2026 NFL Training Camp Live Updates, Rumors and Highlights from Friday

The San Francisco 49ers put the pads on Friday for the first time—and things got real.

There were a pair of practice field dustups Friday, first between linebacker Dre Greenlaw and running back Christian McCaffrey and then between linebacker Fred Warner and tight end Jake Tonges. While speaking to reporters after practice, acting head coach Chris Foerster chalked the scuffles up to Day 1 adrenaline.

"Your first day of pads," Foerster said. "Everybody's trying to set the tempo, set the tone. Things happen. Obviously you don't want it to happen every day, but I don't think it's any more than a Day 1 issue."

Given the injuries that have already beset the Niners, it might be best if everyone just keeps their hands to themselves.

One of the biggest storylines surrounding training camp for the New York Giants has been the status of wide receiver Malik Nabers, who is working his way back from an ACL tear.

Nabers wasn't on the practice field again Friday, but while speaking to reporters, head coach John Harbaugh said that it's all part of the larger plan with the third-year pro.

"I think it's part of the process," Harbaugh said. "These guys will work through it. Every single day, it'll be what it is that given day. He's worked real hard, he's made a lot of progress and that's what he decided to do today."

Earlier this week, Nabers declined to say with certainty that he will be out there for the season opener. The more time that passes without his practicing in any capacity, the more it appears that Nabers won't be.

It has been an um, eventful offseason for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice—in all the wrong ways. Rice spent a month in jail after violating his probation and had a cleanup procedure on his knee.

Rice is still recovering from that surgery, but while speaking to reporters Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that both Rice and cornerback L'Jarius Sneed are working toward a return to team drills.

"We're just building them up," Reid said. "Just going to keep building them up. We know it's going to take a little bit of time. They haven't done much on the conditioning part of it and rehab part of it, so we know they can play. We want to be smart getting them there and how we go about that."

Given the importance of both players to the Chiefs in 2026, taking the patient route is likely wise.

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo has made more headlines in recent weeks for ill-timed backflips than his recovery from last year's season-ending injury, but on Friday the bruiser said that he's just about back to his old self.

When asked by reporters how his rehab is progressing, Skattebo said he's "99 percent." When asked when he would be 100 percent, Skattebo said, "When I put shoulder pads on and I'm able to hit someone."

Skattebo also addressed the backflip kerfuffle.

"Obviously I do some dumb things here or there, but I learn from it," he said. "My coach talked to me. Told me how he felt. Will I go do that backflip again? Probably not."

That would probably be best.

Training camp practices are incredibly important for rookies—an opportunity to catch the eyes of coaches and earn the trust of teammates.

Brenen Thompson of the Los Angeles Chargers is making the most of that opportunity.

A diminutive (5'9") but blazing fast fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State, Thompson has consistently impressed this week, drawing praise from Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel in his Friday presser.

"I think he's captured the attention of the quarterback room by his attack and ownership of the offense," McDaniel said. "Typically, it's a very difficult transition. A lot of times in college, guys aren't even huddling. Our world is receiving verbal assignments. You have to verbally receive it in the huddle. There's not pictures on the sidelines that you're memorizing."

The Buffalo Bills have long been looking to get better at wide receiver, and this offseason the team made a splash trade at the position, acquiring D.J. Moore from the Chicago Bears.

But on Friday at least, it was fourth-round rookie Skyler Bell who stood out on the practice field.

Every pass to Skyler Bell today in WR route/catch drills has come from Josh Allen," Patrick Moran of the Talking Bills podcast wrote. "That wasn't close to being the case yesterday, and I don't think it's coincidence either."

One solid practice isn't going to get Bell into the starting lineup, but the fact that Allen stayed after practice to work more with Bell bodes well for the youngster.

This just in. Nico Collins can catch.

Well.

To say that the Deshaun Watson era in Cleveland has been a disappointment is the mother of all understatements. And judging from the first week of practices in Berea, the final year of his five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract in Cleveland won't be any better than the first four.

After Watson threw picks on back-to-back plays on the first day of camp, new Cleveland head coach Todd Monken was blunt in his assessment of the performance while speaking with reporters.

"Thought it sucked, that's no fun, for him or for us on offense," Monken said. "That was a great play by Denzel Ward. I was standing right behind it, and I thought it was an elite throw. Denzel, with his speed--I talked yesterday about how you can't be late with throws because of his tracking speed. I was more down the field, but that showed up on that play."

The mistakes carried over into Friday, where Watson threw another interception to linebacker Quincy Williams.

So far, Watson has been outplayed by Shedeur Sanders.

And it looks like it's going to be another long year under center in Cleveland.

NFL head coaches use any number of ploys to motivate their players, and an oldie but a goodie is, "no one believes in us."

