2026 NFL minicamps: Teams, rookies, QBs we’re watching

The second week of NFL minicamps kicks off Monday, with 17 teams gathering for workouts after the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers held theirs last week.

It’s a chance to see who shows up after skipping voluntary workouts, how rookies perform against veterans, and how offensive and defensive systems look under new coordinators and new head coaches.

The teams going through mandatory OTAs this week (June 8-11) include the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.

The San Francisco 49ers canceled their minicamp as a reward for attendance during OTAs.

Next week (June 15-18), 12 teams will take part in the last opportunity for practices before teams reconvene for training camps that are slated to begin in late July. Come back to this file next week to read the key things to watch for the dozen teams left to practice this OTA season (New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams).

Here is one key thing our NFL Nation reporters will be watching from each team that hits the field this week:

Jump to a team:
ARI | BAL | BUF | CAR
CHI | CLE | GB | HOU
IND | JAX | KC | LV
MIN | NE | NYG | PHI | SEA

AFC EAST

How is the defense coming together?

There is no bigger shift this offseason for the Bills than the defense under new coordinator Jim Leonhard. A new scheme is being put in place, and minicamp will offer an extended look at how the players, including the new additions, will mesh. Leonhard said this is a key time to gather information to help figure out what exactly the system will be once the season rolls around.

A few defensive players, including DT Ed Oliver, have been limited in OTAs because of injuries, so their level of participation will be worth monitoring. — Alaina Getzenberg

The Dolphins held their mandatory minicamp last week; read updates from ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.

Does CB Christian Gonzalez show up?

Gonzalez, who is eligible for an extension for the first time, hasn’t been attending voluntary practices in recent weeks.

“The contract is the business and the professional side of this. The personal side, I don’t want to let anything interfere with that,” coach Mike Vrabel said Tuesday. “I would imagine that he would be here next week. … Like any contract negotiation, you want to make sure that everybody feels they get something out of it.” — Mike Reiss

AFC NORTH

Who’s blocking in front of QB Lamar Jackson?

The Ravens’ most pressing personnel matter is finding the replacement for Tyler Linderbaum at center. During the spring practices, Baltimore rotated between two longtime backups in Danny Pinter (10 starts) and Jovaughn Gwyn (no starts). There is also a possibility that the Ravens sign or trade for a center heading into training camp next month.

“I feel like the guys upstairs do a great job bringing in people who we need,” Jackson said. “Hopefully we get a guy who’s willing to be the center, willing to lead the offensive line and do the job.” — Jamison Hensley

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Peter Schrager: Browns’ QB1 job will be Deshaun Watson’s to lose

Will Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders pull away in the Browns’ QB competition?

The two passers have split first-team reps throughout the offseason workout program, but first-year head coach Todd Monken would like to enter training camp with a clear depth chart. Monken said the final stretch of practices will go a long way in how he decides to approach training camp and divvy reps.

With the entire offense present, mandatory minicamp will be the final opportunity for both quarterbacks to leave a lasting impression. — Daniel Oyefusi

The Steelers held their mandatory minicamp last week; read updates from ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.

AFC SOUTH

How does the offense look in Year 2 under Nick Caley?

The Texans’ offensive coordinator returns following a solid debut season helping Houston get to the divisional round of the 2025 playoffs. But for the Texans to reach the Super Bowl, they need their offense to match their elite defense. Throughout OTAs, the offense has looked serviceable through the air, but the explosive plays haven’t materialized yet.

There’s nothing to be concerned about yet, but it’ll be a nice box to check if Houston’s offensive stars can produce more explosive plays against this defense. — DJ Bien-Aime

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Mike Tannenbaum: Texans have a championship defense

How are the new defensive players fitting in?

The Colts remained largely intact on offense, but they’ve experienced significant turnover on defense. They’ll have at least five new starters, including several very young players. Among those is middle linebacker CJ Allen, a second-round pick who is expected to be charged with taking calls from the sideline and running the defensive huddle.

Another possible rookie starter is A.J. Haulcy, a third-round choice who appears to have the inside track at replacing Nick Cross at strong safety. Also worth monitoring is potential starting nickel corner Justin Walley, who enjoyed a great training camp as a rookie last year but tore an ACL in the preseason. — Stephen Holder

How do TEs Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol fit into the offense?

Coach Liam Coen wants to use more formations with multiple tight ends. The Jags believe Boerkircher, who never caught more than 19 passes in a season in college, is a complete tight end, and putting him and starter Brenton Strange on the field at the same time allows them to take advantage of how the defense matches their personnel.

Koziol is more of a flex player and can line up outside and in the slot. How does Coen move those players around and create favorable mismatches? — Michael DiRocco

AFC WEST

What’s QB Patrick Mahomes’ progress report before training camp?

Much of this offseason for the Chiefs is about Mahomes’ recovery from his left knee surgery and his involvement on the practice fields. In minicamp, Mahomes might see an increased workload with the hope he shows improvement with his footwork and mobility.

Following next week’s work, the Chiefs will have a break of at least 40 days before training camp. If Mahomes’ knee continues to strengthen, he could be ready to join his teammates for the 11-on-11 team periods when camp starts in St. Joseph, Missouri. — Nate Taylor

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Steve Smith Sr. voices concerns about Mahomes’ supporting cast

How will the quarterback reps be split during minicamp?

