Month: August 2026

AUGUST 15: Johnson said in a statement the suspension stems from his decision to take a fertility medication which includes one of the league’s banned substances. Exceptions exist for therapeutic uses of such medications, but Johnson did not seek authorization from the league prior to taking it. As a result, he

The Cleveland Browns are proving doubters right. On Saturday, quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders underwhelmed in a 34-10 preseason Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears. Watson, entering the final year of his onerous five-year, fully-guaranteed $230 million contract, was an efficient 11-of-15 for 126 yards but also lost

By Nikhil Mehta | at August 15, 2026 10:36 am The Seahawks made Jaxon Smith-Njigba the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL in March, and now, they have agreed to a new contract with Devon Witherspoon that will top the cornerback market. The two sides have agreed to a four-year, $132MM

Atlanta Falcons edge-rusher James Pearce Jr. has received a significant suspension from the NFL stemming from his offseason arrest. The NFL announced Friday that Pearce has received an eight-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.  The suspension stems from his offseason arrest following a domestic dispute with ex-girlfriend

The NFL has acted on the James Pearce Jr. matter. Pearce’s offseason arrest will produce an eight-game suspension, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Pearce will not appeal the ban, according to The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones and Josh Kendall. This expected news comes days after Jalon Walker‘s ACL tear, changing the complexion of

The Atlanta Falcons brought in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this offseason as an insurance plan for Michael Penix Jr., who the team planned on being the franchise signal-caller. While that may end up being the case still, the 2024 first-round pick has a concerning injury history that reared its ugly head

A third Friday-afternoon suspension announcement has now come out. This one involves Commanders defensive end Dorance Armstrong, whom The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala reports will draw a one-game ban for a personal conduct policy violation. Going into the final season of a three-year, $30MM contract, Armstrong spent his offseason rehabbing an

It’s not unusual to see teams hold out their starters from preseason games, especially the first one. That’s why not watching Christian Gonzalez take the field on Thursday night’s 13-13 tie to the Indianapolis Colts wasn’t surprising. Nevertheless, given his contract stalemate and the fact that he also missed some

Close-game magic played a central role in the Bears to a quick turnaround in 2025. Chicago, however, saw an immediate impact from a transformative coaching hire, as ex-Lions OC Ben Johnson was the driving force of change for a Chicago team that had not produced a winning record since 2018.

The Pittsburgh Steelers won their preseason opener, beating the Green Bay Packers to the tune of 28-9 on Thursday night. But the result and convincing final score isn’t what Steelers fans are talking about in the aftermath of the game.  Rookie quarterback Drew Allar performed at such a level that

After taking several visits, Terrion Arnold has found his new home. The cornerback is signing with the Seahawks, according to Jordan Schultz. It’ll be a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Arnold met with the organization this past weekend. The former first-round pick had been on the open market

Joe Burrow apparently arrived at Cincinnati Bengals training camp with less patience and a sharper tongue. That might help the Bengals, but it also says plenty about how tired their quarterback has become of watching seasons slip away. Ja’Marr Chase has nicknamed this version of his quarterback “Mean Joe.” Burrow has been more vocal

After months of public hemming and hawing, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell announced his starting quarterback on Tuesday. The Vikings are rolling with inexpensive free agent flier Kyler Murray, not homegrown first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. When meeting with the media to address the decision on Wednesday, McCarthy said the right

Aaron Rodgers was really hoping to be able to check out Lambeau Field as a visitor for the first (and only) time in his legendary NFL career. Rodgers’ Pittsburgh Steelers will play his former team, the Green Bay Packers, in the preseason. For a while, it wasn’t certain whether that

AUGUST 12: During a recent interview with NFL Network’s Stacey Dales and Brian Baldinger, Parsons clarified that Week 6 would be his “most optimistic” return date at this point. Plenty of time remains for his timeline to change, but the Packers remain on course for a notable stretch to begin the

Even with that being the case, there is still a path that makes the most sense for the Browns. And it probably isn’t Watson. The only logical reason for Watson to get the starting job, and the only logical reason for him to still be on the team, is because

AUG. 12: Head coach Kellen Moore confirmed Arnold visited the Saints, but the team did not have him conduct a workout (via Josh Alper of PFT). “Just collecting as much information as we can, having as many conversations with people who have spent a lot of time with him over

As of Wednesday morning, first-year Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken had not publicly revealed whether veteran Deshaun Watson or second-year pro Shedeur Sanders would get the start for Cleveland’s preseason opener at the Chicago Bears this coming Saturday. It turns out there may be a reason Monken has delayed that decision.  Has Shedeur Sanders been dealing with an injury? 

The Vikings split first-team quarterback reps between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy through the spring and well into training camp. No decision on a starter had been made entering Tuesday, but that is set to change. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Vikings will name Murray their QB1 for 2026. That will of course

The Los Angeles Rams can rest easy after learning star wide receiver Puka Nacua only suffered a minor injury in Tuesday’s joint practice against the Dallas Cowboys.  After practice, Rams head coach Sean McVay offered no update on Nacua’s status, sparking concern. Later, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the

Cole Van Lanen went from a utility player tied to the low-end RFA tender to the Jaguars’ left tackle starter who received a three-year, $51MM extension. The ascending blocker, however, suffered a knee injury in Week 18 and has been on the active/PUP list throughout training camp. The Jaguars’ move

Months before Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and entertainment superstar Taylor Swift celebrated their wedding at Madison Square Garden in New York City this past July, Kelce confirmed that he was returning to the Chiefs for what many assume will be the last season of his playing career. 

11:00pm: Williams will receive a signing bonus of $31.85MM as part of his new deal, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. That number far exceeds what Simmons and Carter received at signing and ranks second all-time among defensive tackles, trailing only Aaron Donald‘s $40MM signing bonus in 2018. 3:53pm: Mutual interest existed

The NFL regular season has not started, yet several teams are already watching carefully constructed plans fall apart. Training camp is supposed to answer roster questions. For these three clubs, it has mostly created nastier ones. Nobody should declare a season dead in August. Still, these three teams have each

Although he is just one season into a four-year, $76.4MM contract, Cardinals outside linebacker Josh Sweat was the subject of trade rumors during the spring. Teams called the Cardinals about Sweat, but general manager Monti Ossenfort held off on moving him. Ossenfort insists that is not going to change. Asked