NFL.com provides highlights and buzz below from Friday's training camps across the league.
First-rounder Carter brings 'fastball' to Giants camp
New York Giants rookie pass rusher Abdul Carter has turned heads since the pads came on during training camp.
Fellow Big Blue quarterback disruptors Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux joined NFL Network's Inside Training Camp Live on Friday, praising what the Penn State product brings to the table. Burns noted that Carter's ability to move around the formation, from edge to linebacker to inside, will allow the trio of pass rushers to be in the game together.
"He does [have a lot of juice for the game]," Burns said of Carter. "Honestly, just using his versatility to our benefit. It's imperative that we move him around because you don't want him in one spot, and he can do so much. We're all similar body types, so we all can really be interchangeable. As long as we know exactly the concepts of the games that we're running and the concept of the play, we can all be in different spots."
Thibodeaux added that having a youngster like Carter on the line keeps the entire group pushing to improve.
"Yeah, I think it's been dope, too. He has a fastball, and he's using it," Thibs said. "Seeing somebody young and confident and what they're doing -- we've got a lot of older guys with Nacho (Rakeem Nunez-Roches), with (Dexter Lawrence), with Burns now kind of in the prime of his career -- but having more young guys in [the building] that have confidence in their moves, and throwing them and using them and also moving them around and using them in different spots, it's definitely invigorating."
Carter's injection into a previously struggling Big Blue defense gives the Giants a weekly advantage. The pass rush trio of Burns, Thibodeaux, Carter and Lawrence will be a menace to offensive lines and quarterbacks alike. If the New York defense takes a giant leap forward in 2025, that will go a long way toward digging the club out of the cellar of the NFC East.
-- Kevin Patra
Wilson-Nabers connection heating up
On the offensive side of the ball, Russell Wilson and Malik Nabers continue to find a groove as QB1 and WR1 in East Rutherford. The duo connected for another impressive score in Friday's practice.
-- Around The NFL staff
Evans has found 'fountain of youth'
The Buccaneers boast arguably the best receiving corps in the league on paper, but there's no doubting who the No. 1 option is. It's been the same guy for the past decade: Mike Evans.
Entering his 12th year in Tampa Bay and the pros, Evans is apparently still the standard with the Bucs. At the ripe old age of 31, he's even surprised his longtime coach this summer.
"This is probably the freshest I've seen him in training camp from a fresh in practice standpoint and a competing standpoint. I've never seen him better," Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said on NFL Network's Inside Training Camp Live coverage on Friday. "Usually he gets a tweak here and there and has to sit out. He hasn't had that. He's been jumping in every time. He blocks. He runs routes. It looks like he's having more fun than he's ever had and he's found the fountain of youth.
"We're gonna ride him 'til the cows come home."
Whether the Bucs need to this year is another question. Tampa Bay drafted Emeka Egbuka in the first round to pair with Evans, Jalen McMillan and Chris Godwin, who is still rehabbing a season-ending leg injury. When that room is fully healthy, Bowles expects big things from all involved, starting with the rookie
"Emeka is doing an outstanding job with Chris out," Bowles said of Egbuka. "It's like he's been here the entire time. He plays like a vet. He understands the game, but he wants to be great."
The Bucs are going for their fifth straight NFC South title in 2025 -- and fourth under Bowles. With Evans and Egbuka showing out already in camp, Tampa Bay's coach has to be feeling good about their chances.
-- Jeremy Bergman
Allen dons red throwback helmet for annual Bills scrimmage
Josh Allen's arrival for Friday's scrimmage at Highmark Stadium ought to get Bills Mafia excited for the 2025 season.
The star quarterback jogged onto the field wearing the classic red Bills helmet, previewing the long-awaited return of a shell that hasn't been worn in decades. Making the occasion even more special was that Allen was the only player wearing the red helmet, which harkens back to the glory days in Buffalo when the Bills went to four-straight Super Bowls.
The Bills announced the return of the red helmet on July 22 and it will be worn in the regular-season finale -- the last scheduled game at Highmark Stadium, barring a playoff home game.
-- Michael Baca
