NFL training camps throughout the league are winding down as
the next preseason game approaches.
These camp practices have provided the much-needed time for
multiple NFL players to compete for starting roles. Unfortunately, though,
the first preseason game of the year told a cruel truth about several players
who have struggled in camp.
Then, there were the players who did not attend training
camps at all because of their contract situations. Will we see these guys come
September?
We will touch on that and more as we cover some of the most
intriguing developments that have unfolded in training camp.
THE SUMMER OF
LE’VEON BELL
Bell has been busy doing Bell things all summer long as he
continues to stay away from his team. He turned down the Steelers’ last contract offer, which would
have reportedly paid him $70 million over five years.
Meanwhile, Bell has been promoting his music including concerning lyrics hinting towards an domestic allegation involving
Bills running back LeSean McCoy.
Outside of this, Bell is at least attempting to keep in top
physical shape for the upcoming season. In addition to his regular conditioning,
he is reportedly working with a footwork coach. Eventually, it will
be time for Bell to sign his $14.5 million franchise tag in order to suit up
for Week 1.
SAM BRADFORD
SHINING AMID COMPETITION
There is little doubt that the Arizona Cardinals will open
their regular season with veteran quarterback Sam Bradford as their starter,
barring any injury. This plan is even further solidified after observing
Bradford in training camp. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Bradford
has been “accurate and very good” working with his new offense.
Rookie quarterback Josh Rosen has performed decently, too,
but he will take a backseat to Bradford. It was noted by a Cardinals beat
writer after observing Rosen in his preseason debut that he did not appear
to be “the most NFL-ready quarterback.”
If the latter remains true and Bradford suits up all year,
it will be his first complete season since 2012.
DETROIT LIONS
READY TO TAKE RUN GAME TO NEXT LEVEL
Finally. For the first time in a long while, the Lions have
a very intriguing lineup of running backs to move the ball this year.
The Lions added veteran LeGarrette Blount, who is a stud at
the goal line and can take a beating. But even more exciting is rookie Kerryon
Johnson, chosen 43rd overall out of Auburn. He stunned in his preseason debut —
racking up 34 rushing yards and 33 receiving yards on four catches.
Johnson looks to be that dual-threat back the Lions have
been longing for quite some time.
THE JARED
GOFF/COOPER KUPP CONNECTION
The Rams did not feature their starters in Preseason Week 1,
but this duo is getting red-hot, rave reviews. Observations of Kupp in training
camp indicate he has been “more or less unstoppable,” and his chemistry is on point with
Goff. The second-year receiver was reportedly a “matchup problem” against the
Baltimore Ravens in joint practices.
All signs would point towards Kupp potentially garnering
more than the 94 targets he received in his rookie year. That might see the youngster
even out-produce Brandin Cooks this fall.
DAK PRESCOTT
WEIGHS IN ON RECEIVING GROUP
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has been working
hard in training camp to make fans forget about his sophomore slump. To help
him out in his passing game — and fill a depleted receiving roster — the
Cowboys brought in Allen Hurns, Deonte Thompson and Tavon Austin. They also
drafted Michael Gallup, who caught a touchdown from Prescott in
the preseason opener.
After having some time to work with this group as well as
the team’s veterans, Prescott revealed that his “go-to receiver” is Cole Beasley. Go figure. This news is a bit
concerning, considering Beasley posted a mere 314 yards and four touchdowns
last year.
CALVIN RIDLEY
LOOKS AMAZING
The Atlanta Falcons have a new star in the making. Rookie
wide receiver Calvin Ridley is reportedly performing quite well in camp. He
even burned Pro Bowl cornerback Desmond Trufant in coverage coming
up with quite the tricky catch. Ridley looks ridiculously fast, and the talk
around town is that he and fellow wideout Julio Jones might just become the
league’s next best receiving tandem.
Both guys should give fits to opposing defenses this year.
Ridley was selected 26th overall out of Alabama, and so far he looks to be
worth every ounce of a first-round pick.
CHARGERS, MINUS
THEIR STAR TIGHT END
Some quarterbacks rely heavily on their tight ends, which
has been the case with Philip Rivers since 2006. Though, after losing Hunter Henry for the season and deciding (so far)
not to re-sign Antonio Gates, the Chargers must resort to a different plan.
The Chargers need their wide receivers not named Keenan
Allen to step up. Tyrell Williams is reportedly working with the first team and
is ahead of second-year Mike Williams. However, the latter is supposed to see
an increase in red zone work this year. Minus Henry, we can
probably expect the team to rely heavily on three-receiver sets. Hopefully, the
Chargers offense continues to thrive.
