Training camp buzz: Latest on QBs, Beckham, practice risers, more

Training camp is in full swing, and we're giving you the lowdown on what's making headlines around the NFL.

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QB battles | Raiders fight | Risers | Fallers | 49ers wounded | Other key injuries | More notes

ICYMI: Headlines from first week of camp

Update on QB battles

Vikings

This race is finished, as the Vikings named Kyler Murray their starter over J.J. McCarthy on Tuesday. Murray had received the majority of first-team reps since camp opened, making it his job to lose. Minnesota drafted McCarthy 10th overall in 2024, but he missed his rookie season with a torn meniscus and then struggled to stay healthy and keep the offense moving last year. The team fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the general manager who drafted McCarthy, in January.

Browns

Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are still alternating days with the first-team offense, with neither seemingly able to separate himself from the other. The Browns will give Watson the first preseason start, but Sanders will get the second one, offering first-year coach Todd Monken plenty of tape to evaluate before naming a starter for the regular season. The daily reports out of Cleveland suggest this battle is ripe for the taking.

Here are the cumulative camp stats for Watson and Sanders, courtesy of ESPN Cleveland's daily updates:

Falcons

A healthier Tua Tagovailoa is now participating in 11-on-11 drills, while Michael Penix Jr. has yet to amid his recovery from ACL surgery. Penix doesn't expect to receive full clearance until late August, so Tagovailoa is essentially competing against himself right now. Unless Penix gets a green light sooner than anticipated, Tagovailoa will have the inside track to start Week 1 against the Steelers.

Cousins, Crosby scrap

You don't often see a starting quarterback and a defensive star tussle, but that's exactly what Kirk Cousins and Maxx Crosby did Friday at Raiders camp. Crosby purportedly hit Cousins twice while rushing the passer - a big no-no in camp - leading the signal-caller to grab his teammate's jersey, get in his face, and exchange words. Las Vegas held both players out of practice the next day as a repercussion for the scuffle.

"We have very clear expectations about how we want to practice, how you go about our business," head coach Klint Kubiak said Saturday. "We violated that yesterday, so we held those guys out. That's all I'm going to say about it. We addressed it with the team and we're moving on."

Cousins' absence left No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza to run the first-team offense for the first time, but the Raiders still aren't entertaining the idea of starting the rookie in Week 1. Mendoza threw three touchdowns Saturday, though his overall performance was a mixed bag, according to ESPN's Ryan McFadden.

Back to the two veterans: Cousins and Crosby appeared to be on good terms when they returned to the field.

Practice risers

Ravens WR Ja'Kobi Lane: The USC product has been flashing his acrobatic abilities over and over again, and he's now firmly the story of Ravens camp. Lane wasn't the biggest separator in college, but his highlight reel included some ridiculous contested catches.

Eagles OL Willie Lampkin: Nobody could blame you for being unfamiliar with Lampkin. The 5-foot-11, 290-pound interior lineman went undrafted in 2025 and then spent his rookie campaign on injured reserve, but he's caught the Eagles' attention of late.

"You notice him even more once the pads have come on," head coach Nick Sirianni said Monday. "He has ability to play in the inside at center or guard. Good versatility, smart guy, really athletic. He's been fun to watch at camp. We find ourselves as coaches, when we're watching tape, just kind of being like, 'Man, Willie did it again.'"

Broncos WR Pat Bryant: Assuming Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton are locked in as the top two receivers in Denver, Bryant has positioned himself to be the No. 3. Here's Broncos head coach Sean Payton detailing what he sees in the second-year receiver, who only had 378 yards and one touchdown last season:

Packers WR Skyy Moore: A second-round pick of the Chiefs in 2022, Moore spent three unproductive seasons in Kansas City before moving to San Francisco. There, he found his footing as a return man. The Packers, though, believe they can unlock his potential on both offense and special teams.

"I think Skyy's going to help us as a returner and receiver," general manager Brian Gutekunst said last Thursday, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky. "I expect him to be part of our squad."

Practice fallers

Ravens TE Mark Andrews: The 30-year-old is looking to bounce back from a career-worst season, yet he hasn't recorded any explosive plays in camp and has been plagued by drops, according to The Baltimore Banner's Jonas Shaffer. That's particularly concerning since new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle specializes in play-action (which, theoretically, helps tight ends) and explosives. Andrews' falloff last season didn't scare off the Ravens from giving him a three-year, $39.3-million extension.

Packers OL Anthony Belton: Belton finished his rookie season as the starting right guard, but he's been demoted to the second unit in the latter stages of camp. Jacob Monk, a fifth-round pick in 2024, has taken his spot with the starters. Jager Burton, meanwhile, is operating as the starting left guard. Belton was a second-round pick in 2025.

Bengals CB Josh Newton: Cincinnati thought it had something when Newton, a fifth-rounder taken in 2024, started six games as a rookie. However, his role shrank in 2025 and could wither again in 2026. The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. wrote that Newton is in the "same doghouse" he was in last year. This type of rep against a fourth-round rookie won't help his cause:

Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson: The second-year runner doesn't seem to be making any headway under new head coach Mike McCarthy, with The Athletic's Mike DeFabo noting his inability to generate more yardage than his blockers give him. Pittsburgh had big plans for Johnson when it drafted him in the third round in 2025, but he quickly played his way out of the mix as a rookie.

