NFL Player News

Allen completed 12 of 15 passes for 112 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Saturday's preseason game against the Steelers.

Allen was outplayed by his main competition for the backup quarterback job, Matt Barkley, in the first preseason game, but Barkley was picked off three times Saturday and also suffered an elbow injury. As such, Allen appears to have quickly flipped the script and stands as the favorite to open the season as Josh Allen's top understudy.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Pickett and most of Pittsburgh's other starters are likely to play in Thursday's preseason game against Atlanta, Dale Lolley of the Steelers' official website reports.

It's a bit surprising given that Pickett and the starters played in the first two games and did quite well, with the QB completing nine of 11 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Tomlin did say that his older starters and elite players likely will be held out, which probably means we'll see a lot of starters on offense and a lot of backups on defense.

Levis (lower body) said his goal is to play in the Titans' preseason finale against the Patriots on Friday night, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports.

Coach Mike Vrabel also expressed hope and optimism that the rookie could play in the preseason finale after he missed the second exhibition last weekend. Levis did indicate his injury isn't too serious, but this might be his last chance to make a move on Malik Willis for QB2 duties behind Ryan Tannehill. In the preseason opener, Levis completed nine of 14 passes for 85 scoreless yards and one interception.

Coach Shane Steichen said Richardson will start the Colts' preseason finale Thursday night against the Eagles, Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Richardson didn't play in the second preseason game after being named the team's regular-season starter, but he'll get in some more reps ahead of Week 1. On 29 offensive snaps in the preseason opener, Richardson completed seven of 12 passes for 67 yards (5.6 yards per attempt) with no touchdowns and one interception. Once his night against Philadelphia is complete, the 2023 first-rounder will turn his focus to preparing for his regular-season debut, Aug. 10 against the Jaguars. While there's clarity with regard the Indy's QB pecking order, it remains to be seen who will be handling the team's rushing duties early on this season, with Jonathan Taylor having been granted permission by the franchise to seek a trade.

Coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield will start Tampa Bay's preseason finale against the Ravens on Saturday and play the first half, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Mayfield was freshly named the Bucs' Week 1 starter Tuesday, and after not playing in the second preseason contest, he will get a final tune-up before the regular season. Kyle Trask will play the second half with the second-team offense.

Wolford (neck) was back at practice Tuesday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Wolford suffered the injury in Saturday's preseason victory over the Jets. Despite being carted off the field on a backboard and taken to a local hospital, the 27-year-old managed to avoid a serious injury, which is, of course, good news for the Wake Forest product.

Richardson is slated to start Thursday's preseason finale against the Eagles, Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star reports.

The report notes that whether the team's other starters see snaps Thursday will be determined on a case-bay-case basis, but the Colts plan to give Richardson one more opportunity to see game action ahead of Week 1. Once his stint against Philadelphia is complete, the 2023 first-rounder will turn his focus to preparing for his regular-season starting debut, Aug. 10 against the Jaguars. While there's clarity with regard the Indy's QB pecking order, it remains to be seen who will be handling the team's rushing duties early on this season, with Jonathan Taylor having been granted permission by the franchise to seek a trade.

Coach Todd Bowles announced Tuesday that Baker Mayfield, not Trask, will begin 2023 as the Buccaneers' starting quarterback, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Trask put together a solid performance in Saturday's preseason win over the Jets, completing 20 of 28 passes for 218 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, but Mayfield has nonetheless evidently shown enough throughout training camp to be named the starter. Trask, the 2021 second-round pick, instead stands to start the year as Mayfield's backup, and Tampa Bay could still add another reserve QB, with John Wolford (neck) battling injury. In the event that Mayfield struggles and Trask can continue to log positive showings in practice throughout the season, it's possible he could still push for a chance to line up under center sometime during the 2023 campaign.

Coach Todd Bowles officially named Mayfield the Buccaneers' starting quarterback for Week 1 on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Mayfield winning Tampa Bay's quarterback competition was foreshadowed when he sat out the team's preseason win over the Jets on Saturday despite the absence of John Wolford (neck). The 2018 No. 1 overall pick will get a chance to reignite his career as a starter with wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as his clear top targets on offense, beginning with the Sept. 10 regular-season opener against the Vikings. Now that the Buccaneers' quarterback battle is at an end, it remains to be seen whether the team will opt for Mayfield and the starters to get some reps in during Saturday's preseason finale against the Ravens or have them get some rest.

Howell completed 19 of 25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns in Monday's preseason game against Baltimore, adding three carries for 17 yards.

Three days after being named the Week 1 starter, Howell led the Washington first unit to 17 points on four drives while playing the entire first half against Baltimore's second/third-string defenders. He played well even considering the soft competition, though he also showed some of the bad in his scouting report when he took a 13-yard sack on a second-and-2 after needlessly bailing from a relatively clean pocket. Howell bounced back with a 16-yard dart to TE Cole Turner on the next snap, leading Washington to an opening-drive field goal before adding second-quarter TD passes to RB Antonio Gibson and WR Dyami Brown. The biggest negative was WR Terry McLaurin exiting in the second quarter with a toe injury, though it may not end up being a big deal given that X-rays came back negative, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. The prolonged playing time Monday likely means Howell and other starters will be rested for their preseason finale Saturday against the Bengals, leaving a 20-day gap before a favorable Week 1 home matchup with the rebuilding Cardinals.