TITANS RALLY FROM EARLY DEFICIT TO BEAT SEAHAWKS IN PRESEASON ACTION
D’Ernest Johnson’s fourth-quarter touchdown run capped off the Tennessee Titans’ comeback in a 19-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks in the second preseason game for each team Sunday evening in Nashville, Tenn.
Johnson, a well-traveled running back who played last season for the New England Patriots, scored the Titans’ only touchdown from 2 yards out with 5:45 left, giving Tennessee (2-0) its first lead of the game. It capped off the Titans’ 16-0 surge over the final 45 minutes after Seattle (0-2) led 16-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Veteran kicker Joey Slye made all four of his field-goal attempts for Tennessee, including a 55-yarder, to score all of the team’s points before the Johnson touchdown. The Titans elected to start second-year starting quarterback Cam Ward, who completed 8 of 12 passes for a team-high 69 yards in three series. Running back Tony Pollard had just two carries for 12 yards but added one catch for a team-high 33 receiving yards.
Seattle did not use starting quarterback Sam Darnold, instead relying on reserves Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe. Lock played the first half, leading three first-quarter scoring drives. He opened the scoring with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Arroyo (game-high 50 receiving yards) 3:48 into the game.
Seattle rookie running back Jacardia Wright extended the lead to 13-3 with 5:43 left in the first behind a 69-yard touchdown run which buoyed his eight-carry, 81-yard rushing performance.
Lock finished 12-of-14 passing for 103 yards and the touchdown. Milroe did not have the same success after halftime, completing 6 of 11 passes for 52 yards and two interceptions, which were made by Anthony Hill Jr. and Derrick Canteen, with the latter’s pick ending Seattle’s final possession of the game.
The Seahawks, who lost veteran wide receiver Jake Bobo to a season-ending knee injury at Friday’s joint practice with the Titans, were dealt more bad news in the preseason game.News content provider
Rookie safety Bud Clark broke his right ankle on Seattle’s first defensive play. He left the field on a cart with his leg in an air cast. Head coach Mike Macdonald said Clark will be out for “multiple months.”
Mason Richman, a second-year guard, was injured on the Seahawks’ opening offensive drive. He left the field under his own power, but Macdonald said after the game that the team believes it’s a “major injury, a long-term injury” but didn’t have more specifics.
Seattle selected Clark in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of TCU. The Seahawks picked Richman in the seventh round in last year’s draft out of Iowa. He played as a reserve in two regular-season and one playoff game last season.
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BROWNS WAIVE DAE’QUAN WRIGHT, PAVING REPORTED RETURN TO COLLEGE AT LSU
The Cleveland Browns waived tight end Dae’Quan Wright on Sunday, paving a path for him to return to college football at LSU so long as he clears NFL waivers, his representation told ESPN.
Wright — who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent and then landed with Cleveland via waivers but hasn’t appeared in either of their first two preseason games — is believed to be the first player with an agreement in place to return to college football after signing an NFL contract as an undrafted free agent.
Wright played the last two seasons for new LSU coach Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, catching 39 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns for the Rebels in 2025. He amassed 113 catches, 1,603 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches over four seasons at Virginia Tech (2022-23) and Ole Miss (2024-25).
He’s one of 16 football players who was granted a temporary restraining order earlier this week by a Louisiana judge to be deemed eligible for the 2026 college season. The NCAA initially ruled that all players whose eligibility expired after the 2025 season will not be eligible for its new five-year eligibility model.
Wright officially entered the transfer portal Thursday and could join the 11th-ranked Tigers — who open the season at home Sept. 5 vs. Clemson — in the near future.
The NCAA continues to fight against these players becoming eligible, receiving a stay from the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday. However, that stay doesn’t erase the players who have already had their eligibility restored by TROs given by state-court judges across the country over the last few weeks.
The other players who have reportedly entered the transfer portal this week after the Louisiana court ruling include one of Wright’s Ole Miss teammates, defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, former SMU running back TJ Harden, former BYU offensive lineman Weylin Lapuaho, former James Madison linebacker Trent Hendrick, former Appalachian State defensive back Ethan Johnson and former New Mexico kicker Luke Drzewiecki.
