NFL preseason and training camp live updates (2024)

The final week of the NFL preseason is here and cutdown day isn't far behind.

Last week around the league, rookie quarterbacks continued to wow from Jayden Daniels standing tall, Denver's Bo Nix and New England's Drake Maye taking steps toward QB1 status on their respective teams and Caleb Williams showcasing his improvisation skills.

Speaking of improvisation, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes successfully pulled off a behind-the-pack pass in Saturday's preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

Elsewhere, while one QB competition is over in Las Vegas, another continues to brew in Pittsburgh.

New England Patriots edge rusher Matthew Judon was traded to the Atlanta Falcons, who also signed safety Justin Simmons.

A few contract situations remain in the spotlight, too, with Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb and QB Dak Prescott still at the negotiating table.

What else will unfold? Stay tuned here and be sure to keep refreshing the blog for the latest from The Athletic's NFL beat reporters.

Required reading

• Preseason Week 3 schedule
• 2024 fantasy football draft kit
• NFL Projection Model, AFC win totals

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

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson won't play in tonight's preseason finale, so his first live action since last November will come in the team's Sept. 8 season opener vs. the Cowboys.

Watson has been almost a full participant in training camp while recovering from shoulder surgery, but he sat out most of a practice last week with what Browns coach Kevin Stefanski called general arm soreness. Watson is with the team on the trip to Seattle, but he didn't play in the first two preseason games and won't play tonight.

The team said Watson returned to his usual throwing in a closed workout Thursday after Watson didn't finish Wednesday's practice. Previously, he'd had one planned day off of throwing.

Watson has played in just 12 games over his first two seasons with the Browns due to injury and suspension. There are three years left on the fully guaranteed $230 million contract Watson signed with the Browns after the Browns acquired him via trade from the Texans in March 2022. He sat out the 2021 season in Houston in part to prepare to his legal defense on charges of sexual assault and misconduct. A Texas grand jury declined to indict Watson a week before the Browns made the trade, but he served an 11-game suspension for multiple violations of the NFL's personal conduct policy.

Jameis Winston is the new primary backup for the Browns, and Winston will start tonight. In practice this week, Tyler Huntley was next in line behind Winston. The Browns will decide on either Huntley or Dorian Thompson-Robinson as their No. 3 quarterback ahead of Tuesday's deadline for teams to cut their rosters to the regular season size of 53.

Bills kicker Tyler Bass had a terrible conclusion to 2023 and has struggled in practices lately, but he continues to make chip shots in preseason games.

Bass stayed perfect through five tries this summer, making a 31-yard field goal toward the end of the first quarter against the Panthers. He has attempted only one field goal longer than 31 yards, converting a 49-yard try two weeks ago against the Bears.

Bass made only two of his five attempts last postseason, including a 44-yard attempt that would have tied the Chiefs with 1:43 to play in the divisional round. He remains a key player to watch for a team that the past two seasons has played 12 games decided by three points or fewer, going 6-6.

The full list of Bills players that don't appear to be playing on offense or defense against the Panthers:

Quarterback - Josh Allen, Mitchell Trubisky

Running back - James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson

Fullback - Reggie Gilliam

Wide receiver - Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins, Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Tight end - Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Quintin Morris

Offensive line - Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, O'Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown, Will Clapp (concussion)

Defensive end - Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Dawuane Smoot, Von Miller

Defensive tackle - Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, Austin Johnson, DeWayne Carter

Linebacker - Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Baylon Spector, Nicholas Morrow

Cornerback - Rasul Douglas, Christian Benford, Taron Johnson, Cam Lewis

Safety - Taylor Rapp, Mike Edwards, Cole Bishop, Damar Hamlin

A whopping 38 players won't dress for the Packers in their preseason finale against the Ravens this afternoon at Lambeau Field.

That means quarterback Jordan Love and the offensive starters will only have played three snaps this preseason before facing the Eagles in Week 1 in Brazil. Most of the defensive starters only played one drive in the preseason opener against the Browns, too. There's no perfect formula to playing/not playing guys in the preseason.

If the Packers blow out the Eagles, head coach Matt LaFleur will be a genius for resting guys. If they come out sloppy, it'll be coaching malpractice for not shaking off the rust in exhibition games.

