NFL Player News

Heinicke (ankle) remains in a walking boot since tearing a tendon in his ankle one month ago, the Star Tribune reports.

Heinicke served primarily as the Vikings' third-string quarterback one year removed. As he continues to miss valuable time, rookie Joel Stave to have has seen increased reps throughout the preseason and is on the verge of making the 53-man roster.

Bridgewater (shoulder) was back throwing at practice Tuesday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Bridgewater was unable to throw during Saturday and Sunday sessions as he reportedly dealt with minor soreness in his shoulder, but returned to full participation Tuesday, resulting in a sigh of relief for the Vikings. It's unclear at this point if the team will play it safe and hold him out of Sunday's exhibition against the Chargers, but the nature of the issue doesn't appear to be something that would keep the starting quarterback sidelined.

ESPN's Jeff Legwold suggests that Siemian (shoulder) "is likely one more quality half of football" from being named the Broncos' Week 1 starter at QB.

Siemian will start Saturday's preseason game against the Rams, Denver's third preseason tilt, which is often considered a dress rehearsal for regular-season action. While Siemian may indeed have the inside track on the team's top job at this point, he'll need to avoid any major missteps Saturday to secure the role. On that front, veteran Mark Sanchez and rookie Paxton Lynch will also see action this weekend, after which the team's signal-caller pecking order should become established.

Jones (shoulder) missed practice for a second consecutive day Tuesday, Mike Rodak of ESPN reports.

Jones' shoulder doesn't appear to be an immediate concern for Buffalo. The Bills don't anticipate Jones being sidelined much longer and believe that he should be ready to play in the team's third preseason game Friday.

Jones was held out of practice Monday due to a sore shoulder, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News reports.

The rookie's shoulder is still sore from Saturday's matchup with the Giants. Jones was 6-of-12 passing for 83 yards and an interception in the outing. The Bills are likely being cautious with the young quarterback in order to avoid a lingering issue.

Cousins will play the entire first half of Friday's preseason game against the Bills, possibly even getting snaps into the third quarter, Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports.

Cousins played one drive in Washington's first preseason game and was a healthy scratch for the second. With the team returning all of its key weapons in the passing game, it shouldn't really matter how much playing time Cousins gets during the preseason. The more interesting development is Matt Jones' shoulder injury, as the Redskins don't have a proven ball carrier on the roster, which means undrafted rookie Rob Kelley and seventh-round rookie Keith Marshall will handle the first-team work in Friday's game. If Jones isn't ready for Week 1, the Redskins may just opt for a pass-dominant offense, with Chris Thompson getting even more work than he did last season.

Trevor Siemian will start the Broncos' preseason game against the Rams, but Siemian, Lynch and Mark Sanchez will receive the same number of game reps, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Gary Kubiak said after Denver's second preseason game that Lynch is still behind co-starters Siemian and Sanchez, but that he isn't out of the running to start for the Broncos. Receiving equal reps in what is traditionally a starter-heavy third preseason game adds validity to that. Lynch is still unlikely to win the job to open the year, but that could change if he shines or his competitors falter. Lynch has led Denver's offense to two touchdowns this preseason -- as many as Siemian and Sanchez combined -- albeit against lesser competition.

Siemian will start Saturday's preseason game against the Rams, even though he's dealing with some lingering soreness in his throwing shoulder, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

Siemian got a bit nicked up in Denver's second preseason game while trying to make a tackle after an interception. It won't prevent him from getting a second straight start, but head coach Gary Kubiak did make it clear that the quarterback battle is far from decided. Siemian, Mark Sanchez and Paxton Lynch will split playing time equally in Saturday's game, and Kubiak will then name a starter next week. Sanchez was widely viewed as the favorite before training camp, but it now appears the battle will go down to the wire, with Saturday's game perhaps serving as the determining factor.

Rodgers seems likely to play in Friday's preseason game against the 49ers, ESPN's Rob Demovsky reports.

Rodgers was seen in practice taking all the snaps with the Packers' starting offense, which is a change from working with the scout team, as he did prior to Green Bay's first two preseason games. Because Rodgers didn't play in either of those exhibitions and probably will watch the Packers' preseason finale from the sideline as well, this Friday's contest likely represents his lone opportunity to get some game action under his belt before the regular season, and his involvement with the starters to begin his week certainly seems to suggest he's preparing for just that.

Mariota stayed hot Saturday against the Panthers, completing 9-of-10 passes for 104 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also added 13 yards on two carries.

Mariota has been outstanding this preseason, with just a single incomplete pass through two games. He has been especially successful targeting rookie Tajae Sharpe, who already has eight catches for 103 yards. While the second-year quarterback's interception shows that he still has room for improvement, it's hard to complain much about his accurate start after an up-and-down rookie year.