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If Fernando Mendoza felt like he was on top of the world with his standout performance in his preseason debut last week, then the Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback received a slice of humble pie on Thursday. Mendoza’s outing against the Texans highlighted another busy day of news across the NFL. The rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall pick played the entire first half of the Raiders’ win over the Texans, but had his fair share of struggles. Elsewhere, a San Francisco 49ers star received good news on the injury front, while the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints were disciplined for their several fights at Wednesday’s joint practice. Here’s what you need to know about what happened around the NFL on Thursday. Expectations were high when news broke that No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza would start Thursday night for the Las Vegas Raiders, but the former Indiana Hoosier quickly ran into trouble against the Houston Texans. Mendoza threw a pick-six on his third pass of the game. Texans linebacker Wade Woodaz jumped his pass over the middle, returning it 80 yards for a score. It set the tone for a relatively underwhelming night for Mendoza. He completed 8 of 16 passes for 86 yards, leading Las Vegas to just three points as he played the entirety of the first half. Aidan O’Connell had better luck against the Texans’ defense. The Raiders’ backup quarterback completed 15 of 24 passes as he led his team to a 22-20 comeback victory, erasing a 20-3 halftime deficit. There is a real scenario where San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle could return as early as the regular season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Kittle had a visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache that was “encouraging” on Wednesday, as it’s believed he’s ahead of schedule with his recovery from an Achilles tear he suffered in January, ESPN reported. Kittle hasn’t been a full participant in 49ers practice yet this training camp. However, he expressed optimism that he could return by the start of the regular season when he met with reporters earlier in the week. Despite missing time due to injuries he suffered prior to his Achilles tear, Kittle was efficient for the 49ers last year. In 11 games, he racked up 57 receptions, 628 yards and seven touchdowns. Adding Kittle back would be a positive development for San Francisco’s offense and quarterback Brock Purdy. The unit has already lost wide receiver Ricky Pearsall for the entirety of the season, causing them to sign veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel after camp started. After missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, Joe Burrow is done waiting. The Cincinnati Bengals’ star quarterback made it clear on Thursday that the time for “next year” excuses is over and it’s now or never for a Super Bowl run. “I’m trying to put it out into the world,” Burrow told reporters. “I’m trying to manifest it. I’m trying to show our guys the urgency that I have and that I want us to have as an organization to go and make it happen.” Burrow iterated that the urgency starts now for the Bengals. “Life is too short to keep pushing things down the road, and I’m trying to instill some urgency and some intensity in everybody to go and be great every day and try to make it happen,” Burrow said. Despite being limited to just eight games in Cincinnati, Burrow produced impressive numbers. He completed 66.8% of his passes for 1,809 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also threw at least three touchdowns in three of those eight appearances for the Bengals last season. The NFL fined the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints $500,000 each on Thursday following altercations during their joint practice in Oxnard, California. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters that he plans to appeal the fine. But he also expressed remorse over his team’s actions. “All of that makes it a real focal point of the league to stay within good sport, and the taking of helmets off, swinging and hitting, and that type of thing is not good for anybody, and it’s certainly not what we want to represent to our fans and as a league or as a team,” Jones said. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke about his team’s conduct following the joint practice. “Not the way we like to do business,” Schottenheimer said. “Got to be better, but I’ve got to look at the film. We’re certainly not going to take s— from anybody.” Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta missed multiple practices this week with a hip injury, putting his status for Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints in doubt. Lions head coach Dan Campbell was blunt when asked if LaPorta would be able to go when the regular season starts. “I don’t know. I feel like we’ll be OK, but I don’t know,” Campbell told reporters. “It flared up a little bit, it’s a little aggravated. But we feel good long-term about him. We’ll rest him for a little bit here and letting it calm down,” Campbell added. LaPorta played nine games in 2025 before a disc injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — All coaches have their preferences and quirks, and new Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley has one: He doesn’t like 7-on-7 drills in practice. They’re great for wide receivers and defensive backs, and some coaches like that it gives the big guys on both lines a period of relative rest, but Hafley, laying out the ground rules for Thursday’s joint practice with the New York Giants, insisted there would be no 7-on-7 work. “We want to play real football,” he told reporters before practice, “and I want to see if we can block them, if we can pick up the pressures and our protections, if the quarterback can get rid of the ball on time, if the receivers can run the right routes so the ball can get out on time. So it’s going to have to be a team thing.” It’s a bold move against a talented Giants front — there were plenty of would-be sacks whistled dead Thursday — but if you’re trying to stress the importance of winning the line of scrimmage, the message was appreciated there. “Absolutely,” said center Aaron Brewer, a second-team All-Pro in a breakout season last year. “I can’t play 7-on-7, so whenever we’re out there and all working, that’s what it’s going to be. I feel like it translates from practice to the game. There are no days in a game where you’re running 7-on-7.” That’s echoed by defensive tackle Zach Sieler, the longest-tenured Dolphins player, here since 2019 and a leader in a locker room loaded with new arrivals. “My thing is, how do we play on Sundays? It’s 11-on-11,” he said. “When you put every piece together, that’s how the game is played. You want to put game-like stress in practice, pushing us to the limits on every single play, and that’s something we focus on a lot this year.” Miami went 7-10 last year, but traded off key players as part of a rebuild that included hiring Hafley and a new general manager in Jon-Eric Sullivan. There are few NFL teams with lower outside expectations than the Dolphins, too. The oddsmakers’ projected win total for the Dolphins is 4.5. However, you won’t hear Hafley or his players use the low-hanging fruit of the perceived slight to fuel motivation. “I just believe that if that’s what we’re using to motivate, we’re worried about the wrong things right now,” Hafley said. “That stuff wears off after a while. There’s only so much you can use it, only so much you can care about it. I want the motivation to come from within. I want the motivation to come because the players want to be great and the coaches want to be great, because they don’t want to let their teammates down … if you do that, it will last.” Offensive guard is not a sexy position for a high draft pick, but the Giants and Dolphins both took guards in the top 12, with New York getting Miami (Fla.)’s Francis Mauigoa at No. 10 and Miami getting Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor at 12. Proctor is massive, listed at 6-foot-7 and 360 pounds and already making a strong impression. “He’s a big guy. He’s fast, he’s physical, and he’s just a smart young guy,” Brewer said of Proctor. “He buys in and gives his effort, so he’s just a great football player.” Miami left tackle Patrick Paul is 6-7 and bigger than the 326 pounds he’s listed at, so Miami could have the largest left side in the NFL. “Overall, dominant. I feel like we didn’t play to the standard that I hold us to, or our leaders hold our defense to because coming out as our first joint, trying to be smart, make sure everybody gets taken care of, but at the same time, they’re not our team. So, when you have an opportunity to hit them, you hit them. And you hold them up and they get hit again. “We started to do that later on, towards the middle of the day and the rest of the day on. But we had splashes in the beginning, but I wanted to swarm from when we first got out here and it just took a little bit to get going, but I understand it’s our first joint [practice]. But I let it be known, we don’t wait to get punched in the mouth. That didn’t happen, but we don’t wait to get punched in the mouth to fire off on somebody.” — Giants edge rusher Brian Burns on his team’s physicality against the Dolphins.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