JOSH ALLEN MOVING
UP THE DEPTH CHART
Allen received significant play time in his preseason debut,
and boy, did he stink up the place at times. The young quarterback completed
only 9-of-19 passing attempts for 116 yards. He did manage a late-game score on
an impressive throw, but Allen also broke Twitter with this bumbling play on fourth down.
Since that disastrous game, Allen has “exclusively” been working with the Bills second-team offense.
He apparently will have a chance to earn the starting job if he shows
improvement moving forward. While Allen is working with the second team, A.J.
McCarron has worked with the first team while Nathan Peterman practiced with
the third-stringers. The latter is a bit interesting considering Peterman was
by far the most impressive in the Bills first preseason game.
It will definitely be worth keeping an eye on Allen as he
tries to better his standing on the depth chart.
RAVENS’
QUARTERBACK DILEMMA
Flacco is reportedly having a stunning training camp, and to not risk injury,
the Ravens have leaned on Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin III in the
preseason. So far, Jackson has been both entertaining and extremely raw.
Throughout two games, the mobile youngster has completed only 39.3 percent of
his 28 passing attempts for 152 yards — one touchdown and one interception. He
has also posted 46 rushing yards and one rushing score.
As for Griffin III, he has averaged 8.1 yards per pass
compared to Jackson’s 5.4 while throwing for two touchdowns and one
interception. The former first-round pick actually looks quite polished on the
field after not playing at all in 2017.
It will be interesting to see if RG3 makes the Ravens’ final
roster and, if so, how the depth behind Flacco is decided.
EARL THOMAS
HOLDOUT
Thomas means serious business and — to the dismay of head
coach Pete Carroll — the safety’s holdout continues. His demands are simple.
He wants a new contract or a trade. The Seahawks are not going to
give Thomas an extension at this point. So, perhaps a trade for the 29-year-old
All-Pro is the solution.
After all, the Seahawks have already been going bonkers when
it comes to restructuring their defense. A possible trade spot for Thomas,
who is selling his Seattle home, would be the Dallas Cowboys. Stay tuned.
CLEVELAND’S
QUARTERBACKS SHINE
Now, this is a headline no sportswriter has typed in years.
But Cleveland finally looks to have hit a home run at the quarterback spot.
Perhaps the success is stemming from those secret training camp meetings the
Cleveland quarterbacks have been holding in their RV.
In his preseason debut, Tyrod Taylor kicked things off by
completing 5-of-5 attempts for 99 yards, one touchdown and a quarterback rating
of 158.3. Boom.
Next: it was all about rookie Baker Mayfield who received
substantial time to dazzle under the spotlight. He nailed 11 of his 20 passing
attempts for 212 yards and threw two bullseye touchdowns. Mayfield was a definite crowd-pleaser who looked like
a natural already as a pro.
Speaking of naturals, second-year tight end David Njoku has
been a star, as showcased by the two touchdowns he caught from both Taylor and
Mayfield.
SAQUON BARKLEY
BECOMES TOP FANTASY FOOTBALL TARGET
Those waiting for a sampling of Barkley in a professional
setting got exactly what they asked for. Barkley turned his very first touch of
the rock into a 39-yard rushing gain. It was an electrifying rushing play that instantly went viral on
social media.
In particular, it sparked some serious fantasy football
reactions. Folks immediately began tweeting that Barkley
should be targeted No. 1 in drafts. Maybe that is putting the
cart ahead of the horse, but Barkley is a legitimate threat on the field.
Now let’s just hope he can stay healthy.
AARON RODGERS
FRUSTRATED WITH RECEIVERS
The future Hall of Fame quarterback recently went public
and blasted his crew of young receivers. Rodgers was not shy to
call out players who aren’t carrying their weight and compare them to other
guys who are. As one of the elites in the business, Rodgers has the right to
command a better effort.
With that said, Rodgers also gave praise where it was due.
He had nothing but glowing things to say about new UDFA wideout, Jake Kumerow.
Kumerow will have to fight for a roster spot, but his three-catch, 76-yard;
one-touchdown preseason debut got our attention big time.
ANY TAKERS FOR
TEDDY BRIDGEWATER?
Bridgewater was nothing short of amazing when he took to the
field, living up to the glowing reviews he has received in camp. He completed
7-of-8 passing attempts for 85 yards and one touchdown in the first preseason
game of the summer. The 25-year-old quarterback looked poised and confident
just like his old self earlier in his career.
