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Ben Baby
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow didn’t feel the need to offer an explanation on Wednesday.
After a strong practice, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback said he feels great and praised how he has thrown the ball through a week of training camp.
When asked about why he felt that way, Burrow simply pointed to the body of work.
“You’re out there every day,” Burrow said.
For the first time since his rookie season in 2020, Burrow isn’t nursing some sort of injury during training camp. This time last year, Burrow was still working his way back from a season-ending wrist injury on his throwing hand.
On Wednesday, he was aggressive in challenging cornerbacks and pushing the ball downfield. And as he pointed out, anyone who has watched him can probably tell how he’s feeling.
“I think this is the best I’m throwing it in several years, so I’m excited about that,” Burrow said. “Excited about where our team’s at, too.”
Even though the Bengals have practiced for just a week, this is the best stretch of health Burrow has enjoyed in training camp since 2020, which was significantly altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it’s been recovery from an ACL injury (2021), an emergency appendectomy (2022), a strained calf (2023) or the aforementioned wrist (2024), Burrow has spent camp dealing with something.
Not this year. Instead, Burrow has been strategic in deciding when to take what the defense gives him and when to push the ball into tight windows.
In team periods, Burrow said, he’s looking to take care of the ball and not force anything. But in 7-on-7 drills, he will be more aggressive.
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Daniel Oyefusi
BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam on Tuesday dismissed speculation that he is eyeing Texas quarterback Arch Manning in the 2026 NFL draft.
Haslam is a Tennessee alumnus who has a strong relationship with the Manning family, including Peyton, Arch’s uncle. The Browns have two first-round picks in next year’s draft when Arch will be eligible. Haslam was asked about the speculation on Tuesday.
“I think if you know the Manning family, I would bet that — and I don’t know Arch at all — I would bet he stays in college two years,” Haslam said. “So, I don’t even really think that’s worth discussing.”
Arch Manning, who is entering his first season as a full-time starter, sidestepped questions about his potential to go pro when speaking at SEC media days earlier in the month.
Brock Purdy became the latest San Francisco 49ers star to join the fatherhood club.
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Purdy’s wife, Jenna, gave birth to the couple’s first child, Millie Joleen Purdy. Purdy left the team late last week for his daughter’s birth before returning to practice Sunday.
Jenna Purdy announced the news of the couple’s new daughter Monday in a social media post that included a picture of her and Brock holding Millie Joleen with the caption: “Life just became a whole lot sweeter.”
The Purdys’ new arrival came nearly two weeks after star running back Christian McCaffrey and his wife, Olivia Culpo, had their first child, Colette Annalise McCaffrey.
“The guys have matured an incredible amount in the last couple days,” 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk said with a smile Monday. “They both have terrible dad jokes. They both got their dad strength overnight. Just so happy for both of them and their families. They’re going to be incredible fathers. We’re all just so excited for them.”
The Purdys met when both were students at Iowa State, and they married in March 2024.
It has been an eventful year already for the family with Brock Purdy signing a five-year, $265 million contract extension in May and the couple buying a new house for the offseason in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Todd Archer
OXNARD, Calif. — As Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones spoke to the crowd before Saturday’s practice, a number of fans yelled some fashion of “Pay Micah!”
Yes, Jones heard the yearning for the Cowboys to sign Micah Parsons to a contract extension.
“I heard it light, but not compared to how I heard them say, ‘Pay Lamb [last year],'” Jones said on Sunday of the CeeDee Lamb negotiations from last year. “That was a faint little sound compared to the way they were hollering last year, ‘Pay Lamb.’ … Whoever’s not in, you can count on a few hollering that. But it was a big loud chant last year on Lamb.”
The Cowboys eventually signed Lamb to a $136 million contract in late August after the Cowboys returned to The Star in Frisco, Texas, from their summer home in Oxnard.
Jones was asked if there was an update on the Parsons talks after the organization signed tight end Jake Ferguson to a four-year contract worth up to $52 million on Sunday.
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“Really I don’t have anything to comment there at all,” Jones said. “Just no comment.”
Executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys would keep all Parsons discussions “in-house.” But he, too, heard the fans Saturday.
“It doesn’t change anything,” he said. “We want to pay Micah, too. He’s got to want to be paid, too.”
The Cowboys’ talks with Ferguson intensified not long before training camp before coming to an agreement Saturday night on a deal that includes $30 million guaranteed and a $12 million signing bonus.
“People say, ‘Oh, there’s other spots you could go,'” Ferguson said. “I remember sitting down, [thinking], ‘I don’t want to be anywhere else.’ Playing here is awesome. From the start, it’s been a privilege to wear this star.”
A fourth-round pick in 2022, Ferguson has 149 catches for 1,429 yards and 7 touchdowns in 47 games. His best season came in 2023 when he caught 71 passes for 761 yards and 5 touchdowns and was added as a replacement to the Pro Bowl for San Francisco’s George Kittle.
Ferguson and Jason Witten are the only tight ends in team history to record two 50-plus-catch seasons in their first three seasons. Last season, Ferguson caught 59 passes for 494 yards but did not score a touchdown. He suffered a sprained MCL in the season-opening win against the Cleveland Browns that limited him for most of the first half of the season. In the second half of the season, he missed two games with a concussion.
“We certainly have appreciated what he’s been in his career with us, not only as the player we want out there but he’s also a leader competitively,” Jerry Jones said. “What he does he really does juice it up for everybody. And that’s a consensus of all his teammates and coaches. So we’re glad to have him. He’s got a home here for his career.”
Ferguson is not the only player the Cowboys would like to have a home for their careers.
In addition to Parsons, the Cowboys have other players they would like to extend, like left guard Tyler Smith, who is under contract through 2026, cornerback DaRon Bland and potentially wide receiver George Pickens. Pro Bowl kicker Brandon Aubrey is set to be a restricted free agent after the season.
One football axiom is takeaways come in bunches. Could new deals come in bunches for the Cowboys?
“They can,” Stephen Jones said. “I mean we still obviously got a lot going on. You don’t really like to talk about them until they’re done. I would’ve told you this deal [Ferguson] may have gotten done before camp started. But you just got to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s. Everybody’s got to get comfortable, and you go from there.”