INDYCAR is in Washington, D.C., this weekend for the Freedom 250, and the unique event is getting a unique trophy. The Freedom 250 will be a street race to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday. It was designed as a 250-mile race on a 1.7-mile layout across landmark locations in D.C. Winning team owners will receive hardware built specifically for the event. The trophy scales and blends two D.C. icons: the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol dome. The trophy is a representation of this one-of-a-kind venue framed by two historic landmarks on either end of the track. The look, according to designer Michael Montri, reflects the perspective from behind and through the Washington Monument while looking toward the Capitol Building across the National Mall and this incredible course. Here are four things to know about the official INDYCAR Freedom 250 trophy. The upper shaft of the Freedom 250 trophy isn’t a random pyramid. Instead, it’s a proportionally scaled tribute to the Washington Monument. The upper section features a solid clear crystal pyramid modeled after the Washington Monument profile. The crystal pyramid features a 72.6-degree face angle and a 1,600 height-to-base ratio, matching the proportions of the physical monument. A hollow shaft continues down from the crystal at the same 72.6-degree angle in a straight line to the plinth. The owner trophy is produced in three scaled sizes for the podium finishers. Construction specs detail a black hollow base assembled with 45-degree miter joints and a mirror-finish polish where the plinth meets the base. Crowning each trophy is a detailed model of the U.S. Capitol dome, and the components are scaled down across all three podium spots: Tucked right beneath the plinth is a clever optical detail. The underside of the hollow plinth features a mirror-finish polish where it meets the black base. This reflective deck directs light upward into the hollow shaft, illuminating the solid crystal pyramid and Capitol dome from within during victory lane celebrations. The circular black base uses clever fabrication tricks to keep the design sleek. Assembled from a cylindrical wall ring and top deck disk, the base is brought together using 45-degree miter cuts along the slope. This hides the bond line seam completely inside the corner, giving the base a monolithic appearance. The Freedom 250 will be an exceptional race but also expected to be the only one of its kind. INDYCAR could return to D.C. or the general mid-Atlantic area in the future, but this race is a one-time deal. And that easily could be the case for the trophy as well. Only one driver in INDYCAR’s history will be able to say they conquered the U.S. Capitol course, and while there are three versions of the Freedom 250 trophy, there’s still only one first-place trophy. Overall, as our Bob Pockrass pointed out, racing through the streets of the nation’s capital is a rare historic occasion. “Racing on the streets of Washington, D.C., racing around some of the more iconic venues of the nation’s capital,” Pockrass said, “It’s going to test the drivers when it comes to heat. It’s going to test the drivers when it comes to strength, and it will be a test of the pit crews, since they’ll probably have at least four stops.” Freedom 250 is slated to begin Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET, and the green flag for the main race is expected to wave around 1:13 p.m. ET.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Last December at the winter meetings, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed his confidence in the composition of his roster. There was “really no big splash,” he claimed, that needed to be made. Nonetheless, a few days later, the Dodgers gave Edwin Díaz the highest average annual salary ever for a reliever when they signed him to a three-year, $69 million deal. One month after that, they signed Kyle Tucker for four years and a staggering $240 million, a deal that set a record for present-day average annual value. The moves for the best closer and player on the market felt superfluous, but at the very least, both players figured to be additive to the Dodgers’ roster and their quest to win a third straight World Series title. Now, those two massive signings could be their undoing. Tucker, whose home struggles in particular seem to be getting to him, has been a replacement-level player and is offering little at the plate or in the field. Díaz has been even worse, with an ERA of 11.85 through 16 appearances, and is back on the injured list for the second time this year. The Dodgers’ elite rotation, star-studded lineup and October pedigree, of course, could make up for their blemishes elsewhere. But as it stands now, these are the five biggest threats to a Dodgers three-peat: 1. Kyle Tucker’s Disaster Season On the road this year, Tucker has an .820 OPS, a respectable tally in line with his career norms. At Dodger Stadium, however, he has been one of the worst players in baseball. Tucker has the lowest home OPS (.558) among all qualified hitters in the sport. At some point during the Dodgers’ last homestand, where Tucker went 0-for-19, Roberts could tell the frustration was getting to his right fielder. He could see from Tucker’s reactions to at-bats. It got to the point where Roberts gave Tucker a Saturday off against NL Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski to try to clear his head. It did not appear to work. The next day, Tucker returned to the lineup and went 0-for-3, dropped a fly ball at the wall and leisurely jogged over to retrieve it in front of a booing home crowd. One game later, he dropped another fly ball. He is not making up for his struggles at the plate with sharp defense or good baserunning, and is in fact also having the worst defensive season of his career by outs above average. The poor play looks worse when the effort also appears unenthusiastic, nonchalant or apathetic, all criticisms of Tucker at past stops. This year, however, is unlike any before it. Over the past seven seasons, Tucker never had an OPS under .800. This year, it is under .700. For the first time since his rookie year as a 21-year-old, he is a below-league-average hitter. While the struggles are much more evident at home, he’s also chasing more overall than he had in any of his last three seasons, whiffing more than he had in any of his last five seasons and struggling to access his pull-side power. His hard-hit rate and average exit velocity are the lowest of his career, and his bat speed has slowed compared to recent years. “I don’t know the answer,” Roberts said. “We are digging.” 2. An Aging, Injured (And Maybe Fatigued) Roster One of the reasons the Dodgers added Tucker, 29, was to inject some youth into the oldest position player group in the sport. Tucker and All-Star center fielder Andy Pages are the only starting position players on the team under the age of 30, and that age and declining athleticism might finally be showing. One example? The Dodgers rank 23rd in sprint speed and 28th in stolen bases and have grounded into the most double plays in the sport. The only player with a bolt — defined by Statcast as any run in which a player’s sprint speed is at least 30 feet per second — is Hernández. He has one on the season, but he is also enduring the worst offensive year of his career. Mookie Betts is also having the worst offensive season of his career, though he has shown signs of life over the last two weeks. “He’s crucial,” Roberts said of Betts. “He’s going to be in the middle of things. He’s got the experience, the talent. He’s an emotional guy, and I say that in the sense of when he’s going well, guys feed off that energy. And when he’s not, you’re sort of trying to find it in him and get it in him.” Freddie Freeman is having another terrific year, but his slugging numbers are way down in the second half. Will Smith hasn’t played since June due to a neck issue and was having his worst offensive season prior to being sidelined. His expected return before season’s end will be crucial, especially with backup catcher Dalton Rushing also sidelined. Some of the Dodgers’ most trusted bullpen arms are also hurt or regressing, perhaps wearing down after two straight trips to the World Series. In addition, the Dodgers’ defense — a surprising hallmark of the club in the first half — has declined considerably since the break. 3. Edwin Díaz And The Scuffling Bullpen A year ago, the Dodgers signed reliever Tanner Scott for four years and $72 million and watched him struggle enough that he ultimately did not appear in a playoff game. To remedy their ninth-inning concern, they signed Diaz this offseason to be their shutdown closer. It has, again, not gone to plan. Nine months later, they’re right back where they started. Díaz missed three months after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. He returned in late July and proceeded to allow runs in six of nine appearances before going back on the IL, this time with neck inflammation. He allowed at least one baserunner in all but one of those nine outings. Opponents are hitting .441 against his four-seamer and .323 against his slider. His strikeout rate is the lowest of his career. His walk rate is the highest of his career. In addition, his arm slot continues to drop, perhaps a subconscious reaction to his physical ailments. Díaz was working to remedy that issue as well as his posture on the mound in an effort to get less rotational and more direct to home plate when he allowed another three runs Monday in Colorado. The Dodgers remain hopeful they can get him right before October, but time is running short. And he’s not the only reason the Dodgers’ bullpen ranks 23rd in ERA since the start of July. Coincidentally, Scott — who is 18-for-20 in save opportunities this year — has emerged as one of the Dodgers’ only reliable high-leverage options of late. Blake Treinen and Will Klein are on the IL. Alex Vesia has an ERA over 6.00 in August, while hard-throwing Edgardo Henriquez has an ERA over 6.00 over his last 12 appearances. Evan Phillips has an ERA over 5.00 since returning from Tommy John surgery. A particularly grueling stretch of games — Thursday is just the Dodgers’ second off day this month — plus a shorter bullpen with Shohei Ohtani no longer pitching in the Dodgers’ six-man rotation haven’t helped matters, either. The Dodgers will likely shift some of their starters to the bullpen in October again, but their relief pitching still looks like one of their top concerns. 