To help you prepare for the NFL season, here are some of AP's coverage plans. For questions, please contact Assistant Sports Editor Ed Montes (emontes@ap.org).

An up-to-the minute listing of all stories planned, including games and events, is available in Coverage Plan on AP Newsroom, https://newsroom.ap.org/coverageplan. Sports content can be found at http://newsroom.ap.org/page/APSports For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477.

This advisory will be updated. All times Eastern.

Previews

— NFL Season Preview: The season kicks off on a Wednesday night with a Super Bowl rematch between the Seahawks and Patriots, followed by the first of an unprecedented nine international games when the Rams host the 49ers in Australia. And that's just the start of the 2026 season. By Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi. Moving on Aug. 31.

— Division previews (750 words each, with photos) moving on Sept. 1: Stories looking at each division.

— Team preview capsules (700 words each, with photos) moving on Sept. 2: Capsules on each of the 32 teams, including expectations for the season, new additions and key loses.

— Pro Picks Season Preview: By Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi. Moving on Sept. 3.

Features:

FBN--Injury Comebacks: The list of players who ended the 2025 season on the injured list looked like an All-Star cast with stars like Patrick Mahomes, Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, George Kittle and Malik Nabers all going down with season-ending injuries. Here’s a look at their comeback attempts this season. By Josh Dubow. UPCOMING: 850 words, photos on Aug. 10.

FBN--New Coaches: Robert Saleh’s second chance as an NFL head coach came in Tennessee with the Titans. He has lots of company being a head coach with a new franchise. The NFL tied its record with 10 head coaches hired by new teams this offseason, matching the previous high last reached in 2022. John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski also are with their second teams. Mike McCarthy joined the list of men to coach three different franchises after going home in Pittsburgh. The other six all are in their first NFL training camps as head coaches. By Teresa M. Walker. SENT: 700 words, photos on Aug. 4.

FBN--Prove-It Players: FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Breece Hall has a new contract with the New York Jets and a strong desire to prove himself. Hall is among several NFL players with something to prove this season. Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield feels disrespected by the Buccaneers for not getting the contract extension he wanted. Meanwhile, quarterbacks such as Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson, Minnesota’s Kyler Murray, Miami’s Malik Willis and Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. are trying to show they’re the answer for their teams. By Dennis Waszak Jr. SENT: 900 words, photos on Aug. 3.

FBN--Worst To First: Going from last place to first in the division is far from an oddity in the NFL. There have been 27 teams since the 2002 realignment that followed up a last-place finish with a division title the following year. New England and Chicago both pulled off the trick last season. Perhaps no team is better positioned to do it this season than the Detroit Lions, who went 9-8 last season and still have many of the key pieces that helped the team earn the top seed in the NFC playoffs in 2024. By Josh Dubow. SENT: 900 words, photos on Aug. 1.

FBN--Heat-Safety-Korey-Stringer: EAGAN, Minn. — The memory of losing her husband is so hauntingly clear 25 years later that Kelci Stringer could still draw a detailed picture of her hurried path to the hospital room where Korey Stringer died from exertional heat stroke. Having arrived in the middle of the night, she realized she was too late once she saw Vikings teammates Cris Carter and Randy Moss sobbing on the floor. For all that went tragically wrong at the beginning of that training camp in 2001 in Mankato, Minnesota, Kelci Stringer has since made a life mission of keeping others from such a preventable death. By Dave Campbell. SENT: 900 words, photos on July 31.

FBN--NFL-QB Competitions: EAGAN, Minn. — There are a handful of NFL teams with varying levels of competition for their season-opening starting quarterback. The Cleveland Browns again lead the list with Shedeur Sanders battling Deshaun Watson for the job. Newcomer Tua Tagovailoa is up against Michael Penix Jr. with the Atlanta Falcons. Tagovailoa was dumped by the Miami Dolphins for a record $99 million in dead money on the salary cap. The Minnesota Vikings signed Kyler Murray on a bargain contract after J.J. McCarthy’s rocky debut reopened their search. Murray was cut by the Arizona Cardinals. By Dave Campbell. SENT: 900 words, photos on July 28.

FBN--Hot Seat Coaches: : Several NFL coaches are already feeling the heat, even with the regular season still weeks away. The New York Jets’ Aaron Glenn, Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles and Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor face pressure to deliver strong starts in make-or-break seasons. For others such as Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur and Philadelphia’s Nick Sirianni, the pressure isn’t immediate but could rise if their teams don’t meet high expectations. By Dennis Waszak Jr. SENT: 900 words, photos on July 27.

Top Players

FBN--Top 5-Quarterbacks: Josh Allen doesn’t need to win a Super Bowl to be No. 1. The Buffalo Bills’ franchise player was voted the NFL’s top quarterback by The Associated Press in a preseason survey. SENT: 500 words, photos on July 13.

