2026 NFL training camp: Top seven takeaways from Back Together Weekend Saturday

For the sixth consecutive year, all 32 clubs kicked off the 2026 preseason with Training Camp: Back Together Weekend presented by YouTube TV. NFL.com breaks down the top things we learned from Saturday's action around the NFL.

Watson not worried about past amid QB battle

In what was once seen as an unlikely development, Deshaun Watson finds himself competing for one final shot at the Browns' starting quarterback job.

His main counterpart in the preseason QB battle is second-year passer Shedeur Sanders, but the quarterbacks room is far from divided, Watson said.

"All four of us are learning together, hanging out together, building that chemistry together," Watson said during an interview on NFL Network of a group that also includes Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green. "We're just taking each opportunity to really just master it each and every time we get out on the field. We try to support each other as much as possible. Every time I get in, I try to be the best quarterback and lead the team and try to be productive, just like the other guys."

Watson's attempt to take back the starting job he was once handed (along with a fully guaranteed $230 million contract) is likely his last in Cleveland as he's in the final year of his five-year deal.​

This opportunity might be the best Watson's seen since his Houston days. He's taken a year off to get fully healthy, is nearly two years removed from a season-ending Achilles injury and is leading a new offense under coach Todd Monken with a fresh injection of young talent in running back Quinshon Judkins, tight end Harold Fannin and rookie receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.

"It's night and day," Watson said of the differences between 2025 and 2026. "This time, I'm healthy. Last year, I was still kind of gaining back my strength. Now, I'm fully healthy. I'm excited about how I feel. My body is really holding up really well. I'm excited to just cut it loose. I've got to build up that football endurance, but that's going to come as we continue to practice."

The Browns began their quarterback evaluation process at the start of the offseason and are collecting data through the end of the preseason in an attempt to choose a starter. Watson seemed to enter camp with a bit of an edge over Sanders, but he's reportedly struggled as a passer in the first week of action.

"This is the perfect time to be able to make all the mistakes you possibly can because it doesn't really count," Watson said, per ESPN. "And you don't want to get into a game and you haven't ran that or tried it out and try it in a game and it goes wrong. So there's a fine line, but you just got to know and understand what we're working on." 

There's time for Watson to settle in and find a rhythm. Preseason games will matter most in a battle that will likely last until the end of August. Regardless of outcome, as Watson sees it, the situation is still better than the one he's known.

"It's been tough. It's definitely been a lot of challenges for myself mentally," Watson said. "But each and every day, I have a great supporting cast, great organization behind me and I'm in a great spot. I have an opportunity, I've got to look forward for 2026, can't worry about the past. I'm just ready to go."

Watt, Steelers embrace 'Tempered' culture

Mike McCarthy's arrival in Pittsburgh has already made an impact.

McCarthy's hiring "put his foot in the door" that Aaron Rodgers had all but closed on his playing career, the quarterback revealed Saturday during an interview with NFL Network.

Practices in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, look notably different from the Mike Tomlin era, with periods regimented by the minute and highly physical portions disappearing from the menu.

McCarthy even showed a highlight reel of his hometown, Pittsburgh, to inform his players on the importance of the city in which they'll play football. Oh, and he rolled out a catchy new phrase to help identify the squad: Tempered.

Yes, just like the steel-hardening process.

Steelers legend T.J. Watt is on board. As he sees it, he needed a breath of fresh air in his 10th NFL season.

"To not hear the Tomlin-isms in meetings, to not have that deep, loud voice talking to you in team meetings is different, but it's been a really good change, I'd say," Watt said during an interview with NFL Network's Kyle Brandt. "A lot of us are embracing it and just trying to have great days out here.

"It's changed in every way possible, but it's good. This is my 10th year in the league and I've been doing the same thing, hearing the same messages," Watt continued. "Obviously, Mike T always found different ways to sprinkle it up and make it fresh, but it's like the first day of school here. I'm trying to prove myself as a leader, a player, as a steady force on this team and I'm having a blast doing it."

Johnson approaching 2026 as 'contract year'

Jaylon Johnson is under contract through the 2027 season. It isn't stopping him from eyeing another negotiation.

The Bears' Pro Bowl corner made his intentions clear when talking with reporters Saturday: He's playing for another payday.

"This is definitely a contract year," Johnson said, via ESPN. "We all know with the cap hit and all that stuff. It's definitely a contract year for me. At the end of the day, whether that's here, somewhere else, I've got to put it on tape that I'm still a top guy in this league."

A second-round pick in 2020, Johnson earned a franchise tag and eventual four-year, $76 million extension in 2024, keeping him in Chicago for the foreseeable future. Two years later, he's aware the structure of his contract and the Bears' upcoming cap situation might lead him to a new home.

Chicago is projected to have roughly $8 million in cap space in 2027. The Bears can save $16 million by cutting Johnson after the 2026 season, a number that makes such a decision quite appealing for a contender.

Johnson knows an outcome is possible, if not likely. It's why he's not only playing for the Bears in 2026, but also his earning power in 2027 and beyond.

