The team also signed defensive tackle Israel Antwine. Foster spent the first four years of his career with the Chargers. He appeared in six games last year, including his first career start. He will be fighting for a depth role on the Broncos’ roster.
Rapp was released by the Bills during the offseason. The Broncos signed him a week ago but are choosing to go in a different direction. Rapp has 72 career starts, including six last year, and won’t turn 29 until later this year. He should be able to find a team before the start of the season, but it might not happen until after teams let their 53-man rosters shake out over the next week.
“We’ve obviously been preparing for that in case that happens,” Gutekunst said when asked about Jacobs, who in May was arrested on domestic abuse charges. “But at the same time, I feel really good about the guys we have in that room.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said in August that the league would likely suspend Jacobs, though the length of the suspension had yet to be determined. MarShawn Lloyd would likely function as Green Bay’s lead back if Jacobs — who’s dealing with a lingering groin issue — misses regular season games. The oft-injured Lloyd has stayed healthy this offseason and has reportedly run well in training camp and joint practices. In last week’s preseason game against Denver, Lloyd played on 5-of-7 snaps during the first drive with the team’s starters.
Tua Tagovailoa will start versus his old team. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said yesterday that Tua’s horrid play throughout training camp and the preseason has made it impossible for the team to name him the Week 1 starter. Penix finally joined 11-on-11 drills this week, but his absence from the preseason contest suggests the team isn’t quite ready to put him in harm’s way. The matchup with Miami will be Tua’s final shot at winning the job.
Walker was held out of practice recently because of the issue, but this seems to be as minor as it gets. It’s safe to assume Walker will be back at practice soon, likely without any limitations. Walker has been going at the top of the second round of fantasy drafts. This little injury scare shouldn’t move that ADP in the slightest. He remains a strong RB1 bet this year.
Mahomes will sit the entire preseason, though that shouldn’t be taken as an indication that he won’t be ready for Week 1. He suffered a torn ACL and LCL in Week 15 last year, which would normally make the 2026 opener a tight turnaround. Superstars just recover differently from other players. Mahomes has had no issues throwing or running during training camp and his absence from the preseason is likely a precautionary measure from Andy Reid and the Chiefs. We fully expect him to take on the Broncos when Week 1 rolls around.
Tua Tagovailoa will start versus his old team. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said yesterday that Tua’s horrid play throughout training camp and the preseason has made it impossible for the team to name him the Week 1 starter. Penix finally joined 11-on-11 drills this week, but his absence from the preseason contest suggests the team isn’t quite ready to put him in harm’s way. The matchup with Miami will be Tua’s final shot at winning the job.
The Chicago Tribune’s Sean Hammond made it clear that this was the first of many steps toward a full return for Burden, but it’s still a good sign that he’s back on the field. With more than two weeks until the Bears’ first game of the season, Burden appears to be on track to play in Week 1. Burden has been going outside the top 20 wide receivers in Best Ball drafts following the injury. That buying window is likely to close as long as he doesn’t suffer any setbacks. Burden remains a high-risk, high-reward WR2 bet.
Downs is out of practice once again. He previously missed time in camp with a groin injury. Downs dealt with a slew of health issues last year and the fact that things continue to crop up is concerning, but it doesn’t sound like the latest injury will hold him out long. he told reporters he thinks he will be back soon, and the fact that he was even allowed to talk to the media is a good sign. With Alec Pierce still on the mend from offseason ankle surgery, Downs and Keenan Allen could be the team’s top receivers to start the year. As long as Downs stays healthy, he should put up WR3 fantasy numbers this season.
It looks like the Packers are ready to ease Kraft back into competition following the serious knee injury that ended his 2025 season. Kraft said recently that the team would “probably” keep him on a snap count to begin the regular season. That would make Kraft — one of the game’s most efficient tight ends — a dicy bet for fantasy purposes. Kraft might not be playable for the first month of the regular season, or even longer depending on his progress and the Packers’ strategies for keeping him healthy.
Reich has reportedly added wrinkles to the offense he deployed as head coach of the Colts and Panthers. At both of those stops his offenses were near the bottom of the league in most basic offensive metrics. Smith, meanwhile, has looked sharp as the team’s starting quarterback throughout training camp and in limited preseason snaps. He’ll look to bounce back from a nightmarish statistical 2025 season in Vegas. Jets players, including Garrett Wilson, told The Athletic that they have enjoyed the “player empowerment” that comes along with Reich’s coaching style and his offensive scheming, which leaves room for improvisation. The Jets offense could be functional as long as Smith, 35, is healthy and upright.
“We’ve obviously been preparing for that in case that happens,” Gutekunst said when asked about Jacobs, who in May was arrested on domestic abuse charges. “But at the same time, I feel really good about the guys we have in that room.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said in August that the league would likely suspend Jacobs, though the length of the suspension had yet to be determined. MarShawn Lloyd would likely function as Green Bay’s lead back if Jacobs — who’s dealing with a lingering groin issue — misses regular season games. The oft-injured Lloyd has stayed healthy this offseason and has reportedly run well in training camp and joint practices. In last week’s preseason game against Denver, Lloyd Lloyd played on 5-of-7 snaps during the first drive with the team’s starters.
