Training Camp Update

Transcription

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Training
Camp Update
passer rating). Needless to say, head coach Bruce Arians was
unhappy with his team’s performance. "A veteran team should
show up," said Arians. "I didn't like the way we started the
game and that set the tone the whole game. We'll go back to
work. That's why you play the preseason. These don't count
other than you find out a lot about yourself." Matt Barkley was
more effective playing with the backups; he completed 10-of15 passes for 85 yards (81.2 passer rating). Barkley was listed
as the third-stringer ahead of Jake Coker in the latest depth
chart, which shouldn’t be surprising. Coker will play in the
next preseason game after not throwing a pass this week. The
bigger threat to Barkley's job is GM Steve Keim acquiring or
claiming a quarterback when rosters cuts begin.
Volume 11, Issue 3 – 8/24/16
We say it all the time because it's true: Things change fast in
the NFL. And they never change faster than they do in August.
And nobody covers those changes and team situations more
comprehensively than Footballguys.com. Our Training Camp
Updates come out once a week in August and our staff covers
everything you need to know about every NFL team. This is
the deep stuff that gives you an edge. We're not going to rave
that Cam Newton, Antonio Brown or even David Johnson is
great. You already know that.
Read our weekly updates to get the inside scoop on how the
Bears running backs are practicing and which player is the
best bet for your draft. Or the Saints WR corps. Or which
Browns receiver is shining in practice. It's the kind of
information that will put you over the edge and on the way to
dominating your draft.
Happy reading and let's have a great 2016 season,
RB: Every week is a superlative-filled one for David Johnson.
Teammate Tyrann Mathieu compared him to Marshall Faulk,
and GM Keim said that Johnson is “probably the best
receiving back I've seen.” Johnson impresses in practice, but
struggled (along with the entire first team offense) against the
Chargers with four touches for eight yards. In spite of
Johnson’s obvious talents, there continues to be debate among
beat writers about Johnson’s role – will he be a workhorse?
ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss expects Chris Johnson and Andre
Ellington to be mixed into the backfield. Chris Johnson has
consistently drawn plaudits, showing off as a blocker and
receiver while remaining a quality runner. The Johnsons
(David and Chris) and Ellington are unquestionably the top
three runners on the depth chart, but the rest of the depth chart
remains unsettled. Kerwynn Williams appears to have the
edge over Stepfan Taylor and Elijhaa Penny – but it’s a fluid
situation. Williams' explosiveness was evident when he ran for
18 yards on his first carry versus the Chargers.
Arizona Cardinals
WR: Cardinals fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief as
John Brown (concussion) and Larry Fitzgerald (MCL)
returned to practice on Sunday. Brown had missed most of the
preseason under the league’s concussion protocol, but now
looks okay to round into regular season shape with a few
weeks left in the preseason. Michael Floyd was the only
member of the “Big Three” to suit up versus the Chargers, but
struggled (one 2-yard catch on three targets). Backup Jaron
Brown has been consistently breaking off big plays in practice
and did the same against the Chargers with two receptions for
40 yards. Arians praised Jaron, “He's the best wide receiver
we have right now. Most consistent in practice and shows up
in games.” Jaron should revert to fourth or fifth on the depth
chart now that everyone is healthy, but Arians is the type of
head coach who plays the best players; there's a small chance
he can push for a greater role. J.J. Nelson is being used on
special teams as a punt returner and he fumbled against the
Chargers.
QB: Carson Palmer was ineffective in limited snaps versus the
Chargers. The veteran passer completed just 4-of-8 passes for
37 yards and an interception – good enough for a 23.4 passer
rating. Backup Drew Stanton fared worse – if that’s possible –
completing 2-of-7 passes for 32 yards and an interception (6.5
TE: Troy Niklas’ impressive play resulted in his promotion to
the first-team early last week. He took over Jermaine
Gresham's role, in part because of his own play and in part
because Gresham is struggling with back tightness. As Niklas
rises, Darren Fells falls. Fells played with the third team
Joe Bryant and David Dodds
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against the Chargers because he has repeatedly made errors in
practice. Fells may be the team's best receiving option at the
position but Arians’ offense doesn't emphasize the position
generally.
Defense: Even though the coaches thought Robert Nkemdiche
was close to a return last week, the rookie defensive lineman
is still waiting to get back in pads. Frostee Rucker, Tyrann
Mathieu and Justin Bethel came off the PUP list last week.
The trio were eased back into activities but will see a gradual
increase in their workloads over the final weeks of the
preseason. Rookie cornerback Brandon Williams has been a
focal point of with Bethel sidelined but he has been
inconsistent so far. Williams struggled in practice during the
week before flashing against the Chargers with two tackles,
including one for a loss, and two passes defensed. While the
secondary has concerns, the front seven is garnishing praise
broadly. Calais Campbell and Chandler Jones are continuing
to be a disruptive force upfront. Markus Golden continues to
be a work horse but needs to do a better job setting the edge.
Golden's progress will be paramount if Alex Okafor opts for
surgery to repair his biceps tear.
Returners: In something of a shocking development, the
Cardinals’ most recent depth chart included Andre Ellington—
long in the mix at kickoff returner— at #1 on punt returns, too.
Given that J.J. Nelson held that position as recently as a week
ago, and given that Ellington has very little experience
fielding punts, this should be taken with a grain of salt as the
Cardinals see what they have on special teams.
OL: New right tackle D.J. Humphries had a better
performance against the Chargers than he did against the
Raiders. Humphries allowed a pressure on his first snap, but
then settled down and was serviceable in pass protection for
the rest of the game. Rookie guard Cole Toner got some work
at left guard with the first team during weekend practices, as
Mike Iupati sat out with knee soreness. Iupati’s injury was
described as “nothing serious” by the coaches, but he has had
knee problems in the past. Iupati is a key player for the
Cardinals’ line, so this situation might be worth watching
further.
Cardinals Depth Chart
QB: Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton, Matt Barkley, Jake Coker
RB: David Johnson, Chris Johnson, Andre Ellington,
Kerwynn Williams (KR), Stepfan Taylor, Jared Baker
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John Brown (KR) (inj),
Jaron Brown, J.J. Nelson (PR), Brittan Golden, Jaxon Shipley,
Amir Carlisle, Damon Powell, Chris Hubert, Jeff Beathard
TE: Troy Niklas, Darren Fells, Jermaine Gresham, Gerald
Christian, Ifeanyi Momah, Hakeem Valles
LT: Jared Veldheer
LG: Mike Iupati, Taylor Boggs
C: AQ Shipley, Earl Watford
RG: Evan Mathis
RT: DJ Humphries, Cole Toner
K: Chandler Catanzaro
NT: Rodney Gunter, Red Bryant, Xavier Williams, Corey
Peters, Olsen Pierre
DE: Calais Campbell, Frostee Rucker, Robert Nkemdiche, Ed
Stinson, Josh Mauro, Jason Babin
ILB: Deone Bucannon (SS), Kevin Minter, Donald Butler,
Alani Fua, Zack Wagenmann, Kenny Demens, Daryl
Washington (susp)
OLB: Chandler Jones, Markus Golden, Kareem Martin, Alex
Okafor (inj), Shaq Riddick, Lamar Louis
CB: Patrick Peterson (PR), Justin Bethel, Brandon Williams,
Harlan Miller, Mike Jenkins (inj), Alan Ball, Joel Wilkinson,
Ronald Zamort, Trevon Hartfield, Eli Bouka
S: Tyrann Mathieu (FS/CB), Tony Jefferson (SS), Tyvon
Branch (FS), D.J. Swearinger (SS), Marqui Christian, Chris
Clemons, Matthias Farley
Atlanta Falcons
QB: Matt Ryan performed much better in the second
preseason game on Thursday night, completing 6-of-11 passes
for 78 yards. “I feel like our operation is really smooth. I feel
we were efficient. I got in and out of the huddle really well
and really fast. I felt like the tempo was really good. I'm
pleased with where we are at... 'It's a process. You have to
continue to work and be focused on the process during the
(exhibition) season. The main goal is to get ready for the
regular season and everything in front of it,” said the veteran
passer. Matt Schaub relieved Ryan and went 8-for-12 for 78
yards. Matt Simms threw the only touchdowns of the game on
route to a solid 10-of-13 night with 136 yards passing. Sean
Renfree didn't appear in the game. D. Orlando Ledbetter of
the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported believes Renfree
is on the bubble to make the final 53-man roster.
RB: Devonta Freeman further cemented his role as the clear
lead back in Atlanta with an encouraging effort against the
Browns. He rushed four times for 42 yards, including a nice
19-yard touchdown. Tevin Coleman was less impressive with
just 16 yards on five carries. Recently-signed Cyrus Gray
wound up leading the team with 18 carries for 76 yards while
fellow backup Brandon Wilds had 49 yards on eight carries
complete with a touchdown. All told, the Falcons racked up an
impressive 41 carries for 224 yards (5.5 per carry) and two
rushing touchdowns.
WR: Julio Jones commented after the win over Cleveland,
“The hard work and preparation is paying off. Like I said
before, we are not game-planning, but we can go out here
(and) execute, score touchdowns without game-planning for
people and going after their weaknesses, it shows a lot.” Jones
was quiet on the night, catching a 20-yard reception on his
lone target while fellow starter Mohamed Sanu caught three of
five targets for 45 yards, including a 32-yarder. Nick Williams
had an up-and-down game, dropping three catchable balls, but
managing 35 yards on three catches. Reserve wideout Devin
Lewis Fuller made the most of his four targets, hauling in 49
yards and a score. Last week's special teams hero, J.D.
McKissic, caught both of his targets and had a 22-yard kick
return. Justin Hardy only had 9 yards receiving but remains
secure in his role as the #3 receiver.
TE: It was another relatively quiet night for the tight ends
versus the Browns. All three of the top tight ends managed
just one grab in the second preseason game: Levine Toilolo
hauled in a 13-yarder on two targets; Jacob Tamme had a 9yard catch; and Austin Hooper managed a 7-yard grab on
three targets. Neither D.J. Tialavea or Arthur Lynch pulled in
a reception. Coach Quinn characterized the position battle as
“fierce.” Tamme and Hooper remain apparent 'locks' for the
roster so the battle for #3 on the depth chart is where the
situation gets murky.
Defense: Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III burned
Atlanta's defensive backs repeatedly, hitting Terrelle Pryor for
a 50-yard TD (making starting cornerback Desmond Trufant
look bad) and then finding Gary Barnidge for a 29-yard TD
while Barnidge was going against rookie safety Keanu Neal.
Vic Beasley’s conversion to strongside linebacker – after he
played just two plays there in the opener and missed the
second game with a shoulder injury – is still a question mark
heading into the third preseason game. The other linebacker
spots are also still in flux according to D. Orlando
Ledbetter: “The middle and weakside linebacker positions
are unresolved after two games because rookies Deion Jones
and De’Vondre Campbell haven’t taken firm control of the
spots. Incumbent Paul Worrilow appears to have the lead over
Jones, while Campbell has an slight lead over [Sean]
Weatherspoon.” Quinn expects to learn a lot more next week,
“From an evaluation standpoint, we're going to force the issue
and take a long look at a couple of guys. In general, we'll play
some of the guys longer than we did (against Cleveland), but
not much. It's really about the evaluation of a number of guys
that we want to get in against Miami's first group.”
K: Undrafted rookie Nick Rose was getting extra work with
starter Matt Bryant sidelined by “tightness” but the rookie’s
repeated misses prompted the team to sign veteran kicker
Shayne Graham and release Rose. Graham could get work if
Bryant can’t play in the third preseason game. If Bryant’s leg
tightness doesn’t clear up, Graham could kick his way into a
roster spot after a strong start in practices.
Returners: When the Falcons cut Devin Hester, it seemed
likely that they’d fall back on long-time veteran returner Eric
Weems. But more and more it looks like Weems isn’t assured
of a roster spot; Devin Fuller and J.D. McKissic could take
over his return duties this year in a true changing of the guard.
OL: The new look Falcons’ line continued to make strides in
preseason Week Two against the Browns. Overall the line had
a great night, both starters and backups contributed to over
220 yards rushing on the night. Center Alex Mack had a
dominant performance against former first round pick Danny
Shelton. During the game, former Browns guard Jason
Pinkston tweeted that Mack “did whatever he wanted to
Shelton.” Starting left guard Andy Levitre delivered a
crushing block on a trap play that sprung Devonta Freeman for
a 19-yard touchdown. Overall, this is a line that should be
greatly improved compared to last season.
Falcons Depth Chart
QB: Matt Ryan, Matt Schaub, Sean Renfree, Matt Simms
RB: Devonta Freeman (3RB), Tevin Coleman (KR), Terron
Ward, Brandon Wilds, Gus Johnson
FB: Patrick DiMarco
WR: Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Justin Hardy, Devin
Fuller, Aldrick Robinson, Eric Weems (KR/PR), Nick
Williams, Jordan Leslie, David Glidden
TE: Jacob Tamme, Austin Hooper, Levine Toilolo, D.J.
Tialavea, Arthur Lynch
LT: Jake Matthews
LG: Andy Levitre, Mike Person
C: Alex Mack
RG: James Stone, Chris Chester
RT: Ryan Schraeder, Tom Compton
K: Matt Bryant, Shayne Graham
DT: Tyson Jackson, Grady Jarrett (NT), Ra′Shede Hageman,
Jonathan Babineaux, Joey Mbu (NT)
DE: Derrick Shelby, Brooks Reed, Dwight Freeney, Adrian
Clayborn, Malliciah Goodman, Brandon Williams
MLB: Deion Jones, Paul Worrilow
OLB: Vic Beasley (S), De′Vondre Campbell (W), Courtney
Upshaw (S), Sean Weatherspoon (S), Philip Wheeler, Laroy
Reynolds, Tyler Starr
CB: Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford, Phillip Adams, Jalen
Collins (susp), Brian Poole, CJ Goodwin, Demarcus Van
Dyke
S: Ricardo Allen (FS), Keanu Neal (SS), Kemal Ishmael
(SS),Robenson Therezie (FS), Damian Parms (SS), Sergio
Brown, Akeem King
Baltimore Ravens
QB: Joe Flacco hasn’t missed a rep in training camp since
returning to practice. He tore his ACL last season, but the
recovery has gone smoothly. All signs point to Flacco making
his in-game return next Saturday in the team’s third preseason
game. Backup Ryan Mallett started Saturday’s second
preseason game but struggled to get out of the gates quickly as
the team only had nine yards of offense in the opening quarter.
He settled down in the second quarter and ended 6-for-8 for 47
yards (5.9 per attempt) including a 14-yard touchdown to
Kamar Aiken on a drag route. Third-stringer Josh Johnson
played very well (11-of-16 for 72 yards anda touchdown) in
two different stints on Saturday night, leading to comments by
John Harbaugh that the backup job was still an open
competition. Baltimore has often kept just two quarterbacks,
meaning this competition may not just be for the backup spot
but for a roster spot.
