A busy first week of 2023 NFL training camp is nearly complete, and it’s been a bumpy ride for some teams.
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 on the latest news, coolest videos and most interesting photos.
Early on Friday, free agent running back Dalvin Cook made no secret of possibly becoming a member of the New York Jets, and NBA superstar Kevin Durant dropped in on the Washington Commanders camp for a visit. Elsewhere, Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey was set to undergo knee surgery that will cause him to miss at least the start of the regular season. After a worrisome calf injury to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on Thursday, the team posted that “Joey will be back.”
Here’s a roundup of what to know from Friday camps across the league:
Top NFL news of the day
Dalvin Cook: Odds ‘pretty high’ of joining Jets
Free agent running back Dalvin Cook was in the New York area Friday and sounded optimistic about his chances of signing with the Jets. “I think [the odds] are pretty high, man,” Cook said on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.” “I think we’re in a position of, you know, a team that’s building something special, and I want to be part of something special as a player. I want to add to whatever they’ve got going on.” Cook, who is spending Friday on Long Island, is scheduled to visit the Jets on Sunday.
Ramsey’s recovery will be dictated by surgery
Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey will undergo surgery on his left meniscus, coach Mike McDaniel confirmed Friday, as the team prepares to spend at least the next couple of months without him. Ramsey’s ACL is intact, but he is expected to miss the start of the season, sources told ESPN. “The exact timeline is a little too big to be determined,” McDaniel told reporters. “What I can tell you is I don’t think the beginning of the regular season is really part of the scenario. It’s going to be into the season, and how deep that is depends on what happens today.” Ramsey posted on social media that he’ll “be back on that field stronger than ever.”
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What our NFL Nation reporters saw today
Philadelphia Eagles: Rookies Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter, both draft picks out of Georgia, are making their presence felt early in camp. Smith’s versatility was on display Friday as he generated pressure off the edge while running with the first-team defense in one sequence, then blanketed Dallas Goedert and Boston Scott in coverage on the next two plays. Carter, meanwhile, muscled his way through a double-team to disrupt a run play, and has caught the eye of some veteran offensive linemen. “Jalen Carter is very fast,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. — Tim McManus
Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs were in full pads for the first time at training camp, giving them their best look yet at their new starting offensive tackles, Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor. The Chiefs worked on the running game and held one-on-one pass block/pass rush drills at full speed, and coach Andy Reid liked what he saw from both players. “It’s a challenge mentally and physically for them, being new and then going through the practice like this,” Reid said. “They’re not always used to that. I thought they hung in there pretty good.” Last year’s starting tackles, Orlando Brown and Andrew Wylie, departed as free agents. — Adam Teicher
New England Patriots: Why isn’t leading sacker Matthew Judon a full participant in practices? That was the first question he was asked Friday in a post-practice interview; specifically whether his lack of time on the field is related to his desire for a raise. Judon didn’t confirm or deny that his contract was at the root of him focusing more on conditioning than on-field work. “I’m happy to be here, but I’m definitely not going to talk about contracts with y’all. Y’all some snitches!” he said with a lighter touch. “Wherever that goes, it goes. The market changes every day. We’ve seen it the first day of training camp, a whole bunch of people got paid.” — Mike Reiss
Las Vegas Raiders: New quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, still recovering from left foot surgery in March, was given a predetermined day off, and his absence seemed to cast a sloppy pall on the rest of practice. Because while rookie QB Aidan O’Connell had to wait to take a lap after a mistake because veteran Brian Hoyer was still on his run for a miscue at one point, the entire defense later ran a lap in the middle of just the third practice. — Paul Gutierrez
Atlanta Falcons: Friday was by far the best day of work for quarterback Desmond Ridder. While the 7 of 13 completions may not show it, there were a couple of drops in there, and Ridder also had his best throws of camp. One was a dropped touchdown pass through double coverage in the end zone to Drake London during a red zone drill. Earlier in the same drill, Ridder threw a TD pass to KhaDarel Hodge, on an impressive out route where Ridder put the ball in a perfect spot. “I thought Des had a good day today,” Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said. “The things you appreciate about a guy like Des is he’s not afraid to take a shot and work on it.” — Michael Rothstein
Washington Commanders: Rookie corner Emmanuel Forbes, the Commanders’ first-round pick, has done a nice job early in training camp. He got beat on a deep ball by receiver Terry McLaurin on Thursday but was solid in coverage Friday. Against McLaurin, for example, he showed press man coverage only to drop right before the snap. That enabled him to play with good vision and take away a double move by McLaurin, forcing quarterback Sam Howell to throw elsewhere. Forbes has used his length and quick feet to take away throws or make them harder. When Washington uses a three-corner alignment, he and Kendall Fuller are outside with Benjamin St-Juste inside. — John Keim
Jacksonville Jaguars: It was a very good day for the tight ends, especially first-year player Gerrit Prince. He had two touchdown catches, including a diving one in the back of the end zone with CB Tre Herndon on his back. Prince spent the 2022 season on the practice squad, but the Jaguars are excited about his potential, and Prince took advantage of Evan Engram’s absence in the spring during OTAs and minicamp. “He was the young guy last year that was kind of all over the place, adjusting and learning how to be a pro,” Engram said. ” … Every time I talked to [tight ends] coach [Richard Angulo], GP was doing better, GP was more locked in, GP was taking more advantage of the opportunity he has.” Prince is the fourth tight end behind Engram, rookie second-round pick Brenton Strange and Luke Farrell, but he’s starting to make his case to get some playing time. — Mike DiRocco
Cleveland Browns: The Browns dressed in pads for the first time but used the day to acclimate to them, as practice went less than an hour. Several veterans sat out, including DE Myles Garrett and OG Joel Bitonio. The good news is that WR Amari Cooper, after tweaking a muscle at the outset of training camp, returned to the field dressed. Cleveland is expected to hold its most extensive practice thus far on Saturday. — Jake Trotter
Best NFL videos
Wow. 😍@Ticketmaster | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/rF8SvgTIzu
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) July 28, 2023
I was told he doesn’t practice… https://t.co/PhvKxr2pZr
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) July 28, 2023
Come for the throw, stay for the catch, wait for the celly 😄🎉 pic.twitter.com/LgEV6MArmh
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) July 28, 2023
QB1 has the launch codes 🚀@PatrickMahomes x @MVS__11 pic.twitter.com/yXTG8Jnftw
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) July 28, 2023
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 28, 2023
A little rain can’t stop @CalvinRidley1‘s shine 💪@Dream_Finders | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/OPHpeZGPGg
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) July 28, 2023
A look at Odell Beckham Jr. and Lamar Jackson on the first two days of Ravens training camp: pic.twitter.com/JsCSvQlN3o
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) July 28, 2023
The connection between these two never gets old. ☄️@GenoSmith3 ➡️ @TDLockett12 pic.twitter.com/bpiYG8co4g
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) July 28, 2023
#Raiders RBs go through their paces… pic.twitter.com/k5xrOHUomi
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) July 28, 2023
Best NFL photos
.@KDTrey5 is in the house pic.twitter.com/9ZwAydTx4r
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 28, 2023
Raise the game. #GoHawks x @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/BeBEloJZfs
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) July 28, 2023
Ravens QBs now have gold trim around numbers of their practice jerseys.
The old ones (purple numbers on black jerseys) were difficult to read for fans and reporters.
Why the change?
“Steve (Bisciotti, Ravens owner) couldn’t read them either,” John Harbaugh said.
(📸: @Ravens) pic.twitter.com/2SzB2A4Kci
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) July 28, 2023