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 are back at the negotiating table. The Dallas Cowboys and WR CeeDee Lamb remain apart on a deal apparently, though.

Stay tuned here for what unfolds this week with coverage 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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CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals’ day started with Zac Taylor’s surprise bombshell that Amarius Mims, the first-round pick and camp star to this point, strained his pec and would be out for several weeks.

It concluded with offensive line coach Frank Pollack offering strong opinions about nearly every member of his room suddenly brimming with opportunity from 10-year vets to undrafted free agents.

For all the continuity of the returning four starters, Orlando Brown Jr., Cordell Volson, Ted Karras and Alex Cappa, there’s now a Kentucky Derby’s worth of jockeying for the rights to protect Joe Burrow at every position.

“Big time,” Pollack said. “We let them kind of groove a position for the first couple of weeks and get in the first preseason game, and now way more moving around with positions. We’re gonna play these next two weeks and practice against the opponent. It’s going to be outstanding work for us. I’m looking forward to seeing these guys compete at a couple different positions to show their flexibility. They’ve got to have it.”

Read more here.

Analysis: Aidan O’Connell got the start against the Vikings and performed well, completing 7 of 9 passes for 76 yards on a drive that ended in a field goal. Not to be outdone, Gardner Minshew flashed in the second quarter and led the offense to three scoring drives. His accuracy was spotty — he completed only 6 of 12 passes — but he created more explosive plays, gained 117 yards through the air and threw one touchdown. Minshew will have every opportunity to steal the job from O’Connell before Week 1 of the regular season.

Starter: Aidan O’Connell

Backups: Gardner Minshew, Anthony Brown

Cuts: Carter Bradley

Read more here.

“Whatever happens, I’m going to be happy, I’m going to give my all no matter what because that’s just who I am as a person. No matter how it goes, how many years, I’m going to be here for however long I’m here for and I’m going to give the team, the fans, everything that I have.”

That was Haason Reddick at his introductory press conference after the New York Jets traded for him in March. He met defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, head coach Robert Saleh and cornerback Sauce Gardner, among others, in what was his first day at the Jets facility.

It was also, to this point, his last day at the Jets facility.

Clearly, Reddick was not always “going to be happy.” He skipped voluntary workouts, mandatory minicamp and, as of Monday, had yet to report for training camp, making it 21 days of mandatory $50,000 daily fines.

It does not appear Reddick will be reporting to his new team anytime soon either; on Monday, he formally requested a trade, as reported by The Athletic. Shortly after, Jets general manager Joe Douglas released a statement emphasizing Reddick will not be traded.

This was an ugly situation from the start, and it isn’t get prettier until — or unless — Reddick reports (and even then it might not improve much). Ultimately, the saga reflects poorly on everyone involved, player and organization, creating an unneeded distraction for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

Read more from this column here.

RENTON, Wash. – Seahawks center Connor Williams said during an introductory news conference Monday afternoon he’s “about 95 percent” back to full strength after suffering a season-ending ACL year in December. Williams officially signed a one-year contract with Seattle on Sunday and the goal is for him to practice next week and play Week 1 of the regular season against Denver.

“I’m getting there,” Williams said. “Strength is getting there; pretty symmetrical, honestly. We’re devising a plan to slowly work back in and slowly get me on the field.”

Williams said he chose Seattle, which traded center Nick Harris to Cleveland to clear a roster spot, because of the opportunity to build something new under first-year coach Mike Macdonald and his staff.

“How they pursued me and how they wanted me, I think it made a great mutual fit,” said Williams, the new presumptive starter at center. “Excited to be part of it.”

Williams will play his former team, the Miami Dolphins, in Week 3 at Lumen Field in Seattle.

“I’ll have it on the radar, for sure,” Williams said. “Excited for that.”

The Los Angeles Chargers have completed 14 training camp practices, and they opened their preseason Saturday with a 16-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at home. With two weeks of camp remaining, the confines of the 53-man roster are starting to take shape.

Final cuts will be announced Aug. 27. The Chargers open the regular season Sept. 8 against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders.

As the dog days of camp turn into the home stretch, let’s reset with our first 53-man roster projection of the summer.

Who is in? Who is out? And where are the pressure points on the roster?

Just a few months after being dealt to the franchise, defensive end Haason Reddick has requested a trade from the New York Jets, a league source told The Athletic on Monday.

Later Monday, Jets general manager Joe Douglas said that New York will not trade Reddick.

“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,” Douglas said in a statement released by the franchise. “Since the trade discussions back in March 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.”

Read more here.

Which wide receivers make the Commanders' roster in our latest projections?

Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus, Luke McCaffrey, Dyami Brown and Brycen Tremayne are in.

Others: Jamison Crowder, Mitchell Tinsley, Kazmeir Allen, Davion Davis, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint

Dotson playing the most wide receiver snaps (32) in the preseason opener is weird, right? McLaurin exited after 11 snaps, or one more than Zaccheaus. Dotson isn’t going anywhere, but the coaches apparently wanted to give the 2022 first-round selection needed reps to even out his up-and-down summer. Zaccheaus and Brown have been steadier but with different responsibilities.

