The first NFL preseason weekend is in the books, and for two former Colorado Buffaloes stars, it came with very different kinds of early-August noise.
Shedeur Sanders got his first real crack in Cleveland’s preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, and the second-half run wasn’t clean. The Browns opened with Deshaun Watson at quarterback, then turned it over to Sanders after halftime. From there, the rookie’s night got bumpy in a hurry.
Sanders finished 6 of 11 for 79 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. The pick came on a deep throw down the right sideline that sailed high and ended up in the hands of Bears defensive back Beanie Bishop Jr.
Afterward, Sanders pointed to the throw itself and said he believed the decision was right, but the ball came off wrong.
“It was the right read, it just slipped. That’s what makes me be mad a little bit because of it,” Sanders said. “Turning the ball over and all that stuff is not great and it won’t survive a long time in the league doing that.”
Sanders’ path to this point has already been a winding one. He played at Colorado from 2023-2024, piling up 7,364 passing yards and 64 touchdowns while setting an FBS record with a 71.8 completion percentage.
Cleveland then took him in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, he appeared in eight games and started seven, throwing for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Now he’s back in the middle of a quarterback fight heading into 2026. And if performances like the one against Chicago keep popping up, the Browns’ Week 1 decision could start to feel pretty straightforward.
Travis Hunter’s preseason debut didn’t come in the game itself, since he didn’t play in Jacksonville’s opener against the New Orleans Saints. But his week still had its share of flash points. During a joint practice earlier in the week, Hunter was beaten at cornerback for multiple touchdowns - one to Saints receiver Chris Olave and another to rookie wideout Bryce Lance.
It was a rough stretch on defense. On the other side of the ball, though, Hunter also showed the kind of playmaking that made him such a unique prospect in the first place.
“Go crazy, Trav ‼️”
That’s the clip the Jaguars pushed out as Hunter made a highlight play on offense.
Hunter is entering his second NFL season after playing only seven games as a rookie before season-ending knee surgery. In those seven appearances, he recorded 15 total tackles and three passes defended on defense, while catching 28 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown on offense.
Before Jacksonville made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Hunter starred at Colorado from 2023-2024 and won the 2024 Heisman Trophy for his two-way impact.
In Other News...
Jaguars Tackle Depth Just Entered A Trade Rumor Fans Will Notice
Washingtons left tackle situation changed quickly after Laremy Tunsil suffered a torn triceps that will require surgery and is expected to keep him out for a significant portion of the 2026 season. Dan Quinn has already pointed to Brandon Coleman as the starter on the blind side, and for now the Commanders are saying they do not plan to go outside the building for help. Still, with the depth chart at a premium spot suddenly looking thinner, any team with a capable tackle is going to draw attention.
Thats where Jacksonville naturally enters the conversation, at least in a speculative sense, because Walker Little is the kind of name that can surface when another club is searching for stability up front. For the Jaguars, the wrinkle is obvious: there have been no public trade talks, and Little is currently hurt, which makes any move more complicated than the rumor mill might suggest. Even so, it is the sort of background noise that tends to follow a team with a usable tackle and a league with a lot of teams quietly watching the same position. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Camp Injuries Just Raised The Stakes For Several Roster Battles
The Jaguars roster battles got a little more complicated this week after the team delivered a fresh round of injury updates before its joint practice with the Panthers. Parker Washington is dealing with an undisclosed issue, Wyatt Milum will sit out the rest of the week, and LeQuint Allen is out for the remainder of training camp with a soft tissue injury, while Patrick Mekari has already gone through back surgery and still has an uncertain timetable for any injured reserve move.
For a team sorting through depth chart decisions in late August, the timing matters as much as the names. Washington has been part of a crowded competition at receiver, so every missed practice rep counts, and the absences elsewhere only tighten the numbers as Jacksonville tries to evaluate who can stay on the field and keep pushing through camp. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars May Be Leaning One Way With Travis Hunter After All
Travis Hunter has spent Jaguars training camp doing the rare double-duty act the team signed up for, working both cornerback and wide receiver while Jacksonville sorts out how best to use one of its most unique rookies. In recent practices, though, the emphasis has tilted more heavily toward defense, a sign the Jaguars are trying to make sure Hunter is ready for a meaningful role on that side of the ball without taking him out of the offensive mix.
Head coach Liam Coen has made it clear the increased cornerback workload is no accident, part of a deliberate plan to get Hunter more comfortable with the mental side of the position as well as the physical demands. Even with that shift, the Jaguars still view him as a key piece on offense, and the expectation remains that he will keep playing both ways as camp moves along. [Read more 🡒]