There’s no doubt that Curt Cignetti believes the Big Ten is the best conference in college football heading into the 2026 season.

Cignetti’s Hoosiers are looking to become just the second team in the playoff era to win back-to-back national championships in 2026. As Indiana went 16-0 and won the national title in January, it was the third straight Big Ten team to win the College Football Playoff.

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Georgia, which went back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, is the last SEC team to win a title. And while Cignetti thought it was a “loaded question” at Big Ten media days on Thursday when asked whether the Big Ten’s nine-game conference schedule it was a positive or a negative for the playoff, he used that question as an opportunity to tout the conference’s strength.

And also potentially make an indirect dig at another.

“I think that’s a loaded question. I think your job as a head coach and the assistants is to equip your roster, make it as strong as possible with adequate depth at every position throughout the team,” Cignetti said. “When you play that many games you’re going to get some guys dinged and injured, things happen. Next man up mentality.

“The Big Ten is the best league in football and a lot of really good football teams. It’s hard to win on the road. Very physical football teams. Very well-coached. It definitely prepares you for the playoffs, there’s no doubt about it, the numbers speak for themselves.

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“We don’t run a hype machine up here in the midwest, we believe that everything’s earned, not given. And when we fall short we say we fell short. We don’t cry a river, whine, and complain. Alright? And that’s why we’re the best.”

You can certainly quibble with the statement that the Big Ten doesn’t run a hype machine. The conference is very proud of its three straight national titles and has a really good chance at a fourth consecutive one. Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State all enter the season as legitimate national title contenders and are among the top five betting favorites to win the national title.

Texas, the No. 2 favorite behind Ohio State, is the only SEC team in the top five.

The SEC’s only claim to being the best conference is with its depth. You can make the strong case that the SEC is the deepest conference in college football. But while the SEC had five teams in the playoff a season ago, the Big Ten had three. And all there of the Big Ten’s teams were among the top five seeds.

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Indiana doesn’t have a cakewalk to a third straight CFP appearance either. After playing two ranked teams during the regular season in 2025 thanks to Penn State’s demise, The Hoosiers have games against Ohio State, Michigan, USC and Washington all in the second half of the season. If USC is as good as coach Lincoln Riley says it is, the Big Ten could be even better in 2026. And Cignetti’s words could turn out to be hardly be controversial in SEC country.

NFL training camp is typically a time for optimism. Hope abounds that all the changes a team made during the offseason — whether hiring a new coach, signing players in free agency, acquiring them via trade or selecting them in the draft — will lead to a better season than the year before.

The one thing every team needs to avoid for that to happen, of course, is injuries. A major injury can derail plans for the entire year, especially if it happens to a key player. Alas, injuries happen every year, and it’s important to keep track of who’s hurt, when and how the injury happened, and how long they might be sidelined.

With that in mind, consider this your one-stop shop for all the injury news coming out of NFL training camps during July and August.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Falcons 

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski announced Wednesday that Tagovailoa is working through an injury and will the early portions of training camp. With Tagovailoa sidelined, the Falcons have signed veteran backup Cooper Rush. 

Regarding fellow quarterback Michael Penix’s status, Stefanski recently said that he still hasn’t been cleared for full team activities. Penix is still working his way back from a torn ACL that was sustained during Week 11 of the 2025 season. 

The Panthers placed Scourton on injured reserve Friday after he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee on the first day of training camp. Scourton was reportedly in tears as he left the field, and his teammates came over to hug him as he exited. 

Head coach Dave Canales said at the time that Scourton would undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, and the results confirmed the second-year edge rusher had torn his ACL.

Bryan Bresee, DT, Saints 

The Saints were hit with awful news on Wednesday as it appears that Bresee suffered a season-ending ACL tear during Wednesday’s practice. A former first-round pick, Bresee has quietly become one of the NFL’s best defensive linemen. The Saints will now look to try to find his replacement for the upcoming season. 

The 2025 first-round pick’s Wednesday practice came to an abrupt end after his leg buckled. Stewart — who played in just eight games during his rookie season — was carted off the field shortly after sustaining the injury. According to ESPN, Stewart suffered a hyperextended knee with no ligament damage, which seems like best-case scenario given the initial reporting around the injury.

