NFL Player News

Mills is expected to reprise his role as the Texans' backup quarterback behind C.J. Stroud and ahead of Graham Mertz for the 2026 season, Jared Koch of SI.com reports.

Mills has served as the Texans' QB2 for each of the past two seasons, but he started in three games during the 2025 season while Stroud was sidelined due to a concussion. Mills led the Texans to wins in all three of his starts, completing 59.5 percent of his passes for 719 yards, five touchdowns and one interception while turning seven carries into 38 yards and a score in that span. Stroud hasn't had the same kind of production over the past two years as he did in his rookie campaign in 2023, and he committed seven turnovers across Houston's two playoff games. If Stroud has a slow start to the 2026 season, then that could be enough for head coach DeMeco Ryans to turn the keys to the offense over to Mills.

Maye noted Thursday that things have been going well with him and A.J. Brown since the wideout's arriving in a June trade, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports. "It has been awesome," Maye said on that topic. "I'm really looking forward to playing with him. I'm looking forward to getting to camp and building some chemistry. And I know there's already some there for me. You just gotta throw it near him, and he'll make a play."

The Patriots parted ways with last year's top receiver, Stefon Diggs, in March but added Romeo Doubs via free agency prior to dealing for Brown, giving Maye a pair of new weapons atop the team's WR depth chart. As Patra notes, Brown is coming off a down season by his standards (78/1,003/7), but a fresh start while working with a talented young QB like Maye could help spur a bounce-back season on his part. Maye is coming off a 2025 regular season in which he threw for 4,394 yards with 31 TDs and eight picks in 17 games and ran for 450 yards and four rushing scores en route to finishing as the runner-up for last year's NFL MVP award. On the heels of that strong effort, Maye heads into the coming campaign as a highly sought-after fantasy asset at his position, and the addition of Brown - who profiles as a true WR1 -- should only help his cause in 2026.

Lawrence has thrived in the early stages of his second offseason in head coach Liam Coen's system, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Lawrence has seemingly mastered Coen's offensive scheme in advance of training camp, and he's at full health this offseason after having faced limitations last summer due to a recovery from shoulder surgery. Per Shipley, Lawrence displayed command of the downfield passing attack during spring workouts and appears to have established better chemistry with Brian Thomas. The Jaguars have an abundance of riches to draw on in the aerial attack, with Thomas being joined by Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington, Travis Hunter (knee) and TE Brenton Strange, so Lawrence is in good position to build on his impressive finish to the 2025 season. Jacksonville averaged 32.8 points per game from Weeks 9 to 18 last year.

Grier announced Wednesday that he will retire from the NFL, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

In conjunction with the QB's decision to hang up his cleats, the Panthers placed Grier on the reserve/retired list Wednesday. Now that he's no longer in the mix, the Panthers currently roster veteran backup Kenny Pickett and undrafted rookie Haynes King behind starting signal caller Bryce Young.

Mahomes (knee) continues to aim to be ready for the Chiefs' regular-season opener against the Broncos on Monday, Sept. 14, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

"That's my goal," Mahomes noted Wednesday during an interview with Yahoo Sports. "I've said that since the beginning is being ready to go Week 1. I can't predict the future, and I know that it's a long process. It's not just my decision, but at the same time I'm going to give the doctors and the coaches every single opportunity I can to let me be out there Week 1." With that in mind, Nate Taylor of ESPN.com relayed last month that coach Andy Reid said Mahomes (knee) should "be able to do some things in camp," with added context on that front set to arrive after the Chiefs' veterans report on July 28. Mahomes -- who is bouncing back from a torn ACL and LCL suffered Week 15 of last season -- participated in offseason workouts but was held out of full-team drills.

Smith's case relating to an accusation of battery in June is now considered inactive by the Town of Davie Police Department, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

While Smith is no longer being actively investigated by Florida police relating to the June incident, it remains to be seen whether he'll face any form of discipline from the NFL. The 35-year-old quarterback is set to kick off training camp as the Jets' undisputed starting quarterback. Cade Klubnik (back), Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe will compete for the backup role.

Coach John Harbaugh said Sunday that Dart's dual-threat capabilities will allow the Giants to deploy a more versatile offensive scheme, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

Harbaugh highlighted Dart's ability to "live in a lot of different worlds," taking looks from under center, shotgun and pistol, which "opens up" play action, RPOs and designed quarterback runs that can take advantage of the second-year quarterback's talents as a runner. Dart impressed as a rookie and now enters Year 2 with a coaching staff willing to lean into his athleticism with built-in designed movement and RPO concepts. His true upside will likely depend on what New York's pass-to-run ratio looks like, and how successfully he's able to stay on the field after taking too many hits as a rookie. Harbaugh said he "trust[s]" Dart's ability to better protect himself in Year 2.

Mayfield says he played through knee, biceps and shoulder injuries during the 2025 season, River Wells of SI.com reports.

Mayfield recently revealed that he suffered a sprained PCL, sprained MCL and bone bruise in Week 2, a Week 3 tendon injury in his biceps and an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder in Week 12. The spate of injuries correlated with a statistical decline, as Mayfield threw for just 217.2 passing yards per game in 2025, down from 264.7 passing yards per game in the 2024 regular season. Having recovered from all of those injuries, Mayfield is looking to regain form and stay healthier in 2026.

Sanders' quarterback competition with Deshaun Watson is expected to last throughout training camp and the preseason, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Todd Monken has maintained that a starter will be named prior to Week 1, but Sanders and Watson both have ample time to pull ahead in Cleveland's QB competition during training camp and the preseason. The 24-year-old Sanders posted a 3-4 record as a rookie after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, while the 30-year-old Watson went 1-6 as the Browns' starter in 2024 prior suffering a pair of Achilles' injuries, from which Watson has since recovered.

Watson's quarterback competition with Shedeur Sanders is expected to last throughout training camp and the preseason, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Todd Monken hasn't shed much light on the state of Cleveland's QB battle, besides confirming that a starter will be named prior to Week 1. Watson and Sanders split first-team reps in spring practices, and that will likely remain the case throughout training camp, with both QBs expected to feature prominently in preseason play. The 30-year-old Watson has just one regular-season win since the start of the 2024 campaign.