With preseason games on the horizon, Tuesday brought us our first taste of joint practices across the NFL this summer — and with joint practices came injuries and fights. The Los Angeles Rams had an eventful day, with All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett missing Tuesday's practice, while wide receiver Puka Nacua left early with a groin injury. Following a competitive quarterback competition, the Minnesota Vikings named Kyler Murray as their starting quarterback.
Chicago Bears safety Coby Bryant is undergoing knee surgery and expected to miss the next four-to-six months, while San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa deals with tendinitis in his surgically repaired knee as he eyes a Week 1 return. Catch up with all the updates across the NFL: The Los Angeles Rams held defensive end Myles Garrett out of Tuesday's joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys due to knee swelling. Head coach Sean McVay didn't appear concerned and labeled the decision to reporters as precautionary.
"I don’t know what 100% is going to look like, but it must be pretty good if that’s 85%," McVay told reporters. "He’s so tough, he wanted to be able to be out there. … There’s nothing to be concerned about.
It was just kind of us erring on the side of caution. There wasn’t any setbacks, anything like that." Wide receiver Puka Nacua left Rams practice early with trainers, leaving McVay without an immediate update on his status. It was later revealed that the star receiver is dealing with general groin soreness and the team plans to take a cautious approach with Nacua, NFL Network reported.
Following practice, quarterback Matthew Stafford downplayed concerns regarding Nacua's early exit, telling reporters he didn't believe the issue was major. "I'm not really sure what the issue was, but nobody ran up to me in a panic," Stafford said. "I don't think it was anything too major." After weeks of split reps, film study, and heavy debate, the Minnesota Vikings have made their decision at quarterback.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell is rolling with Kyler Murray over J.J. McCarthy this season, the team announced Tuesday. Murray signed a league-minimum deal with the Vikings this offseason and every indication suggested he would eventually win the job.
The team was desperate for stability at the position after a year that saw McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer all take snaps under center. Not only did Murray’s Arizona Cardinals tenure end abruptly, but his lack of production in recent seasons was hard to ignore. With O’Connell’s strong reputation as a quarterback whisperer, Murray signing with the Vikings felt like the ultimate opportunity to potentially reignite his career.
In seven NFL seasons, Murray has never reached the 4,000-yard mark and has thrown 25 passing touchdowns only once. O’Connell’s system is built to elevate passing numbers; just ask Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold, who both hit those benchmarks under his watch. Now that the dust has settled on the competition, all eyes turn to McCarthy.
Entering his third season, the former national champion finds himself on the bench, now leaving his long-term future in Minnesota suddenly up in the air. San Francisco 49ers pass rusher Nick Bosa hasn’t played since week three of last season after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee. He’s been working on his recovery all offseason, but hit a setback this week after head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed he’s dealing with tendinitis.
Shanahan and the rest of the coaching staff don’t appear concerned, as they described it as "a pretty normal thing with ACLs." Still no firm timetable for Bosa's return, but Shanahan gave an update Monday saying that Bosa is currently week-to-week with tendinitis. He also said he has "no concerns" about Bosa's long-term status and expects him ready for the Week 1 opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Joint practice sessions brought physical play and multiple altercations between the San Francisco 49ers and the Tennessee Titans before both squads are scheduled to face each other in preseason action Thursday.
The two teams were reportedly involved in four separate scrums during the first 10 minutes of their joint session, NBC Sports Bay Area reported. One of the altercations was reportedly initiated following a hit by 49ers cornerback Renardo Green on receiver Wan'Dale Robinson. This led to immediate responses from players on both teams before coaches stepped in to separate the groups.
Chicago Bears safety Coby Bryant has undergone knee surgery following a recent training camp injury, significantly shifting his recovery timeline. He is now expected to miss four to six months while recovering from the procedure, the team announced. Chicago remains hopeful that the veteran defensive back could return in time for a potential postseason run.
Bryant signed a three-year, $40 million deal with the Bears this offseason after winning the Super Bowl last season with the Seattle Seahawks. With Bryant now sidelined, the defense will be looking at Oregon first-round pick Dillon Thieneman, Cam Lewis, Elijah Hicks and Xavier Woods to fill out the safety room. The Arizona Cardinals are heading into the season with plenty of question marks, but that won’t stop head coach Mike LaFleur from playing his starters in the preseason.
He revealed to the media on Monday afternoon that he plans to play all of his starters on Thursday night. Not only will rookie running back Jeremiyah Love finally see some game action, but veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett will also take the field. "They’re all going to play, so we’ll have our guys out there," LaFleur said.
"How much? It’s not going to be much. Could be one drive, max of two for those main guys.
They’ll be playing and they know that…that includes Jacoby [Brissett].