At this point, Bridgewater’s time on the field should be
considered an audition for other teams. The Jets are open to trading him now that they have a capable Josh
McCown and promising rookie Sam Darnold on the roster.
Perhaps teams with shaky backup quarterback situations
should be paying attention.
IS DEZ BRYANT
HEADED TO CLEVELAND?
Bryant’s summer has been filled with all kinds of confusing
stuff. After being released by the Dallas Cowboys, Bryant hoped to sign with a
contender. He turned down an offer to play with the Ravens and has most
recently been tied to Cleveland.
The 29-year-old receiver will reportedly visit with the
Browns after posting this tweet. The odd thing is, the tweet popped
up after Bryant ignored calls from Cleveland’s general manager.
The whole situation is just odd considering Bryant’s earlier lack of interest
with the Browns. Also, as good as the Browns were in their first preseason
game, we cannot list them in the contender column just yet.
ANDREW LUCK HEALTHY,
BUT COLTS CATCHING NO BREAKS
The good thing in Indy is that Luck looks like his old healthy self again. He threw for
64 yards while completing 6-of-9 attempts in his preseason debut. It was a fine
enough performance to reassure Colts fans that Luck is really back.
While this news is awesome, the Colts did receive some
setbacks on offense. Sadly, rookie Deon Cain suffered a season-ending torn ACL, and running back
Marlon Mack tweaked his hamstring. The second-year running back is questionable
to play in Week 1 of the regular season. Cain had been having a very
solid camp.
Aside from those injuries, a clean bill of health for the
Colts star quarterback means the team is back in business.
INJURIES DERAIL
49ERS’ HYPE TRAIN
During training camp, this train was moving full steam
ahead. Then it got a bit derailed in the 49ers first preseason game.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo produced mixed results, completing 3-of-6 passes
for 34 yards.
And before the first quarter was up, the injuries started
piling up. Tight end George Kittle suffered a separated shoulder while
linebacker Malcolm Smith injured his hamstring. Not long after, running
back Matt Breida became sidelined with a neck injury, and defensive end Solomon
Thomas suffered a concussion.
Adding more insult to the injuries, running back Jerick
McKinnon strained a muscle in his knee during practice. It is not
shocking that the 49ers just signed Alfred Morris as insurance.
AFTERMATH OF
LOSING DERRIUS GUICE
Since we are already talking injuries, perhaps the most
unfortunate one thus far was the loss of Guice for the entire 2018 season. The
rookie running back was having an excellent training camp only to suffer a torn
ACL, causing hearts to break for him across the country.
Without Guice, head coach Jay Gruden said the team plans to
work with the running backs currently on the roster. That would leave Rob
Kelley, Samaje Perine and Chris Thompson likely picking up the majority of the
slack. An intriguing back to perhaps eventually earn more work is Kapri Bibbs,
who has been impressive in training camp.
Let’s just say the Guice-less Washington backfield looks to
one to avoid in fantasy football.
WILL SAM DARNOLD
PULL AHEAD?
Arriving to training camp late due to some contract
issues, Darnold looked impressive in his first preseason game. The rookie
completed 13-of-18 passing attempts for 96 yards and a touchdown. After his
solid debut, Darnold has been receiving the majority of the reps in practices.
He stands to legitimately earn the start once Week 1 of the
regular season rolls around. This is provided he keeps up the progress as the
rest of the preseason plays out. The next Darnold sighting will be when the
Jets head to Washington to take on the Redskins.
DENVER’S OFFENSE
CAUSING EARLY PANIC
After being talked up by cornerback Chris Harris in training camp, the
Broncos first- and second-string offenses received terrible reviews in the preseason opener.
Quarterback Case Keenum struggled mightily, completing only one of his four
passing attempts for a mere five yards.
It also did not help that Keenum was being picked apart by
his former Vikings team, whose new quarterback Kirk Cousins performed
flawlessly. After Keenum got the hook, Paxton Lynch took over and he was bad to
the bone as well. It is no wonder the Broncos demoted Lynch and promoted Chad Kelly after the latter
sizzled in his preseason stint.
Aside from this, a promising young star looks to be rookie
running back Royce Freeman. He has had a successful camp and could be Denver’s
starter come Week 1.
In the meantime, let’s hope Keenum and Co. put on a better
show when they next host the Chicago Bears.
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