Category: Sports Fox

By the end of the day on Wednesday, all 32 NFL teams will have logged one training camp practice. And by the end of Wednesday, anyone could win the Super Bowl. Sure, it’ll probably be the Los Angeles Rams. And it almost definitely won’t be the Cleveland Browns. But, theoretically, it could be anyone. And looming over every training camp practice, there will be at least one burning question — something that’s on the minds of fans, media and (even though they won’t admit it) likely players and coaches. So let’s take a look at 10 of them. Here are the most important NFL questions entering training camp 2026. It could be any day now that nine-time All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald returns to the Rams. After two years in retirement, the 35-year-old Donald is leaning toward a return, per FOX Sports’ Eric Williams. It has to be mighty tempting to join a defensive line that includes Garrett, who set the single-season sacks record last year with 23. He joined L.A. in June in a blockbuster trade with the Browns that sent Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick and two day-two picks to Cleveland. The Rams’ line already featured a staggering amount of competence, with Poona Ford, Braden Fiske and Byron Young among others. But of course, it would be historic to see Garrett and Donald on the same line. It would be cooler even than Puka Nacua and Davante Adams as receivers 1a and 1b. Or Kyren Williams and Blake Corum as running backs 1a and 1b. Holy mackerel, this Rams team is stacked! Here’s where we can see whether coach Mike Macdonald is really the defensive version of Sean McVay. It’s one thing to be the schematic king of the NFL. And I’d argue that’s exactly what Macdonald is. (After all, he bested McVay in the NFC Championship Game.) It’s another thing to hold onto that mantle, with changing personnel and shifting league trends. It’s hard to say — before the first regular-season snap — what league-wide trends are coming. But we can clearly see who the Seahawks lost in free agency: edge Boye Mafe, running back Kenneth Walker III, cornerback Riq Woolen and safety Coby Bryant. That’s a lot of talent, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, where Macdonald will have to carry the intellectual load. But don’t discount that his top deputy and former offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, is now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s a massive departure — one that might put more work on Macdonald’s plate than any of the player departures. A.J. Brown is a Patriot, alongside Drake Maye. Jaylen Waddle is a Bronco, alongside Bo Nix. Mike Evans is a 49er, alongside Brock Purdy. DJ Moore is a Bill, alongside Josh Allen. Wan’Dale Robinson is a Titan, alongside Cam Ward. It’s easy to see how every one of those new landing spots will supercharge each receiver’s production. But … it’s hard to imagine every one will actually go as planned. Who booms? And who busts? It’s always fun to see what the Eagles are cooking up in the offseason. Because for all the hoopla around the A.J. Brown trade — which was justified — there were also several foundational transitions taking place, perhaps getting overlooked. The Eagles extended defensive linemen Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter to serve as core stars for years to come. They retained Dallas Goedert, their outstanding (albeit aging) tight end. They let edge Jaelan Phillips walk in free agency, which will likely yield a third-round pick in the compensatory formula, offsetting his third-round cost at the trade deadline. In free agency, they played small-ball, snagging the right players: cornerbacks Riq Woolen and Jonathan Jones and receivers Dontavion Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore. In the draft, Roseman added receiver Makai Lemon, tight end Eli Stowers and tackle Markel Bell. It all begs the question: Did Roseman just do it again? Did he compile a unique hodgepodge of talent to help the Eagles contend yet again? It seems to be what he does every year. There is a renewed sense of optimism surrounding the Chiefs that I don’t fully understand. It would be one thing if the optimism were centered around Patrick Mahomes, but even he seems to be tempering expectations around his ACL injury. He’s cleared to play, yes. But at practice, “I don’t get hit,” he said ahead of camp. Most Chiefs optimism, however, is centered around the free-agent signing of Kenneth Walker III, one of the NFL’s most explosive running backs. He’s the reigning Super Bowl MVP after all. The problem was that for most of the 2025 season, Walker was in a time-share with Zach Charbonnet. And I’d argue that Walker has Charbonnet to thank for his hard work between the tackles, in short yardage and at the goal line. Walker got the glory. Charbonnet did the dirty work. For that reason — and others — I’m dubious about how rapidly Walker can change the Kansas City offense. Last year, the Chiefs were 12th-worst in points per game. They were 11th in offensive EPA per play (-.01) and 14th in offensive success rate (43.1%), per Next Gen Stats. This doesn’t feel like an offense that was a running back away. As someone who seems to only draft running back Christian McCaffrey in down years, it’s worth nothing that he has an on-again, off-again tendency. He put up huge numbers in 2021, only to struggle to stay on the field in 2022. Then he boomed in 2023 — only to struggle again in 2024. So if 2025 was another booming year, then what happens in 2026? I’m just asking for a friend who is once again afraid of getting burned. But in real life, the 49ers’ injury concerns don’t stop there. Tight end George Kittle has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. Receiver Ricky Pearsall hasn’t exactly been the picture of durability. Nor — for that matter — has quarterback Brock Purdy. And edge Nick Bosa has a long list of injuries. So it was almost comical when the 49ers signed Mike Evans, who is an elite receiver with (you guessed it) injury problems. It feels like the 49ers will continue to manage injuries — much more than any other team in the league. But if they can stay healthy, I think they can win the Super Bowl. If they stay healthy. Somehow. The Steelers are a very funny combination of players that, on paper, look sorta like a team that could jell. Aaron Rodgers may be well in decline at age 42, but he’s as smart and resourceful as any quarterback in the league. WR1 DK Metcalf remains a hulking and speedy presence on the outside — a classic big-play threat. Newcomer Michael Pittman is an excellent possession receiver. Germie Bernard, the rookie receiver, is a workmanlike slot guy who could work his way into a WR3 job. And then there are the running backs, who maybe aren’t the best fantasy options but are definitely quality players: Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle. It’s a team that — if you squint — looks OK. But of course, new head coach Mike McCarthy is going to be running the show on offense. And I’m just not sure that McCarthy — a West Coast disciple — and Rodgers — a checkdown merchant last year — can beat defenses collapsing down on this quick-game offense. Everyone is going to have to do something different than they’ve done in the past. Mike Vrabel would have had enough on his plate if he were just managing a Super Bowl loss — followed by a Week 1 rematch against the Seahawks in the Wednesday night NFL season-opener. But Vrabel was also entrenched in scandal this offseason, with a long run of news about his relationship with an NFL reporter. Vrabel is back to business now that training camp is underway. But I wonder what will happen if the Patriots struggle in the early weeks of the season. Because Boston sports radio is never afraid to dig at drama — and harp on the negative. If the Patriots don’t get off to a strong start, the pressure could make things uncomfortable for Vrabel. You gotta be careful about getting too excited about the Chargers. And you gotta be careful about getting too excited about a Mike McDaniel offense. Both entities often don’t sustain in January — let alone February. It’s sort of a tradition for the Chargers to start Chargering in the playoffs. And in Miami, it was sort of a tradition for McDaniel’s high-octane offense to wither and shiver in the cold playoff months. But if you’re like me, you can’t wait to see what McDaniel can do for Justin Herbert and the L.A. offense. And heck, it’ll be fun to see what McDaniel can do for second-year running back Omarion Hampton, too. Maybe this team is doomed in the postseason. But the regular season should be absolutely nuts. Because McDaniel may have fizzled as head coach of the Dolphins, but I think he’s still one of the sharpest offensive minds in the NFL. He, Herbert and Hampton are going to put up big numbers this year. New Giants coach John Harbaugh went viral ahead of training camp — and it was for being unbearably cringe. He left the Baltimore Ravens and got one of the more desirable (if not the most desirable) head coach openings of the offseason. And that’s because he’s extremely accomplished and good at what he does. But this clip showed that — for all his competence — the man has no aura. For a long time, Harbaugh’s legacy preceded him. He made a Super Bowl champion out of Joe Flacco. He made an MVP out of Lamar Jackson (twice). He contended for championships practically every year. But sometimes, a coach’s methodology runs its course in the NFL. I’m not saying that — just because of one clip — Harbaugh doesn’t have what it takes anymore. But I can’t help but wonder if it’ll be harder for him to build a program than any of us might have realized — particularly in New York, where everything is magnified.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Indianapolis Motor Speedway was another weekend when Toyotas were strong, taking four of the first five spots. But Ford also put four cars in the top 10. The only Chevy in the top 10? Carson Hocevar. Granted, Kyle Larson had a flat tire and Chase Elliott ended up in a wreck, but that certainly impacted these power rankings. No Hendrick driver is in the top 10. They only have eight top 10s combined over the last eight races (Larson with four, William Byron two, Alex Bowman two and Elliott none). Here are my power rankings after the Brickyard 400 and headed into an off week before the season resumes Aug. 9 at Iowa. Dropped out: Kyle Larson (Last Week: 10), Shane Van Gisbergen (Last Week: 9) On the verge: Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, William Byron, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Shane van Gisbergen Hocevar won the pole and finished ninth as the top Chevrolet finisher at the Brickyard. That’s two top 10s in the last three races for the No. 77. An eighth-place for Preece at the Brickyard gave him back-to-back top-10 finishes. He’s going to need to keep rattling off top 10s if he hopes to make The Chase. It was not a good weekend for Wallace, as he started 29th and finished 28th. But he does have four finishes of sixth or better in the last eight races, and few drivers are posting those solid finishes over that long of a stretch. Reddick was 10th at the Brickyard as he continues to try to find the magic from earlier in the season. He’s making a little bit of progress with two top 10s in the last three races. He is still the series leader with five victories this year. Blaney got wrecked (unintentionally) by John Hunter Nemechek and it didn’t just result in a 26th-place finish; it also resulted in Blaney finishing behind Todd Gilliland as they battled for the $1 million in-season tournament prize. But Blaney is still third in the series standings. Logano followed up his win at North Wilkesboro with a third. The three-time Cup champion probably can’t declare being back until The Chase, and that’s when the more traditional 1.5-mile tracks come into play. But at least it appears he’ll be playing in the postseason. Gibbs started fourth and finished 12th at the Brickyard. It was the second consecutive what-could-have-been day for Gibbs, but he continues to show speed and with no real signs of slowing down. Briscoe finished fourth at the Brickyard although probably wishes he had the last restart back, as it appeared he, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin weren’t in sync. But he’s moving up in the standings and has a realistic shot of being fifth by the time The Chase starts. Bell finished second … again. It was the sixth time this year and third time in the last four races. But he considered the Brickyard a good second-place finish. He arguably could be No. 1 on this list but really needs a win. A fifth-place finish last weekend gave Hamlin three top fives in the last four races and seven top fives in his last 10. He’s still the man to beat on ovals.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