The New England Patriots used it for 20 years.

The first week of camp brought about a duel in that regard between Liam Coen of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears.

Coen went first. While appearing on a Jacksonville radio station, Coen said it was easy to motivate his players because the Jags don't get any national run.

"I look at the NFL website, and see if there's anything on the Jaguars," he said. "I think I'll see 40 pictures of Caleb Williams. And nothing on us! It's beautiful."

That comment made it's way back to Chicago coach Ben Johnson, who fired back with a quip of his own.

"Well, we're the No. 1 regression candidate," Johnson said, "so I think we've got plenty of motivation ourselves. We've talked about Caleb in the past. He's used to handling a lot of attention, so I'm not worried about that."

Gotta love it.

Right now, there is no question that Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals and Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders are the top-two tight ends in fantasy. But when an analyst as esteemed as FSWA Hall of Famer Brad Evans says that Colston Loveland of the Chicago Bears has a legitimate shot to overtake him, fantasy drafters should take note.

"Yes, it's training camp," Evans tweeted, "but it's entirely plausible Colston Loveland leapfrogs Brock Bowers and Trey McBride as TE1 in fantasy football this year. I'm firmly invested in the Bear…everywhere."

After a hot finish to last season that included 16 catches for 185 yards and two scores over the last two regular-season games, Loveland has been a preferred target of Caleb Williams on the practice field, and as this highlight shows, the second-year pro is hauling in just about everything thrown in his direction.

Heading into his fifth professional season, Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams has become one of the NFL's top deep threats—he has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards each of the last two years, averaging over 17 yards per catch both seasons.

But while appearing on the The Brad Galli Show, Williams said his focus is 100 percent on the Lions getting back to the postseason.

"I just want to win, man. I want to get back to where we (were) in the NFC Championship. I feel like our team, we got so much talent," he said. "We can come out on top this year."

The Lions certainly have the offense to make a deep postseason run, but in an NFC North that doesn't have any easy outs improvement from the defense could be the key to claiming the division again.

Over the last month of the 2025 season, Tennessee Titans Cam Ward completed 63 percent of his passes, tossed six touchdown passes without an interception and had a passer rating of 103.8.

If the first week of camp is any indication, Ward intends to avail himself of an improved wide receiver corps that now includes Wan'Dale Robinson and rookie Carnell Tate and build on that success in his second season.

Not many folks expected fifth-round rookie Cyrus Allen to be a big part of the offense for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2026. But the former Cincinnati standout apparently didn't get the memo.

Per Pete Sweeney of The Kansas City Star, Allen has been a favorite target of Patrick Mahomes on the practice field.

"Cyrus Allen has undoubtedly been Patrick Mahomes' favorite target," Sweeney said. "It feels like he's looking Allen's way every time he's out there."

Head coach Andy Reid also had good things to say about the youngster after practice while speaking to reporters.

"He's done a nice job, the QB trust him—he's got to clean some things up but he's willing to work at it—he's had a productive two days," Reid said.

It's still early, but Allen is becoming a name to watch as we move deeper into camp and the preseason.

We have already discussed that Tua Tagovailoa returned to practice in a limited fashion Friday after being sidelined by a sore back. After practice, Tagovailoa spoke to reporters for the first time since camp opened.

"I think just right now it's just a precaution thing early on in camp, and then we'll work through that," Tagovailoa said. "But I feel great right now. And like I said, it feels good to be out there with the guys, be able to throw, continue to hear the plays, get in the huddle with the guys. I don't personally have a timetable, but that's a conversation to have with the head coach and with our training staff."

With Michel Penix Jr. still some time away from a full return to practice, the sooner Tagovailoa can get out there for team drills, the better his chances of entering the preseason as the leader to be Atlanta's Week 1 quarterback.

Quinn Meinerz--sworn enemy of all things covered in bark.

After setting career highs in receptions (100), yards (1,163), and touchdowns (nine) last year, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave staged a brief "hold-in" at the start of camp before agreeing to terms on a four-year, $132 million extension.

Now happy as the proverbial clam. Olave is on the practice field for the Saints. And at his Friday press conference, Saints head coach Kellen Moore told reporters that Olave's windfall is a great thing for both player and team.

"Just awesome for what he's gone through in his career, the success he's had, also the things he's had to navigate," Moore said. "At the end of the day, when everyone is shooting for the same goal, it's a matter of time before it gets figured out. Sometimes the business part takes a little precedence, which is fine. And I think everyone's really, really excited for where this thing's going."

Moore then asked Olave if he could borrow $3 million.

Not really.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield hasn't been even a little shy about expressing his displeasure over extension talks with the team, telling reporters earlier this week that he's "disappointed" and feels "undervalued."

It appears that things are turning ugly—and that the team is no happier with Mayfield than they are with him.