Back to Zaccheaus. Punt returning rules haven’t changed. Other than seeing what spice new coordinator Larry Izzo adds to the recipe, there are no real secrets to keep. Therefore, using Zaccheaus for the first two returns against the Jets is a sign that the staff hopes he can take the job (the initial fair catch on the run was a bit scary, but he gained 19 yards on the next attempt).

Crowder is steady as a receiver and returner, but someone else beating out the 31-year-old means room for Tremayne, one of the camp’s breakout performers, or the 2023 roster holdover Tinsley. Meanwhile, the kick returns are wildly different this year, and teams aren’t showing their grand plans. The use of fringe roster candidates (Allen, Pringle, Davis) may indicate Washington is withholding its actual depth chart, though Allen and Pringle have a shot.

Read more here.

Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, Tre Brown, Artie Burns, D.J. James and Nehemiah Pritchett make the 53-man roster in our latest projections.

Cut: Michael Jackson, Carlton Johnson, Lance Boykin, Dee Williams, Willie Roberts

When healthy, Jackson and Boykin could challenge for roster spots, but that’s a much harder feat when they’re not on the field — neither of their injuries has been disclosed — and there are two cornerbacks in the draft class. James is slowly starting to come on, and he offers some valuable positional flexibility as an outside cornerback who can play nickel.

Read more here.

New England Patriots pass rusher Matthew Judon seeks a new contract from the team but has been practicing after a brief hold in.

Read more here.

Which offensive linemen make the cut in our latest Ravens roster projection? Ronnie Stanley, Andrew Vorhees, Tyler Linderbaum, Daniel Faalele, Patrick Mekari, Roger Rosengarten, Josh Jones, Ben Cleveland and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu are in.

On the bubble: Tashawn Manning, Nick Samac

Long shots: Corey Bullock, Darrian Dalcourt, Julian Pearl, Darrell Simpson

Toughest call: The final one or two offensive line spots. The Ravens could keep 10 offensive linemen, which could save Aumavae-Laulu and give Samac, a seventh-round pick, a better chance to stick. At this point, it feels like the Ravens have eight roster locks with three or four linemen in the mix for one or two spots.

Outlook: This remains tough to handicap because the Ravens are still trying to figure out their five starters. It’s also possible a veteran gets added in the coming weeks. Cleveland’s emergence as a potential backup center should take him off the bubble. There’s a case to be made that he should be the front-runner to start at right guard. Aumavae-Laulu may need to beat out Manning, a second-year undrafted free agent, to secure a spot. That’s not a given. Manning has some fans in the building. That Samac has been behind Dalcourt, an undrafted free agent, at different points this summer feels a bit ominous for the rookie center.

Read more roster projection notes from the Ravens here.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Down to only one quarterback at Monday's practice, that being franchise player Josh Allen, the Bills moved swiftly to get another arm into training camp. The Bills have signed veteran quarterback Ben DiNucci, according to his agency.

The DiNucci news became necessary after the team found out third-string quarterback Shane Buechele suffered a neck injury that would keep him out for an extended period. Then during the last few hours up to Monday's practice, backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was excused by the Bills for a personal reason. That left Allen to take all the team drill reps.

The Bills gave Allen a few reps off here and there during the early stages of practice, calling on offensive quality control coach Kyle Shurmur to throw some passes to running backs, wide receivers and tight ends during positional drills. Shurmur, the son of longtime NFL coach Pat Shurmur, played quarterback for three seasons in the NFL.

DiNucci's addition will require some quick study by the new quarterback. The Bills have only two more practices before they take on the Steelers in Saturday night's preseason game. One of the practices will be the joint practice in Pittsburgh with the Steelers, where DiNucci began his college career and a 30-minute drive from his high school.

DiNucci, 27, was most recently with the Denver Broncos before being waived in May. He was out of the NFL for the 2022 season but used a successful stint with the XFL's Seattle Sea Dragons to land with the Broncos in 2023.

Seth Greenwald, a linebacker on a southern Minnesota high school team called Mankato West that won a state championship 25 years ago, glanced at his buzzing phone earlier this week. The caller ID flashed with a location: Paris.

Greenwald answered. A reporter introduced himself over the phone, then asked if he could interview Greenwald about one of his former coaches, a man named Tim Walz. Greenwald laughed. You’re in Paris to cover the Olympics, and you want to talk to me?

He would find out that this wasn’t an outlier. Last Tuesday, Walz was selected as a running mate to Vice President Kamala Harris for her 2024 presidential campaign. Since then, many members of the 1999 Class 4A title-winning Mankato West Scarlets are getting to relive old glory days. They’ve received calls from TMZ, The Daily Beast, CNN and Newsweek. Another former player, now an insurance salesman, chuckled when looking at his normally mundane email inbox, suddenly flooded with messages about a prospective vice presidential candidate they all knew. Many of them began texting and calling each other.

“It feels like we’re the ‘72 Dolphins or something,” said Eric Stenzel, the team’s star linebacker, referencing the only undefeated team in NFL history.

“I’m pouring my morning coffee, and I look at my email, and I’m, like, ‘Am I getting pranked?’” said Miles Haefner, a safety on that team.

