
Saints training camp: Taysom Hill making progress after ACL injury
And that's real progress. It isn't the same as Hill being cleared for full-contact practice and getting activated from the PUP list, but it's progress all the same. There were questions being asked all offseason about whether or not he'd continue playing football, or do so as a member of the Saints. His salary cap hit is still the highest on the team at $17,986,500. And he's still on schedule to become a free agent in 2026 when his deal runs out, leaving behind $9,723,000 in dead money. Getting him healthy and practicing with his teammates is the first step to sorting out those concerns.
Hill averaged a career-high 7.1 yards per attempt as a runner last season, scoring six touchdowns in eight games as a key piece of Klint Kubiak's offense. New head coach Kellen Moore has demurred when asked about his own plans for Hill, stressing the importance of getting the player healthy first. He's progressing towards that goal. Let's see what's in store for No. 7.

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USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Dallas Cowboys training camp: Takeaways from Day 6
The Dallas Cowboys put pads on for the first time on Sunday, their fifth practice of their 2025 training camp. For many players, this is when things turn serious. It's difficult to glean much of anything aside from ability to execute technique without the pads on. The work in the trenches isn't authentic, especially when it comes to the running game. Coaches often refer to the pre-pad days as an extension of the spring installations that take place at OTAs and through minicamps. So how did the Dallas Cowboys fare on Sunday? It's an interesting look into what trends continued, and which players who had begun to stand out kept the momentum. Rising star goes out The biggest injury news of the day is that TE Brevyn Spann-Ford, who is in contention for the TE2 role, had to limp off of the practice field. Spann-Ford made a huge impression on the coaching staff as a UDFA in 2024, and spent the offseason trying to improve his catch instincts to add on to his role as the team's best blocking tight end. Most reports spoke glowingly of his improvement, but he may be out for a while after having to be helped to the locker room on Sunday. He went down on the line of scrimmage and was holding his right ankle. Nick Eatman of floated their is concern it's a high ankle sprain, and apparently not the miraculous kind that Terence Steele suffered earlier in the week. Additional Injury Updates Also of injury note, Patrik Walker reported that CB Trevon Diggs looks a lot closer to being activated from PUP than he had recently, running DB routes and even jumping to secure passes. Diggs was the subject of team owner Jerry Jones' vitriol over missing offseason work with the team while rehabbing his knee injury on his own, but if he's able to get himself into game shape over the next five weeks, it will be well worth the $500,000 fine to have had someone other than the team trainers getting him on track. Safety Juanyeh Thomas (foot/ankle) and running back Deuce Vaughn (hamstring) missed practice today. This isn't a big issue for Thomas, who is slated to have a big role this season, but Vaughn is only loosely tethered to the proverbial bubble and needs every rep he can get to make an impression. Jake Ferguson gets paid, what does it mean? Not an on-field note, but clearly the biggest news of the day is Jake Ferguson's new four-year extension that will pay him $52 million, including $30 million gauranteed. With $12 million in signing bonus and assumed vet minimum base salary of $1.1 million, it seems like the deal that runs through 2029 will at least keep Ferguson in Dallas through the 2027 season. The math seems to indicate some of that year's salary, but not all of it, is going to be guaranteed early in the 2026 season. As for the trickle-down effect, one has to wonder what this means for Luke Schoonmaker. When Ferguson was anticipated to playing in a contract year, Schoonmaker had a shot to be anywhere on the depth chart. TE1 is now off the table and if Spann-Ford isn't out long-term, then what's the long-term prospect for the Michigan product? Cowboys Wire has floated the possibility of a trade off the team to another franchise that eyed him pre-2023 draft. That likelihood could've gotten a small bump with this declaration by the team. Reclamation cornerbacks showing well The Cowboys have made two moves over the last two seasons where they looked to fix highly-drafted cornerbacks who didn't work out for their teams. Last season, the club traded away former third-round pick Nahshon Wright to the VIkings for Minnesota's Andrew Booth, the 2022 second-round pick. This year, they acquired former Buffalo Bills first-round pick Kaiir Elam. Throughout the offseason, the possibility of Elam turning the corner in the final year of his rookie deal was spoken with cautious optimism. That's continued thus far through camp as it appears he is in line to start, at least until Diggs is ready. On Sunday, Booth — who flopped badly when put in regular season games in 2024 — joined the party with an insane day of coverage. Rookie RB Jaydon Blue continues to impress The veteran running backs have been given the majority of first-team reps. Dallas signed both JaVonte Williams and Miles Sanders in the early weeks of free agency, long before the draft. The team then waited until Day 3 to pull the trigger on the position, selecting Texas back Jaydon Blue in the fifth round. Right before training camp started, a weird report from a former coach (not on board in any recent season) that there was talk among the current front office that Blue didn't have the work ethic necessary to thrive. If the first week has been any indication, throw that baby out with the bath water. Blue was extra impressive on Saturday, and continued the trend with the pads put on, on Sunday.


USA Today
10 hours ago
- USA Today
WATCH: Commanders rookie WR Jaylin Lane makes the best play of training camp so far
y'all see that Jaylin Lane catch??? The Washington Commanders returned to the practice fields in Ashburn on Sunday for Day 4 of training camp. It was "Back Together Weekend," with fans in attendance for the first time. It also featured the end of wide receiver Terry McLaurin's holdout, although he will begin on the PUP list. That meant Sunday was the perfect time for a rookie to show everyone what he was made of, and that's exactly what wide receiver Jaylin Lane did. Being defended in the back corner of the end zone, quarterback Jayden Daniels threw a dart to Lane, with cornerback Mike Sainristil and safety Quan Martin in perfect coverage. The 5-foot-10 Lane makes a phenomenal play on the ball. Check it out: What a throw. What a catch. Unfortunately, it was ruled incomplete, but that does not detract from the play Lane made on the ball. He was going up against arguably Washington's top two defensive backs and caught the ball. Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan explained the circumstances. This was the play of camp so end of game drill. 6 secs left. All verts. 'D had 3 guys playing at goal line. Daniels got this ball in behind them to give rookie Jaylin Lane a shot. Incomplete upon review but an awesome 1st team rep for the rook. That's what makes Jayden Daniels special. He was able to deliver a perfect throw in a pressure situation. Everyone was already excited about Lane, the speedy rookie receiver/punt returner from Virginia Tech. That catch will only enhance his legend throughout the remainder of this camp and the preseason.

Miami Herald
11 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Commanders' Terry McLaurin arrives at camp, put on PUP list
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin arrived at training camp Sunday without a new deal and was placed on the physically unable to perform list with an ankle injury. "Terry McLaurin has reported and we're very happy about that," Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said. "He'll start training camp on PUP for his ankle." McLaurin, who turns 30 in September, was placed on the reserve/did not report list Wednesday. He is seeking an extension as he enters the final season of a three-year, $68.4 million deal. His average annual salary of $22.8 million ranks 17th among receivers. Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase is No. 1, earning an average of $40.2 million, per Spotrac. "On the business side, (Commanders general manager Adam Peters) and his side are still working very hard with Terry and his reps on the business side of things," Quinn said. "While on PUP he'll be working with the trainers." McLaurin was fined $50,000 per day and $200,000 in total after missing the start of training camp. Washington selected McLaurin, a product of Ohio State, in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice and was named a second team All-Pro in 2024. McLaurin is coming off a big year, amassing 82 catches for 1,096 yards and a career-high 13 receiving touchdowns in 17 games. It was his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved