Caio Miari

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams left Friday's joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers early after suffering an apparent leg injury, according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic.Adams, who was helped off the practice field, sustained the injury after taking a hit by 49ers defensive back Charvarius Ward. The All-Pro wideout pointed to his calf while heading to the locker room, per ESPN's Paul Gutierrez. Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said he doesn't think Adams has a major injury."I don't think it was crazy serious. It was a bang-bang play," McDaniels said after Friday's practice. Adams, who joined Las Vegas last year in a blockbuster trade from the Green Bay Packers, caught 100 passes for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2022. The 30-year-old has led the NFL in TD receptions in two of the last three seasons.

Fifth-year redshirt junior and Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz has been named Florida's starting quarterback for the 2023 season, head coach Billy Napier announced Friday."The big thing I've been impressed with is just his ability to come in and learn the system, translate what he knows and apply that to our system. And then just, you know, relentless in approach," Napier said of Mertz, according to Zach Goodall of AllGators.More to come.

New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson might have thought about Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton before picking his outfit for Saturday's preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.Payton - who joined the Broncos this offseason to replace Nathaniel Hackett, now the Jets' offensive coordinator - recently made it clear what he didn't want to see from his players during preseason games."I don't want to see uniforms off after (starters are) done playing, sunglasses on, Gilligan hats on, and interviews during the game," Payton said on Aug. 7, according to Jon Heath of Yahoo Sports. "That's what I don't want to see, but we will communicate all of that."Wilson didn't play in New York's 27-0 victory over Carolina on Saturday. However, the 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year gave a live interview from the sideline during the game while apparently trolling Payton with his choice of apparel. pic.twitter/O2K5h8U2VN— Raj (@RajPC1) August 12, 2023 Wilson's outfit went viral on social media, and the second-year wideout liked a tweet that mentioned him trolling Payton.The Jets and Broncos - who will face off in Week 5 - stole the headlines last month after Payton said that Hackett's job as Denver's coach in 2022 "might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL." Payton has since expressed regret for his comments.Denver underperformed last season and fired Hackett in Year 1 after starting the campaign 4-11. New York named Hackett as its new OC in January.Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, who joined the Jets during the offseason in a trade from the Green Bay Packers, came to Hackett's defense, telling Payton to "keep my coach's name out of his mouth." Hackett was Green Bay's offensive coordinator from 2019-21 and helped Rodgers win two MVP awards.With Rodgers, Wilson, and Co., the Jets' offense heads into the new season surrounded by high expectations. New York hasn't made the playoffs since the 2010 season, the longest drought in the NFL.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen liked what he saw from rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson during Saturday's 23-19 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills.Richardson completed seven of 12 pass attempts for 67 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in the game. The first-year passer also quarterbacked multiple solid offensive drives that didn't result in points, as kicker Matt Gay missed a field goal attempt and receiver Alec Pierce dropped a would-be 34-yard pass near the goal line."I thought he had great poise," Steichen said of Richardson, according to ESPN's Stephen Holder. "I knew we had the early interception. That's my fault. We've got to do a better job communicating on that one. ... That starts with coaching, starts with myself. Other than that, I thought he was efficient."Richardson tossed an interception in his first drive while targeting wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie. First pick of the preseason made by Dane Jackson! 📺: WIVB

A Prime Video documentary following Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce through the 2022 season will be released next month."Kelce" premiers Sept. 12."Jason Kelce has established himself as one of the most compelling and influential characters in sports, both on and off the field," said Matt Newman, head of Prime Video Original sports content. "We're privileged to partner with Skydance Sports, 9.14 Pictures, Vera Y Productions, and NFL Films on this project, which welcomes fans into the psyche of one of the greatest centers in the history of the league for what is arguably the wildest and most eventful season of his illustrious career."Kelce is widely considered the NFL's best center, having earned a first-team All-Pro berth in five of the last six seasons. The 35-year-old is coming off one of the best campaigns of his career, helping the Eagles reach Super Bowl LVII. Philly fell short in the big game, suffering a 38-35 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.It was Kelce's second Super Bowl start with the Eagles, as he helped Philadelphia win the franchise's first Vince Lombardi Trophy in SB LII.Kelce, a team captain and one of football's most entertaining players, has started 176 games since the Eagles drafted him in the sixth round in 2011. The Cincinnati product considered retirement after the 2022 campaign but ultimately decided to return for his 13th season with Philadelphia.Jason is the brother of Chiefs Super Bowl-winning tight end Travis Kelce. The Kelce brothers also stood out off the field with their popular "New Heights" podcast.

The Baltimore Ravens are signing veteran cornerback Ronald Darby to a one-year deal worth up to $3.2 million, reports NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.The move comes a day after Ravens' three-time Pro Bowl corner Marlon Humphrey underwent foot surgery that is reportedly expected to sideline him for the start of the regular season. Darby, one of the top free-agent cornerbacks still available in the market, played the last two seasons for the Denver Broncos. More to come.

