Football is back! Well, kind of. While we may still be a few months away from the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks kicking off the 2026 regular season, teams across the NFL are laying the groundwork for the upcoming year with some initial on-field workouts. This week, 10 teams began veteran OTAs, all of which are ushering in new coaches.
Of course, teams are still in their infancy as they build towards minicamp, training camp and the season, but this is a nice mile marker to take the temperature on how things are shaping up. Below, we go through one observation for each team that has taken the field so far during these OTAs.
Jacoby Brissett is still MIA
The Arizona Cardinals are without a quarterback at the moment. After moving on from Kyler Murray, Jacoby Brissett (who started 12 games last season) is in line to be Arizona’s QB1 in 2026. However, the veteran remains away from the team as he reportedly seeks a new contract that pays him a starter-caliber salary. Brissett is in the final year of his two-year, $12.5 million contract and is set to make a base salary of $4.8 million for 2026.
With Brissett MIA, Gardner Minshew and third-round rookie Carson Beck have taken the lion’s share of snaps.
Specifically for Beck, Brissett’s absence should work to his benefit as he’ll get added reps throughout the early stages of OTAs. At some point, the Cardinals will likely want to see what they have in Beck and ascend him up the depth chart, so laying a foundation now could be invaluable to him whenever he takes that leap.
Michael Penix Jr. limited amid QB battle with Tagovailoa
The QB battle in Atlanta between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa is a major storyline. While the job is up for grabs, these quarterbacks are starting that race at two different points. For Penix, he’s not only looking to keep his starting job, but the former first-round pick is also working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered last season.
That has led Penix to begin OTAs on a limited basis. Coach Kevin Stefanski mentioned this week that Penix is cleared for individual drills and 7-on-7 work, but has yet to be cleared for team drills, which include full 11-on-11 periods. On the flip side, Tagovailoa is healthy heading into these workouts.
The official team website notes that the rotation between the two quarterbacks “constantly shifted” during Tuesday’s session, and Stefanski mentioned it will continue throughout this competition.
Center position still a mystery
The Ravens saw Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum leave for the Raiders in free agency, and have yet to truly replace him. The club didn’t make any sizable moves in free agency for a starting center and didn’t take one at the NFL Draft, which leaves Danny Pinter, Corey Bullock, Jovaughn Gwyn and Nick Dawkins left duking it out. New coach Jesse Minter told reporters that it’ll be a constant rotation with the ones.
“That’s going to be one where you may see somebody different out there every day,” Minter mentioned. “It’s not necessarily a depth chart competition at this point. I would say it’s more of a rotation piece to make sure guys know where they’re at. They get the same amount of reps. They get to run the different schemes.”
Keon Coleman acknowledges ‘make-or-break’ season
The Buffalo Bills made a major acquisition in their wide receiver room this offseason, striking a deal with the Chicago Bears to land DJ Moore. While Moore now sits atop the depth chart, what could ultimately help push the Bills over the top in 2026 continues to be whether or not fellow wideout Keon Coleman can breakout.
When Buffalo selected Coleman in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, it was hoped he could become Josh Allen’s go-to weapon, but that has yet to fully materialize. Coleman took a step back in 2025, finishing the year with just 38 catches, 404 yards receiving, and four touchdowns over 13 games played.
“It’s make or break,” Coleman mentioned. “S—, (if you are) s— you might not be here. Simple as that, simply put. I know what I’m capable of. So, if I fall anything short of that, I’m doing myself a disservice and to my team.”
Todd Monken still rotating QBs
The Browns have a quarterback battle on their hands, and while Deshaun Watson has seemingly gained an early lead in this competition, head coach Todd Monken is still rotating the group quite a bit. On the second day of OTAs, Watson and Dillon Gabriel rotated reps during a warm-up 11-on-11 drill, while Shedeur Sanders and rookie Taylen Green rotated with another group. However, in a later 11-on-11 period with all their quarterbacks participating, Sanders kicked things off with the first-team offense, so this situation remains very fluid.
