FALCONS STARTING RIGHT TACKLE KALEB MCGARY CARTED OFF PRACTICE FIELD WITH POSSIBLE LEFT LEG INJURY
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons right tackle Kaleb McGary was carted off the practice field with a possible lower left leg injury on Wednesday, giving the team a new challenge as it prepares for Friday night’s final preseason game at Dallas.
The Falcons said an update on McGary, a 2019 first-round pick who has started 92 of 93 games, would be provided “at the appropriate time” following an MRI.
If the Falcons are without McGary, they will have to find a new blocker to protect the blind side of left-handed quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the 2024 first-round pick who is entering his first full season as the starter.
McGary recently signed a contract extension through the 2027 season.
“It’s very saddening to us, a starting tackle, to lose him like that in practice,” said rookie defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. “You never want that stuff to happen. Ultimately we’ve got his back and we’re going to go out there and fight for him and hopefully he has a speedy recovery.”
Bowman said McGary is “a guy who does all the dirty work for us. He’s a guy who means a lot to a lot of people here and this club.”
The Falcons’ latest depth chart listed six-year veteran Brandon Parker and rookie Jack Nelson as McGary’s top backups. Veteran Elijah Wilkinson, who has played both tackle and guard in his eight-year career, moved in to replace McGary in Wednesday’s practice.
Another backup, Storm Norton, has an undisclosed lower body injury and is not expected to play against Dallas.
McGary’s injury came less than an hour after coach Raheem Morris announced plans to hold out most starters against the Cowboys. Morris said Penix and veteran backup Kirk Cousins will not play, meaning neither will have taken a snap in a preseason game, though both saw extended work in last week’s joint practices with the Tennessee Titans.
Morris also said the team’s two rookie first-round picks, edge rushers James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker, also will be held out.
“It’s not just starters but significant people on the team I don’t need to see things from,” Morris said of players who will be held out against Dallas. “For me it’s about mitigating injury (risk).”
Morris on Wednesday expressed confidence in the team’s offensive line depth.
“I’ve been really pleased with the depth of the offensive line since I’ve been here, just in general,” said Morris, entering his second season as coach. “There are not a lot of places you feel good about not only a two-deep but a two-deep plus as far as our offensive line. We’ve got people who have played significant snaps for us.”
Morris said Norton’s injury has allowed Nelson to receive “a significant amount of work.” Morris also mentioned Wilkinson’s versatility and starting experience as a reason for optimism.
CORNERBACK L’JARIUS SNEED BACK AND TARGETING TITANS’ SEASON OPENER AT DENVER
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee cornerback L’Jarius Sneed says the plan is for him to be ready for the Titans’ season opener Sept. 7 at Denver, and he’s “very confident” that will happen.
“It’s a process,” Sneed said Wednesday. “You know everybody just trusting the process and making sure I’m good for Week 1.”
Sneed passed a physical to return from the physically unable to perform list and returned to practice Wednesday.
The Titans are counting heavily on the two-time Super Bowl champ to start in their secondary. They traded for him in March 2024 and gave him contract that made Sneed the NFL’s fifth-highest paid cornerback at the time.
Then Sneed played in just five games, first limited by an injured hamstring before an injured quadriceps landed him on injured reserve. Sneed said that quadriceps injury was significant and unique, though he didn’t need surgery.
Sneed said during an offseason camp that he was as healthy as he’s been. Then the Titans put him on the physically unable to perform list to start training camp, with team officials saying Sneed had a cleanup of a knee in May.
The cornerback said Wednesday that decision was not his with the Titans choosing to take it slow “to make sure I’m good for the season.”
Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said Sneed will be day to day in his return, with the five-year veteran being eased back into practice.
“It’s good to get him back out there, and he’s been champing at the bit,” Wilson said before practice. “He’s been doing everything in his power in the training room to get to this point,” Wilson said. “So I’m just excited for the young man, not just the football player but him because I know the work that he’s put in.”
Sneed has 10 career interceptions, though he’s still looking for his first with Tennessee. His experience is needed in a secondary featuring second-year cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Roger McCreary. Sneed said the physical style he plays with will come.
“That’s who I am,” Sneed said. “I’ve been in the league what, six years now? That’s who I am: a physical corner guy. I just got to get my technique down.”
Off the field, Sneed is facing a lawsuit in Texas over an incident in December 2024.
A Texas man says Sneed or his personal assistant shot at him while he sat inside a Mercedes-Benz on a dealer lot in December is suing Sneed for at least $1 million. The man’s attorney also told The Associated Press in April that Sneed and his accomplice were arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
A judge reportedly sent the lawsuit to mediation in May.
Sneed said he had no concerns over his legal issues in Texas.