While the initial plan was for Brazzell to recover without surgery, a second opinion determined that a procedure to repair the moderate LCL tear in his left knee is the best course of action, according to The Athletic. The surgery will force Brazzell to miss his entire rookie season, which is a much longer timeline than the eight weeks that was presented in the immediate wake of his injury. The LCL tear does not appear to be related to the knee issue the third-round pick dealt with leading up to training camp.

Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers 

The former first-round pick is currently not practicing after experiencing swelling that is related to the PCL injury that he sustained last season. Pearsall is currently being evaluated by the team. 

Jordan James, RB 49ers 

James is expected to miss time after he suffered a rib fracture during Monday’s practice. The 49ers have yet to offer a timeline for his possible return. 

Malik Mustapha, S, 49ers 

Mustapha sat out Wednesday’s practice as he is dealing with a hamstring strain. Like James, Mustapha’s injury occurred during Monday’s practice. 

Reese Alexiades and DR Meadows had baseball dreams just like the rest of us – getting to the major leagues. But their journeys took them on a route unimaginable even less than five years ago.

Alexiades played college ball at Pepperdine University, while Meadows played for Division II school Columbus State. Neither played minor league ball, but they now play in front of one of the largest baseball crowds ever.

Alexiades and Meadows hit the big time in another way, becoming stars for the Savannah Bananas. Meadows is the organization’s all-time leader in “trick plays,” while Alexiades plays with a cape on.

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Savannah Bananas Reese Alexiades and DR Meadows meet with children at a children’s hospital with Dairy Queen. (Dairy Queen)

Despite selling out MLB ballparks and even playing in front of six-figure crowds at football stadiums, baseball purists will never get on board – unless, Alexiades says, “if they came to a game and caught an out.” (If a fan catches a ball on the fly, the batter is out.)

But what fans do not understand the most, Meadows says, is that, contrary to popular belief, their games are not “scripted” like, say, the Harlem Globetrotters.

“There’s a huge difference. In our league, all our teams are out to win. We’re very competitive… Just this past weekend, we lost two out of three in Chicago against the Firefighters, and our guys were not happy,” Meadows told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “At the end of the day, we’re there for a bigger picture: to put on a show for the fans, break down the wall for the kids there and put smiles on faces. That’s what makes Banana Ball beautiful. Even though we get to have fun competing, winning and losing, we still get to make somebody’s day.”

No one Meadows and Alexiades’ age grew up wanting to be Bananas – but that may have changed by now.

“One of the big reasons why I fell in love with baseball is looking up to other players. Now kids can look up to us, and what we’re all about is bringing fun to the game of baseball. Kids being able to see us and see how much fun we have, that’s what it’s all about. We try to be the best role models we can be for kids because the kids are what it’s all about,” Alexiades said.

Meadows added, “You see kids at the Little League World Series listing their favorite players, and some are Bananas players. To know we have that kind of platform — and like Reese was saying, it all comes from having fun, playing the game and having fun. Youth sports these days should be less pressure and a lot more fun. I think it’s cool that kids are getting to see how much fun we have and get to take that to their own game.”

The Savannah Bananas’ mascot Split dances atop the first base dugout. (Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

FORMER SAVANNAH BANANAS PLAYER NAMED MLB ALL-STAR, HOURS AFTER HITTING FOR CYCLE AS A ROOKIE

Alexiades and Meadows recently visited a children’s hospital in Tennessee to give them some Dairy Queen, and on Thursday, for every Blizzard bought at select locations, at least $1 will be donated to Children’s Miracle Network to help support local children’s hospitals.

“That’s the beauty of our platform and this partnership: We can really make an impact, and so can other people,” Alexiades said.

“Getting to see those kids, put a smile on their faces, bring them Blizzard Treats and enjoy those with them was super cool. The amount of joy DQ brings and the Bananas bring – it all made sense,” added Meadows.

So, while it may not be the big time they originally thought, it’s the 2026 version of the big time, which is just fine with the baseball player in a cape – literally and figuratively.

Members of the Savannah Bananas attend a children’s hospital with Dairy Queen. (Dairy Queen)

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“The whole goal is to be able to play the game we love for as long as we can. A lot of us, me included, and people in this organization have been told no at some point in their careers. The Bananas have given me a chance to keep going, keep playing and realize that it’s for a bigger purpose now,” Alexiades said.

“I get to go and probably have more fun than I would have ever had if I played in the major leagues. So I’m having the time of my life, and this is exactly where God put me.”

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The Cincinnati Bengals began their training camp on Wednesday, and fuses were lit almost immediately.