4. They Haven’t Looked Great In Nearly Two Months Sandwiched between sweeps of the last-place Royals and the last-place Rockies, the Dodgers lost three of four games to the first-place Brewers last week. The Dodgers have a .500 record against teams that are .500 or better (33-33) and have a .500 record overall since the start of July (21-21). Over that time, their offense ranks 18th in OPS and they’ve been swept by the Diamondbacks, Red Sox and Cubs. Asked if he’s concerned that this is just who the Dodgers are now, Roberts pushed back. “I don’t think that’s who we are,” Roberts said. “I think we’ve done it long enough, individually, collectively. But I do think that just saying you’re going to come out of it is not the right way to look at it.” It’s worth pointing out that last year’s world champion Dodgers went 10-14 in July and 25-27 combined in July and August (and the 2024 champion Dodgers went 11-13 in July), so they can clearly work their way out of a second-half funk. Still, prior to sweeping the Rockies this week in Colorado, Roberts expressed concerns about the consistency of the offense as a whole, the plan of attack at the plate and the lack of urgency on a pitch-to-pitch basis. “This has been four, five, six weeks of below-average production from our offense,” Roberts said during the home series loss to the Brewers. “Our pedigree, what we typically do, is control the zone, grind at-bats, create stress. We’re not doing that.” 5. The National League Is Better And Deeper This Year This might be a good time for a reminder about the randomness of postseason baseball. In 2024, the Dodgers needed to win two straight elimination games, including a bullpen game, to get past San Diego in the NLDS. In 2025, the Blue Jays came two outs — and one foot — away from winning the World Series. Anything can happen in October. But even beyond the postseason’s unpredictability, the road ahead is more treacherous. The Dodgers got to face the 83-79 Reds in last year’s wild-card series after the Mets’ late-season collapse. That two-game sweep felt more like an exhibition. This year, as the NL West rival Padres and Diamondbacks vie for the final playoff spot, every potential NL playoff matchup offers danger. That’s one reason a first-round bye is so important this year and why the Dodgers were frustrated last Sunday about losing the series and, in conjunction, the season series to the Brewers. They’d still have a bye if the season ended today, but the Braves will be pushing the Brewers and Dodgers for one of the top two NL seeds until the end. Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — A.J. Brown wears the number one on his jersey. And that made sense in just about every way during the New England Patriots’ joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles this week. He was the best receiver on either team during the sessions. He was the Patriots’ No. 1 weapon. He was worth a first-round pick — a “1” — in a trade between the two teams this offseason. And he was the No. 1 point of interest as fans and media members watched practices. It’s because of the trade, of course. It’s because of the drama that unfolded between Brown and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. It’s about Brown’s criticisms of the “passing game” when he was in Philly. It’s about Brown openly mocking his own lack of production in 2025. And it’s about the fresh start in New England. “He looks a little better, a little faster,” Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell said after practice Wednesday. “He’s going to keep getting better. … He just gives you so many tough battles and tough assignments. It was really just great to go out there and compete with him again today.” With Brown’s unpredictability, however, there’s always the wonder of: What will he do next — on the field and off it? (And will something go wrong?) That’s why a reporter asked Hurts if he’d give any advice to Patriots quarterback Drake Maye about getting the most out of Brown. “I think Drake has had a lot of success already, so I don’t know what my advice would do,” Hurts said Wednesday. “I just think he needs to continue the progression that he’s on.” Brown didn’t speak to Hurts before or after that first practice. Nor did Brown connect with Eagles WR1 DeVonta Smith on day one. But during the second day, Brown walked over to Smith to chat for a few minutes. Brown then found Hurts after practice on Thursday. “It’s not about no closure or anything,” Brown said after Wednesday’s joint practice. “It’s love. I won a Super Bowl ring with them. It’s always going to be love no matter how anyone feels. I love Philly and I will always love Philly. But I’m here now and this is where my feet are and that’s where I’m focusing.” It felt inauspicious when Brown started competitive drills on Wednesday in a one-on-one against former teammate Quinyon Mitchell. Though Brown created easy separation on a fade route, running directly downfield for the end zone, Maye underthrew the ball and Mitchell logged a relatively easy pass breakup. But Brown argued it wasn’t exactly clean. “Q got away with a little holding,” Brown said with a laugh. “I won, he pulled himself back into the play, and I just have to finish the play. My right hand didn’t get to the ball quick enough. My left hand got on the ball. That’s on me. … That could have been a 40-yard bomb, but now it’s a long foul ball. Those are the things I’m focusing on.” That play did not, however, prove predictive of how Brown would fare over the two days when he had more than 10 catches in team drills and countless touchdowns. He spent most of the two days running against Mitchell — with a few matchups against cornerback Riq Woolen, the No. 2 option in Philly. In one case, Maye’s ball placement to Brown proved simply impossible to defend, with the Patriots QB dropping the pass over Woolen for a big catch-and-run for Brown. Brown’s most dominant play came in an 11-on-11 red zone drill. He couldn’t get open in the end zone, trying to work to the sideline, where Mitchell had outside leverage (blocking Brown’s path). Maye looked at the situation and, while it was a no-throw look, the QB threw it that way anyway. Brown fought back for the ball and a touchdown. It was a sign of how much Maye has come to trust Brown. They had no business attempting — let alone completing — the play. They did it, anyway. The Eagles, meanwhile, were feeling Brown’s absence — and then some. Top receivers Smith and rookie Makai Lemon were both out with hamstring strains, which left Hurts to work with Hollywood Brown, Dontayvion Wicks and Britain Covey, among others. Hurts threw three interceptions in 7-on-7s on Wednesday and then threw two more in 11-on-11s on Thursday. This passing offense might require patience from the fans in Philly. I’m just not sure that we can expect patience from the fans in Philly. Other Observations From Patriots-Eagles Joint Practice: Saquon Barkley looked about as quick and explosive as I’ve seen him. This is the time of year when teams blow smoke about breakout players and resurgent players and best-shape-of-their-life players. But it’s not an exaggeration to say that the 29-year-old running back dominated the Patriots’ defense on the first day of practice. He was solid on day two. It was all the more impressive considering the Eagles’ struggles in the passing game. It’s easy to imagine that, without Brown, Barkley could become the lifeblood of the unit, both as a runner and pass-catcher. “We’ll see the Saquon of two years ago,” Eagles tackle Lane Johnson said after day one. “We’ll see the big plays. We’ll see him flexed out at receiver. We’ll see him in the screen game. You saw a bit of it [Wednesday].” If that’s true (and it looked like it might be), the Eagles will once again be dangerous, even without Brown. Be careful of what you see in one-on-one drills (like in the video below) — as opposed to what’s reported about team drills. They can tell two different stories. Don’t get me wrong, it’s incredible to watch the drama unfold in a one-on-one. But it’s also not exactly real football like an 11-on-11 or even a 7-on-7. (There’s also a reason you’ll mostly see one-on-one clips on social media. Because of team rules, it’s generally OK to record one-on-ones but it’s not allowed, league-wide, for reporters to record 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s.) So that’s all to say: Some guys shine in one-on-ones and then disappear in 11-on-11s … when it counts. And in these practices, Eagles receiver Dontayvion Wicks was one of those guys. Many members of the fantasy community have already turned him into their darling — or sleeper. I’d like to offer a word of caution: Wicks had every reason to shine in team drills, with Smith and Lemon injured — and Patriots cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis also injured. Yet in all his work with Hurts on day one, Wicks had two catches on three targets — and the missed pass wasn’t just an incompletion (in 7-on-7), it tipped off Wicks’ hands and deflected into the hands of Patriots safety Charles Woods. On day two, Wicks had another drop and, later, he saw Marcus Jones undercut his route for an interception on Hurts. After the Super Bowl, there was as much