Johnson was back at practice after being excused earlier in the week as he handled some personal business. Entering his 14th season in the NFL, Johnson told reporters this will probably be his final season. He cited his family as the primary motivation for potentially hanging up his cleats for the last time after this season. Johnson appeared in only 10 games last year, but was named either a first-team or second-team All-Pro in the four seasons prior to 2025.
Cousins and Crosby got into it Friday with the 37-year-old quarterback taking exception after multiple hits from Crosby. Cousins got in Crosby’s face and grabbed his jersey as the two exchanged words before it was broken up. Both will sit out practice Saturday, but should be back on the field soon.
The news was first reported by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Tunsil will be evaluated and tested for injury, but Garafolo says he’s not sensing huge panic about the injury. Still, Garafolo also said he wouldn’t be surprised if Tunsil has to miss some time. Stay tuned as the tests will ultimately show the severity of Tunsil’s injury.
Flowers apparently avoided significant injury but will reportedly miss a “couple days” with a quadricep contusion suffered in practice Saturday. Camp injuries are beginning to flood in but it appears as if Flowers will be okay following a couple of days off. Entering his fourth season, there is real optimism that Flowers will take another step forward under a new coaching staff, although a career 15.7 percent red zone target rate could keep him from becoming a true fantasy star. For now, treat Flowers as a solid fourth round selection in fantasy drafts that carries elite spike-week potential due to his downfield role.
The special teams ace missed practice Saturday with what is calling a “hamstring issue,” with the further word on how serious the ailment is. Gifford earned his first Pro Bowl nod for his special teams play in 2025 while also starting nine games for the 49ers. Expect an update from the team in short order.
McVay added that he was undecided on whether presumed second-string quarterback Stetson Bennett would play in the team’s first preseason game, hinting at the potential for Simpson to see the bulk of the work against the Chiefs. The team selected Simpson with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft with a clear intent on developing him into an heir apparent under Matthew Stafford, meaning it could be another two years until he takes the field as the starting quarterback considering Stafford recently signed an extension that ties him to the Rams through the 2027 season. Either way, it appears likely that Simpson will get his first taste of play at the NFL level when the Rams face off against the Chiefs Saturday.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since being involved in an automobile accident in July, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he plans to be on the sideline and coaching when the team faces off against the Tennessee Titans for their preseason opener. The longtime head coach had been away from the team for the first part of training camp as he dealt with lingering concussion symptoms resulting from the crash. Expect business as usual from Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers as they prepare for the 2026 season.
King apparently picked up a hamstring injury during the Panthers’ Hall of Fame, comeback win over the Cardinals Thursday, a significant hindrance to his chances of making the final 53-man roster out of camp. The injury is expected to sideline King for multiple weeks, prompting the team to list him “week-to-week.” King signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent following the NFL Draft and made a strong case to push for primary backup duties after leading a game-winning touchdown drive in the two-minute drill against the Cardinals. Those hopes now are likely out the window with the injury, with Kenny Pickett almost assuredly set to enter the regular season as the primary backup behind Bryce Young. King should stick with the team on the practice squad after signing a three-year contract in the spring. The Panthers are expected to add an additional quarterback to the roster in the coming days.
That’s exactly the news fantasy managers were hoping to see after Waddle experienced “some muscle tightness” earlier in the week, prompting his time away from practice. The veteran free agent addition worked to the side Saturday and also shed the leg sleeve he had been seen to be wearing the previous two days, running with no changes in gait. Fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief as Waddle enters the year as the top option through the air for a dangerous Broncos team.
The move makes sense considering Trask served as the backup quarterback in Tampa under Dave Canales. Trask remains unlikely to crack camp as a member of the 53-man roster, most likely simply providing additional depth at the position through the end of camp. The move that makes the most procedural sense would be to retain undrafted free agent Haynes King on the practice squad while Kenny Pickett serves as the primary backup to Bryce Young.
Fresh off becoming one of the highest paid offensive lineman in the history of the league, Tunsil suffered the injury in Saturday’s practice. He is expected to undergo surgery, and his absence will be measured in months, probably a minimum of 3-4 of them. It’s possible he misses the entire campaign. It appears the initial plan is for last season’s swing tackle, Andrew Wylie, to step in on the blindside, leaving 2025 first-rounder Josh Conerly to remain on the right. Brandon Coleman is another less-than-great in-house option. We wouldn’t be surprised if Conerly eventually kicks left, however. Whatever happens, it’s a monumental downgrade, one that will have Washington scouring the remains of the free agent market and perhaps angling for a trade to add some depth. It’s not the news Jayden Daniels needed as he himself looks to stay healthy after an injury-cursed year.