RB: The team’s depth was on display all week and in
Saturday’s game, with four players getting at least five carries
each. Justin Forsett was among those players, returning for the
game after sitting out the preseason opener. Forsett started and
worked with the first-team offense (minus Joe Flacco, of
course, who did not play) but struggled (5 carries for 11
yards). Javorius Allen split time with the first team and had
more success (14 yards on four carries) on the ground while
also being featured in the passing game (2 receptions).
Terrance West has been a camp sensation, losing weight and
re-committing to his career with his hometown team. West
tried to replicate his change-of-direction touchdown from
Week 1 to no avail. Although he couldn’t’ match last week’s
success, he was still effective – he had 51 yards on 11 touches.
Despite the apparent log-jam at the position, the depth chart
order seems clear: 1A) Forsett, 1B) Allen, 2) West and 3)
rookie Kenneth Dixon. Lorenzo Taliaferro is still on the PUP
List, and may not make the team. The Baltimore Sun notes
that what the Ravens have in depth, they lack in a “home run
hitter” type. The big plays will have to come from the
passing game.
WR: In surprising news, Steve Smith was activated off the
PUP list late in the week and is expected to practice this
coming week. Smith worked intensely on the field before the
game Saturday. His return is a welcome sight for Baltimore –
especially with Breshad Perriman’s return still uncertain.
Perriman is running, but Coach John Harbaugh says there are
no specifics as to his return. It’s possible (and increasing from
“possible” to “likely” with each passing day) that Perriman
begins the season on the Reserve/PUP List. Free agent
acquisition Mike Wallace has made steady improvement in
building rapport with Flacco. They have adjoining lockers,
and their connection is showing on the field. Labeled a “one
trick pony,” Wallace has shown versatility in camp. Even with
Smith’s activation and pending return, Wallace could be the
team’s leading receiver. With that said, Kamar Aiken
continues to be the most consistent and productive receiver, so
he won’t give up the mantle of #1 easily. Jeremy Butler started
alongside Kamar Aiken, and led the team with four receptions
for 35 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Chris Moore also had a
strong evening (three receptions for 20 yards). The team has
hard decisions to make when the 53-man roster cuts are
decided.
TE: Baltimore has compelling depth at tight end, as well.
Despite four legitimate options, it’s the one who is newest to
the team that appears to be the leader of the group. Ben
Watson delivered a career year last season in New Orleans. He
showcased his pass-catching ability and should be involved in
a similar capacity with the Ravens. Crockett Gillmore was the
team’s most-used tight end last season. He recently returned
from injury and was targeted a handful of times against the
Colts. He has to shake off the rust as he dropped an easy pass
at one point. Second-year Maxx Williams, last season’s
second-round draft pick, missed the game with an undisclosed
injury. Dennis Pitta also missed it with a finger injury. Both
appear to be falling behind Watson and Gillmore. It will be an
uphill climb for snaps for those two.
Defense: Terrell Suggs’ recovery from an Achilles injury
appears complete, at least if you gauge it from John
Harbaugh’s reaction after a “vintage” Suggs play. In practice
this week, he jumped up to defend a quick screen pass,
snatched the ball out of the air, and then returned it for a
touchdown. All of this prompted Harbaugh to say, “he’s
back.” Fellow edge rusher Elvis Dumervil, however, remains
on the PUP list. Last week, Harbaugh did say that Dumervil
would be ready for Week 1. Baltimore’s secondary (especially
its corners) are struggling. Jerraud Powers has had poor
showings in both games. Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett
were open frequently on Saturday night. Baltimore looks
susceptible against the pass. They didn’t look much better
against the run on Saturday night and it had Coach Harbaugh
quite perturbed.
Returners: Former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds was
drafted as a potential weapon in the return game, but he has
struggled and looks less likely to make the roster with each
passing day. While he’s dealt with injuries recently, Michael
Campanaro is the best bet to be the team’s top returner in
Week 1.
OL: Ronnie Stanley is having an excellent preseason and
certain news sources have graded him as the best rookie at
any position league wide. At left guard, John Urschel
continues to be the nominal starter, holding off rookie Alex
Lewis and journeyman Vlad Ducasse. However Urschel
suffered a contusion in practice and missed the most recent
preseason contest against the Colts. Alex Lewis started at left
guard in Urschel’s place and impressed onlookers with his
strength. Could Lewis steal Urschel’s job before the season
starts? Stay tuned. In other news, Ryan Jansen had a rough
night with the second team offensive line and his roster spot
could be in jeopardy.
Ravens Depth Chart
QB: Joe Flacco, Ryan Mallett, Jerrod Johnson, Josh Johnson
RB: Justin Forsett, Javorius Allen, Terrance West, Kenneth
Dixon, Lorenzo Taliaferro
FB: Kyle Juszczyk
WR: Steve Smith, Kamar Aiken, Mike Wallace, Breshad
Perriman, Chris Moore, Michael Campanaro, Jeremy
Butler, Keenan Reynolds (RB/KR), Chris Matthews, Kaelin
Clay, Daniel Brown
TE: Benjamin Watson, Maxx Williams, Crockett
Gillmore, Dennis Pitta (inj), Darren Waller (susp), Nick Boyle
(susp)
LT: Ronnie Stanley, James Hurst
LG: John Urschel, Alex Lewis
C: Jeremy Zuttah
RG: Marshal Yanda, Vlad Ducasse
RT: Rick Wagner, Ryan Jensen
K: Justin Tucker
NT: Brandon Williams, Kapron Lewis-Moore
DE: Timmy Jernigan, Lawrence Guy, Carl Davis, Bronson
Kaufusi, Willie Henry, Brent Urban, Matt Judon, Mario
Ojemudia, Nordly Capi
ILB: C.J. Mosley, Zachary Orr, Arthur Brown, Albert
McClellan, Kavell Conner
OLB: Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil (S), Za′Darius Smith
(DE), Kamalei Correa, Chris Carter, Brennen Beyer, Victor
Ochi
CB: Jimmy Smith (inj), Shareece Wright, Kyle Arrington
(inj), Jerraud Powers, Will Davis, Tavon Young, Maurice
Canady, Julian Wilson, Sheldon Price, Jumal Rolle (inj)
S: Eric Weddle (FS), Lardarius Webb (SS/PR), Kendrick
Lewis (FS),Anthony Levine (SS), Terrence Brooks (FS), Matt
Elam (SS), Nick Perry (SS), Jermaine Whitehead (FS), Will
Hill (susp)
Buffalo Bills
QB: It has been a chaotic training camp for the Bills, but they
put the offseason distractions aside and came together for a
dominant win over the Giants in the 2nd preseason game.
Tyrod Taylor played into the second quarter and appears ready
for the season to begin. He completed 7-of-10 passes for 132
yards and a touchdown. Early on, he evaded a blitzing CB and
unloaded for a 60+ yard throw to Charles Clay. He missed out
on a touchdown pass when the fullback fumbled at the goal
line, but made up for it later on a nice TD throw to LeSean
McCoy. EJ Manuel kept the momentum going on a nice deep
TD throw to Greg Little in the second quarter, and it certainly
looks like he should be able to hold onto the #2 job. Cardale
Jones has flashed at times but struggled in cleanup duty versus
the Giants; he was 6-of-12 for 83 yards and an interception.
RB: LeSean McCoy got a lot more work than expected as he
played into the second quarter and got 9 touches from
scrimmage. He couldn’t find much room to run, but was
electric in the passing game and hauled in a beautiful 13-yard
touchdown. The Bills shocked a lot of people when they
released Karlos Williams over the weekend. Already facing a
suspension for the first 4 games of the year, he reportedly had
been gaining weight that led the team to believe he didn’t take
his job seriously enough. As for who will replace him in the
pecking order, it should be a bit of a committee approach.
Reggie Bush has been seeing a lot of work with the 2 nd unit
offense lately, and spelled McCoy at times early in the Giants
game. However, Rex Ryan has said that they will use Bush
sparingly to try and maximize his effectiveness. That likely
means there is an opportunity for Mike Gillislee, who Rex
referred to as the number two back “right now”, as well as
rookie Jonathan Williams. Neither player stood out much in
the Giants game, but Williams got a lot more work.
WR: Sammy Watkins sat out the 2nd preseason game as a
precaution, but practiced fully on Monday and remains on
track to open the season. Robert Woods had a quiet, catchless
game against the Giants, and there has to be some concern
about whether he can get enough looks in this offense to be a
factor in fantasy leagues. Marquise Goodwin continued his
strong camp and solidified his grip on the #3 role. Among the
rest of the receivers, Walt Powell continues to push hard to
make the team as he makes plays every day in practice. Greg
Little is the dark horse as he saw time with the first string
offense, was the most targeted player, and hauled in a
touchdown pass from EJ Manuel while also having a second
one taken away on a questionable call.
TE: Charles Clay was often underused last year with Taylor
focusing heavily on the outside of the field, but he’s clearly
capable of stretching the field as he showed with a 59-yard
catch against the Giants. Watkins and McCoy figure to see the
bulk of targets, but Clay should be next in line most weeks.
The backups haven’t done a whole lot to distinguish
themselves yet, so it will be interesting to see who can make
the team as the #3 tight end with Jim Dray expected to serve
as a blocking specialist and de facto #2.
Defense: The defense took another big hit with the
announcement last week that Marcell Dareus would be
suspended 4 games for apparently missing a drug test. Then he
followed that up by checking himself into rehab for marijuana.
Rex Ryan and company will have to figure out a way to stop
opposing running backs without one of the best run defenders
in the league, but they looked impressive against the Giants
only giving up 37 total yards in the first half on the way to a
complete game shutout. Meanwhile, the three Giants
quarterbacks combined to go just 8 of 25 for 86 yards with 2
interceptions. The Bills boast a talented group of corners, but
need to find a complementary pass rusher for Jerry Hughes
who has been dominant thus far.
K: Dan Carpenter was pretty much out of the woods when
rookie UDFA Marshall Morgan was released to make room
for Reggie Bush, but kickoff specialist Jordan Gay remained
as an obstacle, at least until this weekend. Gay missed an extra
point and 37-yard field goal attempt in the second preseason
game and removed any doubt as to who would kick for the
Bills to open the season.
Returners: The Bills continue to rest Reggie Bush, but expect
him to still open the season as the top punt returner. On
kickoffs, Walt Powell is making a push for one of the last
roster spots as a return specialist.
OL: For the first time since being diagnosed with Crohn's,
Bills backup tackle Seantrel Henderson has been cleared to
practice. The team is still without starting left tackle Cordy
Glenn, so this is welcome news. Both Glenn (ankle) and
Richie Incognito (ribs) are expected back before the season
starts. Cyrus Kouandijo has been getting the reps at left
tackle in Glenn’s absence, and despite being called for a 15yard facemask penalty against the Giants, onlookers are
impressed with his improvement. The same cannot be said for
Ryan Groy, who is struggling with the first team in
Incognito’s left guard spot.
Bills Depth Chart
QB: Tyrod Taylor, EJ Manuel, Cardale Jones
RB: LeSean McCoy, Reggie Bush, Jonathan Williams, Mike
Gillislee (inj), James Wilder Jr., Dan Herron, Cierre
Wood, Dri Archer
FB: Jerome Felton, Glenn Gronkowski
WR: Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, Marquise
Goodwin, Greg Salas, Dezmin Lewis, Kolby
Listenbee, Marcus Easley, Greg Little, Jarrett Boykin, Walter
Powell
TE: Charles Clay, Jim Dray, Nick O′Leary, Chris
Gragg, Blake Annen, Jimmay Mundine, Jacob Maxwell
LT: Cordy Glenn, Jordan Mills
LG: Richie Incognito
C: Eric Wood
RG: John Miller, Cyril Richardson
RT: Cyrus Kouandijo, Seantrel Henderson
K: Dan Carpenter
DT: Marcell Dareus (NT) (susp), Kyle Williams, Leger
Douzable, Casey Walker (NT), Brandon Deaderick, Alameda
Ta′amu, Justin Zimmer
DE: Adolphus Washington, Corbin Bryant, Lavar
Edwards, Jerel Worthy, Cedric Reed
ILB: Preston Brown (M), Zach Brown, Brandon
Spikes, David Hawthorne, Jamari Lattimore, Kevin
Reddick, Reggie Ragland (inj)
OLB: Jerry Hughes, Shaq Lawson (inj), Manny Lawson
(S), Kroy Biermann (S), Lorenzo Alexander (S), Eric
Striker, Randell Johnson, Max Valles, IK Enemkpali (IR)
CB: Stephon Gilmore, Ronald Darby, Nickell Robey, Mario
Butler, Javier Arenas, Sterling Moore
S: Aaron Williams (FS), Corey Graham (SS) , Robert Blanton
(FS),Duke Williams (FS), Jonathan Meeks (SS), Johnathan
Dowling
Carolina Panthers
QB: The first-team offense produced 10 points in 18 snaps
while withstanding two three-and-outs on Saturday night. Cam
Newton was 8-for-12 for 162 yards passing and a 61-yard
touchdown to Ted Ginn. “After I made the guy miss, I knew
there was only one guy to beat. Once I got past him I knew it
was history. I can’t get caught from behind,” said Ginn.
Newton wasn’t the only quarterback to have success against
the Titans. Derek Anderson completed 12-of-20 passes for 118
yards and a touchdown while 3rd stringer Joe Webb completed
5-for-5 for 60 yards and a touchdown. “I think we started
pretty fast, and that's what you want to do,” Newton said after
the game. “Start fast and finish fast. I think we've still got to
work on that finishing part. And it was a couple throws that I
wish I had back. That's just the nature of the game.”
RB: Both Jonathan Stewart (3/10/0 rushing with one target for
1/4/0 receiving) and backup Cameron Artis-Payne (3/10/0
rushing with three targets for 2/24/0 receiving) posted 10
yards rushing in the second preseason game, while Fozzy
Whittaker handled two targets for 1/36/0 receiving. Reserve
running back Brandon Wegher led the team against Tennessee
with 8 rushes for 24 yards. The unit had just 53 yards on 21
carries (2.5 per attempt) so expect the coaches to emphasize
the ground game in the 3rd preseason game and ensure it’s on
track for the regular season.
WR: Kelvin Benjamin caught two passes for 29 yards versus
the Titans, but as beat writer Jonathan Jones noted in the
Charlotte Observer, “The Panthers want Benjamin, who
missed last season with a knee injury, to get in the
neighborhood of 35 snaps by Week 1, and he's still a long way
from it.” Conditioning has been a constant issue for Benjamin
during training camp, and this may limit him at the start of the
regular season, leaving the door open for Devin Funchess to
claim the top slot in the receivers' stable. Brenton Bersin
(back/ribs injury) missed the game and Kevin Norwood
absorbed a big hit to his ribs during the game. Damiere Byrd
(six targets for 3/36/0 receiving) was projected to make the
53-man roster, primarily for his value on special teams.
TE: Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer projected the
53-man roster and said, “The fight for the fourth TE spot is
shaping up to be one of the more competitive battles. Deaver,
the undrafted rookie from Duke, gets the initial nod over
Marcus Lucas and Beau Sandland, the seventh-round pick. All
three will get plenty of reps at Tennessee on Saturday with
[Greg] Olsen and [Ed] Dickson expected to be sidelined.”