49ers wounded

This list is long and we've got other teams to talk about, so we'll keep this quick. Here are the players sitting out practice as of Tuesday, courtesy of ESPN's Nick Wagoner:

• DE Nick Bosa (knee)
• RB Christian McCaffrey (tightness)
• WR Christian Kirk (calf)
• WR Ricky Pearsall (knee)
• RB Jordan James (rib)
• RB Kaelon Black (adductor)
• S Malik Mustapha (hamstring)
• DE Mikail Kamara (knee)
• DE Romello Height (elbow)
• LB Luke Gifford (hamstring)
• WR Jacob Cowing (hip flexor)
• FB Kyle Juszczyk (finger)
• OL Brett Toth (head)
• OT Vederian Lowe (ankle)

Bosa's absence is most concerning, as he's week-to-week with tendinitis in his surgically repaired knee. McCaffrey will supposedly be fine, though we've heard that line before. Pearsall and Kamara are out for the season. The rest should return at various points.

Additionally, the 49ers have three players on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list who are working their way back from respective injuries suffered last season. These players are eligible to begin practicing at any time:

• TE George Kittle (Achilles)
• DE Mykel Williams (knee)
• RB Isaac Guerendo (pectoral)

On the bright side, wide receivers Mike Evans (quad) and De'Zhaun Stribling (hamstring) returned recently after missing several days of work.

Other new injuries

Commanders LT Laremy Tunsil: The star left tackle will miss most, if not all, of the regular season after tearing his triceps during a one-on-one drill. It's a devastating blow for the Commanders, whose offense was taking shape after adding decorated receiver Stefon Diggs midway through camp. Brandon Coleman, who's played left tackle in the past, has slid over from guard to take Tunsil's spot.

Colts WR Alec Pierce: Pierce still hasn't practiced after undergoing offseason ankle surgery. General manager Chris Ballard denied a report that Pierce recently received a second PRP injection to aid his recovery, and the executive remains confident that Pierce will be ready for Week 1. The Colts retained him on a four-year, $114-million contract in free agency.

Bears WR Luther Burden III: Although Burden is expected to sit out the preseason due to a groin injury, the Bears hope to get him back in time for Week 1. Prior to his absence, the sophomore appeared poised to leapfrog Rome Odunze to become the top wideout in Chicago.

Bears S Coby Bryant: Bryant was initially supposed to miss 8-10 weeks with a knee injury, but he's now likely to be sidelined for four-to-six months. In other words, he may not play a down of football in 2026.

Ravens CB Nate Wiggins: Wiggins was carted off the field Tuesday with a knee injury, but tests reportedly showed no structural damage. The extent of his injury is still unknown, though.

Eagles WR Makai Lemon: The first-round rookie has missed the majority of camp with a hamstring injury, which is an ominous sign for a guy with a history of those. DeVonta Smith is also dealing with a bad hamstring, though he sounds close to returning. The Eagles traded up to draft Lemon - a move that's beginning to turn sour.

Saints DE Cameron Jordan: The 37-year-old picked up a hamstring injury that could force him to miss the beginning of the regular season. Jordan has sat out just two games in his 15-year career, only one of which was due to injury.

More headlines

OBJ listed as third-stringer

The Giants' first unofficial depth chart of the season has Odell Beckham Jr. as a third-stringer. That's not a great sign for the three-time Pro Bowl receiver, who's looking revive his career in the place it started, but it doesn't mean the dream is dead.

Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Calvin Austin III, Darnell Mooney, and Jalin Hyatt are listed as the team's top five receivers. However, Nabers is still getting his knee healthy, Slayton and Mooney have movable contracts, and Austin and Hyatt have yet to break out in the NFL.

Meanwhile, listed on the third unit alongside Beckham is third-round rookie Malachi Fields, who's certain to make the roster. So, while the 33-year-old Beckham has his work cut out, climbing the depth chart isn't an impossible feat. More catches like this will help him:

Sauce spills out

This one-on-one rep between Patriots receiver A.J. Brown and Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner at a joint practice had social media humming Tuesday morning:

Gardner, whom the Colts acquired from the Jets for two first-round picks at last season's trade deadline, posted this response on X before later deleting it:

all this from a 1on1 rep?😂 & a 8 yard sit route at that? its a reason that's the only one yall saw😴🔒

Remember Anthony Richardson?

If you're wondering what happened to the former No. 4 overall pick and his offseason trade request, he's right there with you.

"I haven't really talked to my agent about that recently. I haven't really talked to anyone about that recently, so I'm not necessarily sure what's going on with that," Richardson said Sunday, according to the Indianapolis Star's Nathan Brown.

Richardson has been working with the third unit in camp, behind Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard. He might need to show the Colts something in the preseason to make the 53-man roster.

Achane's usage going up

Dolphins running back De'Von Achane averaged 19 touches across 16 appearances last season. Expect that number to tick up under first-year head coach Jeff Hafley.

"I told him there might be some games when I have to pick him up and carry him back to the locker room because he's going to be so tired," Hafley said Tuesday.

Achane, who signed a four-year, $64-million extension in March, is by far the Dolphins' most established offensive weapon.