2026 PREVIEW: DALLAS COWBOYS
Changes ::
Offense: Head coach Brian Schottenheimer and offensive coordinator Klayton Adams return for their second season running the Dallas offense.
Defense: Dallas made a change on the defensive side of the ball, hiring 34-year old Christian Parker to be their defensive coordinator. Parker was previously the defensive backs coach for the Eagles.
Personnel Changes ::
Dak Prescott returned from an injury plagued 2024 campaign to play all 17 games in 2025 and will be the Cowboys starting QB once again this season.
The Dallas backfield remains intact, with Javonte Williams returning as their starter and bell cow. Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, and Phil Mafah are all in the mix as backups.
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens return as one of the most electric receiving duos in the NFL. 2025 breakout Ryan Flournoy is expected to be the WR3, with Kavontae Turpin’s explosive ability being utilized in the return game and on gadget plays and occasional schemed touches. Dallas added veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling to compete with Jonathan Mingo for the final receiver spot on the roster.
Jake Ferguson set career highs in receptions and touchdowns in 2025, but saw his yards per reception take a big hit due to Pickens and Lamb dominating the intermediate passing game. Backups Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford return for depth.
Schedule ::
Divisional Games (6) ::
Giants x2, PHI x2, WAS x2
NFC West (4) ::
vs. ARI, vs. SF, @ Rams, @ SEA
AFC South (4) ::
vs. JAX, vs. TEN, @ HOU, @ IND
vs. BAL, vs. TB, @ Rams
The Cowboys are an elite offense with a talented QB who produces when he is on the field and has dynamic playmakers. Their running game took a big step forward in 2025 to complement the passing game and having CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens on the field together is an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses. Dallas led the league in scoring in 2023, battled through injuries across the board in 2024, and then finished fifth in the league in scoring in 2025. They have a strong enough running game to keep defenses honest and keep drives alive, but their passing game is explosive and can put together chunk plays in a hurry. This combination gives them both a high floor and a high ceiling in terms of both yardage accumulation and scoring. Their defense has been abysmal the last two seasons and this is a team who is likely going to need to continue to operate at a high level offensively to be competitive. They have enough talent on the field to make it difficult for teams to take any one player away, while being condensed enough in their player usage for us to be very confident in where the volume of touches will go. It is hard to envision this not being an upper echelon NFL offense in 2026 unless they have major health setbacks. Any NFL team can be stricken down by the injury bug, so worrying about that dynamic is pointless.
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2026 NFL PREVIEW: NY GIANTS
Changes ::
Offense: Former head coach Brian Daboll, who ran the offense, is out. He was replaced by John Harbaugh, who hired Matt Nagy as his offensive coordinator. Nagy was previously in the same position for the Chiefs.
Defense: Harbaugh chose Dennard Wilson to be his defensive coordinator. Wilson was previously in the same position for the Titans.
Personnel Changes ::
Jaxson Dart returns for his sophomore season after a dynamic rookie year where he took the league by storm and drove Russell Wilson into retirement.
The Giants backfield looks the same in 2026 as it did last season, with Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr., and Devin Singletary all in the mix.
New York’s receiving corps is arguably the most up in the air group in the league. Superstar Malik Nabers is still coming back from an ugly knee injury and there are a lot of concerning reports around him. Darius Slayton is getting up there in age, while Isaiah Hodgins is a career journeyman who was favored by the old coaching staff but now has to prove himself again. 2025 team receiving leader Wan’Dale Robinson is gone, while the team has veterans Darnell Mooney, Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Calvin Austin III on the roster and drafted Malachi Fields in the third round. Madness.
Head coach John Harbaugh brought tight end Isaiah Likely with him from Baltimore to pair with Theo Johnson. Harbaugh’s teams love to run the ball, so expect these two to be on the field together often.