Deaver caught a 15-yard pass while Scott Simonson
(presumed to be #3 on the depth chart) failed to catch any of
his three targets. Greg Olsen is recovering from back spasms,
but there is no indication he’ll be limited once the regular
season gets underway.
Defense: Cornerback Daryl Worley was repeatedly
victimized by Marcus Mariota on Saturday night: “Titans
quarterback Marcus Mariota took a liking to Daryl Worley’s
side of the field in the first half. No fewer than four passes
were thrown in his direction as Mariota put together a solid
outing despite one interception. Panthers coach Ron Rivera
said he would have liked to see Worley use better technique
on some of those plays.” Safeties Travell Dixon (chest injury)
and Trenton Robinson (shoulder injury) were taken out of the
game on special teams plays, forcing the beleaguered Worley
to move to safety late in the game. Starting nickel back Bene
Benwikere came up with a sack and an interception and was
relieved to have made a few big plays. “I literally went to the
sideline, sat down and said, ‘Finally, I just got one.’ Really
just hoping to get more and hope that gives me some
momentum.” The Panthers' 'Three Amigos' - rookie
cornerbacks James Bradberry, Worley, and Zack Sanchez had an up-and-down night: “James Bradberry, the secondround pick from Samford, wasn't really tested. Third-rounder
Daryl Worley allowed wideout Tajae Sharpe to catch several
passes in front of him, but didn't let Sharpe - or anyone else get behind him. Nickel corner Zack Sanchez had [Harry]
Douglas slide between him and strong safety Kurt Coleman
for a 23-yard touchdown toss from Mariota.”
Returners: While Ted Ginn remains the betting favorite to
handle most returns for the Panthers this season, Damiere
Byrd continues to impress and his roster spot looks more
assured every day. If he does make the team, expect him to
handle a few return attempts of his own.
OL: After trying Daryl Williams out at left tackle last week
(he allowed a strip sack on his first snap), the Panthers’ signed
Willie Smith to compete for the backup position behind
Michael Oher. Smith will have to beat out David Foucault to
earn a roster spot, but that shouldn’t difficult. As for Williams,
he is still competing with Mike Remmers at right tackle, but
Remmers (last year’s starter) appears to have the job wrapped
up. Trai Turner continues to play at an elite level at right
guard, and could be one of the league’s better young players at
the position.
Panthers Depth Chart
QB: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb (KR)
RB: Jonathan Stewart, Cameron Artis-Payne, Fozzy
Whittaker (KR),Brandon Wegher, Jalen Simmons, Devon
Johnson (IR)
FB: Mike Tolbert, Andrew Bonnet
WR: Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn
(KR/PR), Corey Brown, Brenton Bersin, Stephen
Hill, Keyarris Garrett, Kevin Norwood, Damiere Byrd, Miles
Shuler
TE: Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson, Beau Sandland, Scott
Simonson, Jake McGee, Braxton Deaver, Marcus Lucas
LT: Michael Oher
LG: Andrew Norwell, Chris Scott
C: Ryan Kalil, Gino Gradkowski
RG: Trai Turner
RT: Mike Remmers, Daryl Williams
K: Graham Gano
DT: Star Lotulelei (NT), Kawann Short, Paul Soliai, Vernon
Butler, Kyle Love, Robert Thomas (NT), Eric Crume
DE: Charles Johnson, Kony Ealy, Mario Addison, Ryan
Delaire, Wes Horton, Arthur Miley, Larry Webster, Rakim
Cox
MLB: Luke Kuechly, Ben Jacobs, Jared Norris
OLB: Thomas Davis (S), Shaq Thompson (W), A.J. Klein
(W/M), David Mayo, Jeremy Cash, Brian Blechen, Jared
Barber
CB: Bene Benwikere, James Bradberry, Robert
McClain, Daryl Worley, Zack Sanchez, Teddy
Williams, Leonard Johnson, Louis Young, Ras-I
Dowling, Shaq Richardson
S: Kurt Coleman (SS), Tre Boston (FS), Colin Jones
(SS/CB), Trent Robinson, Dean Marlowe (SS)
Chicago Bears
QB: The Bears are relying heavily on Jay Cutler to lead a
young offense this year and he showed a glimpse of the
potential on Thursday night against the Patriots. He completed
his first six passes on his way to an 8-for-12 performance, and
left the game with an 11-0 lead. The offensive line gave him a
lot more time than last week’s outing, and he was decisive and
accurate in his throws. Brian Hoyer was brought in to solidify
the backup position, but he has not impressed in camp and has
been terrible through two preseason games despite facing
mostly backups. He was just 4-of-14 against New England
with an interception (on his first snap), although Coach John
Fox chalked it up to Hoyer learning a new offensive system.
Surprisingly, Connor Shaw finished the game while
presumptive 3rd stringer David Fales didn’t take a snap.
RB: Jeremy Langford showed off his fantasy potential against
the Patriots as he ran hard between the tackles, broke off a big
34-yard gain on one run, and capped it off with a 5-yard
touchdown. He posted 63 yards from scrimmage on 8 carries
and 1 reception, solidifying his grasp on the feature back role
when healthy. Unfortunately, he missed practice on Saturday
while wearing a walking boot to recover from a foot injury
that he suffered in the game. Jacquizz Rodgers worked with
the second string offense, but found no room to run as he
gained just 7 yards on 6 carries. Rookie Jordan Howard didn’t
play until the second half but he got plenty of work and
flashed his power potential with 46 yards on 11 carries.
Ka’Deem Carey sat out the Patriots game while recovering
from a concussion, but he was cleared to practice over the
weekend.
WR: The Bears offense always works better with a healthy
Alshon Jeffery in the lineup, and that was the case on
Thursday night. He caught his only two targets of the game
and picked up 41 yards in the process. Kevin White is still
trying to get comfortable after missing his rookie season. He
made a nice cut and comeback catch for a 1st down
conversion, but also dropped what should have been an easy
catch. Eddie Royal has yet to be cleared from his concussion,
so it’s unclear how big of a role he will have or whether he
will make the final roster. Marc Mariani opened as the team’s
3rd WR, but only caught 1 pass for 3 yards in the game. Josh
Bellamy continues to be one of the most active receivers, and
should have a reserve spot locked up. Deonte Thompson went
catchless on 4 targets, and left the game with an ankle injury
that could keep him out for a while.
TE: Zach Miller sat out the Patriots game while still
recovering from his concussion, but he was able to return to
practice on Saturday. That’s a promising sign for a player who
is expected to play a big role in the offense following the
offseason trade of Martellus Bennett. Backup Tony Moeaki
started against the Patriots and provided a reliable checkdown
option for Cutler with 4 catches for 28 yards on 5 targets.
Unfortunately, the oft-injured player left the game early with a
hamstring injury and that helped open up a chance for Rob
Housler to pull in a 2-point conversion and later add a 52-yard
catch.
Defense: The main concern here is at cornerback. Kyle Fuller
is out indefinitely after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery
to clean up a prior injury. Nickel cornerback Bryce Callahan
also missed the game with a hamstring injury, which leaves
the Bears woefully short on experience at the position and
may force them to rely on rookie Deiondre Hall to start. ILB
Danny Trevathan also sat out with a hamstring problem, while
fellow starter Jerrell Freeman piled up some impressive tackle
numbers as a result. OLB Pernell McPhee continues to sit out
while recovering from offseason knee surgery and it’s unclear
at this point if he’ll be ready in time for the regular season.
Returners: In addition to locking down the punt return job,
receiver Mark Mariani is climbing the depth chart on offense.
His offensive duties are unlikely to take away from his work
on special teams.
OL: Led by right guard Kyle Long, the Bears’ offensive line
was productive against the Patriots. After spending all last
season at right tackle, Long seems more comfortable at guard.
The zone scheme plays were really working, creating holes for
Jeremy Langford, who scampered on several big runs and a
touchdown. Left tackle Charles Leno held the edge on pass
plays and left guard Cody Whitehair was productive in run
blocking. At the center position, it was a better performance
for Ted Larsen, who is starting after Hroniss Grasu went on
IR. After last week’s disastrous performance, Larsen was
much improved, except for a holding penalty.
Bears Depth Chart
QB: Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer, David Fales, Connor Shaw
RB: Jeremy Langford, Jordan Howard, Ka′Deem
Carey, Jacquizz Rodgers, Senorise Perry
FB: Khari Lee (TE), Darrel Young, Paul Lasike
WR: Alshon Jeffery, Kevin White, Marquess Wilson
(inj), Eddie Royal, Daniel Braverman, Marc Mariani
(KR/PR), Joshua Bellamy, Deonte Thompson (KR), Cameron
Meredith, Darrin Peterson, Derek Keaton, Kieren Duncan
TE: Zach Miller, Rob Housler, Ben Braunecker, Tony
Moeaki, Gannon Sinclair
LT: Charles Leno, Nick Becton
LG: Cody Whitehair, Shelley Smith
C: Ted Larsen, Khaled Holmes, Hroniss Grasu (IR)
RG: Kyle Long, Amini Silatolu
RT: Bobby Massie, Nate Chandler
K: Robbie Gould
NT: Eddie Goldman, Terry Williams
DE: Akiem Hicks, Jonathan Bullard, Will Sutton, Mitch
Unrein, Keith Browner, Ego Ferguson (IR)
ILB: Danny Trevathan, Jerrell Freeman, Christian Jones, Nick
Kwiatkoski, Jonathan Anderson, John Timu
OLB: Pernell McPhee, Lamarr Houston, Willie
Young, Leonard Floyd, Sam Acho, Roy RobertsonHarris, Lamin Barrow
CB: Kyle Fuller, Tracy Porter, Bryce Callahan, Sherrick
McManis, Deiondre′ Hall, Jacoby Glenn, Kevin
Peterson, De′Vante Bausby, Taveze Calhoun, Joel
Ross, Brandon Boykin (IR)
S: Adrian Amos (FS), Deon Bush (SS), Chris
Prosinski, Harold Jones-Quartey, Deandre Houston-Carson
(FS), Demontre Hurst (SS)
Cincinnati Bengals
QB: A.J. Dalton and A.J. McCarron continue to play well.
Dalton was efficient and accurate in three series. The Bengals
let Dalton throw the ball downfield more often in the second
preseason game and Dalton responded with well-thrown balls
to Tyler Boyd and A.J. Green. Had the running game found a
better rhythm, Dalton may have been able to sustain drives
better. After leading the Bengals on an eight play, 74-yard
touchdown drive, the first team offense went three and out on
the next two series. McCarron continues to increase his value
by dominating with the second team. He finished 10-of-15 for
95 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd over a
defender down the seam.
RB: The running game struggled often against Detroit.
Against the first and second string, the most impressive effort
was Jeremy Hill’s 9-yard touchdown run. Showing patience
footwork and well-timed acceleration on an inside zone run,
Hill continued his strong preseason. Running backs coach
Kyle Caskey feels Hill has put the disappointing 2015 season
behind him, “He’s decisive. He’s confident. He’s running
with power and aggression and doing it with acceleration we
all knew he had.” Gio Bernard and Cedric Peerman both
struggled to find running room on Detroit’s first and second
string. Rex Burkhead was much more successful, totaling 73
total yards on seven touches. Peerman and Burkhead are
stalwart special teams contributors who can help on offense if
needed.
WR: A.J. Green continues to dominate in practice. The battles
around and behind Green on the depth chart remain the most
compelling part of training camp among the skill positions.
Brandon LaFell returned to practice after missing two weeks
with a torn ligament in his hand. Although there were reports
he may need surgery, LaFell seems to have avoided any
procedures for now. Observers note some rust in his routes
and pre-snap alignments, but LaFell was running with the first
team immediately on his return to practice. Tyler Boyd
continues to impress. He saw more time with the first team
against Detroit. A diving reception from Andy Dalton was
eye-opening, but his second quarter touchdown reception from
A.J. McCarron was notable for smooth, confident technique
with his hands. He’s going to have a big role in the offense
regardless of LaFell’s recovery. Cody Core and James Wright
may have the upper hand at the 4th and 5th roster spots. Alex
Erickson and Brandon Tate are fighting for the kick
returner/wide receiver slot. Tate may have an edge with his
veteran route running ability, but Erickson brings slot value
and has done nothing but impress the coaches this summer.
Mario Alford has fallen behind this week while recovering
from an ankle injury.
TE: There were no updates on the condition of Tyler Eifert or
Tyler Kroft last week. Both continue to rehab without any
known adjustments to their rehab schedule. The Bengals have
another two weeks to closely monitor Eifert’s status before
being forced to decide whether he’ll remain on PUP or move
to the active roster. C.J. Uzomah had another strong week of
practice and drew praise for his run-blocking against Detroit.
He was not targeted during the game.
Defense: The Cincinnati defense was again without Vontaze
Burfict, who isn’t injured but is being held out of preseason
game action by Marvin Lewis. The first team was otherwise at
full strength against the Lions. In three series, the first team
Lions’ offense managed only three points. Those came on the
first drive, which started on the Detroit 15-yard line, included
four first downs, three on long pass plays, and finally stalled
inside the Cincinnati 10-yard line. The secondary remains a
work in progress but the front four continue to put regular
pressure on the quarterback. Second team safety Derron Smith
picked off Dan Orlovsky after anticipating a check down route
and returned the interception for a touchdown.
K: Zach Hocker finally returned to practice, and just in time to
give Mike Nugent some pressure after a poor preseason
continued. Nugent missed a 45-yard field goal and an extra
point and admitted to a “pathetic” preseason, although he
made a 50-yard kick and three other extra points. The
competition remains open on paper, but the Bengals are still
likely to stick with Nugent. Head coach Marvin Lewis said
he’s not concerned.
Returners: Long a paragon of stability on special teams, the
Bengals find themselves with a heated camp battle at return
specialist. Rookie Alex Erickson has been making big plays in
the return game, including an 80-yard touchdown, and he finds
himself battling veteran return specialist Brandon Tate for
what is likely the fifth and final receiver spot.
OL: In Week Two against the Detroit Lions, the offensive line
had a good showing. The left side of Andrew Whitworth and
Clint Boling opened up a huge hole for Jeremy Hill’s 9-yard
touchdown run. A closer look shows Whitworth may have
gotten away with holding, but the refs let them play. Jake
Fisher got the start for Cedric Ogbuehi at right tackle, but he
couldn’t finish the contest, as he picked up an ankle injury and
was seen after the game wearing a boot. Veteran Eric
Winston replaced Fisher, and he would be the starting right
tackle should the younger players not be ready to return for the
season opener. The line has rare tackle depth compared to
other teams, and should be fine even if Fisher and Ogbuehi
don’t recover by Week One of the regular season.
Bengals Depth Chart
QB: Andy Dalton, A.J. McCarron, Keith Wenning, Joe Licata
RB: Jeremy Hill (SD), Giovani Bernard (3RB), Rex Burkhead
(WR),Cedric Peerman, Bronson Hill
FB: Ryan Hewitt (HB)
WR: A.J. Green, Brandon LaFell, Tyler Boyd, Brandon Tate
(KR),James Wright, Jake Kumerow, Mario Alford, Alex
Erickson, Cody Core, Angelo Russell, Rashawn
Simonise, Michael Bennett
TE: Tyler Eifert (inj), Tyler Kroft (inj), C.J.
