NFL Player News

Boyle completed four of seven passes for 37 yards in Thursday's preseason game against the Steelers.

Boyle did not get the chance to throw as much as he did in the first exhibition contest when he put the ball in the air 15 times, as the Packers were already well ahead when he entered the game. He certainly didn't hurt his chances of making the cut by any means, but he remains a long shot to do so.

Even though Darnold started Thursday's preseason game against the Redskins, coach Todd Bowles continues to describe New York's quarterback competition as "cloudy," Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Darnold certainly didn't do anything to knock himself out of contention, as his interception came on a fourth-down play where he had no choice but to try to squeeze the ball into a tight window. Teddy Bridgewater threw the team's lone touchdown in the second half and is mounting a strong challenge for the starting spot, though he could also be a trade candidate since Darnold is the Jets' future at the position. Another factor to consider is that New York's first three games of the season are played over an 11-day span, creating a potentially overwhelming situation for a rookie from a preparation standpoint.

Rodgers completed two of four passes for 35 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in the Packers' 51-34 preseason win over the Steelers on Thursday. He also rushed once for five yards.

While Rodgers' appearance was predictably brief, it served its purpose -- the multi-time Pro Bowler led a crisp 40-yard scoring drive that he capped off with an eight-yard touchdown to notable offseason acquisition Jimmy Graham. Rodgers connected with Davante Adams for 27 yards on his other completion earlier in the series, giving him a pair of successful hookups with a pair of pass catchers that could well be his most-targeted in the coming season. Having broken the preseason ice, Rodgers will look forward to more extensive reps against the Raiders a week from Friday in what should serve as the Packers' "dress rehearsal" game.

Denver's starters, including Keenum, figure to play between a quarter and a quarter and a half in this Saturday's preseason game against the Bears, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

The extra time should be telling for Keenum and the rest of Denver's starting offense, which failed to get it going in the preseason opener. The veteran quarterback completed just one short pass during two uneventful drives against Minnesota.

Bridgewater completed 10 of 15 passes for 127 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Thursday's 15-13 preseason loss to Washington. He also rushed once for four yards in the contest.

Bridgewater played the entire second half after rookie Sam Darnold got all three of New York's first-half possessions. The highlight of Bridgewater's night was a 16-yard touchdown pass to Charone Peake. Josh McCown didn't get any reps at all in this one, so it's difficult to judge the status of New York's three-man quarterback competition at this point. Bridgewater can't be ruled out as a potential Week 1 starter, though.

Darnold got the start in Week 2 of the preseason Thursday in Washington, completing eight of 11 passes for 62 yards and an interception in the Jets' 15-13 loss.

Darnold was hampered by poor offensive line play as New York went three-and-out on its opening drive, throwing the ball away due to pressure on second down before being sacked on third down. The rookie quarterback led his team to a field goal on the next possession, though he took another third-down sack inside Washington's 20-yard line. His third and final possession of the first half ended with a fourth-down interception in Redskins territory. While Darnold still isn't pushing the envelope much downfield, he was able to move the offense well and remains in the mix to start in Week 1 if he can show sustained growth throughout the rest of the preseason.

Darnold will start Thursday night's preseason tilt against Washington, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Darnold is gaining momentum in his quest to open the regular season as the Jets' starting QB over veteran signal-callers Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the rookie is expected to garner "extensive snaps" Thursday, which sets the stage for Darnold to carve out DFS utility this week.

Garoppolo will play at least one series during Saturday's preseason game in Houston, Matt Barrows of The Athletic Bay Area reports. "I see it [his playing time] pretty similar to the first game," coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday. "We'll feel it out. But he'll probably go a little more. I wouldn't expect much more."

Garoppolo was contained to one series last Thursday against the Cowboys, completing three of six passes for 34 yards. Among the attempts, three were directed at Marquise Goodwin, who has developed into Garoppolo's favorite target in his first training camp with the 49ers. With regard to this next exhibition, Garoppolo won't have three key members of the offense -- running backs Jerick McKinnon (calf) and Matt Breida (shoulder), plus tight end George Kittle (shoulder) -- at his disposal, so Shanahan can't be blamed for yanking the quarterback after just 1-2 possessions.

Darnold is "trending toward the opening-day start" at QB for the Jets, per ESPN's Rich Cimini.

That's a notion echoed by Manish Mehta of the Daily News, who states that "it'd be an upset if Darnold isn't the Week 1 starter." Darnold is expected to see plenty of action in Thursday night's preseason game against Washington and barring a regression in that contest, it may be hard to stop the momentum that the No. 3 overall pick in April's draft has built toward the goal of officially overtaking veteran signal-callers Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater.

Coach Bill O'Brien said Watson will have a similar workload in Saturday's preseason game against the 49ers as he had in the first exhibition game, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Watson was in for one drive in the preseason opener against the Chiefs, completing his only pass for four yards. The second-year pro is coming off a torn right ACL that sidelined him for the final nine games of the 2017 season, so any preseason workload, albeit small, proves he's on track to start Week 1. O'Brien also added that the starters are getting plenty of practice reps, and it's clear he doesn't want to risk injuries for Watson or the team's other starters.