Schedule ::
Divisional Games (6) ::
PHI x2, DAL x2, WAS x2
NFC West (4) ::
vs. ARI, vs. SF, @ LAR, @ SEA
AFC South (4) ::
@ HOU, @ IND, vs. JAX, vs. TEN
vs. CLE, vs. NO, @ DET
New York has a young and exciting core of offensive players and a new coaching staff that should energize the organization. We have seen all three of Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, and Malik Nabers make plays and do things that drew the attention of the league and national media over the last two years. Now they get a more stable organization to build around them and these centerpieces have the chance to raise the team up.
The Giants have an underrated offensive line and multiple above average tight ends in Theo Johnson and Isaiah Likely. Their running game will be strong thanks to the threat that Dart brings to hold rushing lanes open and the way the coaching staff approaches things. They have one of the most talented WRs in the game in Malik Nabers to build around and if he is back to himself somewhat early in the year, then the rest of their receivers also start to look a little more concerning for opponents. The health of Nabers is paramount to the entire team. They have options at the position with the speed of Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III or the size of Slayton and Hodgins or the experience of OBJ or JuJu. Those are a lot of quality darts to throw at the board for finding the right combination of weapons. When you pair those skillsets with a true alpha like Nabers, you can bring out the best in everyone. A dual-threat QB, solid backbone of a running game, and potentially versatile receiving corps open up a lot of paths to the Giants offense taking their next step this season.
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2026 NFL PREVIEW: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Changes ::
Offense: The Eagles offense took a big hit in 2025 and looks to get back on track this season after the hiring of Sean Mannion. Mannion is a disciple of the McVay/Shanahan coaching tree and should utilize a lot of new concepts that Philly has been missing in recent seasons.
Defense: Vic Fangio enters his third season running the Eagles defense and looks to have an elite unit once again.
Personnel Changes ::
Jalen Hurts returns as the starting QB for the Eagles and looks to expand his passing abilities in a new offensive scheme.
Saquon Barkley returns for his third season with Philadelphia after seeing a dip in efficiency and explosiveness in 2025. His primary backups remain Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley, while Dameon Pierce was also added to the mix.
Philadelphia finally executed the long-rumored trade of wide receiver AJ Brown out of town, ending an era for their passing game. This leaves Devonta Smith as their top wide receiver for the first time since his rookie season.
The Eagles selected Makai Lemon in the first round of the NFL Draft and added veterans Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, and Elijah Moore to their receivers room this offseason as they look to retool and modernize their passing game.
Dallas Goedert was re-signed on a one year deal to be the Eagles primary tight end, while the team selected Eli Stowers in the second round of the NFL Draft as part of their long-term plan.
Schedule ::
Divisional Games (6) ::
Giants x2, DAL x2, WAS x2
NFC West (4) ::
@ ARI, @ SF, vs. Rams, vs. SEA
AFC South (4) ::
vs. HOU, vs. IND, @ JAX, @ TEN
vs. CAR, vs. PIT, @ CHI
The Eagles offense will look very different in 2026 than it did in 2025. After their 2024 Super Bowl run, they lost their offensive coordinator and hired Kevin Patullo to replace him—which was an absolute train wreck. The offense lacked creativity and was very vanilla and predictable, to be kind. The passing game was not dynamic enough to open things up and the running game took a big step back in efficiency and explosiveness as a result of the lack of stress the defense had as well as some changes along the offensive line. After operating as the best offense in the league the season before, they had nowhere to go but down—but the drastic nature of that step back was surprising to most. Enter Sean Mannion.
Mannion is a young former backup QB in the NFL who comes to the Eagles from the Rams. He is a bright offensive mind who should bring new ideas and modernize the Eagles offense, as opposed to the “we’re bigger and better than you so we’ll be very basic and you can’t stop us” approach they had in past seasons. That approach worked for a bit, but 2025 showed us how fragile that approach is if you are not dominant up front and the importance of scheme and coaching to mask deficiencies. While it has become en vogue across the league to copycat the Shanahan/McVay concepts, there is a reason for that. The Eagles were predictable on offense and utilized very little pre-snap motion, limited audibles, and predictable and vanilla formations and personnel. Bringing in someone like Mannion, whose background is the exact opposite of that, should give the Eagles a much needed spark.