Instead of watching Green Bay's starters go through one final test run, the Packers might instead look for clarity with position battles at swing tackle (Kadeem Telfort vs. Andre Dillard vs. Travis Glover), kicker (Anders Carlson vs. Greg Joseph) and backup quarterback (Sean Clifford vs. Michael Pratt).

The Athletic's Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed have their final Raiders 53-man projection after the preseason ends with a tie against the 49ers. McAllister had an 81-yard punt return and a 35-yard catch for a touchdown in the Raiders' preseason finale against the 49ers.

Read more here.

The Bears have acquired defensive tackle Chris Williams from the Cleveland Browns, the team announced Saturday.

Chicago gets Williams and a 2025 seventh-round pick. Browns received a 2025 sixth-round pick (from the Miami Dolphins).

The Athletic's Matt Barrows and David Lombardi have their final 49ers 53-man projection after the preseason ends with a tie against the Raiders. Tough decisions for the 49ers include whether to keep two or three quarterbacks and whether to go deep at cornerback and light at safety.

Read more here.

A pair of free-agent cornerbacks in J.C. Jackson and Chris Claybrooks have been suspended for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, according to reports.

Will the Cowboys finally break through the 30-year conference championship round barrier in 2024? What can we realistically expect from Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons & Co?

Arizona Cardinals receiver Zay Jones has been suspended for the first five games of the 2024 season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, the league announced Friday.

Jones was arrested last November and charged with domestic battery. While those charges were ultimately dropped, the league conducted its own investigation and deemed the incident to be in violation of NFL policy and determined that Jones should be suspended.

Packers QB Jordan Love joins Scoop City for an exclusive interview as he responds to questions about his record-breaking contract extension, being teammates and learning behind Aaron Rodgers, the Scoop on the 2024 Green Bay Packers and more. Plus, Dianna and Chase update you on the biggest lingering NFL headlines & have a parenting debate.

ASHBURN, Va. — Early in the 2004 movie “Miracle,” actor Kurt Russell, playing the role of 1980 U.S. Olympic head coach Herb Brooks, hands a piece of paper to his assistant coach, Craig Patrick.

On the page were 26 names Brooks chose to compete in the team’s training camp. The twist is this moment occurs shortly into the first day of a weeklong tryout with dozens of players.

Studying the list, the puzzled assistant tells Brooks, “You’re missing some of the best players.” The future gold medal-winning Brooks responds, “I’m not looking for the best players, Craig. I’m looking for the right ones.”

That sentence explains why the Washington Commanders traded wide receiver Jahan Dotson on Thursday.

Washington acquired a 2025 third-round pick and a pair of sevenths from the Philadelphia Eagles for Dotson and a 2025 fifth-rounder. In his second trade of the day, first-year general manager Adam Peters boldly chose a course of action rather than wishing, waiting and hoping for a turnaround or overthinking the perils of an intra-division trade.

There are players the Commanders could have retained or acquired this offseason who would bolster the team’s 2024 potential. That wasn’t what the former San Francisco 49ers executive and managing partner Josh Harris envisioned. Sustainability comes with consistency, effort and talent. That’s the sweet spot during an overhaul that removed over half of last season’s uncompelling roster while maintaining future salary-cap space and draft picks.

Dotson was considered a rising star not long ago. The 2022 first-round pick is skilled. He can corkscrew a defender when running a precise route. His ability to play taller than his listed 5-foot-11 height helped him lead Washington with seven receiving touchdowns in his rookie season. Dotson’s performance may improve significantly by playing with Eagles receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

The downturn began with his sophom*ore campaign. Many players were underwhelming amid Washington’s 4-13 season slog. Unlike other projected standouts, Dotson’s funk lingered.

Pro Bowl defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne rediscovered that extra gear under the new regime. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin’s childlike enthusiasm pops in each practice while tormenting cornerbacks. New veterans and incoming rookies appear connected to the competitive spirit coach Dan Quinn preaches.

“You’re going to see how we play. You’re going to feel how we play,” Quinn said last month on training camp eve. “That’s the first thing. … I can tell you that you’re gonna see a great effort team, a competitive team, playing fast and physical. We’ve seen that out there all spring, and (I’m) excited to see it here in camp.”