“We’re talking about an assistant football coach who taught history,” said Mitch Salsbery, another former linebacker.

Before he was elected governor of Minnesota, before he represented the state’s first district in Congress and long before he became a candidate for vice president, Walz was a coach and social studies teacher in the Midwest, first in Nebraska and then in Minnesota. The night he introduced himself on the national stage in Philadelphia, many of his fellow coaches and former players at Mankato West thought back to sticky fall evenings as they listened to their old defensive coach, who used to light them up in the film room and challenge them on the practice field 25 years ago.

“I think if they had given him a helmet,” said Salsbery, “he probably would have played in practice.”

“I still hear the cadence,” said John Considine, an offensive lineman on those West teams at the turn of the century.

Read more here.

The Jets have been informed that Haason Reddick has requested a trade, per source. Reddick was trade to the Jets from the Eagles in April.

Read more here.

QB Daniel Jones appears to have shaken off the rust. He's no longer under-throwing deep balls like he did early in camp. Jones uncorked a beautiful deep ball to WR Jalin Hyatt for a long TD today. They also hooked up for a short TD pass on a slant when CB Nick McCloud seemed to expect help inside that didn't come.

S Tyler Nubin intercepted a short pass from Jones to TE Lawrence Cager in the end zone. It was an overall ugly play, with OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux having a clear sack. The whistle wasn't blown, so Jones tried to force it to Cager.

The offense had a situational two-minute drive with a tie score at the end of practice. The offense started around their 30-yard line and drove to the other 41 on short passes to WR Wan'Dale Robinson (2), WR Darius Slayton and TE Theo Johnson. The drive stalled there and K Graham Gano came out for a 59-yard field goal with three seconds remaining ... and then didn't kick it. That was a letdown.

Other notes from Giants camp:

-There were shades of last year's camp with musical chairs being played on the offensive line. The rotation went from C Van Roten/RG Stinnie to C Schlottman/RG Van Roten to C Schlottmann/RG Stinnie every two plays. Van Roten was at center and Stinnie was at right guard for the two-minute drill.

Van Roten had one snap over Jones' head. G Jake Kubas had a high snap on his first rep at center with the second-team offense.

-Thibodeaux had a strong practice. He had the "sack" on Nubin's interception. He was in the backfield on other plays as well, including a blown up Jones keeper deep in the red zone for a big loss.

-Isaiah Simmons was the primary slot corner with Dru Phillips (ankle) not practicing. David Long played slot in the dime package with Simmons moving to LB.

-Elijah Chatman, who had a sack against the backups, was the DT with Dexter Lawrence in the first-team dime package. The undrafted rookie could have a role as the second pass-rushing DT.

-The Giants are down to four healthy safeties with Gervarrius Owens (knee), Elijah Riley (concussion) and Jalen Mills (NFI) not practicing. That means starters Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton had to pull double duty and get some third-team reps. The Giants can't have starters getting overtaxed because so many backups are sidelined.

-Injury roundup: WR Malik Nabers (ankle), LB Dyontae Johnson (ankle) and CB Dru Phillips (ankle) weren't spotted at practice.

QB Drew Lock (hip), WR Dennis Houston (hand), LB Carter Coughlin (lower body), CB Cor'Dale Flott (quad) and the three safeties mentioned above worked on the side with trainers.

OL John Michael Schmitz (shoulder) and OL Evan Neal (ankle) only participated in individual drills again as they ramp up from extended absences. Neither are expected to play in Saturday's preseason game at Houston.

TE Lawrence Cager, TE Tyree Jackson, OL Jon Runyan and OL Jake Kubas left practice with apparent injuries. Their statuses aren't yet known.

CINCINNATI — Bengals’ first-round pick Amarius Mims, who shined in camp as the starting right tackle, sustained a strained pectoral muscle, according to head coach Zac Taylor on Monday.

The rookie had taken every snap with the first team since being selected 18th overall and free agent Trent Brown away from the team or working back from the Non-Football Injury List.

Taylor said the injury will keep him out “several” weeks and wouldn’t speculate on a specific timeline, merely admitting he won’t be able to play in the final two preseason games.

It will not require surgery and Taylor said he expects Mims to make a “full recovery and be ready to roll.”

His availability for the opener against New England is in jeopardy but him starting there is not out of the question, according to Taylor.

“I wouldn’t take anything off the table,” Taylor said. “I think he’s had a really good training camp. Obviously, it’s tough that he’s not going to get some opportunities. It’s unlikely he’ll play against Chicago and Indy, obviously, was looking forward to that. The guy has addressed everything we have thrown at him head on and done a great job. He’s still got the same energetic personality and this doesn’t set him back at all. I’m excited to see how he responds this when he gets healthy and gets back on the field.”

All attention now turns to Brown who, coincidentally, worked back into team drills for the first time since signing with the Bengals in March. The 10-year veteran, who battled injury but started eight games for the Patriots last season, was originally slotted into a competition with Mims for the starting job at right tackle. Brown has played both right and left tackle effectively over his career and will start ramping up to protect Burrow on the right side over the next month.