INDYCAR unveiled renderings of its new 2028 car, which will start on-track testing this week. The drivers like the looks of its sleek INDYCAR feel and will soon get a chance to help test and make tweaks. “We all wanted a new, modern-day car that is lighter and looks futuristic and fast but still has all of the incredible safety advancements that INDYCAR is known for,” ECR driver Alexander Rossi said in a news release. “This does all of those things. “There are still a lot of things to work through in terms of on-track testing and how it reacts to the different types of environments it will be exposed to, but from a visual standpoint, it’s incredible.” The car is designed to go faster while also incorporating many of the safety elements implemented since the last car was first designed around 2012. Those safety and other elements added weight and the 2028 car is a fresh opportunity to overhaul the car to keep its INDYCAR style while also making it faster. That starts with the car, designed by Dallara, that will be 100 pounds lighter, including a reduction of 20 pounds of the hybrid system and 25 pounds of the gearbox. “I was just as excited to see what was inside the car as I was to see what it looks like on the outside,” Andretti Global driver and INDYCAR champion Will Power said in a statement. “INDYCAR and Dallara have done an incredible job combining updated aerodynamic ideas with all of the safety elements from the current car. It has a seamless look and one that’s also modern and aggressive at the same time.” In arguably the most impactful development from an engineering standpoint, teams will no longer make and develop their own dampers. On the current car, damper development is key to how the suspension handles because it was the primary area where teams had the most latitude. Series officials, in a news release, indicated teams will have a variety of options, including more spring, damper and inerter tuning options while using the single-source supplied parts. That potentially could tighten the field and create more parity with the teams having similar options. The engine will be a 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 internal combustion engine capable of producing up to 760 horsepower. That should produce some record speeds, potentially at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which should also see the benefit of a more aerodynamically stable speedway front wing. “There is a wow factor,” said defending Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist in a news release. “The first thing that struck me is that it has more room in the cockpit and will fit differently-sized drivers, which is really good. Secondly, it definitely has the INDYCAR DNA, which was a worry for me that it wouldn’t look like an INDYCAR Series car. “This definitely does. It also has an aggressive look with an integrated aeroscreen and a car that addresses a lot of little tweaks that drivers have asked for. Dallara has delivered on almost everything. I’m super excited for the future.” The exact dates and sites of testing will be announced soon. “Seeing the car for the first time made me even more excited about where INDYCAR is going,” said four-time INDYCAR champion Alex Palou in a news release. “The design is super cool and feels like a proper next step for the series while still looking like an INDYCAR Series car. “I think the fans are going to love it, and as a driver I cannot wait to get behind the wheel. The most important thing is that we keep the close, fun racing that makes INDYCAR special, and from what I’ve seen, we’re heading in a really good direction.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner understands the assignment for this season. Turner, nicknamed “The Conductor” for his musical acumen, is the defensive co-captain for a team that’s not only considered the heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl, but also on one of the most talented rosters assembled in recent years. How will Turner handle those high expectations? What does he make of playing alongside the otherworldly Myles Garrett and the possibility of playing again with future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald? I asked Turner those questions and more following one of the Rams’ first training camp practices as the standout defensive tackle looks to play a big role in Los Angeles’ run for a Lombardi Trophy this season. What was your focus this offseason after the way things ended last year? Turner: It’s always continuing to get better. Getting some footwork training in, making sure my hands are continuing to be sharp, continuing to understand the game and let those opportunities come to me. Really, each offseason is about getting faster and stronger. And then I did a lot of vision training too, being able to see the game early. The more that I can see things that connect my eyes to my hands and my hands to my body, the more I’ll be able to start faster. Vision training sounds different. What’s that like? They have these goggles that blink for short periods of time, and then you can turn them up and have them blink for longer periods of time, catching bean bags and calling which color and which color corresponds to your hand. And these three-color sticks will have blue, red and yellow. And then another one will have white, black and green on it, or something like that. They throw random sticks, and you have to call out a specific color as you catch the stick while I have on the goggles. It’s just little stuff like that, because when it comes down to the trenches, obviously it’s a lot of violence, just getting off the rock and running into people. But it’s so technical, and the more your eyes can see, the better off you’ll be. It’s just being able to see things clearly and locking in my eyes. Especially on the first day, your eyes are going to be out of whack with everyone flying around. But the more you can focus your eyes in on what you’re seeing and the more you can use film study to be able to anticipate what you’re going to see, that helps. Have you changed your weight at all? I’ve been within a 10-pound range since I’ve been here. I’ve always been staying within a 290 to 300-pound range. And I feel really comfortable playing there. What was your initial reaction when you heard about the Myles Garrett trade? It was a very hard day. Obviously, Jared Verse is one of our brothers and a very good teammate. So that was a tough thing to process. But then you get the opportunity to work with a generational talent, a guy who just broke the sack record and more than anything, is just a good guy. Now we’re finally getting a chance to work with each other, me being able to get reps in camp and him being able to get reps in camp, we’re going to continue to build up that camaraderie so we can rush four as one. It’s obviously exciting times when you’re able to work with one of the best in the world. Anything that’s surprised you with Garrett being out on the field since he’s been here? I didn’t really have too many expectations. I’ve been following his journey a little bit and his personality too, and he always just seemed like a down-to-earth guy. So, I’m just continuing to get to know him. I don’t think there’s been too much that’s surprised me. To be able to get to that caliber of player, you have to put in the work daily. And obviously that’s something he’s been able to do. He’s a talented individual, but he works hard, so I have a lot of appreciation for that. And I’m just continuing to learn from him. Along with Garrett, you added significant pieces on defense with cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. How do you handle high expectations for the defense? It’s the same story as always, right? We have to be inside-out more than ever. Before, it was people not really believing in us. I remember coming in my rookie year in 2023 and nobody thought we could do too much of anything, and we went and showed the world differently. So, it’s always been about being inside-out. We know we have a lot of returning guys from last year, but it’s also a different group. So, that’s what training camp is for, being able to build that rapport and that camaraderie, but also being able to continue to lock in. But really, a lot of our returning guys — whether it be from last year or before — we’ve built up the work. We know the mental toughness that it requires. We know the resiliency that it requires, so it will be continuing to put that on display. The outside world doesn’t matter. The last time I checked, nobody won a Super Bowl in July. It’s the NFL, man. Nobody is walking out there winning a Super Bowl or winning however many games. Expectations don’t really mean anything. It’s about what we do day in and day out, putting ourselves in position to take advantage of each opportunity we have on Sundays — or I guess every day of the week since we’re playing every day of the week (laughs). What was your reaction to losing the NFC Championship Game to the Seahawks in Seattle? When I tore my calf, really during that time when I was trying to see if I could go back on the field, that’s when I processed all the hurt of, ‘Man, I’m not playing in this game.’ And when the finality of the game hit, it obviously took awhile to process that our season was over. We really thought we could go win the whole thing last year, and we really believed that we were a couple plays away, but that’s what this league is. But I also remember something I felt so strongly was just the gratitude of the journey that we’d been on. We talk about so often the process and the journey. Taking time to pay attention to each and every step. And that’s what you remember. You don’t always remember the outcome of specific games. But you remember the guys that you were with and the journey you went on. And then we’ve got that rivalry with the Seahawks. We’ve got them two times this year, two times to go against last year’s Super Bowl champions. That’s going to be a super-exciting two games, and another opportunity to show why we believe we’re the best in the world, and go put that on display just by being more inside-out than ever and putting in the daily deposits that’s going to lead us to success when it comes game time. You mention the calf injury. I’m assuming you’re fully healthy since you’re out here on the field? Yes, I’m feeling great. I would be remiss if I didn’t ask about Aaron Donald’s potential return. You had an opportunity to play with him as a rookie and know what that looks like. What are your thoughts on the possibility of playing with him again? He’s a guy who’s taken me under his wing, obviously, my rookie year and even after that. He’s provided me with so many connections with people I feel have influenced me and helped me perfect my craft. He’s such a solid dude and good friend. Obviously, the possibility of him coming back out is really exciting to me. I remember when my rookie season ended and we were at the Lions, I felt back then that I really wanted to bring home a [Super] Bowl for him. And at that time I was just a rookie; I really didn’t know what the work looked like and what was required. But I was willing to put in the work. And here we are as a team a little more experienced. So, it would be a great opportunity [to have Donald return]. Your guess is as good as mine. But he’s a guy who works hard. He’s the right type of guy. That possibility is super exciting, and I’m also super excited with this team as we have it. However it shakes out, I’m excited for the journey we’re going on with these guys. A lot of people have talked about Donald’s impact on game days, but what would it mean for your group having him at the facility every day? Nothing can compare to his career. It’s a storied career, but I just think about personally how much he helped me out. The confidence that was instilled in my rookie year, being able to work alongside him. He put me in contact with Poodie (Rams defensive line trainer Albert “Poodie” Carson). I’ve been working with him ever since. I’m super excited about the possibility. But this type of thing doesn’t work with this type of team without somebody being as great on the field as he is off the field. If that does happen, that would be a reason why it’s successful.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The NFL’s wild offseason is almost over and the real work is about to begin. And every team has their hopes sky-high as training camp officially begins across the league. Not all of those dreams will be realized, of course. Some clubs did put themselves in position to challenge the defending champion Seattle Seahawks. Others … not so much. So how does the league landscape look now that summer vacations are over and players are hitting the practice field? It’s all right here in my latest NFL Power Rankings. *Super Bowl odds courtesy of DraftKings Super Bowl odds: +50000 The NFL suspended the Cards’ scouting director for leaking draft info and betting on college games. If he wants to make back his lost income, he can just bet on the Cardinals to lose most of their games this year. Super Bowl odds: +35000 They might end up striking gold (or at least silver) in QB Malik Willis. But it still could be hard to tell. They didn’t get him a lot of weapons to work with. And the schedule is brutal, too. Super Bowl odds: +20000 I started to convince myself the Jets would be better this year. But QB Geno Smith is trying hard to convince me I’m wrong. This offseason, he’s reportedly had an angry encounter with police at a traffic stop, was investigated (and cleared) by police in a domestic dispute and was cited for speeding. It could be a long fall. Super Bowl odds: +15000 If it’s true that the Raiders want Kirk Cousins to start at QB all season, so No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza can watch and learn, then this is a wasted year. It’s not necessarily a bad strategy. It just makes the 2026 results completely irrelevant. Super Bowl odds: +20000 The offseason didn’t clear up the QB battle, which is apparently only between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. Honestly, this doesn’t feel like a situation where anybody actually wins. Super Bowl odds: +13000 The Titans did a lot of nice things to completely overhaul this team in the offseason. It’ll take some time, but if QB Cam Ward turns out to be good, they should look much-improved by December. Super Bowl odds: +6000 They are really high on the work they did to fix their defense, and they should be. But they are still light on offensive skill players for their dynamic QB. Besides WR Terry McLaurin, who is about to turn 31, they don’t have much else. Super Bowl odds: +9000 The return of DE Cam Jordan helps their defense, and finding a way to keep RB Alvin Kamara is good as long as his role is reduced. Everything still rides on how much you believe in QB Tyler Shough, though. Super Bowl odds: +5000 A 42-year-old quarterback, a backloaded schedule, and a division with two potential Super Bowl contenders (Ravens, Bengals). I know the Steelers are hoping for one last glorious ride for Aaron Rodgers, but they should have started rebuilding around a young QB this year. Super Bowl odds: +6000 QB Daniel Jones does appear to be on track to practice this summer and start the regular season on time. Still, the last time he returned after a major injury, his play was terrible and he ended up getting benched. How long until he regains his form is a fair and open question. Super Bowl odds: +13000 They still don’t know when QB Michael Penix Jr. will be back, or if he’d even start over Tua Tagovailoa. And edge rusher James Pearce is likely facing a suspension after he was arrested on three felony charges in a domestic incident back in February. Neither is good news. Super Bowl odds: +7000 The good news is RB Cam Skattebo is healthy enough to do backflips. But WR Malik Nabers’ return from a knee injury isn’t as clear. No one wants to give a timetable or talk about Week 1, which is usually a bad sign. Super Bowl odds: +5000 The Bucs improved their defense in the offseason, but they seem to be relying most on improved health on offense. The tools could be there, though, especially if they can extend QB Baker Mayfield’s contract and get that distraction off his plate. Super Bowl odds: +2500 A lot of people around the NFL like what the Cowboys have done to fix their crummy defense this offseason. It definitely should be improved, but enough to make them a contender? Their elite offense still may have to do most of the work. Super Bowl odds: +9000 It’s a make-or-break season for QB Bryce Young. If he finally plays like he was worthy of the No. 1 overall pick, the Panthers could be a rising force. But he’s shown that only sporadically over his first three NFL seasons, so don’t count on it. Super Bowl odds: +5000 Team Norway made this the Summer of the Vikings, but let’s face it: Erling Haaland is not walking through that door in Minnesota. It’s only QB Kyler Murray. And everything up north depends on whether Kevin O’Connell can resurrect him. Super Bowl odds: +1800 A domestic violence investigation is now hanging over RB Josh Jacobs, and that’s somehow not the worst offseason news for the Pack. They also now know that Micah Parsons (ACL) won’t be back until at least mid-October. Super Bowl odds: +1900 The Lions did the right thing releasing CB Terrion Arnold, their 2024 first-round pick, after he was arrested on kidnapping and robbery charges. He missed half the season last year, and their secondary will be more than fine without him. Super Bowl odds: +1700 Their schedule will prove challenging in the first half of the season. But they seem confident in their revamped and healthier offensive line. And if offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel can unlock Justin Herbert’s potential, they might really have something here. Super Bowl odds: +1600 Things you never want to hear about your No. 1 WR: He had knee surgery in June while in jail for a probation violation. But that’s Rashee Rice.  