{"id":46494,"date":"2025-08-05T23:54:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T23:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/46494\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T23:54:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T23:54:08","slug":"nfl-training-camp-tour-2025-stories-from-cowboys-broncos-and-plenty-more-to-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/46494\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL training camp tour 2025: Stories from Cowboys, Broncos and plenty more to come"},"content":{"rendered":"

NFL training camps<\/a> are finally open leaguewide, and Yahoo Sports senior NFL reporters Charles Robinson and Jori Epstein are taking their annual camp tours. Over the next few weeks, each will be visiting with different teams and hitting the biggest stories. We’re collecting them all right here, ordered from most recent on down.<\/p>\n

Looking for your team? Commanders<\/a> | Raiders<\/a> | Steelers<\/a> | Rams<\/a> | Bengals<\/a> | Lions<\/a> | Cowboys (Robinson)<\/a> | Chargers<\/a> | Cardinals<\/a> | Saints<\/a> | Broncos<\/a> | Cowboys (Epstein)<\/a><\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

OXNARD, Calif. \u2014 As the Dallas Cowboys<\/a>\u2019 first-team offense faced its first-team defense in 11-on-11 drills Monday, Micah Parsons<\/a> watched from the sideline.<\/p>\n

The two-time All-Pro edge rusher wore his No. 11 navy jersey atop a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants, and his basketball shoes instead of cleats were yet another sign he would not be practicing.<\/p>\n

But Parsons wasn\u2019t simply present to hold in, rather than hold out, to avoid absence fines amid lagging negotiations on a contract extension.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

[Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Plus and unlock Instant Mock Drafts today<\/a>]<\/p>\n

He was busy with conversation throughout the two-hour session, even as he abstained from contact and full participation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe meetings have been really good,\u201d Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. \u201cWhat you see from him is the coaching piece of it and all that that he’s doing. Diving into the other guys and I don’t think you’ll see much different.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut again: very engaged, asks good questions, and I don’t think that that’s going to change.\u201d \u2014 Jori Epstein<\/p>\n

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. \u2014 Sean Payton was talking about building.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Sitting in the middle of his team cafeteria last week, amid a cacophony of buzzing player conversations and clanking dining utensils, the Denver Broncos<\/a> head coach was laying out three years of injury data, crunching the team\u2019s free-agent signings, assessing the early training camp performance of the 2025 draft class and meticulously going through the layered advancement of quarterback Bo Nix<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At one point, he stopped and gestured toward a window. Outside, the viewpoint was overlooking a massive construction project transforming the Broncos\u2019 training headquarters into a palatial, state-of-the-art complex. A gargantuan crane was gliding over a foundation of concrete and steel. Far behind it, decades of earth and rock sat in a mountainous, displaced pile across acres of adjoining land.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a little bit like that new facility,\u201d Payton said. \u201cIt\u2019s coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was an underlying message there, of course. And it wasn\u2019t really all that subtle. Payton\u2019s Broncos are coming in his third season. Even if you haven\u2019t witnessed it against a 2025 opponent yet, it’s almost visible in his chest when he talks. He swells with energy and confidence, buoyed by key veteran additions this offseason, a quarterback love affair trending toward his prime years with Drew Brees, a defense built to carry wins, and a young swath of players across a depth chart that have thrived heading into the final year of a Russell Wilson<\/a> salary cap dump.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cI like this team,\u201d Payton said. \u201cA lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

But how much is a lot?<\/p>\n

Well, the coach who has long-embraced the anti-hype Bill Parcells motto of never \u201ceating the cheese,\u201d has privately served up some of his own coming into this training camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve talked about a Super Bowl,\u201d Payton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince when?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst meeting I had with them,\u201d he said. \u201cFirst meeting.\u201d \u2014 Charles Robinson<\/p>\n

METAIRIE, La. \u2014 As pressure closed in on Tyler Shough<\/a> during a two-minute drill Thursday, the New Orleans Saints<\/a> rookie quarterback drifted back.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Shough\u2019s \u201cfoot got caught,\u201d he explained later, but he tried to heave a throw up anyway.<\/p>\n

