FIRST-ROUND PICK SHEMAR STEWART HAS PLENTY OF LEARNING MOMENTS DURING HIS INITIAL BENGALS’ PRACTICE
CINCINNATI (AP) — One day after signing his rookie contact, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart took the field for his first NFL practice on Sunday.
While Stewart was the final Bengals’ draft pick to sign and criticized ownership while the negotiations were going on, coach Zac Taylor said that the organization can leave all of that contention in the past.
“That’s part of being a professional,” Taylor said. “Just put it behind you. He’s a part of our team, so we support him every step of the way now. You just put all that stuff behind you.”
Stewart missed three practices before signing his rookie deal, and he also didn’t participate in any of the Bengals’ spring workouts.
On Sunday, he went through some extra sets of drills with one-on-one instruction from defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, was a full participant in position drills and then received about 10 reps in full-team drills against the first-team offense.
“I just needed to get on the field as soon as possible,” Stewart said. “I needed to start learning, start getting better. There is a long season ahead. I needed to be ready.”
He said that he didn’t have any regrets about the negotiation process. Stewart also defended his agent, Zac Hiller.
Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin criticized Hiller last week by saying that Stewart was listening to the advice that he was paying for. Stewart said that he appreciated Hiller’s approach in negotiations.
Stewart’s four-year deal is worth $18.97 million guaranteed, including a $10.4 million signing bonus.
Stewart, the 17th overall pick in April’s draft, and Hiller eventually agreed to the Bengals’ provision voiding future guarantees if there are any off-field incidents or conduct detrimental to the team.
However, he received $500,000 more of his signing bonus now instead of later in the season.
“I want an agent that’s more of a pit bull,” Stewart said. “I don’t want an agent that can easily be pushed over. I want someone that’s going to war (for) me, so I don’t have to do any of the hard work behind the scenes. In terms of that, I think Zac is a great agent. He handles business very well. That’s my dog for life.”
On the field, Stewart struggled with the heat as well as the new techniques from the Bengals coaching staff.
At one point during practice, he poured water over his eyes only to find out that it was Gatorade. That stung his eyes, and he joked about it being a learning moment.
During his first practice rep against offensive linemen, he got pushed back and spun around. That was another learning moment.
“Just get him out here and get him going with our fundamentals and with Jerry and all the things we’re teaching,” Taylor said. “Tomorrow we get the chance to put the pads on, to get a chance to feel what that feels like again. It’s just good to go full speed with him.”
Stewart said that he hopes this week was a start of a long Bengals’ career, and he’s focused on the long game now that his contract has been signed.
“It was never me vs. anybody,” Stewart said. “We just didn’t see eye to eye. At the end of the day, I’m happy to be a Bengal. I’m happy that I got drafted here. We have a long relationship ahead of us. There’s no bad blood. It’s just how things go sometimes.”
49ERS DE TARRON JACKSON HOSPITALIZED AFTER CAMP COLLISION
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Tarron Jackson was taken to a local hospital for evaluation after a collision during a training camp practice Sunday.
Per reporters at the practice, Jackson was blocked by an offensive tackle, went to the ground and did not move for a few moments before he was able to move his hands. His teammates took a knee as he was tended to, and Jackson eventually had to be taken off on a backboard.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said after practice that Jackson was conscious, talking and had movement in his extremities.
“We were close to him so we could hear him talking and we could see everything moving,” Shanahan said. “I just told the guys that, which eases them up a little bit with the biggest fears and asked them if they were OK to continue to go. They all yelled yes and we finished the last period.”
Jackson, 27, is entering his first season with the 49ers. He joined their practice squad in January and signed a futures contract with the team after the 2024 season ended.
A 2021 sixth-round draft pick by Philadelphia, Jackson has played in 24 career games with the Eagles (2021-22) and Carolina Panthers (2024). He has tallied one sack, one forced fumble and 18 tackles.
REPORT: BROWNS QB KENNY PICKETT INJURED DURING PRACTICE
Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett reportedly went down with a hamstring injury during Saturday’s training camp session, casting uncertainty over his early momentum in a crowded quarterback competition.
