Jori Epstein

Why is Ben Johnson trusting a 29-year-old first-time colleague to coordinate Bears’ offense, develop Caleb Williams? Meet Declan Doyle, and you’ll understand Doyle has been tasked with guiding franchise quarterback Caleb Williams' development. Early returns suggest he's ready for the challenge. Here's how he earned the right to take it on.

The Bears' decision to hire Declan Doyle as OC was unquestionably unusual.

He hadn't worked with Ben Johnson previously. He brought no OC nor HC experience. And he hadn't even hit his 29th birthday yet.

So why Declan? I set out to answer that question 👇
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Russell Wilson 'showed he’s resilient' in 450-yard outing that should silence calls for his benching for at least one week Could a flop on prime-time TV vs. the Chiefs reignite the QB debate? Perhaps. But Wilson should be safe this week. And if decision-makers are honest, it should guide them for weeks longer.

"Let Russ cook!" isn't dead yet. @joriepstein.bsky.social:

Did Aaron Glenn send harsh message cutting returner who fumbled? Jets players say it’s not that simple The Jets will not cut a player each time he turns the ball over, but they will hold players accountable for turnovers or other costly mistakes, like penalties.

Did Aaron Glenn send harsh message cutting Xavier Gipson after fumble?

“It wasn't necessarily a threat or anything indicating fear or a fearful message,” safety Andre Cisco told me. “He was just delivering a message about..."

My latest from Florham Park:
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As DK Metcalf faces longtime team, Seahawks may face a receiver who looks less familiar than they expect As the Steelers host the Seahawks this Sunday, the team that selected Metcalf in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft will have another chance to assess the player whom it traded after six seasons.

The text message hit Aaron Rodgers' phone last Tuesday.

In it: a Jets scouting report from DK Metcalf.

"It wasn’t a short one," Rodgers said. "He put a lot of time into it."

Why Rodgers & Metcalf could surprise Metcalf's former Seahawks this week 👇🏽
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Aaron Rodgers’ message after revenge in Steelers-Jets: 'Nice to remind those people that I still can’ He briefly cupped his ear as he walked off the field in what seemed like an acknowledgement of booing fans, and he briefly let his guard down when asked asked about Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.

Aaron Rodgers patted one MetLife staffer goodbye & granted photo request from another.

When the staffer struggled to work his phone, Rodgers tapped the bottom right of screen to flip the camera to selfie mode.

Just as he flipped the narrative with 4 TDs.

Latest:
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‘Spitting is childish’: In Cowboys-Eagles opener, Dak Prescott-Jalen Carter exchange injected early juice into game It’s hard to argue that the Eagles were not the better team Thursday. Even with Carter’s unusual ejection, they outlasted the Cowboys thanks in large part to a run game Dallas couldn’t stop in the fir...

In Cowboys locker room, Malik Hooker sat next to Dak: It was us in the first half.

Dak: Hell, that was us in the second.

“We didn’t think we were going undefeated, did we? Let’s be honest,” Dak said. “Would’ve been f***ing nice. But...now let’s build.”
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Thank you, I appreciate that!

'Sometimes you have to proactively do things that maybe are outside the box': Coming off Super Bowl title, Howie Roseman isn't resting As Eagles keep wheeling and dealing in pursuit of a second straight Super Bowl title, NFL sees Roseman "always trying to gain an edge."

From depth players to stars, Eagles pivot by design. Why?

“If you’re following some other trend, you’re on the back end of it &..not getting the benefit,” Howie Roseman told me. “Sometimes you have to proactively do things that maybe are outside the box.”
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25 in 2025: Jayden Daniels and the Commanders' support system will change the NFL Teams will not find an exact replica of the QB who made the Commanders' engine hum. But the infrastructure around Daniels has caught the attention of clubs determining how to mold their young quarterb...

As early as in pre-draft Zoom calls, Kliff Kingsbury rolled cutups of Jayden Daniels’ LSU tape & asked: What did you call this play? Tell me about your read here.