ESPN also reported this week that two other players in NFL camps, Jack Pyburn of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Wydett Williams Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals, can go back to school under the TRO.
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REPORT: 49ERS TRADE RB ZAMIR WHITE TO SAINTS FOR LB DEION JONES
The New Orleans Saints are acquiring running back Zamir White from the San Francsico 49ers for linebacker Deion Jones, ESPN reported late Sunday.
Both veteran players were free agents who signed earlier this month with their teams, only to be traded. The Saints could be looking for depth with five-time Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a sprained MCL.
New Orleans signed free agent Travis Etienne to a four-year contract worth $12 million per season but head coach Kellen Moore said he envisions using a deep committee of running backs.
Jones would be reunited with the 49ers’ new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, his coach while both were with the Atlanta Falcons.
White is listed on the 49ers “unofficial depth chart” on its website in the fourth running back group, behind starter Christian McCaffrey and four other players.
White, who turns 27 on Sept. 18, played in six games last season for the Las Vegas Raiders and had 12 carries for 32 yards along with four receptions on six targets for 24 yards.
Las Vegas selected White in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Georgia. For his career, he has 198 rushing attempts for 736 yards and two touchdowns and 25 receptions for 152 yards in 45 games (nine starts) for the Raiders since 2022.NFL updates
He became a free agent in March and signed with the 49ers on Aug. 12.
Jones, 31, played in all 17 regular-season games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season as a reserve and totaled 29 tackles. He became a free agent in March and signed with the Saints on Aug. 7.
Atlanta picked Jones in the second round of the 2016 draft out of LSU. He was third in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year that season when he intercepted three passes, returning two for scores.
Jones made the Pro Bowl in his second year, when he made a career-high 138 tackles along with another three picks.
For his career, Jones has 761 tackles, 12 sacks, 50 tackles for loss, 24 quarterback hits, 13 interceptions (five returned for TDs), 53 passes defended, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 128 games (91 starts) for the Falcons (2016-21), Cleveland Browns (2022), Carolina Panthers (2023) and Bucs (2024-25).
Morris was a Falcons assistant coach (2015-19), defensive coordinator and interim head coach in 2020 and head coach again in 2024-25.
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BROWNS COACH: DESHAUN WATSON’S COMMENTS WON’T AFFECT QB DECISION
Deshaun Watson’s criticisms of Cleveland Browns fans won’t be part of the decision on whether Watson or Shedeur Sanders will be named Monday as the team’s starting quarterback.
Browns first-year coach Todd Monken said the piercing comments are a non-factor as he determines which player is the best option to be the club’s QB1.
“He emptied his heart a little bit, and I don’t think that says who he is,” Monken told reporters Sunday, one day after a 31-7 home loss to the Buffalo Bills. “I see the competitor in him. I see the everyday work he puts in, and he wants to be back.
“He wants to get back to where he was as best he can, and that’s hard. And again, I think the moment just got him after the game, and it can get all of us.”
Watson alluded to his belief that he would be facing “17 away games” if he were named the starter.
Cleveland fans vociferously showered Watson with boos during Saturday’s contest, his first at home since tearing his right Achilles tendon during Week 7 of the 2024 season.
When Watson suffered the injury, the fans applauded, and he hasn’t forgotten that. Watson later injured the Achilles again and underwent a second surgery. He didn’t appear in a game in 2025.
“The whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said Saturday. “It’s a little bit (more) personal than that. So, I think it’s a disrespectful thing. So, yeah, I mean, I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. And, yeah, just move on.
“Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. And that same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt. So, what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city, and they cheer?”
Cleveland has been outscored 65-17 in its first two preseason games. Watson started the first one and guided the team to 10 first-half points in a loss to the Chicago Bears. Sanders started against the Bills and led the team to a first-quarter touchdown.
Watson has completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 162 yards and one interception this preseason. Sanders has connected on 68.2 percent of his passes for 153 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Watson and Sanders have been splitting first-team repetitions in training camp practices.
“Even with (Saturday), we have to take in the full body of work,” Monken said. “That’s one opportunity that they had on the field, both of them, just like the week before, an opportunity. Just like the practices against the Bills were an opportunity to showcase their ability and others’ ability and where they’re at this point, where we’re at as an offense.