Sources told ESPN that Pickett sustained the injury while rolling to his right and throwing a touchdown during the final red zone drill of the day. The severity of the injury remains unclear and the Browns reportedly expect to re-evaluate him later this week.
Pickett had been making a strong case to become the Browns’ starter, taking a majority of the first-team reps during the opening week of training camp. Browns quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave described his performance in the first two practices as “stellar,” particularly praising his accuracy. Pickett’s early success had seemingly put him ahead in the four-man competition, which includes veteran Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
The injury now opens the door for the remaining quarterbacks to gain valuable reps. Flacco, entering his 18th NFL season, has rotated with Pickett throughout camp and brings veteran leadership to the position group. Gabriel, a third-round pick out of Oregon, has had limited time with the first team, while Sanders, a fifth-round pick from Colorado, has yet to take any first-team snaps.
Pickett, a 2022 first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, was traded to the Browns in March by the Philadelphia Eagles. Cleveland gave up a fifth-round pick and young quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the deal. With the Browns declining his fifth-year option, Pickett is set to become a free agent after the 2025 season.
CHARGERS LOCK IN RASHAWN SLATER WITH A MULTI-YEAR EXTENSION
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday agreed to a multi-year contract extension with left tackle Rashawn Slater, keeping him as Justin Herbert’s protector.
Slater has started all 52 games at left tackle since being chosen 13th overall in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Northwestern.
Last season, he started 16 games including the postseason, as the Chargers’ offense committed eight turnovers — the fewest in franchise history and tied for the second-fewest offensive turnovers in a single season in NFL history.
As a rookie in 2021, Slater was a second-team All-Pro after leading a front that protected for the No. 4-ranked total offense in the NFL (390.2 yards per game) as Herbert threw for an AFC-best 32 touchdowns. Slater was also named the starting left tackle for the AFC in the Pro Bowl, becoming the first rookie tackle to do so since 2012.
FROM HOOPS TO HALL OF FAME: ANTONIO GATES’ UNIQUE NFL JOURNEY TO CANTON
Antonio Gates thought his path to a Hall of Fame career would have been in basketball.
Instead, he became one of the best tight ends in NFL history.
Gates will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, getting elected to Canton without playing college football.
He played his entire 16-year career for the Bolts and finished with 116 receiving touchdowns, the most by a tight end in NFL history.
“My journey was probably the most unique journey in all of football because I came in as a former basketball player, not knowing what to expect,” Gates said. “Some of those guys who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, they wanted to be Pro Football Hall of Famers when they were 14 years old. I wanted to play in the NBA. That was my dream. Like I said, I still haven’t wrapped my head around it all.”
Gates played both football and basketball during high school at Detroit Central. Nick Saban recruited Gates to play football at Michigan State, but he didn’t play as a freshman. Gates also wanted to play basketball, but Saban disagreed.
Gates transferred to Eastern Michigan, then to two junior colleges, and eventually to Kent State. It was at Kent State that Gates reached national prominence. He led the Golden Flashes to the Elite Eight in the 2002 NCAA Tournament as a junior and an Associated Press All-America honorable mention selection as a senior after averaging 20.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Even though Gates was convinced he would get drafted in the NBA, at 6-foot-4, scouts saw him as an undersized post player. However, Tim Brewster, who was the Chargers’ tight ends coach in 2003, saw in Gates the size and speed that he thought would make him a great tight end.
Brewster saw Gates during a private workout and immediately began making his pitch to Marty Schottenheimer and the Chargers’ front office to sign him as a free agent.
“A lot of people like to take credit, but Tim is the number one reason why I am in the Hall of Fame,” Gates said. “He found me, believed what I could become, and was around me constantly. He really got me into a position where I look up, and I was All-Pro my second year in the field.”
After having 24 receptions for 389 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, Gates had a career-high 13 touchdowns in 2004 en route to the first of three straight Associated Press All-Pro honors and eight consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl. He also had 81 catches for 964 yards.
