NFL Player News

Winston completed five of six passes for 40 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in the Buccaneers' 30-28 preseason loss to the Steelers on Friday. He also gained 10 yards on his sole rush.

Winston was razor sharp in his first opportunity to helm coach Bruce Arians' offense during live game action. The veteran signal-caller was playing without Mike Evans in the preseason opener, but he was able to connect with starters Breshad Perriman and Chris Godwin, as well as top running backs Peyton Barber and Ronald Jones, during the opening drive. Winston then capped off his one possession with a nine-yard touchdown to Godwin, making his exhibition debut a highly successful one. Winston will look to continue producing in similar fashion during what should be more extensive playing time against the Dolphins in next Friday's second preseason game.

Lynch completed 11 of 15 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's preseason game versus the Broncos. He also ran four times for 38 yards and a score.

Lynch is positioned at No. 3 on Seattle's depth chart behind Russell Wilson and Geno Smith, but this game should be enough to lift him over Smith. He'll get the chance to take reps with the second team for the next week while Smith recovers from a minor surgery on his knee. While the Seahawks are still probably going to sign another quarterback to compete for the job, if Lynch can repeat the performance he put up against the Broncos he appears poised to take the job.

Johnson signed a contract with the Lions on Saturday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

It seems as if Tom Savage's potential concussion during Thursday's preseason opener may be worse than the Lions initially let on, as the team immediately set out to acquire a veteran backup for starter Matthew Stafford. Johnson underwent ankle surgery back in March but has been fully cleared to practice and should be healthy competition for Savage or David Fales as the trio competes for the No. 2 spot on the quarterback depth chart.

Rudolph completed five of eight attempts for 91 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Steelers' 30-28 preseason win over the Buccaneers on Friday.

The 2018 third-round pick gave an excellent accounting of himself after taking over for Joshua Dobbs on the third series. Rudolph capped off his first drive with a perfect back-shoulder scoring completion to James Washington, and he later added an equally impressive back-of-the-end-zone throw to tight end Zach Gentry that the towering rookie caught at its highest point. Rudolph is pushing Joshua Dobbs for the backup job behind Ben Roethlisberger, and while both players generated solid numbers Friday, Rudolph was the one who was able to produce points.

Dobbs completed five of eight attempts for 85 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and also rushed twice for 44 yards in the Steelers' 30-28 preseason win over the Buccaneers on Friday.

Dobbs started and played the first two series, complementing some sharp passing with an impressive 36-yard scramble on third down that took the ball to the Buccaneers' 17-yard line. The third-year quarterback did have an interception wiped out by offsetting penalties, but he was otherwise encouragingly effective during his time on the field. Dobbs logged the first 12 regular-season attempts of his career last season, but barring a Ben Roethlisberger injury during the regular season, he'll see his biggest workload by far over the next three preseason games while competing with Mason Rudolph for a roster spot.

Cousins went 4-for-4 with 65 passing yards and a touchdown during his lone drive of Friday's 34-25 win over the Saints.

Cousins was on point in his first taste of preseason action, averaging an outstanding 16.3 yards per attempt while capping off his drive with a one-yard TD pass to Alexander Mattison. He's expected to see more playing time in next Sunday's matchup with the Seahawks and will hope to connect more with Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, who combined for one reception on one official target. Nevertheless, Cousins looks to be in good form early on in camp.

Watson is among the Texans' key players who sat out Thursday's preseason opener against the Packers, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Watson appeared in all 16 of the Houston's regular-season games last year, but his injury history prior to that offers the team incentive to limit his exposure to unnecessary preseason contact. The Texans' franchise-signal caller got some good news Thursday, when the team traded for running back Duke Johnson, a talented pass-catcher, who gives Watson another legitimate playmaker to work with this coming season.

Stidham completed 14 of 24 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's preseason opener, a 31-3 win over the Lions.

It's just one game, but Stidham took care of the ball, had some nice throws and displayed solid poise for a rookie fourth-rounder. The 23-year-old is obviously no threat to Tom Brady's starting job, but the early returns have been good and Stidham looks like a signal-caller worth grooming. Whether that occurs with him as the team's No. 3 signal-caller or as Tom Brady's direct backup in 2019 remains to be seen, though with that in mind, we'd be surprised if the team let veteran Brian Hoyer go.

Boyle completed three of five passes for 40 yards and two touchdowns in Thursday's preseason opener.

Boyle was only on the field for 16 snaps, but he made the most of his opportunities, finding paydirt twice and demonstrating poise in the pocket. Fellow reserve quarterback DeShone Kizer played the entire first half Thursday -- and played relatively well also -- so not much changed with the backup situation behind Aaron Rodgers. Kizer is the favorite to land the No. 2 spot, but Boyle remains alive in the competition. At the least, his showing probably made it more difficult for the Packers to cut ties with him, and it would hardly be a surprise if the team kept three quarterbacks even if Kizer heads into Week 1 as the backup.

Rodgers did not suit up for Thursday's preseason opener, but Packers.com senior writer Mike Spofford presumes Rodgers will see action in the Packers' next two exhibition contests.

Rodgers was not expected to play Thursday, but the Packers did not reveal until shortly before kickoff that he would indeed be held out. It's probably beneficial for him to see at least some action this preseason in order to get in a test run with new head coach and play caller Matt LaFleur, but the Packers will no doubt be cautious with him in order to make sure he is 100 percent for the team's season opener against the Bears. As was the case prior to exhibition game No. 1, Rodgers' availability for the Packers' second preseason contest, against the Ravens, may not be determined until close to game day.