For the fifth year in a row, the Atlanta Falcons could enter the season with a new starting quarterback. The team is having an open competition between Michael Penix Jr. and veteran Tua Tagovailoa for the QB1 job.
Tagovailoa seems to have the early advantage being the healthier of the two quarterbacks, and his veteran experience could help him secure the job. Nonetheless, the Falcons are going to make sure the best man wins the job.
The national media seems to be convinced that it's Tagovailoa's gig to lose, but that doesn't mean we won't see both quarterbacks in 2026. In fact, Tua was listed as one of Bleacher Report's eight quarterbacks who could be benched this season.
"Another significant injury would quickly open the door for Penix or Trevor Siemian, as would a stretch of poor play," wrote B/R's Kristopher Knox. "Atlanta doesn't have much invested in the former Miami Dolphins starter, and if Tagovailoa can't deliver a playoff run, the Falcons will give Penix another chance to prove he can be the long-term answer. Of course, if Tagovailoa and Penix both battle injuries and/or underwhelm, Siemian could end up steering the ship down the stretch while the Falcons eye that 2027 QB class."
Tagovailoa was benched late in the 2025 season by the Miami Dolphins, leading to his release over the offseason. The Falcons were able to land Tua for the veteran minimum, which was a savvy move that gives the team another starting-caliber QB without paying an arm and a leg (aka the Kirk Cousins contract).

The Indianapolis Colts have officially signed offensive lineman Jalen Farmer to his rookie contract, and Over the Cap has the contract details and salary cap hits.
This four-year deal for Farmer totals $5.570 million, which averages out to $1.392 million per year. Farmer received a signing bonus of $1.190 million as well.
Farmer will earn a base salary of $885,000 for the 2026 season, and that figure will increase each season, maxing out at $1.280 million in 2029, the final year of his deal.
The aforementioned signing bonus will be prorated for salary cap purposes over the life of the contract, accounting for $297,676 against the cap each season.
2026: $1.182M

Alexander Blessin is reportedly leaving his position as FC St. Pauli head coach one year before his contract expires.
According to Bild, the 53-year-old and the relegated Bundesliga club have decided to part ways.
The report claims that the decision has been made because Blessin and St. Pauli were unable to agree on the club’s future direction.
Blessin took over at St. Pauli following the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga two years ago after Fabian Hürzeler left to join Brighton & Hove Albion.

HOUSTON (AP) — Cam Smith hit a tiebreaking two-run triple to cap Houston’s six-run eighth inning, Isaac Paredes homered and the Astros overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-9 on Wednesday night.
Yordan Alvarez had four hits and two RBIs for the Astros. Smith and Paredes had two hits and three RBIs apiece, and Jeremy Peña went 2 for 3 with a double.
AJ Blubaugh (3-2) pitched the eighth inning to get the victory. Josh Hader made his season debut and worked a scoreless ninth for the save, ending the Pirates' winning streak at four.
Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti, who went 4-1 in five starts with a 0.93 ERA in May, allowed four runs in four innings.
Henry Davis hit his first career grand slam in the fourth inning for Pittsburgh. Nick Gonzalez had a homer, double and three RBIs.

Alan Hays wasn't the only state hopeful on the Bloomington North boys track team with plenty of hurdles in his way this season.
The Cougars were runner-ups last year and three-time indoor champs, and with most of the crew back, they're looking to grab the first outdoor state ******* le in school history. But things hadn't gone as planned, and until last week's regional, competing for the top spot was suddenly in doubt.
Bodies healed well enough among a few of North's star athletes, but the reason they could bide their time, especially when it came to the Cougars' three relays that all made it to state, was due to the depth and talent around them.
More: Bloomington area athletes to watch at IHSAA boys state track meet
"I'm pretty impressed," North senior Caelan D'Onofrio said. "We've had so many guys step up. Our depth is insane. This is one of the strongest teams I've ever seen overall. We used to be just a heavy distance program, but we've seen everyone come along."

To mark the occasion of CMA Fest 2026, the Tennessee ******* ans hosted a tour of the new Nissan Stadium construction site, showing the progress being made on the future home of the ******* ans while emphasizing some of the features the new stadium will be able to boast when hosting concerts.
Not much has changed from a timeline perspective. The expectation is that the structure will be enclosed October 2026 and completed February 2027. Progress continues on the roof; the first level of cables are in place and more cables are being raised by the day. Objects shaped like long candlesticks are dangling mid-air about 30 feet below their eventual position in the roof, and they'll slowly be pulled across along with ETFE cables to make up the structure.
Once the roof is completed, construction will be able to begin on internal structures and fixtures such as seats that require weather-locking to be installed.
Football fans accustomed to reading about the perks of the new Nissan Stadium will be familiar with several of the selling points for concerts. Seats will be about 30% closer to the action. The outdoor terraces are expected to be open on performance days, giving spectators the options for fresh air congregation and great views of the city.