Even though he was catching a lot of passes, Gates’ route-running didn’t always get high marks from coaches.
“What I was doing as a rookie and in my second year was considered nontraditional. I would play well, but grade out bad because I creating a lane. And unfortunately, when you’re creating something that’s never been done or seen, it gets scrutinized. I would use my instinct to make the play.”
Many of the things that Gates did with shape routes, pivot routes over the ball and tight ends releasing at the line of scrimmage are commonplace today with Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and San Francisco’s George Kittle. Gates utilized his basketball skills on the football field, as catching the ball at its highest point is similar to rebounding in the paint, as well as boxing out on the hardwood and trying to get open against a defensive back.
Gates might have been outsized as a power forward, but he had an advantage going up against defensive backs who often were smaller than he was.
Gates’ career flourished under Norv Turner, the Chargers coach from 2007 through ’12. Turner lined Gates up in different spots and also used more two tight end sets. Gates’ route-running also improved under Turner and with Philip Rivers as the quarterback.
“He had to win on his route-running and his ability to separate and his understanding of coverages and all those things. Philip is as good a passer as there’s been in a long time, but Philip wasn’t going to move around and make a lot of plays off schedule,” Turner said.
Gates finished with 955 receptions for 11,841 yards. He had 21 multi-touchdown games, the most among tight ends.
Of his 116 touchdowns, 39 came on third down, which is tied for third all time.
He had eight seasons with at least eight touchdowns and was a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
Gates said the biggest thing he is looking forward to is being able to thank the people who helped him get to Canton.
“I’ve always been in a space where from a popularity standpoint, people know my name. It’s my chance to thank everyone else,” he said. “Although you are the face and the focus point, it’s truly not about you. You’re letting everybody understand what it took to get to this point and who were influential.”
BIJAN ROBINSON IS PREPARING FOR ANOTHER BUSY SEASON AS FALCONS’ DO-IT-ALL RUNNING BACK
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga (AP) — Michael Penix Jr. enters his first full season as Atlanta’s starting quarterback with the good fortune of knowing Bijan Robinson has been both productive and durable as the focus of the Falcons’ offense at running back.
Robinson was a do-it-all back for Atlanta in 2024, his second pro season. He ranked third in the league with 1,456 yards rushing and third among all running backs with 61 catches. He tied for fifth with 14 rushing touchdowns and was fourth with 304 carries.
While Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley was voted the NFL’s top running back by The Associated Press entering the season, Robinson was included in the top five.
Now, after Penix made only three starts as a rookie to close last season, the Falcons can be expected to take advantage again of their strong running game with Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
“You have to get him the rock,” Penix said at the start of training camp. “It’s simple as that. It doesn’t matter how we do it. Somehow, some way he’s got to have the rock.”
Robinson said he learned more about preparing for another busy season by working out with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey in California this offseason.
“It was great,” Robinson said. “Me and him just giving each other so many tips and feeding off knowledge from each other on the field. … We worked together the whole month. I got to see how he worked. He got to see how I worked. It was really cool two guys coming together trying to make each other better. He taught me some nuance moves on the field and I did the same for him.”
The challenge for coach Raheem Morris is to make the most of Robinson’s production while not overextending his workload.
“You definitely want to protect that kind of unique athlete,” Morris said, adding that Robinson “doesn’t need a governor” as an artificial cap on his number of carries.
“He’s certainly one of those guys that can carry the load,” Morris said. “Certainly one of the guys that has carried the load for us. And you could definitely do that. But we just happen to have some really good backs, you know? … We have a luxury of having a guy like Tyler on our team.”
Allgeier rushed for 1,035 yards as a rookie in 2022 and averaged 4.7 yards per carry while rushing for 644 yards on a career-low 137 carries last season. There is an emphasis on creating opportunities to use Allgeier more this season.
“We’ve got to find ways to get Tyler on the field, to find ways to feature him on the field,” Morris said.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see more two-running back sets, perhaps with defenses having to monitor Robinson put in motion as a receiver while Allgeier remains lined up behind Penix.
