Chairshot NFL News Report (8/24/2026): Chubb Retires, Penix Cleared & Shedeur Makes His Case

Nick Chubb retires, Michael Penix Jr. is cleared for full-team work and Shedeur Sanders makes his case to start for Cleveland.

he NFL weekend gave us a little bit of everything.

One of the league’s most respected running backs called it a career. Atlanta finally received the clearance needed to conduct a real quarterback competition. Cleveland’s quarterback decision somehow became even more complicated.

And Houston responded to a devastating injury by adding two recognizable veterans.

It’s the Chairshot NFL News Report for August 24, 2026!

Nick Chubb Calls It a Career

Four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb announced his retirement Friday after eight NFL seasons. Chubb finishes with 7,349 rushing yards, 1,109 receiving yards and 59 total touchdowns across 100 games, spending the overwhelming majority of his career with Cleveland before playing his final season with Houston.

The injuries will always create a “what if?” component to Chubb’s career. They should not define it.

At his best, Chubb was one of the easiest running backs in football to appreciate because there was almost nothing flashy about what made him great. Vision. Balance. Power. Acceleration.

Give him the football and eventually somebody was making a business decision. Four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and 7,349 career rushing yards are plenty of evidence that Chubb belongs among the best backs of his generation.

Michael Penix Jr. Is Fully Cleared

The Atlanta Falcons received significant quarterback news Saturday when Michael Penix Jr. was medically cleared for 11-on-11 work. Penix is scheduled to participate in full team periods Monday for the first time since tearing his ACL last November, allowing Atlanta to properly evaluate him against offseason addition Tua Tagovailoa for the starting job.

Now Atlanta can actually have the quarterback competition it has spent all summer discussing. Until now, Tua could practice normally while Penix’s evaluation was necessarily incomplete. That excuse is gone. The Falcons have invested heavily in both quarterbacks and should not need to manufacture a winner.

Penix wants his job back? Go win it.

Shedeur Sanders Gives Cleveland Something to Think About

Shedeur Sanders completed 9 of 11 passes for 74 yards with a touchdown and an interception during Cleveland’s 31-7 preseason loss to Buffalo. Sanders completed his first eight passes and led Cleveland’s only touchdown drive. Deshaun Watson later completed 5 of 12 attempts for 35 yards with an interception as head coach Todd Monken continues evaluating his Week 1 starter.

One preseason game should not determine an NFL starting quarterback. It can absolutely make the decision more uncomfortable. Sanders looked composed. Watson did not.

At some point, Cleveland has to decide whether it is evaluating the quarterbacks currently standing in front of them or the versions of those quarterbacks it expected to have.

Saturday gave Sanders another piece of evidence for his side of the argument.

Texans Add Two Veteran Receivers

Houston officially signed Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones over the weekend after losing second-year receiver Jayden Higgins to a season-ending torn ACL. The Texans now add two experienced NFL receivers to a room suddenly needing immediate depth.

Houston could not replace Higgins with one player. So it signed two. Neither Shepard nor Jones needs to become C.J. Stroud’s new favorite target for this to work.

They need to understand NFL coverages, run professional routes and absorb meaningful snaps without forcing Houston to completely redesign its passing game. It is a practical response to an awful August development.

Jayden Daniels Returns to Game Action

Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels played his first game since December during Saturday’s 17-13 loss to Detroit, appearing for one series and three offensive snaps. Daniels attempted one pass and took one sack before Washington ended his afternoon as planned.

Three plays told us almost nothing. That was probably exactly what Washington wanted.

Daniels’ 2025 season was repeatedly interrupted by injuries, so there was little reason to make his first live action back into an endurance test. Let him see another pass rush. Let him get hit once. Get him out.

The Commanders need Daniels in Philadelphia in September considerably more than they needed him completing ten passes in Detroit in August.

Sam LaPorta’s Week 1 Status Remains a Concern

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is dealing with a hip injury that has left his availability for the regular-season opener uncertain. Head coach Dan Campbell has expressed confidence in LaPorta’s long-term outlook, but Detroit has not committed to having him available against New Orleans.

This is one of those August injuries where the calendar becomes more important than the diagnosis. Detroit knows what LaPorta can do. There is nothing left for him to prove during training camp.

If missing another week now makes him more likely to play seventeen meaningful Sundays later, that is an extremely easy trade.

Alvin Kamara Could Miss the Beginning of the Season

New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara is expected to miss approximately four to six weeks with a sprained MCL, putting his availability for the Saints’ September 13 opener against Detroit in jeopardy. New Orleans added Travis Etienne during the offseason, giving the Saints an experienced option if Kamara cannot open the season.

That Etienne signing suddenly looks considerably more important. New Orleans does not need him to become Kamara. It needs him to keep the offense functional until Kamara is actually ready.

An MCL injury suffered in August should not become a lingering problem because everybody panicked when the calendar changed to September.

Titans Rally Past Seattle

Tennessee erased a 13-point deficit Sunday night to defeat Seattle 19-16, with D’Ernest Johnson scoring the go-ahead touchdown and Joey Slye kicking four field goals. Seattle rested its starters following joint practices, while Drew Lock threw for 103 yards and a touchdown.

And with that, the NFL’s second full preseason weekend is finished. The scoreboard will be forgotten quickly. The decisions created by the weekend will not.

Atlanta finally gets to evaluate Penix without restrictions. Cleveland has to decide whether Sanders has done enough to overtake Watson. Houston has reconstructed part of its receiving corps on the fly.

And one of the best running backs of the past decade has officially carried the football for the final time.

That is considerably more meaningful than anybody’s August record.

This report includes information from: NFL.com, Reuters.com, AtlantaFalcons.com, HoustonChronicle.com, WashingtonPost.com, ESPN.com, and Sportsnet.ca.