NFL Player News

The Jets signed Zappe to the practice squad Tuesday, Amanda Vogt of the team's official site reports.

The Jets cut Zappe last Saturday. The quarterback was competing for the No. 2 role behind Geno Smith but lost out to Cade Klubnik and Brady Cook. Zappe will now provide additional depth at the position and be ready to be elevated as an emergency quarterback if any of the first three options must miss time due to injury.

The Cowboys signed Milton to their practice squad Wednesday.

Milton is staying in Dallas after going unclaimed on waivers. The 26-year-old completed 29 of his 43 passes attempts for 378 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions across three preseason outings and will likely serve as the team's emergency third quarterback behind Dak Prescott and Sam Howell.

The Vikings signed Brosmer to the practice squad Wednesday, Rob Kleifield reports.

Brosmer made the Vikings' initial 53-man roster before being waived on Monday. The quarterback cleared waivers and will now serve as additional depth to Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy (ankle) and Carson Wentz on the practice squad instead of the active roster.

Prescott didn't log any snaps during the Cowboys' three-game preseason schedule.

Prescott has had WR CeeDee Lamb to throw to since 2020, but the addition of George Pickens during the 2025 offseason helped the quarterback rack up the second-most passing yards in a season (4,552) of his 10-year career. Additionally, Prescott also tossed 30 TDs for the fourth time among his career-high 600 pass attempts. Dallas likely would like that latter number to come down in a more balanced offense, and a new defensive scheme under coordinator Christian Parker could mean Prescott and the offense are in catch-up mode less often. In any case, Prescott has a bonafide top receiving duo at his services, so another 4,000-yard campaign is entirely within the realm of possibilities in 2026

Darnold did not participate in any of the Seahawks' three preseason games.

Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, AJ Barner and other Seahawks offensive starters observed all three preseason games from the sidelines, with the team seemingly not wanting to risk injury to its top contributors ahead of Week 1 against the Patriots. Darnold's pass catchers are mostly the same as those he threw to during last year's Super Bowl run, though the veteran signal caller is working under new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury after Klint Kubiak accepted the Raiders' head coach position. Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker also bolted to Kansas City in free agency, and with Zach Charbonnet (knee) opening the season on the reserve/PUP list, Darnold's top options out of the backfield are rookie first-rounder Jadarian Price and George Holani. Darnold finished the 2025 regular season fifth and seventh in passing yards (4,048) and completion percentage (67.7), respectively, though his 14 interceptions were third-most behind Geno Smith (17) and Tua Tagovailoa (15).

Coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that Stidham will be the Broncos' backup quarterback to begin the 2026 season, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Sam Ehlinger pushed Stidham during training camp for his spot on Denver's depth chart behind starter Bo Nix, and the team opted to keep three quarterbacks on its initial 53-man roster, but at least for now, Stidham is second in the pecking order. Unless Nix gets hurt at some point, neither Stidham nor Ehlinger would be expected to get any snaps in a reasonably close game.

McCarthy (ankle) has practiced in full this week, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Vikings GM Nolan Teasley said Wednesday that he also expects McCarthy to remain with the team this season, whether it's as Kyler Murray's direct backup or the QB3 behind Carson Wentz. Coach Kevin O'Connell seems to want more time with the 2024 first-rounder in an effort to continue to develop the 23-year-old. Across two preseason games this summer, McCarthy completed nine of 17 passes for 115 yards.

With coach Klint Kubiak naming Kirk Cousins the Raiders' starting quarterback Wednesday, Mendoza will open the season as the backup, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.

Mendoza was in the competition all offseason, but it was going to take some otherworldly play to knock Cousins out of the top spot on the depth chart. While Cousins completed 13 of 17 passes for 101 yards and one touchdown across 30 preseason snaps, Mendoza struggled some, completing just 26 of 46 passes for 250 yards, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions during exhibition action. Cousins is likely to have a decently long leash to begin the season, but Mendoza remains a good bet to make starts as a rookie.

Coach Klint Kubiak named Cousins the Raiders' starting quarterback Wednesday, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.

It was a decision everyone expected and comes as no surprise after Cousins worked with the first-team offense all offseason. Cousins played 30 offensive snaps during the preseason and completed 13 of 17 pass attempts for 101 yards and one touchdown, while rookie No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza was more scattershot, completing just 26 of 46 passes for 250 yards, one touchdown and a pair of picks. Cousins should have a somewhat long leash to begin the season, but Mendoza remains very likely to see rookie-year playing time.

Goff closed out training camp on a high note Thursday, notably leading the Lions on a 99-yard touchdown drive during the first series of practice, Tim Twentyman of the team's official site reports.

Head coach Dan Campbell elected to put the offense in a tough spot to begin the final session of training camp, but Goff didn't wilt from the challenge. He found Jameson Williams for a 22-yard gain early on the drive to give the offense some breathing room, then completed five more pass attempts before an incompletion set up a fourth-and-goal from the five-yard line. Goff evaded some pressure on fourth down and connected with a tightly covered Williams in the back of the end zone to wrap up the drive. The 31-year-old quarterback threw for another touchdown later in the session, finding top target Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 16-yard score on the second-to-last drive of the day. While his lack of rushing ability will likely prevent him from emerging as a truly elite fantasy option in 2026, Goff is about as steady of a performer as it gets at the quarterback position, as he's turned in three straight seasons of at least 4,500 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes. The Detroit defense is still looking suspect heading into the upcoming season -- especially in the secondary -- which could result in the offense being involved in frequent shootouts that would enhance the fantasy value of Goff and the team's other skill-position players.