How starved are we for the NFL? Passes and catches from the start of 2023 training camps have already gone viral.
Every team has taken the field this week in preparation for the upcoming NFL regular season — which is just six weeks away. We will have updates every day of camp to keep you informed with the latest news, best videos and most interesting photos.
Saturday, which marked the start of Back Together Weekend around the NFL, featured one of quarterback Jordan Love‘s best practices as a Packer, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. showing off in his new home stadium, former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott visiting the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce getting into another altercation with a teammate, the San Francisco 49ers hiring franchise-leading rusher Frank Gore (no, not to play), plus more.
Elsewhere around the NFL, a rejuvenated fan base packed Washington Commanders practice; there was an epic car line to enter Cowboys camp; and Justin Fields signed … a baby?! Also, a young New Orleans Saints supporter swapped good grades for practice gloves, and a kiddie Carolina Panthers fan left rookie QB Bryce Young hanging … real bad.
Here’s what you need to know from camps across the league:
Top NFL news of the day
Irsay says Colts won’t trade Taylor despite request
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who is seeking a contract extension that has not materialized, requested a trade from the team earlier this week and has been awaiting a decision, an NFL source told ESPN on Saturday. Colts owner Jim Irsay, when asked later Saturday about the trade request, told ESPN the team would not trade Taylor. “We will not trade Jonathan Taylor,” Irsay said. “That is a certainty. Not now or not in October.” The news of the trade request, first reported by NFL Network, comes on the same day Taylor and Irsay held an hourlong meeting on Irsay’s luxury bus parked at the north end of the Colts’ practice field. When the two emerged, Irsay declined to reveal the details of the conversation but told reporters that his stance on a contract extension had not changed.
No timetable for Kyler Murray‘s return
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray doesn’t have a timetable for his return from the ACL injury he suffered on Dec. 12 but is taking his rehab and approach to making his 2023 debut “one day at a time.” Murray met with the media on Saturday for the first time since Dec. 7, 2022, days before he injured his right knee against the New England Patriots on “Monday Night Football” in Week 14 of last season, and said he’s improving daily while also trying to learn a new offense in the classroom and by taking mental reps on the field during training camp, which began earlier this week.
Source: RB Elliott visiting Patriots
Free agent running back Ezekiel Elliott was scheduled to visit the New England Patriots on Saturday, a source confirmed to ESPN. Elliott, who was released by the Cowboys on March 15 in a salary cap move, had a career-low 876 rushing yards in 2022, but he scored 12 touchdowns and remained a top short-yardage back and pass protector.
Kelce says he ‘gotta be better leader’ following practice fights
The Super Bowl champion tight end said on social media Saturday that he needed to be a better leader following two incidents in which he got into physical altercations with a teammate during practice. Kelce threw a left-handed punch at backup linebacker Jack Cochrane in Saturday’s practice. A day earlier, he got into a shoving match with a backup cornerback Dicaprio Bootle.
Sources: Vikings looking at options to move Hunter
The Vikings have evaluated trade options for pass-rusher Danielle Hunter in light of his ongoing unhappiness with his contract, with sources from multiple teams saying Minnesota has made the former Pro Bowler available. Hunter does not want to play on his $4.9 million base salary for this season, so the Vikings have tried to find creative solutions should they fail to reach a new deal with him. Hunter, 28, skipped organized team activities and mandatory minicamp and is not practicing during training camp after missing the offseason program.
49ers hire Gore as football adviser
The San Francisco 49ers had a familiar face at practice Thursday and Friday, but Frank Gore, the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, isn’t just visiting. Gore has officially rejoined the NFL team with which he made his name as a player, signing with the 49ers’ front office as football adviser. He posted a picture of the deal being signed on Instagram.
Cowboys’ stance on Martin ‘not about precedent,’ Jones says
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones does not sound as if he is ready to adjust the contract for All-Pro right guard Zack Martin, who has missed the first five days of training camp in a holdout. Martin’s absence so far has cost him $250,000 in fines that cannot be rescinded when he does report. “It’s not about precedent. It’s about facts,” Jones said. “We need the money to pay [Micah] Parsons. We need the money to pay the players that we got to pay in the future.”