interest in Patriots left tackle Will Campbell as any offensive lineman in recent memory — at least in New England. Campbell struggled mightily during the playoffs, and those issues culminated in the Super Bowl when he allowed 14 pressures and a sack against the Seattle Seahawks. It was a terrible performance by the rookie, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. But listen to what five-time All-Pro tackle Johnson had to say about spending the offseason working with Campbell. “Will just kind of reminds me of myself in a way. Just a country kid, drafted first round, so I know the kind of pressures that are on guys like that. And so, for me, I thought he had a really good rookie season,” Johnson said Wednesday. “You can see him getting better. He looks thicker, bigger. He’s healed up from his knee injury.” I’ve referred to Gonzalez’s absence already in this postcard. The Pro Bowl corner was not on the field for any of the Patriots’ three joint practices with the Eagles and the Colts. It feels like it wasn’t that big of a storyline, because the opponents’ top receivers (Smith and Alec Pierce) weren’t on the field either. But Gonzalez is the Patriots’ most important defender. It’s a big deal he’s not there. It’s a bigger deal that New England still hasn’t exactly clarified why he’s not there. Head coach Mike Vrabel hasn’t outright said that Gonzalez is injured. The coach also hasn’t outright confirmed that Gonzalez is holding in. But that’s what’s clearly happening, even if no one will admit it. The cornerback wants a big contract, and while the Patriots and Gonzalez’s camps did discuss an extension back at the combine in February, per a source, there doesn’t seem to have been much progress. “Josh [McDaniels] is incredible, man. He’s making my job a lot easier, and he’s creating matchups for me, moving me around.” — A.J. Brown, who worked with four different offensive coordinators in four years in Philly For the Eagles, it’s really about getting their top two receivers, Smith and Lemon, healthy. Barkley, Hurts and tight end Dallas Goedert are good players. But this offense will need help at receiver to truly reach its full potential. That isn’t to say Philly should rush Smith and Lemon back. The Eagles have the Commanders in Week 1 and the Titans in Week 2. Both are beatable — perhaps even without those two guys. But by Weeks 3 and 4, when they’ll have to face the Bears and the Rams, the Eagles will want their receivers healthy and in-sync with Hurts. Philly’s defense is definitely going to be good — but maybe not transcendent. Given what we saw from the Patriots’ offense (which posted really strong performances), it seems good teams will be able to move the ball on the Eagles. And so the offense won’t be able to rely quite as much on the defense. For New England, it’s really starting to look like Super Bowl or bust. The Patriots have now drubbed the Colts and the Eagles over three total days of joint practices. Drake Maye appears to have continued to progress in the ways the Patriots wanted. He had a boneheaded interception each day, so it’s not perfect. But Brown makes life a whole lot easier. And defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones and receiver Romeo Doubs, both offseason additions, are quietly proving their worth, too. The Patriots still need some help off the edge. There are also some lingering questions about the quality they’ll get from their interior offensive line. But on the whole, this team will be in terrific shape when it gets Gonzalez and Davis back in the starting lineup. There’s continuity. There’s more talent. There might be a tougher schedule, but the Patriots took the time and spent the money to fortify themselves against the increased degree of difficulty.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

There might be no position that’s tougher to play in the NFL than cornerback. Oftentimes, cornerbacks are tasked with having to stop opposing receivers by themselves, being forced to be in lockstep with them for a few seconds and potentially swatting the ball away. So, which cornerbacks are the best at holding their own against opposing wide receivers? We ranked the 10 best cornerbacks in the NFL ahead of the 2026 NFL season. The position might not get as much buzz as edge rusher, but several cornerbacks bring a ton of value. Denver Broncos star Pat Surtain II won Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, and Seattle Seahawks standout Devon Witherspoon just became the highest-paid player in the history of the position after helping his team to a Super Bowl title. Let’s take a closer look at our top 10 cornerbacks in the NFL. Ben Arthur: Gardner hasn’t been able to recreate the highs of his first two NFL seasons, when he was a first-team All-Pro. Traded midseason last year from the New York Jets to the Colts, Gardner also battled injuries to finish 2025. But his elite physical traits and youth (24 years old) can get him back into the top-five conversation at his position. Prior to his Colts’ debut in Week 10 last season, the former No. 4 overall pick had faced No. 1 receivers at the NFL’s highest rate (minimum of 125 matchups), according to Next Gen Stats. He’d also forced tight window throws at the highest rate in the league (52%). Ralph Vacchiano: The real beauty of DeJean is that he might eventually be good and versatile enough to land on this list and the top 10 safeties too. He has mostly played slot corner for the Eagles, but he’s dabbled at safety and the Eagles seem intent on playing him there even more in their base defense in 2026. It’s hard to take him out of the slot, though, where he’s emerged as an All-Pro and still hasn’t allowed a touchdown in his two NFL seasons. DeJean exploded last season with two interceptions and 16 passes deflected, and that’s after he showed off his big-game chops as a rookie with his Super Bowl pick-six. With his speed, range and instincts, the Eagles can play him literally anywhere in their defensive backfield. And they probably will. Greg Auman: Horn, 26, had as many interceptions last year (five) as in his first four years in Carolina combined, with two games with two picks. The Panthers gave the former first-round pick a four-year, $100 million contract last year, and he’s made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons. Carolina’s defense was middling last year — 16th in points and yards allowed — and that will need to improve if they want a winning record in 2026 or a repeat as NFC South champs. Horn staying healthy is ultimately the key — he played in just 22 of 51 games his first three years in Carolina, but has missed just three games in the last two seasons. Bucky Brooks: The crafty CB1 is a masterful technician who routinely blankets elite wideouts on the perimeter. Ward can match speedsters stride for stride while mixing in enough physicality to disrupt their flow and rhythm on the outside. He also shows outstanding instincts, awareness, and ball skills contesting throws in his area, whether playing bump-and-run or sitting and clueing the quarterback from distance. Ward’s consistency and steadiness in coverage make it easy to build a game plan around his talents on the island. Vacchiano: Mitchell gets overlooked a lot, even on his own team, but it’s only a matter of time before everyone knows him. He finished second in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting two years ago and was an All-Pro last season, even though he’s still looking for his first regular-season interception. Don’t let that stat quirk fool you, though. He has four interceptions in five career playoff games, and in the regular season, he has 29 pass deflections in his 32 starts. And opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks are wising up and doing their best to avoid throwing in his direction. The public recognition will come when the interception numbers increase. But Philly’s secret is out all over the NFL, where they know he soon may be in the conversation for the best corner in the league. Eric D. Williams: Part of a handful of significant offseason acquisitions that include trading for Myles Garrett and signing teammates Jaylen Watson, McDuffie offers versatility for the Rams, with an ability to play on the perimeter and inside as a slot defender. A two-time All-Pro, McDuffie won two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, totaling three interceptions, 34 pass breakups, and eight forced fumbles in four seasons. A Southern California native, McDuffie joins his hometown team and a Rams squad that was in need of a significant upgrade in the secondary. The Rams allowed Sam Darnold to throw for 346 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game. Williams: The Illinois product recently signed a new deal, making him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history ($33 million annually). On the field, Witherspoon is the tone setter for one of the best defenses in the league, with an ability to impact the game as a sticky coverage defender, a sure tackler in the running game and an effective blitzer. With the help of Witherspoon, the Seahawks held opposing quarterbacks to a league-low six yards per completion in 2025. Henry McKenna: Look no further than the Super Bowl to see Gonzalez’s value. Look no further than his insane, layout pass breakup on Rashid Shaheed. That game was an absolute rout — with really one exception: Gonzalez was dominant. And because quarterback Drake Maye’s play declined in the playoffs, it’s safe to say that Gonzalez was the Patriots’ best player in 2025 when including the postseason. In 21 games last year, he allowed 55 catches on 117 targets (second most in the NFL) with a 47% completion rate, two touchdowns and one interception. Teams kept testing him. He kept denying anything that came his way. Arthur: After injury issues plagued the end of his LSU tenure and start of his NFL career, few defensive players have been more dominant than Stingley. He’s the ultimate playmaker — 14 interceptions and 46 pass breakups since 2023 — and has been virtually unstoppable in coverage. The former No. 3 overall pick allowed a completion rate of just 37.9% when targeted in zone last season, the lowest mark by any qualified defender since at least 2018, according to Next Gen Stats. Stingley played arguably the best ball of his career last season during the Texans’ nine-game winning streak, allowing zero yards three times (!) and not more than 45 in any of the other six. Brooks: There aren’t many shutdown corners in today’s game, but the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year meets the criteria with his sticky coverage and versatile game. Surtain is a rare find: a high-IQ defender with A-plus man-to-man skills, plus exceptional zone awareness and playmaking ability. As a scheme-friendly playmaker who is comfortable shadowing WR1s or playing strictly on the outside, the two-time All-Pro is a defensive coach’s dream as a CB1.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

