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ESPN staff
It was the Tyreek Hill Show in Miami on Saturday.
The Miami Dolphins receiver opened practice by addressing fans, welcoming them to 2022 NFL training camp before landing a flip on the field to get them hyped.
Later in practice, he connected with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on a 65-yard strike for a touchdown that once again energized the crowd. Hill followed that up by likening the Dolphins receivers to Waffle House in an interview with ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, because “everyone’s open 24 hours.”
Elsewhere, a couple of rookie wideouts managed to make their mark. In New Orleans, Saints reporter Katherine Terrell said Chris Olave had the play of the day, connecting with quarterback Jameis Winston on a 60-yard TD in 11-on-11 work with the first unit. In Jets Camp, No. 10 overall pick Garrett Wilson made two standout catches during practice in a strong day for New York’s heralded rookie class, according to Jets reporter Rich Cimini.
Here’s what else you need to know from camps across the league:
What our NFL Nation reporters saw today
Philadelphia Eagles: Cornerback James Bradberry is making a strong first impression with his new team. Saturday was probably his best training camp practice to date, as he used his size and physicality to largely lock up receiver AJ Brown, including on a pass deep down the left sideline that Bradberry broke up.
The cornerback trio of Bradberry, Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox has looked formidable early on. — Tim McManus
New England Patriots: Quarterback Mac Jones didn’t seem too happy after practice, and instead of mingling on the field with teammates and their families as he had in recent days, he retreated quickly to the locker room. One reason for his possible ire: A pick-six on one of his final pass attempts when the initial read wasn’t open, he pumped and pulled the ball down, then tried to laser a pass in to receiver DeVante Parker that safety Kyle Dugger took the other way. — Mike Reiss
New York Giants: Third-year cornerback Darnay Holmes continues to have a strong start to training camp. Every day he’s forced a turnover. Saturday it was by punching the ball out of running back Saquon Barkley’s hands. Safety Julian Love scooped it and almost returned it for a score. Holmes now has three interceptions and a forced fumble in four days. Seeing him be a force early in camp is a welcome sign for the Giants. Holmes is the favorite to start at slot cornerback. — Jordan Raanan
Atlanta Falcons: In what Falcons head coach Arthur Smith dubbed “probably the most competitive practice we’ve had since I’ve been the coach here,” Atlanta had two fights at the end of practice and overall aggressive play on both offense and defence. Smith himself got in the middle of the first scuffle to break it up.
It’s cliche, but one of the biggest things for Smith has been to change the approach and culture of the Falcons and Saturday’s practice was the epitome of that.
“You don’t want guys sitting back and being passive. It’s football,” defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. “It’s a tough-ass sport, so you want guys that are going to compete. What you want is guys who kind of get their burr up a little bit when you get beat.” — Michael Rothstein
New Orleans Saints: Wide receiver Chris Olave had the play of the day for the Saints on Saturday. The Saints first-rounder got wide open deep down the field on a busted coverage, and quarterback Jameis Winston hit him in stride for what looked to be about a 60-yard touchdown with the first-team unit in 11-on-11 work. It wasn’t the only nice catch Olave had, as he quickly followed it up with a 15-yard grab from quarterback Andy Dalton a few plays later. — Katherine Terrell
Green Bay Packers: The Packers must find some depth at outside linebacker but if Rashan Gary and Preston Smith play like they have during the first week of training camp, then defensive coordinator Joe Barry isn’t going to want to take them off the field. Gary has been a fixture in the backfield, flushing Aaron Rodgers out of the pocket on numerous occasions. Of course, there’s no sacking the quarterback in practice but when asked how many sacks he thinks he’d have, Gary said: “I don’t know, y’all tell me.” When told we lost count, Gary said: “That’s a good number then.” Smith wrecked a potential big play on Saturday with a pressure of Rodgers. It’s all been without pads so far, but the duo combined for 18.5 sacks last season. “Right now it’s pretty clear cut who our one and two are but as far as three through five, I think it’s anybody’s guess,” coach Matt LaFleur said of the outside linebackers. — Rob Demovsky
Los Angeles Chargers: Chargers receiver Mike Williams kept it simple when describing quarterback Justin Herbert. “He’s pretty good,” Williams said, smiling, after Saturday’s practice. Herbert’s connection with Williams and veteran Keenan Allen has appeared effortless through four days of camp, so during Saturday’s workout, Herbert upped the level of difficulty in front of a capacity crowd. Herbert found Allen deep down the sideline off a double flea-flicker. Fans erupted. According to Williams there’s noticeable growth in Herbert’s comfortability in the offense and with himself, now as a third-year pro. “He’s just a lot looser,” Williams said. — Lindsey Thiry
New York Jets: “The Jets held their first public practice, giving fans their first up-close glimpse of their highly-touted draft class. The rookies didn’t disappoint. WR Garrett Wilson (first round) made two nice catches and CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner (first) held up well in coverage with the starting defense. The crowd favorite was RB Breece Hall (second). Every time he touched the ball, the crowd screamed, “Breeeece!” The Jets expect big things out of their rookie class. Said DE Jermaine Johnson II (first): “None of us have an issue with those expectations.” — Rich Cimini
Top NFL news of the day
49ers DT Maurice Hurst set for surgery on torn biceps
The San Francisco 49ers’ defensive line depth is being tested early in training camp, as defensive tackle Maurice Hurst suffered a torn biceps in Friday’s practice and will need surgery, according to coach Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan said Hurst will “most likely” miss the entire 2022 season.
“We’ll see after surgery,” Shanahan said. “Usually that’s how biceps work out, but don’t know for sure.”
Ryan Kerrigan closes an era for Washington football
Ryan Kerrigan prided himself on taking a consistent approach that yielded equally consistent results. But when his left knee prevented him from doing so, he decided the best result was retirement.
Kerrigan announced his retirement Friday, ending his 11-year career by signing a one-day contract with the Washington Commanders. He played 10 seasons for Washington before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason.
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Tyreek Hill is excited for the possibilities for the Dolphins’ offense this season.
From the Lombardi days to the LaFleur days…the tradition rolls on!@amfam , #DreamDrive pic.twitter.com/rZH9zhlwGZ
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) July 30, 2022
,@Simi_Fehoko gettin’ it DONE.#CowboysBackTogetherSaturday#DallasCowboys , @AmericanAir pic.twitter.com/2IP7cSSY78
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) July 30, 2022
#Saints fans second line into camp with @RebirthBB pic.twitter.com/SysJck7ICt
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 30, 2022
LIVE: @JaredAllen69 talks to the media about being the #vikings 2022 Ring of Honor inductee https://t.co/TFZRhzfzVb
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 30, 2022
FLIPPIN’ EXCITED THAT FANS ARE BACK!!
: #BackTogetherSaturday on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/cKYuCftcCj
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) July 30, 2022
SLING DAT THING @jaboowins !
60-yd TD to @chrisolave_ #SaintsCamp pic.twitter.com/WoqUw1Iodf
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 30, 2022
,@AaronRodgers12 is a magician with the football#GoPackGo , #PackersCamp pic.twitter.com/BcJsgUoKWR
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) July 30, 2022
QB controversy???@PatrickMahomes , @Creed_Humphrey pic.twitter.com/X2BsgFefGL
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) July 30, 2022
“Great players want to play with other great players.”
: @DevinWhite__40 pic.twitter.com/n8CZdQqzoN
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) July 30, 2022
A pair of rookies that have caught Coach’s eye early in Camp. pic.twitter.com/cYLenRTQnN
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) July 30, 2022