"I'm not a dummy," Johnson said. "We all know that and I've structured my deal a certain way to put myself back at the table at the age of 27. For me, it was always for this point to get here, and then show how I do what I do and be healthy and be out there doing what I do best and that's covering, that's making plays, being a difference-maker. From there, wherever that contract talk goes, it goes."

Injuries limited Johnson to seven games last season, the first in which he didn't log double-digit appearances. He's out to prove last year's challenges were a fluke and not an indicator of what's ahead. If he can accomplish that, he can expect another big contract; it just might not be an offer that keeps him in Chicago.

Harbaugh offers lesson on bear spray

John Harbaugh is in new colors, but he's still the same coach.

He's preaching the importance of practice, team unity, resilience in the face of adversity and having a shared vision as his Giants embark on a new season.

He's also offering survival tips for those interested in hiking the mountain trails in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

"Bear spray, we got a lesson on bear spray. You spray low to high, did you know that?" Harbaugh said during an interview with NFL Network. "Think about a bear. You think a bear's gonna come at you like this (upright)? No, they're running at you low. You've gotta spray down low!

"I've never done it before, but you learn. I'm thinking about taking a walk tomorrow; I wanted to know."

Lamar is happy to line up under center

Lamar Jackson's first foray with new offense coordinator Declan Doyle's system has seen him line up under center more often than he has at any point in his professional career.

In fact, it's the most he's put his hands under the center's rear end since he was a kid. Luckily, like riding a bike, Jackson never lost the old habit.

“I am extremely comfortable with it," Jackson said Saturday, per the team transcript. "In youth football I was under center -- I haven’t been consistently under center since youth football. We did it here and there in the past, but with this balanced type of offense, I feel like it will help us out a lot -- identifying the defense, really keeping the defense on their toes.”

Doyle's arrival under new coach Jesse Minter represents the third offense Jackson has had to learn in his career, and while both Greg Roman's and Todd Monken's offenses differed from each other, Jackson was frequently lined up in the pistol formation in both. With Doyle now in charge and aiming to be as multiple (football slang for versatile in personnel groupings and formation variety) as possible, there's value in getting Jackson comfortable under center.

After all, Jackson can easily return to the pistol or shotgun without any hurdles. But with the Ben Johnson disciple now running the show offensively, Jackson is adding another tool to his box.

“[There’s] no difficulties -- just a new system," Jackson said. "[I] just learn it to the best of my ability, try to learn it like the back of my hand. [The] sky’s the limit.”

New role for Walker in Kansas City?

Things are looking up for Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.

Coach Andy Reid offered a cautiously optimistic update on the superstar quarterback Saturday when speaking with ESPN's Dan Graziano.

"Just keeping an eye on him and letting the doctors guide us from there. As long as he's safe, that's what we're looking at," Reid said. "Right now, for what we're doing, he's safe to roll."

While Mahomes continues to train his eyes on Week 1's prime-time tilt agaist the Broncos as his target for return, the Chiefs are welcoming a new addition who Reid thinks can become a major difference-maker in both the ground and air attacks.

"This kid, he's a special player," Reid said of running back Kenneth Walker. "We know that from what he did in Seattle. He's come out here and done everything we thought he could do and probably more. He catches the football well, and he didn't really do a ton of that in Seattle. But he's done a nice job of it here."

As Reid noted, the Chiefs have had some very talented running backs in his time in Kansas City, but it was easy to sense the excitement in his voice when talking about Walker, who caught 31 passes in his final season in Seattle and has just two career receiving TDs. 

If the Super Bowl LX MVP can become a three-down contributor in Reid's offense, it could elevate the ceiling of the entire Chiefs' offense in 2026 -- especially if Mahomes hits the ground running in Week 1.

Healthy Dickerson could key rebound for Eagles

It seems the split between A.J. Brown and the Eagles has produced better outcomes for both parties. Brown remains the talk of Patriots camp, where he continues to build a rapport with Drake Maye and cannot stop smiling, per ESPN's Mike Reiss, while the vibes surrounding the Eagles' offense in Year 1 under new OC Sean Mannion are much better entering the 2026 season.

There's a good reason for the latter: Quarterback Jalen Hurts might have more reliable protection in the new year. Guard Landon Dickerson, who battled injuries throughout much of 2025, spent his offseason working on recovery and physical preparation, leading him on a trip to Colombia for stem cell treatment that has him feeling much better as he embarks on another campaign.

"Beautiful country, beautiful place. Trying to look to get treatment, keep my body healthy," Dickerson said. "It's my job, after all, so just exploring all avenues to try and feel good."

A three-time Pro Bowler, Dickerson admitted he rushed back onto the field in 2025 and wouldn't make the same mistake twice if he could do it again. His performance suffered as a result, landing him outside PFF's top 30 guards in terms of overall grade.

If Dickerson can stay healthier in 2026, it's safe to expect his performance to return to the elite range he's occupied for most of his career, which would be excellent news for an Eagles offense that needs to be better than it was in 2025.