Uzomah, Matthew Lengel, John Peters
LT: Andrew Whitworth, Jake Fisher
LG: Clint Boling, Christian Westerman
C: Russell Bodine, T.J. Johnson
RG: Kevin Zeitler
RT: Cedric Ogbuehi , Eric Winston
K: Mike Nugent
DT: Geno Atkins, Domata Peko (NT), Brandon
Thompson, Andrew Billings (inj), Pat Sims, Marcus
Hardison, David Dean
DE: Carlos Dunlap, Michael Johnson, Margus Hunt, Will
Clarke, Jack Gangwish
MLB: Vontaze Burfict (W) (susp), Rey Maualuga (S), Nick
Vigil, Jeff Luc, Trevor Roach
OLB: Karlos Dansby (W/M) , Vincent Rey (S), Jayson
DiManche (S),Paul Dawson (W), Marquis Flowers (S), Darien
Harris
CB: Adam Jones (PR), Dre Kirkpatrick, Darqueze
Dennard, William Jackson III (inj), Josh Shaw, Chris LewisHarris, Corey White, Corey Tindal
S: George Iloka (SS), Shawn Williams (FS), Derron Smith
(FS),Jimmy Wilson, Clayton Fejedelem, Floyd Raven
Cleveland Browns
QB: The biggest story of the Browns’ second preseason game
was unquestionably what Robert Griffin III was able to do.
Griffin had a phenomenal night, completing six of his eight
passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns. He also scrambled
for 36 yards on three carries, at least one of those clearly being
a designed run. Unlike last week, Griffin looked comfortable
in the pocket and had time to deliver his deep strikes down the
field to his receivers and tight end. Head Coach Hue Jackson
was pleased. “Robert did some good things with the first
offense,” he said. “I don't think we're well-oiled yet, but I see
potential of us being what I think we can be. I thought he
played pretty well, thought he did a good job of taking care of
the ball and distributing the ball to some of our playmakers.”
Josh McCown had a quieter outing, completing four of his
seven attempts for 48 yards. His longest pass of the evening
was a 30-yard heave. Cody Kessler succeeded in avoiding the
major mistakes that plagued him during the first preseason
contest. He connected on two of his three passes for 10 yards.
RB: Like the rest of his offense, Isaiah Crowell seemed to be
more in rhythm. He led the team in carries with his seven for
28 yards. The defense was forced to respect the run, setting up
his quarterback for the deep shots down the field. Duke
Johnson’s three carries for six yards were forgettable, but he
made his stat line a little better by hauling in two passes for 10
yards. Terrell Watson bounced back from a poor showing in
the first preseason game to record four carries for 28 yards and
catching two passes for 12 yards. The backup standout from
the last contest, Raheem Mostert, had a quieter night, posting
two carries for four yards and catching one pass for seven
yards. During Sunday’s practice, Duke Johnson suffered an
undisclosed injury and left the field with a trainer. Jackson
would only say that Johnson “got tagged one time.”
WR: Starter Corey Coleman once again sat out Thursday’s
preseason game with a sore hamstring. Deep threat Taylor
Gabriel was injured on a punt return in the game and did not
return. For the second week in a row, Terrelle Pryor made a
splash play. He beat Desmond Trufant down the right sideline
on a go route, bringing in the 50-yard bomb for the first
Browns touchdown of the evening. Pryor said of the catch, “I
knew I had him when we called the play, I knew I was going
to beat him.” Rashard Higgins caught his lone target from
Robert Griffin III. Later in the game, he worked his way open
deep, but Josh McCown missed him. Rookie Jordan Payton
had an impressive deep reception from McCown, but was not
able to establish possession before falling out of bounds. The
Sunday following the game, the Browns signed former
Patriot and Colt Josh Boyce, indicating they may not be as
settled on Taylor Gabriel as was previously thought. Despite
not playing in the game, Josh Gordon is now practicing and
getting first team reps in an effort to find his role in the
offense upon his Week Five return. Andrew Hawkins and
Corey Coleman were also back at practice and are likely to see
action in the Week Three preseason game against the
Buccaneers.
TE: Starter Gary Barnidge was a recipient of the other
touchdown pass from Griffin. He made a fingertip snag of the
29-yard pass from Griffin, beating rookie safety Keanu Neal
for the score. Randall Telfer managed to catch a 30-yard pass
from Josh McCown. Neither Connor Hamlett nor E.J. Bibbs
was able to record a catch despite multiple targets. Seth
DeValve remained sidelined, continuing to rehab his
hamstring injury, but was practicing again on Sunday. The
competition for backup duties remains open with no player
doing anything outstanding in practices or games last week.
Defense: Overall, the defense struggled to stop the Falcons,
but there were some notable individual efforts. Defensive end
Carl Nassib in particular continues to impress. Not only did he
generate constant pressure on the Falcons’ offensive line, he
managed a strip-sack and fumble recovery in the third quarter
when no blockers picked him up on an edge rush. The
Browns’ fourth-round draft pick, Derrick Kindred of TCU,
had a fantastic night. He had six solo stops and broke up
several passes, including a well-placed end zone fade to
Austin Hooper. Former Texans safety Rahim Moore laid hard
hits just as often as he whiffed on them. He was evaluated for
a concussion (and was later cleared) after drawing a
questionable penalty for a helmet-to-helmet hit on J.D.
McKissic. The Browns seem to be struggling to find a role for
former first-round pick Barkevious Mingo. Mingo got both
outside and inside linebacker looks in the latter half of the
game. Other than one tackle for a loss, his play against third
and fourth string opposition did not stand out. Cornerback Joe
Haden continues his recovery from ankle surgery and is on
track to play in preseason Week Three. Justin Gilbert has
played so poorly in camp and preseason action that it appears
Hue Jackson is considering awarding the second starting
cornerback role to Jamar Taylor.
K: Incumbent kicker Travis Coons missed an extra point in
the second preseason game, and Patrick Murray made his, and
it was five yards longer because of a pre-snap penalty. Murray
has been the better kicker and is ahead in the competition
according to multiple reports. Coons only has one year under
his belt and it ended poorly, so he won’t be given “veteran
deference” by the new coaching staff.
Returners: Unhappy with Raheem Mostert’s fumbling
problem on returns, the Browns signed another potential
specialist in Ed Eagan. Typically players signed at this stage
are long-shots, but this does suggest Cleveland’s patience is
wearing thin.
OL: Dan France started at left tackle for Joe Thomas, who is
resting his sore back. There’s no cause for concern as Thomas
is expected to be a full go for the start of the regular season.
Snaps continue to be a problem for Cameron Erving, who
fired a high shotgun snap way over the head of his
quarterback. Erving is a taller center, and his problems with
snapping could be related to leverage. As a unit, the line
played well against Atlanta, opening up holes in the running
game. Left guard Joel Bitonio has finally recovered from an
ankle injury and is set for the regular season.
Browns Depth Chart
QB: Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, Cody Kessler, Austin
Davis
RB: Isaiah Crowell (SD), Duke Johnson (3RB), Terrell
Watson, Raheem Mostert, Glenn Winston
FB: Malcolm Johnson
WR: Josh Gordon (susp), Corey Coleman, Terrelle
Pryor, Andrew Hawkins, Rashard Higgins, Taylor
Gabriel, Jordan Payton, Ricardo Louis, Darius
Jennings, Marlon Moore, Ed Eagan, Josh Boyce
TE: Gary Barnidge, Connor Hamlett, E.J. Bibbs, Seth
Devalve, Randall Telfer
LT: Joe Thomas, Shon Coleman
LG: Joel Bitonio, Kaleb Johnson
C: Cameron Erving
RG: John Greco, Alvin Bailey
RT: Austin Pasztor, Spencer Drango
K: Travis Coons (inj), Patrick Murray, Jaden Oberkrom
NT: Danny Shelton, Jamie Meder, Nile Lawrence-Stample
DE: John Hughes, Xavier Cooper, Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl
Nassib, Nick Hayden, Dylan Wynn, Desmond Bryant (IR)
ILB: Christian Kirksey, Demario Davis, Tank Carder, Joe
Schobert, Scooby Wright III, Justin Tuggle
OLB: Paul Kruger, Nate Orchard, Armonty
Bryant, Barkevious Mingo, Cam Johnson, Jackson
Jeffcoat, Dominique Alexander
CB: Joe Haden, Jamar Taylor, Tramon Williams, K′Waun
Williams (inj), Justin Gilbert, Trey Caldwell, Eric
Patterson, Kenya Dennis
S: Jordan Poyer (FS), Ibraheim Campbell (SS), Rahim Moore
(FS),Pierre Desir (FS/CB), Don Jones (SS), Derrick
Kindred, Sean Baker (FS), Tim Scott (FS)
Dallas Cowboys
QB: Tony Romo took the field for the first time since rebreaking his collarbone last year as the Cowboys played the
Dolphins in preseason action. Romo played one series and
executed a pitch perfect drive. He completed 4-of-5 passes for
49 yards (9.8 per attempt) and led the Cowboys to a
touchdown. Jason Garrett was pleased with Romo’s limited
return: “He looked composed,” Garrett said. “He looked
confident, and he looked very comfortable out there. I thought
he read things well and delivered the ball well throughout.”
Romo’s day was over quickly, giving way to rookie Dak
Prescott. It seemed unlikely Prescott could match last week’s
heroic debut – yet he ended up far exceeding last week.
Prescott completed 12-of-15 passes for 199 yards (13.3 per
attempt) and two touchdown passes for a perfect passer rating
(158.3). He also ran for 28 yards and two touchdowns. It
stands to reason Dallas is feeling far less pressure to find a
veteran backup to replace Kellen Moore. Prescott has done
enough to warrant a shot at the backup job. Jameill Showers
struggled again (1-of-4 for 15 yards) and looks destined for
the practice squad.
RB: Ezekiel Elliott and Darren McFadden missed their second
consecutive preseason games, and Alfred Morris took full
advantage of the opportunity. Morris ran for 85 yards on 13
carries (6.5 per rush) with a 15-yard rushing touchdown in the
opening drive. Morris also caught a 15-yard pace. It’s clear
that Morris can be a dominant contributor running behind the
best offensive line in football, and is worth a late round
fantasy pick. Darius Jackson had 14 carries for 43 yards and a
15-yard reception playing with the backups. Darren McFadden
needs to get back on the field soon or he could be looking for
a new city once 53-man roster cuts are finalized. Lance
Dunbar was removed from the PUP list on Sunday after
rehabbing a torn ACL and torn patellar tendon suffered in the
first month of the 2015 season. Dunbar faces daunting odds in
his comeback given the incredible depth at running back. “I
still have a long way,” Dunbar said. “I still have to go through
a practice and make sure everything is feeling like it should.
It’s still early in the process. I’m just glad to get back. I feel
good and I’m going to give it a shot, see how it feels over the
course of time.”
WR: Dez Bryant is back. If you were waiting for confirmation
during the preseason that Bryant is healthy and capable of
dominating again, there should be no more doubts after the
Dolphins game. For the second consecutive week, Bryant
caught a touchdown pass and looked explosive with two
receptions for 46 yards. Terrance Williams didn’t play for
long but had a 12-yard reception and appears in synch with
Tony Romo in practice – more than he had in prior camps.
Brice Butler needed a good game to re-establish his role
offensively; he rose to the occasion with a 3-catch, 74-yard
night including a 1-yard touchdown from Prescott in the 3rd
quarter. Cole Beasley had two receptions for 21 yards and is
locked in as the slot receiver.
TE: Geoff Swaim led the tight end group with 29 yards on
two catches, and is making a convincing case for a 53-man
roster spot; perhaps ending John Hanna’s tenure in Dallas.
Gavin Escobar was active and had an 8-yard catch. Long-time
starter and future Hall of Famer Jason Witten was in midseason form with two receptions for 24 yards. Importantly, the
Romo-to-Witten connection looked like it never missed a beat.
“Jason is the best at what he does,” Romo said. “You just find
him sometimes, and things look pretty easy. We just have to
keep improving and getting better. We are still on camp
mode.”
Defense: The starting unit had ups and downs against the
Dolphins starting offense. Ryan Tannehill completed 12-of-20
passes for 162 yards (8.1 per attempt) and two touchdowns,
taking advantage of poor cornerback coverage in both
instances. The Cowboys were able to pressure the Dolphins
with three sacks, but allowed 120 yards rushing (4.1 per rush)
and 194 yards passing (7.2 per attempt). Anthony Hitchens led
the team with six tackles. Linebacker Kyle Wilber and
defensive end Shaneil Jenkins each had two tackles and a
sack. Sean Lee returned to the field for 12 snaps, and believes
he’s close to being in “season form.” "I'm going to plan on
playing more next week and continue to improve," Lee said.
"You need to play. I think playing only helps you, so I'm
going to push for more next week."
Returners: Lucky Whitehead wasn’t able to repeat his 101yard kickoff return from Week One of the preseason, but he
doesn’t have to. He’s still shown the best of any return
candidate on the team this offseason.
OL: Penalties were an issue against the Dolphins. Zach
Martin was called for holding on the first play from
scrimmage. Later in the first quarter, Chaz Green (starting for
Tyron Smith) was penalized for an illegal formation that
wiped out a touchdown. Mistake aside, Green has improved,
according to beat writers. Starting left tackle Tyron Smith
continues to miss action with a shoulder stinger. Coaches are
not counting on Smith for any preseason games, but he did
return to individual drills over the weekend. The team is
fully confident that he will be ready for the start of the regular
season. In other news, Bryan Witzmann continues to see
extended action as the coaches rest Doug Free. Witzmann
could be making a case for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Cowboys Depth Chart
QB: Tony Romo, Kellen Moore (inj), Dak Prescott, Jameill
Showers
RB: Ezekiel Elliott, Darren McFadden (inj), Alfred
Morris, Lance Dunbar, Darius Jackson, Rod Smith, Ben
Malena
WR: Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Brice
Butler, Devin Street, Vince Mayle, Lucky Whitehead
(KR/PR), Rodney Smith, Chris Brown, Richard Mullaney
TE: Jason Witten, James Hanna (inj), Gavin Escobar, Geoff
Swaim, Rico Gathers
LT: Tyron Smith, Darrion Weems
LG: Lael Collins, Ronald Leary
C: Travis Frederick
RG: Zack Martin
RT: Doug Free, Chaz Green
K: Dan Bailey
DT: Tyrone Crawford, Cedric Thornton, Terrell
McClain, Jack Crawford, Maliek Collins
DE: Benson Mayowa, David Irving, Ryan Russell, Charles
Tapper, Demarcus Lawrence (susp), Randy Gregory (susp)
MLB: Anthony Hitchens, Andrew Gachkar, Mark Nzeocha
(W),Jaylon Smith (inj), Rolando McClain (susp)
OLB: Sean Lee (W), Kyle Wilber (S), Justin Durant
(W), Damien Wilson (W), Deon King (S), Keith Smith
(W), James Morris, Ka′Lial Glaud, Jerrell Harris, Derek
Akunne
CB: Brandon Carr, Orlando Scandrick, Morris Claiborne
(inj),Anthony Brown, Josh Thomas, Isaiah Frey, Dax Swanson
S: Barry Church (SS), Byron Jones (FS), J.J. Wilcox (SS), Jeff
Heath (FS), Ayodeji Olatoye (FS), Kavon Frazier (SS)
Denver Broncos
QB: The second week of the preseason is in the books, and we
still have no clarity on which quarterback will take the reins
for Week 1. In fact, the situation may be even more cloudy
than it was last week. Trevor Siemian was given the nod to
start against the San Francisco 49ers. He looked good on the
opening drive that was capped off by a C.J. Anderson
touchdown run, but overall delivered an underwhelming
performance. Mark Sanchez would follow, and he proceeded
to lose two fumbles. Paxton Lynch handled mop-up duty, and
the rookie was arguably the most impressive of the three
signal callers for the evening. He completed 15-of-26 for 113
yards, two scores and a pick. Head coach Gary Kubiak
acknowledges that Lynch is in the mix for a situation that
remains far from settled. “I just told you guys that he’s behind
the other two from a knowledge standpoint, but we’ve been
out there competing every day. Everybody is in competition to
play,” he said. We’ll have to continue waiting to see how this
situation plays out, but the QB situation for the defending
Super Bowl champion looks like a clear avoid for fantasy
purposes.
