Thursday's NFL: No. 2 pick C.J. Stroud struggles in preseason debut for Texans

Foxborough, Mass. – C.J. Stroud had a short and at times shaky NFL debut, Davis Mills threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to rookie Tank Dell and the Houston Texans beat the New England Patriots 20-9 in the teams' preseason opener Thursday night.

Stroud, drafted second overall out of Ohio State, played the first two series and went 2-of-4 for 13 yards with an interception. He rushed twice for 6 yards and was sacked once.

Mills – who started 15 games last season – took over for Stroud and finished 9-of-12 for 99 yards while playing the balance of the opening half. His touchdown pass capped a seven-play, 62-yard drive that ended with Dell juggling and pulling in the score from his back.

Dalton Keene added a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Case Keenum had a 5-yard TD pass to Alex Bachman in the fourth. Dell ended his night with five catches for 65 yards.

The Patriots gave most of their projected starters the night off, including quarterback Mac Jones.

Backup Bailey Zappe started in his place and went 12-of-14 for 79 yards, playing the entire first half and one series in the third quarter. His best throw of the night was a 27-yard dart to Tyquan Thornton.

Rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham, who went undrafted out of Louisville, added a late 9-yard touchdown run. Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez had three tackles and forced a fumble.

Stroud is vying with Mills to be Houston's starter. The Texans have mostly split first-team snaps between the two during training camp.

Mills, despite a record of just 5-29-1 as a starter the past two seasons, looked much more comfortable Thursday. Meanwhile, Stroud spent most of his limited snaps under nearly constant pressure from the Patriots defense.

Starting on his own 25 following a game-opening touchback, Stroud came out throwing and completed an 8-yard pass to Nico Collins on the Texans’ first play from scrimmage.

After a few short runs by Devin Singletary gave Houston a new set of downs, Stroud was dropped for a 15-yard sack when he was unable to avoid the grasp of Daniel Ekuale.

Stroud was flushed out of the pocket and scrambled for 4 yards on the next play. Facing third-and-21, he dropped back to pass again, throwing in the direction of Dell. But Jalen Mills read the play from the start, stepped in front and picked it off.

The Patriots took over on Houston’s 24. but wound up settling for a 44-yard Nick Folk field goal after their first drive of the night was stalled by Denzel Perryman's sack after three plays.

Stroud’s second series was mostly a replica of his first.

He misfired on a throw to open the series, completed a short pass to Steven Sims and then had another short scramble before Houston was forced to punt again.

Vikings lose 24-13 in Seattle

Seattle – Despite being on Seattle's roster for more than a year, Drew Lock had never taken a snap at his home stadium in a Seahawks uniform until Thursday night.

Lock threw a pair of touchdowns passes, the second a 19-yard strike to Jake Bobo late in the third quarter, and the Seahawks beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-13 on Thursday night in the preseason opener for both teams.

With starting quarterback Geno Smith serving as a spectator – along with most of the starters for both teams – Lock showed that the Seahawks should feel comfortable about their backup.

“He needs to play football games, He sat around all last year," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "This formula of getting three quarters is just great for him.”

Lock completed 17 of 24 passes for 191 yards. His one mistake was a tipped pass intercepted by Minnesota’s Jaylin Williams in the third quarter. Lock threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Easop Winston Jr. in the first half, and gave Seattle a 17-13 lead by hitting Bobo in the final seconds of the third quarter. Bobo badly beat Andrew Booth Jr. off the line of scrimmage and hauled in pass near the goal line.

Lock missed Seattle's one home preseason game last season after testing positive for COVID-19, a game he was scheduled to start. He never saw the field during the regular season with Smith taking every snap.

“Never walked out there in a Seahawks uniform and played a snap. Had a blast," Lock said. said. "Overall, it felt great just to play football again. It's weird when you go a whole year without taking a snap."

Bobo has impressed during training camp and could be the latest undrafted rookie wide receiver to earn a spot on Seattle’s roster.

Third-string QB Holton Ahlers added a 30-yard TD pass to Matt Landers in the fourth quarter.

