NFL Player News

Savage completed two of three passes for 40 yards and rushed once for 15 yards during Detroit's preseason opener against the Patriots.

Savage looked sharp and logged roughly 10 snaps before ceding quarterback duties to David Fales, who proceeded to complete under 40 percent of his passes and wasn't impressive in any sense of the word. However, Savage did take a pair of sacks and possibly left the game due to one of them causing a potential concussion, per Chris Burke of the Athletic. If this turns out to be more of a health scare than anything, Savage shouldn't have a problem holding on to the No. 2 gig behind Matthew Stafford throughout the remainder of the preseason. If not, it's likely that Detroit will need to find some outside help to solidify the backup quarterback job.

Sudfeld left Thursday's preseason game against the Titans with an apparent left wrist injury, Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports.

Sudfeld landing awkwardly late in the first half and immediately grabbed at the wrist. After an examination in the sideline tent, he emerged with an air cast on his left arm and was carted to the locker room. Clayton Thorson and Cody Kessler round out the depth chart at quarterback behind Carson Wentz.

Keenum will start Thursday's preseason game in Cleveland, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.

With Colt McCoy (foot) sidelined, Keenum, rookie Dwayne Haskins and Josh Woodrum will be the quarterbacks at coach Jay Gruden's disposal. Keenum is listed as the No. 2 QB on the current depth chart, but performance over the next month ultimately will determine the breakdown for the regular season.

Darnold will start Thursday's preseason game versus the Giants, Dianna Russini of ESPN reports.

Darnold likely won't play more than a series or two, but he'll at least get his feet wet in a game for the first time since the 2018 season finale. The Jets are holding out both Le'Veon Bell and holdover Bilal Powell, so we'll have to wait another week to see Darnold with his new-look backfield.

Mariota "won't play much" in Thursday's preseason opener against the Eagles, "if he plays at all," Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

In last season's preseason opener, Mariota played just one series and he's not likely to see extended duty this time around as well. Per the report, third-stringer Logan Woodside figures to see plenty of action Thursday night.

If Mayfield and other key starters such as Odell Beckham Jr. take the field in Thursday's preseason opener against Washington, "it won't be for long," Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

With Mayfield having solidified the Browns' QB position for the first time in years, the team has no incentive to expose him to a ton of preseason contact. With his reps likely to be curbed Thursday, added opportunities will be there for depth options Garrett Gilbert and David Blough.

Jackson is expected to see minimal playing time in Thursday's preseason game against the Jaguars, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

With Thursday marking Baltimore's preseason opener, Jackson is unlikely to play more than a series or two. In the past, coach John Harbaugh has tended to give his starter some reps in the opener before turning things over to the backups. Jackson's expected minimal playing time limits his upside in daily contests Thursday.

Mahomes is slated to start Saturday night's preseason opener against the Bengals, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Per coach Andy Reid, the team's QB rotation for the contest will mimic the rotation that's been used during training camp. Mahomes will therefore be followed by Chad Henne, Kyle Shurmur and Chase Litton. It remains to be seen how much action Mahomes sees Saturday, but we suspect it won't be extensive.

Winston is adapting to throwing more checkdown passes to his running backs within coach Bruce Arians' new offense, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "Sometimes checking that ball down is the simple decision," Winston said. "It's about moving the chains. It's about a completion here and a completion there. And that's how you know the game really slows down is when you're able to do that, when it's just second nature."

Winston has a well-earned reputation as a gunslinger, a notion supported by the fact he boasts 163 completions of over 20 yards -- including 23 over 40 -- in his first 56 NFL games. However, he's also thrown 58 interceptions over that span, so a more cautious approach may be just what Winston needs to take the next step in his development. Additionally, Arians' offenses typically include a solid amount of passing-game involvement for the running backs, with David Johnson's 80 receptions in Arizona during the 2016 season the best example of such. While Winston will certainly take his share of downfield shots this season to the likes of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Breshad Perriman and O.J. Howard, it's clear he may find himself operating in shorter passing windows by design more often than in past years.

Dobbs will draw the starting assignment for Thursday's preseason opener against the Buccaneers, Bob Labriola of the Steelers' official site reports.

Dobbs is hoping to hold off second-year quarterback Mason Rudolph and retain the top backup job behind Ben Roethlisberger in 2019. In order to aid his efforts, Dobbs would do well to turn in a solid showing in the exhibition opener after he mostly disappointed during the 2018 campaign. Rudolph will also be given a fair share of opportunities to show what he can do against Tampa Bay, and likely in the three preseason contests to follow.