The team lost AJ Brown, who is undoubtedly a game changing talent, but they still have the underrated Devonta Smith in the prime of his career and added a talent infusion for the rest of the receivers room. Rookie Makai Lemon will be allowed to blossom organically due to the presence of Smith and other weapons the offense provides. Dontayvion Wicks is an immensely talented receiver who came over from Green Bay and has been plagued by drops and mental miscues throughout his career, but has flashed high-level NFL talent. Given the opportunity for a regular role instead of the frustrating WR rotations he was a part of in Green Bay could help him be much more consistent. The Eagles also have multiple quality tight ends on the roster now, another notch in their belt as they look to become more dynamic and versatile. This version of the Eagles should be much more than the “Tush Push.”
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2026 NFL PREVIEW: WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Changes ::
Offense: Kliff Kingsbury was dismissed after Washington’s offense took a step back in 2025, although injuries played a large part in that regression. He is replaced by David Blough, who was previously the team’s QB coach.
Defense: Commanders head coach Dan Quinn returns to run a defense that struggled and finished near the bottom of the league in several categories last season.
Personnel Changes ::
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels looks to bounce back from an injury riddled sophomore season under a new offensive coordinator. He is once again backed up by mobile veteran Marcus Mariota.
The Commanders had a crowded and confusing backfield in 2025, but have since let Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols leave. They brought in versatile veteran Rachaad White along with the physical pounding style of sixth round rookie Kaytron Allen to complement and challenge last year’s leading rusher, Jacory (Bill) Croskey-Merritt.
Terry McLaurin is clearly the alpha in Washington and they let veterans Deebo Samuel Sr. and Chris Moore leave this offseason. After McLaurin, the receivers room is wide open with speedy rookie Antonio Williams and fellow youngsters Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane looking to earn large roles. Veterans Dyami Brown, Treylon Burks, and Van Jefferson are also in the mix in what appears to be a wide open room.
Washington has not re-signed Zach Ertz in free agency after his contract expired following his 2025 late-season torn ACL. They signed the underrated and explosive Chig Okonkwo in free agency from the Titans to lead 2025 second round pick Ben Sinnott and veteran Jon Bates in the tight end room.
Schedule ::
Divisional Games (6) ::
Giants x2, PHI x2, DAL x2
NFC West (4) ::
@ ARI, @ SF, vs. Rams, vs. SEA
AFC South (4) ::
vs. JAX, vs. TEN, @ HOU, @ IND
vs. CIN, vs. ATL, @ MIN
After a Cinderella run to the conference championship game in Jayden Daniels’ 2024 rookie season, the Commanders fell back to earth in 2025 as their more difficult schedule, tough injury luck, and a variety of other factors all converged and left the Commanders with the largest drop in wins among all NFC teams (from 12 to five). The pendulum always swings, especially when you get to the extremes. After suffering that reality last season, this is a Washington team, and specifically offense, that should be primed for a big bounce back.
Daniels dealt with several injuries last season, but the good news is none of them should be cause for long-term alarm. He is one of the most dynamic players in the NFL and should have a more dynamic and less predictable offense to work with in his third NFL season. Daniels loves targeting the tight end position and frequently peppered dependable veteran Zach Ertz with targets. Ertz was a solid safety blanket, but was far from a dynamic player after the catch and what he could open up for the offense was limited. In his place, the Commanders now have the explosive Chig Okonkwo and the young and dynamic Ben Sinnott. The new offensive scheme is primed to feature and move around Terry McLaurin in a similar way to how other primary receivers are used, rather than in a perimeter only type of role that he held in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. The improvements in how Washington uses their top receiving option and tight ends should really open things up and make this team much more difficult to defend when combined with the dynamic ability Daniels presents.
