Although the Raiders spent the first overall pick in this year’s draft on former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, veteran free agent pickup Kirk Cousins is the favorite to win the starting job. As rookie head coach Klint Kubiak eases Mendoza in, he will likely “sprinkle” in some first-team reps for the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and national champion this summer, according to Albert Breer of SI.com.

The Raiders will hold their first training camp practice on July 29, though Mendoza and the rest of their rookies are scheduled to report on July 23. That gives Mendoza just a couple...

Free-agent S Jordan Whitehead has been fully-cleared to resume his football career after undergoing neck surgery, according to Mike Garafolo.

Garafolo adds that Whitehead has had workouts with both the Texans and the Colts, with more to come soon.

Whitehead, 29, is a former fourth-round pick of the Buccaneers out of Pittsburgh back in 2018. He played out the final year of his four-year, $3.1 million rookie contract.

Whitehead was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2022 when he signed a two-year, $14.5 million deal with the Jets.

After that deal expired, he returned to Tampa Bay on...

When it comes to the success of any NFL team, the injury bug can always make or break a season, and with the Pittsburgh Steelers entering 2026 with several key players at or — in the case of starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers — well beyond 30 years old, depth will be important.

Do the Steelers have enough depth to get by this season? Well, by one metric, they’re looking pretty good. Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com listed his NFL All-Backup Team on Monday, and he listed two Steelers players among the league’s top second-teamers.

This list is comprised of back up...

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp is almost here. The team has done plenty of work this offseason, and it’s time to see where the pieces fall. While many of their starters seem like foregone conclusions, some positions are less settled. That includes safety, with analyst Emory Hunt highlighting Jaquan Brisker versus Darnell Savage as Pittsburgh’s […]

Jaguars

Jaguars HC Liam Coen had a heck of a debut season in Jacksonville, winning 13 games and the AFC South. One of the things that drew team brass to him during the interview process was his “Three Better/Three Best” philosophy of development. Coaches look at three things for every player that they want them to do better and three things that the player does well. Then they create a plan to improve the weaknesses and build on the strengths. A lot of people inside the building believe that was crucial to their success in 2025.

Texans

Veteran...

Welcome to the Steelers Afternoon Drive, our new daily podcast featuring all the latest Steelers news and analysis.

Alan Saunders & Zachary Smith discuss all things Pittsburgh Steelers.

On today’s episode, we compare what Keeanu Benton could get on an extension in the wake of Devonte Wyatt’s new extension, Nick Herbig and Rico Dowdle being listed amongst the league’s best backups, the general feeling about depth of the roster and the idea of a third-place game.

Let’s go for another Steelers Afternoon Drive and discuss all this!

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When the New England Patriots released rookie Travis Shaw last Friday, one follow-up thought was that it was “the first shoe to drop.” Indeed, shoe No. 2 has now been subjected to the powers of gravity as well: fellow defensive tackle Isaiah Iton was re-signed by the club on Monday.

Let’s take a look at what the move means for the team with training camp fast approaching.

Back to 9 DTs

When the Patriots released the aforementioned Travis Shaw, they reduced their defensive line group from previously nine to eight players. With Iton now back in the fold, the...

It’s that time of year. Training camp is right around the corner, so it’s the perfect time for a fresh Bears Banter!

It’s become an annual tradition, the mega-training camp preview, where we have an extended interview with someone analyzing the Bears roster. For the second consecutive year, Zack Pearson joined us to break down the whole roster.

Part 1, which focuses on the offense, is out now. Part 2 focuses on the defense and will be out one week from today.

There was plenty to discuss in this portion of the podcast with Zack. We discussed last year’s development...

The Dallas Cowboys have perfected the art of the January heartbreak. Over time, we have watched them play extremely well during the regular season, only to watch the entire operation come apart in the playoffs. What starts out as hope and a chance to break the long-lasting Divisional Round curse inevitably turns into another letdown and another year added to this dreadful streak. It is exhausting.

There are plenty of people deserving of blame. The front office gets a lot of it, often accused of not stocking enough groceries in the cabinet to supply the team with what they need...

Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense had its fair share of problems under Arthur Smith. The unit struggled to find consistency throughout the year, and while Aaron Rodgers had nice moments, he’s too limited to carry an offense on his own anymore. Some believe Rodgers won’t have to do that with Mike McCarthy coming to […]

Browns

• Browns S Grant Delpit received an honorable mention on a top-10 safeties poll of coaches and execs around the league, via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler: “He can blitz, cover tight ends, aggressive, instinctive. He would be up there if he had more ball production,” an AFC executive said.
• Cleveland LB Carson Schwesinger was voted as the third-best off-ball linebacker in a poll of coaches and execs around the league: “He’s [Luke] Kuechly reincarnated,” a personnel executive with an NFL team said. “Elite speed, athleticism, instincts, ball skills.” (Fowler)
• “Plays fast, excellent instincts, good in coverage,” a...

On Chris Simms Unbuttoned, Chris Simms revealed that he texted Aaron Donald personally to ask if AD had any plans to come back to the Los Angeles Rams for the 2026 season? Simms reports Donald said that he didn’t know if he’d be coming back (or not) as Donald continues to figure out how he wants to move forward. For Simms, that was all he needed to hear because if AD still isn’t sure whether or not he will be suiting up for the 2026 season, then he more likely than not shouldn’t be suiting up for the Rams.

Said...