Camp Scuffles, QB Surprises, and Rising Stars: What’s Really Happening Across the NFC East

With training camp in full swing across the NFL, this week produced no shortage of notable developments throughout the NFC East. From emerging players and heated practices to injuries and position battles, each team gave its fans something new to monitor.

Dallas Cowboys News

D🤺#CowboysCamp | @AmericanAir pic.twitter.com/PjxOpRPy15
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 2, 2026

Caleb Downs making waves at Cowboys training camp: 'It's about being great today'

The rubber meets the road in Oxnard, and the physicality is already ratcheted way up, as ordered by head coach Brian Schottenheimer. With the first two days of practice under his belt and padded practice firing up on Monday, Downs says bring it on.

"Yeah, I feel like every day things slow down just a little bit, and that's how it's supposed to be," the former Ohio State superstar said. "It's always positive to have the spring behind me, to be able to learn from what I did in the spring and make the adjustments that I need to and learn what I need to focus on. So, I'm excited for it, and we keep going from here."

"Yeah, I mean, honestly, I'm a football player," he added. "So, 7-on-7 summer workouts, when there's no pads, that's good, but I like the real thing. I'm excited for when we put pads — I want to do everything like that, and I'm looking forward to it.

"I mean, it's [also] just film study. It's the same thing that I've been doing since I was a kid, just making sure that I'm watching everything that I need to watch, going from there and making sure that whenever it comes back, I'll make the play."
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Cowboys defense is starting to take shape

Trenches

Rashan Gary has brought a fierce veteran presence to the defensive line, showing why he’s such a good fit for Parker’s defense. As a dirt-pinning 4-3 guy, he’s been giving Terence Steele fits attacking with a full-speed rush, disrupting the tempo. He’s also shown his stand-up 3-4 versatility running down receivers along the outside. He’s always attacking and already forced a fumble during the first practice of training camp.

Another edge earning high praise early is Donovan Ezeiruaku. Most importantly, he’s been fully cleared after rehabbing from hip surgery. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has indicated that he looks like the Ezeiruaku of old after reviewing the film of day one, revealing that he had three would-be sacks during the team’s first practice.

Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark have looked good together and are proving to be a formidable force along the interior defensive line. Their strength and athleticism have made it difficult for the offensive line to gain any traction in the running game.
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Cowboys' competitive practice leads to scrap between LT Tyler Guyton, DE Donovan Ezeiruaku

"I love it," Ezeiruaku said. "We talk about it prior to [the start of the season] about our goals and our expectations from each other [and] for each other. That's what we're here to do. We're here to compete and push each other so that we can be where we want to be. And that's All-Pro and Pro Bowl. But at the same time, helping the team, because if we do our one-eleventh on both sides of the ball, we will be successful."

"We're competitors, that's all it is," Ezeiruaku said. "I'm a hot guy, he gets hot too. We compete, we go back and forth, that's what's going to make us great."
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Micah Parsons Made Promise to Rashan Gary After Cowboys Trade

But after seven years with the Packers, Green Bay traded Gary to the Cowboys in March, where he reunited with longtime teammate Kenny Clark on the defensive line. Gary signed a two-year, $32 million restructured contract with Dallas shortly after and has been enjoying his time in with the Cowboys since.

Just like Parsons promised.

“So far, his words have been right," Gary said of Parsons, per Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News.

As for Parsons, he is expected to start the 2026 season on IR after suffering a torn ACL and meniscus this past December in a game against the Denver Broncos. Even amid his recovery this spring, he made time to extend a welcoming gesture to Gary, who, like Parsons did last offseason, is beginning a new chapter after multiple years with one franchise.
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Sam Williams is giving the Cowboys a problem they should gladly accept

"Sam Williams has a big opportunity in front of him this year, and he looked rather dominant during the team drills," Eatman wrote."On two straight plays, he showed the variety of skill set the Cowboys have always admired from Williams, who ran stride for stride with running back Dominic Richardson on a wheel route down the field, and then stuffed the same running back in the hole on the next play. Also, Williams lived in the backfield, creating all kinds of pressure rushing from the left side."
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New York Giants News

Stackin' days 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hxTOdq58i5
— New York Giants (@Giants) July 31, 2026

Touchdowns, takeaways & top plays from Day 4

Jaxson connects with new pass-catchers

Jaxson Dart spread the ball around to many of his new playmakers on Saturday. It began with the first play of team drills, when the second-year quarterback unleashed a ball deep down the sideline to Malachi Fields. The rookie receiver was able to bring it in for a gain of 40+ yards.

Dart found many of his new teammates later on during 7-on-7s, as well. He hit Isaiah Likely up the sideline for a big gain, before connecting with Calvin Austin towards the sideline for a first down. This was followed with completions to Braxton Berrios and Darnell Mooney, before the young quarterback ended the period with a pass to Theo Johnson up the sideline for a significant gain.
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4 early Giants training camp standouts wasted no time shaking things up

Malachi Fields

Fields entered camp with an outside shot at cracking the starting lineup before Week 1. Now, it feels more real than ever. The rookie wideout had a few impressive catches during practice and worked in with the first team often.