Read more here.

Wide receivers to watch: Tyrell Shavers (No. 80), K.J. Hamler (No. 19), Justin Shorter (No. 18), Andy Isabella (No. 87)

While the injury situation at receiver seemed bleak at the beginning of the week, with both Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling facing multi-week absences, there was a bit more of an optimistic tune Thursday. McDermott indicated that all of the team’s most recent injuries, excluding linebacker Matt Milano, have a chance to be ready to play in Week 1. The coach said he didn’t want to commit to them playing because some of the situations are still murky this far out from the season opener, but that type of information impacts how the team builds the roster for cutdown day. If Samuel and Valdes-Scantling both avoid injured reserve, that means there is one spot, at most, still up for grabs at receiver.

It comes down to Shavers, Hamler, Shorter and Isabella — all for different reasons. Shavers appears to have the best chances of the group, as his strong camp and ascension up the depth chart have been notable. He had a pair of special teams penalties against the Steelers, which slightly hurt his case. However, this week, he worked with quarterback Josh Allen in routes vs. air at practice, an encouraging sign for his chances. The next best odds to make the team are probably one of Shorter or Isabella, as Hamler has struggled with drops and ball security on kickoff and punt returns. But Shavers has outplayed Shorter, and the Bills would likely be able to get both Shorter and Isabella back to their practice squad. A strong night might force the Bills’ hand for one of this group rather than lose them entirely. Ahead of the game, though, it feels like Shavers or none of this group will make it.

Read more here.

CINCINNATI — The Bengals made a surprise round of 11 cuts on Friday coming off Thursday night’s loss to the Colts.

They are now at 75 players on the roster. The full cut to 53 needs to be complete by 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Here is the list with some takeaways on the first wave of moves:

WR Hakeem Butler

RB Noah Cain

OT Jackson Carman

DE Andre Carter

LB Aaron Casey

S Michael Dowell

CB Allan George

WR Kwamie Lassiter II

QB Rocky Lombardi

G Eric Miller

DT Joshua Pryor

The big name on the list is Carman. High expectations were placed on the 2021 second-round pick. He was the other side of the idea of taking Ja’Marr Chase instead of Penei Sewell. The idea was they could find offensively line help in the second round if they went after Chase in the first. The pick ends up one of the most impactful whiffs in the recent history of the franchise. Offensive line woes, specifically when depth was challenged, played a large role in falling short of a title in the 2021 and ‘22 seasons. He was given opportunity each of the last three preseasons failed the test each time, never rising to a starting level. His disastrous first preseason game this season was the final straw as his time in Cincinnati comes to a disappointing close.

George felt like a player that had a real chance to latch on with the team. He played well in camp with multiple interceptions and had not allowed a single reception through the first two preseason games. The early release could clear space to latch on with another team, but after making the 53 as a UDFA two years ago he falls short here.

Lassiter II enjoyed a productive camp that landed him on the practice squad last year and he even got into a game in Arizona, where his father was a standout safety, and caught his first pro pass. He may land a practice squad spot still but there was really no chance to make the 53 with a strong top six already locked in at receiver.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Zach Wilson was zooming along an upward trajectory during Denver Broncos training camp when he smacked into a 261-pound roadblock.

The Broncos quarterback was sacked in his own end zone by Green Bay Packers defensive end Zach Morton late in the third quarter of the teams’ preseason game Sunday, and Wilson’s night didn’t get much better from there. He was 2-of-6 passing for 29 yards and was sacked twice. Though he did throw a screen pass to running back Tyler Badie that turned into a 7-yard touchdown, Wilson generally didn’t move an offense full of Broncos reserves as efficiently as he had in Indianapolis one week earlier. He wasn’t as sharp as he had been during the prior two weeks of training camp practices, including efficiently using his limited snaps in a joint practice against the Packers.

“I missed some easy ones, just kind of felt out of rhythm a bit,” Wilson said after the game, his disappointment in the performance evident. “You go three-and-out, penalty, negative play, take a sack. Those things don’t help. … I have to find a way to start better.”

In Wilson’s uneven performance, though, Broncos coaches saw an opportunity. Wilson had been making clear and substantial strides for weeks as he grew more comfortable with the offense and forged a stronger connection with the team’s receivers. Now, he had quite literally been slammed to the turf. How would he respond?