“I look at it (as): What has been the full body of work? And then, ultimately, who gives us the best chance to win Week 1?
“I’m not going to let one half of football, one frustrating moment, dictate what our decision is going to be that we think is in the best interest of the Browns moving forward and especially Week 1.”
Watson, who turns 31 next month, was traded from the Houston Texans to the Browns prior to the 2022 season. Cleveland subsequently gave him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.
In addition to the Achilles injury, he also had his career derailed by an 11-game suspension in 2022 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after the league’s investigation into sexual misconduct allegations involving more than two dozen massage therapists.
In 19 games with Cleveland, Watson has a 9-10 record and has thrown 19 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.
Earlier in his career, Watson was a Pro Bowl selection three straight seasons (2018-20) for the Texans. He passed for career highs of 4,823 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2020.
Sanders, 24, was a fifth-round draft pick last season and went 3-4 as a starter while playing eight games. He passed for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions and was named to the Pro Bowl Games as a replacement after other quarterbacks withdrew.
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REPORT: RAIDERS RB ASHTON JEANTY BELIEVED TO HAVE SPRAINED ANKLE
Las Vegas running back Ashton Jeanty is believed to have sprained his ankle on Sunday during Raiders practice in Henderson, Nev., according to a co-report from ESPN and NFL Network late Sunday.
Jeanty dove for an attempted reception on a pass route and fell awkwardly on the indoor turf surface, per multiple reports. Jeanty stayed down before being helped from the field by trainers and medical personnel. Jeanty couldn’t put weight on his right leg as he left the scene.
Raiders players knelt and prayed as Jeanty was assisted.
The team declined comment on Jeanty’s status, though it’s not considered a long-term injury, per the report.
Jeanty, 22, is entering his second season after the Raiders made him the No. 6 overall pick in last year’s draft. He has been expected to be a major contributor for the Raiders this season.
As a rookie, Jeanty ran for 975 yards with five touchdowns. He added 55 receptions for 346 yards and five touchdowns through the air.
If Jeanty’s injury is serious, it could mean a larger role for rookie Mike Washington Jr., who has been a star of training camp and was a fourth-round choice of the Raiders this spring.
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49ERS TAKE STAR TE GEORGE KITTLE OFF PUP LIST 10 DAYS BEFORE LEAVING FOR AUSTRALIA
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle was taken off the physically unable to perform list on Sunday, providing hope that he might be able to return from a ruptured right Achilles tendon before the season opener.
The 49ers got good news on the injury front 10 days before the team was set to depart for Australia for a Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 11 with both Kittle and All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey both back at practice.
The Niners are scheduled to leave for Australia on Sept. 2 and Kittle said last week that he needed to get practice time in pads before then to determine whether he would make the trip and try to play Week 1.
Kittle ruptured his Achilles on Jan. 11 in a playoff win at Philadelphia and has made an impressive recovery to get back on the field in less than eight months.
Kittle is a two-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler who is a key part of San Francisco’s offense as a passing threat and a blocker in the run game. He had 57 catches for 628 yards receiving and seven touchdowns last season.
McCaffrey had missed the past two weeks of practice with what the team had described as “tightness.” After being limited to four games because of injuries in 2024, McCaffrey was an ironman last season. He played 1,010 offensive snaps in the regular season and playoffs — just the ninth running back in the past 20 seasons to top the 1,000 mark — and became the second player in the past decade with at least 450 combined carries and catches.
The 30-year-old McCaffrey hasn’t responded well in the past following his heaviest-use seasons. The previous two times he topped 400 touches — in 2019 with Carolina and 2023 with the 49ers — he was severely hampered by injuries the following season, missing 13 games each in 2020 and 2024.
Star defensive end Nick Bosa remains out of practice with soreness and tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee. Bosa tore his right ACL in Week 3 last season. He started camp on the active roster but has only participated in individual drills before being shut down nearly three weeks ago. The Niners have expressed optimism that he will be ready for Week 1.
