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          NFL training camp updates 2022: Kirk Cousins out with COVID-19, 5 preseason games Friday

          Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) is going to miss some time this preseason after testing positive for COVID-19. Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
          • ESPN staffAug 12, 2022, 06:52 PM

          The NFL officially kicked off its first full week of preseason action Thursday night, as the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots 23-21 in Foxborough and the Baltimore Ravens kept their historic 21-game preseason winning streak alive by taking down the Tennessee Titans 23-10 at home.

          On Friday, we get a five-game slate:

          Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions (6 p.m. ET, NFL Network)

          Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars (7 p.m. ET)

          Arizona Cardinals at Cincinnati Bengals (7:30 p.m. ET)

          New York Jets at Philadelphia Eagles (7:30 p.m. ET)

          Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers (8:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network)

          Throughout the weekend, you can check out the full Week 1 preseason schedule and game takeaways from our NFL Nation reporters here.

          With eight games Saturday and the Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders playing Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, NFL Network), many teams didn't have a practice session Friday, but that doesn't mean nothing interesting happened. The news includes Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins being unavailable for Sunday because of COVID-19.

          Here's a look around 2022 NFL training camps as we get set for the weekend action:

          Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings haven't announced whether Sean Mannion or Kellen Mond will start Sunday's preseason opener in Las Vegas, but the identity of the starter is largely moot.

          Each will play roughly 50% of the snaps, according to coach Kevin O'Connell, and will give the team its best chance yet to determine if either is up to being Kirk Cousins' backup this season. "It's a big evaluation game for those two guys," O'Connell said Friday. "They've done a lot of great things in camp, and now we get to see them against an entirely different defensive structure, different coverages, and I think it will be really good for those guys."

          Mannion received the first snap of most team drills during Thursday's full-pads practice after Cousins was sent home with an illness that was later determined to be COVID-19. Mond also got an equal amount of work with the first team during Thursday and Friday's lighter workout. -- Kevin Seifert

          New England Patriots: Patriots coach Bill Belichick shared a positive review of first-round pick Cole Strange, who is projected to start at left guard. Strange played 14 snaps in Thursday's preseason opener and Belichick said: "Overall, he's coming along and making good progress and I'm sure that was a good experience for him last night, like it was for all our rookies. Hopefully they can build on it going forward." -- Mike Reiss

          Las Vegas Raiders: The competition at right tackle continues, especially with Brandon Parker sidelined with an undisclosed injury. Parker, who had been taking most of the first-team reps at the position before starting at left tackle in last week's Hall of Fame Game, is "working back," per coach McDaniels. Alex Leatherwood has been in the rotation with Jermaine Eluemunor and seventh-round pick Thayer Munford.

          The length of Parker's absence may determine if Las Vegas looks outside the building for another tackle. -- Paul Gutierrez

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