That allowed Commanders to lean on Jayden's strengths early, from up-tempo to the Y-cross:
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25 in 2025: Jayden Daniels and the Commanders' support system will change the NFL Teams will not find an exact replica of the QB who made the Commanders' engine hum. But the infrastructure around Daniels has caught the attention of clubs determining how to mold their young quarterb...

Each practice day, right around 6 a.m., Jayden Daniels’ phone rings.

Kliff Kingsbury delivers a play call to his QB over the phone then releases from the line as OC becomes WR.

My latest on the pre-walkthrough walkthroughs & a recipe ripe for success 👇
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25 in 2025: Game changers to watch in the NFL Whose work in the NFL has created such an impact that the league ecosystem must respond? Whose cutting-edge ideas will shift the direction of competitive norms and entertainment landscapes?

Who will shape the NFL in 2025? Charles Robinson & I spent the summer asking coaches, players, execs & more what to watch. Some forces were obvious; others surprised us. Throughout, we learned.

Pumped to present our @yahoosports.bsky.social 25 Game Changers in 2025:
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From surprise snaps to voicenotes, Jaxson Dart is finding his way in crowded Giants QB room Learning from Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, Jaxson Dart’s early Giants impressions are encouraging.

One reason Jaxson Dart likes Giants offense: the freedom.

“Sometimes you’ll see something defensively in the game & you’re like, ‘I want to get to this’ & you have the full freedom to do that,” Jaxson told me. “As a rookie, you don’t get that everywhere.”

My latest:
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From surprise snaps to voicenotes, Jaxson Dart is finding his way in crowded Giants QB room Learning from Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, Jaxson Dart’s early Giants impressions are encouraging.

One reason Jaxson Dart likes Giants offense: the freedom.

“Sometimes you’ll see something defensively in the game & you’re like, ‘I want to get to this’ & you have the full freedom to do that,” Jaxson told me. “As a rookie, you don’t get that everywhere.”

My latest:
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'This is the guy': Patriots took TreVeyon Henderson for talent rather than top need — and early returns support that The rookie's demonstration of his explosive play ability at the pro level, even in the preseason, checked another box for the Patriots. Their suspicion: He’ll be a problem for opponents.

Before round 2 of draft, Patriots eyed 3 guys. De facto GM Eliot Wolf sat down to watch 100 TreVeyon Henderson carries.

“I watched 15 runs & I was like, ‘What am I doing? This is the guy,’” Eliot told me. “An opportunity to get a weapon.”

My latest from Patriots 👇🏽
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Puka Nacua: Rams addition Davante Adams is ‘adding tools to everybody’s skill set’ Adams brings to the Rams WR room a perspective that Cooper Kupp did not. Kupp’s eight strong seasons all came with L.A. (until the Seahawks signed him this spring) and all came under head coach Sean M...

Puka Nacua feels like "a kid in a candy store" starting his career with Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and now Davante Adams.

Caught up with him on what Davante's taught him, from marrying slant & fade in red zone to embracing negative leverage to help his shoulder..
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What trait has followed @joriepstein.bsky.social throughout her career, from SI to Yahoo?

“It’s staying true to who I am, which is a super nerdy, super people-loving person who wants first and foremost to care about you.”

🔗: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

YouTube video by Breaking In With Kevin Fishbain Yahoo's Jori Epstein on NFL Reporting, Her Book 'The Upstander' & Career Advice

"Breaking In with Kevin Fishbain" Episode 18

Guest: @joriepstein.bsky.social

Learn how Yahoo's national NFL reporter got her start in sports media, and what her advice is to aspiring journalists

Apple
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

Spotify
open.spotify.com/episode/1Uda...

YouTube

Dak never sat out training camp. So why support Micah?

“I wear a red jersey-I'm going to be protected unless something freakish happens," Dak said. "Micah plays a completely different position where guys are getting tripped up, tumbled all the time. As far as business, you just can't do that."

Jerry Jones didn’t respond to Micah Parsons’ trade request — but here’s what Dak Prescott told the Cowboys star rusher There’s a real possibility that the Cowboys play out Parsons’ fifth-year option and place a franchise tag on him come spring. Prescott knows that from experiencing the tag firsthand before his initial...

