WESTFIELD, Ind. — Charvarius Ward Sr. is used to playing defense, so when his son reached for the mic Thursday during his post-practice news conference, the Indianapolis Colts cornerback quickly swiped his hand away. A smile flashed across Ward’s face as he held Charvarius Jr., with his fiancée (Junior’s mom) just a few feet away.

Months ago, Ward couldn’t envision that cute moment as he contemplated his football future.

“I was probably like 85 percent sure I was gonna retire,” Ward said. “But I found a different ‘why,’ a different purpose. Doing it for Junior (my son), doing it for my daughter, Amani. They bring me joy. … They put me in like a very emotional mental state to come out here and play.”

Charvarius Ward Sr. on his second #Colts camp:

“It felt like I belong out here. I was probably like 85% sure I was gonna retire. But I found a different ‘why,’ a different purpose. Doing it for Jr., doing it for Amani, my daughter (who passed away). They bring me joy. …” pic.twitter.com/2T20KMzMV0

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) July 30, 2026

Ward’s daughter, Amani, died in October 2024 due to heart issues, yet he still talks about her in the present. He’s been very candid about navigating her death, even admitting in the spring that during last year’s training camp, his mind and heart weren’t really into football. His struggles were only compounded by suffering three concussions in his first season with the Colts. The trauma, on and off the field, made him think about walking away from the game.

“You can talk to my girl; you can talk to my mom; you can talk to my agent,” Ward said. “I was pretty sure I was done.”

Ward said in the spring that he’s talked to professional therapists to help him better cope with the loss of his daughter. But from a football perspective, he added Thursday that it wasn’t until he started training again that his “spirit was lifted and boosted” enough for him to return to the field.

The flashes Ward has displayed throughout the Colts’ first two training camp practices have been exciting for a defense that needs Ward at the peak of his powers. The 2023 second-team All-Pro, who said he’s wearing a “new-and-improved” helmet and will consider wearing a Guardian Cap as well, has been stifling in coverage alongside fellow outside cornerback Sauce Gardner. On Tuesday, the two produced pass breakups on back-to-back plays, which Ward warned was only a glimpse of their potential.

“Honestly, man, we’re two of the best in the world,” Ward said. “I don’t really want to make any crazy predictions, but I feel like we can be the deepest and the best secondary in the league.”

Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo praised Ward and Gardner, a two-time first-team All-Pro, as proven playmakers in the secondary, and Ward is eager to prove himself again. The 30-year-old, who went undrafted in 2018, said he’s already accomplished all he dreamed of in the NFL by securing two life-changing contracts and winning the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020. Now, after being limited to a career-low seven games last year due to repeated concussions, Ward said his goal is to play free and fearlessly.

“I’m not worried about giving up a touchdown, because I went through the worst stuff imaginable that anybody can go through — losing a child,” Ward said. “That was bad. Giving up a touchdown, giving up a catch, that’s not bad to me anymore. I feel like I have nothing to lose anymore, so (I) just go out (there) and have fun and ball out.”

With his first pick

Daniel Jones took all of the first-team QB reps for the second straight day. The veteran was sharp for the most part, completing 7 of 9 passes in 11-on-11 drills. However, he was intercepted by linebacker Austin Ajiake. As Jones rolled to his right, he faced heavy pressure from defensive end Laiatu Latu, who likely would’ve sacked him in a real game. After Latu eased up, Jones tried to sneak a pass in near the sideline, but Ajiake made him pay by jumping the route and picking off the pass.

Backup quarterbacks Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson Sr. continued splitting reps, but they flip-flopped Thursday. Leonard was the first to step in behind Jones after Richardson went first Wednesday. Leonard finished 4-for-5 passing Thursday while Richardson was 3-for-4. Cornerback Cameron Mitchell picked off Richardson during seven-on-sevens after throwing a pass that was slightly high to rookie wide receiver Deion Burks. The ball went through Burks’ hands and probably should’ve been caught, but the miscue led to an easy interception for Mitchell.

