Terrell becomes the lowest-drafted player in NFL history to receive a fully-guaranteed deal. The brother to Falcons corner A.J. Terrell, Avieon Terrell put together a solid career during his time at Clemson, playing almost exclusively on the outside while forcing three interceptions and breaking up another 17 passes. He’s expected to earn an early starting role on the perimeter in his rookie season and should help improve a defense that was already 13th in net YPA allowed (5.8) last season.
There’s still plenty of time for Parsons to rehab to be ready in time for Week 1, but Schefter said “the feeling within the organization has been that Parsons would miss the early part of the season” with a chance to still return fairly early on. Parsons suffered a torn ACL in Week 15 of last season, which makes being ready in time for the 2026 season a tall task. The star pass rusher totaled 12.5 sacks in the 14 games he appeared in last season and was still named a First-team All-Pro in his first season with the Pack.
Dixon signed with the Giants as a UDFA after going undrafted last month. The former North Carolina Tar Heel was facing an up-hill battle to make the roster, but had some Day 3 pedigree and may have heard his name called if not for a hamstring injury that hampered his draft process.
As Fowler notes, Steelers EDGE Nick Herbig is a free agent next offseason. Pittsburgh’s No. 3 pass-rusher is expected to be a hot name on the open market. The Steelers could work toward an extension for him before that happens, but they can’t realistically pay Watt, Herbig, and T.J. Watt top dollar. A Herbig extension might make Watt more valuable to the team as a trade asset. Still, it’s hard to believe the Steelers would trade one of the faces of their franchise at the tail end of his prime. How both he and Herbig play in 2026 will determine what GM Omar Khan does next offseason.
This is one of two games being played on Christmas, which is the Friday of Week 16. The Packers beat the Bears in Week 14 of the 2025 season before losing their final four regular season contests, one of which was an overtime loss to the Bears. They were then bounced from the playoffs by Chicago in the Wild Card Round. Their Christmas matchup will have major playoff implications and could even determine the winner of the NFC North.
Best ball bros are officially frothing at the mouth to stack this contest, not that they needed another reason to draft players from two of the best offenses in the NFL. As Jordan Schultz notes, the Bengals have traveled to Baltimore for a primetime game in each of the past four seasons. Now they get to host a matchup that could determine the fate of the AFC North.
As Schefter notes, this is the second time these two teams have faced each other on Thanksgiving in the past three years. The game will be played in Detroit as the first of the usual three-game setup on Thanksgiving. With both teams eying an NFC North title, this game will almost certainly have considerable playoff implications. It will also be another installment in Ben Johnson’s grudge match with his former team.
The Seahawks will reportedly begin their title defense at home with a rematch against the Patriots. Seattle won the Super Bowl matchup handily, cruising to a 29-13 victory to hoist the Lombardi trophy. The teams will look mostly the same, with some key differences. The Pats won’t have 2025 leading wide receiver Stefon Diggs, while Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker left the Seahawks for the Chiefs. Still, the NFL is starting strong with an immediate Super Bowl rematch.
Jones joins the Raiders after completing a two-season stint with the Dolphins. The 28-year-old has primarily been a rotational defensive lineman through his NFL career so far. He tallied two tackles for loss, including a sack, in 14 games last season. The Raiders will add Jones as rotational depth for a defensive line needing experienced production.
Rice was originally drafted by the Chargers in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He did not make the team’s final roster and has since spent time on several practice squads. His most recent stop was a short-lived stay in Vegas. Rice is a long-shot to make the Packers’ roster this summer.
The Lions traded Patrick to Jacksonville last offseason. He caught 15 passes for 187 yards and three scores. Patrick is nothing more than a depth option at this point in his career, but the Jets could use some more experience in their receiver room. Aside from Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell and Omar Cooper Jr. appeared to be penciled in for starting roles this year. Even if he doesn’t see the field much, Patrick brings some floor to this young group of players.
The match will be broadcast by Netflix. Per usual, the NFL is quietly claiming more territory outside of the standard Thursday, Sunday, and Monday contests. Week 12 will still have the normal three-game run on Thanksgiving. So far, only a matchup between the Cowboys and Eagles has been announced. The full schedule will be released on Thursday, with plenty of leaks between now and then. The Thanksgiving Eve game could ultimately be a preview of a postseason matchup, given that both the Packers and Rams made the NFC playoffs last year.
The procedure removed scar tissue that was causing stiffness in his knee. Per Duggan, “This second surgery isn’t expected to impact Nabers’ recovery timeline.” Still, it’s not a great sign for Nabers, who the team is “hopeful” will be ready for Week 1, to need another procedure this late in his rehab, even if it’s minor. He suffered a torn ACL in Week 4 of the 2025 season and underwent his first surgery roughly a month later. Our first concrete indication of his progress will come at the start of training camp, when the Giants could opt to put him on the PUP list until he is ready to practice.
The Patriots released a statement saying, “We are aware of the report involving Quintayvious Hutchins. We take these matters very seriously and are in the process of gathering additional information.” Hutchins pleaded not guilty. He was the No. 247 pick in the draft this year. The league will likely let the legal situation play out before stepping in.