“I’m here right now with the team, and that’s all I’m going to worry about,” Sneed said.
BEARS SIGN BACKUP QB TYSON BAGENT TO 2-YEAR EXTENSION
Chicago Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent signed a two-year contract extension on Wednesday that spans through the 2027 season.
Financial terms were not disclosed by the team, however his representation told NFL Network that it was for $10 million with a maximum value of $16 million with incentives.
“We are fortunate to ensure that Tyson remains a member of the Chicago Bears,” general manager Ryan Poles said. “He is one of the hardest workers on our team and in addition to being a great competitor and teammate, he is a catalyst for positive influence throughout our entire organization.”
The undrafted Bagent has spent his NFL career thus far serving as the backup to both Justin Fields and Caleb Williams in Chicago.
Bagent, 25, played in five games (four starts) during his rookie season in 2023, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 859 yards with three touchdowns and six interceptions.
He completed both pass attempts for a total of 11 yards while playing in four games off the bench last season.
TEXANS SIGN VETERAN LONG SNAPPER BLAKE FERGUSON
The Houston Texans signed veteran long snapper Blake Ferguson on Wednesday.
The other long snapper on the current 90-man roster is undrafted rookie Austin Brinkman.
The Miami Dolphins selected Ferguson in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU. Ferguson, 28, played in five games last season before being placed on the non-football injury list.
The Dolphins released him in May.
Ferguson appeared in all 67 of Miami’s games from 2020-23 and has a fumble recovery and eight career tackles.
His brother, Reid Ferguson, is entering his ninth season as the long snapper of the Buffalo Bills.
The Texans waived tight end Tre’ McKitty, 26, in a corresponding move. The Los Angeles Chargers drafted him in the third round in 2021.
COWBOYS OPTIMISTIC MICAH PARSONS WILL PLAY IN OPENER
Dallas Cowboys first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer said he is confident Micah Parsons will take the field for a Week 1 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rumors have swirled since the beginning of the month when the All-Pro edge rusher requested a trade, stating on social media that “I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys.”
Both sides remain in a stalemate as Parsons continues a hold-in. He has sat out all training camp practices while seeking a long-term extension to make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid defensive players. However, the four-time Pro Bowler has attended team meetings and walkthroughs.
“The business side of it is going to take care of itself,” Schottenheimer said Wednesday. “I think at the end of the day, we feel like Micah’s going to be out there when we line up against Philadelphia here in 15 days or whatever it is.
“I feel good about that, yeah.”
Parsons, 26, is under contract with a fifth-year option that would pay him $24 million in 2025.
In 63 games over four seasons with Dallas, the superstar pass rusher has 256 tackles (63 for loss), 112 quarterback hits, 52.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
He tallied 12 sacks, 43 tackles and two forced fumbles in 13 games last year.
The Cowboys must finalize roster cuts down to 53 players by Tuesday, and the status of Parsons will affect other moves ahead of the team’s meeting with the Super Bowl champions.
“I feel good that Micah’s going to be out there against the Philadelphia Eagles,” Schottenheimer said, smiling. “All those things will play into things.”
REPORT: BULLET SHOT INTO ANDY REID’S OFFICE WITH HIM INSIDE IN 2024
As Andy Reid prepares his team for the start of the 2025 season, news broke Wednesday of an event that could have ended in tragedy for the Kansas City Chiefs head coach during the 2024 offseason.
According to a report by The Kansas City Star, three bullets were fired in the direction of the Chiefs’ practice facility in May of last year, and one of them went into Reid’s office while Reid was in it.
After speaking to police and reviewing a police incident report, The Star reported that shortly after midnight on the morning of May 4, 2024, a bullet broke through the glass window of the 67-year-old’s office and lodged into a wall 15 feet from where Reid was sitting.
The Chiefs have since installed bulletproof windows around Reid’s office.
Of the other two bullets, one was fired into the third story — one story above Reid’s office — and the other hit an outdoor air conditioning unit, according to the news report.
No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed, though the police are treating the incident as an aggravated assault.
“There is no indication this was a targeted incident at any person or organization,” Kansas City Police Department spokesperson Capt. Jacob Becchina told The Star.
“Because the building was occupied at the time of the bullet coming through the window, the case is being investigated as an aggravated assault,” he added.
According to The Star, the franchise has been tight-lipped about the incident, with the outlet going so far as to state, “for many Chiefs players and staff, The Star’s report will be the first they have learned of the gunfire that hit the facility.”
The Chiefs have not responded publicly since The Star’s report, and Reid’s next media availability is slated to be Friday night after Kansas City’s home game against the Chicago Bears, the final preseason game for both teams.
Reid has led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl titles since the 2019 season, with the most recent coming at the end of the 2023 season. Kansas City lost its bid for a three-peat when it lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59 in February.
Along with his three rings, the 2002 AP NFL Coach of the Year Award winner has 273 career wins, fourth all time and tops among active coaches. He coached the Philadelphia Eagles for 14 seasons before joining the Chiefs prior to the 2013 season.
REPORTS: CHIEFS TRADE WR SKYY MOORE TO 49ERS
The Kansas City Chiefs traded wide receiver Skyy Moore to the San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday, according to multiple media reports.
The Chiefs also reportedly sent a seventh-round draft pick to the Niners, who traded a sixth-round pick to the Chiefs in return.
The 49ers were searching for help at wide receiver after receiving news Wednesday that receiver Demarcus Robinson was suspended for three games for a substance-abuse-policy violation.
Fellow 49ers receivers Brandon Aiyuk (knee) and Jauan Jennings (calf) are also dealing with injuries. Aiyuk is expected to miss more than a month of the regular season as he recovers from an ACL tear. Jennings has not practiced for most of training camp.
Moore, a second-round pick in 2022, had 43 receptions for 494 yards and one touchdown in his three-year career with Kansas City. He did not catch a pass and was targeted just three times in six games last season, but he caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVII as the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.
SAINTS ACQUIRE WR DEVAUGHN VELE FROM BRONCOS
The New Orleans Saints traded for wide receiver Devaughn Vele on Tuesday, sending two draft picks to the Denver Broncos to complete the exchange.
The Broncos get the Saints’ 2026 fourth-round pick and 2027 seventh-round pick for Vele, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Utah. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound wideout finished third on the Broncos in catches (41) and receiving yards (475) and tied for third in touchdown catches (three) as a rookie.
Vele played in the Broncos’ first preseason game on Aug. 9 and caught one pass for six yards. He joins a Saints receivers room that features veterans Chris Olave, Brandin Cooks and Rashid Shaheed.
The Broncos’ group of receivers was upgraded this offseason, including the addition of third-round draft pick Patrick Bryant, who has caught six passes for 91 yards in Denver’s first two exhibition games.
49ERS WIDEOUT DEMARCUS ROBINSON SUSPENDED FOR THREE GAMES
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Demarcus Robinson has been suspended for the first three games of the upcoming NFL season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
The suspension is not yet official as Robinson and the 49ers work through the appeal process, according to NFL Network.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the news on a San Francisco Bay Area radio show on Wednesday.
“You can always appeal it, so we’ll hope for the best on that, but (three weeks) is what we’re planning for,” Shanahan said.
In July 2025, the 30-year-old Robinson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge he received in November 2024 as a member of the Los Angeles Rams.
Robinson was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay a $390 fine following the incident.
The standard suspension in the NFL for a first-time DUI offense is three games.
Robinson’s absence would be another blow to a 49ers’ receiver room that could already be without Brandon Aiyuk (recovering from a torn ACL) and Jauan Jennings (calf injury) to start the year.
Robinson had 31 receptions for 505 yards and seven touchdowns for the Rams last season. He has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs (2017-21) and Baltimore Ravens (2022) in his eight-year career.
BENGALS G CORDELL VOLSON (SHOULDER) COULD MISS SEASON
Cincinnati Bengals guard Cordell Volson will undergo shoulder surgery and could miss the rest of the season, coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday.
Volson injured his right shoulder during practice last Friday.
“That’s a tough one for him,” Taylor told reporters of Volson’s injury. “He’s been a guy that’s really worked hard for us. I wouldn’t say it’s set in stone (that he will miss the season) until he has the surgery, but that’s the direction it seems to be heading.”
Volson, 27, started 48 of 50 games played at left guard over the past three seasons. He also started all three games in the 2022 season’s playoffs.
This season, he was slated to be a backup after 2025 third-round pick Dylan Fairchild beat him out for the left guard spot.
“He’s been a guy, he’s been a starter for us,” Taylor said of Volson. “He’s been a backup for us. All he has ever done is come to work and try to be the best Cincinnati Bengal he can be, not always agreeing with what we are doing in terms of him not being a starter anymore, but just handled it in such a professional way and been a team player through and through. That’s what he has been his entire life.
“Any player that has an issue like this or a surgery that’s going to be a significant hit to them, you never want to see them go through, but Cordell is just a little bit different because of what he has given to us and his approach every day.”
Volson was a fourth-round pick in 2022 out of North Dakota State.
JETS ACQUIRE DT JOWON BRIGGS FROM BROWNS
The Cleveland Browns traded second-year defensive tackle Jowon Briggs to the New York Jets on Wednesday in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Jets also received a seventh-round pick in 2026 that initially belonged to the Buffalo Bills.
Briggs, who turns 24 on Sept. 1, appeared in six games as a rookie in 2024 and made 13 tackles, including one for loss, and two quarterback hits. He also recovered one fumble. He spent most of the season on the practice squad.
The Browns selected Briggs in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati.
NFL PLAYERS, COACHES BRACE FOR GOODBYE OF IMMINENT CUT TO 53-MAN ROSTERS
Pain is part of the game, but the emotional toll of NFL roster cuts warrants its own classification on the injury scale.
All 32 teams face a 4 p.m. ET deadline on Tuesday to reduce their training camp rosters from 90 to the regular-season limit of 53. That’s a total of 1,184 players receiving a public rejection notice and going from the doorstep of a pro football paycheck to the enormous queue of roster fodder fighting for a chance to stick around in one of the 16 practice-squad spots available to every team.
“It’s tough when you’re in the position of having to tell a guy who worked his entire life, it’s been his dream since childhood to make an NFL roster and be an impact player,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said. “But to be able to tell him no is difficult for me, still. It never gets easy.”
For players in backup roles who survive the initial roster cut to 53 on Aug. 26, the stress is far from over.
Unless a player is waived with an injury designation and reverted back to the team’s injured reserve list, non-vested veterans (less than four accrued seasons in the NFL) will be subject to waivers with no control over where they could wind up by this time next week.
If a player is claimed via waivers, he is automatically placed on that team’s 53-man roster. The claiming team must execute a corresponding move, which can involve injured lists — injured reserve, physically unable to perform, non-football injury — or necessitate cutting a player who made the initial 53-man roster only to be kicked to the curb before the start of the regular season.
For the first three weeks of the regular season, the Tennessee Titans are No. 1 in the waiver order, which follows the original draft order from the prior season with no regard to trades. That means the Jacksonville Jaguars are not No. 2 in line despite trading up for Travis Hunter. That spot still belongs to the Cleveland Browns, followed by the New York Giants.
Titans coach Brian Callahan and first-time general manager Mike Borgonzi are planning to be selective working the wire next week, but neither is hiding from the idea of finding talent capable of helping the franchise rebuild.
“You don’t just claim a player to claim one,” Callahan said. “You’ve got to feel like it’s a real talent upgrade for an opportunity to help your team. And you don’t just dismiss guys because we’ve also poured a lot of work into these players that have been here for the better part of six months.
“… So that’s the fine line you walk at this time of year. And again, having the No. 1 waiver claim allows us to be aggressive if we choose to be.”
Established veterans aren’t immune to being cut. They’re typically more expensive and contracts become fully guaranteed for vested veterans on the roster Week 1.
The Kansas City Chiefs have never been afraid to part with a vested veteran. They cut wide receiver Kadarius Toney last August and the Minnesota Vikings cut another former first-round pick, safety Lewis Cine, without an injury designation. Quarterback Desmond Ridder was cut by the Cardinals in the late-August roster culling in 2024 after being acquired in a trade from the Falcons.
Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has seen almost everything in his NFL career. Only a year ago, about two weeks separated Smith-Schuster being released by the Patriots (Aug. 9) and signed by the Chiefs (Aug. 26) as Toney was sent packing. This summer, coaches are applauding his approach to mentoring younger receivers and helping players who might wind up with his paycheck on the finer points of being a pro.
“Make the most of your opportunities,” Smith-Schuster said of what advice he shared with younger players. “For a lot of them, what they put on tape, they’re all getting evaluated (by 31 other teams).”
Smith-Schuster, 28, said being released by the Patriots turned out to be a blessing because he feels at home in Kansas City. The long view is part of the reason he spent an hour after training camp practices working with backup receivers, and the end result was a message he wants younger players to hear.
“I think naturally I’m a people person. I like helping out the guys. For me, I remember when I was a rookie. Some of the veteran guys took time out of their day, guys with families,” he said. “This is their livelihood. They’ve been playing football since they were kids. For them the more they can get out of a veteran — I know it goes a long way not only for them but the future.”
Ryans doesn’t necessarily have time for the long view.
He and Texans personnel boss Nick Caserio have already begun shaping what the final 53 will look like entering the preseason finale at Detroit on Saturday. From there he’ll be facing what he said is the worst time of the year as a head coach, collecting playbooks and erasing roster numbers.
“But the players do a great job of handling that by wanting to know, ‘Hey, what can I do to get better? What are the steps for me to make a team? Where do you see I need to improve?’ I have a lot of guys who ask that question. And I’m happy to give them the advice that I think can help them out,” Ryans said. “In my role, my biggest aim for all of our guys is: How do I help and assist players to make the NFL? It may not be our 53-man roster here with the Texans, but there are 31 other teams. Can I help those guys in any way make their dreams a reality?”
