Football never sleeps. While the 2024 NFL regular season is still weeks away, teams around the league have started training camps in earnest. Now that the pads are back on, clubs’Â decision-makers can get a better idea of how their rosters look before Week 1.
With that in mind, we’re tracking every bit of news coming out of training camps in late July.
Here are the top stories from Friday’s NFL practices.
NFL Training Camp Update
Bears Not Interested in Free Agent DE?
Although the Chicago Bears revamped their roster over the offseason, they hardly touched the defensive side of the ball after acquiring Montez Sweat at last year’s trade deadline. Chicago was linked to potential upgrades, but incumbent DeMarcus Walker appears to be on track to retain his starting job.
“We feel really comfortable with the guys that we have on our roster now,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said on Friday. ” … We will always have our eyes on the list of players we can potentially bring in.”
Chicago could consider a reunion with Yannick Ngakoue, who started 13 games and posted four sacks for the Bears before going on injured reserve in November. Pass rushers Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Lawson, and Charles Harris also remain unsigned on the open market.
Walker managed 3.5 sacks in his 2023 debut Chicago campaign. He’s in line to start again but should face competition from fellow DEs Dominique Robinson and Austin Booker.
Vikings Sign First-Round QB J.J. McCarthy
J.J. McCarthy became the NFL’s final 2024 first-round quarterback to agree on his rookie deal, inking his four-year pact with the Minnesota Vikings on Friday. The Michigan product’s fully guaranteed contract is worth $21.85 million, includes a $12.71 million signing bonus, and contains a fifth-year option for 2028.
Most NFL rookie contracts are a breeze thanks to the league’s slotted value system. Still, player agents can negotiate over specific terms such as offset language or signing bonus schedules. McCarthy may have been waiting for No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams to complete his rookie deal with the Bears, which he did earlier this week.
Just two 2024 draft picks remained unsigned as of Friday afternoon. McCarthy’s teammate, edge rusher Dallas Turner, hasn’t yet agreed to terms with the Vikings. Turner was the 17th pick in the draft; the player chosen directly after him, Cincinnati Bengals OT Amarius Mims, also hasn’t signed his rookie contract.
Saints OT Ryan Ramcyzk Out For Season
While there was some confusion about whether New Orleans Saints OT Ryan Ramcyzk could still play in 2024, he is out for the season after being sent to the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list on Thursday.
Vested veterans — players with at least four years of experience — cannot return if placed on the reserve/PUP list before final roster cutdowns. New Orleans could’ve put Ramcyzk on the active/PUP list, which would have allowed the club to keep him off the field during training camp but given him the option to come back during the regular season.
However, the Saints apparently had no hope that Ramcyzk could play in 2024 while dealing with an ongoing knee injury. New Orleans plans to deploy first-round rookie Taliese Fuaga at left tackle and 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning on the right side.
Panthers, Commanders Place Second-Round Rookies on Injured Lists
On Friday, a pair of early second-round picks were sent to the active/non-football injury list.
Carolina Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks is heading to NFI as he recovers from a November ACL tear. He’s expected to be ready for the start of the regular season and shouldn’t have any trouble overtaking Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders to become Carolina’s RB1. Brooks, who can be activated at any time, averaged 6.1 yards per carry and scored 11 total touchdowns for Texas in 2023.
Meanwhile, the Washington Commanders are putting DT Johnny Newton — the 36th overall pick in the draft — on the NFI list. Newton’s January right foot surgery affected his draft stock, and the Illinois alum underwent a procedure on his left foot in May.
Ravens Add Veteran Free Agent DB
The Baltimore Ravens bolstered their secondary depth on Friday by signing former Bears safety Eddie Jackson to a one-year deal.
Jackson, 30, started 100 games over seven seasons in Chicago, earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2018. He was set to earn $14.15 million in 2024 before the Bears released him in February.
The Ravens deployed plenty of three-safety looks in 2023, as Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams, and Geno Stone each played at least 700 snaps. Stone signed with the division-rival Bengals in March, but Jackson’s addition could allow Hamilton to stick in the roving, slot-based role that earned him an All-Pro nod last season.
