NFL Player News

Heinicke was claimed by the Panthers off waivers Monday, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Heinicke quickly found a new home in Charlotte after he was cut by the Texans late last week. He'll have a good chance to supplant Garrett Gilbert for the primary backup role should he impress during the preseason.

Mahomes worked with some of the Chiefs' skill-position players during the offseason, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

It's unclear if the workouts included Sammy Watkins, who signed a three-year, $48 million contract with Kansas City when the free agency period first opened. Aside from swapping out Albert Wilson (Dolphins) for Watkins and Alex Smith for Mahomes, the Chiefs will retain the core of their productive 2017 offense, including Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and four of five starters on the line. It has the look of a formidable unit, with the potential to reach elite status if Mahomes displays enough pocket presence and accuracy to get the most out of his immense physical gifts. He looked the part of an NFL starter in Week 17 last season, completing 22 of 35 passes for 284 yards and an interception to lead the Chiefs' backups to a 27-24 win in Denver.

Heinicke was released by the Texans on Friday.

Heinicke made one appearance in 2017 during a Christmas matchup versus the Steelers after starter T.J. Yates left to be checked for a concussion. The Old Dominion product completed the one pass he threw for 10 yards, and he added a two-yard rush.

Dalton anticipates that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor will make significant changes to the playbook and scheme for 2018, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official website reports. "When we've changed coordinators in the past, the offense and the scheme and everything has stayed pretty similar," Dalton said. "I think this is going to feel a whole lot different than what we've done and the way we've done things."

Lazor was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator in September when Ken Zampese was fired after Week 2. The in-season change didn't allow for a new playbook, forcing Lazor to work with a West Coast scheme that originally was installed by Jay Gruden in 2011 and maintained by both Hue Jackson (2014-15) and Zampese. Having previously worked under Joe Gibbs, Mike Holmgren and Chip Kelly, the 45-year-old Lazor is familiar with a variety of offensive philosophies and terminologies. Dalton struggled mightily while playing behind a porous offensive line last season, posting his lowest passer rating (86.6) since 2014 and worst completion percentage (59.9) since his rookie year of 2011. The Bengals re-signed Tyler Eifert and traded for left tackle Cordy Glenn in March, but they otherwise seem to be banking on Lazor, draft picks and in-house improvement to turn the offense around this upcoming season. It could work out well if Eifert and John Ross stay reasonably healthy, though the right side of the offensive line still appears highly problematic.

Morris is signing with Seattle, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports.

Released by Indianapolis earlier in the week, Morris didn't take long to find a new home. He'll be the only quarterback behind Russell Wilson on the depth chart, though Seattle figures to address that situation in the coming weeks, considering Morris went undrafted in 2014 and has yet to take a snap in an NFL regular-season game. His best-case scenario is a shot to compete for the backup job during training camp.

Bradford may be limited during the Cardinals' offseason program, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic reports.

Bradford emerged from Week 1 last season with a left knee injury and made just one appearance the rest of the way. Arthroscopic surgery Nov. 7 was the primary reason, but once healthy, he served as the primary backup to Case Keenum during the Vikings' playoff run. Moving on to the Cardinals in the offseason, Bradford is the favorite to be under center to kick off the upcoming campaign, but his voluminous history of knee injuries appears to be inducing some pause from head coach Steve Wilks, who doesn't want to "rush it" with his new QB, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. As a result, Bradford is a candidate to have his workload capped during OTAs and mandatory minicamp.

The Redskins waived Morris on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

A 2014 undrafted free agent, Morris has spent time with the Eagles, Colts and Redskins, but he's yet to appear in a regular-season game. His long-shot odds to make the final roster in Washington took a hit when the team traded for Kevin Hogan on Friday. Morris will look to catch on elsewhere, merely hoping for a shot to compete for a No. 3 quarterback job.

Coach Sean McDermott stated last week that the starting quarterback job will be decided through competition, Dominic LoVallo of BuffaloBills.com reports. "We've got open competition at the position," McDermott said, referring to Peterman and newcomer AJ McCarron. "We've got two good players at the position. Two, good, young players and we're excited about both of them. Both have done a lot of winning, albeit at the college level. Both quarterbacks have a lot of room to grow and are very encouraged about the opportunity to compete to start for the Buffalo Bills."

McDermott is a fine young coach, but he's also grown a quick knack for saying things like everything is a competition and no one's job is safe, including his own. So while it makes for good coach-speak, we doubt the Bills went out and landed McCarron only so they could let a much younger QB like Peterman, who struggled last season, swipe his job in some tryout. In fact, Peterman might not even win the No. 2 job if the Bills go out and draft a highly touted quarterback with one of their two first-round picks.

Rams coach Sean McVay is confident Goff will continue to develop in 2018, despite losing former offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur to the Titans and former quarterbacks coach Greg Olson to the Raiders, Myles Simmons of the team's official website reports.

Perhaps more important than the aforementioned coaching changes, the Chiefs outbid the Rams for Sammy Watkins, who accounted for eight of Goff's 28 passing touchdowns last year. It shouldn't be a crippling blow, considering Watkins had only 39 receptions for 593 yards on 70 targets, finishing far behind Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods in all three categories. The Rams may turn to 2017 fourth-round pick Josh Reynolds for the third spot in three-wide sets, though there's still plenty of time to secure a better option via free agency or the draft. Goff figures to benefit from continuity despite the ancillary changes, as he'll still be playing behind a strong O-line in a McVay-directed offense with Todd Gurley in the backfield.

Smith has reached an agreement with the Chargers on a one-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Smith played for the Giants in 2017, starting one game and completing 21-of-34 pass attempts for 212 yards and a touchdown. The move brings depth to the Chargers' quarterbacking corps, with an aging Philip Rivers now backed up by both Smith and Cardale Jones. Whether Smith or Jones will take over as the No. 2 remains to be determined.