NFL Training Camps Open This Week: Key Dates, Dolphins Lock Up Brooks, and Storylines to Watch
Camps Open This Week, and Miami Made Sure Its Defense Has an Anchor
The next phase of the NFL offseason officially kicks off this week as teams begin reporting to training camp, and Miami got ahead of the moment by locking up one of its most important defensive pieces. The Dolphins signed All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks to a three-year, $51.3 million extension, securing the 28-year-old heading into what would have been his contract year. Brooks arrived in Miami as a free agent in 2024 after starting his career in Seattle and has quickly become one of the most reliable players on that side of the ball. Locking him up before camp even opens sends a clear message about how the front office views its defensive core going forward.
The report-date rollout is staggered by design. The Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers are first up, with rookies and veterans both due in camp by July 22 ahead of their Hall of Fame Game appearance on August 6 — always a strange scheduling quirk that forces a handful of teams into an accelerated camp. The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots follow on July 24, a matchup with its own storyline attached: the two sides are set to open the regular season with a Super Bowl LX rematch on September 9, so every camp rep between now and then will get extra scrutiny.
Carolina’s Camp Opens With Two Notable Names on the Shelf
Not every storyline heading into report week is a good one. The Panthers placed cornerback Jaycee Horn on the reserve/non-football injury list after a foot injury that required stitches, along with right tackle Taylor Moton, who is dealing with a blood clot diagnosed back in June. Horn’s expected to be back relatively early in camp, which is the good news, but Moton’s timeline reportedly stretches into the regular season — a real loss for an offensive line that needs continuity heading into a Hall of Fame Game turnaround.
Elsewhere Around the League
Not every camp headline is about football. The Jets used the week to unveil new all-white alternate uniforms — white jerseys, white helmets, white pants — a sharp departure from the throwback look the franchise had leaned on in recent seasons. It’s a small thing in the grand scheme of a 17-game season, but uniform reveals always generate their own buzz heading into camp, and the Jets clearly wanted a moment of their own before the pads go on.
With camps opening in waves over the next several days, the next two weeks will start separating real storylines from offseason noise — quarterback competitions, rookie flashes, and the inevitable training camp injury reports that shape how each roster looks heading into preseason play.