RB: C.J. Anderson continues to impress in camp and
delivered a strong performance in Saturday’s preseason clash
with the 49ers. He toted the rock six times for 30 yards, and
capped off the team’s opening drive with a 19-yard touchdown
run. Anderson could be in line for a healthy workload this
season, as the Broncos unsettled QB situation does not point to
a pass-happy attack. Devontae Booker has supplanted Ronnie
Hillman as the second back on the depth chart, and he
delivered 43 yards on ten total touches. If he retains his hold
on the RB2 spot throughout the preseason, Booker could find
himself with a decent-sized role in 2016. Hillman is locked
into a battle with Kapri Bibbs for the RB3 spot, and the loser
could find themselves on the outside looking in when final
cuts are announced. Both players received three opportunities
to carry the ball on Saturday, with Bibbs slightly outproducing
Hillman. Juwan Thompson also remains in the mix for a spot
on the 53-man roster, but he’ll have to make his mark on
special teams and at fullback to stick.
WR: There are concerns that Demaryius Thomas and
Emmanuel Sanders will see a drop in productivity with such
an unsettled situation at quarterback. Gary Kubiak is not
buying that assessment, and promises: “We’re going to get
the ball into the hands of our playmakers and those guys are
playmakers.” That being said, even the receivers themselves
recognize that there’s no clarity on who will be slinging the
rock in Week 1. “As far as the quarterback, I think it's still
wide open,” Sanders said. Behind Thomas and Sanders, Cody
Latimer has the inside track on the WR3 job while Bennie
Fowler is on the sidelines battling an elbow injury. Fowler
should be healed up in time for the start of the regular season,
and both players appear fully secure in their roster spots.
Behind the top four, things get a little tricky. The Broncos
have good depth at the position as a whole, it just comes down
to how many receivers they ultimately decide to carry. Jordan
Taylor and Jordan Norwood were the most targeted receivers
against the 49ers, with six targets each.
TE: Those that have been patiently waiting for a Virgil Green
breakout campaign may finally get their wish in 2016. He’s
been stellar in camp and was the team’s leading pass-catcher
in the game against the 49ers. He hauled in all four of his
targets for 57 yards, and he’s earned some high praise from
Gary Kubiak. “Virgil’s been a warrior. He’s stayed in there.
He’s been battling. This is an opportunity in Virgil’s career to
become a starter and he’s obviously taking advantage of it,”
Kubiak said. If Green’s strong preseason continues, he could
carve out a role in the Broncos offense. The question marks at
QB will be looking for a safety blanket, and the starting tight
end could be in line for a healthy amount of targets. It appears
that Green is clearly ahead of Jeff Heuerman, who missed
Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury.
Defense: After a dominating effort in the preseason opener
against the Chicago Bears, the Broncos defense came back to
Earth against the 49ers. The quarterback pressure that was
evident against the Bears was nonexistent on Saturday, but
it’s hard to expect the second-teamers to continue playing at
such a high-level throughout the preseason. One bright spot
was the play of Zaire Anderson, who forced two fumbles in
the game. “He's becoming a good player, got a good grasp of
what we're doing. I've got to go back and look at the game, but
obviously he got some extensive time tonight against a tough
scheme to work against. I'll go back and look, but he's been
doing some good stuff,” Kubiak said. Demarcus Ware is
scheduled to return to practice next week, and Aqib Talib is
also expected to ramp up activity. Von Miller returned to the
field in Saturday’s tilt, and we should see more of him in the
third preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Returners: Jordan Norwood has yet to handle a return for the
Broncos this season as the coaching staff takes every
opportunity to evaluate undrafted rookies Kalif Raymond and
Bralon Addison. Despite this, beat reporter Cameron Wolfe
projects the rookies won’t make the final 53-man roster,
which would give Norwood the job by default.
OL: The left guard competition appears to be clearing up, and
fifth round rookie Connor McGovern could be the last man
standing. First, it came out that presumptive starter Ty
Sambrailo will likely the start of the season with a hyper
extended elbow. Darrion Weems was next in line for the
spot, but he suffered a concussion against the 49ers.
McGovern took the reins and had a big performance, clearing
the way for the running backs to average about five yards a
carry. This battle is far from over, as the team has other
options. Michael Schofield can kick inside, but most believe
he is better at tackle. The team could even turn to backup
center James Ferentz.
Broncos Depth Chart
QB: Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch, Trevor Siemian
RB: C.J. Anderson, Devontae Booker, Ronnie Hillman, Juwan
Thompson, Kapri Bibbs
FB: Andy Janovich
WR: Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders (PR), Bennie
Fowler (inj), Cody Latimer, Jordan Norwood, Kalif
Raymond, Jordan Taylor, DeVier Posey, Durron Neal, Mose
Frazier, Bralon Addison
TE: Virgil Green, Jeff Heuerman, Garrett Graham, Richard
Gordon, John Phillips, Nick Kasa, Henry KriegerCoble, Manasseh Garner, Anthony Norris
LT: Russell Okung, Darrion Weems
LG: Connor McGovern, Ty Sambrailo (inj), Aaron Neary
C: Matt Paradis, James Ferentz
RG: Max Garcia
RT: Donald Stephenson, Michael Schofield
K: Brandon McManus
NT: Sylvester Williams, Darius Kilgo, Calvin Heurtelou, Kyle
Peko
DE: Derek Wolfe, Jared Crick, Adam Gotsis, Billy
Winn, Kenny Anunike, Henry Melton, George
Uko, Vontarrius Dora, Shaniel Jenkins, David Moala, Eddie
Yarbrough, Vance Walker (IR)
ILB: Brandon Marshall, Todd Davis, Corey Nelson, Zaire
Anderson
OLB: Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Shaquil Barrett, Shane
Ray, Dekoda Watson, Frank Shannon, Sadat
Sulleyan, Dwayne Norman
CB: Aqib Talib (susp), Chris Harris Jr., Bradley
Roby, Kayvon Webster, Lorenzo Doss, John Tidwell
S: T.J. Ward (SS), Darian Stewart (FS), Justin Simmons
(FS), Shiloh Keo, Will Parks, B.J. Lowery, Ryan
Murphy, Antonio Glover
Detroit Lions
QB: Starting quarterback Matthew Stafford had the first team
offense for two drives on Thursday evening when the Lions
took the field at home versus Cincinnati. Stafford looked sharp
in his limited time, attempting 11 throws and connecting on
eight of them, with a drop or two sprinkled in. Veteran backup
Dan Orlovksy played almost two full quarters but did not play
well in the game as he looked spotty with his accuracy and he
threw another brutal interception that the Bengals returned for
a touchdown. Orlovsky was 8-of-14 for 83 yards and his
interception, but he simply wasn’t accurate. Rookie Jake
Rudock played the fourth quarter and he also threw an
interception. Rudock lacks arm strength and he forced a late
throw over the middle of the field that sailed high. Rudock
finished 8-of-11 for 90 yards and the interception. The
competition for the No. 2 quarterback job is tighter than most
thought it would be. Kyle Meinke of www.mlive.com reports
that the Lions have a decision on their hands as Rudock seems
to be playing better as camp moves on while Orlovsky is
currently struggling.
RB: The Lions are missing running back Ameer Abdullah as
they’ve been very ineffective running the ball. Dave Birkett
of The Detroit Free Press reported that Abdullah is out of the
no-contact red jersey and has been cleared for a return to
normal football activities. It’s clear at this point that the Lions
will be reliant on Abdullah to carry the bigger workload as a
runner than any other back on the team. In these preseason
games, the Lions continue to get a look at pass catcher Theo
Riddick as a traditional runner, but it isn’t working and it isn’t
the best use for his skillset. He had seven carries for a total of
17 yards in the game. Riddick is a tremendous asset as a
receiving back and he’ll continue in that role.
The battle for the power back position remains tight as the
offensive line is having difficulty moving the defense off the
ball and it’s giving the backs no running room. Second-year
pro Zach Zenner carried the ball four times for four yards and
veteran Stevan Ridley went for 13 yards on four carries. The
player standing out is rookie Dwayne Washington, and he
continues to flash great athleticism to go with his big frame.
Washington scored the Lions only touchdown of the game
versus Cincinnati on a 5-yard run, and he finished with 22
yards on six carries. Washington continues to surprise as he
put together a strong performance this week, backing up a
solid performance in the first preseason game. Carlos
Monarrez of The Detroit Press reports that Washington was
used in all phases of the game Thursday. It’s impressive that
he’s seeing time in all phases of special teams, as a runner and
that he is seeing targets out of the backfield.
WR: The first-team offense was clicking early in the game as
Stafford was in rhythm, finding receivers Marvin Jones and
Golden Tate all over the field. Dave Birkett of The Detroit
Free Press reported that Stafford seems at home in the Jim
Bob Cooter offense, and there are no words to explain how
critical that is to a player like Stafford. Seriously, if the Lions
are tailoring an offense around what makes Stafford
comfortable, he is dramatically undervalued in the fantasy
world right now. The Lions took the opening kick and
Stafford, Jones, Tate and veteran Anquan Boldin gashed the
Bengals defense, driving right down the field. Stafford was 5for-6 on the drive, but should have been 6-for-6 as he hit Tate
in both hands in the back on the end zone on third down. The
Lions settled for a field goal, but it was a very positive
showing as the offense got chunks of yardage in the passing
game. Stafford hit Tate for 12 yards and Jones for 32 and 19
yards respectively in the first drive. The Lions first team
offense looks in sync and ready to roll. Stafford has great
chemistry with Tate and is clearly developing it with Jones.
The offense will get timely playmaking from Anquan Boldin
who will be a valuable player moving the chains. Jones
finished with four catches for 65 yards and Tate went for 41
yards on three grabs. Paula Pasche of The Oakland Press
thinks the final roster spots remain contested. Jim Caldwell
said, “It’s still bunched in there pretty good, we’ve got a
couple more games left so we’ll see what happens.” A few
weeks ago it sounded like T.J. Jones had solidified a spot, but
nothing is set in stone at this point. Jones had two catches for
26 yards Thursday. Corey Fuller had foot surgery in June and
could start the season on the PUP list. That leaves rookies
Quinshad Davis and Jay Lee fighting it out with veterans
Andre Roberts, Jeremy Kerley and Jace Billingsley. These
battles are generally determined by what each player can offer
on special teams and this contest will be no different.
TE: The Lions are still waiting on Eric Ebron’s return from an
injured ankle suffered several weeks ago, but Kyle Meinke of
www.mlive.com reported that Ebron looked to be nearing a
return. This is good news as Ebron will be heavily counted on
if the Lions offense is to be at its best. The Lions are
dangerously thin at the tight end position with undrafted free
agent Cole Wick and veteran Orson Charles getting the
majority of the reps in Ebron’s absence. Wick caught two
passes for 26 yards working with the first and second teams
and Charles had four catches and totaled 40 yards with the
backups on Thursday night. Wick took a bit of heat for a bad
repetition in pass protection against Bengals defensive end
Carlos Dunlap which led to a sack and fumble that the Lions
recovered. Wick is simply not ready to take on an NFL level
pass rusher on his own, and it’s a play the Lions might want to
shelve if they want to keep Stafford upright.
Defense: The Lions front four looks fairly strong as a group
but won’t hold up well if injuries hit the position. The
defensive interior looks stout with tackles Haloti Ngata and
Tyrunn Walker as starters. They also have an impressive
rotation with Caraun Reid, Gabe Wright, Stefan Charles and
rookie A’Shawn Robinson. The linebacker position was
questioned early in camp but looked solid Thursday. The
Lions are still missing star linebacker DeAndre Levy but Tahir
Whitehead looked good playing middle linebacker. Kyle Van
Noy was a star at BYU coming forward and attacking the ball,
and the Lions finally allowed him to do that Thursday. It’s no
surprise that he looked good blitzing the A gaps and getting
reps as an edge rusher. The secondary remains a work in
progress, particularly with the strong safety position. Rafael
Bush looked solid early in camp but appeared tentative
Thursday. Tavon Wilson and Bush appear to be locked in a
duel for this position.
Returners: Ameer Abdullah returned to practice on August
20th, and almost immediately Coach Jim Caldwell reaffirmed
that he sees the running back reprising his dual-purpose role
on both offense and special teams.
OL: Rookie left tackle Taylor Decker had a mixed
performance against the Bengals, which was a big step up
from his disastrous debut a week ago. Coaches told reporters
that Decker is raw technically and he can’t rely on his
athleticism to bail him out, as it did on the college level.
Decker did not give up much pressure in the passing game but
he struggled sustaining his blocks in the running attack.
Laken Tomlinson’s play is cause for concern; he appears to
be regressing in his second season. Right guard Joe Dahl has
looked good with the second unit but that doesn’t change the
fact the offensive line has a ton of work to do before they can
even be considered league average.