The cherry on top for this Commanders team is their defense was putrid in 2025 and while it can’t really get much worse, there are very few paths to this being an upper tier defensive team. They are aggressive on that side of the ball, but simply lack high end talent. This means that the Commanders are frequently going to be involved in high scoring games. The NFC East is loaded—Dallas and Philadelphia are very good offenses, while the Giants are ascending—and the Commanders schedule elsewhere sets up for a lot of high scoring affairs against the NFC West and AFC South.
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TEDDY BRIDGEWATER STEPS AWAY FROM LIONS, LEAVING QUESTION AT BACKUP QB
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has stepped away from football.
“His biggest worry was letting us down, that’s the type of guy he is,” Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said Sunday, when Bridgewater was placed on the reserve/retired list.
The 33-year-old journeyman had signed a one-year deal with the Lions in March after spending 2025 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also spent 2023 and part of 2024 with Detroit.
“So I’ve known Teddy a long time. As a human being he is unbelievable. Certainly as a player, everything that he’s about, the type of teammate he is, the way he prepares. He always played the game up here,” an emotional Campbell said, pointing to his head. “He had a huge heart. He’s going to be missed.”
Campbell, who was assistant head coach with the New Orleans Saints when Bridgewater played there in 2018 and 2019, has maintained a close relationship with the quarterback.
“I’ll never forget 2019 when Drew (Brees) got injured. We’d just gone out to the Rams, got beat out there and Drew got his thumb and we lost him for five weeks,” Campbell said. “Teddy stepped in and we won five in a row. That was Teddy. His time being with us meant a lot, and it meant a lot to our guys. He’s going to be missed.”
Bridgewater had been signed to back up Jared Goff. Undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer, the only other QB on the Lions roster, had been getting more reps in training camp earlier this week when Bridgewater was absent, and again on Sunday.
“I thought he did some really good things,” Campbell said. “He was put in some tough positions for a young player that you absolutely have to be put in, you just do, you’ve got to be thrust in, you need to fail, you need to make mistakes so you can grow and we thought he handled it really well.”
Altmyer said he has learned so much from Bridgewater.
“It was a joy to spend some time with him, but it brings about opportunity for myself, and the standard is to play good football no matter how many reps and or whatever my role is, I have a job to do and my job is to do that very, very well at a high level,” Altmyer said. “I’m thankful. I believe in my abilities and I’m going to go cut it loose whatever that looks like for me.’’
The Lions plan to sign a veteran quarterback as soon as Monday.
Campbell said Goff will not play in the preseason game Thursday in Cincinnati.
“Certainly Altmyer will take a heavy load and anybody else we get we’ll get them up to speed as fast as we can and give them some reps,” Campbell said.
Bridgewater was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2014 and started 28 games his first two seasons. Before the 2016 season he tore his ACL and suffered more structural knee damage that kept him out of action into the 2017 season. Bridgewater also played for the Dolphins, Broncos, Panthers and Jets.
In 2024, before he re-signed with the Lions in December, Bridgewater coached Miami Northwestern Senior High, his alma mater, to the Florida Class 3A state championship. But he was suspended for the 2025 season after revealing that he personally paid for meals, ride-share services and treatments for some players.
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RECEIVER CARNELL TATE LEANS ON CALVIN RIDLEY AS TITANS ROOKIE LEARNS NEW OFFENSE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Look for Tennessee wide receiver Carnell Tate during practice and the rookie can be found kneeling or standing next to veteran Calvin Ridley, listening intently.
The No. 4 pick in April’s NFL draft out of Ohio State is learning the Titans’ new offense, trying to fit into the NFL and picking up as much knowledge as possible from someone who knows both well.
“Oh, I try to pick Rid’s brain every chance I get, and I used to grow up watching Rid (in his) Alabama days,” Tate said. “Rid is an elite receiver, his moves elite. So I try and soak as much as possible from Rid.”