Per Dan Duggan on the second day of camp, "Malachi Fields had an impressive contested catch over Greg Newsome on a deep jump ball from Dart after he broke the pocket. Fields has gotten a ton of first-team reps this spring, but had been quiet. He had his best practice today."

The Giants have a heated competition ahead of them at receiver, but Fields looks like a front runner in the early going.
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Almost entire Giants secondary being evaluated in camp position battles

When Joe Schoen held his press conference to open training camp on Wednesday, he mentioned three specific “position battles” he is “excited” about: Corner, receiver and safety.

That was an acknowledgement that the Giants are seeking competition throughout their entire secondary, which is simultaneously disconcerting and reflective of opportunities available to perceived backups.

“The corner position is one that stands out; there are some good options there,” Schoen said. “Receiver, excited about some of the competition there. Safety, we got some depth there and guys we like. You can go on and on. But like the competition, and there [are] some position battles that we’re excited to see as we go into camp.”
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Giants Land at No. 21 in Preseason Power Rankings — Here's Why One Analyst Isn't Buying the Hype

It's hard to blame analysts like Vacchiano for doubting an immediate turnaround for New York in 2026. The Giants have just seven wins over the last two seasons and have posted one winning season in the last nine years. Losing has become an outside expectation among the critics.
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Harbaugh recalls relationship with Nehlen family, Giants praise camp setting at The Greenbrier

“I remember coach Nehlen beat us really bad when I was coaching at Cincinnati”, said Harbaugh. “He beat us really, really bad. I was a special teams coach and our punter, he had like the best day in the history of football. He averaged about 50 yards a punt and he had about 15 punts. So it was quite a day.”

“Coach Nehlen played with my dad at Bowling Green,” Harbaugh said. “My dad coached for Coach Nehlen in 1967, ‘68, ‘69 at Bowling Green State University, and Coach Nehlen came back and coached with my dad under Bo Schembechler at Michigan in the ‘70s. Danny Nehlen was the longtime equipment guy there and we were buddies. We played basketball just about every day when we were growing up and they were coaching there. So, a lot of great ties to the Nehlen family. Coach Nehlen, Merry Ann, Vicky, her daughter, Danny. Just love that family so much and treasure those days.”
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Philadelphia Eagles News

Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion speaks with the media. #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/hcpCuIt0cG
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 1, 2026

Heroes and zeroes from training camp Day 3: Eagles have sack lunch

Heroes

Jalyx Hunt, DE: We spotlighted Hunt after the first day of training camp, but he's been a force that can't be ignored and we have to highlight him again. If defensive players were allowed to tackle quarterbacks Saturday, Hunt would have gotten at least four of them. One of the saw him beat Jordan Mailata, while another came at the expense of Fred Johnson, playing at right tackle with the first team offense with Lane Johnson taking the day off. After his breakout season in 2026, Hunt has shown no signs of slowing down.

Zeroes

Nolan Smith Jr., DE: We're nit picking here — as there weren't any real egregious errors or screw ups made on either side of the football Saturday. There were no turnovers and very few drops as the offense focused on some situational football out of the shotgun all morning. But on a red zone play toward the tail end of practice, Smith looked positively gassed trying to catch up to Hurts, who kept the ball on a broken play to score a touchdown. Smith should have been able to catch him and get a hand on him without pads and he simply did not. With Johnathan Greenard sidelined, Smith has a big opportunity here to impact the pass rush and solidify playing time (and confidence).
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Eagles training camp observations: Jalen Carter and defense dominate

• The Eagles had a lengthier practice report on Saturday. The following players did not practice: OT Lane Johnson (excused/not injury related), LB Jihaad Campbell (excused/not injury related), WR Elijah Moore (excused/not injury related), DT Ta’Quon Graham (excused/not injury related), OT Cam Williams (knee contusion), S Cole Wisniewski (hamstring).
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Eagles waive DE Ta'Quon Graham

A sixth-year veteran out of Texas, Graham (6-4, 300 pounds) was a fifth-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. After four-plus seasons in Atlanta, where he played in 51 games (16 starts), the Eagles signed Graham to the practice squad last November. He was re-signed by the Eagles to a futures deal in March.

Rookie Progress Report After First Week of Eagles Training Camp

Makai Lemon (1st round)

Three practices in, Lemon hasn't done anything of note. He had an opportunity at a highlight-reel catch, but Jalen Hurts overthrew him. This is where Wicks comes in, as he can be the bridge to get Lemon acclimated to the league.

The Eagles want Lemon to be more than a slot receiver, but that's his strength right now. Lemon is being eased in following a hamstring injury from the spring. He's got some catching up to do.
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Saquon Barkley provides a surprise for a military family

Master Sergeant Steven Digby, who will retire in December after more than 20 years in the Air Force, applied through the USO for tickets to the annual Military Day celebration at Eagles Training Camp.

There was just one issue.

He's a Giants fan.

As much as it pained him, he thought of it as the perfect thank-you gift for his wife, Shemar, who is on the right side of the rivalry as a die-hard Eagles fan. The couple recently celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary and have attended nearly a dozen Eagles-Giants games over the years. In fact, Steven proposed to Shemar at one.

