NFL preseason and training camp live updates (2024)

The page has turned to Week 2 of the preseason as practices continue across the NFL this week.

Last week was all about the rookie quarterbacks and their preseason debuts. Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels went rouge, while Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams improvised, Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy exceeded expectations and Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix showed poise.

Joint practices continue across the NFL as well, although the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints won't meet in practice this week with the former dealing with too many injuries.

With joint practices come fights. There were more than enough skirmishes in joint practices between the Detroit Lions and New York Giants, to which the league fined both teams for. Sometimes, fights happen amongst teammates, like Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf displayed.

Meanwhile, there is still no resolution in sight for a few holdouts and hold-ins around the league, although the San Francisco 49ers and WR Brandon Aiyuk were back at the negotiating table at the start of the week. The Dallas Cowboys and WR CeeDee Lamb remain apart on a deal apparently, though.

Stay tuned here and be sure to keep refreshing the blog for what unfolds this week from The Athletic's NFL beat writers.

Required reading

• Preseason Week 2 schedule
• How Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels performed in debuts
• Dolphins are flipping the script with Tua Tagovailoa
• 2024 fantasy football draft kit

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Can Dee Winters be more consistent?

The 49ers have plans for Winters this season and next. They’d love for him to become their third linebacker, the so-called strongside ’backer on the field on base downs. And if he excels in that role, they wonder if he can take on the far bigger weakside role next season. Both players slated for that job this year, De’Vondre Campbell Sr. and Dre Greenlaw, aren’t signed beyond this season.

After looking good in practices, however, Winters was a bit out of control in the preseason game in Tennessee. He was aggressive and fast as advertised, but he also overran a tackle attempt and seemed out of step in pass coverage on some snaps.

“It’s just details, the fundamental details,” defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said Wednesday. “And then once you have that and that’s second nature, that’s when you see him really flying and taking his shots. We want him to play like that all the time. So it’s just, how can we cut it loose like that as consistently as possible?”

It’s natural a young player like Winters would be overeager in his first live action of the season. The 49ers want to see him settle down against the Saints. If he can’t, the team might have to go with a veteran, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles or Curtis Robinson, at the strongside spot early in the season.

What else should 49ers fan watch for against the Saints? Read more here.

The Cowboys announced that DT Mazi Smith experienced an allergic reaction this afternoon at training camp that resulted in him not being able to travel with the team today to Las Vegas for tomorrow’s preseason game against the Raiders. He has received treatment and will be reevaluated in the morning with his game status updated accordingly following that evaluation.

Smith was Dallas’ first-round pick last year. After an underwhelming rookie season, Smith is expected to start next to DT Osa Odighizuwa this year.

“I like the player that I know I can become,” Smith said Thursday. “I like the journey of getting there, because it doesn’t happen overnight. I think I left a lot of plays out there (against the Los Angeles Rams last weekend). I think I’m talented enough to make any play that comes inside. I got to get to that point where I’m doing that.”

Dianna Russini sits down with Vikings WR Justin Jefferson and HC Kevin O'Connell on the hells of JJ McCarthy's season-ending injury, plus Dianna and Chase dig deep on the Falcons' addition of Matthew Judon and how big 2024 is for Deshaun Watson in Cleveland.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers' battle with injuries continues, especially on the offensive line. Starting left guard Aaron Banks fractured his pinkie finger and underwent surgery on Friday morning.

The 49ers hope that Banks returns for the Sept. 9 season opener against the New York Jets, but they'll continue tapping heavily into their depth before then. Star left tackle Trent Williams continues holding out as he seeks a renegotiated contract while guard Spencer Burford is still out with a fractured hand. Starting center Jake Brendel has been partially limited in camp due to knee tendinitis, which sidelined him for the spring program, while fellow interior linemen Jon Feliciano and Ben Bartch have both been out with knee issues.

To make do, the 49ers have inserted rookie third-round pick Dominick Puni to the right guard slot. He's impressed the team so far but does face a heavy burden for a young player. At Friday's practice, third-year man Nick Zakelj took Aaron Banks' spot at left guard.

Zakelj likely be back in that role Sunday when the 49ers continue their preseason against the New Orleans Saints. Coach Kyle Shanahan is planning to play most of his available front liners.

"I want to play a number of them," Shanahan said. "I won't say all of them. I’d like to get them in there for at least a little bit."

Shanahan added that quarterback Brock Purdy is part of that group and that he'll "most likely" play. (edited)

Earlier this week, when Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell shared that rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy had undergone a repaired meniscus, he said McCarthy would miss the duration of the 2024 season. Friday, the Vikings made the procedural move to cement that: McCarthy was placed on injured reserve.