Tate is Tennessee’s future and arguably Cam Ward’s top target already with the preseason opener Thursday night at San Francisco. Ridley? Well, the Titans brought him in with a splashy free agent contract in 2024, and Ridley had to restructure that deal in March to stick around after an injury-plagued 2025 season.
Going into his eighth season at 31, Ridley said he likes living in Nashville and working with a talented, young group of receivers in Tennessee.
“I want to have fun and win some games right here,” Ridley said. “This is where I came, and we need to get a good winning season before I check out.”
Ridley was the 26th overall pick in the 2018 draft by Atlanta, but his career has been more about promise and potential than production. The speedy receiver who loves running deep routes has had only three 1,000-yard seasons — two more than the season lost to a gambling suspension.
Since signing his deal with Tennessee to join his third team, Ridley has caught four touchdown passes. He played every game in 2024 only to have injuries limit him to seven in 2025, with a broken leg ending his season. He calls Tate “a very, very special kid” that he loves watching.
“I definitely heard a lot of young guys say my name,” Ridley said. “That’s because I used to kick (expletive) for sure, and I still can.”
Drafting Tate helped Titans try to fill obvious need
That made selecting a wide receiver with its top pick the obvious choice for Tennessee, even with the free agent signing of Wan’Dale Robinson. Tate brings size at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds. He was productive at Ohio State with 121 catches for 1,872 yards and 14 TDs, with a catch in 37 of the 39 games played.
Even better? Tate has sticky hands.
Pro Football Focus tracking had Tate without a single drop in 66 passes thrown at him in 2025. Only four other receivers were targeted more without a drop. Tate dropped only five passes on 161 targets in three seasons at Ohio State.
“His catch radius is pretty impressive,” first-year coach Robert Saleh said.
Cam Ward biggest beneficiary of Tate’s arrival
With all the investment in wide receivers, second-year quarterback Cam Ward should be the biggest beneficiary along with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Tennessee ranked 30th in the NFL averaging a measly 166.1 yards passing last season.
Ward threw for 3,169 yards with 15 TDs and only seven interceptions. He didn’t have a ton of help with rookies making 136 catches, second in the NFL to Cleveland’s 159 such receptions. It was the most catches by rookies since this franchise became the Titans in 1999.
For Tate, it’s been a non-stop process since the NFL combine to the draft, landing with Tennessee and now his first training camp. The rookie is trying to learn the whole playbook, just as he did at Ohio State.
Tate showed off his pass-catching skills in a scrimmage Friday night at Nissan Stadium, stretching for a one-handed grab of a pass from Ward. On Sunday, Tate had fans cheering going over cornerback Cor’Dale Flott to catch a pass in the corner of the end zone with Tate spiking the ball after his second TD of the session.
Ward said he expects such catches out of the rookie based on the crazy plays he’s already seen in his work with Tate.
“He has great hands, he has a great feel for space,” Ward said.
Heading out to California next
The Titans travel Monday ahead of their preseason opener with a first joint practice Tuesday. That’s the first of three joint practices against each of Tennessee’s preseason opponents — playoff teams all, including defending champion Seattle.
“We get to go work our stuff against them,” running back Tyjae Spears said. “It’s going to turn out great.”
Saleh said the 49ers, who he was defensive coordinator for last season, reported earlier than the Titans, making for compromises on planning reps for the joint practice.
“They’re getting much healthier and they’re more than confident that they’ll be ready to go come (Tuesday),” Saleh said.
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SAINTS OL DILLON RADUNZ RULED OUT FOR SEASON WITH KNEE INJURY
New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Dillon Radunz was ruled out for the season on Sunday after he tore his ACL in practice.
Radunz, who was entering his second season with the Saints and sixth in the NFL, was injured during a training camp practice Saturday.
The 28-year-old started 10 of the 15 games he played in last season and has appeared in 69 games (41 starts) for the Tennessee Titans (2021-24) and Saints. He was a second-round draft pick by the Titans out of North Dakota State in 2021.