The 2025 second-round draft pick knew even before safety Jordan Howden<\/a> intercepted the pass that his decision was flawed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI threw it late over the middle and it was just kind of a cardinal sin of quarterback play, where you can\u2019t do that \u2014 especially if you\u2019re off-balance,\u201d Shough told Yahoo Sports on Thursday afternoon. “It was completely on me just putting it up for grabs, and that\u2019s something you never want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The undesirable end to Shough\u2019s first series in the 11-on-11 portion of practice Thursday frustrated him. Then he realized an opportunity awaited. Head coach Kellen Moore and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier told Shough: Yes, you threw an interception. But get ready to go again. \u2014 Jori Epstein<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

GLENDALE, Ariz. \u2014 Entering Year 7, the descriptors for the next phase of the Kyler Murray<\/a> experience have been exhausted.<\/p>\n

A referendum on his future.<\/p>\n

A make-or-break season.<\/p>\n

A turning point.<\/p>\n

A watershed moment.<\/p>\n

For three straight training camps under the current Arizona Cardinals<\/a> regime, this language setting up a breakthrough or breakdown has gone on and on. Each version related to something that had supposedly changed in the Murray matrix. Maybe he was healthier than ever. Maybe his confidence was at an all-time high or some of the pieces around him had been improved. Perhaps he\u2019d spent more time in the facility during the offseason, getting stronger or wiser or more sharp with his study and workout habits. Whatever the developments, the underlying theme was always consistently suggestive: The best Kyler Murray? It was the next Kyler Murray.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

But turning 28 next month and longing for the next level of his game, there seems to be a reality settling into place when it comes to Murray\u2019s development. It suggests the 2025 season is not so much about dreaming of the considerable ceiling that has never been consistently reached, but more about raising his floor to the point the franchise can methodically win games around him \u2014 rather than a continual press to win primarily through him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always going to be those highs,\u201d Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said of Murray. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve got to do is hopefully eliminate those lows. \u2026 If he plays at the level where we can eliminate some of those lows, we can win with him. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s realistic to say that those exceptional games \u2014 we can\u2019t just constantly expect them. What we\u2019ve tried to do is put a complete team around him, which I don\u2019t know that he\u2019s ever had that. If we can put a complete team around him, we can win and we can go to the playoffs.\u201d \u2014 Charles Robinson<\/p>\n

ASHBURN, Va. \u2014 As the Washington Commanders<\/a> kicked off their fourth practice of training camp, a familiar face was back in the building.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin<\/a> reported to training camp Saturday after skipping spring practices including mandatory minicamp and the first week of training camp.<\/p>\n

McLaurin did not return to practice Sunday, instead landing on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list with an ankle injury after his Saturday physical examination.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a chance to sit [with him] yesterday, which I was glad,\u201d head coach Dan Quinn told Yahoo Sports on Sunday. \u201cHe was in a very strong head space. In a good way.\u201d<\/p>\n

McLaurin was holding out ahead of his seventh season in Washington,<\/a> the final season remaining on his second career contract. Now, he\u2019s holding \u201cin\u201d with what the Commanders are describing as rehabilitation for his ankle. \u2014 Jori Epstein<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

ASHBURN, Va. \u2014 When the Washington Commanders<\/a> acquired Deebo Samuel<\/a> in March, the receiver had an idea of what to expect.<\/p>\n

Samuel had played against head coach Dan Quinn\u2019s defenses during his time with the San Francisco 49ers<\/a>. And Samuel had played two division games a year against now-Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury\u2019s teams when Kingsbury coached the Arizona Cardinals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But playing against a team doesn\u2019t fully replicate the experience of playing for it.<\/p>\n