With more preseason games to play and the need for an additional quarterback, Minnesota held a workout Friday morning in Cleveland. The Vikings ultimately signed Matt Corral, who has familiarity with current Vikings starter Sam Darnold. They played together in 2022 with the Carolina Panthers; Corral was a third-round pick.

Corral, a 25-year-old from Ole Miss, most recently played for the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL. He had bounced from Carolina in 2022 to the New England Patriots in 2023. The Patriots released him in September 2023, and the Stallions scooped him up. He started three games in Birmingham, completing 58.1 percent of passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions. In the most recent UFL postseason, he played in one game, completing 9 of 11 passes for 120 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Similar to Jordan Ta'amu last year, Corral is probably a long shot to make the Vikings' roster. O'Connell and the Vikings' offensive staff have confidence in Darnold and comfort with backups Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall. An injury would change the calculus, but Corral is mostly a depth option for preseason games and practice reps.

In somewhat of a surprise at Packers-Broncos joint practice on Friday in Colorado, Denver’s defense got the better of a Green Bay offense that’s expected to be among the best in the league, especially toward the end of practice.

Take the two minute drill, for example. The Packers’ starting offense had two chances, each starting at its own 40, down three with 1:10 remaining and no timeouts left. Jordan Love and co. turned the ball over on downs twice and only gained one total first down.

Green Bay’s backup offense did the same, with Sean Clifford throwing an interception on third-and-9 deep downfield. There’s not much to extrapolate from Friday’s action as it pertains to how successful each side of the ball will be in 2024 when games count, but it was an impressive day for Vance Joseph’s unit, nonetheless.

Maxx Crosby got into a skirmish and Davante Adams missed practice Las Vegas Raiders training camp Thursday night. Crosby threw several punches at center Will Putnam, while it remains unclear whether Adams will suit up against the Cowboys.

Read more here.

The Athletic has more from Los Angeles Chargers camp, where Justin Herbert is out of his walking boot and Easton Stick faces a big opportunity. The second preseason game Saturday will be a big moment for Stick. It's time to prove to the new regime that he can back up Herbert.

Read more here.

OXNARD, Calif. — When the Dallas Cowboys’ first-team offense lined up in Wednesday’s joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams, there were as many rookies on the starting offensive line as there were All-Pros.

Tyler Guyton’s status as the starting left tackle for Week 1 has been gaining momentum for weeks. But it was Cooper Beebe’s insertion as the starting center that was the new intriguing development.

“Really like what Cooper did (in the preseason game),” head coach Mike McCarthy said this week. “Thought he had quality snaps, both at the center and guard. We’re going to give Cooper some opportunities here with the first group moving forward. He’ll start working in there. He has earned that opportunity.”

The Cowboys vowed to foster a competitive environment for both of their promising rookie offensive linemen. With Guyton being a first-round selection at a position that saw the previous starter walk in free agency, the expectation was always that — sooner or later — Guyton will claim that spot in the starting lineup. While Guyton was the first-rounder, many looked at Beebe as the greatest value pick. The Cowboys nabbed him in the third round with hopes of converting him from guard to center.

Both players came into the building with high aspirations but without any guarantee of when the big opportunity in the starting lineup would come. Guyton believes the team’s approach not only helped in fostering a healthy competitive environment, but aided Guyton in advancing himself at the position and in McCarthy’s offense.

“It made me learn a few things from Chuma (Edoga),” Guyton said. “He’s a really good player, I feel like. His hands are excellent. I took a lot from his game; I learned a lot from him. I think it was a great way of going about it.”

Guyton is also getting an immediate lesson against the highest caliber of talent he may see on Sundays. Guyton’s reps against Micah Parsons each day in practice have been some of the most interesting things to watch. On Thursday, Guyton walled off Parsons to the outside to allow Dak Prescott time to make a throw. Soon after, Parsons hit Guyton with a filthy move to beat him inside and sack Prescott.

“He’s firm, got a good grip,” Parsons said. “Natural length, has a natural strength (and) natural athleticism.”

Read more here.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears have nearly everything they need on paper to transform into one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses.

Now, they’re working on taking their abundance of riches and turning them into an attack that should be feared accordingly. They loaded up in the draft with quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze, traded for star wideout Keenan Allen and added Gerald Everett to a tight end room that was already headlined by Cole Kmet. Not to mention they still have receiver D.J. Moore and a talented group of running backs, including free-agent addition D’Andre Swift.