Nick Mullens played a solid first half for the Vikings, solidifying his spot as Kirk Cousins' backup. Mullens completed 14 of 20 passes for 139 yards and a 4-yard touchdown toss to tight end Nick Muse, who made a terrific leaping catch over Seattle cornerback Tre Brown. Mullens led a pair of scoring drives, and Greg Joseph hit field goals of 26 and 54 yards. Joseph was just 4 of 10 on kicks from 50 or more yards last season and is getting pushed with rookie Jack Podlesny from Georgia in camp.

“It's fun first of all just being able to command an offense and step into a huddle with the guys,” Mullens said.

Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell said he was also impressed with running back Ty Chandler, who had 11 carries for 41 yards and four receptions for 29 yards.

“I really wanted to see Ty and see what he can handle as far as all the phases of our offense,” O'Connell said. “Calling plays for him here and there in the first half I found myself wanting to get him touches and that’s always a good thing.”

Only a handful of starters played for either team.

Seattle played center Evan Brown and right guard Phil Haynes on offense, and linebacker Devin Bush, edge rusher Boye Mafe and cornerback Michael Jackson on defense. All five were out of the game well before halftime.

“We had some poor tackling early on but there's always going to be stuff to clean up. It’s early in camp,” Bush said.

The Vikings gave nose tackle Khyiris Tonga and cornerback Akayleb Evans some time on defense, while right guard Ed Ingram was the only offensive starter to get some reps.

Colts to start rookie QB Richardson

Westfield, Ind. – The Indianapolis Colts promised to wait patiently for rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson to develop into a starter.

Apparently, he's a quick learner.

First-year coach Shane Steichen announced Thursday the No. 4 overall draft pick will start Saturday's preseason opener at Buffalo after working mostly with Indy's starters this week.

“We'll start Anthony and then we'll go from there,” Steichen said. “He'll be out there with the first unit, yeah."

Richardson and veteran Gardner Minshew have been battling for the No. 1 spot since offseason work began. Steichen has not said when, or if, he'll announce a winner before Indy's regular-season opener Sept. 10 against Jacksonville.

Still, Steichen intends to use each of Indy's top two quarterbacks – Richardson and Minshew – about a quarter. Sam Ehlinger, who made three starts last season, his second in the league, will get whatever is left.

Steichen also knows Minshew well since they worked together in Philadelphia each of the previous two seasons, so giving Richardson more game-day snaps also makes sense.

Richardson now has a chance to show everyone how far he's come in just a few months.

The talented 21-year-old dazzled scouts with what some described as the most athletic workout by a quarterback in NFL scouting combine history when he first arrived in Indy.

Over the past 2 1/2 weeks at training camp, Richardson has continued to demonstrate his arm strength, ability to throw from different angles and mobility. He's also been inconsistent, a typical feature among rookie quarterbacks particularly one who went 6-7 as the starter at Florida. Next up for Richardson is facing a different defense with live tackling.

How does Richardson assess his own development ahead of his first NFL game?

“Honestly, I don't know because I haven't gone up against anybody yet,” he said. “I feel like I'm in a good spot. I think I've taken a big step whether it's chemistry, play-calling or just recognizing the defense.”

Teammates believe Richardson earned the start.

Tight end Kylen Granson said he's been impressed with Richardson's speedy, seamless transition.

“We throw a lot at you right off the bat,” Granson said. “I know my head was spinning. That was tough. But I couldn't even imagine a quarterback having to learn so much more.”

Minshew, a former NFL backup and starter, also believes it's time to give Richardson a new challenge.

“He's earned a lot of respect early on,” Minshew said. “He does that by how he prepares. He wants to learn how to do it the right way, so I think he's doing everything he needs to right now.”

While Richardson will be Indy's featured attraction this weekend, fans will be watching other names, too.

Steichen hasn't said whether three-time All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard would make even a cameo appearance Saturday after missing 14 games last season because of two back surgeries and a concussion. Leonard was finally cleared for full contact last Saturday and has continued to participate in padded workouts this week.