FBN--Top 5-Coaches: Big Red is No. 1 again. Andy Reid was voted the NFL’s No. 1 coach by The Associated Press in a preseason survey for the fourth straight year. Despite coming off his first losing season in Kansas City, Reid remains the standard for coaches. SENT: 500 words, photos on July 13.

FBN--Top 5-Wide Receivers: Jaxon Smith-Njigba won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award and the Super Bowl last season before the Seattle Seahawks gave him the biggest contract for a wide receiver in NFL history. No surprise he was voted the NFL’s top wideout by The Associated Press in a preseason survey. SENT: 500 words, photos on July 15.

FBN--Top 5-Linebackers: Fred Warner managed to play only six games last season for the San Francisco 49ers before a broken right ankle ended his season prematurely in Week 6. Warner’s play up until that point and his all-around dominance over the past several years still was enough to help him earn the honor of being named the top off-ball linebacker in the NFL by The Associated Press. SENT: 500 words, photos on July 14.

FBN--Top 5-Running Backs: The expectations for Bijan Robinson were high as soon as he entered the NFL in 2023 as the first running back taken with a top-10 pick in five years. Robinson made an impact almost from the start with the Atlanta Falcons and then took his game to another level last season when he led the NFL in yards from scrimmage and was picked as the All-Pro running back. That production helped Robinson win the honor of being named the top running back in the league by The Associated Press. SENT: 500 words, photos on July 14.

FBN--Top 5-Interior OL: When the Chicago Bears looked to rebuild their offensive line before the start of last season, the first big move they made was to acquire Joe Thuney from Kansas City. Thuney helped turn a weakness for the Bears into a strength with his stellar pass blocking and he earned the honor of being picked as the top interior offensive lineman in the NFL by The Associated Press. SENT: 500 words, photos on July 18.

FBN--Top 5-Interior DL: Jeffery Simmons followed his first All-Pro season by signing a contract that made him the highest-paid defensive tackle ever in the NFL. The Tennessee Titans believe the hefty price that included $100 million in guaranteed money was well worth it and plenty of others agree as Simmons was picked as the top interior defensive lineman in the NFL by The Associated Press. SENT: 500 words, photos on July 18.

FBN--Top 5-Edge Rushers: Myles Garrett has been the NFL’s dominant defensive player for years, leading to his record-setting campaign with 23 sacks last season before being traded in June from Cleveland to the Los Angeles Rams. Garrett’s performance helped him earn the honor of being named the top off-ball linebacker in the NFL by The Associated Press. SENT: 500 words, photos on July 16.

FBN--Top 5-Tackles: Penei Sewell has long been known as perhaps the top run-blocking tackle in the NFL. Once his work in pass protection took a step up, he moved himself into a different category. The improvement in pass protection by Sewell last season, when he was named an All-Pro for the third straight season, helped him earn the honors as the top tackle in the NFL by The Associated Press. SENT: 600 words, photos on July 16.

FBN--Top 5-Tight Ends: Trey McBride was the bright spot last season for a dismal team in Arizona. He was the most productive tight end in the NFL, a near-unanimous All-Pro selection and made his second straight Pro Bowl. McBride’s success has also landed him the top spot at tight end in a preseason survey by The Associated Press. SENT: 500 words, photos on July 17.

FBN--Top 5-Safeties: Kyle Hamilton does it all for the Baltimore Ravens defense. The two-time All-Pro safety can play slot cornerback and cover receivers or tight ends. He can play in the box and stop the run. He can drop into zone and play traditional deep safety. He can blitz. Hamilton’s versatility and productivity helped him earn the top safety spot in the NFL as voted by The Associated Press. SENT: 500 words, photos on July 17.

FBN--Top 5-Cornerbacks: Patrick Surtain II has built an impressive resume in just five seasons. The Denver Broncos defensive back has made four Pro Bowls, been first-team All-Pro twice, second-team once and was only the seventh cornerback to win AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, earning the award after the 2024 season. Surtain now has been voted the top NFL cornerback for the second straight year by The Associated Press in a preseason survey. SENT: 500 words, photos on July 15.

Explainers

FBN--NFL-Common Injuries-Explainer: NFL players face a variety of injuries that can impact their season. A look at some of the most common injuries. By Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak: SENT: 900 words, photos on July 28.

FBN--NFL Roster Designations-Explainer: NFL rosters constantly evolve as general managers juggle injuries, evaluations and potential player acquisitions. Teams start training camp with 90 players, but only 53 make the active roster for the regular season. But there are other roster designations that fill the NFL’s transactions wire daily. What do they all mean? By Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak: SENT: 700 words, photos on July 28.