The reviews are in, and if this were Rotten Tomatoes, the Patriots' offensive line would have a very low approval rate after a pair of joint practices in Minnesota.
During team periods, Drake Maye would have been sacked 11 times on 47 dropbacks and had to scramble on four others (source: Big Boy). I didn't major in mathematics, but that's an unhealthy percentage, and is probably one a quarterback - even one who's checking it at around 230 pounds, - would struggle to survive.
"This is as confusing as it's going to get all year," said center Garrett Bradbury. "I think it was strategic for Coach (Mike) Vrabel to come up here. We want to see this because teams are going to do some of this. They're not going to do it every play, like maybe they do, but I think it's really good. We had some different plays with some different alerts, and you got to re-Mike it, and then I gotta get the call out to the rest of the guys. But it's good practice. It's phenomenal. So when we did execute it, when we did have 11 on 11 and give Drake time, it was positive, awesome plays."
That was undoubtedly the bright spot of this two-day competition. When Maye was given the time, he made plays. But there's so much that goes into his success, which is something Vrabel pointed out before the second day of practices.
"It's easy to go into a blender when you're seeing a bunch of this stuff and kind of scrambling and turning one less than favorable play into a real shit storm," he said. "So, I didn't see that. I thought he was able to process. And we didn't execute all the time, but I didn't see any panic from him. I thought he was able to communicate and get the things that he wanted, and then hit some plays because of it. When we blocked him, we were able to make some plays, and then we'll just have to try to see what happens today and continue to go from there."
The Vikings' defense, as crafted and called by Brian Flores, is the most unique in the league. Yes, they line up with 11 players just like you, but pre-snap identification is challenging, never mind what happens when the ball is put in motion. That's not just for the quarterback to decipher, but for Bradbury, and in turn, the rest of the line (to start).
"(It) just makes you question, makes you think a little bit," said veteran Morgan Moses. "As an offense, you want to be able to play fast. So, he (Flores) has a lot of exotic looks and things that you probably never saw before, and sometimes it makes you, you know, you'll play a little bit slow. So that's what makes that defense go."
As Bradbury noted, and was echoed by Moses and Mike Onwenu, this was an incredibly immersive course for the entirety of the offense. No one was immune to making mistakes, including the 4th overall pick in the 2025 draft, left tackle Will Campbell. Jonathan Greenard is a hard guy to block - he had a dozen sacks and finished 11th in DPOY voting - and sure enough, the rookie had a difficult time doing just that.
"Had some good plays and had some plays where he got beat inside," said Vrabel Thursday. "These are going to happen to young offensive linemen, so we're not going to sit and evaluate every practice. I'll let you guys do that, and we'll go from there and just keep trying to improve."
Campbell's linemates, however, aren't worried.
"Will is a good player," said Onwenu. "It's not really about what the guy's going to do. It's about your personal technique and your own - it's not really about the guy on the other side of the ball. So, from yesterday, watching the film, seeing what he got beat on... and just fixing that coming to day two, and then keeping those same habits going forward."
"For everybody, you're seeing different things," added Moses. "Everybody's learning together. And the key is you make one mistake one day, don't come back and make the same mistake the next day. Find something else to make a mistake on that we can, you know, get better every day about, and I think Will's done a great job of that. It's just getting better every day, asking questions. And that's what you want as a young guy."
There remains a plethora of questions about how this unit will come together and if Campbell can ultimately handle the complex challenges he's about to face. But if these last couple of days can help accelerate the growth process, then the good, bad, and ugly of it will all be worth it.
DON'T LOVE IT
Not a great start to the summer for the Green Bay Packers. Their wide receiver room is a MASH unit, and now quarterback Jordan Love's preseason appears over after thumb surgery.
The injury happened on Love's final play of the preseason opener. He got sacked and came up looking at his hand. Love tried to practice on Monday with the thumb taped, but struggled, and the decision was made to repair the torn ligament on Tuesday.
"Obviously, you guys saw him out there; he certainly was able to function," said GM Brian Gutekunst. "But as we looked at all the options and he did as well, the best option I think for him to get back the fastest and feel the best was to do this. He wanted to go out there yesterday to kind of see how it felt, and once we got through that, we made the decision."
Gutekunst said the team is not remotely concerned about Love's availability for week one's meeting with the Lions.
"I don't foresee this affecting him long term at all," he said.
This is the second straight season Love has dealt with injury issues. He sprained his MCL in last year's opener and ended up missing two games. Malik Willis took over, and won both of his starts. When Love returned, he still wasn't fully healthy and threw four interceptions in a loss to Minnesota.
"It's not a one-person game," said Willis after a practice earlier this week. "It takes all 11 at all times. I know this position that we play gets a lot of added hype or added pressure, but it's not really about that. It's about going out and playing ball with all 11 working together."