On the bright side, QB Patrick Mahomes is cleared to practice, but his full recovery from ACL surgery is still a concern. Super Bowl odds: +1900 They’ve got some injury issues with TE George Kittle and DE Nick Bosa and a really tough travel schedule to navigate. But all the pieces are there, as long as they get rid of the distraction/headache of WR Brandon Aiyuk at some point. Super Bowl odds: +3000 It’s easy to trust coach Liam Coen, but it’s really hard to like what this team did (and didn’t do) in the offseason. Riding with that RB corps, led by Chris Rodriguez and Bhayshul Tuten, seems like a big risk for a contender. Super Bowl odds: +2000 With Joe Burrow back, the defensive front rebuilt, and a pretty easy schedule, it’s hard not to be really excited about this team. Check back in Week 3, though. If the Bengals can avoid their trademark slow start, watch out. Super Bowl odds: +1800 The Texans don’t seem in any hurry to sign QB C.J. Stroud to an extension, which is understandable. It’s a big season for him. If he can regain his rookie form, the Texans are a dark horse Super Bowl contender. Super Bowl odds: +2400 Their dangerous offense is only going to get better in Year 2 of the Ben Johnson era. Their only question is whether they did enough to fix their defense. The jury on that is still out. Super Bowl odds: +1600 They are still loaded, but there’s no way to spin the A.J. Brown trade as a good one for this season. He’s still an elite WR and hard to replace, especially with rookie Makai Lemon already dealing with hamstring issues. Super Bowl odds: +1000 I’d feel so much better about this team if they had added one more WR, or done better than D.J. Moore as their No. 1. Still, never count out a team with Josh Allen and James Cook. Super Bowl odds: +1600 Drake Maye was an MVP-caliber QB already, but getting an elite WR like A.J. Brown could bring his game to an even higher level. It won’t be easy with a much more difficult schedule. But they should definitely be Super Bowl contenders again. Super Bowl odds: +1100 I know, I know: The defending champs deserve more respect. But with Kenneth Walker III gone and Zach Charbonnet recovering from a torn ACL, the Seahawks may be asking too much of rookie Jadarian Price, who was Notre Dame’s No. 2 RB last year. Super Bowl odds: +1000 If newly signed center Ethan Pocic is healthy, he’ll really help the Ravens’ offensive line. If Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are healthy, this team has a great shot at reaching Super Bowl LXI. Super Bowl odds: +2000 QB Bo Nix is supposed to be “full go”, according to Sean Payton, when camp opens. If he had been full go for the AFC Championship Game last year, the Broncos would’ve made the Super Bowl. Super Bowl odds: +550 Some are already calling the Rams “The Dream Team” after they reloaded this offseason. Just imagine how dangerous they’re going to be if the rumors turn out to be true and former All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald comes out of retirement.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

In Driver’s Eye with James Hinchcliffe, the six-time INDYCAR winner will bring you inside the mind of a racer while breaking down the nuts and bolts of the sport for fans. When you think of success in INDYCAR in the last half decade, you think of one name: Alex Palou. He joined the series as a relative unknown, was plucked seemingly out of obscurity from racing in Japan by Dale Coyne and has been nearly unstoppable ever since. His rookie season has some moments that certainly gave you the sense that he had some big potential. But even the most ambitious of predictions wouldn’t have landed on what the future would hold for the now-29-year-old Spaniard. Since joining Chip Ganassi Racing, he has been on the podium more than 50% of the time. He has won 24 races, four titles and an Indianapolis 500. If he is able to pull off five championships in six seasons, it will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen in the modern era of INDYCAR racing. Dario Franchitti, a legend with a Hall of Fame career, won four titles in five years, but most of that success came in the second half of his career. Where Palou is in his driving days, the sky is the limit and the record books are getting ready for a reprint. When an athlete is performing at such a high level, people take notice. Especially other athletes. Even Tom Brady — one of the greatest athletes of all time — was taken by this level of success, and asked Townsend Bell and me last year what makes this Palou guy so good? The simple truth is there is no one thing, but a confluence of traits that make him so devastatingly effective. WHAT MAKES ALEX PALOU SO CONSISTENTLY DOMINANT? An abundance of unique traits and unparalleled factors aligned to make Palou and his Chip Ganassi Racing crew so seemingly unstoppable. But three stand out to me. First, racing is a team sport, as I’ve discussed in this column. Palou wasn’t winning titles with Dale Coyne Racing, so credit needs to go to CGR for giving Palou the tools he needs to be so dominant. That means great race cars, near-faultless strategy calls, mistake-free pit stops, as well as the ability to learn from both the team’s and his teammate’s (namely, six-time champ Scott Dixon) vast experience of how to keep getting better. Next up is his work ethic. This is something that you hear a lot from standout performers in any given sport. It’s certainly something Brady was accused of in his playing days. You talk to the team, and they can’t say enough about Palou’s relentless quest to improve and perfect. The truth is, you can never run a perfect race. Or have a perfect weekend. Even if you win from pole and lead every lap, something, somewhere in the weekend could have been executed better. Palou, win or lose, never stops chasing that perfection. He spends hours training physically, training mentally, pouring over data and video trying to find any little weakness that he can improve on. He is simply outworking many of his rivals. Finally — in the sense of this column, because trust me, there are more than three things! — is his temperament. Palou is as cool a customer under pressure as anyone I’ve ever seen. Dixon was always known as the Iceman for his unflappable demeanor, but it’s like Palou saw that template, and said, “Hold my beer.” Whether he is cruising to a win out front or in the thick of an on-track battle, his radio communications are always the same: cool, calm and collected. Even when things go wrong — be it a mechanical issue or another driver taking him out — his heart rate never goes up, his approach never changes. He simply operates in his best window at all times. It’s arguably the most impressive thing he does — and the most difficult for others to replicate. When we, up in the booth, watch him take the lead in a race you weren’t expecting him to, you can’t help but admire what you’re watching. We all love the unpredictability of INDYCAR. But I love watching history be made, and right now, we are witnessing sports history. SOUND LIKE AN INDYCAR EXPERT: SCHUMACHER, F1 AND INDYCAR Switching disciplines in racing is a big ask. Gone are the days of drivers winning an INDYCAR race one week, being on a Formula 1 podium the next, then hitting a sprint-car race on a Thursday before tackling a 500-mile NASCAR race the following Sunday. Each discipline is so specialized now that making the transition from one to another often requires a period of adjustment. And that is what Mick Schumacher is facing in his rookie INDYCAR campaign. Yes, F1 and INDYCAR are about as close as you can get when switching series, but even still the differences are massive. The type of car, tires and track are vastly different and require a completely different skill set. Every one of these tracks is new to Schumacher, and with the way weekends run, there really isn’t a ton of track time. A lot of your learning as a rookie comes during the race itself. If he could start the weekends with the knowledge he has by the end of them, it would be a very different result. Coming off his first top-10 finish of the season at Nashville Superspeedway, you can’t help but think that he would have liked to reach that milestone sooner in the season. That said, apart from team leader Graham Rahal’s string of podiums, strong results have been hard to come by for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing squad in general. And let’s not forget that highly rated — and recently re-signed to a multi-year deal — Louis Foster didn’t manage to achieve a top-10 finish with RLL in his first season on the big stage. With news of RLL downsizing from three cars to two, and the belief being it is Schumacher’s No. 47 program that is falling away, the hope is that Mick will be able to land somewhere else for 2027. Then, he could return to each track armed with the knowledge and experience of 2026 and show what his true potential is. 1 FOR THE ROAD The teams and drivers are enjoying their final off weekend before the final stretch of the season that covers six races in five weeks. It will be a marathon stint for the collective paddock and can certainly test the mental resolve of every member of a team. Keeping your cool — and focus — over that run can make or break a season. Momentum is a real thing, but it works both upward and downward. A bad start to this stretch can spiral a program out of control. It will be fascinating to see which groups struggle and which excel in the final push of 2026. MORE DRIVER’S EYE:​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The 2026 college football season doesn’t start for another month, but for some head coaches, the pressure is already on. FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt examined how much pressure some of the top head coaches in the sport are dealing with ahead of the 2026 season in the most recent episode of the “Joel Klatt Show.” Which coaches are on the hot seat? Which coaches could be on the hot seat? Klatt placed the coaches dealing with some sort of pressure into five categories: Just Happy You’re Here; We Like You, But …; Just Trying To Be Patient; Is This Going To Work and It’s Time. So, here’s Klatt’s pressure index for 10 of the top coaches ahead of the 2026 season. Just Happy You’re Here Klatt: “All in LSU has gone — not only on the roster, but with Lane. I know they’re in a honeymoon phase after Brian Kelly. LSU always has high expectations. They spent plenty of money right away. I don’t think there’s a pressure point right now. I think they’re just happy he’s there. “I think that is a realization of what LSU has been recently. LSU has only finished in the top 25 two times since they’ve won a national championship in 2019. That was their only College Football Playoff appearance. Lane’s going to be under pressure Nov. 7 against Alabama. Not an easy schedule. I do have this sneaky feeling that Lane and LSU are going to roll out against Clemson, and we’re all going to open our eyes and go, ‘Oh, that’s one of the best rosters in all of college football.’ They’ve certainly spent enough money on it. … They might just be really, really good.” Klatt: “Kyle’s one of the best head coaches in the entire sport, and you’re just happy he’s there. The way that things ended with Sherrone Moore, things could have gone south in a hurry for Michigan, particularly with the timing of everything that happened. Then they get Kyle Whittingham. Instead, they bring in, I think, one of the best coaches in America. “Michigan got a full offseason with Whittingham, so they should be in pretty good shape. By the way, that was a nine-win team. In the middle of all that dysfunction, they still won nine games with a true freshman quarterback. Now, the pressure point game for Michigan, I think, is a home game against Penn State [on] Oct. 17. Ohio State is always a huge one. Oklahoma is going to be a monster one.” We Like You, But … Klatt: “Didn’t go well last year. They started No. 4. Finished 7-6. Clemson has not finished in the top 10 since Trevor Lawrence; that was five seasons ago. Dabo’s in his 18th full year at Clemson. He’s been heavily criticized for not adapting to the new world of college football. He has slowly come around. “I think Clemson fans at this point are saying to themselves, ‘We like you, but …’ there’s a huge pressure point for Dabo: Miami in their fifth game. Could be LSU, but Miami is in conference. Clemson has run the ACC. They have dominated the ACC. Now it seems like Miami’s conference. Then you wonder, what’s the gap? Is Miami head and shoulders above Clemson? They were a year ago. Miami is going to be loaded again.” Just Trying To Be Patient Klatt: “They made the SEC Championship Game. They won a playoff game. But they did get hammered by Georgia in the championship game, and they got absolutely crushed by Indiana. I think Kalen DeBoer took the hardest job in America, at, maybe, the most difficult time ever. Following Nick Saban, he did get a two-year extension in April through the 2032 season, and he’s gone 20-8. I actually really like Kalen DeBoer; 20-8 in his first two seasons is not terrible, but four losses in each season — we haven’t seen four losses from Alabama since Saban’s first year in 2007. Going into this season, I think the pressure’s on him. “With a quarterback who hasn’t started a game in his career, whether it’s Austin Mack or Keelon Russell. The schedule’s not terrible, but their first five games are very winnable. Then they’ve got this critical four-game stretch in the middle of the season … right now, this fan base is trying to be patient.” Is This Going To Work? Klatt: “Let me just start with this. Let’s put him in the category right away: Is this going to work? Year 3 for Rhule and his history has always been a huge bump. Temple and Baylor. Last year was Year 3 and this year is Year 4. He’s gone 19-19; he’s .500. Rhule was known for that Year 3 pop. And they did win seven in the regular season. That was the first time they won seven in the regular season since 2016. You can say it was a step forward. But the way that they finished doesn’t feel like that. “He did get a two-year contract extension through 2032. They lost four of their last five. To be fair, they lost their quarterback; [Dylan] Raiola got hurt. It wasn’t the same after he got hurt. They are moving forward, but there is a question for this fanbase: ‘Is it going to work?’ The schedule sets up for a hot start. Really good shot at being 5-0 for the Cornhuskers. Nobody is expecting them to beat Indiana or Oregon. The Washington game on Oct. 31st, that’s the game that could send the entire season in a different direction.” Klatt: “Belichick going to North Carolina was one of the biggest surprises I had on my bingo board, and that we’ve seen in recent years. First year, 4-8. Those four wins were against Charlotte, Richmond, Syracuse, who was terrible, and Stanford. We didn’t see a buttoned-up, fundamentally sound team that we are accustomed to seeing from Belichick. That’s a big adjustment to coaching the pros, and men, to 19-year-olds. “Belichick made one major change in the offseason. He did not bring back Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator, and Bobby’s a very good offensive coach. I think the pressure point is right out of the gate, Week 0, TCU in Dublin. I mean, TCU hammered them last year, hammered them. That wasn’t even close. After TCU, they’ll face Clemson in the third game, Notre Dame in the fourth game. Again, those aren’t measuring sticks for me for North Carolina.” Klatt: “Year 6 for Beamer at South Carolina. He’s 33-30. I think they wanted more out of Beamer. They gave him an extension after that 2024 season. They finished with nine wins. He had more wins than any other South Carolina coach in four years. But then last year went really poorly. Really poorly. Last year they started in the top 15, and got all the way up to 10 before the wheels absolutely came off. They finished 4-8. He needs to get things stabilized; otherwise, things could get uncomfortable for him. They do have LaNorris Sellers. They do have Dylan Stewart—cornerstones to build around for this roster. There’s no doubt. “Their schedule does not do Beamer any favors. The fans are looking around and asking themselves ‘Is this going to work?’ I think the pressure point is Tennessee at home on Oct. 24. Lose that one and, yikes. They’re going to have at Oklahoma, Texas A&M, at Arkansas, Georgia and at Clemson. Things could go south in a hurry.” It’s Time Klatt: “I think there’s some pressure there. I’m a big fan of this USC team. This is Year 5 of Lincoln at USC. I think Trojan fans expected a start that they got, when they almost made it to the playoffs, and then sustaining that. And they obviously took a couple of steps back in their next couple of years. 27 teams have made the College Football Playoff, and USC is not one of them. They should be better than this and we know that. “I think the mood of Trojan fans about Lincoln Riley is that it’s time. There’s a real opportunity to make a mark with this team. This is a team that went 9-3 last year in the regular season; this is a team that beat Michigan physically on their home field. … The pressure point is not Oregon at home …they go to Penn State. That’s the pressure point. That’s likely going to be a whiteout, Oct. 10. This would be a monumental win for USC. If they win that game, they might just go to the playoff.” Klatt: “Year 6 in Austin for Sark. They’ve been to the semifinals twice. Texas opened as the No. 1 team in the country, and then missed the playoff. He does have three straight 10-win seasons, but he’s got Arch Manning. And they just spent a lot of money, he’s been doing some talking in the offseason. “They loaded up with weapons around, they’ve got that huge game against Ohio State and a really difficult schedule. One of the most difficult schedules in the country. And yet, don’t you get the sense that after those two semifinals appearances, and last year maybe an underwhelming performance from the Texas Longhorns, I think it’s time. I think that this fanbase looks at Sark and looks at Texas and says ‘Alright, it’s time. It’s time to win the SEC. It’s time to really play for that national championship.’” Klatt: “I think he’s one of the best coaches in America. Every single year, Oregon has taken a step forward under Dan Lanning. They were good his first year. Then, in his second year, they won the Big Ten. They were the No. 1 seed and got beat by the eventual national champion, the Ohio State Buckeyes. Then, he goes to the semifinal, so he wins a playoff game. They beat up on Texas Tech. And then Indiana housed them, and scored over 50 points. “He’s averaged 12 wins per year in his first four years as a head coach. Lanning has a group that is built to win it all. Stud experienced quarterback, talented defensive line, also experienced, could’ve gone to the National Football League but came back. They’ve got a ton of talent at wide receiver, running back. At 40 years old, he’d be the youngest to win a title since Bob Stoops did in 2000 at Oklahoma. “But I get the sense that Oregon fans are thinking to themselves … ‘It’s our time.’ Their toughest game is going to be going to USC … going to Ohio State … Michigan at home, Washington at home. Those are all decently difficult games. The pressure index really heats up for Dan Lanning once they’re in the CFP.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Cape Verde made more World Cup history on Monday when Sidny Lopes Cabral won the public vote for goal of the tournament. Lopes Cabral’s curling shot into the far top corner of the Argentina net was a standout moment at the World Cup where the unheralded African team made a stellar debut. His goal tied defending champion Argentina at 2-2 in extra time of their thrilling round of 32 game in Miami Gardens. Cape Verde would eventually lose 3-2. Lopes Cabral’s goal was voted best of the 308 goals scored at the tournament, ahead of Eldor Shomurodov’s delicate lob for Uzbekistan against Congo and Wilson Isidor of Haiti scoring with a powerful rising shot against Morocco. FIFA drew up a shortlist of 12 goals for public voting that closed Monday. Lopes Cabral’s celebration also entered World Cup lore as he broke free of teammates reaching to grab him before climbing into the tribune to hug his girlfriend and look for his mother. “Before the game, I’d told my mom and my girlfriend that if I scored, I’d run over to them,” he said. “When I got there, I saw my mom crying. She hadn’t even realized I was right there. Everyone was busy tending to her because she had fainted when I scored.” Cape Verde defied both World Cup finalists in its four games, after goalkeeper Vozinha’s standout display saw his team open with a 0-0 draw to stun eventual champion Spain. Reporting by The Associated Press.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Thousands upon thousands of people will have a role in how the 2026 NFL season will play out. However, only a small percentage of that group will control the storylines this fall and who’ll play for the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 14. Who will those people be? Well, we know that quarterbacks have the strongest influence over the final result on the field. But from star players to owners and NFL executives, there are many other people you should know about who’ll shape the year ahead. So, as we say goodbye to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and begin the countdown to the start of the 2026 NFL season, here are the 100 people who’ll shape the upcoming year. JUMP TO: QBs Bad Teams Are Competing To Draft Impactful Offseason Adds Impact Rookies | Breakout Candidates Intriguing New Hires | Coaches Who Must Make The PlayoffsFuture Head Coach Candidates | Power Brokers DPOY Candidates | OPOY Candidates Bounce-Back Candidates Who Will Shape The Trade Deadline The OL Who Can Win Games | Contracts On The Line 1 Celeb Who Could Impact The Season We start with the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, who led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes last year. With the Rams trading for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, there’s a clear win-now push that makes their season very Super Bowl or bust, even with the defending champs in their division. Can Stafford stay healthy for another full season at age 38? That’s arguably the biggest vulnerability for a Los Angeles team trying to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium. Maye was a breakout star in 2025, finishing as runner-up for both the MVP and the Super Bowl. The Patriots traded for A.J. Brown and signed Romeo Doubs, so he could easily surpass the 31 touchdown passes he had last season. Oddsmakers are expecting a step back from New England, facing a first-place schedule, so his challenge is validating his success with more of the same. If they’re the team to beat in the AFC, that starts with holding off the Bills for the division title, or else the Patriots will be on the road in the playoffs. The Bills will have the NFL’s first new stadium in six years, and fresh off his 30th birthday, the goal for Allen is to get playoff football games back to Buffalo. They had two thrillers on the road in 2025, winning at Jacksonville before losing in overtime at Denver. Allen’s won at least one playoff game six years in a row, but lost to the Chiefs in four of those seasons. With D.J. Moore as a new weapon to throw to, can Allen get back in the MVP conversation, or lead Buffalo on a deep playoff run to show off that new stadium? It’s hard to imagine a steeper two-year climb, going from journeyman backup to consecutive 14-3 seasons and a Super Bowl championship last year with Seattle. Darnold had five touchdown passes and no interceptions in the playoffs last season. Can he help the Seahawks hold off the Rams and 49ers in a stacked NFC West? Can he find the same success with a first-time coordinator as Brian Fleury takes over for Klint Kubiak? We don’t have to explain how hard it is to repeat as a Super Bowl champ these days. Just how much will Mahomes be back once he’s back? He’s recovering from a torn ACL, but he also hasn’t thrown more than 27 touchdown passes in any of the last three seasons, and the Chiefs missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The Chiefs’ division won’t be easy, but Kansas City went 15-2 just two seasons ago, and Mahomes still has a 17-4 record in the playoffs. They’ll be lurking in the Broncos’ shadow (and maybe the Chargers’ as well), but if anyone can grab the NFL spotlight in a hurry, it’s a healthy Mahomes. How much can a new head coach and offensive coordinator spark Jackson in his ninth NFL season? Limited by injuries, Jackson rushed for less than half as many yards in any season since his rookie year, and threw for 20 fewer touchdowns than in 2024. How much will he miss center Tyler Linderbaum, who’s gone to the Raiders? A healthy, upgraded defense — welcome back, defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike — should put the Ravens in a better position to play with the lead and control the game on the ground. Could Williams possibly match last year’s remarkable total of seven fourth-quarter comebacks? Williams’ growth under Ben Johnson last year was impressive — of 47 quarterbacks ever to throw at least 800 passes in their first two NFL seasons, Williams had the fewest interceptions with just 13, four less than anyone else. Chicago has a young group of receivers and tight ends to throw to, including two rookies in receiver Zavion Thomas and tight end Sam Roush. Good chance he’s the first Bears quarterback to throw 30 touchdown passes in a season. Is this the year Herbert breaks through with playoff relevance? He’s played six seasons, has a quarter-billion-dollar contract to show for it, but is 0-3 in the playoffs with two total touchdown passes. He has no excuse this year, with Mike McDaniel in as coordinator and a revamped, healthy offensive line — both are huge boosts after a struggle in 2025. If Herbert wants to be seen among the elite under-30 quarterbacks in the league, he has to find a way to lead his team in January as other young quarterbacks have been able to do. Is there a more polarizing quarterback among his own fans? Hurts has one Super Bowl MVP and scored four touchdowns in another Super Bowl, and yet, he’s the target for much of the Eagles’ offensive issues. Another new offensive coordinator is in place with Sean Mannion — A.J. Brown is gone to the Patriots and the Eagles upgraded their depth by adding rookie Makai Lemon and veterans Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown. He set a career high with 25 passing touchdowns last year and could top that again in 2026. Three straight years without making the playoffs? Seems impossible, but that’s Burrow and the Bengals, scuttled by a terrible defense. Burrow was also limited to eight games by injury last year. Can he get back to his prolific 2024 form, throwing for a league-best 43 touchdowns? Adding Dexter Lawrence will help that defense, but Cincinnati will still have to score in the 30s to beat good opponents. In the last two seasons, the Bengals have four games scoring 38-plus points and losing; the rest of the NFL has five such games, total. A fractured ankle kept Nix out of the AFC Championship Game, where a 10-7 loss ended Denver’s season. Who knows how things change if he’s healthy in that game. Nix threw more passes (612) than any quarterback in the NFL last year, but he finished 26th in passer rating with 25 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. Still, Nix had impressive moments, leading the league in game-winning drives (seven). Denver added receiver Jaylen Waddle, giving Nix another top target, but with not many other additions. The Broncos will be hard-pressed to repeat their 14-3 record last season, and it’ll be on Nix to ensure that they remain a contender. The storyline for Purdy is the same as his team — staying healthy is a huge must for any success in 2026. Purdy was limited to eight games by toe and shoulder injuries last year and still threw for 