10 NFL Stars Who Don’t Look Good In Camp Already
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Mini camp is underway for all 32 NFL teams, and each team is testing new offensive and defensive schemes for the upcoming 2026 season. During this time, players are practicing plays, making improvements to ensure strong regular-season performances, and evaluating talent among undrafted free agents and non-roster players to potentially claim roster spots.
However, a few star guys have shown signs of struggle, are absent, or are dealing with injuries, which are cause for concern as the NFL regular season approaches.
Even though most of these things will be cleaned up by the start of the regular season, it still raises an eyebrow or two about whether these guys will be ready for the long haul in 2026. Here at TPS, we’re going to analyze 10 NFL stars who are having some troubles at or outside of mini camp, and give our take on things.
Which NFL stars have not looked good so far in camp?
Alec Pierce
As we all know, Pierce signed a massive four-year, $114 million contract extension at the start of the 2026 offseason.
However, Pierce recently underwent ankle surgery that will sideline him until training camp, raising concerns for Pierce and the Colts before the start of the regular season.
Pierce has had ankle problems during the 2024 season, but this ankle injury is a bit of a red flag in our eyes, which could hurt the Colts if it becomes a problem during the regular season.
Especially with the Colts trading away Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers, as Josh Downs, Coleman Owen, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine will have to step up if Pierce’s injury doesn’t get worse.
Some NFL pundits are saying Pierce sitting out mini camp because of his ankle surgery is an overreaction, but he’s the Colts’ wide receiver number one, and he is expected to produce another 1,000-yard season on offense during the season, which is why fans are reacting the way they are.
The surgery Pierce received was to remove irritation, scar tissue, and joint clutter to make things easier when on the field.
In our opinion, Pierce should be fine for the start of the regular season, but having surgery before training camp is a small sign of concern for a guy who signed a massive extension.
Josh Sweat
Sweat had a good 2025 season with the Cardinals, recording 12 sacks (a career high), but had fewer tackles, with 30 compared to 41 in the 2024 season when the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LIX. The reason why is the lack of defensive talent around Sweat outside of Budda Baker.
Despite signing a massive four-year, $76.4 million deal, Sweat has been unhappy with the Cardinals’ defensive scheme. Sweat has reported to mini-camp, but has not suited up for practice.
Rumors are swirling that Sweat wants a pay raise or a trade to a much more talented team, but the Cardinals dismissed trade calls during the 2025 season.
Sweat is also unhappy with the Cardinals’ lack of success and the firing of Jonathan Gannon, who was one of the reasons why Sweat joined the team.
Things will likely not improve with the Cardinals, as they’re currently a bottom-feeder team that will likely tank in the 2026 season for a chance at potentially drafting Arch Manning or Dante Moore.
The best option for the Red-Birds is to potentially trade Sweat to a team like the Green Bay Packers or Chicago Bears, as they have a better chance of reaching the playoffs than the Cardinals do.
Jacoby Brissett
Staying on the Cardinals, another unhappy member of the Cardinals is journeyman backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who is dealing with a contract dispute with the team.
Like Sweat, Brissett has also sat out practice at mandatory mini camp and wants a pay raise on his NFL salary with the Cardinals.
Brissett had a good statistical season in 2025, throwing for over 3,366 yards and 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions (the most in his career), but only earned one win as the Cardinals’ starter.
Because of Brissett’s holdout for a new contract, the Cardinals have not named their starting quarterback for Week One, as they have to evaluate Gardner Minshew, newly drafted Carson Beck, and Kendon Slovis if a deal isn’t worked out between Brissett and the Red Birds.
To be fair, Brissett deserves to be paid, as he delivered statistically, as we mentioned earlier, but is slated to make $1.5 million in guaranteed money. In comparison, Minshew is slated to make $5.75 million in guaranteed money.
If a deal isn’t worked out between Brissett and the Cardinals, then they must either release him or trade him to a title-contending team looking to bolster their backup quarterback room for the upcoming 2026 season.
Dillon Gabriel
Gabriel had a decent rookie season statistically, completing 110 passes for 937 yards and throwing seven touchdowns against two interceptions with the Cleveland Browns, but he only earned one win as a starter.
Entering the 2026 mandatory mini-camp, head coach Todd Monken didn’t include Gabriel in the running for being the Browns’ starting quarterback, as Shedeur Sanders emerged far superior, according to Rich Eisen.
Because of this, Gabriel has to fight to earn a spot on the roster or be released before the start of the 2026 regular season.
If Gabriel is released, a quarterback-needy team will immediately sign him and make him a part of their roster.
A team that could sign or trade for Gabriel would be the Green Bay Packers, as they’re looking to further upgrade their quarterback room, which already has Tyrod Taylor, Kyle McCord, and Kyron Drones backing up Jordan Love.
Bringing in Gabriel would give the Packers a developmental project who can learn from Taylor and Love for potential long-term success in the future.
Despite potentially being on the chopping block, Gabriel said during the offseason, “I’m just running my own race and focusing on what I can control, and that’s mastering my reps and doing it at a high level.
As of now, the Browns haven’t named their starting quarterback for Week One in the NFL, but the signs are pointing to Gabriel likely being the odd man out if he doesn’t improve during training camp.
Rashod Bateman
Bateman has been pretty inconsistent during his tenure with the Baltimore Ravens, as he hasn’t produced a 1,000-yard season yet.
The team remains hopeful he will be a crucial part of their offense during the upcoming 2026 season under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.