Moss went undrafted this year and signed with the Dolphins as a UDFA. He broke out at Texas A&M in 2024 with 765 yards and 10 scores on the ground, but a multi-ligament knee injury cut his season short. Then, in 2025, he missed six games with an ankle issue, cratering his draft stock. His departure will leave the Dolphins with Ollie Gordon and Jaylen Wright competing for the RB2 gig once again.
Shockingly and inexplicably the second running back off the draft board in the 2026 NFL Draft, Black out of Indiana appears to be a solid-enough blocker who might earn snaps behind Christian McCaffrey this season. Jordan James, Barrow added, remains the likely RB2 behind McCaffrey. Black’s blocking ability “won’t make him popular in fantasy football circles, but it’s something a rookie needs to prove before he gets meaningful snaps.” In 32 pass-blocking opportunities in 2025, Black did not allow a quarterback hit while giving up two QB pressures. If he proves himself a reliable blocker in training camp, Black could see significant snaps in the 49ers offense.
Barrow said Stribling, taken with the 33rd pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, is "[Jajuan] Jennings-like” in his willingness to block for ball carriers down the field. Shanahan has said the team’s explosive rush rate dropped in 2025 because they lacked solid wideout blocking with Jennings — now with the Vikings — missing much of the season. “Stribling doesn’t have Jennings’ size or length, and he must build the kind of receiver-quarterback chemistry Jennings had with Brock Purdy in recent years,” Barrow said. “Still, Stribling is faster and offers big-play ability the 49ers were missing last season.” The rookie is not expected to get heavy playing time to begin the 2026 season, and it appears the Niners drafted him for his intangibles and willingness to block for Christian McCaffrey. Stribling, 23, had a 38th percentile college target share at Ole Miss.
Bryce Young and the Panthers will total 8,740 air miles during the regular season, by far the lowest mark in the league. The 49ers are slated to lead the NFL with more than 38,000 air miles thanks to east coast trips and an international game. Though Carolina found their way into the postseason last year, they struggled through much of the season, finishing 24th in point differential, below the Falcons and Steelers, among other teams. The team continues to “talk through” a potential extension for Young, who over the past two seasons ranks 33rd out of 43 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per drop back.
“They are re-uploading their own methods and fundamentals and mechanics,” Pryor said, adding that McCarthy and the team’s QBs coach were “very intentional” with Allar during rookie minicamp, focusing on footwork and basic throwing mechanics. McCarthy is hoping to get Allar to widen his stance and get off of his toes in the pocket. “That’s something that will help him process even more and just move faster as he gets acclimated to the NFL,” Pryor said. A third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft who threw 49 touchdowns over the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Penn State, Allar could see significant playing time this season if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t show up this summer. Even if Rodgers eventually decides to report to the Steelers, a lost season for Pittsburgh could put Allar under center down the final stretch of the regular season.
It’s a matchup of two potentially high-powered offenses for the NFL’s annual Munich matchup. This will mark the Pats’ second trip to Munich — they played in the first-ever Munich regular season game — and the organization’s sixth overall international game. Drake Maye will look to continue his hyper-efficient ways in 2026 while Jared Goff and the Lions look to bounce back from a down 2025 campaign in which the team ranked ninth in EPA per play and 12th in success rate, just behind the Bengals and Bears.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles will take on the Jaguars in Jacksonville’s annual trip to London, where they are 7-7 since the 2013 regular season. Hurts, facing internal criticism this offseason following a difficult 2025 campaign, will look to get back on track in the run-heavy Philly offense that last season ranked 13th in EPA per rush, behind the Commanders and Giants. The Jaguars will look to build off a strong 2025 season, Liam Coen’s first as the team’s head coach. The Jags had the fourth best point differential last season, trailing only the Seahawks, Patriots, and Rams.
The Kyler Murray experiment should be well underway by late November as Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings look to recover from their failed dalliance with J.J. McCarthy as the team’s starting quarterback. Murray will lead a quietly loaded Minnesota offense against Kyle Shanahan’s EPA-maximizing Niners offense. The last time Brock Purdy faced the Vikings defense he threw for 319 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a Week 2 2024 loss. Purdy took a season-high six sacks in that game.
Penix is nearly six months removed from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 11 of the 2025 season. The team was uncertain of his status heading into camp, but the good news for Penix is that he “is participating in Phase 2 of the Falcons’ offseason program”, a team spokesperson told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. Per NFL rules, this means Penix can participate in “individual and group instruction and drills but not a full-fledged practice with 11-on-11s or 7-on-7s.” The 26-year-old has now suffered three torn ACLs over his college and pro career and may be competing with Tua Tagovailoa for the Falcons’ starting job. Participation in parts of the Falcons’ offseason program is a good sign for Penix while he ramps back up to full health.
The Saints will host the Steelers in a Paris matchup, the inaugural Paris game for the NFL at the Stade de France. The Saints did not play an international game in 2025 while the Steelers will play overseas for the second straight year, defeating the Vikings in Ireland last season. The game will be during Week 7 of the 2026 season, potentially meaning a bye for both teams before or after the game.