Plus, after firing offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, the unit should get a boost with Shane Waldron, who spent four seasons in Los Angeles with Sean McVay before helping guide quarterback Geno Smith’s turnaround with the Seattle Seahawks.

“I feel like we do a really good job of working ahead,” Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham told The Athletic. “Really starting the process a year early, looking at our roster needs, where we think our pressure-point positions are going to be and then making sure we do a good job of evaluating the free-agent market and the draft market at those positions.

“We do a really good job of making sure we read the tea leaves and then making sure we devise a really good plan.”

The plan was about as well-executed as the Bears could have hoped, considering they’ve been floundering in a rebuild for a while. They haven’t won a playoff game since the 2010 postseason and haven’t employed a head coach for longer than four years since Lovie Smith’s departure following the 2012 season. Last year, the Bears ranked 18th in scoring, just the second time in a decade they cracked the top 20.

Read more here.

The Athletic has more on Tennessee Titans QB Will Levis, mayonnaise cologne pitchman extraordinaire and franchise quarterback in pre-production. Day 2 of practices with the Seahawks ended with a disappointing INT, but Levis has been like his cologne: Solid, decent, "not too pungent."

Read more here.

The Bengals agreed to terms with kicker Evan McPherson to a three-year extension on Friday, trying him to the team through the 2027 season.

He agreed on three years and $16.5M, according to reports. He was entering the final year of his rookie contract.

The $5.5M in average annual value is tied for the fifth-largest total among kickers.

McPherson, a fifth-round pick of the Bengals in 2021 has never missed a postseason field goal in his career, going 19 of 19, including two walk-off field goals during the team’s Super Bowl run.

His 24 field goals made from 50 yards or longer (regular and postseason) are the most of any kicker in the league since he arrived in 2021.

Last season, McPherson didn’t miss a single kick inside 50 yards, going 19 of 19 on field goals and 40 of 40 on extra points.

He joins a rash of kickers to sign contract extensions in recent months and the $10M in new money at signing is the most ever given to a kicker.

McPherson was the 149th pick in the 2021 draft. The Bengals are still in discussions with the fifth pick in that draft, Ja’Marr Chase, and will see if they can find an extension with him before the season begins.

As other quarterbacks and starters rest across the league during the preseason, Josh Allen and the Bills will make it two-for-two.

Weather permitting, the team plans to play their franchise quarterback and the rest of their uninjured starters against the Steelers on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.

The plan is for those starters to get roughly a quarter and a half of action, which is a slight uptick from the plan from their first preseason game. In that contest, McDermott pulled Allen out of the game after exactly one quarter — even though the Bills offense was mid-drive when the first quarter ended.

After that preseason debut, a 33-6 loss to the Bears, Bills coach Sean McDermott was less than enthused with his team's overall performance. Immediately after the game, McDermott was gruff, continuing to point out that the team's performance was not up to the standard they expected.

Allen and the starting offense went three-and-out on their initial drive but began his second and final drive with two first downs gained in just five plays before being pulled. McDermott will hope for more offensive cohesiveness in the second game, and perhaps even a touchdown. On defense, the Bills can evaluate their options to replace star linebacker Matt Milano in the starting lineup. On Thursday, Milano was ruled out indefinitely with a torn bicep that required surgery that will likely keep him out for months.

The Bills used Allen in only two of their three exhibition games in 2023. It remains to be seen if that's the plan this preseason as well.

Bo Nix just wow’d the crowd with a dagger on 3rd and 10 to Courtland Sutton against the Packers.

Pump faked the defender underneath and threw it right over his head.

LAS VEGAS — Gardner Minshew II packed up the van in March and headed out West, looking for another opportunity in a colorful NFL career that has already spanned four teams in six years.

He became a college star on his fourth try — after trying to break his hand with a hammer to get an extra redshirt year at his third stop. The quarterback’s cool mustache, laidback swagger, better-than-you-think arm and flair for the dramatic created a “Minshew Mania” that followed him from Washington State to his first NFL stop in Jacksonville.

Or was it the other way around?

As Minshew says, it seemed like the mustache “was calling the shots for a bit.”

Minshew is 28 now, and the Las Vegas Raiders made him a really good offer to sign and compete with Aidan O’Connell for the starting quarterback job. It felt like a natural fit for Minshew, who had met Raiders Hall of Famers Kenny Stabler, Ray Guy and Fred Biletnikoff over the years — guys who valued having fun and enjoying people almost as much as winning.

“I couldn’t be prouder to be part of the Raiders tradition,” Minshew said Wednesday night. “It’s real, you feel it when you step in the building. We’re here to win, but personalities are welcome. It’s important to have balance in life, and you can do your best at football but not let it take over. I am excited to be part of a new era of Raiders football.”

