The Washington Commanders have announced rookie Jayden Daniels will be their starting quarterback for the upcoming NFL season.

Daniels was the second-overall draft pick in April and has been training exclusively with the first team for the last three weeks.

The 23-year-old was expected to take over as the starter when he was drafted, but the Commanders wanted to give him the chance to settle into the squad during preseason.

"We knew we would get here," coach Dan Quinn said, "but we were just excited to see how we would.

"Seeing him hit all the spots, this is a rare competitor. He's just had a remarkable start to things."

Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, started the first two preseason games against the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins.

Though Washington lost both outings, Daniels completed 12-of-15 passes for 123 yards across both games. He did not throw a touchdown pass but did score a three-yard run against the Jets.

It will be the seventh consecutive year that the Commanders open the season with a different starting quarterback, but Daniels is ready to step into the role.

"They didn't want to go out there and [immediately say] hey, you're a starter," Daniels said. "I haven't earned anything.

"What I did in college was great. Now it's time for a new slate, clean slate. I have to prove it not only to myself, not only to the coaches, but to my teammates.

"If DQ [Quinn] is going to preach competition, and you've got to earn everything, man, they can't come in and just give me the job right away. So, I got to have to go earn it.

"It's just a blessing that DQ and AP [general manager Adam Peters] trust me to go out there and lead the team, lead the franchise to hopefully win some games.

"It's something I've dreamed about as a kid to experience this moment."

The Commanders will start their NFL season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 8.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has hit out at the "terrible" style of former coach Brian Flores, hailing Mike McDaniel for showing greater belief in him.

Last month, the Dolphins handed Tagovailoa a franchise-record four-year, $212.4million extension off the back of an impressive fourth season with the team.

Tagovailoa posted career-best figures for passes attempted (560), completed (388), passing yards (4,624) and touchdown passes (29) in 2023, though Miami fell at the first hurdle in the playoffs, losing 26-7 to the eventual Super Bowl LVIII champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Tagovailoa has improved season-on-season since being drafted fifth overall by Miami in 2020, with his two best campaigns coming since McDaniel replaced Flores as head coach in 2021.

The quarterback has now hit out at the way Flores – who is entering his second year as defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings – drained his confidence.

He said in an interview with The Dan LeBatard Show: "To put it in the simplest terms, if you woke up every morning and I told you that you suck at what you did, that you don't belong, that you shouldn't be here, that you haven't earned this right... 

"Then you have somebody else come in and tell you, 'dude, you are the best fit for this'... How would it make you feel, listening to one or the other?

"You hear it, no matter what it is, the good or the bad, you hear it more and more, you start to believe that. I don't care who you are. 

"You could be the president of the United States, you have a terrible person telling you things that you don't want to hear or probably shouldn't be hearing, you're going to start believing that about yourself. 

"That's what ended up happening. It was basically two years of training that out of not just me but a couple of other guys as well."

The Dolphins open their 2024 campaign at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 8 before facing the Buffalo Bills, their AFC East rivals, four days later.  

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has confirmed Gardner Minshew will open the season as the team's starting quarterback. 

Minshew, who joined the Raiders as a free agent during the offseason, has been given the nod over Aidan O'Connell for the starting spot. 

The 28-year-old nearly led the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs last year having taken over from rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson just four games into the season. 

He went 7-6 as a starter, completing 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

When asked about the decision, Pierce said that Minshew's experience and his handling of the offense ultimately gave him the edge over O'Connell. 

"A lot of things went into it," Pierce said. "It wasn't based off of [solely] last night. There are a lot of factors.

"So, we feel like Gardner gives us the best opportunity to get off to a fast start, and that's what we're going with.

"We support him, our team's behind it, our staff's behind it, the organisation's behind it."

Minshew completed 10 of 21 passes for 95 yards against the Dallas Cowboys at the weekend, while O'Connell was 14 of 20 for 96 yards with a touchdown and an interception. 

And while Minshew has the starting spot for now, Pierce said that he may not have it for the duration of the season. 

"I told them both just be ready," Pierce said.

"In the National Football League, you never know. Aidan is a young player that has tremendous upside and I think will be a starter at some point in this league, whether it's this year or next year.

"But he will play in games. I think Gardner's done a good job of being that older presence."

Louis Rees-Zammit is excited for the future after the former Wales wing made his home debut for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Rees-Zammit, who left rugby union to try his hand in American football, had been expected to miss the Chiefs' preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

However, he overcame injury concerns to feature at Arrowhead Stadium for the first time, albeit Kansas City lost 23-24.

Rees-Zammit took a kick-off, returned a Lions kick-off for 27 yards, and spent time as a wide receiver during his home bow.

"I got to experience [the atmosphere] a little bit," he said.

"I'm excited for another game here next week and then we'll see what happens.

"I'm trying my hardest. I'm working hard in training every day to show what I can do.