During an appearance Friday on the Pat McAfee Show, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said, "It almost feels like it's Baker vs. the team. Baker's not happy with them, they're not happy with the way he spoke about the organization."

Mayfield is reportedly seeking a long-term deal averaging over $50 million a season, while Mayfield told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler (per colleague JennaLaine) that the Bucs offered him a two-year contract with Inadequate (in his view) guarantees.

Not an ideal start for a Buccaneers team looking to return to the postseason in 2026.

Throughout much of the summer, the Minnesota Vikings went out of their way to state that there was no animosity between the two players who are vying to start at quarterback.

However, per Judd Zulgad of SKOR Sports, now that camp is underway it appears that there is no love lost between incumbent J.J. McCarthy and newcomer Kyler Murray.

"During a break in drills," Zulgad said, "Kyler Murray spoke to Justin Jefferson while JJ McCarthy stood off to the side. Once Murray finished the conversation and walked away, McCarthy approached Jefferson separately to speak to him. It looks weird. It felt weird."

From most indications, McCarthy has had the better opening week of camp. But that's to be expected with Murray learning a new offense, and this battle could easily drag on well into the preseason.

You had to know these were coming. I'm B/R's resident fantasy dork.

A serious leg injury cut short a promising rookie season for Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins, but while addressing reporters Browns running backs coach Duce Staley said that Judkins is turning heads in camp.

"The sky is the limit," Staley said. "I think that Q can play all three downs."

A three-down role could be a significant boost to Judkins' fantasy value—in 14 games a year ago, Judkins played on just 35 third downs—third on the team at RB.

Judkins managed 26 catches despite that lack of third-down work. In a workhorse role, the former Ohio State standout could sail past 50 receptions.

Giddyup.

Over the first couple of days of camp, much was made of the connection between Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and his new No. 1 wide receiver in A.J. Brown. Or more appropriately, the lack of a connection between the two.

Camp panic. It's a thing.

Fans can take a breath—at least for now. Maye and Brown showed out in red-zone drills Friday, connecting on multiple touchdown throws.

After being drafted second overall in 2025, Travis Hunter's first NFL season was an injury-shortened disappointment. While speaking to reporters, Hunter said that he added 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason, but he feels as fast and explosive as ever.

"I was scared at first. I was like 'Oh, dang, I ain't never played at this weight. I'm gonna feel heavy, not going to be able to do what I do,'" Hunter said. "Training and being able to put those months in, not just on the grass but in the weight room too. Just putting in that work, it made me feel lighter on my feet when I finally touched the grass. I'm just happy to be at this weight and continue to play at this weight."

Hunter also said that he has been clocked at 22.6 miles per hour—his highest speed ever. With the youngster reportedly set to play more defensive back this year and the Jags counting on Hunter to make an impact on both sides of the ball, Hunter is going to need every bit of speed he can get.

Last year, Drake London of the Atlanta Falcons suffered through an injury-marred campaign. But if this clip is any indication, London is ready to return to the form that saw him catch 100 passes and top 1,200 yards in 2024.

It's almost as if he's good at football or something.

Per Nicole Yang of The Boston Globe, New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte feels extra motivation entering 2026.

Contract years tend to do that.

"Truth be told, I think if you were in a contract year at your reporting job, you would want that to be your best year," Boutte said Thursday after practice. "Whatever that looks like for me, we'll look at all our options and see."

Boutte would appear to be at best the third option in the Pats passing game behind A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, and the 24-year-old has been the subject of multiple trade rumors.

But Boutte is doing his level best to prove his value at camp, consistently standing out on the practice field.

Tucker Kraft was well on his way to a breakout season last year before tearing his ACL, hauling in six touchdowns and averaging a robust 15.3 yards per reception.

It appears that Kraft's rehab is progressing well—so well, in fact that per Paul Bretl of The Wisconsin State-Journal Kraft has been removed from the Physically Unable to Perform List and will practice on Friday—albeit only in individual drills.

And the Cheeseheads did rejoice.

The last way the Atlanta Falcons wanted to kick off their battle under center in camp was with both combatants on the shelf, but that's what has happened—Michael Penix Jr. is still working his way back from the ACL tear that ended his 2025 campaign, while Tua Tagovailoa has been sidelined by tightness in his back.

Tagovailoa was at least on the practice field in some capacity Friday, with ESPN's Marc Raimondi writing that, "Tagovailoa did a walkthrough period at about half speed this morning. Seems like he's making progress with the back issue."

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that Tagovailoa isn't a full-go yet--but he's getting there.

"I don't know that he's full yet," Stefanski said. "Got in there in a few of the slower jog-through periods. He's getting better every single day. I think he'll remain on that trajectory, so really confident that he'll be out there soon."