20 touchdowns. Add a future Hall of Famer in receiver Mike Evans, and the 49ers are part of the best three-wide division race in the NFL, lurking behind the Seahawks and Rams. Purdy has won in Seattle in each of the last two seasons, but now has a $265 million contract and the high expectations that come with that. The Packers added almost nothing on offense and lost receivers Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, as if hoping a healthy Micah Parsons (eventually), an upgraded defense and Love can help them compete in a tough division. Love didn’t have the most amazing stats last season, throwing 23 touchdowns against six picks. But Green Bay scored 27 or more points nine times in its 9-3-1 start before scoring 27 or fewer in a five-game losing streak to end its 2025 season. Love will lean on a healthy Tucker Kraft and hope that Matthew Golden can take a big step in his second season. Prescott needs six touchdown passes to surpass Tony Romo for the Cowboys career record, and 12 wins to pass Troy Aikman for the Dallas record for a starting quarterback. The latter is what his legacy in Dallas hinges on — can he, with a record $60 million a year contract, be the guy to get Dallas to a conference championship to end a 30-year drought? He’s 33, has two elite receivers in George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, and with luck, an improved defense. The big question: can he improve on a 2-5 career playoff record? Does Rodgers have one great season left in him at age 42? Rodgers hasn’t made a Pro Bowl since 2021, hasn’t won a playoff game since 2020, and this looks to be his last shot, back full circle with Mike McCarthy. He’s averaged 26 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in his last three full seasons as a starter, not bad but not close to his prime. Pittsburgh has lost its last seven playoff games, so he’ll either get to go out ending that streak, or finish a first-ballot Hall of Fame career with four wandering years for largely irrelevant teams. Detroit had a top-five offense last year in points, yards and a few other key stats, but it went 9-8 and missed the playoffs. Goff had 34 touchdowns against only eight interceptions, and he’ll have a new offensive coordinator in Drew Petzing with a chance to get the Lions closer to their 15-2 record in 2024. The Lions’ amazing 2023 draft class is getting very expensive very quickly, so there’s a limited window to win with Goff ($53 million a year) before his supporting cast makes it hard to keep the depth you need to win at a high level. Manning — the nephew of Peyton and Eli and grandson of Archie Manning — will likely play his final season of college football at Texas this fall, and he enters the college football season as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2027. Several teams expected to struggle this fall, including the Cardinals and Dolphins, will be at the top of the draft and in need of a quarterback. Will Manning live up to the hype in 2026 after an underwhelming 2025? If he does, it’ll make it easier for teams to accept losing down the homestretch. Moore was expected to be a top pick in the 2026 draft before his surprise decision to return to the Ducks. They’ll be among the favorites to win the national title, especially as they get a quarterback of Moore’s talent back in the mix. Moore threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in his first year starting at Oregon, completing 72% of his passes. He’ll have a new coordinator and lost a few key targets from last season, but keep an eye on speedy UAB transfer Iverson Hooks. If Moore can build on his 2025 success, he’ll be a Heisman candidate and a potential top-five draft pick in 2027. Sayin broke out as a first-year starter in 2025, taking a talented receiving corps and completing 77% of his passes, with 32 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He’ll still have Jeremiah Smith to throw to, as well as talented freshman Chris Henry Jr., so there’s every expectation of continued success. Sayin’s size — 6-foot-1, 208 pounds — will be a question mark, but his productivity at the highest levels of college football will keep him in the top tier of a talented 2027 quarterback draft class. It’s not just giving up a first-round pick to get McDuffie from the Chiefs, as the Rams also gave him a new contract paying $31 million a year. He and Jaylen Watson are part of a new-look secondary, as the Rams remember Sam Darnold throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns to beat them in the playoffs. McDuffie could play outside and inside at nickel — with what he’s making, he’ll need to make a bigger impact in the turnover game than three total interceptions in his four years in Kansas City. Watch for forced fumbles, as he has eight in his four-year career. Can Hendrickson still get to the quarterback at age 31? Baltimore, having pulled out of the Maxx Crosby trade, gave Hendrickson four years and $112 million. So is he the player who had 17.5 sacks each in 2023 and 2024, or the guy who had four last year, limited to seven games by a core muscle injury. Baltimore went from 53 sacks in 2024 to just 30 last year, with no player getting more than five. Moving in the division means he gets a chance to face the Bengals twice and play a key role in which team wins the AFC North. It’s not often a team deals a top-10 pick for a veteran non-quarterback, but the Bengals did that to land Lawrence, 28, from the Giants, even coming off a season with 0.5 sacks. Cincinnati ranked 30th in scoring defense and 31st in total defense, but even a modest improvement to around 20th would be enough. Pairing that with the Bengals’ prolific offense to get them back in the playoffs and save head coach Zac Taylor’s job. Adding Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe to the starting front and safety Bryan Cook on the back end is a big help. You add the defending Super Bowl MVP to a franchise that’s been to five Super Bowls (winning three) in the last seven years, and it’s a no-brainer addition to this list. Kansas City hasn’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Kareem Hunt in 2017, so Walker is a complement that Patrick Mahomes has largely played without in his time in Kansas City. Can that help get the Chiefs back to the playoffs? Walker’s 313 rushing yards in the playoffs last year in just three games match the most any Kansas City running back has ever had in a postseason. The last time Brown got a fresh start with a new team, he went for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns, helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl. Last year was overshadowed by drama, and he finally was traded to the Patriots, where he could be a huge addition for Drake Maye. He averaged a career-low 12.9 yards per catch last season, with no catch longer than 45 yards, but should be able to add a big-play presence to New England’s offense, which had only six passing plays of 40-plus yards last season, ninth-lowest in the league. One of the more surprising departures in free agency was Evans leaving the Buccaneers after 12 seasons and 108 career touchdowns. He was limited to eight games last year by hamstring and collarbone injuries, ending his streak of 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons, but now he gives the 49ers a clear-cut No. 1 receiver whose size makes him a red zone weapon. A bar trivia question that Evans could change the answer to: Who’s the last 49ers receiver to catch 10 or more touchdowns in a season? It goes all the way back to 2002 and Terrell Owens. New Orleans hasn’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Mark Ingram in 2017, and Etienne did that three times in four years in Jacksonville, so the Saints gave him $13 million a year to essentially supplant Alvin Kamara and upgrade their running game. Etienne also caught six touchdown passes last year, so he’s a dual threat in the red zone. New Orleans won four straight in December last year after a 2-10 start, and the NFC South is wide-open enough that a consistent run game will go a long way toward giving the Saints a shot. Not many rookies are on this list, but Downs has a chance to do something special after falling to Dallas at No. 11 overall. The Cowboys had a historically bad defense in 2025 — giving up more than 30 points per game, the highest in the NFL and most in franchise history. Downs’ presence in the secondary is just one of perhaps six new defensive starters, and one of five defensive players taken in the first four rounds. If there’s a new defensive identity to have post-Micah Parsons, Downs is the kind of player who can set that tone. Las Vegas isn’t likely to contend for a playoff spot in 2026, but Mendoza could put it on an upward trajectory. The Raiders were dead last in total offense and scoring offense last season, mustering only 14.2 points per game. Las Vegas still has a weak receiving corps, but it wouldn’t be hard for Mendoza to exceed the 15 touchdown passes thrown each by the Giants’ Jaxson Dart and the Titans’ Cam Ward as rookies last year. First question: How quickly do they shift from Kirk Cousins to the rookie? No half of an NFL team may have as much change as Washington’s defense, and with good reason. The Commanders gave up a league-high 384 yards per game last year, a huge part of why they flipped from 12-5 in 2024 to 5-12 in 2025. Styles went seventh overall to Washington — 6-foot-5 and 244 pounds, running a 4.46 40, the kind of player you can rebuild a defense around. Inside linebacker is a devalued position across the league, but he could quickly establish himself as one of the league’s best in the middle. Edge rusher is a tough position to make a splash as a rookie — when Atlanta’s James Pearce had 10.5 sacks last year, he was the first rookie to get double-digit sacks in four seasons. Bailey is the first of three Jets first-round picks, with tight end Kenyon Sadiq and receiver Omar Cooper, and the one poised to make the biggest impact. New York will do well to stay ahead of Miami in the AFC East, but as it looks to become a contender down the road, Bailey is the kind of defensive star you can build around. How can Arizona do anything to define the 2026 NFL season, you ask? The Cardinals are fourth in the toughest division in the league, but if they’re going to upset the Seahawks, Rams or 49ers, they’ll need a big impact from the third overall pick in this draft. Love might be the non-factor that Ashton Jeanty was with the Raiders last year, but with perhaps the worst QB room in the NFL, first-year coach Mike LaFleur will lean on his run game and a retooled offensive line. Love will need an impact season to justify being picked so high. Remember the excitement surrounding Carter as a rookie? The third overall pick in last year’s draft managed only four sacks as a rookie, but now has a chance to make a leap in Year 2 as part of a loaded defensive front that also includes Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and rookie Arvell Reese. Can new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson get more from a unit that was second-worst against the run in the NFL? If the Giants are to contend in the NFC East, they need to make even more progress on defense than they do on offense. From Week 8 through the end of the 2025 regular season, 33 NFL running backs had 100-plus carries, and Henderson had the second-most yards per carry out of that group (5.5), behind only Miami’s De’Von Achane. New England found a potent 1-2 punch in the ground game with Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson, and that will be the case again in 2026. It’s always tougher to run in the playoffs, and Henderson was held in check, totaling 76 rushing yards on 2.5 yards per carry in four games, but he could be a much bigger presence in this year’s postseason. Dart made headlines off the field during the offseason, but he has a chance to build on a strong rookie season, with so much improved around him, from John Harbaugh as head coach to getting Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo healthy to adding pieces like Isaiah Likely and a ton of veteran receivers. Dart had 15 touchdown passes against only five interceptions as a rookie, plus another nine rushing touchdowns. His profile can rise the fastest by turning losses into wins and helping the Giants compete in the NFC East. Jeanty has to be better than he was last year, right? Remember how electric Jeanty was at Boise State in 2024? He rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns, then was ordinary as a Raiders rookie, rushing for 975 yards and five rushing touchdowns. Can new coach Klint Kubiak help him realize his big-play potential? A heavy dose of Jeanty is an easy way to make Mendoza’s rookie year less overwhelming — the Raiders are almost assured to be last in the AFC West, but they can take a big step forward from 3-14 in 2025. Hampton was limited by injuries to eight games as a rookie, and he stands to benefit from the Chargers’ offensive upgrades as much as anyone. To be a primary weapon in a Mike McDaniel offense makes him a fantasy sleeper and potential breakout star, playing behind a much-improved offensive line. He’ll be more involved in the pass game and utilized like De’Von Achane was in Miami. Hampton is a microcosm for the Chargers — if he can just stay healthy, he can exceed all kinds of expectations this coming season. The Titans were a bad team last year, finishing in the bottom three in points, total yards, rushing yards, passing yards and third-down conversions. But Ward’s finish was a reason for hope — after seven touchdowns and six interceptions in his first 12 NFL games, he had eight touchdowns against one pick in his final five starts. Add top rookie Carnell Tate and free agent Wan’Dale Robinson at wide receiver, and you should have a better offense in 2026 with Brian Daboll calling the offense. Not a playoff team, but much closer to being one. For all the excitement around Hunter as a rare two-way player, his rookie year was a dud, with one touchdown catch and no interceptions before a knee injury ended his season after seven games. Can the former No. 2 overall pick get at least comfortable on defense and become a playmaker there? The Jaguars had more losses than additions in the offseason, so they’re trusting returning players to improve if they expect to match a surprising 13-4 record in 2025. Any impact on offense would feel like a bonus at this point. If only the Saints had given Shough the keys in Week 1 last year. Instead, they were 1-8 when he took over as starter, and he went 5-4. Throwing 10 touchdown passes in nine games (rushing for three more) isn’t amazing, but an offense that scored 20-plus points just twice in the first 12 games did so