{"id":828154,"date":"2026-07-28T02:11:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T02:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/828154\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T02:11:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T02:11:27","slug":"early-nfl-training-camp-notes-kyle-shanahans-injury-and-aaron-donalds-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/828154\/","title":{"rendered":"Early NFL training camp notes, Kyle Shanahan\u2019s injury and Aaron Donald\u2019s status"},"content":{"rendered":"

Inside: Kyle Shanahan was in a serious car accident a couple weeks ago. Plus:\u00a0where star free-agent receivers should land<\/a>, along with early camp takeaways, including Aaron Donald\u2019s status. Let\u2019s start in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

This article is from The Athletic\u2019s NFL newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive it directly in your inbox. It\u2019s free to subscribe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shanahan recovering from accident<\/p>\n

On July 14, not far from his home in Northern California, Kyle Shanahan\u2019s vehicle collided with an SUV. No one has been cited, and drugs and alcohol are not believed to be involved, according to the police report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shanahan broke his hand, nose and three ribs, and his face needed over 40 stitches.\u00a0He\u2019s also still showing concussion symptoms, and was limited when the 49ers\u2019 training camp opened.<\/p>\n

\u201cKyle basically is going to be in the (concussion) protocol,\u201d said general manager John Lynch. \u201cWe\u2019re going to let the condition, the doctors, dictate how he comes back, when he comes back.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re glad it sounds like Shanahan will be OK. Still, it\u2019s bizarre that this happened to the coach of the 49ers, given his team\u2019s ever-present injury woes.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the opening of training camp means it\u2019s time to check in on other injured 49ers:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In yesterday\u2019s first practice, receiver Christian Kirk exited with an undisclosed injury.\u00a0But otherwise, many key 49ers have returned to the practice field.<\/p>\n

Nick Bosa \u201clooks better than he did last year<\/a>,\u201d according to the newly 38-year-old Trent Williams, with the edge rusher practicing for the first time since an ACL tear last September. Linebacker Fred Warner is also back from a brutal ankle injury, armed with\u00a0newfound purpose<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The star duo returns to a team that somehow went 7-3 in their absence last season (and 12-5 overall). They\u2019re scheduled to play in Australia (!) against the Super Bowl-favorite Rams<\/a>\u00a0in Week 1.<\/p>\n

Training Camp Notes<\/p>\n

All 32 teams begin training camp by tomorrow, though some (like the 49ers) got an early start. A few things we\u2019ve learned so far:<\/p>\n

Seahawks\u00a0first-round running back\u00a0Jadarian Price is impressing<\/a>, breaking long runs and showing an explosiveness that eases concerns over the departure of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III.<\/p>\n

Receiver Kayshon Boutte has been the\u00a0Patriots\u2018 best offensive player<\/a>, per Chad Graff. The three-year vet, who skipped voluntary spring practices, is playing for a contract extension.<\/p>\n

In L.A., it\u2019s all about the\u00a0possible return of\u00a0Rams\u00a0legend Aaron Donald<\/a>. \u201cHe is putting himself in a position to make a decision, and he\u2019s earned the right,\u201d said coach Sean McVay. \u201cHe\u2019s going through a very strict regimen and process that is similar to when he played, to see how his body responds.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a devastating start to camp for the\u00a0Panthers,\u00a0who\u00a0lost pass rusher Nic Scourton<\/a>\u00a0to an ACL tear. The 2025 second-rounder was expected to start across from newly acquired edge Jaelan Phillips.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Cardinals\u2018 most notable update: the\u00a0one-year deal signed by 33-year-old Jacoby Brissett<\/a>. Their starting quarterback can now earn up to $21 million. (Fun fact: He\u2019s tied with Aaron Rodgers for the\u00a0lowest career interception percentage<\/a>\u00a0among all qualifying QBs in NFL history.)<\/p>\n

Speaking of signings, plenty of quarterbacks are hoping their teams add these guys \u2026<\/p>\n

Landing spots for big-name vets<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t picture Keenan Allen in anything but Chargers colors. Even the photos of him in Chicago feel wrong. Alas, the 34-year-old is again a free agent, and this time\u00a0he could land \u2026 with the Saints?<\/p>\n

Yup, New Orleans is the best destination, per Daniel Popper\u2019s story on\u00a0ideal fits for free-agent veteran receivers<\/a>. Why the Saints? Daniel lists two key reasons:<\/p>\n

Coach Kellen Moore was the Chargers\u2019 offensive coordinator in 2023, when Allen had one of the best years of his career.
\nThe Saints lack experienced receivers behind Chris Olave, and Allen would offer sophomore QB Tyler Shough another veteran presence.<\/p>\n

Allen can still play, having led the Chargers in receptions (81) and finishing with 777 yards in 2025.<\/p>\n

As for other fits,\u00a0Stefon Diggs can reunite with Kevin Stefanski,\u00a0giving Atlanta a possession receiver next to Drake London. And how about\u00a0Deebo Samuel with the Rams?\u00a0The full story explains them all<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Extra Points<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude2c Tony Romo arrested\u00a0Thursday in Milwaukee\u00a0on suspicion of driving while intoxicated<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcc9\u00a0Diego Pavia released\u00a0by the Ravens before training camp. The Heisman Trophy runner-up now faces an uphill battle to make an NFL roster.\u00a0History suggests he won\u2019t<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc40 Brandon Aiyuk saga.\u00a0The 49ers are yet to release the 28-year-old receiver, who spent the summer criticizing his team.\u00a0Matt Barrows explains why<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcd3 The story of Mike McCarthy. This was an unexpected look into the\u00a0joy, pain and childhood of the Pittsburgh native<\/a> who is now leading his hometown team. I enjoyed it.<\/p>\n

\u25b6\ufe0f\u00a0Most-clicked:\u00a0Details on the\u00a0ESPN layoffs that made headlines<\/a>\u00a0last week.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Enjoyed this read? Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Athletic\u2019s free NFL newsletter in your inbox.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also, check out our\u00a0other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Inside: Kyle Shanahan was in a serious car accident a couple weeks ago. Plus:\u00a0where star free-agent receivers should…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":828155,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":["post-828154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828154","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=828154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/828155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=828154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=828154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=828154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}