Running back Jonathan Taylor will not play. The 2021 NFL rushing champion remains on the physically unable to perform list following offseason ankle surgery and amid what has evolved into an ugly contract dispute that included a trade request.

Taylor wants a new deal before he starts the fourth and final year of his rookie contract and has reportedly left the Grand Park training camp facility in Westfield, Indiana, a 30-minute drive from the team headquarters, to continue rehabbing his ankle.

Indy has two practices next week at Grand Park, both joint practices with the Chicago Bears, and Steichen remains hopeful Taylor can return before Indy returns to its regular facility.

“I don’t have an answer for that and a timetable on that but really looking forward to getting him back and getting him healthy and getting him back out there playing with the guys,” Steichen said when asked if Taylor might practice next week.

So without Taylor and possibly Leonard, Colts fans will be eager to see if their quarterback of the future has what it takes to quickly emerge as their opening day starter.

“Consistency,” Richardson said when asked about this weekend's goal. “I know I can run, and I know I can pass – whatever is called. I'm just trying to do my job the right way and be consistent with it.”

Panthers to play starters in preseason

Spartanburg, S.C. – Carolina Panthers coach Frank Reich informed his players that nearly all should expect to play in Saturday's preseason home opener against the New York Jets.

Reich said it's largely because the Panthers have new coaches, new schemes and several new players. They need to get prepared for the start of the regular season, which begins with two straight games against NFC South division foes.

“We just feel like we’re at a different stage,“ than other teams, Reich said. ”A lot of teams won’t play their starters in the preseason. We’ve talked as a team from the very beginning and said, ‘Hey, we’re gonna play in the preseason.’ … We’ve got to get ready to go.”

Meanwhile, the Jets plan to rest 18-year veteran Aaron Rodgers, and coach Robert Saleh was non-committal Thursday on if the other starters will play in their second preseason game, saying only “we’ll see.”

The Panthers plan to give No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young his first career preseason start, although it's unclear how much he'll play.

Reich has been impressed with how the 22-year-old Young has progressed, saying the rookie from Alabama has “checked all of the boxes he needed to check" during training camp.

“Taking over the huddle, his leadership in the locker room and on the field, his command of the offense… they are all things that have showed up again and again," Reich said.

Added Panthers backup QB Andy Dalton: “Bryce has had a really good camp. I think he feels really comfortable with everything that we are doing and this (offense) is really tailored to his skillset."

The Panthers and Jets planned to meet for a second day of the joint practices at Wofford College on Thursday, but it was canceled due to lightning and rain in the area.

Both coaches agreed it was best to cancel to avoid injuries on a soggy field.

The Jets instead hosted their own practice on campus at Gibbs Stadium, while the Panthers held a brief walkthrough before breaking camp and returning to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Saleh said after watching film from Wednesday's two-hour, full-padded practice the Jets offense is still “a little behind” and remains a work in progress with so many new pieces.

Rodgers spoke to reporters after that practice and hinted at concerns over the offensive line, which remains largely in a state of flux with veteran tackle Duane Brown still out of practice while continuing to work his way back from offseason shoulder surgery.

The Jets haven't settled on a starting five up front, with the center and both tackle spots up for grabs.

“My optimistic side will say we have time, Duane is coming back,” Saleh said. “There are still a lot pieces we’ve got. We have some cards in our back pocket. But as a coach you want it done yesterday. We want these guys to start rolling. We want confidence. We want to start humming.”

But Saleh said it's comforting having a veteran such as Rodgers, a four-time league MVP, at quarterback.

“It’s great," Saleh said. “He's been through all of the highs and lows, the winning seasons and losing seasons and world championships. He’s been part of teams that have started slow and finished fast, and vice versa. He’s another coach out there. He’s a tremendous source of information for me to just be able to talk through things because he's in the locker room.”

Raiders QB Garoppolo sharp in practice

Henderson, Nev. – Fred Warner was begging Jimmy Garoppolo to throw a pass at him, which in previous years wouldn't have been an unusual sight at practice when they were San Francisco 49ers teammates.

