NFL Player News

Coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Tagovailoa will start Friday's preseason game at Miami, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Fellow QB Michael Penix recently was cleared for team drills in practice as he continues to ramp up his activity level following last season's torn ACL. Stefanski relayed that Penix won't play preseason Week 3, which will give Tagovailoa another chance to stake a claim to the Falcons' starting quarterback gig. Stefanski also told Kendall that he'll name a starter "whenever they tell me I have to," so the competition appears to be a toss-up at the moment.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that Rourke (ribs) has a chance to return to the field next week, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Rourke suffered three broken ribs during San Francisco's preseason opener versus the Titans, but it seems like the injury may not keep the quarterback on the sidelines much longer. Until Rourke is healthy again, Adrian Martinez still projects as the 49ers' third signal-caller behind Brock Purdy and Mac Jones.

Bagent (hamstring) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Bagent was sidelined last week due to a hamstring injury he suffered during the Bears' preseason opener against the Browns. The backup quarterback is back in action and has a good chance to participate in Saturday's preseason finale against the Titans.

Richardson will start the Colts' preseason finale against the Lions, Around the NFL reports.

Indianapolis will give Richardson the nod for the preseason finale after Riley Leonard handled the bulk of the work in the team's second preseason contest. Richardson was relatively sharp but still had turnover issues in the preseason opener before getting minimal work the following week. Indianapolis' battle for the No. 2 quarterback spot still seems undecided as the regular season draws near.

Herbert is expected to play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Rams, Alex Insdorf of BoltBeat.com reports.

The Chargers plan to get their key personnel one more dose of game action before the season gets underway. Other than Derwin James and Khalil Mack, the starters will be on the field for about 6-8 plays. After that final tuneup, Herbert and the Chargers will get ready for Week 1 against the Cardinals.

Allen will not play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Steelers, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

It comes as no surprise that Allen will be held out, as the Bills will ensure their starting quarterback -- and the consensus top quarterback in fantasy football -- does not take any further hits before Week 1. Allen hasn't missed a game since his rookie campaign in 2018, making 137 consecutive starts between the regular season and playoffs, tied for the eighth-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history.

Cousins is listed as the Raiders' top quarterback on the unofficial depth chart for Thursday's preseason game versus the 49ers, according to the team's official site.

With coach Klint Kubiak recently declining to formally name a starter, this depth-chart placement offers another sign that Cousins remains the leading option atop Las Vegas' quarterback room. Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O'Connell, in that order, appear to remain behind Cousins heading into the Raiders' final preseason contest. It's unclear if Cousins will see any action in that game.

Ewers (groin) returned to practice with the Dolphins on Monday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Ewers was able to make his return to the practice field after missing over a week with a groin injury that he suffered in the team's preseason opener against the Commanders on Aug. 15. The 23-year-old is considered the favorite to serve as the primary backup to Malik Willis this season, and he'll now have the chance to solidify his hold on the No. 2 role by playing in Friday's preseason finale versus Atlanta.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday that the team hasn't yet decided whether Simpson or Stetson Bennett will begin the regular season as the backup quarterback behind Matthew Stafford, Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register reports.

Simpson worked behind Bennett in Saturday's preseason win over New Orleans and did fine, completing eight of 12 passes for 73 yards while rushing three times for 10 yards. Meanwhile, Bennett shined in the contest, connecting on 19 of 31 pass attempts for 181 yards and adding two rushing touchdowns. All signs to this point have hinted at Bennett opening the regular season as the Rams' top backup behind Stafford, but McVay said Monday that he's "taking things a day at a time" in terms of making that decision. Still, McVay added that Bennett saw more second-team reps than Simpson on Monday and indicated that Simpson will "definitely" play in the team's preseason finale Thursday versus the Chargers while not committing to Bennett's participation, which could both be signs that the scale is tilting in Bennett's favor for the regular-season QB2 job.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday that he's yet to make a decision about whether Bennett or rookie Ty Simpson will open the regular season as the backup quarterback behind Matthew Stafford, Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register reports.

Bennett made a strong case for the role with his performance in Saturday's preseason matchup against the Saints, when he completed 19 of 31 passes for 181 yards and logged two rushing touchdowns. Simpson saw less action and had a more modest performance, connecting on eight of 12 pass attempts for 73 yards while rushing three times for 10 yards, but it appears both QBs are still in contention to serve as the top regular-season backup behind Stafford. McVay noted Monday that he's "truly taking things a day at a time" and mentioned that Bennett book nine second-team reps during practice to Simpson's six. The head coach also said that Simpson will "definitely" play in the team's preseason finale Thursday versus the Chargers while indicating that it hasn't yet been decided if Bennett will suit up, which may suggest that the latter has the edge in the competition for the QB2 job despite the lack of a firm decision to this point.