At training camps around the NFL, the whistle is a powerful instrument, keeping practice on time and orderly. But it’s not the whistle that builds culture. It’s not the whistle that teaches skills. It’s not even the coach himself, necessarily. It’s the repetition of targeted drills. Of course, there are an infinite number of football drills. But the right drill can instill toughness alongside technique. The right drill can create confidence through preparation. The right drill can help a team win games and, ultimately, the Super Bowl. So we asked a dozen NFL head coaches for their favorite drill — and we also asked them to explain why it’s their favorite. Their answers provide a window not just into how the coaches tick but also into the kind of teams they’re building. Favorite Drill: Offensive Ball-Security Drill Drill It Down: As they weave through agility pads placed on the ground, offensive skill players focus on protecting the football while coaches try to poke the ball out with a utility stick (basically a pad on a pole). The Story Behind The Drill: There’s a reason the Rams are the overwhelming favorites to win the Super Bowl this season. Los Angeles boasts one of the most talented rosters in the league and is led by one of its best coaches. Still, injuries and inconsistent play can derail teams during the meat grinder of an NFL season. One way the forward-thinking McVay prepares his offense for the bad things that can happen is to start each practice with a ball-security drill, driving in that muscle memory to protect the football. It works. Last year, the Rams tied for fourth-best in the league with just 15 giveaways, their third straight season ranking in the top 10. “It’s important that what we do is in alignment with what we’re emphasizing,” McVay told me. “Are our words in alignment with our actions? And so, when we start every single practice and we’re going full speed with a ball-security circuit, it shows the importance of ball security. “It takes all 11, and [Rams OC] Nate Scheelhaase and the offensive coaches do a great job with those different ball-security drills. We ultimately want to have every drill translate to game reality and make sure we can emulate those game-like situations.” — Eric D. Williams Favorite Drill: Mamba Period Drill It Down: Competitive 11-on-11 period pitting starters against each other in simulated down-and-distance game situations. The Story Behind The Drill: They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. Well, Coen showed his respect for former boss Sean McVay by adopting his Mamba drill. After Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in 2020, McVay established the drill to honor one of the fiercest competitors ever to play pro sports. Coen was a Rams offensive assistant at that time. “It’s kind of stolen from the Rams, but we do a Mamba period every Wednesday and Thursday in homage to Kobe Bryant,” Coen told me. “It’s three plays, good on good, ones vs. ones and twos vs. twos. On Wednesdays, it’s first down, second-and-8-plus. Best out of three wins. We score it the whole day. And then the loser has something to do at the end of practice. “And then Thursday is third-down day. It’s five-man rush, man coverage. Let’s lock up ones vs. ones. Let’s play man defense, no meshes or runaways. Just play. Just win.” Last year, in his first season leading the Jaguars, Coen was looking for ways to challenge a franchise that has long struggled to establish a sustainable winning culture. Drills like the Mamba period helped him flip the script, with the Jaguars winning 13 games to reach the postseason. “I think that’s something that helped our team become more competitive as a group,” Coen said. “And it also allowed us to just go play, in-season, where a lot of coaches are like, ‘I ain’t doing a lot of good-on-good in-season.’ We did that for a long time.” — Eric D. Williams Favorite Drill: Catch-And-Run … With A Twist Drill It Down: Two receivers run their routes together, and when one catches the pass, the other is in charge of serving as a blocker downfield. The Story Behind The Drill: Campbell might have one of the highest-scoring and flashiest offenses in the league, but he’s still that same guy who said in his 2021 introductory press conference that he expected his players to “bite a kneecap off” their opponents. This drill demonstrates that attitude — because Campbell doesn’t want the drill to simply be about who makes a play for the ball. It’s just as much about who makes a play without the ball. Big passing plays often come when a receiver serves as a willing blocker. This is a test of toughness and grit — in hopes of generating explosive plays. “It’s basically our catch-and-run, but it’s catch, knife, and both receivers … are running around the bag,” Campbell said. “One of them is going to get the ball, and then one of them has to immediately turn into a blocker for that runner.” He added: “I love that drill. Because you come out, you don’t know who’s getting [the ball], right … and the minute that one [receiver] catches it, man, [the other has] to turn and burn and make the block. And then [the ball carrier has to] make the adjustment off of the blocker, so it all happens fast. It kind of initiates the run after catch, the block after catch.” — Henry McKenna Favorite Drill: Blocking Drill With A Rae Crowther One-Man Sled Drill It Down: Position coaches use a movable blocking sled to work on player fundamentals and technique. The Story Behind The Drill: Rae Crowther, a former college and professional lineman who went into coaching, invented the blocking sled in 1932. Nearly a century later, his invention still helps players focus on proper hand placement, playing with a low base and exploding through contact. It’s no surprise that an old-school coach like Jim Harbaugh would lean into a simple drill that focuses on basic football fundamentals and physicality. In his introductory press conference with the Chargers in 2024, he said: “We’re going to earn our winning as a tough team, a resilient team, a relentless team, a physical team. That is what we’re going to aspire to be. Don’t let the Powder Blues fool ya.” Even into his sixties, Harbaugh is still a hands-on coach who wears cleats to practice and likes to participate in drill work with players. Harbaugh, a former quarterback, said he also has an “anticipation throwing drill” he likes for QBs. “But the Crowder sled is probably my favorite. The one-man tackling sled, yep.” — Eric D. Williams Favorite Drill: Hitting The Sled Drill It Down: If you played football at basically any level, you know what this drill looks like. Whether it’s an individual or a group of players, they work to hit and move the sled. Different sleds teach different techniques. The Story Behind The Drill: LaFleur, who’s known as an offensive guru and scheme creator, knows that football games are actually won and lost by the big guys in the trenches. “It’s what they do,” LaFleur said. “It’s hand-to-hand combat.” — Henry McKenna Favorite Drill: Open-Field Tackling Drill It Down: Two players start back to back before running away from each other toward a cone. They then circle the cone and head upfield into a confined space, where the ball carrier can make a move while the defender tries to get a two-hand tag. The Story Behind The Drill: It’s fair to say that New England’s defense wasn’t very good after two weeks of the 2025 regular season. At the heart of the problem? Tackling. That’s why Vrabel, a former linebacker, values this drill so much. To open last season, the Patriots missed 11 tackles and lost to the Las Vegas Raiders, who ended up picking first in the NFL Draft. In Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins, New England missed 14 tackles against what would eventually be one of the weakest offenses in the NFL. “We were terrible in Miami last year,” Vrabel said when asked about his favorite drill. “You guys all know. You guys all reported on it, and we worked hard to improve it. There’s so many great athletes in this league with the football, and missed tackles just end up leading to [explosive] plays.” On their way to the Super Bowl, the Patriots wound up finishing fourth in total defense (yards allowed per game) and in scoring defense (18.8 points allowed per game). “I’ve seen guys improve with that drill,” Vrabel said. “That has nothing to do with any sort of contact. It’s just about a body movement and being able to play balanced and be able to change direction.” — Henry McKenna