NFL Player News

The Packers will not play Aaron Rodgers (rest) in Thursday's matchup with the Raiders.

This will be the second consecutive preseason game missed for Rodgers. The move is unsurprising as head coach Mike McCarthy appeared to be leaning in this direction during the week. The Packers are clearly favoring Rodgers' health over the need for preseason snaps. Historically, teams tend to play their starters the longest in Week 3 of the preseason, so that may be the only time we get to see Rodgers in action prior to the season.

With Colin Kaepernick (shoulder) already ruled out for Saturday's preseason game against the Broncos, Gabbert takes another step closer to becoming the team's starter come Week 1.

We thought we would see a true competition for the starting quarterback job in San Francisco this preseason, but a shoulder injury has derailed Kaepernick's opportunity, opening the door for Gabbert to seize the job. While this news gives Gabbert a big lead, the 49ers' coaching staff has remained adamant about getting Kaepernick into a game as early as next week against the Cowboys, indicating that they still want to have a competition for the job heading into the season. That being said, time is becoming a major issue for Kaepernick and Gabbert may simply win the job by default, especially if the former isn't able to suit up next week either.

Head coach Bill O'Brien has labeled Savage as the backup quarterback ahead of Brandon Weeden, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

There is still plenty of time for Weeden to potentially dethrone Savage as the Texans' backup quarterback, but Savage has really impressed during training camp, throwing two touchdown passes in the preseason opener against the 49ers. O'Brien stated that Savage "has really improved," and that, paired with the fact that Brandon Weeden is 32 years old, makes Savage a favorite to win the backup quarterback job.

Siemian will get the start at quarterback during Saturday's exhibition game against the 49ers, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

Siemian is currently listed as a co-starter along with veteran Mark Sanchez on the Broncos' quarterback depth chart, but he's garnered first-team reps throughout this week's practices, along with getting the nod as starter Saturday. The 24-year-old Northwestern product will have to put together a few solid performances throughout the rest of the preseason in order to secure the starting job heading into Week 1, however.

Goff will take a series or two of first team snaps against the Chiefs on Saturday, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Goff struggled a bit in his first NFL game, completing four of nine passes for 38 yards and an interception. The first overall pick was outplayed by Case Keenum, who went six-for-seven for 58 yards, but the more snaps he sees with the first team offense, the more comfortable he should become as an NFL signal-caller. Perhaps Goff receiving more snaps with the first team offense is an indication that he is moving up the ranks in the Rams' quarterback corps.

Siemian received the majority of first-team reps during Monday's practice, the Broncos' official site reports.

Siemian reportedly connected on a host of deep balls during his repetitions, including strikes to top receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. The lone holdover from last year's quarterback room, Siemian has reportedly been giving presumed starter Mark Sanchez a run for his money this offseason. Unlike Sanchez, he failed to lead Denver to a touchdown in the preseason opener, but he just missed on several opportunities. Also unlike Sanchez, he did not turn the ball over.

Gradkowski, who is dealing with a left hamstring injury, is going to be out for "a number of weeks," per coach Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The veteran QB could miss the rest of the preseason. In Gradkowski's absence, Dustin Vaughan figures to see added practice reps behind Ben Roethlisberger and Landry Jones.

Bradford and the other offensive starters may play into the second quarter of Thursday's preseason game against the Steelers, Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal reports.

Bradford is expected to play at least one full quarter, but should be out of the game well before halftime. He seemingly has the starting job locked down, and the Eagles have now turned their attention to the rest of the offense, trading for WR Dorial Green-Beckham on Tuesday. Although he won't be available for Thursday's game, Green-Beckham still has time to push for a key role before Week 1.

Goff (shoulder) threw at Monday's practice without any restrictions, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN reports.

Coach Jeff Fisher is labeling the left shoulder soreness as "no concern" with the Rams heading into padded practice Tuesday. The rookie originally noticed the soreness during Saturday's preseason game, but downplayed the severity from the start.

Driskel completed just four of his 12 pass attempts for 20 yards Sunday, but he showed off his rushing ability by gaining 61 yards on five carries in a preseason loss to the Texans.

This snapshot of Driskel paints a perfect picture of what type of quarterback he is right now, an unpolished arm with athleticism. While his throwing didn't inspire confidence in San Francisco's coaching staff, he moved up the depth chart after Thad Lewis suffered a season-ending knee injury. With the way things stand, Driskel will either start the year as a third quarterback or end up on the practice squad.