in four straight games, and won all four. Now, Shough has rookie receiver Jordyn Tyson and running back Travis Etienne, with better talent to shine in Kellen Moore’s offense. Can he lead the Saints to win a wide-open NFC South in 2026? As the Giants are looking for playoff consistency that’s eluded the franchise since their last Super Bowl win, Harbaugh has been a face of consistency. However, Harbaugh set the bar so high for himself with the Ravens that he was fired after failing to reach the playoffs this past year, allowing a Giants franchise with one playoff win in the last 14 years to land him. Can a veteran staff get more from Jaxson Dart and a healthy Cam Skattebo, not to mention a loaded defensive front that now has rookie Arvell Reese, second-year pro Abdul Carter and Brian Burns? Can they be a factor in the NFC East? As first-year head coaching opportunities go, Jesse Minter has a strong one, taking over a veteran team that just missed the playoffs with a former MVP at quarterback. The Ravens have been good-not-great for a long time, consistently getting to the postseason but not winning more than one playoff game in any season since their Super Bowl championship in 2012. Changing that in a first year as head coach isn’t easy, but two solid coordinators (Declan Doyle on offense and Anthony Weaver on defense) will help him try to pull it off in 2026. The NFL rarely promotes to replace a fired coach, but Buffalo did just that, moving on from Sean McDermott after seven straight years with at least 10 wins. Joe Brady built a top-five offense around Josh Allen and James Cook and should have the same again, with new coordinator Jim Leonhard on board to try to improve the defense. The Bills had won five straight division titles before last season, so with the excitement of opening a new stadium, the key goals start with getting back ahead of the Patriots to host a home playoff game. Macdonald has 24 wins and a Super Bowl championship in his first two years as a head coach, and while the Seahawks took some hits in free agency, the best story in the NFL might be the three-way battle for the NFC West title. Seattle went 2-2 against San Francisco and Los Angeles in the regular season last year, then swept them in the playoffs. How well can the Seahawks fare with targets on their back all season as defending champs? This was the NFL’s No. 1 defense and No. 3 offense last year, so don’t overlook their balance and talent. Can the Bears improve on a breakout first year under Johnson? They went 11-6, won the NFC North and got their first playoff win in 15 years as Johnson brought out the best in second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. Chicago had so many last-second and comeback victories that it seems difficult to repeat, but emerging young talent like receiver Luther Burden and tight end Colston Loveland could improve what was already a top-five passing attack. Can his defense come close to leading the NFL in takeaways again? A tumultuous offseason put Vrabel in constant headlines, going from a Super Bowl appearance in February to having to step away from the team during the NFL Draft because of an off-the-field scandal. Getting back to football will help him push that away from the spotlight, but a first-place schedule has expectations down for New England, tied for the sixth-best odds to win the Super Bowl. A rematch with Seattle to open the 2026 NFL season will set the tone for what’s ahead. McVay is eight wins away from recording 100 for his career, doing so by the age of 40, but his 2026 looks like a Super Bowl or bust season, given the investments to trade for elite players like edge rusher Myles Garrett and corner Trent McDuffie. Los Angeles’ two losses to Seattle came by one point in overtime and four points in the NFC Championship Game — reversing those could be as simple as winning the NFC West and making sure a rematch with Seattle is played in Los Angeles, perhaps setting up home-field advantage in the Super Bowl in February. What Shanahan did last year to squeeze 12 wins out of an injury-depleted 49ers roster was commendable, and San Francisco added significant pieces — receiver Mike Evans among them — to try to keep up in the NFC West. However, the 49ers managed only three and six points in losses to the Seahawks in Week 18 and in the playoffs, respectively, and the defense lost Robert Saleh to the Titans job. If they’re healthy, the 49ers will definitely be a contender in the division and for a championship, as part of a three-wide battle in the NFC West all season. The Chargers have gone 11-6 in each of Jim Harbaugh’s two seasons in Los Angeles, but lost in the wild-card round both seasons while scoring 12 and 3 points. Adding offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel will help, as will having two healthy tackles and a revamped interior on the offensive line. If the Chargers are a real contender, you’ll know it from this daunting stretch from Weeks 3-10: at Bills, at Seahawks, vs. Broncos, at Chiefs, at Rams, vs. Texans, at Ravens. If they stay healthy, they should emerge as a strong team. Did a dynasty end last year when Kansas City missed the playoffs, or is that just a fluke fueled by injuries? The Chiefs won nine straight division titles with five Super Bowls and three championships in seven years. Will Patrick Mahomes get back to his elite self? Does Travis Kelce have one more big year left in him as he turns 37? Can a retooled secondary, including rookie corner Mansoor Delane, get the Chiefs back in the playoffs? Andy Reid and the Chiefs have a chance to be the NFL’s big comeback story in 2026. Even-numbered years suit Sirianni, who led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in the 2022 season and then won in the 2024 season. He’s 0-3 in the playoffs in odd-numbered years, but here we are in 2026. Can his fifth offensive coordinator in five seasons (Sean Mannion) find the right chemistry with Jalen Hurts? Philadelphia ranked 24th in total offense last year, but a slew of new weapons in the passing game and a healthy Lane Johnson should help that. Can they make it three straight NFC East titles? Coen’s first year was a wild success for Jacksonville, going 13-4 and winning a division title, even though the Jaguars lost in the wild-card round. Few teams stood pat as much as Jacksonville did, quiet in free agency and without its top draft picks — you could argue it didn’t add a new starter in the offseason. Can Trevor Lawrence continue to grow and improve in Coen’s second year? Can Travis Hunter be the impact player Jacksonville drafted him to be — on defense at least? Keeping up with Houston won’t be easy. Two playoff wins in 2023, then a 15-2 regular season in 2024, but Detroit is just 9-9 since then, including the playoffs. Losing Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn in the same offseason will do that to a franchise. Can Drew Petzing get more from Jared Goff and the offense? Can they overcome the arrest and subsequent release of cornerback Terrion Arnold, taking away a former first-round pick for at least part of the season? The NFC North will be a four-wide battle, perhaps for only two playoff spots, so a healthy Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph could help the Lions return to the postseason. There are 36 new coordinators across the NFL, including 21 on offense. McDaniel is the most intriguing of the group, signing on to work with Justin Herbert and help get him his first career playoff win. Los Angeles went 11-6 last year, although its offense ranked 20th in scoring and 18th in passing yards, so McDaniel will try to get more out of a revamped interior offensive line. Second-year running back Omarion Hampton could have a monster season ahead, and watch out for speedy rookie Mississippi State wide receiver Brenen Thompson to complement its returning options. The London-born Durde enters his third year running Seattle’s defense, underappreciated for his role in their championship run. The Seahawks won the Super Bowl while committing the second-most turnovers in the NFL last year, thanks to a defense that was No. 1 in points allowed and the league’s toughest on third downs. If the Seahawks can repeat that dominance after losing a few key pieces in free agency (Boye Mafe, Tariq Woolen, Coby Bryant), then Durde will be a top head coaching candidate in the 2027 hiring cycle. Parker, 34, has arguably the NFL’s biggest challenge, taking over a Dallas defense that was the only unit in the NFL to give up 30 points a game last year. He helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl two years ago, but is a first-time coordinator with all sorts of new pieces to work with. Can safety Caleb Downs make an immediate impact? Can edge rusher Rashan Gary and safety Jalen Thompson help forge a new identity? Parker must try to settle in and find himself faster than the three new offensive coordinators he’ll face in the NFC East. Running Sean McVay’s offense has been a stepping stone to head coaching jobs — Matt LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell, Liam Coen and Mike LaFleur all took that path. Scheelhaase, 35, was a hot candidate a year ago without ever being an NFL coordinator, but stayed in Los Angeles for a high-profile promotion. The Rams may have zero new starters on offense, so he’s tasked with sustaining an elite level — No. 1 in points and total yards last year — and coming through in the playoffs with nothing short of Super Bowl expectations. August will mark 20 years for Goodell as NFL commissioner, just the third person to hold the job since 1960, following Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue. His tenure has been marked by incredible growth and success for the league, ramping up billion-dollar TV contracts and extending the NFL’s lead as the most popular American sports league. The NFL is now at more than $23 billion a year, setting the standard for pro franchise values. What will be Goodell’s next major move — 18 games for all teams or 16 international games each year? Mulugheta has more than 40 NFL clients as part of Athletes First, which has an NFL portfolio of roughly $4 billion in current NFL contracts. He has 13 players making $20 million a year or more, and the biggest clients include Packers quarterback Jordan Love and Green Bay outside linebacker Micah Parsons, with Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud among those who could be in line for major paydays during or after the season. With a few major agencies centralizing the NFL’s biggest players, Mulugheta’s a powerful part of the league. O’Reilly oversees the NFL’s international development, growing rapidly every year and up to nine games for 2026. The league will add high-profile games in Melbourne and Paris, will return to Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Munich and have three more games in London. The eventual plan is to have 16 international games every year — one for every team — as the league seeks a global product and works to find the best way to implement that without taxing teams with unusual travel during the season. Japan and Scotland could be next, and having these games run smoothly is crucial to the continued growth. Tretter stepped into a difficult situation and has major issues on his plate, perhaps not realizing change during the 2026 season but still at the forefront of any talk of the NFL’s future. Should the players embrace adding an 18th game each year, and what can they get as a concession for that? How will the NFL’s increasing international footprint change the complexity of scheduling each year? Will they push back against the league’s expansion into other days of the week? How will they navigate gambling issues amid the league’s prominent relationship with gambling sites? Even if it isn’t in 2026, he’ll steer the NFLPA through major changes in the near future. Fanatics is a merchandise giant, working with the NFL as the league’s official e-commerce partner, which means designing, manufacturing and distributing merchandise as well as handling online sales for 29 of the league’s 32 teams. The league announced an expansion of its partnership in April, making Fanatics the on-site retailer at major NFL events ranging from the Super Bowl to the NFL Draft and the league’s many international games. If you’re buying NFL apparel as millions do, you’re likely dealing with Fanatics. The NFL avoided a work stoppage in ratifying a new CBA for its officials, covering the next seven years, and new changes will include the creation of a 12-official “practice squad” to work with existing crews and be available for elevation to work NFL games. Officiating and replay will always be part of the NFL storyline, and the new CBA will allow for greater evaluation to be used in the selection of officials for playoff games and less on seniority. Fewell and NFLRA president Carl Cheffers want as few negative headlines as possible. Garrett set the NFL single-season sack record with 23 last year, and a monster trade sent him to the Rams, reinforcing them as Super Bowl favorites. The league’s Defensive Player of the Year had one playoff win in nine seasons in Cleveland, so he’ll immediately have a chance to show what he can do on a strong contender. Garrett’s already at 125.5 career sacks and only 30 years old, so if he stays healthy, you can start talking about him challenging Bruce Smith’s NFL career record of 200 by the 2029 season. Hamilton is only 25 and already has three Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro nods, and now he has a defensive-minded head coach in Jesse Minter. Can Baltimore stay healthy and be a more consistent unit on defense? The Ravens gave up 37 or more points four times last year, after only two such games against them total in the previous three seasons. An improved defensive front will free up Hamilton to be more like his breakout 2023 season, when he had four interceptions and 10 tackles for loss. Last season was a resounding return for Hutchinson after missing most of 2024 with injury, recording a career-best 14.5 sacks and as many forced fumbles (4) as he’d totaled in his first three seasons. His new deal pays him $45 million a year, and as Detroit works to get back to the playoffs in a super-tough division, he’ll need to be at the top of his game. Much of the Lions’ pass-rush depth is new, from rookie Derrick Moore to journeyman reserves like Peyton Turner and D.J. Wonnum. Anderson is yet to have more than 12 sacks in a season, but at 24, he’s already the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history, getting $50 million a year on a new extension. Houston had the NFL’s No. 1 total defense and No. 2 in points allowed, and that starts with Anderson and Danielle Hunter up front. The Texans