NFL News Today: Nick Chubb Retires, Injuries Hit Seattle and Preseason Week 2 Takes Center Stage
August 22, 2026
The NFL preseason is moving quickly toward the regular season, and Saturday brought a packed combination of football, injuries, roster developments and the end of a memorable career.
The biggest headline of the day came away from the field, as four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb announced his retirement from the NFL after eight seasons. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks received difficult injury news regarding wide receiver Jake Bobo, the Los Angeles Chargers welcomed an important offensive lineman back to practice, and a full Saturday slate of preseason games gave coaches another opportunity to evaluate their rosters before final cuts.
Here are the biggest NFL stories to follow.
Nick Chubb Retires After Eight NFL Seasons
One of the NFL’s most respected running backs is officially calling it a career.
Nick Chubb announced his retirement after eight seasons, ending a run that included seven seasons with the Cleveland Browns before spending 2025 with the Houston Texans. Chubb finishes with 7,349 rushing yards, 1,109 receiving yards and 59 total touchdowns in 100 career games.
Chubb was selected by Cleveland with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and became one of the league’s most consistent runners. He produced four consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons from 2019 through 2022 and earned four straight Pro Bowl selections.
His 2022 season was arguably the peak of that stretch, when Chubb rushed for a career-high 1,525 yards.
A major knee injury suffered during the 2023 season altered the final chapters of his career, but Chubb eventually returned to the field and later played one season in Houston.
His retirement closes the book on a career built around power, patience, consistency and an ability to recover from significant injuries.
Seahawks Lose Jake Bobo for 2026
Seattle received considerably tougher news Saturday.
The Seahawks placed wide receiver Jake Bobo on injured reserve after he suffered a serious knee injury during Friday’s joint practice with the Tennessee Titans. Seattle also signed wide receiver Julian Hicks.
Bobo had developed from an undrafted player into a reliable piece of Seattle’s receiving rotation and special-teams units.
His absence creates another roster decision for the Seahawks as they continue preparing for the regular season.
Seattle is scheduled to face Tennessee Sunday night in one of the final games of Preseason Week 2.
Chargers Get Encouraging Rashawn Slater Update
The Los Angeles Chargers received better injury news.
Star offensive tackle Rashawn Slater returned to practice Saturday on a limited basis after missing several practices with an undisclosed issue.
Slater missed the entire 2025 season because of a knee injury, making his return particularly significant for a Chargers offense preparing for the regular season.
Even limited practice work represents an important step. Protecting the quarterback begins with the offensive line, and a healthy Slater would give Los Angeles one of its most important pieces back in place.
Lions Edge Commanders in Saturday Preseason Action
Detroit picked up a 17-13 preseason victory over Washington at Ford Field Saturday.
Quarterback Joshua Dobbs completed 7 of 12 passes for 74 yards while also making an impact with his legs, rushing for 53 yards and a touchdown on two attempts.
The preseason scoreboard matters less than individual evaluation, but games such as this become increasingly important as coaching staffs determine which players will survive the final roster cut.
NFL clubs must reduce their active rosters to 53 players by August 30, putting additional pressure on players competing for backup positions and special-teams jobs.
Bills-Browns Game Interrupted by Lightning
The Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns also encountered an unusual obstacle Saturday when their preseason game was temporarily suspended because of lightning in the Cleveland area.
Players left the field with 13:30 remaining in the opening quarter before play eventually resumed.
The game carried additional intrigue because of Cleveland’s quarterback situation.
Shedeur Sanders was expected to start for the Browns as Cleveland continues evaluating its quarterbacks during the preseason. Quarterback competitions can change quickly in August, and every live opportunity becomes valuable with the regular season approaching.
Bo Nix Looks Sharp in Return From Ankle Injury
Another important quarterback development came Friday night but remained one of Saturday’s major NFL talking points.
Denver quarterback Bo Nix returned to game action after recovering from the broken ankle that ended his 2025 postseason run.
Despite Denver losing 33-13 to Green Bay, Nix showed encouraging signs in his return.
For the Broncos, the result itself is almost secondary. Getting their starting quarterback through live game action and seeing him respond physically is significantly more important with Week 1 approaching.
Denver reached the AFC Championship Game last season before falling to New England after Nix had been lost to injury.
His health could once again be one of the defining variables in the AFC race.
Raiders Still Have a Quarterback Decision to Make
Las Vegas remains another team worth watching at quarterback.
Rookie Fernando Mendoza struggled at times against Houston on Thursday, including an interception returned for a touchdown, although the Raiders eventually won 22-20.
Head coach Klint Kubiak has not officially announced his Week 1 starting quarterback. Veteran Kirk Cousins remains the presumed favorite, but Mendoza’s preseason development gives the Raiders another storyline to watch during the closing weeks of camp.
This is exactly what August football is designed to expose. Practices create projections. Games create evidence.
More Preseason Football Saturday Night
Saturday’s NFL schedule remains packed.
The evening slate includes:
- Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals
- Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots
- Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals
Seattle then visits Tennessee on Sunday night to close the weekend’s action.
The Kansas City matchup is particularly interesting because Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Justin Fields would start against Tampa Bay and play into the second quarter, while Patrick Mahomes would sit.
Arizona is also expected to start Gardner Minshew against Dallas while continuing to manage Carson Beck’s rib injury.
The Bigger NFL Picture
The preseason is entering the stage where performances begin translating directly into employment decisions.
Some established starters are being protected. Others are receiving carefully controlled snaps. Young quarterbacks are being tested, injured veterans are attempting to prove they are healthy, and players near the bottom of the depth chart are competing for careers one snap at a time.
That makes the next week particularly important.
The NFL’s 53-man roster deadline arrives August 30, and every practice, injury and preseason performance between now and then could reshape depth charts around the league.
For Saturday, however, the biggest headline belongs to Nick Chubb.
His retirement marks the conclusion of one of the better running-back careers of the past decade. At the same time, the preseason continues producing the next generation of players hoping their own NFL careers are only beginning.
Sources
NFL.com – Nick Chubb announces retirement after eight seasons:
https://www.nfl.com/news/rb-nick-chubb-announces-retirement-after-eight-nfl-seasons
Reuters – Nick Chubb retirement:
https://www.reuters.com/sports/rb-nick-chubb-30-announces-retirement-social-media--flm-2026-08-22/
NFL.com – August 22 league news roundup, including Jake Bobo and Rashawn Slater:
https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-news-roundup-latest-league-updates-from-saturday-aug-22
NFL.com – Bills-Browns game suspended because of lightning:
https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-browns-preseason-game-suspended-lightning
NFL.com – Commanders at Lions game center:
https://www.nfl.com/games/commanders-at-lions-2026-pre-2
NFL.com – 2026 Preseason Week 2 schedule and storylines:
https://www.nfl.com/news/2026-nfl-preseason-week-2-10-things-to-watch
AP – Bo Nix returns from broken ankle against Green Bay:
https://apnews.com/article/broncos-packers-score-ab0b8218a026c3487515c8439e7a2066
AP – Fernando Mendoza and Raiders-Texans preseason recap:
https://apnews.com/article/texans-raiders-score-0ca390b6ff0f94ded816c36917c75cff
NFL.com – Official 2026-27 NFL important dates and roster deadline:
https://www.nfl.com/news/2026-27-national-football-league-important-dates