Patriots, Dolphins make trade involving OL Caedan Wallace

Jacob Camenker

The Patriots had announced they were going to release Wallace, a third-round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, before the Dolphins swooped in. Miami will send New England a 2028 sixth-round pick to receive Wallace and a 2029 seventh-round pick, per multiple reports.

Wallace (6-5, 314 pounds) played in 10 games and made two starts across his two seasons with the Patriots. He played 137 total offensive snaps for the team, per Pro Football Focus, and committed seven penalties and allowed one sack.

Wallace spent time at both tackle positions as a rookie before kicking inside to guard in 2025. It isn’t yet clear where the Dolphins plan to play the 26-year-old Penn State product.

Teddy Bridgewater announces retirement

Tom Viera

Teddy Bridgewater is retiring from the NFL. The author of one of the greatest comebacks from an injury in NFL history announced with a social media post saying, “This time it’s official.”

The 33-year-old was in line to be the Detroit Lions backup QB behind Jared Goff but will instead hang up the cleats after a dozen years in the league.

When does the NFL regular season start?

Tom Viera

Week 1: Wednesday, Sept. 9 – Monday, Sept. 14

The Seattle Seahawks will host the New England Patriots on Sept. 9 in the NFL Kickoff Game to begin Week 1. The game will mark the second time the season has started on a Wednesday – it last happened in 2012 to avoid conflicting with the Democratic National Convention.

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will kick off this year’s international schedule on Thursday, Sept. 10 from Melbourne, Australia. The remainder of the opening week’s slate continues Sunday and concludes Monday.

Luther Burden injury update

Tom Viera

The Chicago Bears’ second-year receiver is expected to miss the entire preseason after suffering a strained groin during Saturday’s practice. The team is optimistic he will be ready for Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.

NFL power rankings

Tom Viera

USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis recently released his latest batch of NFL power rankings. Where does your favorite team rank?

Below is a full look at the top 10 teams on Davis’ list:

1. Los Angeles Rams
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Denver Broncos
4. Buffalo Bills
5. Chicago Bears
6. Houston Texans
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. Cincinnati Bengals
9. Dallas Cowboys
10. Detroit Lions

See where all 32 teams rank as the NFL preseason gets underway.

Shedeur or Deshaun? Browns HC won’t name starting QB yet

Joe Rivera

The Shedeur Sanders vs. Deshaun Watson QB battle is one of a few that remain unsettled across the NFL, and it appears that Todd Monken is still evaluating the situation leading into Week 1 of the preseason.

Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal (part of the USA TODAY Network) adds that Monken will continue to evaluate both passers this week, as well as how he’ll deploy the passers this weekend vs. the Buffalo Bills.

Follow NFL training camp from around the USA TODAY Network

Joe Rivera

Looking for expert analysis, observations, opinion and more? Follow NFL training camp from around the USA TODAY Network here:

• Cleveland Browns
• New York Giants
• Green Bay Packers

Lions lose starting center for ‘significant’ stretch

Joe Rivera

The Lions, who have dealt with a number of injuries along their offensive line in the last few seasons, were dealt a brutal blow, as starting center Cade Mays is out “indefinitely” with a wrist injury, head coach Dan Campbell said Monday.

Mays signed a three-year, $25 million deal with the Lions this offseason.

What Hunter Henry extension means

Jack McKessy

Henry’s two-year deal with the Patriots keeps one of the team’s top pass-catchers under contract for the next three seasons. That’s a key transaction in the team’s passing offense both as a safety net on the field – a short-throw, check-down option for the quarterback – and as a financial safety net, given the context of New England’s salary cap outlook elsewhere in the unit.

The veteran tight end was a key red-zone target and safety valve for Maye last year. Henry’s 8.2-yard average depth of target in 2025 was the third-lowest mark of his career, but his 87 targets were third-most in his career and his 768 receiving yards were a career high. In addition, Henry’s 1.67 yards per route run last year, per Pro Football Focus, was his highest mark since his Chargers tenure – further emphasizing his importance within the McDaniels offense.

Laremy Tunsil out for foreseeable future

Joe Rivera

Not great news for Jayden Daniels. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil underwent surgery to repair a torn triceps, putting him on the shelf for the foreseeable future.

Head coach Dan Quinn says that a timeline for Tunsil’s return will be solidified following surgery.

Hunter Henry gets extension: Report

Joe Rivera

Drake Maye’s security blanket will be keeping him warm for a little while longer.

The Patriots signed tight end Hunter Henry to a two-year extension, per reports, locking in the veteran to New England’s passing attack for the next few seasons.

Henry’s deal is reportedly worth up to $20 million and carries $14.5 million guaranteed.

NFL news, updates for Aug. 9

Joe Rivera

Missed some headlines while out on Sunday? Here’s some of the latest:

• Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce embroiled in trademark infringement lawsuit
• Adam Vinatieri may have “burned every bridge” with Hall of Fame speech
• Journeyman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is stepping away from the Lions. Here’s why
• The latest injury update on Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden
• Does Anthony Richardson’s NFL future hinge on his eyesight?

Hall of Fame game takeaways

Jacob Camenker

• Carson Beck belongs in the Cardinals QB battle. Beck looked sharp in his Cardinals debut. He showed excellent poise in the pocket, strong field-reading capabilities and great accuracy to all levels of the field while avoiding turnovers entirely and posting a 125.4 passer rating. Jacoby Brissett should still be favored to start for the Cardinals, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Mike LaFleur give Beck a chance to battle Gardner Minshew for the backup job. And if Beck continues to enjoy preseason success, it could move up his timeline to potentially emerge as a starter during his rookie season.
• Haynes King looks the part of a quality developmental QB. King may have gone undrafted, but he had a nice showing against the Cardinals. He showed off his mobility on several occasions, including on his game-winning 5-yard TD run, and also made several nice throws to the intermediate part of the field. Granted, King missed a wide-open Jimmy Horn Jr. for a potential touchdown at the end of the first half on a bad overthrow, but he did more than enough to instill confidence in himself as a third-string option. That’s a welcome development for Carolina, which lost Will Grier to retirement on eve of training camp.
• Cardinals have elite running back depth. Arizona didn’t start any of its top-four running backs against Carolina. Nonetheless, the Cardinals sported a quality running game, as Bam Knight, Corey Kiner and Evan Hull combined for 140 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries against the Panthers. If Arizona is confident with any of that trio serving as a fourth-string running back for the team, it could position the team to try to offload one of its veterans – like James Conner or Trey Benson – in a trade ahead of the season.

Who made the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Jacob Camenker

Five players have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026. They are as follows:

• QB Drew Brees
• RB Roger Craig
• WR Larry Fitzgerald
• LB Luke Kuechly
• K Adam Vinatieri

NFL preseason schedule

Joe Rivera

Here’s the complete schedule for this upcoming week of preseason NFL games:

Thursday, Aug. 13

• Cincinnati Bengals vs. Detroit Lions, 7 p.m. ET
• Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers, 7 p.m. ET
• New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 8 p.m. ET

Friday, Aug. 14

• Atlanta Falcons vs. Denver Broncos, 7 p.m. ET
• New York Jets vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7 p.m. ET
• Washington Commanders vs. Miami Dolphins, 7 p.m. ET

Saturday, Aug. 15

• Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET
• Buffalo Bills vs. Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. ET
• New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. ET
• Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Rams, 4 p.m. ET
• New Orleans Saints vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 4 p.m. ET
• Baltimore Ravens vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 7 p.m. ET
• Seattle Seahawks vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8 p.m. ET