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BROWNS PLACE DE ALEX WRIGHT ON IR, ADD DEREK BARNETT
The Cleveland Browns placed starter Alex Wright on injured reserve Sunday and signed fellow defensive end Derek Barnett.
Terms of Barnett’s deal were not announced by the Browns, but ESPN reported it was a one-year deal worth up to $5.5 million.
Wright sustained a ruptured Achilles on Thursday while competing in a one-on-one drill during a joint practice with the Buffalo Bills.
Signed to a three-year, $33 million extension in November, Wright recorded 5 1/2 sacks and 37 tackles in 14 games (nine starts) last season with Cleveland.
Wright, who turns 26 on Sept. 5, has totaled 11 1/2 sacks and 98 tackles in 51 career games (15 starts) since being selected by the Browns in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of UAB.
Barnett, 30, had five sacks and 21 tackles in 17 games off the bench last season with the Houston Texans.
A Super Bowl champion with Philadelphia, Barnett has notched 34 sacks and 216 tackles in 112 career games (50 starts) with the Texans and Eagles. He was selected by the Eagles with the 14th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Tennessee.
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CHARGERS PUT C TYLER BIADASZ ON SEASON-ENDING IR
The Los Angeles Chargers placed center Tyler Biadasz on season-ending injured reserve Sunday, less than a week after he went down with a serious left knee injury that included ACL damage.
Biadasz, 28, was injured in a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday. San Francisco defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez fell on Biadasz’s left leg during an 11-on-11 drill.
After struggles on the offensive line last season, when quarterback Justin Herbert was sacked 54 times, the Chargers added Biadasz on a three-year, $30 million contract this offseason.
A veteran of six NFL seasons, Biadasz earned a 2022 Pro Bowl selection with the Dallas Cowboys and was expected to stabilize the youthful offensive line for Herbert.American Football
A fourth-round draft pick in 2020, Biadasz started 49 games for the Cowboys from 2021-23 and added 31 starts in two seasons with the Washington Commanders, who released him in February.
While playing more than 900 snaps in each season with the Commanders, Biadasz allowed just four total sacks.
Rookie Jake Slaughter stepped in this week after Biadasz’s departure and started in Thursday’s preseason game against the 49ers. Slaughter, 23, was drafted in the second round out of Florida.
The Chargers also announced Sunday that they signed wide receiver Gary Jennings Jr. Originally a fourth-round draft pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2019, the 29-year-old played just one NFL game for the Miami Dolphins in 2019.
Jennings has spent time on the practice squads of the Las Vegas Raiders, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens in recent years, while also playing three seasons in the UFL for the St. Louis Battlehawks (2023, 2025) and Birmingham Stallions (2024).
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5 Colts Things: Seth McGowan, Spencer Shrader, CJ Allen and other notes from preseason Week 2
1. No starters played, and even some second-string guys didn’t suit up too.
The following players did not participate in Saturday’s game, either due to injury or rest after two days of physical, competitive joint practices with the Atlanta Falcons: QB Daniel Jones, RB Jonathan Taylor, RB DJ Giddens, RB Ulysses Bentley IV, WR Alec Pierce, WR Josh Downs, WR Ashton Dulin, WR Keenan Allen, WR Anthony Gould, TE Tyler Warren, TE Mo Alie-Cox, TE Drew Ogletree, TE Will Mallory, T Bernhard Raimann, T Jalen Travis, T Luke Tenuta, T Nolan Rucci, G Quenton Nelson, G Matt Goncalves, G Jalen Farmer, C Tanor Bortolini, DE Laiatu Latu, DE Arden Key, DT DeForest Buckner, DT Grover Stewart, LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, CB Sauce Gardner, CB Charvarius Ward Sr., CB Justin Walley, S AJ Haulcy, S Cam Bynum.
Some of these players – Giddens (hamstring), Pierce (PUP), Gould (groin), Warren (groin), Mallory (thumb), Tenuta and Ward (back) – had previously disclosed injuries (though Pierce, Warren and Ward wouldn’t have played had they been healthy). Tenuta and Rucci haven’t practiced recently, too, due to injuries. It’s unclear what, if anything, guys like Bentley, Farmer and Haulcy are dealing with.