"The more reps I get, the better I'll get so I'm excited to see what's going to happen next week and obviously in the future."

New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo says the competition to be starting quarterback "isn't over" after Drake Maye's impressive performance against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Maye impressed in their 14-13 preseason loss on Thursday, playing four series as he finished 6-of-11 for 47 yards with a four-yard rushing touchdown.

So far, he has mainly been used as the backup option behind Jacoby Brissett during the Patriots' training camp.

The coach praised Maye's performance, though admitted the offense are yet to find their rhythm ahead of the new season.

"Stepping up into pressure, I thought he did a better job overall with using his legs and really extending plays," Mayo said on Friday.

"[The quarterbacks] have to maintain their composure and get the call to the huddle and get those guys out the huddle and be ready to go. [Maye]'s always been like that in my mind.

"I think the entire offense definitely needs to play and continue to jell, and that's what we're going to do."

The Patriots signed Brissett to a one-year contract in March, and immediately named him as a starter, with his experience proving invaluable.

He has struggled to hit his stride in preseason so far though, finishing 3-of-7 for 17 yards in three series on Thursday, including a costly end zone interception.

With only one preseason game still to play, against the Washington Commanders on August 25, Mayo plans to use both quarterbacks, giving them a chance to stake their claim on the position.

"We have three more days of training camp practices, and it's our job as coaches to evaluate, and the competition isn't over," Mayo added.

"They have to show not only themselves and the coaches [but] also their teammates.

"For me, we always talk about competition, and that's at all spots. Even if Drake beats out Jacoby, he earned that role.

"We don't really take that into consideration when he's ready to go. If he's better than Jacoby, then he'll play, and he'll start."

Dak Prescott has revealed talks over a new contract with the Dallas Cowboys are "going well", though he is in no rush to get a deal sorted before the new season.

Prescott is set to enter the final season of the four-year, $160m contract he penned in 2021 and will make $29m in 2024.

With no agreement reached on a new deal for the 31-year-old quarterback, rumours about his future have abounded this offseason. If no agreement is struck, he will hit free agency in 2025 and cost Dallas $40m against the salary cap.

The Cowboys are also yet to tie down star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who has held out on returning to practice for three weeks, totalling over $1m in fines as he seeks a new deal.

Prescott, though, is confident his own future will be resolved, though he has not put a timeframe on negotiations.

"I'm not putting that much thought into hoping it gets done now, hoping it gets done in a couple of weeks, during the season or whenever it happens," Prescott said on Thursday. 

"I just know conversations are on the right way. I enjoy being a Cowboy 1,000%, I enjoy living in Dallas, I enjoy everything about it.

"But this is a business. Conversations are going well, but I'm thankful to be where I am right now and that's here."

Prescott's 410 completions and passer rating of 105.9 in 2023 were career-best figures, while he also played all 17 regular-season games for the first time since being drafted in the fourth round in 2016.

Prescott has managed to stay largely injury-free since an ankle issue limited him to just five outings in 2020, and he puts his availability down to thorough work away from the field. 

"It's something that I do each and every day, making sure I'm staying focused on it. Not trying to miss anything," Prescott said of his fitness regimen.  

"If anything, it's just going to be maybe a rest here and there. No long-term [issues], especially with the schedule we're on. 

"When I put the cleats down and I'm done. I want it to be on my terms and not because my body said that's not enough."

Baltimore Ravens have confirmed that tight end Mark Andrews avoided injury after being involved in a car accident on Wednesday.

Andrews, who is heading into his seventh season in the NFL, was driving to the Ravens' team facility for training camp when the incident occurred. 

The 28-year-old was evaluated by the team's medical staff and did not “sustain any apparent injuries,” the team added.

After practice on Wednesday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh provided an update on Andrews while reiterating the importance of wearing seatbelts.

“Mark (Andrews) wore seatbelts,” Harbaugh said. “That was an accident that happened and it was pretty significant, I believe.

"He came out of it with nothing. Nothing at all, not a scrape.”

“I appreciate everyone’s thoughts and well wishes,” Andrews said in a statement.

“This is a great reminder about the importance of wearing seatbelts and remaining alert while driving a car.”

Andrews was already scheduled for a rest day on Wednesday and is expected back at practice in the coming days, according to the Ravens. 

The three-time Pro Bowler finished last season with 544 yards and six touchdowns in the 10 games he featured in. 

The Ravens are scheduled to host the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday in the team’s second pre-season game.

Matthew Judon has a new team to negotiate a new contract with.

The New England Patriots traded Judon to the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday for a 2025 third-round draft pick, according to multiple reports.

As one of the NFL's top edge rushers, Judon had been seeking a new contract with the Patriots.

He is due to make $6.5million this season in the final year of his current deal, and the Falcons have yet to offer him a new contract, according to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero.