At least that was coach Mike Macdonald’s assessment after Price missed his second consecutive session Saturday. Any missed practice time can be a big deal for a rookie in camp, but Price appears to have avoided calamity. Fowler confirms Price has “highly impressed Seattle in camp.” Looking to dominate early-down reps before Zach Charbonnet’s return, Price is reportedly also trying to get up to speed as a pass catcher. That would be a nice added bonus, but any early-season fantasy value would almost certainly be derived from a two-down workload and goal-line carries.
Vea is due $17 million in the final year of his four-year contract, considerably lower than other top defensive big men around the league. It’s a situation to monitor as the season draws near, with the veteran nose tackle clearly looking for a new deal. Whether the saga carries into camp and the preseason remains to be seen, but it is possible Vea wants to put pen to paper before retaking the field.
Olave has been on blood thinners after a blood clot was discovered in his lung prior to Week 18 of last season, restricting the alpha wide receiver to individual drills up to this point in the offseason program. The good news is that he’s reportedly set to get off blood thinners in less than two weeks, after which he will look to gain clearance to return to unrestricted football activities. The veteran wide receiver is set to play the 2026 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, making the coming season of utmost importance to his future in New Orleans.
Both players were signed following a successful workout with the team Tuesday, parlaying strong seasons in the UFL into NFL contracts. Jackson was a member of the Vikings organization for two seasons but appeared in only three games with the franchise in 2023. Both receivers will look to notch strong camps and preseasons as they attempt to stick on the final 53-man roster in Detroit.
McConkey echoed Jim Harbaugh’s message that he doesn’t view it as a significant concern. It is at least a mild one considering it’s costing McConkey reps in a new offense, and could grow into a bigger one if he’s sidelined longer than the internal estimate. That said, most players recover from hamstring strains in weeks instead of months and there’s no reason to believe McConkey won’t be ready for camp.
He also admitted that his follow-up procedure was because he was dealing with bone spurs. There’s not really any doubt that Nix will be ready for training camp at this point, and the Broncos seem to be taking it easy with him during mandatory minicamp.
“With improvements in those areas as a senior in college, teams expected him to be in the first-round conversation in the 2027 draft class. But the gambling cloud hanging over his draft projection makes this an unprecedented situation. Is there enough time before July’s supplemental draft for teams to fully understand his recovery and mindset?” Brugler adds. Brugler’s been in the draft game for a long time and has a lot of sources, so we believe this carries some weight even if it wouldn’t be wildly surprising to see Sorsby selected in the second or third round of the supplemental draft. It’s clear that Sorsby has the tools to play in the NFL and also clear that gambling is a line that many franchises will refuse to cross, but it only takes one.
Jordan returns to the Big Easy for a 16th season. He’ll get an incentive-laden deal per Ian Rapoport. Jordan has played 48 and 54 percent of the snaps for the Saints over the past two seasons, respectively. He’ll be part of — but not the linchpin of — New Orleans’ pass rush rotation in 2026.
Reporters haven’t spotted McConkey at recent practices, though Harbaugh said he will participate in individual drills today. This is likely just a minor injury and Harbaugh has said it “isn’t a big concern.” We’ll keep an eye on this but it probably shouldn’t impact his best ball position much from what we know now.
Pace was fired by the Falcons after a few years in the building. His appointment as “football advisor” rather than something closer to his old “VP of football operations” gig appears to point to him losing some clout in the process. He’s probably not a threat to become a general manager again at this point.
Cooper was arrested for six different charges over the last few weeks, including second-degree assault and domestic violence. It’s certainly a situation that could lead to an NFL suspension at some point once all due diligence is taken care of. Cooper’s status appears to be uncertain going forward.
Schottenheimer said it’s “nothing to be concerned about.” We mostly agree, but every once in a while these situations become more serious or linger for a bit. Prescott figures to be a top-15 fantasy quarterback this year, though he won’t quite have the game scripts he had last year if Dallas’ defense can improve from “abysmal” to “regular bad” unit.
If the Saints cut bait on Alvin Kamara, Neal would probably be in the battle for the RB2 spot as things currently stand on the roster. This seems minor enough that we probably wouldn’t be concerned about it, but Neal was dinged up towards the end of last year and it’s worth keeping an eye on.