And six years in Kyle Shanahan\u2019s potent offense didn\u2019t familiarize Samuel with what\u2019s expected in Washington.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all,\u201d Samuel told Yahoo Sports. \u201cIt\u2019s a no-huddle [offense here]. It\u2019s just signals. You got to pay attention to the small things and you got to pay attention to [quarterback] Jayden [Daniels]<\/a> because he\u2019s giving the signals really quick.<\/p>\n

With the 49ers, Samuel says, \u201cwe always had huddle.\u201d \u2014 Jori Epstein<\/p>\n

HENDERSON, Nev. \u2014 As the Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> stretched and went through warmups at Friday’s training camp practice, team owner Mark Davis sat more than 50 yards away under a shaded platform. Laid out before him was an ocean of new faces that have come to define his franchise\u2019s latest sweeping reboot \u2014 from the majority of his retooled coaching staff, his new starting quarterback, a first-time general manager, to more than 40 new players threading through the training camp depth chart.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

And of course, one very notable omission who became an ex-Raider on Thursday: prize 2024 free agent defensive tackle signee Christian Wilkins<\/a>, who was dumped by the team in a jarring move that had already seen Las Vegas void $35.2 million of his guaranteed salary last month. It’s a staggering end for a player who was expected to wreak havoc on AFC West offenses and give star Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby<\/a> a running partner who could help balance the scales against Patrick Mahomes<\/a> and the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>. Instead, Wilkins appeared in only five games before suffering a Jones fracture in his left foot, setting the table for a potential surgery and rehabilitation that conceivably should have had him back onto the field this month.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t. And now he won\u2019t ever be for the Raiders, who sent a football and culture message that might as well have been plastered onto a theater marquee at the entrance of the team\u2019s Henderson practice facility. Something like:<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not going to be playing for us, you\u2019re not going to be sticking around with us. \u2014 Charles Robinson<\/p>\n

LATROBE, Pa. \u2014 DK Metcalf<\/a> was setting up a PlayStation in his training camp dorm room on Tuesday when he heard the knock.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> receiver headed to open his bedroom door, figuring he had his own quarters at the Steelers\u2019 Saint Vincent College outpost. Instead, the bathroom door opened \u2026 and in walked Aaron Rodgers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe popped out of the corner,\u201d Metcalf said.<\/p>\n

The pair of Steelers\u2019 star offseason acquisitions are eager to build chemistry and establish rapport. And head coach Mike Tomlin has given them another route to strengthen their communication: by sharing a bathroom for the next month.<\/p>\n

Rodgers leaned into that communication early when he realized the flushing mechanism on their shared toilet was, well, not quiet.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cThe toilet is super loud,\u201d Metcalf told Yahoo Sports on Thursday. \u201cSo he was like, \u2018Yeah, at night, if we got to piss, just don\u2019t flush the toilet.\u2019 I was like, \u2018All right, bet.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The nightly urge indeed overcame Metcalf around 9:30 Wednesday night so the receiver texted his quarterback to ask: \u201cYou asleep yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodgers confirmed he was awake.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, bet,\u201d Metcalf texted back, \u201cI\u2019m about to flush the toilet.\u201d<\/p>\n

And flush he did. \u2014 Jori Epstein<\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 Realistically, everyone believes \u2013 including inside the Rams \u2013 that Matthew Stafford is deeply into the sunset portion of his NFL career. So much so, there\u2019s a feeling inside the franchise that if the Rams win the Super Bowl this season, Stafford is going to use that opportunity to retire, a la John Elway with the Denver Broncos<\/a> in 1999, after he\u2019d secured the second Super Bowl title that would ensure he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. According to a team source, even Stafford himself has joked with staff that the Rams’ acquisition of a second first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft from the Atlanta Falcons<\/a> is a sign that L.A.’s brass expects him to hang it up after the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

But does that mean the Rams are also exploring Stafford replacements?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a complicated question. First and foremost, Stafford is still operating inside a Super Bowl window open for the Rams. The leadership both in the coaching staff and front office is steadfast in his ability \u2014 if fully healthy \u2014 to lead Los Angeles to one more title in the next two seasons. That said, it\u2019s clear there is a fixed vantage on the horizon, with Rams decision-makers knowing the next offseason is where they have to start moving toward a succession plan. Most likely toward a very young player who can grow with Sean McVay and spend an elongated period attached at the hip.<\/p>\n