The couple has a 7-year-old son, Jensen, who was born during one of Steven's numerous deployments around the globe. Shemar took advantage of the situation and swaddled young Jensen in Eagles gear, much to the dismay of his father. He's followed in his mother's footsteps, attending his first Eagles game last season when the Super Bowl LIX Championship banner was raised before the triumph over the Cowboys. Jensen could spell "E-A-G-L-E-S" and sing the Fight Song before he knew how to spell his name.
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Washington Commanders News

🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️@SeatGeek | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/vIeonlZtlO
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 2, 2026

The Good and Not So Good From Commanders’ Third Training Camp Practice

The best news of the day came from seeing Burks back on the field after missing Thursday's session with a sore foot. At this point in his career, after all the injury issues, with him getting a second shot at his NFL career, that was literally the last thing he wanted to happen on any day of camp. He looked good and appeared comfortable running routes and connecting with Jayden Daniels during third-down work. Not only is it good for him personally to be back on the field, but if he wants to stay involved in the Commanders' WR2 battle, being on the field to keep his momentum going is imperative.
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2026 Washington Commanders training camp: Latest intel, updates

More observations from the day:

The Commanders ran a drill simulating a late-game field goal attempt -- after running a play. The field goal unit had to sprint on the field and get in position for the kick. In this drill, incumbent Jake Moody made all three field goals while Drew Stevens made two, missing from 46 yards. Earlier, during another drill, Moody made all six of his field goal attempts while Stevens missed one.
Sinnott had a mixed day with two drops -- one coming on a perfect pass from Jayden Daniels into a narrow window. But Sinnott also made multiple catches.
One area Daniels has excelled at: getting through his progression in time so if he dumps the ball to his checkdown, that player has room to run. It happened again today with running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Linebacker Sonny Styles showed his length and speed. He broke up one pass in zone, using his long arms to close on the ball. Another time he flashed to the area where the ball was thrown. Had there been live hitting, he would have hit the target as the ball arrived.

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How the Washington Commanders might utilize 12 and 13 personnel this season

Likely the personnel grouping most utilized by the Commanders offense this year, 12 personnel involves one running back, two tight ends, and two wide receivers. The team has emphasized the need for multi-dimensional running backs while adding Okonkwo as a big receiving threat. To gain an understanding of how Blough might use Chig out of 12 personnel, we take a look at an All-22 breakdown of Sam LaPorta with the Lions in 2023. Ben Johnson was Detroit’s offensive coordinator, and then-Lions quarterback David Blough was on the practice squad that year.

There is nothing too flashy about LaPorta’s deployment; Johnson essentially uses his size and agility in 11 personnel formations to create mismatches against cornerbacks and linebackers. Okonkwo has already been utilized as a receiving threat by the Titans last year, with 56 receptions on 79 targets for 560 receiving yards. However, according to Next Gen Stats, Okonkwo functioned primarily in the short area of the passing game, with 62 targets coming in the first 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Blough will likely get him more work in different areas of the field as detailed by Quinn. After being named Chicago’s head coach, Johnson continued to use 12 personnel with the Bears in a decidedly run-heavy scheme. The Commanders offense is expected to do the same.
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4 Things We’ll Learn From the Commanders’ First Padded Practice at Training Camp

Without the ability to fully hit defenders, anchor against power, or finish up on blocks, evaluating an offensive line is nearly impossible until the pads come out. Washington will be entering its first padded session without projected starting center Nick Allegretti, whose calf strain has created some opportunities for others on the roster, including Julian Good-Jones and rookie Matt Gulbin, among others the team has been experimenting with in practice. Monday will give the team a chance to gauge whether its current options pass the sniff test presented by Washington’s defensive interior.
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'It's just beautiful to be able to be here': Commanders welcome fans for Back Together Saturday

Once the gates opened, fans made their way from the parking lot, down a renovated entrance, to the viewing area with even more seating this year. Players trickled out for practice and were greeted immediately with roars. Among the loudest in the crowd was Micah Worsley.

"I'll lose my voice. I'm ready about this," Worsley said.

Vocal volume wasn't his only reason for standing out. He had also brought a custom-designed poster featuring him and Jayden Daniels with the words "bestfriends?" Much to his delight, the quarterback acknowledged it with a smile and a nod.

"I was live streaming, and I was like, 'I'm going to Washington training camp, I can't come here with nothing,'" Mike said on the poster's origin. "'I gotta come here with something, and it's gotta be big and something nobody else would do.'"

He certainly seemed to have achieved that goal. As players started warming up and fans settled in their spots, Commanders Team President Mark Clouse got on the mic for what turned out to be a special announcement. With Washington Legends John Riggins and Darrell Green next to him, Clouse announced to fans that the Super Bowl champions would be returning to the fold with the organization in various ways.

"John will be doing all the color for all our preseason games, he'll be doing our podcast, and he'll be back with the Commander family," Clouse said. "DG is going to be helping to get [the new stadium] ready, working with the community … We couldn't be happier to bring everybody back together to make sure we're producing championship football and the best fan experience possible."
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