NFL Training Camps Open With Four Live Quarterback Battles as Mahomes Returns From Knee Injury

Here is the latest on NFL training camp 2026. NFL training camps opened across all 32 teams in late July. In fact, and by the first week of August the headline storylines are quarterback competitions. Not regular-season results — the season itself is still more than a month away. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes has been fully cleared to practice after last year’s knee injury. According to head coach Andy Reid. Meanwhile, four teams are running genuine open quarterback battles that will shape their rosters heading into the preseason.

Key Facts

• All 32 NFL clubs opened training camp by July 28, with NFL Network airing nine hours of live coverage during “Back Together Weekend” on August 1-2, according to NFL.com.
• The Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers play the Hall of Fame Game on August 6, the traditional start of the preseason, per NFL.com.
• Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been “fully cleared to participate in training camp” following last year’s knee injury, head coach Andy Reid said, according to NFL.com.
• Four teams have unresolved starting-quarterback competitions: the Cleveland Browns (Deshaun Watson vs. Shedeur Sanders), Minnesota Vikings (Kyler Murray vs. J.J. McCarthy), Atlanta Falcons (Tua Tagovailoa vs. Michael Penix Jr.) and Las Vegas Raiders (Kirk Cousins vs. rookie Fernando Mendoza), per ESPN and CBS Sports.
• Ten franchises are working under new head coaches this season, including Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta, Todd Monken in Cleveland, John Harbaugh with the New York Giants and Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh, according to the Circleville Herald.
• The regular season opens September 9 with a Super Bowl LX rematch between the New England Patriots and defending champion Seattle Seahawks, and the 49ers and Rams play a regular-season game in Australia on September 10, per NFL.com. This detail matters for anyone following NFL training camp 2026.

Four Quarterback Rooms Under the Microscope (NFL training camp 2026)

Also, the most closely watched competition is unfolding in Cleveland. Where offensive-minded head coach Todd Monken is overseeing an open battle between veteran Deshaun Watson and rookie Shedeur Sanders. With Hall of Famer Deion Sanders a regular presence at practice, according to the Circleville Herald. CBS Sports reported that Watson has thrown multiple interceptions in recent camp sessions but appears to retain the coaching staff’s favor. Meanwhile, Sanders — who completed 57% of his passes as a rookie last season — continues splitting first-team reps with Watson as Monken said the decision would wait “until Cleveland’s regular-season opener.” This detail matters for anyone following NFL training camp 2026.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, CBS Sports described the Kyler Murray-J.J. McCarthy competition as “one of the league’s more intriguing quarterback battles.” Murray has taken the bulk of recent first-team snaps — 16 of 22 in one practice cited by CBS Sports — and connected on all three of his attempts to receiver Justin Jefferson. Meanwhile, McCarthy is working to bounce back from a rocky 2025 debut season that produced a 6-4 record and a 72.6 passer rating. This detail matters for anyone following NFL training camp 2026.

Atlanta’s situation is complicated by injury rather than pure competition: Michael Penix Jr. is still working back from a torn ACL and, per CBS Sports. Is not expected to be cleared for full team activities for roughly another four weeks. Likely ruling him out of preseason games. That has left Tua Tagovailoa, who is also managing a minor back issue. As the presumptive Week 1 starter under new head coach Kevin Stefanski. As a result, this detail matters for anyone following NFL training camp 2026.

Las Vegas presents the closest thing to a settled QB1. With Kirk Cousins taking the majority of first-team snaps under new coach Klint Kubiak while rookie Fernando Mendoza develops as the backup. CBS Sports characterized it as a developmental plan rather than an open competition. With Kubiak preferring to bring Mendoza along slowly behind the veteran. Still, this detail matters for anyone following NFL training camp 2026.

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Veterans Facing Pressure Beyond the Headline Battles (NFL training camp 2026)

Away from the four marquee competitions. Several established starters are under scrutiny without formal challengers on the depth chart. CBS Sports reported that Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield feels “disrespected” amid stalled contract talks as he enters the final year of his deal. Meanwhile, Arizona’s Jacoby Brissett secured a reworked contract but faces pressure from rookie Carson Beck. In fact, in New York, Geno Smith’s job could be at risk if the Jets struggle. With rookie Cade Klubnik waiting in the wings. And in Miami, Malik Willis is described as needing a strong camp to hold off a highly drafted rookie.

Holdouts, Injuries and Roster Questions (NFL training camp 2026)

Camp opened with early injury concerns around the league. According to the Circleville Herald, San Francisco wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has been sidelined by knee swelling. Carolina’s Chris Brazzell II suffered a torn LCL. And Tampa Bay defensive lineman Vita Vea has requested a trade amid a contract dispute — all storylines that will shape roster depth before the preseason begins. ESPN has also been tracking a separate group of “hold-in” situations. Where established players such as Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs have been practicing but withholding full effort in padded work as they push for new contracts. Reflecting a broader trend of skill-position players seeking second deals before the season starts.

New Coaching Regimes Reshape the Landscape

Meanwhile, ten teams enter the 2026 season under first-year head coaches. A scale of turnover that is itself a major camp storyline. Along with Stefanski in Atlanta, Monken in Cleveland and Kubiak in Las Vegas. The list includes Mike LaFleur in Arizona, Jesse Minter in Baltimore, Joe Brady in Buffalo. Jeff Hafley in Miami, John Harbaugh with the New York Giants. For now, mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh and Robert Saleh in Tennessee, according to the Circleville Herald. Several of these hires directly intersect with the quarterback battles above. As new coaching staffs use camp and the preseason to evaluate personnel before committing to Week 1 starting lineups.

College Football’s Preseason Picture Is Also Taking Shape

The NFL is not the only version of the sport generating August headlines. On the college side, a post-media-days Top 25 published by Sports Illustrated’s college football hub has Ohio State at No. As a result, 1 behind quarterback Julian Sayin and receiver Jeremiah Smith. Followed by Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas and Georgia to round out the top five.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, a Manning Award finalist as a freshman. Headline a group of returning passers drawing early Heisman buzz. Meanwhile, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart praised safety KJ Bolden as “one of the best playmakers we’ve had over the last two years,” according to the same rankings roundup. The college season itself remains weeks away. With most FBS programs opening in late August and early September.

What Comes Next

The NFL’s exhibition slate begins in earnest with the Hall of Fame Game between Arizona and Carolina on August 6. Followed by a full preseason schedule that will let coaches make final roster and depth-chart decisions before the September 9 kickoff. For Cleveland, Minnesota, Atlanta and Las Vegas. In fact, preseason snaps will carry outsized weight as their quarterback competitions play out in public. Meanwhile, Mahomes’s clean bill of health gives Kansas City a full training camp to build toward another title defense. And the league’s ten new head coaches will use the coming weeks to stamp their systems on rosters before games start to count.

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