Wilson did so emphatically Wednesday. On one rep after another, He laced on-target darts to his receivers. On a day devoted to red zone work, the 24-year-old found the end zone repeatedly, delivering the ball from all angles, from the pocket and off-platform. Broncos coach Sean Payton described it as a “heater” for Wilson as he showed off the arm that helped convince the New York Jets to make him the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The day belonged to Bo Nix, who was officially named the team’s starting quarterback after practice, but it was Wilson who had coaches shaking their heads afterward. His practice Thursday featured more of the same, his big arm merging with an increased understanding of the offense to produce some highlight-reel results.

“(Wilson) really made half a dozen throws that are really impressive and surprising — that (made coaches) all look at each other after he threw it,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said of Wilson’s practices this week. “I think he throws the ball really well and I think (there is) consistency of how he throws the football. As he gets more comfortable with the receivers and what we’re doing, his accuracy has really improved. I think he was disappointed in the game he had on Sunday, but, man, he’s had two outstanding practices since that game.”

Read more here.

CINCINNATI — The first drive was precise, purposeful and damn near perfect.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, facing the Bengals’ second-stringers in Thursday night’s preseason finale, did what any starting signal caller should do against backups: He carved them up. Indianapolis used 12 plays to march 80 yards for a score on its opening drive, with Richardson completing 7-of-8 passes for 65 yards.

His only incompletion was a laser to tight end Drew Ogletree in the end zone that may have been a little too hot to handle but was still a catchable pass. On the very next play, Richardson made up for it by connecting with AD Mitchell for a 9-yard touchdown. Even with pressuring bearing down on him, Richardson delivered a pinpoint ball to Mitchell across the middle, and the rookie took care of the rest by racing to the end zone.

Bengals safety Daijahn Anthony tried to beat Mitchell to the goal line and even ripped his helmet off in an effort to stop him, but Mitchell still broke through for his first NFL touchdown. One of the first players to congratulate a helmet-less Mitchell was his QB, who jumped up and down in excitement and ran to greet him on the sideline.

“I hope he kept the football,” Richardson said after Indianapolis’ 27-14 victory.

“I’mma give it to Ma Dukes,” Mitchell added, referring to his mother.

That was the good from Richardson, who picked up four first downs through the air on the Colts’ first possession. The first two went to Alec Pierce, the next one went to Michael Pittman Jr. and the last went to Jonathan Taylor before Richardson and Mitchell put Indy on the board.

Then came the bad from Richardson, who looked very much like a quarterback who’s only started 17 games since he graduated high school in 2020.

Read more here.

OXNARD, Calif. — When Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was asked Monday if the team was starting to think about decisions for the 53-man roster, the reporter didn’t even get through the entire question.

“No. No,” McCarthy said. “We’re not there yet. We’re not there yet.”

The next day, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones met with the media on the practice fields. Jones guaranteed the inclusion of at least one player currently on the fringe of the final roster.

“Do I need to see any more from Trey Lance?” Jones said, repeating the question asked to him. “Can we stop there? The answer is yes. Yes. He’s going to be on the 53.”

Lance, the Cowboys’ third-string quarterback who was acquired for a fourth-round pick at the end of last year’s preseason, has had an uneven training camp. In practices, Lance has often been slow with his reads and inconsistent with his accuracy. He had a subpar preseason debut in Los Angeles but followed it up with progress in the second preseason game in Las Vegas. Jones guaranteeing a roster spot to Lance isn’t terribly surprising, considering Lance’s $5.31 million cap hit is fully guaranteed.

The unwavering support from Jones, though, is a reminder of who carries all the accountability.

It’s been almost exactly one year that Jones would not let the San Francisco 49ers hang up the phone until a deal was in place to send Lance to Dallas. It was Aug. 25, 2023, the evening before the Cowboys’ final preseason game at home against the Las Vegas Raiders, that the Cowboys agreed to send their 2024 fourth-round pick for the 23-year-old quarterback.

“We didn’t waste any time,” Jones said last year. “The minute we knew they were serious about trading him, we didn’t want the phone to hang up.”

Read more from this column here.