Beat writers for the Commanders were aghast at what they saw during Wednesday’s joint practice, a dominant performance for Baltimore against an overmatched Washington offensive line. This is the worst I’ve ever seen the Commanders’ offense in years,” Jhabvala said. “Inoperable offensive line.” Washington this summer lost standout LT Laremy Tunsil to a tricep injury that will keep him sidelined throughout the regular season. The Commanders on Tuesday signed free agent OT DJ Humphries. If the team’s blocking issues are not adequately addressed in the coming weeks, it could be bad news for Jayden Daniels and the rest of the Commanders’ fantasy-relevant players. Last year Washington ranked 18th in pass blocking win rate and 21st in run blocking win rate.
Smith reportedly suffered a serious lower body injury during a joint practice with the Panthers. His loss would be significant for the Texans after Smith this offseason signed a two-year deal worth $20 million with Houston. The Texans last season had one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines, ranking 30th in pass blocking win rate and 32nd in run blocking win rate.
Schefter said Bain, the 15th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, should be ready to go for Week 1 against the Bengals. Bain has wowed Bucs coaches and beat writers throughout the summer with his work ethic and intensity and should be a key part of a Tampa defense that struggled through parts of the 2025 season, allowing the league’s 11th highest offensive success rate. The Bucs ranked last in QB pressure rate last season. That should change with Bain in the lineup.
It’s a devastating blow both for Austin and the Giants offense. Austin, who had impressed throughout training camp, was “going to play a significant role” in the New York offense, per Raanan, operating as the team’s primary slot receiver. He suffered the knee injury on Tuesday. Austin had 84 receptions for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns over three seasons with the Steelers before signing a one-year deal with New York this offseason. Malachai Fields could see a bigger role with Austin done for the year. Austin’s absence could also create an opportunity for Odell Beckham, Jr. if he makes the team.
Delp is dealing with a hamstring injury, missing the Saints’ practice on Tuesday. With Jordan Tyson (hamstring) slated to miss at least the next couple months, NFL Network’s Steve Wyche and Garafolo believe the Saints will lean on their tight ends. The rookie Delp is behind Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant on the depth chart. Based on Garafolo’s report, he won’t miss too much time with his hamstring strain; he has upside as a Dynasty stash but Juwan Johnson should be the top tight end as a low-end fantasy TE1 heading into the 2026 season.
Gonzalez and the Pats have continued negotiations on a top-of-the-market extension for the 24-year-old cornerback, but are not yet close to an agreement. Fellow corner Devon Witherspoon signed his deal earlier in August but Gonzalez has still yet to sign a similar or slightly larger deal. He said, “it’s frustrating, but I’m focused on the season.” A deal can still come before the Patriots play in Week 1 but it’s clear Gonzalez is disappointed in negotiations despite not holding out.
The Chiefs add interior offensive line depth in Ezeudu, who was on the roster bubble for the Giants offensive line. The 26-year-old was a third-round pick of the Giants in 2022 and appeared in 33 games over the course of his New York tenure. He becomes guard depth for the Chiefs as roster cut-down day nears.
Checking in on the star pass-rusher heading into the third preseason week, Garrett (knee) still has not practiced since early August. He is experiencing swelling in his knee and head coach Sean McVay continues to downplay his absence. It’s possible this is just veteran load management; we still expect Garrett to be ready for Week 1, though his absence is becoming more and more notable as the season inches closer.
Stowers missed his second straight practice Tuesday as he deals with a hamstring issue. There is no indication this is a major injury yet, but something to keep an eye on as the Eagles prepare for preseason Week 3. The rookie second-round pick has struggled in camp and comes into the NFL as a raw tight end prospect. Don’t expect the Eagles’ tight end rotation to change drastically should Stowers miss time in the 2026 regular season.
It’ll be a total redshirt year for the 64th overall pick. Seattle also placed OL Mason Richman on injured reserve.
Kyle Shanahan indicated Evans should be back to practice next week before leaving for Australia. The line between “Evans is being treated very carefully” and “Evans is always hurt” has been blurred for a few years now, but it doesn’t seem like he’s in any danger of missing time yet.
The Vikings spent a lot of energy having a pretend quarterback competition between McCarthy and Kyler Murray this offseason, but at least it kept them fresh for this second pretend competition where McCarthy will push Wentz for second-team duties. McCarthy is an obvious trade candidate and it would be surprising if he was higher than the third-team quarterback to open the season in Minnesota. One of these quarterbacks is more reliable than the other and somehow that quarterback is Carson Wentz.
Humphries appeared in eight games with the Rams last year, mostly as a reserve. His last real chance to start came when the Chiefs turned to him in 2024 and he was disastrous there, though admittedly he was playing through a hamstring injury. He’s a veteran depth add here as the Commanders try to muddle through life without Laremy Tunsil.