NFL Player News

Heinicke is a restricted free agent this offseason, which gives the Panthers the right of first refusal.

In essence, other organizations can sign Heinicke to an offer sheet, but the Panthers will have a chance to examine the contract and decide whether to match it. Since going undrafted in 2015, he's bounced around the NFL, eventually settling in as the direct backup to Cam Newton last season. When Newton was shut down after Week 15 due to a lingering shoulder injury, Heinicke made one start before suffering a season-ending hyperextended elbow. That performance (33 of 53 for 274 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions against the Falcons) apparently was enough to make coach Ron Rivera content with the state of the Panthers' QB room. "I was pleased with what Taylor did for us, as with Kyle (Allen)," Rivera said last week at the combine. "I feel really good about our depth."

The Dolphins are actively looking to trade Tannehill, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

This should come as no surprise, given Tannehill seems to have fallen out of favor with the new Dolphins brass. Tannehill's contract, one that will pay him just over $51 million over the next two years, will likely give any prospective team pause, making it unlikely the 2012 first-round pick is moved until well after the 2019 NFL Draft. The most likely course of action will be for the Dolphins to simply designate Tannehill as a post-June 1 cut, saving the franchise $18.7 million of cap space and freeing the quarterback up to explore the open market.

Coach Jay Gruden said he's confident in McCoy's ability, pointing to durability as the major concern, ESPN.com's John Keim reports. "McCoy (has) a great knowledge of the system, he's comfortable with the guys we have, he's a great leader, he's a competitor." Gruden said. "He can run, he can move and he can make all the throws. But he's been hurt and he hasn't done it."

Gruden also noted that McCoy is stubborn, saying he's not sure if the 32-year-old quarterback will listen to requests to be a bit more cautious. His recent stint as the starter only lasted two games, with McCoy suffering a season-ending fibula fracture in the first quarter of a Week 13 loss to Philadelphia. There's a very real chance he enters training camp as the team's No. 1 quarterback, considering Washington doesn't have much cap space and picks at No. 15 in the first round of the upcoming draft. McCoy was spotted without any support on his injured leg in mid-February, while Alex Smith (leg) still requires a massive stabilizing brace and isn't guaranteed to play football again. McCoy is signed through 2019 with a cap hit of $3.38 million, per overthecap.com.

Head coach Mike Vrabel said Mariota (neck) is on pace to be ready for OTAs in April, Erik Bacharach of the Nashville Tennessean reports.

Mariota took a seat in Tennessee's regular-season finale in order to protect a neck injury that was causing nerve issues in his throwing hand. The injury apparently wasn't severe enough to require surgery or treatment of any kind, though, so Mariota only had to rest and lay low in order to recover. It sounds like that plan has worked swimmingly thus far, and it will set Mariota up for a full offseason to lead the Titans offense in adjusting to life under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

General manager Mike Mayock said Wednesday that he views Carr as a franchise quarterback, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

Entering the second season of a five-year, $125 million contract extension, Carr seems to have support from both Mayock and coach Jon Gruden, though both bosses could change their tune if the soon-to-be 28-year-old struggles in 2019. The Raiders could have escaped Carr's contract without much pain if they'd released him shortly after the Super Bowl, but his $19.9 million base salary became guaranteed when he was still on the roster three days after the end of the season, per OverTheCap.com. The decision essentially locks Carr in as the starter for 2019, albeit with a contract that allows the team to re-evaluate him on a year-to-year basis. The Raiders have a plethora of draft picks and cap space to improve the team around Carr this offseason.

Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones suggested Prescott has earned a contract extension, Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News reports. "You look at a quarterback that has had the success [Prescott]'s had," Jones said Tuesday. "He's done everything the right way. I think he deserves to have his contract looked at in a very progressive way."

Prescott is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and while he hasn't quite built on his debut campaign the way the Cowboys were hoping, there's no doubt he's a starting-caliber quarterback. His status as a fourth-round pick eliminates the possibility of a fifth-year option, but the team does have the threat of a franchise tag to provide some leverage for negotiations. Prescott and the Cowboys will try to reach an agreement on a long-term extension this offseason.

Hackenberg has been benched in favor of Zach Mettenberger after making three starts for the Memphis Express in the Alliance of American Football, Dylan Rubino of AAF.com reports.

Hackenberg hoped a change in throwing mechanics would help salvage his football career, but his work with a quarterbacks coach hasn't fixed an inability to read defenses and stay calm under pressure. The Jets' 2016 second-round pick went 0-3 as a starter for Memphis, completing 51.6 percent of his passes for 4.5 yards per attempt, with no touchdowns and three interceptions. Mettenberger threw for two touchdowns after he replaced Hackenberg in the second half of Saturday's 21-17 loss to the Orlando Apollos. It's hard to imagine Hackenberg drawing any attention from the NFL in 2019.

Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman believes Jackson is gifted in terms of vision and instincts but still has work to do when it comes to passing fundamentals, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports. "I think fundamentally is where [Jackson's] going to need to put most of his work," Roman said. "I think where to throw the ball and seeing guys open, I think those are things that he naturally has."

Roman was promoted within the organization to replace Marty Mornhinweg, who led the successful transition to an offense based around read-option runs after Jackson replaced Joe Flacco at quarterback. The Ravens believe Roman can build on that success with the help of more sophisticated run designs, as his offenses finished eighth, fourth, third, fourth and first in the NFL for rushing yards in his five full seasons as a coordinator, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Roman is best known for his work with Colin Kaepernick and Tyrod Taylor -- mobile quarterbacks who became efficient passers in run-heavy offenses. The Ravens envision the same thing for Jackson, though he may have a difficult learning curve ahead while Roman installs new terminology and plays.

Dalton (thumb) has been tossing a football for the past two weeks and recently began shooting a basketball, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official website reports.

Dalton seems to be on track in the rehab process after having surgery in late November to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. There have been some murmurs about the Bengals trying to find a new quarterback for their new coaching staff, but director of player personnel Duke Tobin recently said Dalton will enter 2019 as the starter. With two seasons remaining on a team-friendly contract, the 31-year-old quarterback may push for some type of financial commitment to back up the supportive words. Dalton was one of the few bright spots for Cincinnati in 2018 and has been a regular presence at the team facility while rehabbing during the early portion of the offseason. NFL rules demand that he waits until April to receive the new playbook from head coach Zac Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.

Keenum likely will be traded or released after the Broncos agreed to acquire fellow quarterback Joe Flacco, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

The Broncos would love to find a trade partner even if the compensation is menial, as they'll have to pay the guaranteed portion ($7 million) of Keenum's $18 million base salary if they end up cutting him. He'd need to accept a pay cut -- an unlikely proposition -- to have any chance at staying in Denver. Keenum collected $18 million from the Broncos in 2018, completing 62.3 percent of his passes for 6.6 yards per attempt with an 18:15 TD:INT as a 16-game starter in an injury-laden offense. He looked like a high-end backup more so than a solid starter, but his breakout 2017 campaign in Minnesota suggests he's good enough to win games when he's surrounded by a talented roster and competent coaching staff.