That mentioned, Watson was mentioned to have had the highlight play of the day during 7-on-7s when he connected with rookie wideout Denzel Boston on a deep touchdown pass.
“That was awesome, wasn’t it?” Monken mentioned of the play. “Wasn’t that cool? I mean, I know I’m an offensive head coach, but you get a draft pick, and it’s on one of the most talented guys in the league. So, it’s encouraging, right? That’s what you want to see. You want to see your guys, especially some of your younger draft picks, make some of those plays.”
It wasn’t all pretty for the Browns quarterbacks, however. Monken noted that interceptions were thrown during 7-on-7s, which he called “embarrassing.”
“Yeah, we threw interceptions in 7-on-7 for God’s sake,” Monken mentioned, via WEWS. I mean, who does that? There’s no pass rush. I mean, it’s embarrassing.”
It’s unclear which quarterbacks committed the turnovers.
Fernando Mendoza is ‘as advertised’
Fernando Mendoza is the future in Las Vegas, and the Raiders are starting to see some early return from the No. 1 overall pick. When speaking about his early impressions of Mendoza, head coach Klint Kubiak told reporters that he’s been “as advertised.”
“[He has] not disappointed,” Kubiak mentioned, via ESPN. “He’s working his tail off. It’s very important to him that he asks a lot of great questions when he gets on the field. He’s no B.S.; he’s all ball.”
While Mendoza will eventually rise atop the depth chart, the Raiders are easing their young quarterback in. During Wednesday’s session, ESPN reports that Mendoza was the third QB up during the team period, following veterans Kirk Cousins and Aidan O’Connell.
Fifth-round rookie picks off Malik Willis
Miami used the No. 155 overall pick on defensive back Dante Trader Jr. at last month’s draft, and they are seeing the Maryland product make some impact plays early.
Trader handled a “significant” amount of the safety snaps during team periods and picked off Malik Willis on a pass intended for wideout Jalen Tolbert, according to the Miami Herald. The throw from Willis appeared to be too far out in front of Tolbert, who tipped the ball in the air before it fell into the hands of Trader.
Most of Willis’ chunk plays came on passes thrown over the middle, the Miami Herald added. Overall, it appears the offense is still a work in progress as they integrate new pieces.
Isaiah Likely impressing early
One of the top free agents that the Giants added was Isaiah Likely, who played under John Harbaugh in Baltimore. During his tenure with the Ravens, the tight end had a knack for uber-athletic plays, and New York got its first glimpse of that ability during OTAs. Likely did his best impression of the Jumpman logo, hauling in a one-handed catch from Jaxson Dart.
Likely signed a three-year, $40 million deal at the start of free agency.
Aaron Rodgers participates
The big story in Pittsburgh is that Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers finally reunited, and the quarterback is locked in for the 2026 season. While the two sides reached a one-year contract worth up to $25 million for what will be Rodgers’ farewell season, it was still surprising to see Rodgers at the team facility taking part in voluntary workouts. Last year, Rodgers didn’t sign his deal with the Steelers and report to work until just before minicamp. Naturally, Rodgers took first-team reps during the portion of practice open to the media.
Having Rodgers in-house this early in the offseason should allow him to hit the ground running with his pass catchers as they install a new offense under coach Mike McCarthy.
Cam Ward getting early reps with Carnell Tate
There’s optimism in Nashville these days, with Cam Ward entering Year 2 and an entirely new cast around him to help him reach his highest potential. On top of a new head coach and offensive coordinator, the Titans used the No. 4 overall pick to bring in Ohio State wideout Carnell Tate, who is looking to become the go-to target for Ward in the passing game. The duo has started to build rapport during these OTA sessions, with the team’s official X account posting one of the first (of many) connections between the two.
If Ward and Tate can build a strong relationship over the course of the summer, it’ll do wonders for this offense to come out firing in September.