have won a playoff game in each of Anderson’s three NFL seasons and if they’re to get beyond that this season, he and that defense will lead the charge. Watt has made eight straight Pro Bowls, but finished third on his own team in sacks last season with seven. At 31, he’s making $41 million a year with the next two years fully guaranteed, so he’s front and center leading the Steelers’ defense with a new head coach and coordinator. Can Pittsburgh get back to a top-10 defense to stay ahead of Baltimore and Cincinnati? Having a winning season every year is remarkable, but the Steelers’ last playoff win was in the 2016 season, the year before Watt was drafted. Can he help change that? Who is the best corner in the NFL? Stingley has a chance to make his case in 2026 to show he’s worth the massive $30 million-a-year extension he got from the Texans. Houston has the best defense in the NFL, but that’s usually credited to Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter up front. Stingley has at least four interceptions in each of the last three seasons — no other player in the NFL can boast that. Still only 25, coming off back-to-back first-team All-Pro nods, he can show he’s elite by helping the defense carry the Texans in 2026. DeJean is still only 23 as he enters his third season, coming off a first-team All-Pro nod as part of a top-five Eagles defense. Philadelphia added a few new pieces — edge Jonathan Greenard and corner Tariq Woolen — and held its last 12 opponents to 24 points or fewer. DeJean played everywhere in the secondary last year, but is likely set now as a safety in base defense and inside in nickel, still showing his versatility while staying as an every-down playmaker, a key movable piece in Vic Fangio’s scheme. Denver went 14-3 last year and had the AFC’s top seed, led by a defense that was third in points allowed and second in yards. How do the Broncos improve on that? Takeaways. Surtain made his fourth straight Pro Bowl, but did so with only one interception, on a defense that had only 14 takeaways, tied for fourth-fewest in the league. The Broncos will have legit challenges within the division from the Chargers and Chiefs, so getting more turnovers is one way for the Broncos to hold their ground as a team to beat in the AFC. Which Seattle presence should be first on the list? “JSN” earned AP Offensive Player of the Year honors after leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards, then had a massive game in the Seahawks’ conference title win over the Rams. He landed a four-year, $168 million contract paying him what used to be considered elite quarterback money, so he’ll need to play like the best receiver in the league to justify that. He only topped 100 receiving yards twice in his final nine games of 2025, so look for sustained success down the stretch. Gibbs will soon join the rare fraternity of $20 million a year running backs, as he well should. In three NFL seasons, he’s made three Pro Bowls and averaged 13 touchdowns and nearly 1,200 rushing yards per year, as well as 60 catches. Detroit disappointed last year with a 9-8 record, but should be back as a playoff team in a difficult NFC North. Can Gibbs get back to his elite 2024 play with new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing? Will he take on an even larger role with David Montgomery off to the Texans and Isiah Pacheco as the new RB2? Cook led the NFL with 1,621 rushing yards last season, making his current four-year, $46 million extension look like a bargain as other backs top $20 million a year. He’s still only 26 years old, and will have continuity with Joe Brady being promoted to head coach. And yet you’ll often see him ranked outside the top five backs in fantasy football. Another year like his 2025 campaign or leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns as he did in 2024, and Cook will have a case for a new contract even with three years left on his existing deal. By on-field production, Nacua has put himself in position to challenge the biggest receiver contract in league history, having led the NFL in receptions with 129 in 2025, even while missing a game. His off-field issues have complicated that, though. Still, Nacua’s averaged 120 catches per season and he’ll be a central part of Matthew Stafford’s passing attack as the Rams enter this season with the highest of expectations. Avoid trouble, and Nacua will be in line for $40 million a year as a highly coveted free agent if the Rams don’t lock him up. McCaffrey stayed healthy for all 17 games last year, making him the glue on a 49ers team that had injuries everywhere else. He just turned 30, but is coming off 1,200 rushing yards, 100 catches and a combined 17 touchdowns. The 49ers are both a top-10 NFL team and seen as the third-best team in the NFC West. McCaffrey rushed for only 179 yards in four games against the Seahawks and Rams, but he had 31 catches in those four games, so he’ll be a central part of San Francisco’s bid to keep up with those two. Robinson is in line for a huge payday — $20 million a year or more — and is playing for an offensive-minded head coach for the first time in Kevin Stefanski. With quarterback in flux as Michael Penix returns from injury and Tua Tagovailoa tries to reset himself as an NFL starter, Atlanta will want to lean on its run game. With Tyler Allgeier gone and Brian Robinson replacing him, Bijan could be in line for a larger role and one of the best fantasy options for 2026. Can he help the Falcons end their eight-year playoff drought? How vital is Taylor to the Colts’ hopes of getting back to the playoffs? He led the NFL in carries last season, and no other Colts running back had 100 rushing yards. Getting Daniel Jones back healthy is a must, but Taylor’s prolific play with a league-best 18 rushing touchdowns and 1,565 yards could give the Colts a real offensive balance. With the Texans and Jaguars both looking like playoff teams again, there’s a limited window to catch them or this could be the end for Shane Steichen in Indianapolis. Losing Joe Burrow for half of 2025 took a big hit on Chase’s production. After leading the NFL in catches, yards and touchdowns for a rare Triple Crown in 2024, he had 296 fewer yards on 10 more targets, with half as many touchdowns. Can a healthy Burrow get Chase back to elite play as he seeks a sixth Pro Bowl in as many seasons? The Bengals’ defense is still a major concern, and if the plan is to try to outscore opponents again, that will mean plenty of Chase, who led the NFL with 185 targets last season. Still going strong at 32, Henry is coming off a 1,595-yard season with 16 rushing touchdowns. If he puts up another season like that, he’ll move from 10th to sixth in career rushing yards and from fourth to third in touchdowns. All this with a new coach and coordinator and a challenge to get Baltimore ahead of Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in a tough AFC North. No player 32 or older has rushed for even 1,200 yards in the last 40 years, so Henry has a chance to reset the mark for running backs over the age of 30. Of all the incredible stats in the 2025 NFL season, few are more unbelievable than Jefferson playing an entire season and finishing with two touchdowns. Can he do for Kyler Murray what he did for Sam Darnold in 2024? Can the Vikings be closer to their 14-win dominance in 2024, or the disappointment of 9-8 last season? Jefferson is still only 27, but still seeking his first NFL playoff win. Minnesota’s offseason signing of Jauan Jennings to him and Jordan Addison gives the Vikings one of the league’s best wide receiving trios. It’s wild to think the 49ers went 12-5 and won a playoff game while getting only six games from their best defensive player, with Warner lost to a fractured ankle. His healthy return — along with the return of linebacker Dre Greenlaw and the acquisition of defensive tackle Osa Odighizua — should elevate the defense, which now has Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator as well. San Francisco should return to having a top-10 defense, which they’ll need to keep up with the Rams and Seahawks offenses. How long before Parsons is able to return from the ACL injury that cut his 2025 season short? He’ll miss at least the first month of the year and potentially more as he’ll get placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Having Parsons healthy for the playoffs will be crucial for Green Bay’s defense (if it makes it there), which is now led by Jonathan Gannon after Jeff Hafley got Miami’s head coaching job. Lots of new looks in the Packers’ front, from linebacker Zaire Franklin to defensive lineman Javon Hargreaves and rookie nose tackle Chris McClellan. Will Parsons play enough games to extend his double-digit sack streak? Jones was the surprise star of the first half of 2025, leading the Colts to a 7-1 start, throwing for 13 touchdown passes against only three interceptions. Then, right after the Colts began to struggle, Jones tore his Achilles tendon. He still got a two-year, $88 million contract, which shows the team’s full confidence that he can get back to where he was. Can Shane Steichen survive a fourth year without making the playoffs? He’s 25-26 in three seasons, so Jones needs steady play to keep the Colts competing with the Jaguars and Texans. A calf injury scuttled what looked like an all-in move by the Colts last year, giving up two first-round picks to land a 24-year-old All-Pro corner. Having Sauce and Daniel Jones healthy in 2026 gives the Colts a chance to show how they can compete with the Texans and Jaguars in a division that will likely produce only two playoff teams. Gardner is making $30 million a year, so he must stay healthy and step up as a leader as the Colts try to improve on a defense that ranked 31st against the pass and 26th on third downs. Everything about the Eagles’ offense took a step back last year, and while quarterback Jalen Hurts takes the brunt of that, Barkley went from 2,000 rushing yards and 5.8 yards a carry to 1,140 and a 4.1-yard average, a huge decline. With a new coordinator and offensive line coach, can Philadelphia’s run game get back to its 2024 dominance? The line returns intact and just needs to stay healthy. Philadelphia plays the entire NFC West in 2026, including Seattle and San Francisco in the final four weeks, setting up playoff previews. It’s easy to forget how good Daniels was as a rookie, going 12-5 and leading the Commanders to two playoff wins before a humbling loss in the NFC Championship Game. Last year he was limited by injury to seven games, winning only two of those. An overhauled defense might have seven new starters, and it needed one after taking a step back in 2025. If Daniels can get back to his rookie form — 31 total touchdowns — he can help Washington contend in a deep NFC East race. Another year of struggle, though, and Daniels could have a new coach in 2027. Hill played only four games for the Dolphins before a significant knee injury, so now he’s a free agent with an unknown timetable to return healthy. At 32, can he get back to anything close to his 2023 form, when he led the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns? Hill made the Pro Bowl in each of his first eight NFL seasons, and won’t cost nearly as much as his last contract, so one team will take a gamble on whether he can be healthy in the second half of 2026 and into the playoffs. As big swings go, it’s hard to surpass trading a first-round pick and young star to land the reigning Defensive Player of the Year to pair with your returning MVP. Landing Myles Garrett came after the Rams gave up a first-rounder to land Trent McDuffie (and give him a huge contract) to set up the Rams as the favorite for this year’s Super Bowl, which will be played in Los Angeles. This year’s NFC West is an absolute crucible, and the Rams have added more and more talent to help them keep up with Seattle. Does that yield a ring? Will Snead make another big swing during the deadline this year, like he did when the Rams landed Von Miller in 2021? The blockbuster trade that wasn’t saw Crosby dealt to the Ravens, only to have Baltimore nix the trade due to medical concerns. If Crosby can show in the first half of 2026 that his knee is fine, and he’s still an elite pass-rusher, will Las Vegas trade him at the deadline? There’s a limited window for the Raiders to show they can win and keep him, or else he’s gone, and they have a 2027 first-rounder and more to help in their rebuild. Crosby’s 90 tackles for loss over the last four seasons match the most in the NFL, and he’s still only 28. Philadelphia has been to two Super Bowls in the last four years, but also has two first-round exits, and Roseman is revered as one of, if not the best, GMs in the league, aggressive in trades and signings to sustain their success. This offseason, that meant trading away receiver A.J. Brown, signing corner Tariq Woolen, dealing for edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and revamping his receiver room. Can lingering chemistry issues be resolved to hold off the rest of a talented division? Will they make even more trades after a busy summer? Wait, what? Could Donald come out of retirement and add to the overload of elite talent in the Rams’ locker room? Every day he doesn’t come forward and shoot it down, it makes more sense. He hasn’t played since 2023, and he’s 35 years old now, but a smaller dose of a 70% Aaron Donald is still an upgrade, not to mention a major clubhouse confidence boost. Donald doesn’t need to be the amazing player he was to help the Rams get him — and them — a second Super Bowl championship. Jones, 83, is arguably the most prominent NFL owner, speaking with reporters after every Cowboys game, with a following of fans that remains huge despite going 30 years since their last conference championship appearance. Could this be the year Dallas ends the drought? He had to trade away one superstar last year in Micah Parsons, and now faces a tough decision on keeping receiver George Pickens, knowing he’s already paying quarterback Dak Prescott $60 million a year and receiver CeeDee Lamb $34 million a year. Can their defense improve enough to get the Cowboys back in the playoffs as a first step to relevance to match their popularity? Will Jones make another move in-season to potentially ensure that Dallas will contend for a Super Bowl? We have so few offensive linemen on this list, and they deserve a bigger presence. Humphrey has made four straight Pro Bowls with first-team All-Pro nods the last two years, making $18 million a year with two Super Bowl wins at age 27. Keeping Patrick Mahomes healthy and upright is all the more important as he returns from a major injury — the Chiefs line will have a chance to show off their