One prominent name that surfaces inside this ideology is Texas quarterback Arch Manning<\/a>. \u2014 Charles Robinson<\/p>\n

CINCINNATI \u2014 The Bengals\u2019 contract dispute with Hendrickson is within the realm of standard contract disagreements. Hendrickson is coming off consecutive 17.5-sack seasons, leading the league in sacks last year even as he turned 30 in December.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Club and player agree that Hendrickson has earned a raise from the $16 million cash payout he\u2019s due on the final year of his existing deal. The value of that deal is trickier, particularly for a franchise that has long resisted multi-year guarantees.<\/p>\n

The Bengals broke that trend with Burrow and again gave multiyear guarantees to receiver Ja\u2019Marr Chase<\/a> this spring. Quarterbacks tend to encounter different extension parameters, so Chase\u2019s deal is more relevant to Hendrickson\u2019s case. Hendrickson and his camp will argue: Did you see those league-best 35 sacks in two years? The Bengals, meanwhile, will argue that Chase, 25, is the best at his position in the prime of his career \u2026 and even as they value Hendrickson, they don\u2019t consider him in his prime age nor the best at his position.<\/p>\n

Chase diagnosed the acrimony a year after his own training camp hold-in.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a lot of feelings involved, even though it’s not supposed to be involved,\u201d Chase told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday. \u201cI feel like feelings are definitely involved when they’re giving away their money.\u201d \u2014 Jori Epstein<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

ALLEN PARK, Mich. \u2014 Amon-Ra St. Brown<\/a> understands the public perception.<\/p>\n

The wide receiver doesn\u2019t agree with it, but he doesn\u2019t expect it to change.<\/p>\n

Jared Goff, the 2016 first overall draft pick whom the Los Angeles Rams would later trade to the Detroit Lions, is underrated.<\/p>\n

St. Brown believes it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s been underrated his whole career and I don\u2019t think that\u2019ll ever go away,\u201d St. Brown told Yahoo Sports from training camp practice. \u201cYou look at a guy like Josh Allen<\/a>: He\u2019s big, can run, crazy arm strength. You look at a guy like Lamar [Jackson]<\/a>: fast, one of the best running quarterbacks you\u2019ve ever seen, does stuff on the field that only he can do.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look at Patrick Mahomes<\/a>: His arm angles, the throws he makes, just unconventional, his ability to win big games.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Goff?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look at a guy like Jared, I mean he\u2019s not too flashy,\u201d St. Brown says of his quarterback. \u201cBut he\u2019s consistent.\u201d \u2014 Jori Epstein<\/p>\n

ALLEN PARK, Mich. \u2014 Success, rather than complacency, was the demise of the 2024 Detroit Lions. The Chicago Bears hired Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their head coach<\/a> while the New York Jets hired defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn<\/a> to lead their franchise.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Early in the summer, the Lions also lost four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow to retirement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

No one disputes the talent and foundation each of the three brought the club, or the work it will take to replace them.<\/p>\n

But the think tank mentality means the Lions aren\u2019t starting from scratch building new schemes and playbooks to match their play-callers.<\/p>\n

The play-callers aren\u2019t starting from scratch, either.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like we’re going from Ben and AG to some coaches that don’t know anything,\u201d wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown<\/a> told Yahoo Sports. \u201cDon\u2019t act like we\u2019re bringing in a scrub.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese coaches know ball.\u201d \u2014 Jori Epstein<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

OXNARD, Calif. \u2014 At 11:04 a.m. Pacific Time and beneath an uncharacteristically cloudy Southern California sky, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gradually ambled down a corridor toward his annual training camp-opening microphone. Trailed by parts of the team\u2019s brain trust \u2014 including his son Stephen and new head coach Brian Schottenheimer \u2014 Jerry walked his long, straight path toward the dais until the journey to his seat necessitated a left turn.<\/p>\n