Favorite Drill: 2-Minute Drill Drill It Down: Highly competitive, 11-on-11 simulated end-of-half and end-of-game situations between offensive and defensive starters. The Story Behind The Drill: Quinn’s reasoning for his favorite drill is simple: It’s all about creating competition, something he learned from his mentor, Pete Carroll. “I like that everybody is heightened,” Quinn told me. “There’s a clock. There’s a down and distance. If you get into field-goal range, are you going for a touchdown? The pressure’s on, with the offense going against the defense. “For a long time, that’s been my favorite one. Sometimes, it’s 2-minute at the end of the half, and sometimes it’s the end of the game. I always like to see the O-line and D-line pass rush, so we don’t get into that until later in training camp. But we’ll work that drill every day, offseason included.” — Eric D. Williams Favorite Drill: E.A.T. Drill Drill It Down: Fundamental defensive drills Seattle performs each week that focus on Effort, Angles and Tackling. The Story Behind The Drill: The Seahawks emphasize a detailed, methodical approach to practice time and to being consistent each day, stacking strong performances. The result of that approach was Macdonald leading the team to a Super Bowl victory in just his second season as head coach. At the heart of Seattle’s approach is something Macdonald calls the E.A.T. drill. This tackling drill focuses on taking the right angle to the ball carrier to get him on the ground while other defenders swarm to the football. “It’s basically how we finish plays,” Macdonald told me. “So, it’s always about angles and tackling, things like that. To the naked eye, it looks like a tackling drill or a takeaway drill. But it’s applying our E.A.T. curriculum to the guys. It’s a way of life.” Macdonald used this core drill to construct the top defense in the league last season, holding opponents to a league-low 17 points per game. — Eric D. Williams Favorite Drill: The Sudden-Change Drill Drill It Down: At any point in practice, Steichen interrupts the session and announces a game situation for the offense, which has to take the ball and score. The Story Behind The Drill: Sometimes the problem with practice is that it can feel routine. It can feel inauthentic. It can come up short of addressing the randomness of football. The sudden-change drill focuses on football’s randomness. “Basically, I call it up in the middle of practice at any point in time,” Steichen said. “I lay out the situation for our guys. It could’ve been the defense gets a turnover, they scoop up a fumble, and get it down to the 15-yard line. It’s a sudden change, so our offense has to react and go score. “I do different sudden changes throughout practice … just to get our guys in the right mindset, because it’s going to happen in the games.” It’s a way to sneak in situational work. Oftentimes, the Colts will inform quarterback Daniel Jones that he’ll be doing third-down work. Or that he’ll be repping first-down situations. But in the sudden-change drill, Jones & Co. are not prepared for what Steichen has up his sleeve. — Henry McKenna Favorite Drills: 2-Minute Drill & Open-Field Tackling Drill Drill It Down: The 2-minute drill is, of course, an 11-on-11 scrimmage that simulates the closing 120 seconds of a half or a game. For the open-field tackling drill, it’s one tackler and one runner staying within an area marked off by cones. The runner must use what space he has to avoid the tackler. The tackler is drilling pursuit angles. The Story Behind The Drills: The Panthers played 10 one-score games last year during the regular season and finished 7-3 in those contests. In the postseason, they once again found themselves in a one-score game — and they lost, 34-31, to the Rams. So it should come as little surprise that Canales likes the 2-minute drill. “It’s just the heightened arousal state. It’s the shortest amount of time depending on the field position, the situation, making guys have to perform quickly, do something after the catch to respond,” he said. “The referees are involved. The coaches are also in a heightened awareness. “I think it’s one of the greatest things you can do in terms of just getting your team to play good football, making them have to think on the fly and make critical decisions and critical plays.” The former offensive coordinator’s other favorite drill, interestingly enough, is a defensive drill. “It’s open-field tackling — it doesn’t even have to be in pads, but tracking the near hip. I think it’s one of the most critical parts to having success,” Canales said. “… Just learning how to take a banana path to track the hip in different positions. All of our players will face some type of a tackle or blocking people in space that makes you have to take a good angle and eliminate the field and create a one-way go for the opponent.” Canales said that even quarterbacks will participate in this drill at times. After all, they become would-be tacklers after a turnover. — Henry McKenna Favorite Drills: Screen Drill And Scramble Drill Drill It Down: The screen drill simulates a screen pass, a play in which a few offensive linemen drift toward the sideline in front of a running back. And after the back catches the ball, the linemen form a wall of blockers he can run behind. The drill works on the most important part of any screen: timing. As for the scramble drill, it’s about teaching the offense how to operate when a play breaks down. Different teams have different rules for their receivers about where to go when a quarterback breaks out of the pocket. Similarly, there are different techniques and assignments to practice for defenders when dealing with a scrambling QB. The Story Behind The Drills: The common adage about screen passes is that they are an extension of the ground game. They are a way to help a passer who is constantly under fire from the pass-rush. In 2025, the Saints were far from an elite offense, but they did have the 15th-best quarterback pressure rate allowed (33.7%), per Next Gen Stats. That’s a vast improvement from 2024, when they were eighth-worst at 37.4%. That’s surely thanks to the team’s offensive line improvements. But maybe those screens paid off, too. “It’s hard to replicate screens from an offensive perspective in practice — just because of the tempo at which you practice,” Moore said. “That’s a little bit of a challenge, but we do as many screen drills as we can.” As for the scramble drill, Moore said it’s a focus “for both sides of the football just because it shows up so much in the game, so you’ve got to spend as much time as you can on it.” More and more, we’re seeing mobile quarterbacks around the league get creative beyond the structure of the play. So it’s fitting to drill the second break. The initial play doesn’t actually matter in this drill. Often, the closest pass-catcher to the QB takes off downfield. The rest of the receivers are supposed to work across the field with the quarterback. Anyone who was going vertical will actually return to the QB. For players on defense, they often need to get into “plaster” coverage where they plaster themselves to the nearest receiver. — Henry McKenna Favorite Drill: Basketball? Drill It Down: Basically, it’s a game of H-O-R-S-E. The Story Behind The Drill: Taylor is a coach who likes to score. He’s also a coach who’s working on generating more energy from his teams early in the season, which is primarily when they have struggled during his seven-year tenure. So perhaps this unusual “drill” makes sense, in a way. Especially for Pro Bowl receiver and former high school hoops star Tee Higgins. “I think outside the box, not necessarily a drill,” Taylor said. “We wanted to start our season fast last year, and so we started our training camp every day … meeting in our basketball gym. We have a hoop in our gym — in our weight room — and two guys, offense and defense, competed. … Just to kind of get the adrenaline flowing a little bit going to meetings, going into practice. “It’s maybe a little unorthodox, but that’s something a little bit unique that we did.” — Henry McKenna​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Wednesday in the NFL brought us a little bit of everything. Vita Vea and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended their contract dilemma, agreeing to a deal that will make the defensive tackle among the highest-paid players at his position. In terms of on-field matters, the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots had a competitive joint practice just months after the teams agreed to the A.J. Brown trade. There’s also plenty of injury news around the league, with the Houston Texans losing a key contributor on offense for the rest of the season. Here’s what you should know about what happened around the NFL on Wednesday. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and star defensive tackle Vita Vea reached an agreement on a one-year, $30 million extension, our Greg Auman confirmed on Wednesday. The deal keeps the two-time Pro Bowler under contract for the next two seasons while giving him a $6 million raise for 2026, boosting his salary to $24 million this year. The extension is fully guaranteed, locking in $48 million over the next two seasons. Vea had demanded a trade at the onset of training camp, believing he and the Buccaneers were far off from agreeing to an extension. However, Tampa Bay reportedly had no desire to trade him and now has him under contract as it seeks to make the postseason after falling short last season. Vea has established himself as one of the NFL’s premier interior defensive linemen and the centerpiece of head coach Todd Bowles’ defense. Through eight seasons with Tampa Bay, the 347-pound nose tackle has logged 256 total tackles, 35 sacks, and three forced fumbles. He anchored a defense that ranked top-three in total yards allowed from 2019 to 2021 while surrendering just 92.6 rushing yards per game, playing a pivotal role in the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV victory. New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had himself a day against the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense. Maye reportedly finished the day 16 of 19 and completed 13 consecutive passes. Maye reportedly spread the ball amongst his receivers, with receptions from Pop Douglas, Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, and top offseason acquisition A.J. Brown before orchestrating a crisp two-minute drill that set up a 52-yard field goal from Andy Borregales. Hurts reportedly went 19 of 27 through the air and threw three interceptions and one of those picks was returned for a touchdown by the Patriots’ defense, according to reporters in attendance. Hurts enters a pivotal 2026 season adjusting to offensive coordinator Sean Mannion — his seventh playcaller in seven pro seasons. The quarterback contrast was compounded by Brown, who caught seven total passes from Maye in his first action against his former team. Brown also revealed to reporters following Wednesday’s practice that he hasn’t spoken to Hurts, who is the godfather to his daughter, since he was traded to New England in June. The Seattle Seahawks secondary added more depth on Wednesday. The Seahawks locked in former All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs on a one-year deal, first reported by ESPN, giving their defense a high-upside playmaker. Heading into his age-28 season, Diggs is set to play for his third team in less than a year. After spending his first six years with the Dallas Cowboys, Diggs made a brief late-season pit stop with the Green Bay Packers before officially signing with the Seahawks. The Seahawks also reportedly agreed to a deal to add former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold, though the move is on hold. Arnold is expected to head straight for the commissioner’s exempt list since he faces eight felony counts of armed robbery and kidnapping. Diggs joins a defense already stacked with talent, pairing him with All-Pro Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe at cornerback, while Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori hold down the safety position. His versatility gives them an adaptable weapon to move around the secondary. The Seahawks aren’t new to building their roster around familiar connections and established culture. Diggs was teammates in Dallas with DeMarcus Lawrence, Dante Fowler Jr., and Noah Igbinoghene, and he also shared a secondary at Alabama with Jobe under defensive backs coach Karl Scott. It seems that familiarity played a key role in Diggs’ decision to sign. Under head coach Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks could be the ideal landing spot to revitalize Diggs’ career. He hasn’t reached the same heights since his standout 2021 season with the Cowboys, when he led the league with 11 interceptions. The Houston Texans’ offense was dealt a tough blow on Wednesday. Tests confirmed that wide receiver Jayden Higgins tore his ACL in Tuesday’s joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders, ending his 2026 season, according to NFL Network. Higgins’ season-ending injury leaves a gaping hole in the Texans’ passing attack as Tank Dell continues to work his way back to full health. Without Higgins, the team will lean heavily on Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins alongside Xavier Hutchinson and Jaylin Noel. The Texans’ 2025 second-round pick put together a strong rookie season. Higgins hauled in 41 receptions for 525 yards and six touchdowns while proving to be a consistent playmaker in the offense. The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t have their projected starting quarterbacks take the field against the New York Jets in their upcoming preseason game. Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph will sit out Friday’s matchup. Instead, quarterbacks Will Howard and third-round pick Drew Allar will get the nod against the Jets. Howard is set to start before giving way to Allar as the two battle for the third-string spot and one of them potentially battling for the backup job down the line. Allar is coming off a strong preseason debut against the Green Bay Packers. After entering in the second half, he completed 10 of 13 passes for 153 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns, highlighted by a 74-yard strike to Kaden Wetjen. Howard, a 2025 sixth-round pick out of Ohio State, finds himself in a tight battle to make the final 53-man roster. Allar has a chance to be the Steelers’ starting quarterback as early as next season and McCarthy has been on record calling Allar a first-round talent. The New Orleans Saints were already signaling a changing of the guard by signing free-agent running back Travis Etienne this offseason. Now, Alvin Kamara is sidelined after suffering an MCL sprain during Tuesday’s joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys, ESPN reported. Kamara is expected to miss at least a month, putting his status for the start of the season in serious doubt. While Etienne steps into the undisputed lead role, Kamara was still expected to play a role in the Saints’ offense. The five-time Pro Bowler has seen his production dip in New Orleans over recent seasons. In 11 games last season, Kamara posted 471 rushing yards and a single touchdown, adding 33 receptions for 186 receiving yards. Kamara’s 3.6 yards per carry last season was the lowest mark of his career. Surprisingly, he has never recorded a 1,000-yard rushing season, which is something Etienne has already accomplished in three of his four years in the league. With Kamara and No. 8 overall pick in wide receiver Jordyn Tyson out to start the year, Chris Olave and Etienne will have to shoulder the load offensively. Head coach Kellen Moore and second-year quarterback Tyler Shough certainly have their work cut out for them.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

WESTFIELD, Ind. — If you didn’t know Daniel Jones was coming off a major injury, there’s nothing that would’ve told you otherwise. That was my big takeaway watching the Colts quarterback at training camp Wednesday, when Indianapolis hosted the first of two joint practices with the Atlanta Falcons. Whether it was dropping back in individual drills or taking snaps under center or in the shotgun in team periods, Jones looked normal. For a quarterback coming off an Achilles tear, the true test of health is scrambling and throwing on the move and evading pressure. Running the ball is a big part of Jones’ game, too. And the 29-year-old checked all those boxes as well. Granted, he didn’t need to move around too much Wednesday against what’s expected to be a bad Falcons pass rush (Jalon Walker is out for the season, and James Pearce Jr. is suspended for the first eight games). Jones looked quite comfortable in the pocket, but he moved around with no issues when he needed to. It confirmed what I’d been hearing around the team about Jones, who’s looking to pick up from what was a spectacular 2025 — for him and the Colts — before his devastating right Achilles tear Dec. 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s been impressive throughout training camp. The Colts had issues on the ground on Wednesday, but Jones and the pass game were on fire against an above-average Falcons secondary in team drills. He was feasting in the intermediate portion of the field, hitting receivers Josh Downs and Ashton Dulin often. “I think with any major rehab process, you’re always kind of progressing and getting back and getting used to doing everything, building up the reps on it, building up just your conditioning level,” Jones explained post-practice. “I feel really good and there’s nothing I don’t feel good doing.” And for 2026, that means building off what the Colts were last season when he was healthy. Through 10 weeks in 2025, Indianapolis’ offense led the league in yards, scoring, EPA per play, success rate and DVOA. The Colts boasted a plus-115 point differential, and had four wins of 21-plus points. “I think the offense is very versatile,” Jones told me. “There’s a lot of different components to it. I think we’re able to run the ball well. I think we’re good in the RPO game. We’re good throwing it quick. We can throw the ball down the field.” Other Notes From Colts-Falcons Joint Practice: Falcons standout receiver Drake London had one of the best plays from Wednesday’s practice. On what was by far quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s longest completion of the day, the fifth-year pro Mossed Colts cornerback Justin Walley down the left sideline in team drills. It was an underthrown ball from Tagovailoa, but London managed to stretch out his arms over Walley’s shoulders for the insane grab. Speaking of insane grabs, Robinson had one too. In the full team period at the end of practice, the superstar running back made a one-handed catch with his left hand in stride. It was a low pass that would’ve been incomplete in most situations, but Robinson made the snag near his ankles. It was all the more impressive considering how easy he made it look. The Falcons are going to need a lot of that from Robinson and Drake London this season, as well as from All-Pro tight end Kyle Pitts. Atlanta’s quarterback play is a major concern. Tagovailoa is currently in the lead in the team’s QB competition by default, due to the fact that Michael Penix Jr. has not yet been cleared for 11-on-11 work after his ACL injury last season. And the former Dolphins starter has been uninspiring through two outings against other teams. He looked uncomfortable in last week’s preseason opener against the Denver Broncos. In Wednesday’s practice against the Colts, he had just one long completion (the aforementioned London play) and threw a pick-six to Walley. He lived off check downs and bubble screens. The more touches the likes of Robinson, London and Pitts can get, the better the outlook for the Falcons’ offense this season. Because Atlanta won’t be winning games on the back of its quarterback play. Newly signed Colts receiver Keenan Allen didn’t practice Wednesday. He spent his first official day with Indianapolis in shorts and a T-shirt, watching the offense intently and chopping it up with new teammates. But the Colts are already envisioning how the 13-year veteran can help. “He’s been productive every single year he’s been in the league,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said. “So obviously, we want him to be productive again this year.” One of the best players in Chargers history, Allen adds much-needed depth to what’s currently a thin wide receiver room for Indianapolis. With Michael Pittman Jr. out of the picture (traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers) and new WR1 Alec Pierce sidelined following offseason ankle injury, Josh Downs had been the team’s only proven, starting-caliber wide receiver. Allen, who has familiarity with Steichen from their time together with the Chargers, figures to be a tremendous boost for the Colts as a possession receiver, despite his age (34). The six-time Pro Bowler had a league-high 29 first down conversions on third down last season. Overall, Allen caught 81 passes for 777 yards and four touchdowns in 2025. “Danny’s [Daniel Jones] is a guy who is getting better every year,” Allen said. “Last year he was on a big roll, and I want to be part of that and help him be the safety blanket that I am.” In the last team period, Falcons backup running back Brian Robinson trucked Colts defensive back Jonathan Owens at the end of a nice run down the left side of the field. It happened right in front of Atlanta’s sideline, so naturally the Falcons were amped. Colts star tight end Tyler Warren, who’s been excellent in training camp, sustained an injury early in team drills Wednesday and didn’t rejoin practice. After initially leaving the field with trainers, he returned to the sidelines with a wrap around his right thigh. Warren was diagnosed with a strained abductor muscle and could be back on the field as early as next week. But the Colts plan to be cautious in the hope of having the second-year pro ready for Week 1. Indianapolis cannot afford another significant injury to a pass-catcher. With Pierce already sidelined, Jones’ list of primary targets is shrinking for the time being. It makes the Allen signing all the more timely. Courtesy of Keenan Allen, speaking about Colts coach Steichen: “Genius. He knows what he’s doing and he knows what he’s looking at. He doesn’t just have a coach mindset so to speak. He sees it from a player perspective, from a quarterback perspective.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The Associated Press has had its say. The coaches have had their say. Now it’s time for me to chime in on the 2026 preseason top 10. Last year matters no more. New players. New rosters. New season. If you’re putting Indiana at No. 1 because the Hoosiers won the title last year, you’re doing this all wrong. If you’re putting the Hoosiers at No. 1 because you think IU is the best team in the country in 2026, then that’s fine. There’s definitely a stratum for the upcoming season. The top seven seem pretty clear, and one could make the case for any of the top seven to be slotted in any of the seven spots. You wouldn’t get an argument from me. Then again, last year at this time, I said Penn State to make the CFP was the safest bet there was, and then by mid-October, James Franklin was fired. So clearly my crystal ball at this time of the season is spot on. Anyway, here’s how I see it going into the year. We’ll see what changes we get from one week to the next. And trust me, we’ll get them. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. To Make CFP: +200Title Odds: +3000 Obviously, coaching staff turnover is a big deal, as Charlie Weis Jr. is no longer in Oxford calling the plays. But with Trinidad Chambliss at QB and Kewan Lacy at RB, the Rebels have a chance against anyone. To Make CFP: +160Title Odds: +1700 Could swap in a few different teams here, but the talent level at LSU appears to be top 10. I don’t know how it will all work out against this schedule, but at least to start, we’ll slot them here. To Make CFP: +210Title Odds: +3000 The Sooners are this year’s prime candidate as the most likely team where the power rating doesn’t align with the W-L record. The defense should be exceptional, but I still have questions about the offense. The OL and RB need to be better, especially against the ridiculously tough slate of opponents the Sooners have lined up. To Make CFP: -240Title Odds: +850 The run of SEC teams begins here. Georgia is the only SEC team I am confident will win 10 games. The defense should be much improved, the schedule is as favorable as it comes in SEC world and talk is the offense should have some game-breakers at WR. Are the Dawgs national champ quality? Yes. But I still think they are behind a few teams in the pecking order. To Make CFP: -350Title Odds: +900 OK, just hear me out for a second. The Hoosiers did a helluva job reloading in the portal while making their title run last season. They also got a boon in recent weeks with the return of Stephan Daley and Kellan Wyatt per a court ruling. They clearly have one of the top rosters in the country, but here are the questions I would ask: Can every high-leverage play go IU’s way again this year? Literally every play they needed to go their way last year did just that. Will the loss of the JMU vets have a bigger impact than maybe we are expecting? Can Josh Hoover eliminate the turnovers and make the plays Mendoza did? Cignetti has said all the right things about Hoover having a defense and a running game to fall back on, but you just never know. To Make CFP: -280Title Odds: +1000 Two things can be true: Miami is potentially more talented than the team that came up just short last year in the national title game and Miami also might  have trouble replacing the guts of the team in leaders like Keionte Scott, CJ Daniels, Keelan Marion, Francis Mauigoa and Rueben Bain. After the late-season drive and coming so close last year, will there be complacency or even more motivation? The Canes are as big of a favorite as there is to win a league. And remember, Miami has never won the ACC. If Miami’s talent and leadership come together, this is a national title contender. But if the LBs struggle or the lethal combo of Bain and Mesidor can’t be replaced or depth behind Mark Fletcher doesn’t perform to expectations, then a season which falls short of expectations could be in the cards. Still, I’d expect a return CFP trip. To Make CFP: -200Title Odds: +650 Few teams have been as overrated in the preseason poll lately as Texas. Maybe I’m falling victim to the hype again, but this roster is loaded outside of potential concerns at OL. Although it appears the Longhorns avoided serious injury with Trevor Goosby, they could really use him back for the Ohio State game. The Longhorns added elite players at LB, RB and WR in the portal, and Arch Manning’s growth throughout the 2025 season will serve him and his team well this season. I’m not trying to project a W-L record here, but the Texas schedule is no joke. And I’m curious to see how many losses (if any) the Longhorns find this season and how the CFP will rank them. But it might be fair to ask — if not now, then when for one of CFB’s highest-paid rosters? To Make CFP: -360Title Odds: +600 The writers and coaches have the Buckeyes at No. 1, but I’m going to slot Ohio State here instead. Look, Ohio State recruits as well as anyone, but the Buckeyes’ final two games of last season have me slightly concerned. The offensive line was over-matched by two great defensive fronts and QB Julian Sayin did not look good. How will new OC Arthur Smith fit in? What about the massive losses on the defensive side of the ball? Nobody is — or should be — crying for Ohio State and its problems entering the season, but I don’t think the Buckeyes are a CFP cinch as they’ve been the last two years. To Make CFP: -320Title Odds: +750 The Ducks probably have as few questions as anyone entering the season, but a couple of camp injuries might cloud things just a bit early on. Those close to Oregon have been touting 2026 as the year the Ducks finally break down the door of the national title club. It’s hard to argue with that thought process, as Dante Moore returns with a dangerous WR corps and a dominant defensive front. Oregon’s season has ended in ugly fashion each of the last three years and there’s every reason to believe that will not be the case in 2026. To Make CFP: -800Title Odds: +600 One could nitpick about replacing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, or who will be the deep threat at WR, but this Irish team is loaded. Residing in South Bend is one of the best — if not the best — defenses in the country, along with one of the top QBs in the country in CJ Carr. The Irish missed the Playoff last year in a season where they were power rated as a playoff team. Now, the hunger, drive and motivation to get back to the national title game, as they did in 2024 (and win it), is evident. The Irish are No. 1 until they show me they aren’t.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports