the Raiders in Winnipeg.

Dalton and the Bengals' first-team offense ran only 11 plays on three series in Thursday's preseason game against the Redskins, committing six penalties in the process, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com reports. "This week wasn't quite good enough. We've got a lot to improve on," coach Zac Taylor said. "That first drive, I don't know how to feel about it. Very disjointed. Too many penalties."

Dalton completed five of nine passes for 35 yards and threw a pick-six on a tipped ball that was returned 96 yards - had it not been tipped, it would have likely resulted in a touchdown pass to Trayveon Williams.

Smith (knee) is practicing Friday and could play in Sunday's preseason game against the Vikings, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Smith had a cyst in his knee removed last week and is back on the practice field after missing the last seven days. If Smith does end up being active for Sunday's exhibition, second-year quarterback J.T. Barrett likely will not get the opportunity to play.

Boyle completed 12 of 21 passes for 107 yards in Thursday's preseason loss to the Ravens. He threw a touchdown pass but also lost a fumble.

Starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers was expected to make his preseason debut Thursday, but he ultimately did not play because of a back injury, which afforded DeShone Kizer a start for the second week in a row. Kizer played just two series, and then Boyle got a chance to play into the fourth quarter. Boyle did lead the Packers on their only touchdown drive of the game, but it came in the second half against the players at the bottom of the Ravens' roster, so it's tough to take too much away from that. Boyle remains behind Kizer on the depth chart heading into preseason game No. 3, but he's still seemingly alive in the competition to open the season with the backup job behind Rodgers.

Minshew completed 19 of 29 passes for 202 yards with zero touchdowns or interceptions and rushed twice for two yards in Thursday's preseason loss to the Eagles.

Minshew managed only 46 passing yards in the preseason opener last week, but he looked significantly better Thursday as he played well into the third quarter. The rookie sixth-round pick is still looking to lead his first touchdown drive, but it was undoubtedly a step in the right direction as he again played with mostly second- and third-string players. According to Hays Carlyon of 1010 AM WJXL, coach Doug Marrone is increasingly encouraged by the rookie, who remains the clear favorite for the backup job at QB behind Nick Foles. "[Minshew] did a lot for me where I feel that he's done a good job," Marrone said.