NFL Player News

Smith will start Thursday's preseason contest against the Broncos, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

The Seahawks are holding out Russell Wilson in the exhibition opener, leaving Smith and Paxton Lynch to handle quarterback. After the game, Smith will have an injury addressed, per coach Pete Carroll. It isn't clear if Smith will require some sort of procedure, but Carroll expects the signal-caller to be ready in time for the team's second preseason game Aug. 18 in Minnesota, according to Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune. Assuming Smith reaches Week 1 with his health intact, he appears to be the leader for the backup job to Wilson.

Wilson won't suit up for Thursday's preseason game against the Broncos, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Wilson doesn't need many preseason reps to be ready for the regular campaign, but the Seahawks will be well served by getting the quarterback some game action in the post-Doug Baldwin era. In particular, the offense is breaking in three rookie wide receivers [DK Metcalf (oblique), Gary Jennings and John Ursua] while having minimal work with tight end Will Dissly, who didn't play after Week 4 last season due to a patella tendon injury. No matter how the pecking order plays out among Seattle's pass catchers, Wilson will be looking to uphold his record-setting contract extension from earlier this offseason.

Bridgewater said Wednesday that he feels healthier now than he did before sustaining a noncontact knee injury in 2016, Amie Just of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

"I can honestly say that this is the best I've ever felt in my six years," Bridgewater said, referring to his six seasons in the NFL. Bridgewater turned down a contract offer from the Dolphins earlier this offseason, opting instead to reprise his role as Drew Brees' backup, and possible eventual heir, in New Orleans.

Stidham has impressed the Patriots' brass with his performance thus far in training camp, Andrew Callahan of The Springfield Republican reports.

While Stidham is obviously no threat to supplant starter Tom Brady, the fourth-round rookie's strong showing in training camp suggests that the team has unearthed a quarterback worth grooming. With Brady unlikely to play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Lions, Stidham is on track to see ample action.

McCoy (foot) has been ruled out for Thursday's preseason opener against the Browns, Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post reports.

This is hardly a surprise given that McCoy was just cleared ahead of training camp following leg surgery back in April before leaving Monday's practice early due to a foot injury. McCoy's absence for the preseason opener may be precautionary more than anything, but it could harm his chances of winning the No. 1 quarterback job over Dwayne Haskins and Case Keenum. The Redskins listed McCoy first on their initial unofficial depth chart of camp, but that may have been out of deference to his status as the elder statesman in Washington's quarterback room more than anything else.

Coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Tuesday that Garoppolo won't play in Saturday's preseason opener against Dallas, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

There's no setback to report here, however, as the plan is for the QB -- who is bouncing back from a torn left ACL that he suffered last September -- to play in the 49ers' second and third preseason games. C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens, who are competing for the backup job behind Garoppolo, will thus see added reps in Saturday's contest.

Keenum is listed as the backup quarterback on the Redskins' first unofficial depth chart, Ryan Fowler and Kyle Stackpole of the team's official site report.

By all indications, Keenum seems to be taking a majority of the reps with the first-team offense during training camp, but Colt McCoy's experience in coach Jay Gruden's system has resulted in his placement at No. 1. Meanwhile, 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins is the third-stringer. The Redskins have four preseason games to parse out who among the three is deserving of the Week 1 start, but all of them are getting a shot to prove their worth to the coaching staff and management.

McCoy left Monday's practice due to a foot injury, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.

The Redskins held McCoy out of the final period of the session as a precautionary measure, one day removed from coach Jay Gruden listing the veteran as the No. 1 QB on the team's first unofficial depth chart. The reason given was McCoy's experience in the system, though his recovery from a broken right fibula has capped his practice reps, even into training camp. With the entire preseason schedule to come, he'll have to fend off current No. 2 Case Keenum and No. 3 Dwayne Haskins, the latter of whom is in essence the quarterback of the future after being selected 15th overall in this year's draft.

Prescott has had more designed run plays called for him and been asked to take more shots downfield so far in training camp, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

With Ezekiel Elliott holding out and new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore calling plays, the Dallas offense has shown more wrinkles than it has in the past under Scott Linehan, a trend that should only benefit Prescott if it continues into the regular season. If and when Elliott reports, head coach Jason Garrett might insist on a return to a more conservative, run-heavy status quo, but Prescott's athleticism could allow him to shine if he gets turned loose by Moore.

Rypien completed five of 10 passes for 41 yards and a touchdown during Thursday's 14-10 win over the Falcons.

Rypien exited Thursday's game with better stats than the other two quarterbacks who dressed for the Broncos, but the performance was uneven. The rookie undrafted free agent sailed some passes early before finding a rhythm during Denver's late scoring drive. His fourth-down 15-yard touchdown pass to Juwann Winfree was more a 10-90 ball than a 50-50 pass, but it was a solid outing nonetheless. Fellow rookie Drew Lock still seems destined for the backup job, but a few more games like Thursday's could make it hard for Denver to try to stash Rypien on the practice squad.