But they were on opposite sides Thursday with Warner at linebacker for the Niners and Garoppolo quarterbacking the starting offense for the Las Vegas Raiders as the teams met for a joint practice.

“That's my guy,” Warner said afterward. “I love Jimmy. I love seeing him succeed. He had a great practice today, so I'm looking forward to (Friday) again.”

The teams have another joint practice Friday and then meet in a preseason game Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. Raiders coach Josh McDaniels didn't rule out playing Garoppolo on Sunday, but the chances don't appear likely. So these two practice days against the 49ers are especially important.

Garoppolo played the previous 5 1/2 seasons in San Francisco before signing with the Raiders in the offseason. He didn't have the easiest transition, a broken left foot delaying his signing by a day and then forcing him to miss organized team activities and minicamp.

When training camp began, Garoppolo often didn’t look close to the quarterback who helped the 49ers reach the Super Bowl in 2019 and the NFC title game in 2021.

But now he's starting to come around, and on Thursday was especially sharp during two late-practice scrimmage drives. He went 3 for 4 on one drive while connecting with three different receivers – his solo miss a sideline pass to Davante Adams in which the receiver was just barely out of bounds. Then in a 2-minute drive, Garoppolo completed five of seven passes to three receivers, including a touchdown in double coverage to tight end Austin Hooper.

“I think it’s moving in the right direction,” Garoppolo said. “I obviously started getting my feet under me, literally and figuratively.”

Garoppolo said on the first play that Niners linebacker Dre Greenlaw started playfully yapping at him, calling it an enjoyable experiencing facing a group of players he called his “brothers.”

That's despite how it ended in the Bay Area.

The 49ers had planned to trade Garoppolo before the 2022 season and start Trey Lance, the third overall pick in the 2021 draft whom San Francisco gave up three first-round picks to acquire. But when Garoppolo underwent offseason shoulder surgery, that eliminated outside trade interest in him, prompting the 49ers to re-sign him at a reduced deal.

When Lance was injured two games into last season, Garoppolo again took over as the starter. He was having his best year, throwing 16 touchdown passes and four interceptions in 10 games, before going down with a season-ending foot injury.

In February, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said he didn't see how Garoppolo would return to the club next season.

“I think that was a simple question: Is there scenario he can be back here next year?” Shanahan said. “I gave a common-sense answer: ‘No.’ I think that was a little overblown on trying to be a shot at him or anything. We knew Jimmy wasn’t coming back on his standpoint and our standpoint, financially, and everything. But any time I’ve been asked about Jimmy and what he meant to us and how he was, I’ve never said it differently.

"Jimmy was unbelievable here.”

Shanahan said he didn't get the chance to speak with Garoppolo on Thursday because the teams were on separate practice fields.

“I think he’s an interesting guy because he doesn’t promote himself ever, but he could,” San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey said of Garoppolo. “He won a lot of games. He’s obviously a great quarterback who’s been successful in the past. Always has a smile on his face, always has a great attitude and is just a really great guy to be around.”

Garoppolo said to not mistake his easygoing demeanor for a lack of competitiveness.

“It’s in there," Garoppolo said. "Everyone has different ways of dealing with stuff. Some people like to vocalize it and put it out there. Some people like to keep it in and just let their play do the talk. There are different ways to go about it, but that’s kind of how I’ve always been. I’m not changing.”

Breeland facing stolen vehicle, drug charges

Charlotte, N.C. – Former NFL cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who had an interception in the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl 54 win over the San Francisco 49ers, is facing multiple charges after being found in possession of a stolen vehicle, firearms and illegal drugs.

The 31-year-old Breeland is facing charges that include possession of a stolen motor vehicle, altering serial numbers, altering a title, possession of a Schedule I controlled substance, possession of marijuana, and possession of a stolen firearm.

Breeland, who played eight seasons in the NFL, was booked into Mecklenburg County Jail early Tuesday, according to jail records.

He’s since been released on $30,000 bond.

The Allendale, South Carolina, native played football at Clemson and was selected by the Washington Commanders in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. Breeland last played in the NFL in 2021 with the Minnesota Vikings.