And boy did he ever take it.<\/p>\n

In what struck a chord as one of the more strained and seemingly unnecessary laundry list of sideways comments about several of his core players, Jerry took an unquestionably hard left turn to start a season \u2014 taking a sliding scale of passive-aggressive digs at edge defender Micah Parsons<\/a>, quarterback Dak Prescott<\/a>, cornerback Trevon Diggs<\/a> and offensive tackle Terence Steele<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Along the way, Jerry and son Stephen also revealed that neither has spoken to Parsons\u2019 agent David Mulugheta about a contract extension, with Jerry at several points seeming to suggest he had already worked out a deal directly with his star edge rusher during a face-to-face meeting last March. \u2014 Charles Robinson<\/p>\n

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. \u2014 A week into the Los Angeles Chargers’<\/a> training camp, an unexpected hole has quickly become a coaching staff and front office focal point. It’s a void that measures 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, was previously inhabited by veteran wideout Mike Williams<\/a>, and now needs a sizable presence to step into an opportunity.<\/p>\n

That was the primary takeaway after visiting Chargers camp Saturday, just days after Williams abruptly retired on the first day of practice and pushed the franchise to start mulling limited options. It\u2019s a roster concern that exacerbates an early \u2014 but somewhat typical \u2014 camp theme for many teams: The defense is ahead of the offense; the installation process is just now getting traction; and conversations are intensifying behind closed doors about roster questions that will need to be answered from inside the current depth chart or supplemented with an outside addition.<\/p>\n

For the Chargers, nothing represents that reality more than the starting \u201cX\u201d receiver spot, which not only lost Williams\u2019 prototypical size and strength at the position, but also his baked-in chemistry with quarterback Justin Herbert<\/a>, whom Williams played with from 2020 to 2023. All of that drove Los Angeles to reunite with Williams in free agency last March, bringing some important depth and options to the position alongside rising young star Ladd McConkey<\/a>. Unfortunately, with Williams battling lingering health issues from the spring, the reliable free-agent signing ended up being the least reliable development in the first week of camp.<\/p>\n

So what now? \u2014 Charles Robinson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NFL training camps are finally open leaguewide, and Yahoo Sports senior NFL reporters Charles Robinson and Jori Epstein…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46495,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[626,28651,708,1258,1276,64,63,5360,40059,40053,5366,17470,1248,21059,3602,163,1273,28664,3055,625,40058,40055,40057,6585,40056,6961,6580,24606,1240,5380,28659,2623,4127,5361,6588,16818,1245,30573,1249,1235,593,20788,6584,1241,5345,5378,1275,1262,40052,5376,40054,85,14140,1251,1236,14136,1259,1271],"class_list":["post-46494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-aaron-rodgers","tag-amon-ra-st-brown","tag-arch-manning","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-atlanta-falcons","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-bengals","tag-bo","tag-brian-schottenheimer","tag-broncos","tag-chargers","tag-chicago-bears","tag-christian-wilkins","tag-commanders","tag-cowboys","tag-dak-prescott","tag-deebo-samuel","tag-detroit-lions","tag-dk-metcalf","tag-drew-brees","tag-frank-ragnow","tag-jake-haener","tag-jared-goff","tag-jordan-howden","tag-jori-epstein","tag-josh-allen","tag-justin-herbert","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-kyler-murray","tag-ladd-mcconkey","tag-las-vegas","tag-lions","tag-marvin-harrison-jr","tag-matthew-stafford","tag-maxx-crosby","tag-micah-parsons","tag-mike-williams","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-training-camps","tag-patrick-mahomes","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-raiders","tag-rams","tag-russell-wilson","tag-san-francisco-49ers","tag-sean-payton","tag-shemar-stewart","tag-spencer-rattler","tag-sports","tag-terence-steele","tag-terry-mclaurin","tag-training-camp","tag-trevon-diggs","tag-trey-hendrickson","tag-tyler-shough"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46494\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}