run-blocking chops with Kenneth Walker on board in free agency. Can the Chiefs get back under 40 sacks as they had in their title years? Sewell, arguably the best right tackle in the NFL with first-team All-Pro honors the last three years, now shifts to left tackle, trying to do what Tampa Bay’s Tristan Wirfs did three years ago. That puts rookie Blake Miller at right tackle, with free-agent addition Cade Mays at center in a new-look Lions line. That’s a central part of the Lions staying a top-five offense and getting back to the playoffs after just missing last year at 9-8. Sewell is only 25 years old, and a successful transition to the left only adds to his Hall of Fame trajectory in Detroit. Is Young the next young QB to get a massive deal worth $50 million a year or more? Carolina is already committed to paying him $26 million on his fifth-year option in 2027, and he led the Panthers to a division title, albeit with an 8-9 record last year. The glass half full? He has more touchdown passes than Trevor Lawrence had in his first 44 NFL starts, and one fewer interception than Josh Allen had in his first 44. Building on 23 touchdown passes last year is a must if the Panthers are to repeat as a playoff team in 2026. When we last saw Stroud, he threw four interceptions in the first half of a playoff loss to the Patriots — one fewer than he threw in his entire rookie season. Houston picked up his fifth-year option for 2027, so he’s in much the same boat as Bryce Young, with an extended window to show he’s good for a major extension. Three new starters on the offensive line, including rookie Keylan Rutledge, could help the offense get to a better place — improving on ranking 30th in the red zone is a must. Pickens was a breakout star after getting traded from Pittsburgh, totaling 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. He’ll play on the franchise tag in 2026 and would be one of the most coveted free agents at any position. Can the Cowboys afford him if CeeDee Lamb is already getting $34 million a year with guaranteed money through 2027? Dallas should have an improved defense to put them in position to return to the playoffs, but owner Jerry Jones must find a way to avoid losing another young superstar along the way. Will Mayfield re-sign with Tampa Bay? He is entering the final year of a three-year, $100 million deal and in line for a healthy raise. He’s on his fourth offensive coordinator in four seasons in Tampa, but if Zac Robinson can get anything close to what his close friend Liam Coen did in 2024 — 4,500 yards and 41 touchdown passes — then Mayfield will be hugely coveted in March at more than $50 million a year. Mayfield has settled in as a team leader in Tampa, so don’t be surprised if he values the continuity and finds a way to re-up with the Bucs. Murray and Tua Tagovailoa are in the same boat — high draft picks who earned monster contracts but struggled consistently enough that their original teams bailed on them. So, both are on league-minimum contracts with a chance to reset their reputations. Can Murray take advantage of having Justin Jefferson in his arsenal and get Minnesota back to playoff contention? If he does, he’ll still be only 29 and one of the best free-agent options for QB-needy teams not picking high enough to get the best of the 2027 draft class. With Travis Kelce back at age 36 for his 14th and likely final NFL season, how much of his new wife will we see at Chiefs games this season? Her presence was a huge story in 2023 in Kansas City’s last championship season, less so over the last two seasons, but with her enormous fanbase, she has brought a new casual audience to NFL games (and perhaps some annoyance from non-fans tired of seeing her cheering Kelce on from a booth). For perspective, the NFL’s official account on Instagram has 32 million followers; Swift’s has 273 million. If the Chiefs get back to being the Chiefs, expect even more crossover.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The Red Sox are streaking, the Marlins are fading, and for the plethora of teams on the bubble, we’re finally nearing decision time. Every win or loss coming out of the All-Star break provides a bit more clarity as teams decide whether they’re buyers, sellers or somewhere in between. With one week to go before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, this week’s Power Rankings features one second-half question for every team. The Rockies’ starters have an ERA over 6.00. They need more pitching in the system, and they have a couple outfield trade chips in Jake McCarthy and Mickey Moniak who could help them get that done. Will they also consider trading Hunter Goodman, who leads all catchers with 31 home runs and is under team control through 2029? Under interim general manager John Mozeliak, the Angels sound more open-minded to making the kinds of changes that will be required to return the team to relevance. Will there finally be a fire-sale in Anaheim? Just a few weeks ago, the A’s looked like buyers. Then they lost 23 of 29 games and now seem to be obvious sellers. But with many of their top young talents signed long-term, what are they willing to sell in order to add more pitching to the system? Among the top 20 or so potential MLB trade deadline candidates, Luis Arraez has to be the likeliest to go. Rental Robbie Ray is likely gone, too, but can the Giants use this lost season to also move one of their big contracts? It will be interesting to see if Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers are all still Giants after the deadline. With the size of their payroll, the Mets have to try to contend again next season. So, beyond their rentals such as starter Freddy Peralta, relievers Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter and outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (who has a team option next season), which of their controllable players will they feel comfortable trading? Same question as directly above. The Royals are similar to the Mets in that a season with playoff aspirations quickly spiraled, yet they can’t be thinking about a long-term rebuild. So, without many valuable rental arms on the roster, how many controllable pitchers will they be willing to deal? Michael Wacha will command the most attention. The reigning American League champs as sellers? That seems to be the likeliest course of action after the offense’s disappearing act and the struggles in the rotation behind Cy Young contender Dylan Cease. The biggest question: Where is Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s power? And can he find it in time to give Toronto some late-season hope? When healthy, the Reds can envision a rotation featuring Chase Burns, Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott giving them a better chance in 2027. But that won’t matter much if they still have one of the least productive offenses in MLB. Can someone other than Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart establish himself as a reliable long-term mainstay in the lineup? Will Trevor Rogers, Taylor Ward and Andrew Kittredge help the Orioles return to the playoffs after last year’s disappointing fifth-place finish, or will they be wearing different uniforms after the deadline? How Baltimore decides to handle its impending free agents could determine its second-half fate. It’s the question of the deadline: What does Detroit do with Tarik Skubal? The Tigers are trending in the right direction, but when you’re trying to convince your front office to keep one of the game’s most talented pitchers, you can’t afford to split a late July four-game series at home against the Royals. It seems like every year we’re asking if Sandy Alcantara will remain a Marlin. Suddenly, here we are again. Will the Marlins try to catch fire again with the current group they have, or will a franchise-record 12-game losing streak cause them to sell some pieces? Had the Twins not sold off all of their top relief arms last deadline, they might be in first place right now. Instead, they’re one of the many teams on the bubble. Will the Twins use this deadline to fix the bullpen it just dismantled? Or will they look to the future and sell rental catcher Ryan Jeffers and listen to offers for All-Star right-hander Joe Ryan? As constructed, it’s hard to imagine there’s enough pitching here to seriously contend. As long as the Astros are still in the mix, I’d expect them to keep pushing in to build around MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez. They could use more outfield help, but the bigger question: Do they have enough pitching to get back to the playoffs and make some noise in the weak AL? Will the offense get right? I mean that in every possible sense. The Mariners need their best players to play better, and they also might need a right-handed hitter at the deadline to help an offense that currently has the lowest OPS against left-handed pitching in the sport. Another high-leverage reliever wouldn’t hurt, either. Can this rotation continue to hold up? The Cardinals are trending in the wrong direction, but Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt, Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera should give them enough firepower to at least stay competitive. Will the rotation, which currently ranks 10th in MLB in ERA despite missing very few bats, do the same? What does AJ Preller have up his sleeve? The Padres’ president of baseball operations rarely sits still at the deadline, but this team has more flaws than in years past (particularly in the rotation) and now has less of a farm system to address the deficiencies at the deadline. Could he trade All-Star closer Mason Miller to address the team’s other weaknesses? It might take some creativity to make this group a contender. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Guardians’ offense could use more thump. Will they add an impact bat to fix an offense with the lowest OPS in MLB? Or will having star third baseman José Ramírez back from a broken hand be enough for Cleveland to win its third straight division title? Will Paul Skenes look like a Cy Young contender again down the stretch? Skenes is still racking up strikeouts with strong underlying numbers, but he currently ranks 32nd among qualified MLB starters in ERA. If he pitches like one of the best pitchers on the planet in the second half and the bullpen adds some pieces at the deadline, you can envision this Pirates team and its vastly improved offense ending Pittsburgh’s 10-year playoff drought. Can they keep their top offensive players on the field? Star shortstop Corey Seager hasn’t played all month due to a back injury. Wyatt Langford has mashed … when available. He has played in only 53 games this year due to forearm, hamstring and ankle injuries. Josh Jung, the team’s hit leader, is currently sidelined with a calf issue. The Rangers need those guys on the field if they want to hold off the Mariners and Astros. Will this offense play to its potential? The D-backs are currently in wild-card position despite a depleted pitching staff and an offense that ranks 20th in MLB in OPS. They could use a first-base upgrade at the deadline (as well as pitching reinforcements), but they also need more of their top offensive players to perform. What lane do the Nationals pick at the deadline? They’re ahead of schedule in the rebuild under new leadership, now only one game out of a wild-card spot with the best offense in MLB. It’s one thing to trade slugging utility man Curtis Mead, but would they really trade All-Star Foster Griffin as well, given the way they’re playing? Or entertain offers for superstar CJ Abrams? Or will they run this surprise season out and see where it goes? Do the White Sox have (or will they acquire) the pitching required to finish off this magical run? The young offense has slugged its way to the sixth-most home runs in MLB, but the South Siders might need to add more depth both in the rotation and the bullpen to complete the extraordinary turnaround and end the four-year playoff drought. Speaking of turnarounds … a lot can change in a matter of weeks. The Red Sox looked cooked, and now they’ve won 22 of 26 games and are already starting the process of adding offense at the deadline. The biggest question, though, is how quickly Roman Anthony (torn finger ligament) and Garrett Crochet (shoulder, lat) return to action. Having Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo and Jhoan Duran is a heckuva starting point, but you can bank on the Phillies adding depth at the deadline for their second-half push. The question: Does it come in the outfield, at the back end of the rotation, in high-leverage relief — or maybe all three? How quickly will Aaron Judge return? We can debate whether their bigger need is behind the plate or in relief at the deadline, but regardless of what they do a week from now, they need their captain back and looking like himself if they want to get back to the World Series. Here is a list of injured Cubs pitchers: Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown, Cade Horton, Daniel Palencia, Hunter Harvey, Shelby Miller, Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Porter Hodge, Riley Martin, Ethan Roberts. With several of them expected back at some point in the second half, how will the Cubs choose to patch up their beleaguered pitching staff at the deadline? Do they make a big splash at the deadline? They have the best record in a weak American League, they have needs up the middle offensively, and they could use a boost both in the rotation and the bullpen. President of baseball operations Erik Neander might see an opportunity ahead to push in. The Braves have gotten their NL East lead back to a more comfortable distance and look destined to prove that last year was a blip. Still, they can’t feel too comfortable about their starting options beyond Chris Sale once they get to October. Can they land a co-ace at the deadline? How much will last year’s sweep in the NLCS motivate them at the deadline? The Brewers have proven their might as regular-season juggernauts, but the disparity in star talent was evident when they went to Los Angeles last October. They have the talent on the farm to take a big swing. Will they finally do it? How much will Shohei Ohtani’s balky left knee hold him back the rest of the way, and how will that issue impact the Dodgers’ deadline decision-making? Blake Snell is closing in on a return, but neither he nor Tyler Glasnow have pitched in nearly two months. If the Dodgers have any reservations at all about their pitching staff, they have the resources to make significant midseason moves — even if they’d prefer not to — in their quest to three-peat.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports