The Quick Version
- NFL training camps opened across the league in late July, and Black quarterbacks are entering the 2026 season in more starting jobs than at almost any point in league history.
- Preseason games begin in early August, giving fans a first look at rosters before the regular season kicks off in September. Here is how to follow camp and preseason coverage.
Training camps opened across the NFL in late July, and one storyline keeps showing up in every camp preview: the league has more Black starting quarterbacks than at almost any point in its history. What used to be treated as a novelty storyline a decade ago is now simply how a large share of NFL offenses are run, and this preseason gives fans an early look at how those rosters are shaping up before games start to count.
A Position That Has Genuinely Changed
For most of the NFL’s history, Black quarterbacks were steered toward other positions at a disproportionate rate, a pattern well documented by sports historians and former players who lived through it directly. That has shifted hard over the last several draft classes, to the point where a Black quarterback starting for his team is no longer treated as a notable exception in a scouting report. Coaching staffs across the league have also diversified at the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach level, which matters for development pipelines just as much as who is on the field on Sundays.
What to Watch For in Camp
Training camp battles are where backup jobs and even some starting roles get decided, particularly on teams that brought in a rookie quarterback in the last draft or that had an unsettled position heading into the offseason. Beat reporters covering camp typically post daily practice notes, and those reports are often the most reliable early read on how a quarterback competition is trending before a single preseason snap is played.
Preseason Schedule and How to Watch
Preseason games begin in early August and run for a few weeks before rosters get trimmed down ahead of the regular season. Most preseason games air on local affiliate stations in each team’s home market, with a smaller slate carried nationally. Streaming options have expanded in recent years too, so checking your team’s official app or a service like NFL+ before kickoff is worth doing if your local station is not broadcasting a particular game.
Why the Storyline Still Matters
It would be easy to treat the rise in Black starting quarterbacks as old news at this point, but representation at the position still shapes who gets endorsement deals, who gets media coverage during the season, and which young players see a realistic path to the position rather than getting funneled elsewhere as kids. Camp battles this summer are worth watching for the football, but they are also part of a longer arc that is still actively being written.
Storylines Worth Following
A handful of camps stand out this summer, including teams where a young Black quarterback is entering his second or third season and expected to take a real step forward, and teams where a rookie is pushing an established veteran for the starting job. Fantasy football players in particular tend to watch camp reports closely for these situations, since a quarterback who wins a competition in August can shift an entire draft board by the time September arrives.
Injuries during camp also shape the picture fast. A single hamstring strain or a setback in a joint recovery can hand a starting job to a backup who was not expected to see the field, so it is worth checking team specific beat coverage rather than relying on offseason depth charts that were set months earlier.
The regular season kicks off in early September, and by then most of the roster questions being sorted out in camp right now will have answers. Until then, preseason box scores and practice reports are the best window into which teams are building something real at the position.