Wohler and Walley’s starting reps

Second-year defensive backs Hunter Wohler and Justin Walley didn’t play last year due to a Lisfranc injury and torn ACL, respectively, but they’ve already appeared to make up for lost time. The two have played primarily with the first-team defense through the first two days of camp. Wohler has started at strong safety opposite of free safety Cam Bynum, while Walley has manned the slot.

Anarumo said no one should read too much into Wohler, a 2025 seventh-round pick, playing first-string reps over rookie second-round pick A.J. Haulcy. The plan is to “roll certain guys (on) certain days,” the coordinator explained, so Haulcy will likely get a shot with the starters soon. Anarumo was much more bullish on Walley, a 2025 third-round pick, who’s poised to replace 2021 Pro Bowler Kenny Moore II as the team’s top nickelback.

“Walley’s picked up where he left off last year,” Anarumo said. “I’m a big Walley fan.”

A few more nuggets

• Rookie fourth-round pick Bryce Boettcher continues to take starting linebacker reps in the absence of rookie second-round pick CJ Allen (calf).

• Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (neck surgery) has only taken part in individual drills so far as he gets reacclimated to practice.

• Wide receiver Alec Pierce (left ankle surgery) spent time on the sideline talking to his position coach/Colts legend, Reggie Wayne. The two briefly played catch together for the second straight day, only throwing stationary passes from about 5 yards apart. Notably, Pierce is no longer walking with a limp he had in the spring. Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that his team’s top wideout is one or two weeks away from practicing.

PHILADELPHIA — Keep a closer eye on the football when watching the Philadelphia Eagles offense this season.

Misdirection was a theme in first-time offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s playbook installation Thursday. Receivers motioned in and out of the backfield at a noticeably higher rate than they had under past play-callers. Coach Nick Sirianni has had a tepid relationship with using motion. At times, he’s intimated it can be frivolous. He tolerated it under former OC Kellen Moore, but mostly when it was the primary part of a play.

The takeaways from Thursday should focus less on the motions themselves, and more on the misdirections they served. That the motions demonstrate purpose underlines why Sirianni will welcome their increased usage. In team drills, Jalen Hurts faked a toss to the left and booted right before flinging a low pass to DeVonta Smith, who scooped the catch after curling back toward the right side of the field. Later, Hurts dropped back in play-action and flipped a leftward pitch to a motioning Elijah Moore. On another play, Makai Lemon motioned from right to left, and, as the defense followed Lemon (accompanied by the offensive line’s own footwork), Hurts handed the ball off to Tank Bigsby, who burst through a wide-open hole for a long touchdown run.

It is presumptive to reach conclusions through just two days of practice. Jordan Mailata, a two-time team captain at left tackle, was quick to point out, “I don’t want to say misdirection is a big thing right now; we’ve only installed so many plays.” But the concept’s efficacy is being proven — and the Eagles aren’t hiding their trickery in public practices. That Mannion is installing misdirection on Day 2 suggests it is indeed a foundational part of this offense, on which future installations in training camp will build.

This was the early manifestation of Mannion’s plan to meld the run and pass game together into similar-looking concepts that can confuse defenses. Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay have long terrorized opponents with such concepts, and Sirianni sought to adopt them after the 2025 Eagles logged a negative total offensive EPA (-2.61), the first in his five-year tenure. Bigsby’s burst showcased both how such concepts can revamp a run game that fielded the lowest EPA in the Sirianni era last year (-24.81) and also boost explosive plays (rushes of 10-plus yards, passes of 16-plus yards). The 2025 Eagles recorded 138 such plays, another era low.

“I have a chance to be really good in this system, too,” Saquon Barkley said Wednesday. “I’ve seen it from afar, but now actually studying it and working in it and trying to put myself in the system, I feel like it’s going to open up some things that I may not have been able to show in my career. So, I’m excited for that part of it, too.”

