NFL Player News

The quarterback competition between Bridgewater and rookie Sam Darnold may still be ongoing, as SNY NFL Insider Ralph Vacchiano reports that coach Todd Bowles won't name a starting quarterback until at least "sometime next week".

Darnold appears to be the frontrunner for the job after playing the entire first half in each of the team's past two preseason contests, but Bowles isn't quite ready to pull the plug on the quarterback competition. The Jets are likely interested in dealing Bridgewater for a high draft pick if another team's quarterback goes down, so it's still possible he opens the year as the starter to showcase his skills. On the other hand, Bridgewater has only played 16 percent of first-team reps in camp while usually working with backups in the preseason, so the lack of experience with the first unit doesn't bode well for his chances of winning the job.

Darnold has "all but wrapped up the starting job", according to ESPN's Rich Cimini.

While Jets coach Todd Bowles continues to play coy when it comes to the team's Week 1 starter, Cimini is justified in believing Darnold is the clear-cut frontrunner. Teddy Bridgewater has only played 16 percent of first-team reps in camp, with Darnold and Josh McCown splitting the remaining 84 percent almost straight down the middle. McCown has played only one drive in the preseason, though, and Darnold helped his case in Friday's matchup with the Giants by leading a pair of first-half touchdown drives.

Driskel is in a legit job battle with Matt Barkley to be Andy Dalton's backup, Michael LaPlaca of Bengals.com reports.

Driskel has some semblance of upside, having never thrown a pass in an NFL regular season game, whereas Barkley is more of a known commodity. Both have had game-winning touchdowns this preseason, to the extent that matters. Driskel is 20 of 31 for 258 yards and a touchdown, whereas Barkley is 8 of 17 for 118 yards and a touchdown. Playing time for both on Sunday against Buffalo might be sparse, but they could get extensive work in next week's preseason finale.

Coach Hue Jackson said he's leaning toward having Mayfield serve as the Browns' No. 2 QB this season, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

It's no surprise that the rookie won't supplant Tyrod Taylor (hand) out of the gate, but Mayfield has evidently already overtaken veteran Drew Stanton. With no immediate path to regular-season playing time, Mayfield's early-season fantasy value is minimal, though he profiles as one of the league's highest-upside backups. In the meantime, he's in line to play some snaps in the Browns' preseason finale, but chances are that fellow signal-callers Drew Stanton and Brogan Roback will see the bulk of the work Thursday night against the Lions.

Vikings' head coach Mike Zimmer says there's "no question" that Siemian is the backup quarterback, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Siemian had been competing with Kyle Sloter and Peter Pujals for the backup job in training camp, but Zimmer has put to bed any doubts about the status of the competition. Siemian played in 26 games for the Broncos the past three years, so he'll be an experienced backup behind starting quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Jones played through a groin injury in Saturday's 36-7 preseason loss to the Saints, Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News reports. He completed one of three passes for 13 yards and ran once for one yard.

It was an ineffective outing for Jones, who is battling Geno Smith to be Philip Rivers' backup. Smith appears to be the leader in the competition, as he's had considerably more attempts (43 vs. 19) through three preseason games.

Jackson completed seven of 10 passes for 98 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in the Ravens' 27-10 preseason win over the Dolphins on Saturday. He also rushed three times for 39 yards and another score.

Coach John Harbaugh took the opportunity of giving his first-round pick a solid allotment of playing time in what was supposed to be the team's dress rehearsal for the regular season, and Jackson responded with his sharpest performance as a passer yet. The rookie started the second half and immediately oversaw a five-play, 84-yard drive that culminated with a 65-yard touchdown run by De'Lance Turner. Jackson then contributed a 19-yard scoring scamper himself two possessions later, and he finished his night with a 21-yard touchdown pass to DeVier Posey. Although he'll start the season as Joe Flacco's backup and still needs plenty of seasoning as a dropback passer, Jackson possesses the talent to overtake the veteran in time.

Watson completed three of six passes for 15 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in the Texans' 21-20 preseason loss to the Rams on Saturday. He also rushed once for five yards.

Watson was given limited exposure in the traditional "dress rehearsal" game, getting pulled after just three series. The second-year quarterback's one interception came at the hands of LaMarcus Joyner, who snagged a second-down pass attempt to Bruce Ellington. Watson had already gotten a solid amount of work in last week's win over the 49ers, completing five of eight passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. Having proven the health of his surgically repaired knee beyond any reasonable doubt, Watson's next opportunity to suit up likely comes Week 1 against the Patriots.

Gabbert completed 16 of 24 passes for 158 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in the Titans' 16-6 preseason loss to the Steelers on Saturday. He also lost a yard on his sole rush.

Coach Mike Vrabel afforded Gabbert the most work of his three quarterbacks by far, with Marcus Mariota putting up only eight pass attempts before exiting with 4:03 remaining in the first half. Gabbert looks to be an ideal backup, young enough to still be a viable option if asked to step in yet boasting a solid amount of starting experience on his resume. The 28-year-old isn't a threat to Mariota's starting job, but his performances through three preseason games (35-for-55 for 350 yards, two TDs, no INTs) imply that he'd be capable of keeping the Titans offense afloat for a certain period of time if the latter were to suffer an injury.

Garoppolo completed nine of 19 passes for 135 yards during Saturday's 23-17 preseason loss to the Colts. He also gained eight yards on his only carry.

Garoppolo made some impressive throws and hung tough in the pocket on several occasions, but he managed a pedestrian 7.1 yards per attempt and completed just 47 percent of his passes. He nearly threw a pair of interceptions in the red zone but was lucky enough to see the passes deflected to the ground. Perhaps most notably, Garoppolo displayed a solid rapport with top receivers Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin, who combined for five catches (on seven targets) for 102 yards. The fifth-year pro should be finished for the exhibition slate and looks poised to lead what should be an improved 49ers offense into the regular season.