NFL Player News

Browns running back Ben Tate sounds like he is expecting Brian Hoyer and not rookie Johnny Manziel to win the starting quarterback job this season, reports ESPN.

Tate went as far as to say the Browns are Hoyer's team.

"The guy has been there," Tate said. "The guys know him, are comfortable with him."

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has been impressed with his receiving corps so far, reports ESPN.

"To be honest with you, the receivers have been the best-looking position so far," Wilson said Monday. "They’ve done a tremendous job showing their explosiveness. They’ve been exceptional."

Wilson has some new weapons in rookies Paul Richardson and Kevin Norwood, along with free-agent signees Chris Matthews and Taylor Price. And Wilson also is pleased to have Percy Harvin on the field without any injury issues.

"It's great having Percy being out here finally healthy," Wilson said. "He feels great and looks great. He catching the ball extremely well."

The Seahawks are trying to replace the departed Golden Tate, who signed as a free agent in Detroit, and Sidney Rice is coming back from a torn ACL.

The Patriots announced Monday the signing of second-round draft choice quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Garoppolo was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 62nd selection overall of out Eastern Illinois. He started in all 45 games that he appeared in college, completing 1,047-of-1,668 passes for 13,151 yards and 118 touchdowns.

As a senior in 2013, Garoppolo was named the Walter Payton Award winner, given to the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision, after completing 375-of-568 passes for 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns.

He is expected to be the No. 3 quarterback in New England behind Tom Brady and Ryan Mallett.

The Giants announced the release of quarterback Josh Freeman on Friday. He was signed in late April. 

The move leaves the Giants with two backup passers behind Eli Manning: Ryan Nassib and Curtis Painter. Both have a much-improved chance on making the team with Freeman out of the picture. 

Freeman was cut early into the 2013 season by the Buccaneers after leading them to an 0-3 start. He was signed by the Vikings, only to play in just one game for them. He totaled 761 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions last year. 

Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said he's impressed with quarterback Matthew Stafford's ability to learn a new system, reports the Detroit Free Press.

"He’s really remarkably bright," Lombardi said. "I’ve heard that he was a smart player, but the speed and ease with which he picks things up he has even surprised me — and I had high expectations coming in. So I think he’s doing really well."

Under new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is learning a new system for the first time in his three-year NFL career. Miami's former offensive coordinator, Mike Sherman, was the head coach at Texas A&M when Tannehill played there.

Lazor's system features multiple formations, an up-tempo style and quick-hitting plays, according to ESPN.com.

"There’s still a learning curve. It’s not going to come overnight," Tannehill told the website. "It’s going to take some time, not just for me but for all of our guys. The receivers are running routes that they haven’t run before doing adjustments that we haven’t done before, so there’s going to be a learning curve, but that’s what this time is for."

Four quarterbacks have a chance to start the Texans' season opener, reports the Houston Chronicle. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum, T.J. Yates and rookie Tom Savage are all in the running and the job is "wide open," coach Bill O'Brien said after the first day of OTAs.

"These guys are good guys, they’ve been fun to coach," O’Brien said. "(Quarterbacks coach) George Godsey’s done a great job with them. And I think they’ve enjoyed learning this offense and they’re competing. It looks like there’s good chemistry in the room, which is important in the quarterback room. I’ve been impressed with these guys, the way they work at it."

Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer, who's coming back from a torn ACL, sat out 11-on-11 drills at OTAs, reports the Akron Beacon Journal. Hoyer's absence enabled rookie Johnny Manziel to get first-team snaps.

Quarterback Geno Smith took the first snaps when the Jets opened OTAs, reports the Associated Press. Then Smith and Michael Vick shared reps with the first team.

Michael Vick said Thursday that the Jets don't have an "open competition" at quarterback and that Geno Smith is expected to begin the year as the starter. 

"Going through the competition (in Philadelphia last year), we knew both of us coming in that it was open competition and the best guy was going to win the job," Vick told the New York Daily News. "Pretty much cut and dry. This situation is different. It's kind of unique. Even though it's not an open competition, we're both competing every day."

Vick believes that if he and Smith both have good preseasons then Smith would be the starter.

"It's still tough right now ... I won't lie," Vick added. "Because deep down you always want to be a starter. Hopefully that opportunity will come again one day and I've just got to keep working for it."