Kudos for Cousins
General manager Terry Fontenot said Sunday that Kirk Cousins has been “the ultimate professional” after losing his starting job to Penix last season and returning as a backup, despite speculation the veteran could be traded.
“Outside, it’s a lot more of a big deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said of the questions about Cousins’ status. “He shows up. He does his job just like anybody. … He’s been a great professional. He’s handled himself well.”
Tip from Stick
Fontenot said backup quarterback Easton Stick, who worked out with wide receiver D.J. Chark in the offseason after the two were Los Angeles Chargers teammates last season, passed along a recommendation that the Falcons look at signing the veteran. Chark worked out at the Falcons’ facility on Friday and signed in time to have his first practice on Saturday.
The timing was convenient, as starter Darnell Mooney is expected to miss several weeks with a shoulder injury.
RIGHT TACKLE JAWAAN TAYLOR RETURNS TO PRACTICE AS CHIEFS PUT PADS ON FOR FIRST TIME IN TRAINING CAMP
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor made his training camp debut after missing their first four practices because of a knee injury, and he was right in the mix with the starters Sunday as they put on pads for the first time.
Backup tight end Tre Watson, who also had been out with a groin injury, passed his physical and joined Taylor on the field.
Taylor has started all 33 regular-season games he has played for Kansas City over the past two seasons. But his blocking metrics coupled with a propensity for penalties mean his job is far from secure. The Chiefs signed backup 49ers tackle Jaylon Moore to a two-year, $30 million deal and used their first-round draft pick on Ohio State standout Josh Simmons.
After the first week of camp, Simmons appears to have the inside track on the left tackle job, which was a problem position for the Chiefs all of last season. So when Taylor returned, it was in a rotation with Moore for first-team snaps on Sunday.
“We’re getting back in the swing. He hasn’t done anything,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of Taylor, who showed up on the injury report with knee trouble much of last season and had offseason surgery. “But all three are kind of competing there.”
Reid said he was pleased with the way Simmons looked in his first padded practice. There was some question about whether he would even be ready for camp after tearing his patellar tendon in a game with the Buckeyes last season.
“He did some good things. I wasn’t focusing on him the whole time, but I thought he did some good things,” Reid said. “He’s a work in progress. He has to keep working. Young guy.”
Meanwhile, Reid said cornerback Kristian Fulton had a procedure to “clean out” his knee in the spring, which is why he remains on the physically unable to perform list. The Chiefs gave him a two-year, $20 million deal in March.
Rookie tight end Jake Briningstool also did not practice Sunday because of a hamstring injury.
COWBOYS SIGN TIGHT END JAKE FERGUSON TO A 4-YEAR, $52 MILLION EXTENSION
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys signed tight end Jake Ferguson to a four-year, $52 million extension Sunday.
The deal includes a $12 million signing bonus. A fourth-round pick in 2022, Ferguson is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
“It’s money, but it also doesn’t change things,” Ferguson said. “I still have to prove everything. I still have to get out there between the lines and work my tail off, and the ultimate goal is winning as many games as possible.”
He had 59 catches for 494 yards but did not have a touchdown reception last season. The previous year, he had career highs with 71 catches for 761 yards and five TDs.
Ferguson dealt with knee and concussion issues last year but still started 14 games.
“That’s the first season I’ve ever not scored a touchdown in my whole life, so feeling that sting was definitely something,” Ferguson said.
Even with the decline in production, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Ferguson’s importance in the eyes of the organization never changed.
“Just really, really excited for him,” Schottenheimer said. “Last year, obviously, he didn’t feel he had the best year, but I think it always shows you we’re always evaluating everything, and (we value) things he’s done for us from a play temperament, the enforcer that he is. He loves football. He’s got that throwback-type mentality.”
Ferguson, 26, is the grandson of College Football Hall of Fame coach Barry Alvarez. Ferguson credits Alvarez, the former Wisconsin head coach and athletic director, for helping establish his hand-nosed approach on the field.
“He’s always taught me to protect mine,” said Ferguson, who played in college for the Badgers.
Ferguson could be even more valuable this season as the Cowboys look to rebound in Schottenheimer’s first season in charge. With the addition of George Pickens at wide receiver alongside CeeDee Lamb, Schottenheimer expects opposing defenses to focus coverages on limiting them, which should free up space for Ferguson.
“So to have that guy that can work the middle of the field, attack the middle of the field, I think that’s really, really important,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s got such a big body and such great body control that when he’s running vertically, he’s kind of always open because he’s got great body control, he’s got the ability to adjust his hands and make plays. Really attacking seams and attacking across the field and doing things like that, his size and catch radius really does help.”
This deal comes as two-time All-Pro defensive end Micah Parsons remains in negotiations for his own extension, entering the final season of his rookie deal. Parsons said recently he had not seen much progress in those talks.
MINKAH FITZPATRICK GETS A $16.245 MILLION SIGNING BONUS IN HIS RESTRUCTURED DOLPHINS DEAL
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Minkah Fitzpatrick and the Miami Dolphins agreed Sunday to a restructured contract that adds a $16.245 million signing bonus to the All-Pro safety’s deal.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed the restructured deal, which was first reported by ESPN.
The Dolphins acquired Fitzpatrick in a trade with the Steelers last month that sent All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh. Fitzpatrick, who became one of the top safeties in the NFL with the Steelers, returned to the team that drafted him 11th overall in 2018 and traded him away at his request in 2019.
There previously was no guaranteed money left on Fitzpatrick’s contract that runs through 2026. No years were added, but Rosenhaus said they’re seeking a multiyear extension.
The Dolphins cleared $11 million in cap space in the restructured deal by converting part of Fitzpatrick’s salary to a bonus, according to NFL Network. Fitzpatrick had $2 million of his 2026 salary moved up to this coming season. He is now due $17.5 million in 2025 and $15.6 million in 2026.
Fitzpatrick had signed a four-year extension with the Steelers in 2022 that made him the highest-paid safety in the NFL at the time and gave him $36 million in guarantees.
COMMANDERS WIDE RECEIVER TERRY MCLAURIN REPORTS TO CAMP DESPITE CONTRACT DISPUTE
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin reported to training camp on Sunday following a four-day holdout, but the 2024 second-team All-Pro and the team have yet to agree on new contract terms.
The Commanders removed McLaurin from the reserve/did not report list for camp and placed their leading receiver on the active/physically unable to perform list because of an ankle injury from the previous season, according to coach Dan Quinn.
Despite the limbo status, fans were thrilled when McLaurin walked onto the fields behind the team facility following practice, serenading him with chants of “Terry! Terry!” McLaurin spent roughly 30 minutes signing autographs and taking photos before briefly speaking with reporters. He said it’s been “tough” to watch his teammates practice and acknowledged he is dealing with the “business” side of football but primarily kept his comments to the scene.
“It feels good to be around my teammates and around my fans,” McLaurin told reporters. “I can’t beat that at all.”
Quinn said before Sunday’s practice that he was “pumped” that McLaurin was there.
The coach said he spoke directly with McLaurin on Saturday. “He is such an awesome competitor. At his core, that’s who he is.”
McLaurin did not report on Tuesday along with his teammates and incurred a $50,000 daily fine for skipping the first four official days of camp. The seven-year veteran has one year remaining on a three-year, $68.2 million extension signed in 2022 but has been seeking a new deal. He set a career-high with 13 touchdown receptions and had 1,096 yards last season on 82 receptions.
The PUP list designation forbids McLaurin from participating in on-field activities, but he can join teammates and coaches in meetings and now counts toward the 90-player roster limit. McLaurin worked with the training staff inside the team facility on Sunday.
He participated in early portions of Washington’s offseason program but skipped the on-field portions of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp.
Teammates have supported their absent receiver during camp. Quarterback Jayden Daniels and McLaurin fueled an offense that was central to Washington’s surprising run to the NFC championship game last season.
“Just business in the NFL,” Daniels said. “We know Terry’s working … at the end of the day, he’s still one of our brothers.”
Washington released cornerback Fentrell Cypress II to open a roster spot.