Lions Depth Chart
QB: Matthew Stafford, Dan Orlovsky, Jake Rudock
RB: Ameer Abdullah (KR), Theo Riddick (3RB), Zach
Zenner, Dwayne Washington, Stevan Ridley, George Winn
FB: Michael Burton
WR: Golden Tate (PR), Marvin Jones, Anquan Boldin, TJ
Jones (KR/PR), Jeremy Kerley, Andre Roberts, Corey Fuller
(inj), Jay Lee, Quinshad Davis, Jace Billingsley, Andre
Caldwell (IR), Ryan Spadola (IR)
TE: Eric Ebron (inj), Brandon Pettigrew (inj), Cole
Wick, Matthew Mulligan, Andrew Quarless (susp), Adam
Fuehne, Ben McCord, Tim Wright (IR)
LT: Taylor Decker, Corey Robinson
LG: Laken Tomlinson, Joe Dahl, Gabe Ikard
C: Travis Swanson, Graham Glascow
RG: Larry Warford, Geoff Schwartz
RT: Riley Reiff, Michael Ola, Cornelius Lucas
K: Matt Prater
DT: Haloti Ngata, A′Shawn Robinson, Tyrunn Walker
(inj), Caraun Reid, Khyri Thornton, Gabe Wright, Stefan
Charles, Kerry Hyder
DE: Ezekiel Ansah, Devin Taylor, Wallace Gilberry, Anthony
Zettel, Quanterus Smith, Deonte Gibson, Louis Palmer
MLB: Tahir Whitehead (S), Antwione Williams, Dominique
Tovell (S)
OLB: DeAndre Levy (W), Kyle Van Noy (S), Josh Bynes (S),
Khaseem Greene, Brandon Copeland, Zaviar
Gooden, Dominique Tovell, Jonathan Bostic (inj)
CB: Darius Slay, Nevin Lawson, Quandre Diggs, Alex
Carter, Darrin Walls, Crezdon Butler, Adairius
Barnes, Charles Washington, Rashaad Reynolds
S: Glover Quin (FS), Rafael Bush (FS), Tavon Wilson
(SS), Miles Killebrew (SS), Don Carey, Johnson Bademosi
(FS), Isaiah Johnson (SS)
Green Bay Packers
QB: Brett Hundley gave it a go against the Raiders – he
completed 5-of-7 for 67 yards – but wound up re-aggravating
his injured ankle during the second preseason game.
According to beat writers Eric Baranczyk and Pete
Dougherty, “Brett Hundley played only 20 snaps in his 2016
preseason debut before re-injuring his left ankle, but in that
short stint the second-year quarterback looked capable of
backing up Aaron Rodgers this season.” He is not expected to
practice this week or play in the third preseason game. Joe
Callahan completed 9-of-17 passes for 65 yards, and was
sacked twice for -11 yards, but did enough to help the Packers
win 20-12 over the Raiders. Meanwhile the team continues to
keep the elite Aaron Rodgers out of the meaningless
exhibition contests, although Rodgers is expected to do
extensive work in practice this week with Jordy Nelson
(activated off of PUP last Wednesday) as they seek to reestablish their rapport and timing. Fourth-stringer Marquise
Williams didn't attempt a pass vs. Oakland, instead taking one
sack for a 9-yard loss.
RB: Eddie Lacy continues to run well in training camp and
preseason games; he gained 45 yards and a touchdown on nine
carries versus the Raiders. Third-stringer John Crockett had 26
yards rushing and four receptions for 27 yards, while backup
James Starks posted 6/26/0 rushing. Aaron Ripkowski, the
new starting fullback, was worked into the offense with two
carries for 4 yards and a 13-yard reception. Entering the third
preseason game, it looks like Lacy has worked his way out of
head coach Mike McCarthy's doghouse, and he has a firm grip
on the feature back role, with Starks and Crockett as his main
backups. Brandon Burks (4/14/0 rushing with one target) is
pushing Crockett for the third spot in the stable, but Crockett
is seen as in the lead for that spot after the second preseason
game.
WR: Though Jordy Nelson did dress and participate in warm
ups before the second preseason game, he didn't play. The
early word is that this week he'll do a lot of one-on-one work
with Aaron Rodgers but not be involved in the team portions
of practice. Head coach Mike McCarthy is mindful of the
process: “I think it’s important to stay focused on the fact that
Jordy’s going to practice Monday for the first time. It will be
in the individual drills (with) the emphasis there, the normal
protocol that you want to bring guys back. Obviously, his
veteran experience will factor into that. Aaron and Jordy will
work as much as they possibly can on one-on-one routes and
things like that. We've got a plan. We'll start that plan and
based on how it works out (in terms of) play time, I can't
really answer that question.” McCarthy is pleased with
Davante Adams: “Davante’s having a very good camp. That's
what you see; he's healthy and he's taken a step. I think, really,
he's kind of in line with our whole team. I thought our team
took a step in the right direction today. Yes, Davante's healthy.
As with all of our guys, they obviously play better when
they're healthy.” Adams has beaten back a field of challengers
for the #3 spot behind Nelson and Randall Cobb.
TE: Some of Jared Cook’s former teammates and coaches are
pulling for him to emerge as a playmaker this season – Matt
Hasselbeck and Ray Sherman, in particular. “If Sam
Bradford would’ve been able to stay healthy in St. Louis and
been around,” former Rams receivers coach Sherman said,
“you would’ve probably been able to see (Cook) have
success.” Cook managed caught both of his targets against the
Raiders (for 16 yards) while Richard Rodgers was not
targeted.
Defense: According to Eric Baranczyk and Pete
Dougherty, USA Today Network - Wisconsin, the Packers'
secondary is rounding into top form: “Clinton-Dix, Randall
and Rollins are three of the ascending talents on the team.”
Clinton-Dix in particular is cited for his run defense in the
nickel formation and the writers believe he could be the
Packers' next defensive star. Another young player on the
rise is inside linebacker Carl Bradford. “It felt good [in the
first and second preseason games]. I felt myself for once. I
really haven't been feeling that these past couple years. From
this point last year I really didn't understand the defense, really
didn't understand certain things. I wasn't comfortable for
myself. Now it's time to go get it, and I feel way better. I feel
confident in my game more and just ready to attack.”
Returners: With primary kickoff returner Jeff Janis out 4-6
weeks after surgery to repair a fractured hand, Jared
Abbrederis will get an extended audition to try to take Janis’
job away.
OL: The line looked good against the Raiders. The first team
unit sustained a long drive was capped off by Eddie Lacy’s 1yard touchdown plunge. Right guard Josh Sitton and center
J.C. Tretter combined to move the pile. Look for more of that
this season, as left guard T.J. Lang is also a powerful run
blocker. Lang was mainly responsible for the huge hole that
led to Lacy’s 20-yard gain earlier in the drive. The best player
on the line is still Sitton, who reported to camp in excellent
shape and is extremely motivated in his contract year. The
backup linemen had their own highlight play, springing James
Starks for a 24-yard gain in the second quarter.
Packers Depth Chart
QB: Aaron Rodgers, Brett Hundley, Joe Callahan, Marquise
Williams
RB: Eddie Lacy, James Starks, John Crockett, Brandon Burks,
Brandon Ross, Don Johnson
FB: Aaron Ripkowski, Alstevis Squirewell
WR: Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Jared Abbrederis, Davante
Adams, Ty Montgomery, Jeff Janis (KR) (inj), Trevor Davis
(KR/PR),Geronimo Allison, Jamel Johnson, Ed
Williams, Herb Waters, Harvey Binford
TE: Richard Rodgers, Jared Cook, Justin Perillo, Kennard
Backman, Casey Pierce, Mitchell Henry
LT: David Bakhtiari, Jason Spriggs
LG: Josh Sitton, Lane Taylor, William Campbell
C: Corey Linsley, J.C. Tretter
RG: T.J. Lang, Josh Walker
RT: Bryan Bulaga, Kyle Murphy
K: Mason Crosby
NT: Letroy Guion, Kenny Clark, Christian Ringo, Brian Price
DE: Mike Daniels, Datone Jones, Mike Pennel, Dean
Lowry, Tyler Kuder, Demetris Anderson, Reggie Gilbert
ILB: Sam Barrington (M), Jake Ryan, Blake Martinez, Carl
Bradford (M), Joe Thomas
OLB: Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, Nick Perry, Jayrone
Elliott, Kyler Fackrell, Lerentee McCray, Beniquez
Brown, Manoa Pikula
CB: Sam Shields, Quinten Rollins, Damarious
Randall, Demetri Goodson (susp), LaDarius
Gunter, Robertson Daniel, Josh Hawkins, Makinton Dorleant
S: Morgan Burnett (SS), Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (FS), Micah
Hyde (FS/PR), Chris Banjo (SS), Kentrell Brice, Marwin
Evans
Houston Texans
QB: Brock Osweiler played a quarter and a half against the
Saints, throwing for 124 yards, a touchdown and an
interception. Osweiler was generally sharp and showed poise
in the pocket playing behind a makeshift offensive line. The
Texans passing game is going to be heavily reliant upon
rookies and Osweiler has made big strides in building a
rapport with his young pass catchers. On the first scoring drive
of the game, the three key completions were to rookies
Stephen Anderson, Braxton Miller and Will Fuller. The
Texans 25-and-under skill position talent is impressive. This
passing offense should continue to improve and grow together
over the years, which could make Osweiler an underrated
dynasty commodity.
RB: The offensive line was missing four starters against the
Saints, which led to multiple defenders in the backfield on
nearly every running play. Lamar Miller was consistently able
to make the first man miss. He showed impressive vision and
wiggle to turn potential negative plays into short gains. If the
Texans can get their line healthy, Miller is poised to have a big
season. If multiple starting offensive linemen remain out
through the early part of the regular season, the offensive line
could struggle. Kenny Hilliard has dropped ten pounds and
has been the primary backup with Alfred Blue nursing an
injury. Blue injured his shoulder during joint practices prior to
the first preseason game and is expected to return in the next
week to battle his former college teammate for the secondstring job.
WR: Will Fuller has made a big move in the past two weeks
to seize the number two job across from DeAndre Hopkins.
He had an impressive touchdown against the Saints in joint
practices and also scored an early touchdown in the preseason
game on a perfect fade route in the corner of the end zone.
Fuller played nearly all of the snaps with first-team offense for
the second straight week. “He takes a ton of notes, he’s always
studying his playbook,” said Osweiler of Fuller. “Whenever
we get a break, a lot of guys go in the locker room and we’re
socializing or we go grab a coffee over here in the cafeteria
but Will’s in his playbook, he’s studying. He wants to be
great and he’s always, always striving to be great.” Braxton
Miller ran with the first-team offense as the starting slot
receiver. Through two games, he has seven catches for 68
yards and has earned praise from Coach O’Brien for his
success in absorbing the playbook. Miller should make an
instant impact in Houston.
TE: Undrafted rookie tight end Stephen Anderson has been
the biggest surprise of training camp and preseason for the
Texans. He has become a fan favorite, regularly making big
catches in practice. He received snaps with the first-team
offense (primarily on third downs) and came up with a key
third-down catch to keep the chains moving on the second
drive of the game. The rookie brings a new element to the
offense with his athleticism and should make an immediate
impact.
Defense: Jadeveon Clowney made his first appearance of the
preseason and proved to be a dominant force off the edge. He
ran right over tackle Zach Strief on his first pass rush. He
whipped Andrus Peat for his sack. Later, he “ragdolled” Tony
Hills for a tackle for a loss. Defensive coordinator Romeo
Crennel said of Clowney: “If he can keep running them over
and getting sacks, maybe one move will be good enough. He's
going to run into some guys where he'll have to use some
alternative stuff and he has that in his repertoire.” J.J. Watt
recently had his stitches from surgery removed and is now
working out on a specialized treadmill. "J.J. Watt obviously
will not be back this week, but he's making a lot of progress in
his rehab," O'Brien said. "I just don't think anybody can
predict when J.J. will be back. I would say knowing J.J. the
way I do that he'll be back sooner rather than later. It's
progressing really well. He's been able to do some things on
the Ultra-G treadmill, which is a really good sign.” Brian
Cushing shined in his preseason debut, looking healthier than
he has in years. He had six tackles and a pass breakup in about
a quarter of action.
K: Nick Novak was ahead of rookie Kai’mi Fairbairn in the
kicker competition, but he suffered a concussion last week.
Meanwhile, Fairbairn is nursing a quad injury. The team has
characterized his condition as day-to-day, although it is
possible that they may need to bring in a kicker to get through
the preseason.
Returners: The Texans have historically preferred to use a
single return specialist, and despite a sometimes-shaky week,
4th-round rookie Tyler Ervin is the front-runner for the job
this year.
OL: Starting center Nick Martin is dealing with an ankle
injury that will likely require surgery. Martin, brother of
Cowboys’ guard Zack, was drafted in the second round and
has been a fixture in the starting lineup since mini camps.
Greg Mancz has been given an opportunity over veteran Tony
Bergstrom to replace Martin. The coaches seem to really like
Mancz, an undrafted first year player out of Akron who
missed most of last season with injury. While Mancz has
talent, Texans fans should expect a dropoff from Martin, as
evidenced by Saints’ DT Nick Fairley’s beating Mancz for a
sack of Brock Osweiler in preseason action.
Texans Depth Chart
QB: Brock Osweiler, Tom Savage, Brandon Weeden
RB: Lamar Miller, Alfred Blue, Tyler Ervin (KR), Jonathan
Grimes, Akeem Hunt, Kenny Hilliard
FB: Jay Prosch
WR: DeAndre Hopkins, Jaelen Strong, Will Fuller, Cecil
Shorts, Braxton Miller, Keith Mumphery (PR), Wendall
Williams (KR/PR), Josh Lenz
TE: Ryan Griffin, C.J. Fiedorowicz, Anthony
Denham, Stephen Anderson, Eric Tomlinson
LT: Duane Brown, Chris Clark
LG: Xavier Sua-Filo, Jeff Adams
C: Greg Mancz, Nick Martin (inj), Tony Bergstrom
RG: Jeff Allen, Oday Aboushi, Kendall Lamm
RT: Derek Newton
K: Nick Novak, Kai’mi Fairbairn
NT: Vince Wilfork, D.J. Reader
DE: J.J. Watt (inj), Christian Covington, Devon Still, Brandon
Dunn, Jeoffrey Pagan, Joel Heath, Alex Carrington, Dan
Pettinato
ILB: Brian Cushing, Benardrick McKinney, Akeem
Dent, Max Bullough, Brian Peters
OLB: Whitney Mercilus (S), Jadeveon Clowney (J), John
Simon (S/J), Reshard Cliett, Tony Washington, Carlos
Thompson
CB: Johnathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson, Kevin Johnson, A.J.
Bouye, Charles James, Richard Leonard (inj)
S: Andre Hal (FS), Eddie Pleasant (SS), Quintin Demps (FS),
Antonio Allen (SS), KJ Dillon (SS), Kurtis Drummond
(FS), Lonnie Ballentine (SS), Corey Moore
Indianapolis Colts
QB: Andrew Luck was sharp in his first game action since last
November. He played two series in the Colts 19-18 loss to the
Ravens, completing all eight of his passes for 71 yards, and
adding two scrambles for 12 yards. “With him, nothing really
surprises any of us,” head coach Chuck Pagano said after
the game. “I wasn’t shocked because of the time he has put in.
Since he came back, through the OTAs and what he did on the
break and then from the start of training camp, he has just
been outstanding. He has been a different guy. Different from
a leadership standpoint. Different from how he carries himself
day in and day out throughout the building. In practice, he is
very demanding of himself and he is making everybody
around him better. It was obviously great to see it and I am not
surprised by anything that he does.” Luck was relieved to get
back on the field. “I needed to get out there,” he said
afterward. “It’s like breathing. You just need more of it. It’s
like oxygen.” Backup Scott Tolzien came in for Luck and
rebounded from last week’s uneven performance. Tolzien
completed 13-of-18 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown,
flashing improved accuracy and presence. Still, Pagano said
the backup quarterback job was very much an open
competition between Tolzien and third-stringer Stephen
Morris. Morris played the fourth quarter Saturday night,
completing 7-of-11 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. He
also led the Colts in rushing yards for the second consecutive
game.