Personal issues kept Bateman off the field during the first week of voluntary offseason programs, and he was absent from the start of mandatory mini-camp along with Zay Flowers, Corey Bullock, and Ronnie Stanley.
The absence of Bateman raises some eyebrows of concern, but he should be able to contribute for the Ravens when the regular season begins.
Even without Bateman on the field, Lamar Jackson and rookie wide receiver Elijah Sarratt showcased strong chemistry, and we look forward to seeing more of it when the 2026 season kicks off.
Despite that, Bateman should be healthy and ready to go for training camp.
Bateman must improve his numbers in the 2026 season, as Doyle hopes to see the sixth-year veteran return to the numbers he produced in 2024.
Malik Nabers
After the 2025 NFL season, Nabers has been dealing with more ankle issues, having a second surgery in Mid-April 2026 as a cleanup procedure, which has kept him out of mandatory camp.
Head coach John Harbaugh remains hopeful Nabers will return to action by Week One, and is still grinding to get back onto the field.
Nabers enters his third year in the NFL under a new coaching regime, and he should produce magnificent numbers when healthy.
However, missing camp is a sign of concern for Giants’ fans, as they want to see their star wideout at his healthiest before the start of training camp.
The fan anxiety spiked when fans saw Nabers looking unready to run during a celebrity softball game.
Because of Nabers’ injury concerns, the Giants signed Juju Smith-Schuster and Darnell Mooney and brought back Odell Beckham Jr. for roster insurance.
We hope Nabers recovers well in time for the start of the upcoming regular season, but having veteran wide receivers like OBJ, Mooney, and Smith-Schuster on the roster gives Jaxson Dart some experienced targets to work with.
Marlin Klein
Klein was drafted by the Houston Texans with the 59th pick of the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft and had a rough time at camp due to an injured hamstring.
The Texans have limited Klein’s production during mini-camp because of the hamstring injury. However, it’s too early to panic, as it’s yet to be seen how Klein will do in the NFL.
Despite that, Klein’s hamstring injury is a sign of concern for Texans fans hoping the team can retake control of the AFC South for the first time since the 2024 season.
The Texans drafted Klein due to his rare physical traits, versatility, and blocking capabilities. We hope he lives up to expectations when he recovers for training camp and the long haul of the regular season.
On top of that, Klein is facing competition from veteran tight ends like Dalton Schultz, Cade Stover, Foster Moreau, and Brevin Jordan.
Klein should recover and be productive in the Texans’ offense when the 2026 regular season kicks off. This hamstring injury is just an inconvenient setback, which we hope gets resolved.
Kyler Murray
Murray signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings to provide high-upside competition for J. J. McCarthy.
Murray recently struggled in the Vikings’ mini-camp, throwing back-to-back interceptions during a 7-on-7 drill.
He said quarterback competition isn’t something he’s worried about, saying, “Me personally, I’m not too worried about the competition side of things, honestly. To answer your question, yes, the competitor I am, everybody out here holds themself to a high standard.”
Murray also blamed a lack of reps during his first day at the Vikings’ mini-camp, which is never a good sign for a veteran brought in to compete for the starting job in week one.
Murray said he had to learn two offensive systems during his time with the Cardinals, and hasn’t played his best football in recent years.
The Vikings already have Murray, McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer on the roster. Wentz is no longer an MVP-caliber quarterback, and we highly doubt Brosmer will become the starter of this Vikings team.
Thus, the competition for the starting job will either go to McCarthy, who struggled during the 2025 NFL season, or Murray, if he performs well during training camp and the preseason.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens when the dust settles before the start of Week One.
Kyler Gordon
Fifth-year corner Kyler Gordon had a rough mini-camp session, as he suffered a soft-tissue injury during voluntary OTAs, which is a sign of concern for the Chicago Bears’ secondary heading into the 2026 season.
To make matters worse, Gordon’s backup, Cam Lewis, also suffered an injury during OTAs.
Gordon is expected to rebound in the 2026 season after playing in three games in 2025 due to dealing with groin and calf injuries.
The Bears’ secondary took a massive hit in the 2026 offseason, as Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, C. J. Gardner-Johnson, Nahson Wright, and Jonathan Owens are all gone, meaning Gordon has to step up and stay healthy during the 2026 regular season.
On top of that, Bears’ head coach Ben Johnson is getting tired of Gordon’s injury problems, putting him on thin ice with the organization.
If Gordon is out long-term before the start of the 2026 season, it could be his final season in the “Windy City.”
Bucky Irving
Irving is having a rough 2026 mandatory mini camp due to a shoulder injury he is recovering from.
Irving received news that he might miss the start of the regular season due to the timetable for the surgery.
Bucs’ head coach Todd Bowles downplayed the injury, saying Irving will be fine and is hoping he’ll be back by the summer or fall.
Irving’s time in mini-camp and in non-contact workouts has been limited due to his shoulder surgery.
However, if this injury is worse than expected, Kenneth Gainwell, Sean Tucker, and Josh Williams will have to step up, even though none of these guys are 1,000-yard rushers.
If Irving is out longer, Gainwell could become the starter, as he’s had Super Bowl and playoff experience and should fill in quite nicely for the Bucs.
If Irving recovers in time for the start of the regular season, it would be a breath of fresh air for the team, as he looks to have his first 1,000-yard season on the ground since his rookie year in 2024, with the Bucs looking to heavily rely on his production.