More:
What our NFL Nation reporters saw Saturday
Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings won’t start evaluating position battles in earnest until they move into full pads next week. But it has been quite notable to see how they deployed their overhauled cornerback position at the start of training camp. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores inserted two of his biggest cornerbacks — Joejuan Williams (6-foot-3) and Akayleb Evans (6-2) — when the Vikings went to their standard nickel formation with Byron Murphy Jr. in the nickel. Williams’ inclusion in the first team was a surprise, but coach Kevin O’Connell acknowledged that he values Williams’ size and looks forward to seeing him in pads. “He’ll cause a lot of problems for us around the line of scrimmage with reroutes and rhythm and timing of passing games,” O’Connell said. — Kevin Seifert
Green Bay Packers: Samori Toure had one word for Jordan Love‘s throw on his 33-yard catch down the left sideline on Saturday. “Perfect,” the second-year receiver said. “It was perfectly in stride between the safety (Darnell Savage) and the corner (Rasul Douglas). You can’t throw it better than that.” It was part of simulated end-of-half, two-minute drive that ended with a 19-yard field goal as time expired. Love was 4-for-7, including a spike and a throwaway, for 60 yards on that drive. It capped what was easily Love’s best day of camp — and perhaps the best day of any of his four training camps. He completed 16 of 22 passes that included at least two intentional throwaways. “You can tell he’s dialed in, and he’s ready for sure,” Toure said. — Rob Demovsky
Baltimore Ravens: In his first action at M&T Bank Stadium as a Raven, Odell Beckham Jr. showed off his speed and signature catching ability, taking another step in his comeback from a left knee injury. Beckham scored a 20-yard touchdown after getting a step on Marlon Humphrey and then made a great diving catch along the sideline. “Odell has a really good plan,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He looks better every day. I expect nothing but classic Odell Beckham Jr.” — Jamison Hensley
Detroit Lions: Defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson (leg) returned to practice on a limited basis — for walk-through and individual drills — but refused to comment on the severity of the injury he suffered on Monday. “I never missed practice. I was out there every day. I’m part of practice every day,” Gardner-Johnson told reporters. “I’m mentally in practice. I don’t think you understand what type of guy you got here. I ain’t missed nothing. I didn’t miss a practice, I didn’t miss a rep. I’m still out there. My teammates still see me.” — Eric Woodyard
Washington Commanders: Rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes recorded his first pick of the summer, undercutting a route over the middle intended for wide receiver Terry McLaurin. Forbes was helped by the pressure applied on Commanders QB Sam Howell, who threw while having to backpedal. Forbes has been working as a starting outside corner so far. He has done a nice job using his length and recovery speed to defend plays, though he’ll have to deal all summer — and season — with receivers and tight ends trying to muscle him because of his lean 170-pound frame. It’s worked against him on occasion in practice, but Forbes is learning to offset that issue by using that length and quickness — and to not always play directly behind the target. — John Keim
Tennessee Titans: Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said the defense won the day at Titans practice. Cornerback Kristian Fulton was a big part of that. Fulton showed sticky coverage throughout the day. He ran stride for stride with WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on a deep pass from Ryan Tannehill in 7-on-7, forcing an incompletion. Then he broke up a Tannehill pass later that same period. Fulton almost intercepted a Tannehill throw to Hopkins along the sideline during team period. “Just his physical demeanor,” said Titans coach Mike Vrabel on what stands out with Fulton. “Physically, he looks better. So far, so good.” — Turron Davenport
Chicago Bears: Cornerback Kyler Gordon showed up to media availability wearing a Spider-Man mask to pay homage to the nickname given to him by coach Matt Eberflus. “He is instinctive,” defensive coordinator Alan Williams said. “He’s got Spidey senses. When he makes a play and you go, ‘Wow, how did he make that?’ … the Spidey senses are going off.” Gordon is playing solely at the nickel position in camp, which has allowed him to use his physicality to play the run and blow plays up. Rookies Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith split reps at outside corner adjacent to Gordon in the slot during team periods on Saturday. As for the mask, Gordon said he stopped by Party City on his way to the facility to buy it. — Courtney Cronin
Pittsburgh Steelers: Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was limited in his participation at Steelers training camp through the first two practices, but he missed the third entirely. Coach Mike Tomlin said Fitzpatrick was excused for personal reasons for a couple of days after Saturday’s practice. In Fitzpatrick’s absence, veteran corner Patrick Peterson took some reps at free safety. Though Peterson has played corner his entire career, he admitted he can’t always run with the young wide receivers step-for-step and would be open to moving around. Using Peterson at free safety gives the Steelers even more flexibility to mix and match coverages in the secondary. That’s more likely to happen if rookie corner Joey Porter Jr. has a solid camp. — Brooke Pryor
Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs have a deeper group of cornerbacks than they’ve had in years, and judging from their latest camp practice, they’re going to need it. They practiced without their top cornerback, L’Jarius Sneed, who has a knee injury. Nazeeh Johnson, who had been getting a lot of work in camp, suffered what looked to be a serious knee injury in practice. That left Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams — all rookies last season — as their top three corners. The Chiefs also have rookie Nic Jones, a seventh-round draft pick, in the playing mix. — Adam Teicher
Cleveland Browns: The Browns had their most robust practice in pads of the week, which included a series of team and 7-on-7 drills. The offense and defense both had their moments and neither side dominated the other. But QB Deshaun Watson still delivered some big plays, including a touchdown throw to wide receiver Anthony Schwartz on what appeared to be a coverage breakdown. But the defense came right back, knocking down a series of Watson passes before ending the team session with what effectively was a sack. — Jake Trotter
Atlanta Falcons: Want to gauge the difference in excitement or at least interest in Atlanta this season versus the past two? Just look at the attendance in training camp Saturday. People packed the hill that overlooks the practice field and there was a line of fans waiting to get in a half-hour after practice started. In my two-plus years covering the team, it’s the most crowded I’ve seen a practice (where Bijan Robinson‘s every move was cheered) — to the point it felt like there were more people there Saturday than attended almost all of the 2021 camp practices combined, and that’s being only mildly facetious. — Michael Rothstein
Jacksonville Jaguars: Head coach Doug Pederson said running back Travis Etienne Jr. has had a solid start to camp. Etienne came back in great shape (helped by the fact that he had a full offseason without having to rehab) and made it a priority to work on his vision and becoming a smarter runner, especially when the offense is under center. “Last year I kind of predetermining things,” Etienne said. “My shoulders wouldn’t be squared, so linebackers [were able to tell] where I’m going.” — Mike DiRocco
Best NFL videos
OK ROOKS! 👀
1️⃣3️⃣➡️1️⃣7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/qRyuibRwON
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) July 30, 2023
🔟➡️8️⃣7️⃣@JimmyG_10 | @MMayer1001 pic.twitter.com/chdM8IvuBG
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) July 29, 2023
This one hurt 😅 pic.twitter.com/5sQAQAFKRE
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 29, 2023
😮 @obj pic.twitter.com/lkRWdT9TWt
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 29, 2023
👀 @_jross8 pic.twitter.com/86OXvqCKyu
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) July 29, 2023
Listen to this crowd 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/gEBCZCjN82
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 29, 2023
these dudes will be competitive about anything 😂 pic.twitter.com/lt4ITSyBr9
— New York Jets (@nyjets) July 29, 2023
Jumpman pic.twitter.com/PJ501eM37M
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) July 29, 2023
Bryce ➡️ Chark pic.twitter.com/L9KAgeLwZu
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 29, 2023
the ranger got range pic.twitter.com/7uKGvX0dt1
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) July 29, 2023
good grades get you gloves 😎 pic.twitter.com/Recm4vpXEx
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 29, 2023
“Justin, sign my baby!” 😂 pic.twitter.com/5BzGExmZ0m
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 29, 2023
Make some noise for the 🐐‼️ pic.twitter.com/dmVPG5mABr
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 29, 2023
Cowboys hold their Opening Ceremony practice today. Just a little bit of a wait for general parking in Oxnard. pic.twitter.com/J28frxapgN
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) July 29, 2023
Best of the rest from across the league
Quan Martin signing for kids. pic.twitter.com/2YwEMAJbKD
— John Keim (@john_keim) July 29, 2023
Heat couldn’t stop us 😉#EaglesCamp | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/hFtEfutzrO
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 29, 2023
what’re @D7_Reed & @iamSauceGardner talking about?? pic.twitter.com/k8TRltPszW
— New York Jets (@nyjets) July 29, 2023
#Raiders WR Davante Adams hauls the ball in. pic.twitter.com/iFGmbwC3dq
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) July 29, 2023
Kyler Gordon paying homage to his Spider-Man nickname given to him by Matt Eberflus pic.twitter.com/2toMcOUnFP
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) July 29, 2023
Some context on the Fields-Moore TD, which was probably the best play we saw from the red zone period. Similar to the one from Wednesday’s practice, Fields placed the ball where only Moore could get it. Really good coverage from Gordon, not sure what more he could have done. https://t.co/UWYnbfwkps
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) July 29, 2023
