NFL Player News

Stidham said he's "super excited" to compete with Bo Nix and Zach Wilson for quarterback reps at OTAs and believes he could win the starting job, Jeff Legwold of ESPN reports.

Stidham said he's "very confident that I can be the guy for us next year.'' The 2019 fourth-rounder isn't unaccustomed to such situations, noting that he "dealt with this before" when New England drafted Mac Jones in the first round. Now, Stidham finds himself in the veteran role of an offseason competition, with Nix having been selected 12th overall in April's draft and Wilson still coming along in his development. Coach Sean Payton has made clear that the Broncos are approaching the offseason as a three-way competition for the starting gig, per Legwold.

Coach Mike McDaniel said at OTAs that Tagovailoa, who continues to vie for a contract extension beyond his fifth-year option, has dropped between 10 and 15 pounds this offseason, Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post reports.

Tagovailoa has been an on-and-off participant at OTAs for Miami, but McDaniel made clear that his attendance schedule has been a non-issue. The quarterback added weight last offseason in order to protect himself, and coupled with training to reduce impact taken when falling to the ground, that allowed Tagovailoa to play a full 17-game slate for the first time in his NFL career. It appears that the signal-caller is now putting in the work to get more mobile while keeping the traits that have added to his durability, with McDaniel noting that Tagovailoa is looking "svelte." Both sides will continue negotiations on a multi-year extension, though Alain Poupart of SI.com notes the possibility of Tagovailoa playing out the 2024 season on his fifth-year option can't be entirely dismissed.

Coach Sean Payton has made it clear Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson are competing for the starting QB job, ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold reports.

Payton said Thursday that Nix is "farther along" than most rookies would be at the same juncture, citing Nix's intelligence and NCAA QB record of 61 starts as likely explanations for his ability to learn the Denver offense quickly. The rookie first-round pick opened Thursday's practice with the starters, but Payton downplayed the significance afterward, mentioning that Stidham got more first-team snaps Tuesday and Wilson took the majority Wednesday. Payton said all three are doing well so far and expressed confidence that the Broncos have a good QB room, though he also used the term "orphan dogs" to describe the trio of Nix, Stidham and Wilson.

Jones (knee) said Thursday he anticipates starting Week 1, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

Jones has been participating in 7-on-7 drills at OTAs and said "I don't have any doubt about it" when asked whether he'd suit up to take on the Vikings in Week 1. Additionally, he's already shed his knee brace in workouts, and all signs are that his recovery from a right ACL tear is proceeding smoothly. Jones signed a four-year, $160 million extension last offseason, but that may not give him significant job security if he logs an uninspiring 2024 campaign given both his injury history, and his terrible start to the 2023 season. It may not even be out of the realm of possibility that Drew Lock pushes for the Giants' starting gig, should he log a strong offseason.

Jackson said Wednesday that he dropped weight over the offseason in an effort to be more agile in 2024, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Jackson was listed at 215 pounds last season and 225 during the 2022 season. Earlier this month, Jackson indicated he was closer to 205 pounds, but it's unclear if that's his intended playing weight. An even more elusive Jackson would be dangerous to opposing defenses, and adding Derrick Henry and getting Mark Andrews back to full health after his season was derailed by a broken ankle could make the Baltimore offense even more lethal in 2024.

Richardson (shoulder) returned to full-squad workouts at OTAs this week and has been throwing in 11-on-11 drills, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis reports.

Richardson, who turned 22 years old Wednesday, reportedly showed no signs of still being hampered by the right shoulder injury that ended his rookie campaign after just four games. While the Colts won't don full pads at practice until training camp, Richardson looks to be operating without restrictions at this point. The second-year quarterback said the shoulder he had surgery on feels "a little achy," but that the plan is for him to practice in full unless soreness crops up. Barring any serious setbacks, the ultra-athletic Richardson will be a popular breakout candidate for 2024 fantasy drafts.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Watson is throwing every other day as the quarterback continues his rehab from a season-ending shoulder injury, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Per Oyefusi, Watson threw passes during Tuesday's session but didn't do so Wednesday, though he did participate in individual and team drills. In regard to how Watson has looked during OTAs, Stefanski noted that the quarterback "looked like himself." Watson underwent surgery last November to repair a displaced fracture to the glenoid in his right shoulder, so the Browns are proceeding deliberately with their top signal-caller in anticipation of him being ready for Week 1. With Watson not throwing Wednesday, Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley took the bulk of the reps in team drills.

The Jets waived Suits on Wednesday, John Pullano of the team's official site reports.

Suits was picked up by the Jets as an undrafted free agent in early May, but the team has since decided to cut the 24-year-old quarterback loose. In his final collegiate season, the Houston Christian product threw for 1,919 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on 283 pass attempts.

Bennett (illness) has been participating in the Rams' OTAs this spring, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.

Bennett, whom the Rams selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, spent his entire rookie season on the reserve/non-football illness list for an undisclosed reason. Now that he's back on the field, Bennett is slated to see practice reps this spring behind starter Matthew Stafford and No. 2 quaterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who is in line to miss the first two games of the regular season for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy. Along with Garoppolo and Bennett, the Rams have Dresser Winn on the offseason roster as backup options behind Stafford.

Hardison (elbow) was a full participant at the Dolphins' organized team activities Monday, Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post reports.

Hardison had an elbow injury when he signed with Miami as an undrafted free agent in April. The UTEP product appears to be healthy now, though. He'll compete with Skylar Thompson for the No. 3 option under center behind Tua Tagovailoa and Mike White.