19:38 ET
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ESPN staff
With the 2022 NFL training camps getting ready to get underway, the league’s young starting quarterbacks are getting valuable reps.
On the field for the New England Patriots on Friday, onlookers expected quarterback Mac Jones to step up his performance level after the offense was nearly completely shut down, scoring just one touchdown on 11 carries in a red-zone drill late in Thursday’s practice.
Jones did not disappoint, showing that his connection with tight end Jonnu Smith is in a better place than it has been for most of 2021. On one play, Jones threw a 20-yard pass to Smith in the back of the end zone. with safety Kyle Dugger in coverage, and Smith jumped high to catch the pass for a touchdown. Smith, who then caught another touchdown from Jones, then followed with an emphatic spike.
While he was mostly sharp, Jones threw his first interception down the field — right into the chest of cornerback Jalen Mills.
In Philadelphia, quarterback Jalen Hurts and the offense had a rough start Friday after a strong showing in the opening practice. In Tennessee and Washington, it was the young receivers who made their mark.
Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson stayed sharp in Baltimore and a pair of Bears rookies had interceptions against Justin Fields and the first-team offense.
Here’s what you need to know from league-wide camps:
What our NFL Nation reporters saw today
Baltimore Ravens: Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman has had a lot of praise for how Lamar Jackson has thrown the ball. He stayed strong on Friday, completing 18-of-25 passes (72%), which included a pair of touchdowns.
“He’s throwing it better than I’ve ever seen him throw,” Roman said. “He’s put in a lot of work in the offseason and it’s showing. We’re all really excited about it.” — Jamison Hensley
Pittsburgh Steelers: Third-year wide receiver Chase Claypool didn’t finish practice Friday after suffering a shoulder injury during a live team period, but coach Mike Tomlin said he didn’t have a “high level of concern ” because of the injury. With Claypool out and wide receiver Diontae Johnson in the middle of a hold, rookies Calvin Austin III and George Pickens made the most of their increased opportunities. Pickens had a handful of impressive catches on Friday, including one against the sideline that he caught near Ahkello Witherspoon, spinning around the corner to find open field. Listed at 6-3, 200 pounds, Pickens looks smooth in his movements and figures to be a factor in the Steelers offense early. — Brooke Pryor
Chicago Bones: Red-zone execution was the emphasis of Chicago’s third field practice, and the Bears’ top two starters came away with a pair of interceptions against Justin Fields and the first-team offense. Cornerback Kyler Gordon, who is working out in nickel and on the outside, caught a slant pass that was intended for Darnell Mooney but threw himself behind the receiver. Safety Jaquan Brisker said when Cole Kmet crossed his face, he brought his eyes to his hips as the tight end tried to catch the ball and jumped his route for the pick.
It was a strong day for the defense, and it looks like there could be some competition between the Bears’ second-round draft picks.
“Once [Gordon] I got the first one, I was like, ‘I’ve got to get one now, I’ve got to get one,'” Brisker said. “So there’s definitely a competition between everybody in the room with the corners, the safeties and the linebackers. You know, I’m definitely trying to be the king of the takeaways.” — Courtney Cronin
New York Giants: Not a good day for Daniel Jones and the Giants offense. Jones and his receivers weren’t on the same page for much of Friday. Jones also threw an interception to cornerback Darnay Holmes that went for a touchdown. The offensive line, without center Jon Feliciano (heat injury), struggled and allowed consistent pressure. The Giants and Jones can only hope these are the growing pains of learning Brian Daboll’s new offense. — Jordan Raanan
Atlanta Falcons: Cordarrelle Patterson knows how to play a crowd, especially when the crowd is a group of young fans. Twice during Friday’s practice in Flowery Branch, Ga., the do-it-all offensive lineman stopped by to sign autographs, take pictures and chat briefly with fans. Patterson clearly enjoyed himself and continues his role as a Falcons fan favorite. Worked on kick returns and got some plays out of the backfield.