Radunz was expected to provide depth for the Saints this season at both guard and tackle.
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JOHN HARBAUGH ON GIANTS’ DPOTY HOPEFUL ABDUL CARTER: ‘WHAT HE WANTS TO ACCOMPLISH AND HIS PLANS TO DO SO, HE’S FOLLOWING THROUGH ON’
Contemplating who to select with the 27th overall pick was top priority for John Harbaugh and his Baltimore Ravens ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
With Penn State’s Abdul Carter viewed as one of the top overall prospects in the eyes of many, Harbaugh didn’t need to study up on the pass rusher. Now that he’s the New York Giants head coach, clearly his priorities have changed, and he’s quite quickly grown fond of the No. 3 overall pick of the ’25 draft.
“I didn’t know him as well because, honestly, in the draft, it wasn’t a guy we were really looking at because we weren’t going to have a chance to draft him,” Harbaugh said of Carter on Saturday, via team transcript. “And so, I didn’t know him at all. Then, I started talking to him and liked him right away and the things he had said that he wanted to do.”
Among the things Carter has said he wants to do is win AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his sophomore NFL campaign. So far, Harbaugh believes the outside linebacker is on the right path to accomplishing his lofty aspirations.
“I would say this, I’d say everything he’s spoken of in terms of what he wants to accomplish and his plans to do so, he’s following through on,” Harbaugh said.
With the Tennessee Titans taking Cam Ward No. 1 overall in 2025, the Jacksonville Jaguars shook up the draft before it began, trading up to No. 2 with the Cleveland Browns to grab two-way unicorn Travis Hunter. With one team shooting its shot for a franchise quarterback and another making a splash by diving in on a transcendent talent, New York general manager Joe Schoen and then-head coach Brian Daboll happily plucked Carter at No. 3.
Twenty-four picks later, Harbaugh and the Ravens picked safety Malaki Starks.
Carter’s rookie season proved to be a rocky one. And obviously, so too was Harbaugh’s final season with Baltimore.
Firstly for Carter, the Giants sank to a 4-13 record with Daboll getting fired along the way. Carter made headlines before he even set foot on the field when he asked Lawrence Taylor, a Giants icon and a man considered by some to be the greatest defensive player of all time, if he – as a rookie – could don LT’s retired No. 56. Taylor said no. Thereafter, Carter got off to a slow start on the field. He also wasn’t moving that fast when it came to getting to practice, as he was benched twice during the season due to tardiness or missing sessions.
Still, his phenomenal abilities and potential did show up in technicolor for Big Blue.
By season’s end, despite playing alongside Brian Burns, who had racked up a career-high 16.5 sacks, Carter led the Giants with 72 QB pressures, which was seventh in the NFL and tops among all rookies. He also had four sacks, 25 tackles, 23 QB hits, two forced fumbles and just as many fumble recoveries in 17 games (six starts).
Since his rookie year concluded, Carter has made a bit more noise off the field, once again changing his number – this time to No. 3 – and taking umbrage on social media regarding his teammate and draft classmate Jaxson Dart introducing President Donald Trump at a rally.
However, his strides and ability have taken centerstage during training camp.
If everything comes to fruition, Carter will once again be mentioned alongside Taylor.
Hall of Famer Michael Strahan was the last Giants player to win Defensive Player of the Year, earning the honor in 2001. Taylor won it three times prior. Could Carter be the third Giant to be voted DPOTY? Well, during training camp season, optimism is as high as the temperature.
For now,, Carter is showing out and his new head coach is very pleased.
“I think he’s been a real leader and mostly by example, by the way he’s playing and the energy he’s giving,” said Harbaugh, who coached Terrell Suggs on the Ravens in 2011 when Suggs garnered DPOTY. “So, it looks good, you’re right. I mean, he’s had a really, really great camp so far.”
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