During OTAs, Kirk Cousins worked solely with the first team, followed by Aidan O’Connell with the second team and rookie Fernando Mendoza playing with the third team. That wasn’t surprising, given Mendoza is still learning the system and the Raiders are being patient with his development. But will those reps change during minicamp?

Mendoza has impressed the coaches and teammates with his work ethic and ability to pick things up quickly. It’s not guaranteed, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Raiders switch up the quarterback reps a bit to see where Mendoza is at before they take a monthlong break ahead of training camp. — Ryan McFadden

NFC EAST

Who steps up at wide receiver?

The Giants won’t have Malik Nabers (knee) or Darius Slayton (core muscle) on the field as they rehab injuries. It will be intriguing to see who can step up in their absence. Is it third-round pick Malachi Fields, who has made a quick impact? Perhaps Odell Beckham Jr. or one of the other two receivers who were signed last week?

Or what about free agent signings Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III? Maybe it’s even tight end Isaiah Likely or Theo Johnson who emerges as Jaxson Dart’s favorite target? It needs to be someone with Nabers’ return date unknown. — Jordan Raanan

How does QB Jalen Hurts look in the new offense?

Hurts is not only acclimating to life without A.J. Brown but also is in the process of learning a different system under coordinator Sean Mannion. As the OTAs have shown, Hurts will be asked to go under center and throw over the middle a good bit more than he has in the past.

How quickly he and the rest of the unit can push through the learning curve will help shape how the beginning of their season goes. — Tim McManus

NFC NORTH

How is the defense coming together in Year 2 under Dennis Allen?

The Bears’ defensive coordinator put the onus on himself and his staff to coach more effectively this season by focusing less on scheme and more on fundamentals. How that looks with so many new additions, from safeties Dillon Thieneman and Coby Bryant to linebacker Devin Bush and rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad, along with returning players, will be spotlighted during minicamp.

How much work — if any — nickel corner Kyler Gordon is able to do will also be looked at closely. Gordon’s availability has been an issue as another soft tissue injury has kept him sidelined during OTAs. — Courtney Cronin

Is this WR Matthew Golden’s time?

After all the buzz about the Packers finally drafting a receiver in the first round last year, Golden made a minimal impact as a rookie. He didn’t catch his first touchdown until the playoff loss to Chicago. With Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks having departed in the offseason, the door is open for Golden to become a bigger part of the offense.

So far in OTAs, he has been a favorite target for QB Jordan Love.

“I think there’s a big step for guys coming into this league going into Year 2, and we expect that to happen,” coach Matt LaFleur said of Golden. “We’ve seen a lot of that out on the practice field.” — Rob Demovsky

How will the quarterbacks perform?

For the third consecutive spring, all eyes in Minnesota are on the quarterback(s). In 2024, the Vikings were giving snaps to newly signed free agent Sam Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy. Last year, they were giving McCarthy a long runway to earn the starting job.

This spring, they are conducting a nominal competition between McCarthy and newcomer Kyler Murray. Most observers expect Murray to win the job, and he has looked sharp early in OTAs, but the Vikings want to leave open the possibility that McCarthy makes enough progress to suggest he could mount a serious challenge during training camp. — Kevin Seifert

NFC SOUTH

How will QB Bryce Young’s weapons look?

Carolina hopes a healthy and developing group of playmakers will help its quarterback take another step forward in 2026. ACL injuries have limited RB Jonathon Brooks to three games in two NFL seasons, but he is expected to take part in minicamp.

At receiver, 2026 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan has been sidelined with a foot injury, opening more OTA touches for 2026 third-round pick Chris Brazzell II and 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette, who has struggled in two seasons. And don’t forget about Jalen Coker, who had some impressive games in the second half of 2025. — ESPN staff

NFC WEST

How much — if at all — will QB Jacoby Brissett practice?

Now that we know that Brissett will report to the Cardinals’ mandatory minicamp this week, there’s a new question: How much will he practice? It’s still uncertain if Brissett will take the field at all, meaning his arrival in Arizona could be a hold-in instead of a holdout — which will help him avoid a fine of nearly $108,000 for missing all three days of minicamp. Brissett still wants a reworked contract for 2026, a source told ESPN.

If he does take the field, how will he look after not being around the team since it reported in April? And if he doesn’t practice, how will Gardner Minshew II look in the QB1 role? How many snaps will Carson Beck get? With one major question surrounding Arizona’s quarterbacks at minicamp answered, a slew of others now arise. — Josh Weinfuss

The 49ers canceled their minicamp.

Will WR Tory Horton be on the field?

The second-year wide receiver is working his way back from a shin injury that sidelined him for the second half of what was shaping up to be a brilliant rookie season. A fifth-round pick, Horton caught five touchdown passes over Seattle’s first eight games and added another score on a 95-yard punt return. Then he developed discomfort in a shin, landed on injured reserve and never returned.

Coach Mike Macdonald said recently that Horton has “made a lot of great strides” in his recovery and could start to practice by the end of the spring. — Brady Henderson