Here are more observations on Day 2:

On the passing game

• The deep ball is still a Hurts specialty. And he’s demonstrating he can deliver them under center. In one of the most impressive sequences of camp yet, Hurts, under center against the third-team defense, rolled left and set his feet before heaving a deep pass to Dontayvion Wicks, who leaped between defenders and came down with the catch. Hurts did throw a wobbly deep ball to DeVonta Smith that fell short and incomplete. But Hurts also launched a pair of passes in warmups that caught my eye — albeit with no defenders. Elijah Moore and Wicks tracked both passes and caught them in stride, which aligns with Sirianni’s preference for both receivers to separate atop their routes. Lemon bobbled another deep ball but was able to secure it.
• Hurts was not as consistent on deep crossers as he was Wednesday. He sailed one such attempt while trying to fit what would’ve been a tough completion with Riq Woolen in tight coverage.
• It was a rough day for Cole Payton. The fifth-round lefty out of North Dakota State threw three interceptions Thursday. His first was a throw that was too high for Danny Gray, who tipped the ball, and edge rusher A.J. Epenesa dove for the pick. Depth linebacker Chance Campbell snagged the second. Then, near the end of practice, Payton slowly let loose a short pass to the left in team drills, and edge rusher Keyshawn James-Newby jumped it for a pick-six.

On the position battles

• Safety: Marcus Epps and Drew Mukuba were first paired together with the first-team defense in team drills. But Michael Carter II also got reps with Mukuba. Carter also paired with Cooper DeJean in some base looks. Epps appears to have the edge, given that he’s gone first on consecutive days. Still, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said he plans to “mix and match” safeties and inside linebackers in practice — that way, they won’t be playing beside each other for the first time if an in-game emergency calls for substitutions.
• QB2: Sirianni said Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton would split reps at QB2. Dalton took the first snaps with the second-team unit in team drills. Dalton, who had most of the second-team reps, had a nice day. He fit a tight throw to Quez Watkins along the right sideline against Mac McWilliams in team drills.
• TE2: Johnny Mundt was the first out with the first-team unit for the second straight day.

On the offensive line

• Third-team offensive tackle Cameron Williams went down in team drills and had his right leg checked on by trainers. They brought the cart out, but Williams was helped up and walked off the field under his own power. It was the first injury of training camp.
• The second-team offensive line was the same as it was Wednesday: Fred Johnson at left tackle, Myles Hinton at left guard, Jake Majors at center, Drew Kendall at right guard, Markel Bell at right tackle.

Extras

• Fangio said edge rusher Jonathan Greenard will “miss a good bit of camp.” Greenard, who signed a four-year, $100 million deal after the Eagles traded for him, was placed on the PUP list with a pectoral strain he sustained before training camp. Fangio said Greenard is “a veteran player” who “knows how to play.” However, Fangio said he’s going to be asking Greenard to drop “occasionally” in coverage, which Greenard hasn’t often done in his career. “That’s really what he’s going to be missing with his time off,” Fangio said. “… I do think he’s capable of it. But he’s gotta learn it. And the only way you learn it is to do it. He does a good job in the meetings. He’s focused, watching practice, but it’s not the same.”
• Fangio said the experiment of potentially moving Jihaad Campbell to the edge full-time is “pretty much” over. The Eagles are focused on keeping Campbell, the No. 31 pick in 2025, as their starting inside linebacker and developing him there. GM Howie Roseman noted Campbell’s pass-rushing ability upon drafting him. Fangio said Campbell still “may line up” along the edge “on occasion.”
• DeJean says he feels “a lot more comfortable” playing safety in base packages than he did in OTAs. He was named a first-team All-Pro last year as the defense’s starting nickel, but also played outside cornerback in base packages. The defense’s diminishing depth at safety prompted Fangio to move DeJean there in similar situations. DeJean said he spent the offseason working on his drops within different breaks. He pedals backward faster depending on what spot of the field he’s starting from, and he’s working on his technique and timing. “(I’m) just trying to perfect that.”
• Woolen, a free-agent signing at outside cornerback, said he’s embracing new techniques and asks within Fangio’s system. The 6-4, 210-pound defensive back was often used in press-man coverages in four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. But Woolen said he’s “playing a little bit more off” the ball in Philadelphia. “In my game, I would like that,” Woolen said. “I’m known (as) a press corner. But, yeah, it’d be nice not to press every play, too, right? So just to give a receiver a different look, it’s pretty awesome. And to be able to learn under Vic is amazing.”