SETBACK FOR SANDERS
That Nike had an ad campaign for Shedeur Sanders after the preseason opener is mind-boggling. The Browns' 5th-round rookie doesn't need that. The team itself doesn't either. Backup quarterbacks need to be seen and not heard. That's not how this is going with Sanders, nor will it, as long as he remains a viable option to start games there, or somewhere else.
Sanders' preseason debut was solid. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Not the kind of play that will get him elevated over veteran Joe Flacco - the Browns named him the starter a month before the season even started - but enough to make you realize Sanders never should have been a day three pick.
"He has a chance," a scout who was in attendance told me. "But the arm talent isn't high-end, and that means he's gotta be smart and decisive on just about every throw outside the numbers. You also see his willingness to stand in there and to attack the middle of the field. A lot of young QBs don't do that, or don't want to do that. Shedeur isn't afraid."
Unfortunately for Sanders, an oblique injury suffered this week will keep him out of the 2nd preseason game. He felt discomfort in his side just before joint practices with the Eagles, and ended up being the only one of five signal callers to not take a rep.
"It's kinda tough," said Flacco. "We all want to be out there and getting reps. That's what training camp and football are all about; sometimes these things happen. Sometimes you deal with them. It is what it is."
After practice, Sanders remained on the field for an extensive period of time, conversing with Philly starter Jalen Hurts. Hurts wouldn't elaborate on what they talked about, but did address being someone younger players could lean on.
"There's a sense of obligation to be yourself, and that's who I am to be honest and genuine and expressing how I go to where I am today," Hurts said. "It wasn't an easy journey. It's always gonna present some challenges, but continue to be who I am, continue to carry myself in a humble way, and always putting the work first.
"I'm aware of that. I know that's still a torch that I hold. It's something I respect and embrace, and accept it for what it is. At the same time, I always put my focus on how I can be the best I can be, and hopefully my actions can speak louder than anything."
Sanders can only hope he's getting that same support inside the Browns building. Flacco has been vocal about how he feels about taking younger QBs under his wing.
"The best way to be a mentor, honestly, is to show people how you go to work and, like I said, hope that they pick up on that stuff, but not necessarily force them to pick up on the things that you do," he said back in May.
APPROACH PAYS OFF
James Cook made it clear that he wanted to get paid this offseason, suggesting $15 million per year was his worth. That contract didn't come in February, Or March, April, May or June. Yet Cook showed up to OTAs, and when the deal still wasn't complete, showed up at training camp and participated in the first week before deciding it was time to hold-in instead of walking out.
Tuesday, Cook's approach paid off. The Bills gave him an extension that guaranteed him $15.3 million at signing and another $10.6 million at the start of next year. He was smiling a big smile at his press conference.
“You would too,” Cook said.
While Cook's pay day didn't meet his winter wishes, the AAV of his contract is tied for 6th best at the running back position, and his guarantees trail only Saquon Barkley and rookie Ashton Jeanty. Considering he played less than 50% of the Bills' offensive snaps in 2024-25 - Buffalo also leaned on Ray Davis and Ty Johnson as the third-down back - this is a leap of faith from GM Brandon Beane that Cook is capable of a greater workload.
“We think he can take more,” said Beane, “but we also want to use our other weapons and keep him as fresh as possible. I think that’s the best utilization of him.”
The Bills have now handled all family business, extending Greg Rousseau, Christian Benford, Khalil Shakir, Terrel Bernard, and Josh Allen. All that's left to do is get that elusive Lombardi, and it's clear Beane is betting big that Cook can help deliver that.
BIG BLOW
You never want to see any player get hurt, but in this league, it's not a matter of if but when. For Chargers tackle Rashawn Slater, his 2025-26 season is already over after he tore his patellar tendon late last week. It's a big blow to the LA offense, but at least Slater had already put pen to paper on his 4-year extension that made him the highest-paid tackle in the game ($114 million).
"It's like a gut punch right to the solar plexus," Jim Harbaugh said. "It takes the wind out of ya. You can't even talk too much. You don't really have the words or able to think about anything else. I just feel bad for Rashawn. I know how much he's put into it, how much he's trained, and I also know how he'll attack the rehab and train, and he'll be back. Not this season, but I know he'll be back."
The Chargers are lucky to have Joe Alt. He started last year at right tackle and has already made the move to the left side with Slater sidelined.
“Watch what he does this year,” OC Greg Roman said of Alt. “He’s on his way to being a special, special player.”
Perhaps, but the long-term vision was clearly to keep Alt on that right side after he starred on the left at Notre Dame. Now, Alt will have to retrain his brain, while Roman and Harbaugh have to lean on Trey Pipkins. Pipkins has logged over 3,000 snaps at RT, but was kicked inside to right guard after Alt was selected. He wasn't the worst at that spot, but the Chargers signed Mekhi Becton, reducing Pipkins to a reserve role...until now.
That's the only change their offensive line is undergoing. The experiment with Zion Johnson at center and Bradley Bozeman at left guard is over. The two have flipped spots and are back at their original positions.
"That's what we'll start [with]," said Harbaugh. "Nothing set in stone, but that's where we're at."