Since signing that contract prior to the 2021 season, he has registered 32 sacks in 38 games for New England.

Judon, who turns 32 years old on Thursday, had a career-high 15 1/2 sacks in 17 games in 2022 to earn his fourth Pro Bowl selection, but was limited to just four games last season because of a biceps injury. Before his season ended in Week 4, however, he notched four sacks.

A fifth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2016, Judon has 66 1/2 sacks and 87 tackles for loss in 114 career games.

The eight-year veteran now joins an Atlanta team that went 7-10 in 2023 and is looking to contend for the NFC South crown after acquiring quarterback Kirk Cousins earlier this off-season.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will miss his entire rookie season after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters prior to Wednesday's joint practice with the Cleveland Browns that McCarthy, the 10th overall pick of this year's draft, required a full repair of his meniscus that will sideline him for the duration of the 2024 campaign.

McCarthy reported soreness in his knee and was held out of practice Monday, two days after the former University of Michigan star completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against the Las Vegas Raiders in his preseason debut.

"As crushed as I am for our team and the excitement we had in our building - and our fanbase felt the same way, especially after seeing him perform really well the other day at U.S. Bank Stadium - I'm the most crushed for J.J.," O'Connell said. "But, as our fans either have already come to find out or will in the future, this guy is so motivated and so dialed in.

"Everyone should just be excited about the fact that we've got our young franchise quarterback, I believe, in the building."

McCarthy's surgery all but assures, barring injury, that Sam Darnold will be the Vikings' starting quarterback for Week 1 and beyond. Minnesota signed the seventh-year veteran to a one-year, $10 million contract in March after star signal-caller Kirk Cousins' decision to sign with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.

Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 draft, has compiled 12,064 passing yards with 63 touchdowns and 56 interceptions over 66 career games (56 starts) with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers.

The 27-year-old made just one start in 2023, a 21-20 loss by the 49ers to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 in which he completed 16 of 26 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown.

O'Connell said he expects McCarthy to be fully recovered in time for the 2025 season, when the 21-year-old will be the favourite to take over as Minnesota's starter.

"This is going to be a small bump in the road," O'Connell said. "Other quarterbacks in our league have gone through similar things early on in their journey and came back stronger and better than ever. That is not only not my expectation, I know that it's going to happen for J.J."

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is confident CeeDee Lamb will be back for the opening game of the NFL season.

Lamb is currently in the middle of a contract dispute and, as such, a three-week holdout as he waits to negotiate an extension to his current deal.

The wide receiver missed their opening pre-season game against the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday, and after skipping the Cowboys' mandatory minicamp in June along with training camp, he has totalled more than $1million in fines.

And despite negotiations over a new deal still going on, Parsons is confident Lamb will be back on the field for their opener against the Cleveland Browns on September 8.

"We have our talks, but at the end of the day, me and CeeDee and all of us, we kind of know what it is," Parsons said.

"CeeDee is a part of the brotherhood whether he likes it or not. He knows he's not going nowhere.

"The business side, they going to take care of him. But obviously, we miss him. I mean, he's one of the best people you can have in a locker room, and I'm pretty sure he'll be here soon, because no doubt about it, Week 1, he will be suited up for the Dallas Cowboys."

Last week, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said there was no urgency to get Lamb's deal done, though he backtracked slightly on Sunday, saying "CeeDee is missed".

The 25-year-old was unlikely to play in the pre-season games anyway, but he has missed valuable practice time as the team gears up for the start of the new season.

However, coach Mike McCarthy says he will be smart about reintegrating Lamb into the side whenever he returns.

"You just make time to get done what you need to get done, that's how I look at CeeDee when he gets here," McCarthy said.

"We know CeeDee is always going to be in great shape and so forth. Yeah, we'll make the time, and we'll be smart about it, too, because we got to make sure we have a sound plan and once he does get back here."

Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy will have surgery on his right knee and is sidelined indefinitely.

The 10th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft is dealing with a torn meniscus, and a timetable for a return will be determined following the surgery.

McCarthy reported soreness in his knee and was held out of practice Monday, two days after he made his preseason debut and completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against the Las Vegas Raiders.

After veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins left Minnesota to sign with the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason, the Vikings signed Sam Darnold and drafted McCarthy after he led the University of Michigan to a national championship.

Darnold, the third overall pick by the New York Jets in 2018, is now the clear-cut No. 1 quarterback for Minnesota after appearing in 10 games last season – including one start – for the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.

The Vikings, who went 7-10 and missed the play-offs last season, open their 2024 campaign on September 8 at the New York Giants.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown will not need to go under the knife after he suffered a dislocated shoulder.

Brown joined the Chiefs as a free agent, having impressed with the Arizona Cardinals last season, finishing the campaign with 51 catches for 574 yards and four touchdowns.

