NFL preseason and training camp live updates (2024)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Required reading

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

___

Find the best deals on tickets to see your favorite teams.

If Sean Clifford wanted to solidify his standing as the Packers' backup quarterback on Sunday night in Denver, he failed to accomplish that task. Clifford's first snap was a fumbled exchange with center Sean Rhyan and his last snap was an interception late in the first half.

He didn't even finish the half, with (current) third-stringer Michael Pratt replacing him with 30 seconds left while Clifford finished 6-of-10 for 43 yards, a pick and a 30.4 rating. Clifford made a couple nice plays, an impressive throw to wide receiver Malik Heath on the sideline for a first down on third and 4 deep in his own territory and a first-down scramble on third and 10 among them, but it was largely an underwhelming night for the 2023 fifth-round pick.

Clifford had a shaky start to camp before settling in the next couple weeks, but it's plays like the interception safety Keidron Smith baited him into and taking an 11-yard sack on third down deep in Packers territory with ample time to throw the ball away that make you wonder if he's fit to back up Jordan Love.

His ability to fill that role will be judged based on more than just a half of Sunday's game, but in a No. 2 quarterback battle seemingly yet to be decided, Clifrord's performance certainly didn't help his case.

Bo Nix all but sealed the Broncos starting quarterback job after an impressive two drives in Sunday’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.

Nix completed 8-of-9 passes for 140 yards and one touchdown, leading the Broncos to scores on each of his possessions guiding Denver’s first-team offense. Nix threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tim Patrick early in the second quarter to cap an outing that may have been even more crisp than his encouraging preseason debut in Indianapolis last week.

Payton has fielded increased questions over the past week about when Nix will be named the starter, but that impending announcement is merely a formality at this point. The rookie has pulled away over the last two weeks, his performance Sunday coming on the heels of a strong performance in Friday’s joint practice against Green Bay’s first-string defense.

On Sunday, Nix played primarily against Green Bay’s backups, but his efficiency was nonetheless stellar. He was 4-of-4 on Denver’s first drive. He completed a fifth straight pass for a touchdown to Javonte Williams, but replay review determined Nix was past the line of scrimmage when he threw the ball, forcing the Broncos to settle for a field goal.

On the second drive, Nix delivered a 14-yard strike to Patrick on a third-and-9 play. Overall, Nix is 6-of-7 for 72 yards and a touchdown on third down during the preseason — an average of 10.3 yards per attempt and good for a 149.1 passer rating. Nix also gained 12 yards on three carries Sunday and hasn’t been sacked across seven preseason possessions.

Bigger defensive challenges are coming, but there’s nothing to suggest Nix isn’t ready to face them. The rookie is on track to start in Seattle on Sept. 8. The competition is over.

It felt like Trey Lance’s future as a Dallas Cowboy hung in the balance going into the Saturday night matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. That may sound hyperbolic — and it may feel like an awful lot of weight to place on a single preseason game, but circ*mstances created that vibe.

Lance’s uneven performances on the practice fields in Oxnard, Calif., provided more questions than answers. His performance at SoFi Stadium in the preseason opener last week gave voice to more pessimism than optimism. If Lance put forth a dud in Vegas, it may have been a hole too deep to dig out of with only a couple of padded practices and one home preseason game ahead. Jerry Jones falling victim to sunk-cost fallacy could have saved Lance but the promise of his potential ceiling likely wouldn’t have.

Fortunately for Lance, his potential flashed enough against the Las Vegas Raiders in the Cowboys’ 27-12 victory to keep things interesting.

“Two 14-play drives, that’s incredible for preseason football,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said of Lance’s performance. “It just shows you his understanding and confidence, and he just needs to continue to play. He just needs reps. He needs to play in live games, particularly in the drop-back phase because he’s doing a very good job managing everything else. I thought he clearly took a step today.”

Read more here.

There was plenty to like in the Cowboys' second preseason game against the Raiders from the offense, defense and special teams. Brandon Aubrey's 66-yarder, Deuce Vaughn's return and rookie WRs were among the highlights.

Read more here.

We’ve seen it often in training camp. He did it at USC. Caleb Williams’ ability to not only avoid the pass rush but make an accurate throw on the run is uncanny, and we saw it a few times Saturday — the 45-yard pass to Rome Odunze, the almost-touchdown pass to Odunze, and the Williams’ touchdown run.

“I’ve seen him do that a few times in practice,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “Obviously very talented throwing on the move.”