Coach Antonio Pierce said he hopes to pick a starting quarterback after Saturday night’s preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Minshew feels no sense of urgency.

“No, man,” Minshew said. “If I knew a better way of doing things, I would have been doing it, you know? So you just keep going, trust the process, continue learning and get better. And, you know, support whatever decision he makes.”

Read more here.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons play their second preseason game Saturday in Baltimore against the Ravens. It falls 10 days before NFL teams must cut their training camp rosters — which can hold as many as 90 players — to 53.

The Falcons still have several roster spots to be determined. Let’s look at seven players who are fighting for a spot — some from the wrong side of the bubble, some from the right side of it — and need a good showing against the Ravens.

Cornerback Kevin King

The sixth cornerback spot (assuming the Falcons keep six) is wide open. King made his bid for the job against Miami, playing 37 snaps (the most by any cornerback) and intercepting a pass. A second-round pick by the Packers in 2017, King hasn’t played since 2021.

“Kudos to our performance team for Kevin King,” defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said. “His history of injuries since he has entered the league is well documented. Some guys go down that path and then they get beyond that and can move forward. That’s what we’re hoping for Kevin.”

King’s closest competition for that spot appears to be Anthony Johnson and Natrone Brooks, who is involved in the return game in practice, which could help his cause.

“I knew I was going to come back to this league and make an impact,” King said.

Read for more players to watch here.

Thursday’s joint practice with the Chicago Bears served as one of the most important mileposts of the August ramp-up period for the Cincinnati Bengals. So much of what they have done over the entire offseason and last three weeks built up for these two hours against the Bears.

So it’s understandable why the resulting feelings were a little like the weather in suburban Chicago: sloppy and dreary.

The Bengals saw two players, offensive tackle D’Ante Smith and running back Chris Evans, suffer injuries and leave on carts. Evans suffered a torn patellar tendon and will miss the regular season, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported. They saw Joe Burrow throw three interceptions in the rainy conditions. Tee Higgins dropped passes. Offensive tackle Trent Brown was replaced midway through practice after suffering what coach Zac Taylor called “some lower back tightness.” The defense gave up a few touchdown passes, including a deep score to Keenan Allen during 11-on-11.

The results weren’t all bad, but the Bengals were presented with a new set of developments to consider while drying out and heading into Saturday’s preseason game against the Bears.

Our trio of stellar Bears writers, Adam Jahns, Kevin Fishbain and Jon Greenberg, were on-site for the practice and provided the reporting, with Paul Dehner Jr. back on the home front contextualizing all that went down at Halas Hall.

Read more here.

Jerry Jeudy was only in walk-throughs and individual drills early in camp. It’s probably not a coincidence that Watson’s best throwing day was Jeudy’s first as a full participant. But after Jeudy impressed in making both intermediate and long-range receptions on Aug. 4, he re-aggravated whatever lower body issue slowed him through the spring and sat out another week. Jeudy participated in both joint practice days, and it’s clear the Browns need him even if Amari Cooper and David Njoku are OK and back next week.

“I think (their chemistry) is progressing. I think they’re doing a nice job with it,” Kevin Stefanski said. “Jerry runs good routes, he’s friendly for the quarterback. So, a lot of it is the quarterback just building a book on all of his players and understanding the nuance of each one of those guys.

“I think all of it adds up. I think all of it is important. Every rep you get out there is important. So, yeah, I think every day you’re trying to fine-tune things.”

Watson said he’s focused on the offense improving its communication and “isn’t frustrated” by what he says are understandable up-and-down moments in camp. Watson also said he has no concern about his injured shoulder or taking a hit on it once the season begins.

“I feel really good about it,” Watson said. “Each day is a test of the strength, the stamina and really the work I’ve put in each day since the surgery. We’re on the right pace, the right track. And, you know, if we (weren’t on track) with that process, I wouldn’t be throwing every day.”

Read more here.

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Grade: Incomplete

Stats: 2-3, 45 yards (1 carry, 3 yards, TD)

He played only nine snaps. The big highlight was the throw down the right sideline which was a dime into the bread basket. We’d say, if a receiver was running down the sideline, “Just put gifts down the chimney from Santa,” and that’s exactly what he did. Just a little gift down the chimney. But if I were the Commanders, I would not let Jayden Daniels see the field again this preseason. He just looks smaller than what he weighed in at the combine. If there was one knock against him, he does not know how to slide, he does not know how to protect himself.