All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase found himself in the middle of quite the brouhaha during practice, launching a helmet in the process.

It’s not clear what started the ruckus between Chase and cornerbacks DJ Turner and Jalen Davis, but Chase “jawed with the entire defense,” according to WLWT.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase confronts cornerback DJ Turner II during training camp at Kettering Health Practice Fields in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 29, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

The Athletic also reported that a punch was thrown, but it’s not known by who.

Davis later told reporters that the skirmish was nothing more than “just competing.”

“That’s all it is,” he said.

In fact, he even said he wanted there to be a fight “every day.”

“I always feel like the energy’s gotta be like that. It’s gotta be like that on both sides of the field,” Davis added.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase confronts cornerback DJ Turner II during training camp at Kettering Health Practice Fields in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 29, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

BEARS LEGEND BRIAN URLACHER TALKS TEAM’S LIKELY MOVE, USC SON’S COLLEGE CAREER

Davis even squared up at Chase for a split second before cooler heads prevailed.

The Bengals defense hasn’t shown much fight in recent years, giving up the third-most points in the NFL last season and the seventh-most the year prior.

Chase was named a First-team All-Pro for the second time in as many years this past season, cementing himself as maybe the game’s best receiver. In his first five seasons, he has eclipsed 6,837 yards on 767 receptions and 54 touchdowns – an average of 113 catches, 1,490 yards and 11.8 scores per season.

Cincinnati went 6-11 last year and lost Joe Burrow to a severe case of turf toe.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’marr Chase confronts cornerback DJ Turner II during training camp at Kettering Health Practice Fields in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 29, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

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This brief fight wasn’t the only news out of Cincinnati, as defensive lineman Shemar Stewart suffered an ugly-looking leg injury and had to be carted off.

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Welcome back to our summer tracking series, where we take an in-depth look at some of the best talent in the NFL before the 2026 regular season begins. After ranking the best offensive lines last week, we turn our attention toward the defensive lines this week.

An defensive line’s key role is to stop opposing offense’s running plays and rush the quarterback on passing plays. They serve as the first line of defense and are a critical group for ever team. Here, we rank the five best defensive lines in the NFL for the 2026 season.

Tier 2: The Elite Operators

#5. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers boast a solid defensive line heading into the upcoming season. We have them at No. 5 on our list.

The Steelers’ defense will be led by veteran T.J. Watt. The eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end has recorded 115.0 sacks since the team drafted him in 2017.

Moreover, with Keanu Benton, Cameron Ward and Alex Highsmith, the Steelers have forged a formidable rearguard.

#4. Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos‘ defensive line has garnered some attention in the past few seasons. They are ranked at No. 4 on our list.

Denver’s star defensive end Zach Allen, who has been with the team for three seasons, is expected to play a key role for the franchise in the upcoming season. He has posted 32.0 sacks since being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019.

Moreover, Denver also has Eyioma Uwazurike, D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach as a defensive line that works well in a group.

#3. Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have arguably the most balanced defensive line in the league for the upcoming season. We’ve ranked them at No. 3.

The Eagles’ defensive will be led by two-time Pro Bowler Jalen Carter. The defensive tackle has recorded 108 tackles and13.5 sacks in three seasons with the franchise.

Philly’s defensive line is also boosted by Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo and Nolan Smith Jr., all of whom played key roles in helping the team win the Super Bowl in 2025.

Tier 1: The Gold Standard

#2. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans have become a force in the past few seasons due to their defensive line. We’ve ranked them at No. 2 on our list.

Will Anderson Jr. has grown into a key player for the franchise since Houston drafted him in 2023. The defensive end has racked up 136 tackles and 30.0 sacks in the past three seasons.

The Texans also have Logan Hall, Sheldon Rankins and Danielle Hunter that operates in a solid system.

#1. LA Rams

The LA Rams appear to have the most dominant defensive line in the NFL as we enter the 2026 season. We have ranked them at No. 1.

The Rams acquired defensive end Myles Garrett in a blockbuster trade this offseason. Garrett, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time Pro Bowler, set the record for the most sacks in a season (23.0) when he played for the Cleveland Browns last season.

With Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner and Byron Young filling up the defensive line, the Rams are considered on of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl.

Garrett and the Rams lead this week’s defensive line efficiency rankings. However, our list could change in the coming weeks, depending on the preseason performances and other factors. Stay tuned for our next edition, in which we will shed light on a different position on the gridiron.