Despite being excited about his preseason success, Kenny Pickett knows it doesn't mean much ahead of Year 2 in the NFL."It is preseason, man," the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback recently said, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. "Nothing counts, so it is kind of easy to remain motivated because we haven't done anything yet. Everybody understands that."Pickett has put on a show in two exhibition appearances this year against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills, completing 9 of 11 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Pittsburgh has scored a touchdown on all three preseason drives with Pickett under center.The recent performances strongly raised the expectations surrounding a Pittsburgh offense that received a lot of criticism under offensive coordinator Matt Canada in 2022."I am not going to lie, it's been good," Pickett added. "We have been keeping (the offense) basic, but we just want to keep executing the offense at the level we are. We just want to continue to do that until we get the full playbook. We have been very vanilla, and we are going to do that until it is time to go."The 25-year-old also had solid preseason games as a rookie last year. He's now thrown five touchdowns against no interceptions in five career preseason appearances.This will be Pickett's first full season as an NFL starter. The 20th overall pick in 2022 posted a 63% completion rate with 2,404 yards and seven touchdown passes against nine interceptions in 13 appearances last year. Pickett, who took over as QB1 in Week 5, also scored three touchdowns on the ground and led four game-winning drives.Several Steelers players praised Pickett during the offseason, including veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson, who said the second-year passer has an "awesome" command of the team's offense. Pittsburgh averaged 18.1 points per game in 2022, the 26th-best mark in the league.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Baker Mayfield as their starting quarterback for the 2023 season on Tuesday, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.Mayfield, who joined the Bucs as a free agent in the offseason, beat out 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask for the job.More to come.

Facing the New York Giants during the preseason hasn't always been kind to New York Jets quarterbacks. But Jets head coach Robert Saleh is confident that playing Aaron Rodgers in Saturday's exhibition contest between the two teams is the right thing to do with Week 1 just around the corner."You can't coach scared, you can't play scared," Saleh said Tuesday, confirming the reports that Rodgers will start versus the Giants, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. "You can slip out of your car and have something happen to you. Knock on wood, everyone will be fine."In 2003, Jets starter Chad Pennington suffered a fracture to his non-throwing wrist during a preseason contest versus the Giants and was forced to miss the first six games of the regular season, according to Cimini. Mark Sanchez also suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2013 during another preseason matchup between the two clubs.Rodgers didn't play in the Jets' first three preseason games this year. Though the four-time NFL MVP hasn't taken a snap in an exhibition game since 2018, Saleh noted that New York won't be the first NFL team to put its most important players on the field with the 2023 regular season just weeks away."You see some of the great ones out there," Saleh added. "Kansas City is playing their guys, Buffalo is playing their guys. It's not uncommon. You can always play the hindsight game, the fearful game, but what's in the best interest of our team is going out and playing some football together and preparing ourselves the best way we can for Sept. 11."The Jets acquired Rodgers in a blockbuster trade from the Green Bay Packers during the offseason, adding a future first-ballot Hall of Famer to a team that hasn't made the playoffs since the 2010 season."There's going to be a lot of anticipation and excitement in the building," Saleh said of Rodgers' preseason debut. "I just didn't want the first time that he goes out with his new team, new colors, new teammates, new stadium. ... I didn't want it to be the first time on Sept. 11."New York has been one of the league's most aggressive teams this year. In addition to Rodgers, the team also brought in running back Dalvin Cook and wide receivers Mecole Hardman and Allen Lazard, among others. Cook, as well as second-year running back Breece Hall, won't face the Giants on Saturday. They're both expected to be on the field in Week 1 versus the Buffalo Bills.The Jets' offensive line has reportedly struggled in recent weeks, but the unit is welcoming back guards Laken Tomlinson and Alijah Vera-Tucker. New York also plans to start 2020 first-round pick Mekhi Becton at right guard Saturday.

Arizona State is set to name freshman Jaden Rashada its starting quarterback ahead of the 2023 season, reports Matt Zenitz of On3.Rashada reportedly beat our junior Trenton Bourguet for the job after Notre Dame transfer Drew Pyne suffered a hamstring injury Aug. 12.Rashada, the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the 2023 class, joined the Sun Devils in February after an eventful recruitment process. He initially committed to Miami before flipping to Florida and signing with the Gators on the opening day of the early signing period in December. Rashada then requested his release from Florida following the evaporation of a reported $13-million NIL deal. The school eventually granted his wish in January, reopening his recruitment.Bourguet passed for 1,490 yards and 11 touchdowns to five interceptions with Arizona State last year. Emory Jones, who's now at Cincinnati, also played for the Sun Devils in 2022, finishing the campaign with 1,533 yards and seven touchdown passes against four picks. He entered the portal in December.Rashada will become the second true freshman quarterback in Arizona State history to start the team's first game of the season after Jayden Daniels in 2019.Rashada's father also played for the Sun Devils in the 1990s.