Nfl Combine 2026: schedule, top prospects and the team questions coming to Indianapolis
The nfl combine 2026 opens this week in Indianapolis and promises more than drills: the week’s podium sessions and workout results will begin to answer burning offseason questions for teams and prospects alike. Live coverage starts in the afternoon on Thursday, Feb. 26 and runs through Sunday, March 1, with hundreds of athletes and a stacked broadcast timetable on the agenda.
Nfl Combine 2026 at Lucas Oil Stadium and the live window
The event takes place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, with live coverage beginning at 3 p. m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 26 and lasting through Sunday, March 1. Daily live broadcast coverage is scheduled from Thursday, Feb. 26 through Sunday, March 1. Photographers Justin K. Aller and Johnnie Izquierdo are credited for imagery accompanying coverage in the lead up to the week.
More than 300 invitees, including Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Diego Pavia and Carson Beck
This year’s NFL Scouting Combine will feature over 300 athletes, including Indiana’s Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, Alabama’s Ty Simpson, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Miami’s Carson Beck. The week is being billed as a key stage in deciding which NCAA players will make it to the NFL in 2026, with evaluations, workouts and press conferences all part of the process.
Drills, podiums and the undercard: 40-yard dash, bench press and the press conferences
On the field, 40-yard dashes and bench press reps remain the marquee physical tests, but the podium undercard — interviews and pressers — often quietly steals the show. Burning offseason questions for coaches and general managers begin to get answered, or are strategically avoided, in Indianapolis this week. NFL writers provided a hottest-topic rundown for each team heading into the meetings and workouts.
Team hot topics arriving with players and executives: Jackson, Kelce, Arizona and Atlanta
Several franchise-level storylines are expected to shadow the workouts. Lamar Jackson’s contract situation is described as hovering over another offseason in Baltimore: Jackson’s salary cap number is $74. 5 million, and if that number is not lowered significantly, general manager Eric DeCosta will have little flexibility to add or retain key players. Owner Steve Bisciotti made clear last month that the team will either extend Jackson or add void years to his deal to lower his 2026 cap number, and the clock is ticking for a resolution. This assessment was highlighted by Jeff Zrebiec.
Tight end Travis Kelce’s future remains undetermined in Kansas City, another high-profile personnel question set to surface in Indianapolis. Arizona’s situation also drew attention: general manager Monti Ossenfort, hired in 2023, overhauled the roster while avoiding overspending on flashy free agents and building through the draft, but everything fell apart last season. The team suffered unfortunate injuries and a jarring lack of depth; Ossenfort survived while coach Jonathan Gannon did not, and fans are said to lack patience for another rebuild. Ossenfort is tasked with solving the quarterback situation, identifying an immediate difference-maker with the draft’s No. 3 pick and keeping Arizona competitive in what was called football’s toughest division, a point raised by Doug Haller.
Atlanta’s immediate questions center on Kirk Cousins: he is expected to be released before March 13 but could re-sign with the Falcons if he does not find a better option or if an affinity for Kevin Stefanski persuades him to stay. Beyond that is whether Michael Penix Jr. will be the long-term answer once he returns from an ACL tear suffered last year in Week 11. Kevin Stefanski and new general manager Ian Cunningham are expected to face those questions repeatedly during the week, as noted by Josh Kendall.
Buffalo’s front-office reset and what the combine will — and won’t — reveal
The Bills’ offseason identity is in flux beyond quarterback Josh Allen: the front office reimagined the roster by firing coach Sean McDermott, who holds the club’s win-percentage record. Substantive answers about the team’s new direction are unlikely to be fully revealed in Indianapolis; that identity is expected to begin materializing in free agency when football boss Brandon Beane decides how to wield his consolidated power after years emphasizing cap control and perennial Super Bowl contention over going for broke. Once the Bills make actual roster moves, observers wrote, we will get more clarity — the rest of that sentence is unclear in the provided context.
Broadcast and programming rundown, plus a note on commerce
Coverage of daily workouts, evaluations and press conferences will air on television and stream on a league-affiliated streaming service, with live results provided in real time on the league’s website. Programming blocks listed for the week include morning shows at 8 a. m. ET with encores at 10 a. m. and 12 p. m. ET; a midday combine show listed at 12 p. m. ET and another at 2 p. m. ET; position-day windows that list defensive linemen and linebackers at 3 p. m. ET with encores at 8 p. m., 11 p. m., 2 a. m. and 5 a. m. ET (and an additional encore at 6 a. m. ET); defensive backs and tight ends at 3 p. m. ET with encores at 8 p. m., 11 p. m., 2 a. m. and 5 a. m. ET (and encores at 6 a. m. ET and 9 a. m. ET); and quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs at 1 p. m. ET with encores at 8 p. m., 11 p. m., 2 a. m. and 5 a. m. ET (and an encore at 9 a. m. ET). If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.