Those windows get tighter against starting NFL defenses, but certain things are difficult to guard against no matter what.

Read more from Saturday here.

Bo Nix will make his first preseason start for the Broncos at home against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. The calculus should be pretty clear: Barring a disastrous performance, Nix should be in line to be named Denver’s Week 1 quarterback as soon as next week.

Nix is coming off a strong performance in Friday’s joint practice against the Packers, making adjustments on the fly that helped him get rid of the ball quickly. That’s what the Broncos are looking for most Sunday. Nix just needs to avoid turnovers — as he has done all camp — while continuing to push the Broncos down the field. More deep-ball success would be a bonus, but Nix will be able to make a living on the kind of intermediate efficiency he has been demonstrating over the past couple of weeks.

The real quarterback question is whether Zach Wilson, who will be the third quarterback to take the field Sunday, can do enough to show he’s deserving of a chance at the No. 2 spot behind Nix. Wilson and Jarrett Stidham both played well Friday, and it’s possible Broncos coach Sean Payton could ultimately decide to keep three quarterbacks. The game against the Packers will be a vital component in the ultimate evaluation of the room.

Other things I’m watching:

-After a dominating performance in Friday’s practice, can the Broncos’ young secondary continue to make strides? Riley Moss appears to be the frontrunner to land the starting corner job opposite Pat Surtain II, but third-year player Damarri Mathis could have something to say about the outcome of that race.

-The Broncos would love to see strides from second-year safety JL Skinner as they build depth behind P.J. Locke and currently injured veteran Brandon Jones.

-Payton said the battle for spots in the wide receivers room is among the fiercest in camp. Decent bets for roster spots are Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Marvin Mims Jr. and rookies Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele, who could play Sunday after missing practice Friday with an undisclosed, yet minor injury. Is there one more spot after that for veteran Tim Patrick? Or is there a surprise cut coming among the five listed above? There is a lot on the line with this group Sunday.

Colts owner Jim Irsay put on a headset and made his yearly preseason appearance on the TV broadcast. He fielded a few questions from Colts analyst and former NFL coach Rick Venturi, including those about Richardson, GM Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen.

In his usual hyperbolic fashion, Irsay called Ballard a “blue-chip general manager” and compared Steichen to Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula. Here’s your reminder that while Ballard has proven to be a solid scout and drafter, his resume is subpar when it comes to on-field success. Ballard is 54-60-1 through his first seven years in Indianapolis and has just two playoff appearances, one playoff win and zero AFC South titles. Steichen, meanwhile, is entering his second year as a head coach, so mentioning him in the same breath as Shula is just a tad premature.

“I really think we really hit the jackpot with him,” Irsay said of Steichen. “He’s just an outstanding football mind who demands excellence.”

Irsay also expressed his excitement about seeing Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor together in the Colts’ backfield. He added that it’s “critical” for the Colts to win big while Richardson is playing on his rookie deal. However, it’s fair to question Irsay’s willingness to seize the moment when Indianapolis is sitting on $26 million in cap space, yet didn’t sign a proven veteran safety in free agency and still doesn’t know who will start alongside Julian Blackmon on the back end.

Read more here.

There weren’t any excuses for Mitchell Trubisky in Saturday's game against the Steelers. He was facing a Steelers defensive line without a few of their key players and working with the entire first-team Bills offense. Trubisky couldn’t get out of his own way. He got sacked twice, didn’t push the ball down the field with his top skill players available and threw a particularly terrible interception.

Trubisky did have a nice throw to tight end Zach Davidson to gain 27 yards later, but it wasn’t enough to salvage his day. Making it even worse, Trubisky had to leave with a knee injury. The Bills will have to hope the injury isn’t severe, but either way, Trubisky’s performance also has to have the team feeling like it made the right call in resting Josh Allen.

The Raiders have announced Gardner Minshew will be the team’s starting quarterback.

Read more here.

Steelers QBs Russell Wilson and Justin Fields each struggled against the Bills, with Wilson failing to put the Steelers’ QB competition to bed. Wilson left the door for the starting QB job open with a dull debut against the Bills, but Fields didn't exactly take advantage.

Read more here.

Los Angeles Rams assistant Aubrey Pleasant got the head coaching assignment Saturday against the Chargers. Pleasant, the Rams' pass game coordinator, ran the show Saturday night while Sean McVay stayed upstairs.

Pleasant call it a "great experience."

Read more here.

Which Seahawks are on the rise after Saturday's preseason game vs. the Titans? QB Sam Howell is one who looked very sharp in Nashville, but the battles at running back and wide receiver are heating up.

