NFL Player News

Darnold is expected to play extensive snaps in Thursday's preseason game against the Redskins, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Darnold completed 13 of 18 passes for 96 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions in his first preseason action against the Falcons. He also ran twice for eight yards. Rapoport added that Darnold could "solidify his hold on the starting job" with another strong performance, though note that veteran signal-callers Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater remain on hand to helm the offense in the event that the Jets elect to ease Darnold into his destined role as the team's franchise QB. In any case, the rookie could be a decent DFS option this week, with a number of high-profile established quarterbacks destined to see little-to-no-action in preseason Week 2.

Morris was released by the Texans, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Morris was the fourth quarterback on the depth chart and was deemed superfluous after the Texans signed placekicker Nick Rose. With starting kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn nursing a minor injury that could prevent him from participating in this week's preseason matchup against the 49ers on Saturday, Rose was signed and a roster spot was needed. Morris has previous stints with Washington, Seattle, Philadelphia and Jacksonville, though he's yet to appear in a regular-season game.

Mayfield should again see a significant amount of playing time during Friday's preseason game against the Bills, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Two caveats apply here: current No. 1 quarterback Tyrod Taylor is expected to play more than two series Friday, while head coach Hue Jackson reportedly also wants to see veteran Drew Stanton take some reps. With only so many snaps to go around, this likely means that Mayfield will wind up seeing less action than he did in the preseason opener, when he checked in during the first quarter and didn't leave until the fourth. Mayfield is still a viable target in preseason DFS contests nonetheless, but it might be a stretch to expect him to approach 20 pass attempts again.

Browns head coach Hue Jackson said Taylor will play more than two drives in Friday's preseason game against the Bills, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Taylor was sharp on two drives in last week's preseason opener against the Giants, completing all five of his pass attempts for 99 yards and a touchdown. Baker Mayfield then handled the vast majority of playing time under center after the first quarter, throwing for 212 yards and a pair of scores. While Mayfield's professional debut was impressive, Jackson has been adamant that Taylor will be the team's Week 1 starter.

Allen practiced with the second team for the third straight day Wednesday, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

It looks as though Allen is on track to see time with the second-team offense during Friday's exhibition against the Browns, but that doesn't mean he's passed AJ McCarron or Nathan Peterman in the battle for the top job. More likely, the Bills want to give the prized rookie a good test in the second preseason game, and preferred not to throw him out there without any prior familiarity with second team. Allen impressed while running the third unit in the preseason opener, so another good showing Friday would help his case for climbing the depth chart.

Dobbs will split playing time with Mason Rudolph in Thursday night's preseason game at Green Bay, Bob Labriola of Steelers.com reports. According to coach Mike Tomlin, the plan is "to focus on the young quarterbacks. They're going to play and play exclusively."

The news of Ben Roethlisberger being evaluated as part of the league's concussion protocol likely had no bearing on this decision, as Tomlin added that Landry Jones will also sit this one out. Dobbs was third on the depth chart behind Roethlisberger and Jones last season, never taking a single snap, and the addition of Rudolph could result in either Dobbs or Jones failing to make the roster coming out of camp.

Rudolph will get an extended look in Thursday night's preseason game at Green Bay, Bob Labriola of Steelers.com reports. "We will not play selected veteran players," said coach Mike Tomlin. "Ben (Roethlisberger) won't play. It's really about an opportunity to get a legitimate evaluation of the guys who do play."

It is still unclear if Rudolph or Joshua Dobbs will start the game, or how playing time between the two will shake out, but neither Roethlisberger (concussion) nor Landry Jones will play. While this is still considered to be an open competition, smart money is leaning towards Rudolph, a rookie third-round pick, to earn a roster spot this season.

Carr already seems to have a strong command of coach Jon Gruden's offense, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Known for his intensity and complex terminology, Gruden is asking Carr to take on a more active role making adjustments at the line of scrimmage. The 27-year-old quarterback seems to be responding as well as anyone could've hoped, though he only completed two of four passes for 11 yards in the preseason opener against Detroit. As encouraging as the positive reports from training camp may seem, Carr is still surrounded by uncertainty in an offense with a new coaching staff and no clear identity. The Raiders appear to have upgraded their receiving corps by swapping out Michael Crabtree and Cordarrelle Patterson for Jordy Nelson, Martavis Bryant and Ryan Switzer, but they made other moves hinting at an increased emphasis on the rushing attack, signing FB Keith Smith and TEs Lee Smith and Derek Carrier. New offensive coordinator Greg Olson has typically deployed pass-heavy attacks, whereas Gruden, the unquestioned shot-caller of the operation, has a more balanced track record.

Watson (knee) took part in practice Tuesday with "no brace, moving easy, and throwing with accuracy," Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com notes.

Watson tore his right ACL in Week 8 of the 2017 season, but his subsequent rehab and recovery has gone smooth and the fact that he's already seen preseason action and is able to work without a brace at this stage is highly encouraging. In the absence of any setbacks, Watson -- whose star was on the rise before his injury -- is on track to be good to go to start the coming season, at which point he'll look to pick up where left off last year.

Coach Andy Reid relayed Tuesday that Mahomes will play the first half of Friday's exhibition game against the Falcons, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Mahomes, who will be working with the team's first-team offense in the game, should thus be in line for an uptick in attempts and yardage after completing five of seven passes for 33 yards in limited action in the Chiefs' preseason opener. The 2017 first-rounder is locked in as his team's franchise QB, following the offseason departure of Alex Smith. Though Kansas City's 2018 offense should feature a healthy dose of running back Kareem Hunt, Mahomes has the arm strength and weapons (notably Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Travis Kelce) to make a notable fantasy impact in his first year as a pro starter.