Philadelphia loves to buy into the notion of having a 'quarterback factory,' and that's the biggest reason why the Eagles should give Cole Payton more preseason work, even while Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee continue competing for the backup quarterback job.

That does not mean Philadelphia should interrupt the QB2 evaluation. Dalton and McKee still need meaningful snaps against New England. The Eagles, however, already know more about both veterans than they know about Payton. Payton has more roster security than a typical bubble player because Philadelphia selected him in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL draft. Jalen Hurts is the unquestioned starter. The Eagles acquired Dalton in a trade with Carolina, while McKee returns after serving as Hurts’ primary backup last season.

Payton provided Philadelphia’s only spark in its 24-7 preseason loss to Baltimore. The fifth-round pick completed 4 of 9 passes for 37 yards and a touchdown while adding 45 rushing yards. His 17-yard scramble extended the Eagles’ lone scoring drive. Payton’s athletic ability offers something different from Dalton and McKee, but evaluating him exclusively against players near the bottom of opposing depth charts provides limited information. Philadelphia should give him one series earlier in the first half with a stronger supporting cast, and then allow him to drive the car the entire second half.

Howie Roseman has acknowledged the possibility of carrying four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster. That would be unusual, but Payton’s four-year rookie contract and developmental upside give the Eagles reasons to consider it. McKee is entering the final season of his contract, while Dalton represents a short-term veteran option. Payton could become Philadelphia’s primary backup candidate in 2027.

The Eagles must determine whether Dalton or McKee is QB2. They also need enough evidence to decide whether Payton can eventually replace both. More preseason snaps would help answer that question.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Should the Eagles give rookie QB Cole Payton more preseason snaps?

Barcelona haven’t even kicked off their 2026-27 La Liga campaign yet but there’s already a first look at next season’s home kit doing the rounds on social media.

Kit leaks are nothing new, of course, but seem to come earlier and earlier every season.

X account memorabilia1899, which has a good track record when it comes to Barcelona kit leaks, has posted the following image and claims it’s around “80 percent” accurate.

• 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞: 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕/𝟐𝟖 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐭

𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝟖𝟎% pic.twitter.com/JaF0ETqS8p

There’s already been plenty of speculation about next season’s home kit flying about and talk that Barcelona are working on a design that could incorporate the original club crest.

It’s not clear if that will actually happen but it certainly seems as if next year’s design will feature thin vertical stripes and some deeper Barcelona colors.

What do you think of the proposed design for next season’s home kit. Like it? Hate it? Total meh? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Against all odds, the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback, made it to the playoffs last season. Injuries to Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson certainly played a part in it, which became wildly apparent during their postseason game against the Houston Texans.

A blowout loss ended their year and triggered a coaching change that reunited the four-time MVP with Mike McCarthy as his head coach once again. However, for one analyst, that pairing comes with a huge question mark.

After a disastrous run with the New York Jets, Rodgers came to the Steelers amid a lot of fanfare. Unsurprisingly, though, the partnership wasn’t revolutionary even as they won the AFC North.

Over the course of the year, the former Super Bowl champion threw for 3,322 passing yards and 24 touchdowns against 7 interceptions. A passer rating of 94.8 was among the lowest of his entire career, and he finished at number 29 on PFN’s QB Impact Metric with an impact score of 71.9.

The offense as a whole was far from revolutionary, ranking at number 16 on PFN’s Offense Impact Metric. But even as they substitute an offense run by Arthur Smith for one Rodgers is familiar with, the switch might not be seamless.

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NFL analyst Jon Ledyard made an appearance on “The Mina Kimes Show”, where he questioned how effective a 42-year-old Rodgers would be in the system. Explaining the problem, he went into detail about the playstyle differences that now exist between them.

“I think the big question in this offense is the funniest one to ask: Is Aaron Rodgers a good fit for it? Which seems crazy considering it’s Mike McCarthy and considering the history the two of them have together,” Ledyard said. “But Aaron Rodgers hasn’t wanted to be a quarterback who’s dropped back with true pass sets and thrown the ball down the field and ripped it in the middle of the field.”

Instead, he believed that a lot of the issues from the offense last season stemmed directly from the Green Bay Packers legend. Rather than utilizing his arm strength and spending considerable time in the pocket, Ledyard believed that Rodgers had completely revamped his playstyle.

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“He really wanted to be a guy that, as much as we make fun of last year’s offense, and Arthur Smith certainly has his limitations as an offensive coordinator that were shown last year, too, Rogers wanted to play that way. He wanted to get the ball out quickly,” Ledyard added.

Rather than slinging it around the field, Ledyard argued, “He wanted to throw to backs a bunch. He didn’t want to get hit. He has not shown a great desire to drop back and rip the thing around the yard the way that McCarthy was.”

Ultimately, the regular season will provide many of these answers for fans in Pittsburgh. But the warning signs for a partnership between McCarthy and Rodgers in 2026 are impossible to ignore.

However, after the first game of the preseason, in which he threw for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13 passing attempts, while adding another score on the ground, Drew Allar might be a name that the franchise can turn to if things don’t pan out with Rodgers.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

Mark Mitchell has officially entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3’s Pete Nakos has learned. He goes in with a ‘Do Not Contact’ tag attached. Mitchell spent the last two years playing at Missouri under head coach Dennis Gates.

Four years of college basketball have already been played by Mitchell. However, a judge’s order in Kentucky provided him another season of eligibility. Mitchell obtained a temporary restraining order, becoming one of the many athletes to get back on the court through the courts.

Now, Mitchell could turn into one of the more prized players on the open market. Late August usually means coaches have full rosters and are not able to add players. However, times have changed in the landscape. Five-for-five opened the door for members of the 2022 recruiting class.

You have to imagine multiple high-level programs are interested in Mitchell. Having the ‘Do Not Contact’ while entering the portal usually serves as a sign as well. An interesting and potentially season-changing recruitment is on the horizon for a few head coaches.

Mitchell spent the last two seasons at Missouri after playing for the Duke Blue Devils from 2022-2024. This past season, the Kansas City, KS native was selected to the All-SEC Second Team after posting 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.

Before the NBA Draft, Gates described what makes Mitchell a great player. Mitchell played such a big role for Mizzou during the 2026-26 season that Gates thought there would be a role for him to find at the NBA level.

“The team is getting one of the most versatile players in the country,” Gates said via ABC 17. “Great size, great strength, great ability, one of the top guys in the country at drawing fouls, but also a guy that can facilitate. We were able to put him in a natural position, ultimately a position where he facilitated, a little bit of everything, brought the ball up the court. There’s not a position he didn’t play. He played the one through the five, and I’m just thankful we had the right players around him and also his accolades and those things that he was able to do.”

Mitchell played high school football at Mission (KS) Sunrise Christian Academy, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 23 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting media companies.

On3’s Brian Jones contributed to this report