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — If you want to know how John Harbaugh knew Abdul Carter had a good second day of practice at New York Giants training camp, the coach shared a little behind-the-scenes insight.

“He smiled a couple of times (Thursday),” Harbaugh said after practice. “That was the first time I’ve seen him smile since camp started, so that was good to see.”

The truth, of course, is that no one in attendance on Thursday needed to see Carter’s face to know he had a good day. The second-year edge rusher made that plenty apparent with his play; he lived in the offensive backfield as part of an impressive showing from the Giants defense overall. He tallied at least 1.5 sacks Thursday, and if a play broke down, there was a solid chance Carter was not far from quarterback Jaxson Dart.

And if you somehow didn’t see Carter wreaking havoc on Thursday, well, you probably heard about it. From him.

Carter talked a lot of trash during Thursday’s practice, especially before and after his reps against star left tackle Andrew Thomas.

“Probably Abdul’s talking more, and Andrew is just kind of looking at him,” Harbaugh said.

Thomas, a quieter presence unless it’s a cheap hit, stayed true to his character Thursday.

“That’s all defenders,” Thomas said of the trash talk with Carter. “They make one play, and they are the best. You get a sack a game, you are an All Pro. I’m all about consistency. I love the competition. I want that. I never say much. I just speak with how I play.”

But Thomas wasn’t too happy about what his play said about him on Thursday.

“I never get excited when I lose,” Thomas said. “When it’s Sunday, it’s just us, obviously, I’m cheering for those guys. But in practice, I want to win every rep, just like they do.”

Given there’s still extended time before the season-opener on Sept. 13 — heck, the pads haven’t even come on yet — it’s safe to expect there will be plenty more battles between the veteran left tackle and the blossoming pass rusher. Harbaugh sees that as a big benefit for the younger player.

“It can help him a ton,” Harbaugh said of Carter. “Plus, they talk. It’s not just going against each other, but that’s where it starts. And then they talk about the plays afterwards on tape. They might talk a little bit at each other during practice, but afterwards they’re talking about the play itself and sharing ideas. And a guy like AT will give him a lot of pointers.”

Thomas is already seeing growth in the early days of Carter’s second season.

“He’s stringing his moves together better,” Thomas said. “He’s using his power more, and you can tell he just has a better understanding for different types of blocks, different types of attacks, recognizing play schemes.”

That’s welcome news for the Giants. The No. 3 pick of the 2025 class, Carter was benched twice in three weeks for missing a team activity last season. But Carter’s rookie year ended on an upward trajectory. He led the league in quick pressures with 48, according to Next Gen Stats, and tallied a team-high 66 total pressures to go along with four sacks, per TruMedia. While those were impressive stats for the rookie, anyone who’s seen his explosiveness on display knows he’s capable of so much more.

“I’ve seen an amazing work ethic and a really deep determination to do every little thing right,” Harbaugh said. “Very serious-minded guy.”

Camp fluctuates with different sides of the ball having good and bad days, but Carter’s early dominant showings are a good sign for a defense that will be highly dependent on its star-studded pass rush, which also features Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Not only is it one of the most well-paid position groups on the team, but there are major question marks about the supporting cast, particularly along the defensive line and in the secondary. The line depth was thin before the Dexter Lawrence trade, and the Giants still can’t be completely confident in what they have at cornerback despite some recent heavy investment (both in draft capital and free-agent money). The pass rushers’ ability to apply quick pressure will only alleviate the time the secondary has to spend in coverage.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. For now, we’re just two days into training camp. The next, most important step for Carter is maintaining his explosive play down over down — first in training camp, then in practice and finally, once the season arrives.

“Being a complete player on the edge,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll move him around, too. That includes even dropping him into coverage sometimes. All those things. Play the run, rush the passer, all the movements, stunts, things like that. Cover for guys on movements. All those things that he’s determined to do, I’ve heard him say it many times, to be a complete player.”