NFL Player News

Stroud is among the Texans' starters not expected to play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Chargers, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Per Alexander, Thursday's contest is likely to feature rookies and journeyman players trying to make the Texans' 53-man roster rather than established starters. In that scenario, Stroud's next chance to see preseason action will occur Aug. 20 against the Raiders. Davis Mills and Graham Mertz are available to handle QB reps against Los Angeles on Thursday.

The Ravens signed Reed on Wednesday, Quentin Corpuel of the team's official site reports.

In a corresponding transaction, Baltimore placed quarterback Skylar Thompson (undisclosed) on its injured reserve list. Reed most recently played professionally for the UFL's Dallas Renegades, and with them he threw for 1,923 yards and 21 touchdowns over 10 games as a starter.

Baltimore placed Thompson (undisclosed) on its injured reserve list Wednesday, Quentin Corpuel of the Ravens' official site reports.

In a corresponding transaction, Baltimore signed quarterback Austin Reed. It's still not fully clear what kind of injury Thompson is dealing with, but he's now on track to miss the entire 2026 season as he recovers.

Penix (knee) still hasn't been cleared for 11-on-11s and won't be available for Friday's preseason opener against Denver, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Limited to 7-on-7s at training camp, Penix may or may not play this preseason, but he at least figures to increase his practice involvement soon. Tua Tagovailoa will start Friday's exhibition and remain a strong favorite for the Week 1 nod, but Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski reiterated Wednesday that he isn't ready to name his Week 1 starter yet.

Tagovailoa will start Friday's preseason opener against Denver, but coach Kevin Stefanski isn't ready to name the Week 1 starter, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Stefanski said Wednesday that the starters will stay in Friday's game for about 10 snaps or one series. For now, Tagovailoa is the starter by default with Michael Penix (knee) not yet cleared for contact or full-team drills. Stefanski is leaving the door open for Penix to earn the starting job, but that seems more likely to happen in-season than ahead of Week 1.

Shough and most of the Saints' other starters are unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason game against Jacksonville, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Saints coach Kellen Moore said Thursday's joint practice with the Jaguars will be where Shough and other key players get their chance to square off with opponents. Moore did leave the door open for borderline starters to suit up, but it sounds like Shough, Chris Olave, Travis Etienne, etc. will all be held out.

Head coach Jeff Hafley said he's planning on having Willis play in the Dolphins' preseason opener Friday versus the Commanders, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.

Hafley could reverse course and hold Willis out Friday if the signal-caller gets sufficient reps and looks good during Wednesday's joint practice with the Commanders, but as a first-year starter on a new team, it probably wouldn't hurt the 27-year-old to get in some more snaps in the preseason opener. Because Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik's scheme includes many concepts similar to the ones Willis learned under Packers head coach and playcaller Matt LaFleur, the quarterback has seemingly had a comfortable transition to Miami and has been building chemistry with his receiving corps through the first two weeks of camp, according to David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The upcoming joint practice will be the first major test Willis has faced this summer, as he's generally received positive reviews during camp practices while matching up against a beleaguered Dolphins defense.

Browning may not play in Friday's preseason game against the Jets due to a back injury, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

With Baker Mayfield not scheduled to play Friday, Browning was slated to serve as the team's starter, with Connor Bazelak and Jalon Daniels also in the mix for reps. However, Browning strained his back toward the tail end of Tuesday's joint practice with the Jets, which puts him in jeopardy of missing Friday's preseason opener.

Leonard will be under center for the second half of Thursday's preseason game against the Patriots, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Anthony Richardson will draw the start for Thursday's preseason opener and play for the first half before turning the keys over to Leonard for the last two quarters. Richardson and Leonard are battling for the backup job behind Daniel Jones, though Richardson may not be with the Colts for the start of the 2026 regular season after requesting a trade from the team in the offseason. Leonard was a sixth-round selection of the Colts in the 2025 NFL Draft and started in Week 18 against the Texans, when he completed 21 of 34 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while turning three carries into 21 yards and a score.

Deshaun Watson and Sanders are listed as co-starters on the Brown' unofficial depth chart, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Coach Todd Monken has yet to reveal his QB plans for Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears, but it's expected that whichever of the two signal callers starts that contest will give way the other one in Cleveland's second exhibition tilt. For the time being, Watson and Sanders continue to share first-team practice reps, with no timeline offered for a decision on the team's Week 1 starter.