Read more here.

The Panthers dropped Saturday's preseason game vs. the Jets, but Chuba Hubbard is good to go after a near knee injury Thursday in practice. The Panthers' starting back took an awkward fall (and hit) during their practice Thursday with New York. He was on the sideline Saturday.

Read more here.

LAS VEGAS — Aidan O’Connell should be the Las Vegas Raiders’ starting quarterback, but it’s hard to feel optimistic about what that means for the offense in 2024.

Coach Antonio Pierce said earlier this week that he would announce a starting quarterback after the Raiders’ second preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, and O’Connell outplayed free agent signing Gardner Minshew in the Raiders’ 27-12 loss. The issue was O’Connell wasn’t good; he just wasn’t as bad as Minshew.

O’Connell played four possessions against the Cowboys’ reserves. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 96 yards and one touchdown, but he also threw an ugly pick six on his final attempt of the game.

“I just stared it down,” O’Connell said afterward. “(My performance) was up and down. … I missed some throws and missed some reads, too. And then, obviously, the pick six kind of lingers in your mind.”

Minshew played five drives and completed just 10 of 21 passes for 95 yards. Pierce didn’t name a starter in his postgame news conference. He’ll huddle with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and general manager Tom Telesco before making that decision.

“It’s going to be everything,” Pierce said Saturday when asked what factors will play into the decision. “Command of the offense, the operational part, efficiency. The turnovers are huge, right? Taking care of the football is going to be important for our team. And then I think it’s just sitting there with Telesco and Luke over a couple of days and really pinpointing who’s going to get us off to a fast start and get us to where we want to be in that first quarter of the season.”

Despite O’Connell’s rough ending, he should get the nod. O’Connell started the final nine games last season, but the Raiders signed Minshew to a two-year, $25 million contract with $15 million guaranteed this offseason. Making more money didn’t ensure that Minshew would get the starting nod, but it was fair to question how much the Raiders brass believed in O’Connell. After all, he was below average at best in 10 starts as a rookie.

To take the job from O’Connell, Minshew was always going to have to separate himself. That has yet to happen, and it’s hard to rationalize him supplanting O’Connell.

Read more here.

Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels is standing tall — and scaring Dan Quinn a little — in the team's preseason loss to the Dolphins. The Commanders want Daniels to protect himself on the field but the rookie QB ran into traffic Saturday rather than slide to avoid contact.

Read more here.

Stock up: CB Qwan’Tez Stiggers

The fifth-round pick has been one of the biggest winners of the summer. He never played a down in college, but it seems his experience in the CFL has helped him — Stiggers is not intimidated by anyone. He opened Saturday’s game with a tackle for loss and also made a play in punt coverage. If he can contribute on special teams he’ll have a shot at an active roster spot on game days. The Jets are loaded (and deep) at cornerback, but Stiggers has a bright future.

Read more from the latest Jets stock report here.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While the fans at Arrowhead Stadium roared, producing a collective sound of amazement, Patrick Mahomes simply jogged back to the huddle as if he hadn’t just pulled off one of his greatest tricks.

Unlike most of his best highlights, Mahomes wasn’t as thrilled by what he accomplished as everyone watching him, whether from the stands or on national TV, during the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason game Saturday afternoon against the Detroit Lions.

Less than two weeks after executing his trick in practice, the Chiefs quarterback threw and completed his first behind-the-back pass in a game during the opening quarter. Mahomes, who is known for his creative playstyle and rare arm strength, explained after the game that he was forced by his favorite teammate, tight end Travis Kelce, to use his improvisational skills.

On a third-and-3 snap in Lions territory, Mahomes executed a play-action fake to fullback Carson Steele for a run-pass option play. However, Kelce, the primary pass catcher on the play, didn’t run the route designed for him.

“I didn’t do it to look cool,” Mahomes said, smiling. “I literally did it as I was, like, pissed. I was like, ‘Why didn’t you run that route like that?’ It just worked out.”

Read more here.

Which Lions stood out from Saturday's preseason win over the Chiefs. Quarterback Hendon Hooker and kicker Jake Bates led the way. Hooker deserves a chance to start next week. Meanwhile, rookie Sione Vaki might be the team's offensive MVP of the preseason so far.

Read more here.

The Athletic has the latest Vikings stock report, where Lewis Cine flies around, and we track other risers and fallers after Saturday's preseason game against the Browns. Which nine players stood out in both positive and negative ways?

Read more here.