When Micah Parsons announced his trade request, Dak texted Micah: “F***, man.”

“It wasn’t f*** you, Micah, or f*** them,” Dak told me. “It’s more of a f***— this is frustrating for everybody involved.”

My latest from Cowboys camp👇🏽
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As Cowboys & Micah Parsons remain without extension, a primary holdup is Jerry Jones belief he & Micah had deal, multiple sources confirm @diannarussini.bsky.social reporting.

Jerry-Micah direct meeting complicated this. But Micah's told team & said publicly: Negotiate with my agent. They haven't.

As Terry McLaurin's hold-in continues, Kliff Kingsbury’s Commanders offense is coming at Deebo Samuel fast The Commanders and 49ers were on opposite ends of the no-huddle spectrum last season. That makes for a big adjustment for Samuel in Washington.

Often I'll ask guys on new teams if system is similar & they'll say yes-it's all football.

Deebo Samuel's response: "Not at all."

Because after 49ers 3.2% no-huddle rate, he's now with Commanders who used it 61.5% of 2024.

Commanders coming at you fast:
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NFL training camp tour 2025: From Cowboys to Steelers, check out our stories from the road Yahoo Sports Senior NFL Reporters Charles Robinson and Jori Epstein are hitting camps across the country these next few weeks. Read about your team and the rest of their work right here.

Miss any of @robinsonreports.bsky.social or @joriepstein.bsky.social's stories from their nationwide NFL training camp tour?

Catch up on all of them right here. So far they've hit:

Chargers
Lions
Cowboys
Bengals
Rams
Steelers

With plenty more to come 💪

From route cues to toilet flushing, Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf are getting to know each other quickly at Steelers camp The Steelers prioritized players who could contribute immediately while not fully sacrificing their future. “I think we’re going to shock a lot of people,” Metcalf said.

To flush or not to flush? We get to the bottom of things at Steelers camp. @joriepstein.bsky.social:

From route cues to toilet flushing, Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf are getting to know each other quickly at Steelers camp The Steelers prioritized players who could contribute immediately while not fully sacrificing their future. “I think we’re going to shock a lot of people,” Metcalf said.

When Aaron Rodgers realized toilet in his & DK Metcalf's suite flushed loudly, QB told WR: "At night, if we got to piss, just don't flush the toilet."

9:30 Wednesday night, DK texted: "You asleep yet?" Aaron wasn't.

"Bet. I'm about to flush the toilet."

Latest👇🏽
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I talked to Steelers rookie QB Will Howard today about where he has the most room for growth and he broke it down in depth.

"I have power, but sometimes I have these movements that I do that are a little power-zapping," Will told me.

Full 👇

Maybe a little as coaches naturally aren't the ones making financial decisions. But I felt similar sentiment from coaches & front office, each a little antsier than the locker room where you have players who have been in that situation before

Strong stuff from @joriepstein.bsky.social at Bengals camp on the Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart holdouts, what's going into them, and how other key figures on the team are feeling about them

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As Bengals open training camp without Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart, Ja’Marr Chase sees ‘a lot of feelings involved’ Multiple players and coaches reflected more concern about Stewart’s absence than Hendrickson’s given the rookie’s inexperience compared to Hendrickson entering Year 9.

As Bengals open training camp without Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart, Ja’Marr Chase sees “a lot of feelings involved,” he tells me.

Latest from Cincy on why two edges are holding out—and how team is responding 👇🏽
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Is Jared Goff underrated? Lions embracing their ‘not too flashy’ QB as offense shifts out of Ben Johnson's hands “He is a superstar, but he’s not a diva,” left tackle Taylor Decker said. “And I say that endearingly, in a positive light: He’s just like a regular guy.”

Lions think Jared Goff's underrated. They also think that's fitting.

“He’s been underrated his whole career & I don’t think that’ll ever go away,” Amon-Ra St. Brown told me. “You look at a guy like Jared, I mean he’s not too flashy. But he’s consistent.”

Full:
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Joe Burrow says it’s “disappointing” Bengals edge rushers Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart aren’t here for camp’s start amid contract disputes