National Football League News

The Dallas Cowboys acquired veteran quarterback Matt Cassel from the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday after placing Tony Romo on the injured reserve/designated to return list.

Dallas acquired Cassel and Buffalo's 2017 seventh-round draft pick for Dallas' fifth in 2017, sources said.The Cowboys plan to start Brandon Weeden in Romo's absence with Cassel installed as a backup.

Against the visiting Atlanta Falcons in Week 3, Kellen Moore will be the No. 2 quarterback, with Cassel No. 3, a source told ESPN.

But Cassel is expected to supplant Moore as the No. 2 once he has time to learn the system and teammates, the source said.

Drew Breese Could Play Sunday

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews examined the MRI scans for New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and confirmed the original diagnosis: that Brees has a bruised rotator cuff but there is no indication of a tear, a source told ESPN's Ed Werder.

As a result, Brees said there is a "reasonable possibility'' he can play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, according to the source, but a determination for his availability for practice and the game will be determined as the week evolves.

Chicago Bears: Preparations are underway for quarterback Jimmy Clausen to start Sunday at Seattle. Wednesday is Clausen's first practice as the Bears No. 1 quarterback since Week 16 of last year, when Jay Cutler got benched by ex-head coach Marc Trestman. It remains to be seen if Clausen will have a full complement of weapons to work with versus the Seahawks. Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is day-to-day with calf and hamstring injuries that kept him out of the loss to Arizona. However, Jeffery is not believed to be seriously hurt and is likely to return in the coming weeks. -- Jeff Dickerson

St. Louis Rams: Once again, the Rams are not tipping their hand when it comes to the status of running back Todd Gurley. But Gurley's chances of debuting against the Steelers on Sunday are more realistic than they were last week. Barring a setback, if Gurley doesn't return this week, it will almost certainly happen in Week 4. For now, the Rams are monitoring his progress in practice and formulating a plan for how much he'll be used when the time comes. Jeff Fisher has said Gurley will be on a pitch count when he comes back, so even if he plays, don't expect a full workload right away. -- Nick Wagoner