NFL Player News

Tannehill was forced to leave Thursday's practice early after suffering a non-contact leg injury, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Tannehill's awkward fall occurred on a scramble to the sideline during team drills, but the quarterback was ultimately able to leave the field slowly under his own power. The severity of the injury is unknown, and he was immediately replaced by Matt Moore. The left knee injury that kept Tannehill out for the latter portion of the Dolphins' 2016 campaign hasn't been an issue throughout training camp, but he's now dealing with another left leg injury that could put his availability in jeopardy.

Stafford worked with a private QB coach for the first time in his professional career this offseason, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports. "I just think I want what's best for this team, I want what's best for me as a player," Stafford said. "If I play well our team's going to play well. It just goes into preparation and doing everything you possibly can."

Stafford reportedly worked with Tom House's 3DQB in Southern California, a group Birkett said focuses on fine-tuning the mechanics of quarterback play. House's other clients include Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Matt Ryan. It isn't clear why Stafford abstained from seeking this kind of counsel in the past, but one would think it could only benefit him in the long run.

Texans coach Bill O'Brien said on Tuesday that Watson is "ahead of any rookie quarterback I've been around."

Just days after Watson was reportedly looking the part of a rookie at camp, he earned lofty praise from his head coach. O'Brien didn't get too in-depth when praising his team's first-round pick, but his comments suggest that Watson could begin to challenge Tom Savage for the starting nod sooner rather than later.

Knight will play the second half of Thursday's Hall of Fame Game versus the Cowboys, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Knight is merely a camp body in Arizona, but head coach will give veterans Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton that evening off, handing the keys of the offense to the remaining reserve quarterbacks. After Blaine Gabbert takes on first-half duty, Knight will take over in the second half. In four seasons between Oklahoma and Texas A&M, Knight completed 55.5 percent of his passes, averaged 167 yards per game and tallied a 44:26 TD:INT ratio in 35 contests.

Petty appears to have fallen behind Josh McCown and Christian Hackenberg in the Jets' quarterback competition, ESPN's Rich Cimini reports.

Petty's standing on the team was clear Tuesday, as the 2015 fourth-rounder only received nine reps during team drills compared to 27 for McCown and 18 for Hackenberg. This isn't much of a surprise since McCown and Hackenberg have seemingly been considered the only two legitimate contenders for the job all along. In fact, on the last year of his rookie contract, Petty could be on the roster bubble.

Hackenberg has gotten reps with the first-team offense of late, but Josh McCown continues to get more as the two battle for the starting quarterback job, NJ.com reports.

McCown is widely favored to win the job, but the Jets are going to give Hackenberg, and to a lesser extent Bryce Petty, every opportunity to supplant the veteran. Hackenberg likely has more upside given McCown's history in the league, though he's also much more likely to make costly mistakes.

Gabbert will start and play the first half of Thursday's Hall of Fame Game versus the Cowboys, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

With Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton taking a seat, along with the rest of the starters, Gabbert will be given the first opportunity to direct the offense. Gabbert has been in the system since mid-May, but his previous stops in Jacksonville and San Francisco were less than inspiring, as he averaged 171 yards per game and compiled a 38:37 TD:INT ratio across 43 games. Once Gabbert steps off the field at halftime, fellow reserve Trevor Knight will be under center.

Hoyer put his arm strength on display by firing two accurate throws of 50-plus yards during Monday's practice, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

One of Hoyer's deep shots was simply dropped by Aldrick Robinson, but the other was successfully hauled in for a touchdown by Marquise Goodwin. Both attempts came off play-action setups, an aspect of the game in which head coach Kyle Shanahan believes his starting quarterback can excel this season. The 49ers' revamped running back corps should help create more play-action opportunities for the veteran quarterback, but the key to seeing a more vertical aerial attack will be the performance of an offensive line that struggled mightily in 2016. If everything goes according to plan, we could see Hoyer show off arm strength not many knew he had coming into the season.

Lynch threw two touchdowns and two interceptions during red-zone drills on Monday, Cecil Lammey of Sportsradio 104.3 The Fan reports.

Lynch's competition for the starting quarterback role, Trevor Siemian, reportedly didn't throw a touchdown or a pick during the same session. Though one practice isn't going to make or break things for Lynch or Siemian, it illustrates the differences between the two and how far both have to go. Whoever improves their faults best -- Siemian in making more positive plays and Lynch cutting down on the negative ones -- will likely be the Broncos' top man come Week 1.

Broncos coach Vance Joseph said that both Siemian and Paxton Lynch performed better at Monday's practice following poor showings Sunday,Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post reports.

Joseph also noted that decision making will be a key factor in determining which player wins the starting quarterback role coming out of training camp. That criterion should favor Siemian, who didn't flash much upside as a playmaker in his 14 games in 2016, but excelled at protecting the ball. The Broncos should remain one of the league's top defenses again in 2017, so Siemian's more conservative approach to running the offense could be ideal.