However, his Chiefs debut ended early as he sustained a dislocation of his shoulder joint in Kansas City's preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Having caught a pass from Patrick Mahomes on the first play of the game, Brown was tackled and landed awkwardly on his left shoulder.

Thankfully for the Chiefs, Brown has avoided the need for surgery.

"They were able to get the joint back into place without surgery, which is a positive,'' Reid said.

"Then we'll just see on the recovery. He is back in Kansas City now. He stayed over in Jacksonville until they got that thing situated.''

Brown's status will be monitored ahead of the Chiefs' season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5.

Haason Reddick was acquired by the New York Jets in a trade this past March.

Just over four months later, the star edge rusher has now requested to be traded from the Jets before ever playing a game with them.

Reddick informed the Jets on Monday he wants to be traded, according to multiple reports.

The Jets, however, have made it clear they have no plans to deal him.

Shortly after the news of Reddick's trade demand broke, the Jets announced they won't honour his request.

"We have informed Haason that we will not trade him, that he is expected to be here with his teammates, and that he will continue to be fined per the CBA if he does not report," Jets general manager Joe Douglas said in a statement. "Since the trade discussions back in March we have been clear, direct and consistent with our position. Our focus will remain on the guys we have here as we prepare for the regular season."

New York acquired Reddick from Philadelphia in late March after he had initially asked the Eagles for a new contract.

Since passing his physical with the Jets, he has not joined his new team for any activities. He skipped both their voluntary and mandatory mini-camp and has been holding out all of training camp.

Due to make $14.25million in 2024 in the final year of his deal, Reddick is facing more than $1million in mandatory fines by skipping the first three weeks of camp.

Drafted 13th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2017 draft, Reddick has emerged as one of the league's premier pass rushers over the last four seasons.

Since 2020, his 14 forced fumbles are the most in the NFL, while his 50 1/2 sacks rank fourth.

The 29-year-old was named to his second Pro Bowl team last season when he registered 11 sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

In 2022, his 16 sacks trailed only Nick Bosa's 18 1/2 for the most in the NFL.

Caleb Williams feels the Chicago Bears are growing in confidence ahead of the new NFL season, having made his debut in Saturday's dominant preseason win over the Buffalo Bills.

Williams – the top overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft – shared snaps with fellow quarterbacks Austin Reed, Tyson Bagent and Brett Rypien as Chicago triumphed by a 33-6 scoreline.

He completed four of his seven attempted passes for 95 yards, avoiding any interceptions or sacks, with the highlight being a 26-yard bullet to tight end Cole Kmet.

With the Bears also using the ninth overall draft pick to take wide receiver Rome Odunze, hopes are high at Soldier Field that 2024 could mark an end to their three-year playoff drought.

Williams is positive regarding the progress they have already made, saying: "There's an understanding that it is preseason, that everybody's not going to show their looks and what they would do versus us and vice versa.

"But it definitely feels good to get out there. The last time I was out there on the field other than practice was November 18. You go that long without something, it's tough.

"But it's been great. The guys have made it fun, they made it easy on me, they've been great from the beginning. My progress, I would put it on them. 

"To get out there and have the confidence that we had out there, it's only going to get better and we can't wait."

Head coach Matt Eberflus has also been impressed as Chicago bid to improve on last season's 7-10 record, which was only good enough for fourth place in the NFC North.

"There's certainly positivity there," Eberflus said of Williams' debut. "We're not going to squash that. 

"I do feel like we have a lot of work to do and a lot of things to accomplish as a football team, not just Caleb. 

"We've all got to play good around him. It's important that we keep improving before that first game."

Louis Rees-Zammit described his Kansas City Chiefs debut as a "great first experience" after the rugby star-turned NFL hopeful featured in their preseason defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Having won 32 caps for Wales, scoring five tries at last year's World Cup in France, Rees-Zammit stunned the rugby world by turning his back on the sport in January to enter the NFL's International Player Pathway Program.

Rees-Zammit signed with the reigning Super Bowl champions in March, with head coach Andy Reid saying he showed promise as a running back.

On Saturday, the 23-year-old featured as a running back, kicker and kick-returner, as well as part of the Chiefs' punt coverage team, as they were beaten 26-13 by the Jags.

The Welshman finished his debut with two carries for one yard, one reception for three yards and one special teams tackle, returns he is keen to build on.

"It was a great first experience," Rees-Zammit told the Irish NFL Show. "I loved it, I loved getting the snaps I did, on special teams as well, which was great.

"I've just got to look back on this, review it and see how I can get better.

"The atmosphere was great, it was pretty electric in the stadium and there was a load of Chiefs fans, which helped massively. It was a great game and I'm looking forward to the next one."

Kansas City face the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears in their final two preseason outings before beginning their quest for a third straight Super Bowl with a blockbuster meeting with the Baltimore Ravens on September 5.