But to put it another way: The Colts were without three running backs, five wide receivers, four tight ends, eight offensive linemen and 10 defensive starters on Saturday. Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell only played four snaps, too.
So consider that context when thinking about a 34-6 loss in which the Falcons gained nearly 300 more yards than the Colts did.
The more important context is the Colts’ starters handily won both days of joint practice at Grand Park.
Still, there were a few guys worth noting who did play on Saturday, which we’ll get into in the rest of these five things.
2. Seth McGowan ran with physicality.
In training camp practices, non-quarterbacks can be hit but can’t be tackled, so it’s not always easy to evaluate running backs from our perspective (as in, we aren’t a position coach/run game coordinator/offensive coordinator etc.).
But over two preseason games, one thing has jumped off the tape from seventh-round rookie running back Seth McGowan: That dude runs hard.
The 223-pound McGowan squeezes every inch out of his rushing attempts, even if he finished Saturday with only 27 yards on eight carries. For example: On his third carry of the game, McGowan jumped through a hole to his left and lowered his shoulder into Falcons linebacker JD Bertrand, who was trying to disengage with tight end Pharaoh Brown.
McGowan was first contacted at the 18-yard line and kept his feet moving, eventually churning out a five-yard gain. After the game, he talked about maximizing “dirty runs,” which he’s shown is something he’s more than capable of doing.
“I’m a guy that doesn’t ever want anything left on the field,” McGowan said. “You never know some of those runs you can come up out of it. You take last year when they played Atlanta, you saw (Jonathan Taylor), he kept his feet pumping. … That’s everything, and I think it just shows your will and how much you care for the team.”
3. The Colts’ offensive line depth was tested.
The Colts wouldn’t have played their starting five offensive linemen on Saturday, but without tackles Luke Tenuta and Nolan Rucci, as well as guard Jalen Farmer (who’s had a strong camp to date), they only were able to play six offensive linemen.
Blake Freeland (left tackle), Dalton Tucker (left guard), Jimmy Morrissey (right guard) and Josh Sills (right tackle) played all 50 snaps, while Josh Kreutz (34 snaps) and Geno VanDeMark (16 snaps) shared time at center.
Tucker is a natural guard who’s been working in at center during the preseason; Morrissey is a primary center who played guard; Sills is a primary guard who played tackle.
Getting those players reps at different positions does carry value if they’re asked to be flexible during the regular season. It’ll be interesting to see if Tucker gets any snaps at center in next week’s preseason finale, as he’s worked in there quite a bit over the last month and has shown some signs he could be an option behind Tanor Bortolini.
“I thought he’s done a nice job,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “Obviously, it’s a new spot for him and a new role and there’s a lot on the center’s plate. But I think he’s taken it really well mentally and he’s still working through that process. I like his physicality there at that spot. Obviously, rotating from guard to there, that’s a big transition, but I thought he’s handled it well.”
4. A few things on defense.
Linebacker CJ Allen had three tackles in his first taste of NFL action, albeit in the preseason, over 20 snaps on Saturday. For Allen, the feeling of getting back on the field and actually tackling someone – after a long pre-draft process and months of practice – was a good feeling. “It’s been a minute, just being able to tackle someone on the ground, especially in an opposite color jersey,” Allen said.
Linebacker Bryce Boettcher flew through a gap and brought down running back Nathan Carter for a two-yard loss in the second quarter, but his free run into the backfield was keyed by defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore sealing the back side and defensive end George Gumbs Jr. setting the edge on the front side of the play. Boettcher’s speed and feel for space, then, did the rest.
Defensive end Caden Curry had consecutive hustle pressures on third- and fourth-and-goal inside the Colts’ two-yard line, helping force a turnover on downs in the third quarter. But Curry also played a team-high 11 snaps on special teams (five punt coverage, six field goal block), which the 2026 sixth-round pick has made a point of emphasis. “I feel like it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, and I enjoy doing it,” Curry said. “I embrace it and I just love being able to be there for the team.”
Physical coverage in the slot from cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt forced an incompletion on a third-and-seven in the first quarter.
A well-timed tomahawk punch from cornerback Jaylon Jones led to a PBU on an in-breaking route late in the third quarter.
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