On the field, the battle at left guard will be intriguing as Elijah Wilkinson got first-team reps for the second straight day over last year’s third-round pick Jalen Mayfield. It’s too early to read anything into it, but it’s notable that they’ve been rotating Drew Dalman and Matt Hennessy at center. — Michael Rothstein
Washington Commanders: Sophomore wide receiver Dyami Brown should be a bigger threat for Washington in his second season. A third-round pick in 2021, he caught just eight passes. But his speed still excites Washington, and he made a terrific catch on Friday. On the play, quarterback Carson Wentz threw deep down the left side to Brown. Cornerback Kendall Fuller was in perfect position to intercept the ball with Brown pinned to his side. But as Fuller extended the ball, Brown jumped and reached over the veteran and snagged the ball as it fell to the ground. — John Keim
Philadelphia Eagles: Quarterback Jalen Hurts and the offense struggled after a strong showing in the opening practice.
“It didn’t look good,” center Jason Kelce said.
Cornerback Avonte Maddox provided one of the defensive highlights, rising to intercept a floater pass from Hurts intended for tight end Dallas Goedert.
“It’s Day 2 of camp. We’re going to do well,” Goedert said. — Tim McManus
Tennessee Titans: Rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks turned in another outstanding day of work. He used his size to create separation and win rebounds in the one-on-one period. The momentum carried over into the scrimmage periods when he caught a pair of Ryan Tannehill passes in traffic over the middle. — Nougat Davenport
Green Bay Packers: Given their injury history, it would have been easy to say “the same Sammy Watkins” when he started camp on the non-football injury (NFI) list. But the veteran wide receiver the Packers signed in the offseason was relieved after he was able to start practice on Day 3 of camp. He said he felt what he called “a tweak” in one of his hamstrings after a pre-camp practice.
“The next day I went out and ran routes and ran and I felt really good, and I think I was in my own head. [thinking]”Man, it happened again,” Watkins said. “But it was nothing really.” His return to practice Friday came on a day when the Packers ran only a short, half-speed practice. Still, Watkins was able to do it. catching a few passes from Aaron Rodgers on his way back with ease. — Rob Demovsky
Kansas City Chiefs: Newly signed defensive end Carlos Dunlap was not at practice. Dunlap told the Chiefs he needed a few days to get some things in order at home and won’t return to camp until the middle of next week. — Adam Teicher
New England Patriots: Rookie guard Cole Strange, the team’s first-round pick, ended practice with an exclamation point when coach Bill Belichick called him up as part of a catching competition point The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Strange threw in one catch, and then when undrafted rookie defensive lineman DaMarcus Mitchell (Purdue) missed his attempt, Strange followed up with another with a football that already in his hands. That set off a wild celebration for the offense, which didn’t necessarily win anything other than bragging rights. — Mike Reiss
New York Jets: New linebacker Kwon Alexander will be brought in slowly as he gets into football shape. The Jets’ plan is to have him work on his own for a couple of days before entering training camp next week for limited work. He hadn’t been signed since the end of last season, so he didn’t have an offseason program. He will be used at the strong-side and weak-side defense positions, starting as a linebacker.
“There are no expectations,” said coach Robert Saleh, who coached him in San Francisco. “[He] he just has to do what he always does, which is bring a lot of juice, a lot of energy.” — Rich Cimini
Carolina Panthers: The Panthers ranked in the bottom half of the NFL last season in scoring before halftime, so at the end of practice, coach Matt Rhule gave quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield a chance to see what they could do with 1:45 left on the clock. Darnold engineered a touchdown drive thanks to pass interference on a deep pass and a circus catch in the end zone by wide receiver Shi Smith after the ball was tipped by a defender.
Mayfield’s pack produced a long field goal as time expired. Carolina also ranked in the bottom half of the league in red zone scoring in 2021. Darnold was 0-for-4 in his first series there Friday. Mayfield was 1 for 4. Darnold completed his first deep pass of practice with a 40-yarder to Terrace Marshall Jr. — David Newton
Buffalo Bills: Starting safety Micah Hyde was injured trying to intercept a pass from Josh Allen. Hyde dropped the ball as it hit the ground. After a couple of seconds, starting safety Jordan Poyer motioned to the team’s athletic trainers, who came over to attend to Hyde. Several Bills players knelt as Hyde was watched and the music turned off.
He limped off the field with his assistance and grabbed the back of his leg at one point before sitting in the seat of the passenger cart, which took him to the team locker room. Hyde is dealing with a hip/gluteal injury that is still being evaluated. He and Poyer make up arguably the best safety tandem in the NFL, so any lost time would be a huge loss for this Bills defense. Jaquan Johnson and Damar Hamlin filled in for Hyde the rest of practice. — Alaina Getzenberg
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