Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m very curious to see if homecourt advantage will help the Pacers take a 2–1 lead tonight against the Thunder.
In today’s SI:AM:
⚾ Brewers’ blueprint
⛳ Bryson’s approach
⚽ Scuffling USMNT
If you’re reading this on SI.com, click here to subscribe and receive SI:AM directly in your inbox each morning.
Updates from NFL offseason programs
The opening game of the NFL season is still three months away, but football junkies have a little something to tide them over. The vast majority of teams began their mandatory minicamps this week. While players had previously gotten together for organized team activities this offseason, minicamps are extra important because they’re mandatory. It’s also the rare period during the NFL offseason when actual news is made. Here are some of the biggest developments.
Three notable players skipping minicamp
Even though the workouts are mandatory, not every player will be present. Three high-profile players are choosing to make a statement by skipping this week’s camps. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin are sitting out. If they skip all three days of camp, they can be fined a maximum of $104,768.
All three players are choosing not to participate in the workouts as they angle for new contracts.
Hendrickson has been angling for a contract extension all offseason, and the team even gave him permission to seek a trade back in March. But still, there’s been no progress toward a new deal for the NFL’s reigning sack leader.
Watt has experience with sitting out to force his team’s hand. When he signed his current contract in 2021 (one that made him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL), his “hold in” continued into Week 1 practices. He’s entering the final year of that contract and operating out of the same playbook as he hopes to get paid again.
This isn’t the first time McLaurin has skipped minicamp, either. He did the same thing in 2022 when he signed his current three-year, $68.4 million contract. That holdout was resolved much more quickly than Watt’s, however. McLaurin signed his new deal before training camp, on July 5. The Commanders will hope negotiations don’t drag on this time around.
Kirk Cousins is still in Atlanta
The Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback situation might not be as awkward as it initially seemed.
After losing the starting quarterback job to rookie Michael Penix Jr. late last season, Kirk Cousins was rumored to be seeking a fresh start this offseason with a team that would give him the chance to start. But no such opportunity arose, and Cousins struck a humble tone when speaking with reporters on Tuesday, seeming realistic about the current state of his career.
“Obviously you’d love to play but I’m not [going to] dwell on things that aren’t reality,” Cousins said. “It’s better [time] spent to focusing on the situation you’re in and control what you can control. I think that’s the right mindset to have. Certainly there were conversations in January, February, March and even April but we’re moving forward timeline-wise.”
Cousins also said he realized this offseason that he hadn’t been as healthy last season as he thought he was in the wake of his 2023 Achilles tear.
The Falcons certainly won’t be happy to have a backup quarterback making $27.5 million this season, but at least Cousins seems like he won’t be a distraction for Penix.
Broncos add a running back
The Denver Broncos’ biggest need this offseason was at running back. The team ranked 22nd in the league last season with 4.1 yards per carry and lost leading rusher Javonte Williams (139 carries for 513 yards) in free agency. The Broncos did draft UCF running back RJ Harvey in the second round, but their crop of runners was still a bit thin.
Denver addressed that need by reportedly agreeing to a one-year, $5.25 million deal with J.K. Dobbins. Broncos coach Sean Payton declined to discuss Dobbins on Tuesday but said a deal was close.
Dobbins has had terrible injury luck in his career. A torn ACL caused him to miss the entire 2021 season, a knee injury limited him to eight games in ’22 and he then tore his Achilles tendon in the first game of the ’23 season. When he’s been on the field, though, he’s been excellent. He had 905 yards on 195 carries in 13 games last season for the Los Angeles Chargers and finished second behind Joe Burrow in Comeback Player of the Year voting.
Packers’ interesting experiment
The Green Bay Packers are thinking outside the box to address a need at cornerback.
Green Bay cut former Pro Bowl corner Jaire Alexander on Monday, and two other corners—Micah Robinson and Kalen King—are sitting out minicamp with injuries. But the Packers added to the defensive backfield without having to sign another player.
Receiver Bo Melton got some work at cornerback on Tuesday after impressing enough on special teams that the Packers thought he might work at corner.
“We just thought that if there is somebody that can potentially do both, he would be that guy,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think a lot of it is just from his production on [special] teams and just his ability to make plays on teams.”
Melton played in all 17 of Green Bay’s games last season but saw limited playing time. He had eight catches for 91 yards and eight carries for 54 yards while playing 23% of the team’s offensive snaps and 32% of special teams snaps. A position change might be his best chance of making the roster this year, considering how crowded Green Bay’s receiver room is. The Packers used two of their first three picks in this year’s draft to select receivers (Matthew Golden in the first round and Savion Williams in the third round).
Defense runs in Melton’s blood, too. His brother is Arizona Cardinals cornerback Max Melton.
The best of Sports Illustrated
- Today’s Digital Cover is Matt Verderame’s story on how the Brewers’ investment in Latin America has allowed them to compete with teams in bigger media markets.
- Can second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. bring the Atlanta Falcons back to the postseason for the first time since 2017? Matt Verderame checks in with the Falcons in the latest installment of 32 Teams in 32 Days.
- Michael Rosenberg writes that Bryson DeChambeau, increasingly comfortable on LIV Golf’s fringe, has reinvented himself through obsessive preparation, a thriving YouTube channel, and an unshakable belief that being different is his greatest strength as he prepares for the U.S. Open.
- Things aren’t going well for the U.S. men’s national team, which lost 4–0 to Switzerland in its final match before the important Concacaf Gold Cup. Max Mallow has more on the loss and where the team stands under Mauricio Pochettino.
- Bryan Fischer has a great breakdown of what led to the NCAA’s historic House settlement and where college sports go from here.
- The Knicks were denied permission to interview two candidates for their open coaching job.
- Dave Roberts provided a positive update on Shohei Ohtani’s quest to return to the mound.
The top five…
… things I saw last night:
5. Roman Anthony’s family’s reaction to his first MLB hit.
4. Sabrina Ionescu’s no-look assist.
3. Fernando Tatis Jr.’s hustle to score from first on a single.
2. Back-to-back-to-back home runs for the Winston-Salem Dash (the White Sox’ South Atlantic League affiliate).
1. Aaron Judge’s 469-foot home run off the back wall of Kauffman Stadium.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | The Biggest News From NFL Minicamps.