RB: Frank Gore’s preseason debut consisted of one carry for
five yards on the second play of the game. The 33-year old
veteran wanted more carries, but said the Colts are just being
smart with him. After running with the starters last week,
undrafted free agent Josh Ferguson played behind Robert
Turbin Saturday night. Ferguson ran for just six yards on five
carries and now has nine rushing yards on 13 carries through
two preseason games. He also had a bad miss on a blitz
pickup that got Tolzien blown up. Turbin -- who was mixed
in at fullback last week -- didn’t do much to distinguish
himself, rushing for 18 yards on seven carries. He also drew
criticism from Pagano with a false start penalty from the
four-yard-line. “It’s a lack of focus. A false start? You know
the snap count. You can’t do it,” Pagano said. Jordan Todman
was the Colts most effective runner, with 22 yards on five
carries. Trey Williams caught a late seven-yard touchdown
from Morris, but is behind Gore, Ferguson, Turbin, and
Todman on the depth chart. Overall, run blocking looks like a
concern for the Colts, as their backs have combined to average
2.53 yards per carry through two preseason games.
WR: T.Y. Hilton was held out Saturday night as a
precaution after suffering a minor hamstring injury in the
preseason opener. Phillip Dorsett led the Colts with three
catches for 37 yards in Hilton’s absence. Donte Moncrief
chipped in two catches for 25 yards. Earlier in the week,
ESPN Colts beat writer Mike Wells speculated Moncrief
could lead the team in receptions this season since he’s the
receiver Luck will turn to when plays break down. In the
battle for the fourth and fifth wide receiver roster spots,
rookies Chester Rogers and Tevaun Smith continued to stake
their claims. Rogers, who caught a long touchdown last week,
was up-and-down against the Ravens, but he still led the team
with five receptions. Smith was on the receiving end of a
fourth down pass from Tolzien that went for a one-yard
touchdown, but Smith remains behind dynamic return man
Quan Bray, who was the third receiver to enter the game for
the Colts.
TE: The Ravens game was forgettable for Dwayne Allen, who
finished with two catches for 10 yards, and cost the Colts
points by losing a fumble inside the red zone. Erik Swoope
may have moved ahead of Chase Coffman in the battle for the
third tight end roster spot, after catching three passes for 36
yards. Pagano noticed Swoope’s improved play since last
week’s game against Buffalo.
Defense: Top corner Vontae Davis rolled his ankle in
Thursday's practice and sat out the second preseason game.
The Colts were also without Robert Mathis, which was
somewhat of a surprise considering Pagano said on Thursday
Mathis would play “barring anything crazy”. It’s likely Indy is
just being cautious with the 35-year-old outside linebacker.
The Colts defense suffered injuries in the game as well, most
notably a groin pull of unknown severity for starting
cornerback Patrick Robinson. Defensive lineman Henry
Anderson is close to a return, but his recovery from ACL
surgery and a knee injury to Kendall Langford has created an
opportunity for second-year lineman T.Y. McGill. McGill
was outstanding Saturday night, racking up three tackles, a
sack, and two quarterback hits. Pagano was effusive in his
praise for McGill when asked about the young defensive
lineman last week. “I think he’s picked up right where he left
off,” Pagano said. “He finished the [last] season obviously on
a high note. He’s a twitchy, explosive, quick-type player. He’s
tough to block when he is on the move, he gets penetration,
he’s slippery and he is a little bit sneaky when it comes to pass
rush.” Look for McGill to get plenty of run for at least the first
four games of the regular season while Art Jones serves a
suspension.
Returners: With no challengers emerging, Quan Bray is a
near-lock to handle the large majority of Indianapolis’ returns
this season.
OL: Denzelle Good returned to the lineup at right guard and
got the against the Ravens. Good and first round rookie center
Ryan Kelly were solid in pass protection, keeping quarterback
Andrew Luck clean. Fifth round rookie Joe Haeg is being
used as the “do anything” backup; the coaches see him as
flexible enough to play any position. Haeg’s responsibilities
mirror those of current right tackle Joe Reitz, who was asked
to be the fill-in sub in years’ prior, before he won a starting
job. Haeg only played seven snaps before being removed with
an ankle injury.
Colts Depth Chart
QB: Andrew Luck, Scott Tolzien, Stephen Morris
RB: Frank Gore, Robert Turbin, Jordan Todman, Josh
Ferguson, Trey Williams
FB: Abou Toure
WR: T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Phillip Dorsett, Quan Bray
(KR/PR),Chester Rogers (PR), MeKale McKay, Tevaun
Smith, Marcus Leak, Joshua Stangby, Daniel
Anthrop, Andrew Opoku
TE: Dwayne Allen, Jack Doyle, Erik Swoope, Chase
Coffman, Emil Igwenagu, Darion Griswold, Nick
Truesdell, Mike McFarland (IR)
LT: Anthony Castonzo, LeRaven Clark
LG: Jack Mewhort
C: Ryan Kelly, Jonotthan Harrison, Austin Blythe
RG: Denzelle Good, Hugh Thornton
RT: Joe Reitz, Joe Haeg
K: Adam Vinatieri
NT: David Parry, Zach Kerr, Ricky Lumpkin
DE: Kendall Langford (inj), Henry Anderson, Arthur Jones
(susp),Earl Okine, Hassan Ridgeway, Delvon Simmons, Kelcy
Quarles
ILB: D′Qwell Jackson, Nate Irving, Antonio Morrison, Trevor
Bates, Josh McNary, Sio Moore (inj)
OLB: Trent Cole, Erik Walden, Robert Mathis, Junior
Sylvestre, Curt Maggitt, Sterling Bailey
CB: Vontae Davis (inj), Patrick Robinson, Antonio
Cromartie, Darius Butler, D′Joun Smith, Jalil Brown, Tevin
Mitchel, Patrick Robinson, Tay Glover-Wright, Darius
White, Winston Rose, Christopher Milton
S: Mike Adams (FS), Clayton Geathers (SS) (inj), Winston
Guy (FS),T.J. Green (SS), Dezmen Southward, Andrew
Williamson, Stefan McClure
Jacksonville Jaguars
QB: Coach Gus Bradley continued to praise Blake Bortles’
play after the signal caller completed 8-of-11 passes for 85
yards and two touchdowns against the Buccaneers on
Saturday. “I’m really pleased with his consistency and
decision-making,” Bradley said. “Those are two facets that we
pointed to in the offseason and into training camp. He’s put
two games together where he’s made good decisions for us.
I’m pleased on that.” Bortles looks confident and it’s been
impressive seeing him spread the ball around to his many sure
handed targets.
RB: Chris Ivory ran the ball 6 times for 25 yards and T.J.
Yeldon ran twice for 15 yards but also had a solo reception for
14 yards and a touchdown. One of the big talking points this
entire offseason for the Jaguars has been the addition of Chris
Ivory and how the offense will look with both him and Yeldon
sharing touches. So far so good as the duo looks to build off of
each other’s strengths. As long as the coaches are putting them
in the right situations the duo should hopefully not feel the
wear and tear that one would if they were seeing 20+ touches
a game. The Jaguars are showing that they are no longer a
“pass-heavy, run when you can” team anymore.
WR: Allen Robinson is showing no signs of slowing down
from his torrid pace last season. He’s continuing to build
chemistry with Bortles and it’s evident as you watch the two
play together. Bortles targeted Robinson 5 times on
Saturday for 4 receptions and 34 yards. Allen Hurns in an
underrated component to the team’s overall passing prowess
as he helps keep defenses honest; Hurns also has big-play
ability of his own. Hurns was targeted 3 times for 2 catches,
29 yards and a touchdown on Saturday. None of the backups
really stood out versus the Buccaneers. Marqise Lee, Rashad
Greene, Bryan Walters, and Arrelious Benn all a single pass
each for 10 or fewer yards.
TE: Tight End was a wasteland this week. Only Nic Jacobs
had a reception (16 yards). This comes a week after Julius
Thomas dropped a would-be touchdown from Bortles. The
tight ends need to show improvement in the new few weeks if
they’re to engender Bortles’ trust in key situations.
Defense: The starting defense came to play against the
Buccaneers, with the first team holding the Bucs 1 st teamers to
just 64 yards in the first quarter. Rookie cornerback Jalen
Ramsey played with the first-team unit versus Tampa Bay and
played well with 3 tackles, including stopping Charles Sims
for a loss. While all eyes were on Ramsey’s preseason debut,
it’s important to remember the Jaguars have impressive depth
at cornerback as starters Davon House and Prince Amukamara
have looked sharp and backups Dwayne Gratz and Aaron
Colvin could start for a few NFL teams. Dante Fowler Jr. is
having a strong preseason after missing his entire rookie year.
Fowler had a good pursuit on an early run play and added a hit
on quarterback Jameis Winston.
Returners: Corey Grant remains the front-runner for kickoff
return duties in 2016, but he still has not done enough to
assure himself a roster spot. Now that he’s past some minor
injuries that have slowed him in recent weeks, he’ll attempt to
make his case more forcefully.
OL: The Jaguars first team offensive line kept Blake Bortles
clean against Tampa Bay. Luke Joeckel continues to improve
and solidify his hold on the left tackle position. It will be
interesting to see how the coaches rotate in Kelvin Beachum,
who is expected to make his debut next week against the
Bengals. It appears that whoever loses the left tackle battle
between Joeckel and Beachum will be kicked inside to left
guard. Swing tackle Jeff Linkenbach was removed from the
game and is still going through the league’s concussion
protocol. Center Luke Bowanko continues to be on the PUP
list with a hip injury, and Brandon Linder appears to be the
starting center going forward.
Jaguars Depth Chart
QB: Blake Bortles, Chad Henne, Brandon Allen
RB: T.J. Yeldon (3RB), Chris Ivory (SD), Denard Robinson
(WR/KR), Corey Grant, Joe Banyard, Jonas Gray (IR)
WR: Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Rashad Greene
(PR), Marqise Lee, Bryan Walters, Arrelious Benn, Shane
Wynn, Tony Washington, Rashad Lawrence, Shaq
Evans, Jamal Robinson, Rasheed Bailey, Justin Blackmon
(susp)
TE: Julius Thomas, Marcedes Lewis, Nic Jacobs, Ben
Koyack, Neal Sterling, Braedon Bowman
LT: Luke Joeckel, Kelvin Beachum
LG: Mackenzy Bernadeau, Tyler Shatley
C: Brandon Linder, Luke Bowanko
RG: AJ Cann
RT: Jermey Parnell
K: Jason Myers
DT: Malik Jackson (DE), Senderrick Marks, Roy
Miller, Tyson Alualu, Michael Bennett, Sheldon Day, Abry
Jones
DE: Dante Fowler Jr., Jared Odrick, Yannick Ngakoue, Chris
Smith, Ryan Davis, Jonathan Woodard (inj)
MLB: Paul Posluszny, Thurston Armbrister
OLB: Telvin Smith (W), Myles Jack (S/M), Dan Skuta
(S), Jordan Tripp (S), Tyrone Holmes, Hayes Pullard III
(W), Joplo Bartu (W), Bjoern Werner, Sean Porter (S)
CB: Davon House, Prince Amukamara, Jalen Ramsey, Aaron
Colvin (susp), Nick Marshall (KR), Briean BoddyCalhoun, Dwayne Gratz, Demetrius McCray
S: Tashaun Gipson (FS), John Cyprien (SS), James Sample
(SS), Josh Evans (SS), Jarrod Wilson (FS), Craig Loston
(SS), Peyton Thompson (SS), Earl Wolff
Kansas City Chiefs
QB: Alex Smith has looked sharp throughout camp and that’s
carried over into preseason action. He manned the reins for
four series in Saturday’s preseason game against the Los
Angeles Rams, and led the team to two touchdowns and a
field goal. Smith is feeling pretty good with the regular season
right around the corner. "I feel like we got a lot of guys that
can make plays no matter who's in there. That's what you
want," he said. The second depth chart of camp provided a
little more clarity on things. As expected, Nick Foles is
manning the backup spot behind Smith, and he also looked
sharp against the Rams. He completed 18-of-22 passes for 133
yards (6.0 per attempt). In the three-way battle for the third
spot, Aaron Murray was the only to see action on Saturday; he
seems to have the edge over Tyler Bray and Kevin Hogan.
Bray suffered a chip fracture in his spine in the first preseason
game, and it’s unclear when he’ll be healthy enough to return.
Hogan has had an uneventful camp, and appears headed for a
practice squad designation if he hangs on.
RB: Jamaal Charles was activated from the PUP list this week
and resumed team activities. His workload ramped faster than
originally anticipated, and all signs point to him being 100%
for the start of the regular season. A fully healthy Charles can
easily outperform his current ADP, but draftees are being
understandably cautious given his injury history. As we
learned last year, the Chiefs are not lacking for options in the
event of another Charles injury. Spencer Ware and
Charcandrick West are more than capable of stepping in and
forming a powerful committee, and that fact is not lost on the
Chiefs coaching staff. “I wish I could put them all out on the
field. We come out with a personnel group and call it
‘Cadillac’ or ‘Jet’ personnel and get them all out there. Let’s
just go line up and play ball,” shared position coach Eric
Bieniemy. Ware had a very strong game against the Rams; he
ran for 37 yards, caught four passes for 24 yards and added a
touchdown. Ware may have the inside track on the backup
role. West sat out with a mild elbow sprain. Darrin Reaves
took advantage of his opportunity, and gained 46 combined
yards on nine touches.
WR: Jeremy Maclin has been locked in throughout camp, and
his impressive chemistry with Alex Smith was on full display
against the Rams. The duo hooked up for an impressive 20-
yard score in the second quarter, but Maclin’s night would
come to an end shortly thereafter. He ended up getting into a
tussle with Rams defensive back Lamarcus Joyner, and both
players were ejected. Chris Conley has been talked up as the
player most likely to start opposite Maclin, and he‘s lived up
to that role. Conley hauled in all three of his targets for 66
yards. Albert Wilson is currently penciled in for #2 duties, but
that may not be the case for much longer. Behind those three,
the Chiefs have a lot of players battling for a few spots. Rod
Streater and Tyreek Hill have been standouts at camp, and the
competition for the remaining spots appears to be a long way
from settled. “So, basically, it pushes those guys, and
competition just makes you better. Basically, when it gets
down to the end, it always sorts itself out,” shared receivers
coach David Culley.
TE: Tight end is a position of strength. The Chiefs used
multiple tight ends sets throughout the Rams game. They tried
out varying combinations of Travis Kelce, Demetrius Harris
and Ross Travis. Kelce continues to be one of the first tight
ends off the board in fantasy drafts. The latest depth chart lists
Harris and Travis ahead of James O’Shaughnessy, a player
who saw a meaningful snaps in 2015. It’ll be interesting to see
if the Chiefs ultimately keep four tight ends, but either way
they are in good shape.
Defense: The absence of Eric Berry is one of the few clouds
hanging over Chiefs’ training camp, and no resolution appears
imminent. Tamba Hali and Justin Houston have also been
absent recovering from injuries, but the Chiefs are
compensating for the absence of their stars by leveraging
impressive overall depth. Dee Ford has been one of the
standouts at camp, and he’s filled in admirably for Houston.
“He’s had a good camp. He’s a better player now than he was
at the end of last year. He’s more physical and has a better
grasp of the defense,” shared linebackers coach Gary Gibbs.
Marcus Peters has shown no signs of slowing down from last
year’s All Pro pace. “We’ve told him and he knows what
they’re going to try to do to him. He’ll step up to the occasion.
We’re not worried about him. He’s our guy back there that can
get the ball, turn the ball over and he’s our best cover guy on
this team. He’ll be ready,” said secondary coach Emmitt
Thomas.
Returners: With Jamaal Charles, Spencer Ware, and
Charcandrick West entrenched ahead of him, Knile Davis’
only chance of making the final roster is as a kickoff return
specialist. To this point, he has managed to retain control of
the job.
OL: The offensive line had an uneven performance against the
Rams. The line got good push in the run game, with center
Mitch Morse and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz the standouts.
But the unit suffered setbacks in the passing game. Left guard
Parker Ehinger surrendered a sack up the middle to Aaron
Donald, and left tackle Eric Fisher was beaten on an outside
swim move by Matt Longacre. Both plays resulted in big hits
on starting quarterback Alex Smith. In related news, right
guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, a.k.a. the Canadian Doctor,
was called for a costly holding penalty. This line has talent but
lacks cohesion in pass blocking.
Chiefs Depth Chart
QB: Alex Smith, Nick Foles, Tyler Bray, Aaron
Murray, Kevin Hogan
RB: Jamaal Charles (inj), Spencer Ware, Charcandrick
West, Knile Davis (KR), Darrin Reaves
FB: Anthony Sherman, Trey Millard
WR: Jeremy Maclin (inj), Chris Conley, Albert Wilson, Rod
Streater, De′Anthony Thomas, Tyreek Hill, Demarcus
Robinson, Frankie Hammond, Seantavius Jones, Da′Ron
Brown, Mitch Mathews, Kashif Moore, Mike Williams
TE: Travis Kelce, James O′Shaughnessy, Demetrius
Harris, Brian Parker, Ross Travis
LT: Eric Fisher, Jah Reid
LG: Parker Ehinger, Zach Fulton, Jarrod Pughsley
C: Mitch Morse, Jordan Devey
RG: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
RT: Mitchell Schwartz, Reid Fragel
K: Cairo Santos
NT: Dontari Poe, Chris Jones, Alamedu Ta′amu
DE: Jaye Howard, Allen Bailey, Nick Williams, Rakeem
Nunez-Roches, David King, Jimmy Staten, Efe Obada
ILB: Derrick Johnson, Josh Mauga, D.J. Alexander, Ramik
Wilson, Terrance Smith, Justin March, Tyrell Adams
OLB: Justin Houston (inj), Tamba Hali, Dee Ford, Frank
Zombo, Dezman Moses, Dadi Lhomme Nicolas, Jonathan
Massaquoi, Andy Malumba
CB: Marcus Peters, Phillip Gaines, Steven Nelson, Keivarae
Russell, Marcus Cooper, Eric Murray, D.J. White, Deveron
Carr, Shannon Edwards, Shakiel Rudolph, Vernon Harris
S: Eric Berry (SS), Ron Parker (FS), Steve Brown, Daniel
Sorenson (SS), Jamell Fleming (FS), Brock Vereen
(FS), Akeem Davis
Los Angeles Rams
QB: Jared Goff's disappointing performances through
practices and in games continued during the second week of
the preseason. Goff is a better physical talent than Case
Keenum and he's more accurate overall, but he looks lost on
the field too often. He doesn't react well to pressure and hasn't
shown off an ability to move in the pocket in games. At this
point, Case Keenum looks set to open Week 1 as the team's
starting quarterback which should be a major red flag against a
quarterback who not only went first overall but one who the
franchise mortgaged its short-term future on.
RB: Todd Gurley came in, scored a touchdown, then left.
Gurley's preseason debut lasted just one series as the Rams
prioritize protecting him over everything else. That doesn't
mean he's doing nothing. As you would expect, Gurley has
consistently been one of the standout performers through the
first two weeks of training camp. Benny Cunningham has
been one of the other standouts. Cunningham took over after
Gurley against the Chiefs and once again showed off vision,
explosiveness and balance. Cunningham is locked in as the
Rams' number two runner and as the third-down back. The
Rams appear to have a lot of depth at running back this year
with a clearly defined depth chart. Malcolm Brown hasn't
stood out as much as Gurley and Cunningham but he has
solidified his status as the third option by showing off a wellrounded skill set; he caught Jared Goff's first touchdown pass
against the Chiefs. If the Rams are going to keep a fourth
back, someone will need to emerge in the final preseason
game. As of right now, the Rams look like an ideal candidate
to pick up a fourth back on waivers when teams cut down to
53.
WR: When the team drafted Pharoh Cooper and Mike
Thomas, general manager Les Snead said each had clear roles.
Cooper was supposed to be a slot option so he wouldn't see the
field with Tavon Austin. However, the Rams' three receiver
sets in Week 2 featured Austin, Cooper and Kenny Britt. That
came a day after Jeff Fisher failed to mention Brian Quick's
name when discussing the wide receiver competition with the
media. Quick appears to be fading out of contention as he
followed up Fisher's comments with a bad outing against the
Chiefs. Quick will likely compete with Mike Thomas, a rookie
who has struggled with drops in games and practices so far
this year. Thomas did have one huge play in practice last week
but didn't make an impression against the Chiefs. Nelson
Spruce may have a tougher time making the roster with
Pharoh Cooper ascending to the starting lineup, Spruce and
Cooper are very similar receivers. More importantly, Spruce
wasn't on the field this week with a knee sprain.
TE: Rookie Tyler Higbee, the star of the first week of camp
and the preseason, missed a practice late in the week but
Fisher never explained why. He was then held out of the
Chiefs game, allowing Lance Kendricks a temporary reprieve
in their inevitable competition. In truth, Higbee's absence was
bigger for Temarrick Hemingway than Kendricks because the
Rams know what Kendricks is. Hemingway caught the eye of
multiple beat writers during practices leading up to the Chiefs
game. Hemingway offers more upside as a receiver than
Kendricks but still needs to earn his roster spot over the next
couple of weeks. The sixth-round pick has to beat out an
established veteran, Corey Harkey, for his spot.
Defense: Both Mark Barron and Mo Alexander missed
practices during the week. Fisher said that neither had a
significant issue but then they didn't play against the Chiefs.
Fisher isn't giving up anything he doesn't have to give up
when it comes to injuries so it's tough to gauge where a lot of
his players are. Alexander did do individual drills so his return
ahead of the third preseason game looks likely. He could be an
important piece for the Rams as they continue to look for a
starting free safety to emerge. While safety remains
ambiguous, the cornerback position received a boost with the
return of EJ Gaines. Gaines pulled up lame in a drill late on
Thursday but was active for the game on Saturday against the
Chiefs. Gaines should take his starting spot over from
Lamarcus Joyner by the time the regular season comes. Joyner
didn't help himself by getting kicked out of the Chiefs game
for fighting. On the defensive line, the story remained largely
the same. Robert Quinn is healthy but not being risked in
games while Dominique Easley continues earn his keep with
quality practices and play-making.
Returners: The Rams have used rookie Pharoh Cooper on
punt returns in the preseason, where he is almost certainly just
getting a bit of practice before Tavon Austin resumes his usual
duties in the regular season. Cooper does have good straightline speed and could get some opportunities on kickoff
returns, though.
OL: The line looked much better against the Chiefs in Week
Two, but a lot of the credit goes to running back Todd
Gurley’s return. The young line looks better going forward
(run blocking) than backward (pass blocking). Gurley took
advantage of several large holes, especially those created by
left guard Cody Wichmann and left tackle Greg Robinson.
Right tackle Rob Havenstein is still not ready to practice and
Rodger Saffold continues to start in his absence.
Rams Depth Chart
QB: Jared Goff, Case Keenum, Sean Mannion, Dylan
Thompson
RB: Todd Gurley, Benny Cunningham (3RB/KR), Malcolm
Brown, Chase Reynolds, Trey Watts, Aaron Green, Terrence
Magee, Tre Mason (res)
FB: Corey Harkey (TE)
WR: Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin (PR), Pharoh
Cooper, Michael Thomas, Brian Quick, Marquez North, Paul
McRoberts, Bradley Marquez, Nelson Spruce, Isiah
Ferguson, Kain Colter
TE: Lance Kendricks, Tyler Higbee, Temarrick
Hemingway, Justice Cunningham, Jake Stoneburner
LT: Greg Robinson, Isaiah Battle
LG: Rodger Saffold, Garrett Reynolds, Cody Wichmann
C: Tim Barnes, Demetrius Rhaney, Eric Kush
RG: Jamon Brown, Andrew Donnal
RT: Rob Havenstein, Darrell Williams
K: Greg Zuerlein, Taylor Bertolet
DT: Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Doug
Worthington, Dominique Easley, Louis Trinca-Pasat, Cam
Thomas
DE: Robert Quinn, William Hayes, Eugene Sims, Quinton
Coples, Ethan Westbrooks
MLB: Alec Ogletree, Bryce Hager, Zack Hodges, Josh Forrest
OLB: Akeem Ayers (S), Mark Barron (W), Marshall
McFadden (RFA), Cameron Lynch
CB: Trumaine Johnson (UFA-F), E.J. Gaines, Lamarcus
Joyner (FS/CB), Coty Sensabaugh, Marcus Roberson
S: T.J. McDonald (SS), Cody Davis (FS), Maurice Alexander
(SS),Christian Bryant (FS), Jordan Lomax
Miami Dolphins
QB: Ryan Tannehill competed 12 of 20 passes for 162 yards
and two scores against Dallas. He was sacked just once. “It
was pretty good — everything as advertised as far as how
tough he is and just battling,” Adam Gase said at halftime. “I
liked the mentality that he had going into that first half. I liked
the fact that the ones wanted to stay in and do another series.
That’s what I wanted to see.” Tannehill made an incredible
highlight throw on a 55-yard completion to Kenny Stills. He
rolled right and threw the ball on the move deep downfield,
dropping it into the bucket to Stills along the right sideline.
The physical skills (size, athleticism, and arm strength) that
Tannehill brings to the table are elite, but the sum of the whole
leaves you wanting more. Gase will try to bring out the best in
Tannehill with his play calling and there have been recent
signs of progress, with Tannehill showing better on plays
rolling outside the pocket. The Dolphins have been
experimenting with the pistol, roll-out plays, bootlegs and
quarterback read options. Gase dialed up some read option for
Tannehill against Dallas and he ran for 16 yards on two
carries. Matt Moore took a cheap shot to the head while
sliding and had to leave the game early with a concussion.
Brandon Doughty entered the game and promptly fumbled
after holding onto the ball far too long. Doughty has shown
some flashes in camp, but is likely headed to the practice
squad.
RB: Arian Foster made his Dolphins debut with two carries
for minus-five yards. The Dolphins will continue to bring
Foster along slowly and limit his touches in both practice and
preseason games. "With his history as far as playing a lot of
football, really, how much do any of us need to see?" Gase
said of Foster. "We know what he can do." Jay Ajayi carried
six times for 19 yards. Most intriguing from a fantasy
perspective was how often the Dolphins went with an empty
backfield and motioned the backs out as receivers. Gase looks
like he will be creative in getting the ball to Foster and Ajayi
as receivers. Whichever runner emerges as the lead back has
real upside in PPR leagues. Isaiah Pead received snaps with
the first-team offense and caught an 18-yard pass from
Tannehill. “Every time he gets in the game, he seems to pop
one,” Gase said. “I’ve been very impressed with him. …
When he gets in the game, I’m thinking, ‘Let’s call plays for
him and try to give him a chance to show his skill set.’” Pead
has shown well, but remains on the outside looking in at a spot
on the final roster. Beat-writer Armando Salguero predicts
that Ajayi, Foster, Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake will
make the team ahead of Pead. Pead’s strong preseason could
make him a hot commodity for other running back needy
teams.
WR: Jarvis Landry had an end zone drop against the
Cowboys, but otherwise played well. He is locked in as the top
target in the Dolphins offense. DeVante Parker is fully
recovered from the hamstring injury that caused him to miss a
week of camp. He had a mediocre performance against Dallas.
After excelling in OTAs, Kenny Stills has been inconsistent in
training camp but he probably locked up the Week One
starting job with a fantastic performance against Dallas.
“We’re dangerous, pretty much at all times,” Stills said. “As
long as we can protect Ryan [Tannehill], it’s going to be fun.”
After a disappointing 2015 season, the biggest change for
Stills has come off the field. He has gone from a player that
seemed disconnected from the rest of the team to a player who
arrives to work early and leaves late and talks incessantly
about team and leadership.
TE: Gase called Dion Sims the “most consistent” tight end on
the roster. Sims has been splitting time with Jordan Cameron
on the first-team offense. Sims is improving as a pass-catcher,
but blocking remains his strength. Cameron struggled in the
offseason and the struggles have carried over into camp and
preseason action. Against Dallas, he had an almost certain
touchdown catch from Tannehill on a short slant in the red
zone. But he juggled and dropped it. Cameron’s confidence
looks shaken and he needs to start playing better or he will
lose his starting job to Sims.
Defense: The starting defense surrendered 188 yards and two
touchdowns in three possessions Friday. The Cowboys
offensive line pushed around the first-team defense and
Cowboys tackle Doug Free got the best of Mario Williams in
their individual matchup. Kiko Alonso generated some
positive buzz early in camp, but has not played well during the
preseason. The CB position is a major area of concern. Byron
Maxwell was abused by Dez Bryant and needs to step up his
play. Second-round pick Xavien Howard has returned to
practice, but will not make his preseason debut until Week 4.
The Dolphins expect him to make an instant impact and are
hoping he can be a Week 1 starter.
K: Andrew Franks probably locked up the kicking job well
before the end of camp, but his 55-yard make in practice
ended the session and camp. Franks has been accurate and
powerful all summer. He thought that 65-yards would have
been a more fitting challenge, although Franks missed a 50yard kick right before winding up camp with the 55-yarder.
Returners: When asked if rookie Jakeem Grant had a green
light to take kickoffs out of the end zone, head coach Adam
Gase said, “In the preseason? Absolutely. You want to see
what he can do, for one.” When asked in a follow-up whether
that would change in the regular season, he added, “I'm sure it
will. We'll talk about that when we get there. But who knows?
Maybe it won't. Maybe we'll say, 'Let's give this kid a chance
to house-call one.' He's a weapon, and he can change field
position.”
OL: Tough news for Miami, as center Mike Pouncey has a
hip injury and the team is not sure that he will be ready for the
start of regular season. The team has shut Pouncey down for
the remainder of the preseason. The next man up is Anthony
Steen, a first year player with zero NFL starts. Jamil Douglas
is also in the mix for center snaps. This is a situation that bears
further observation; if Pouncey misses extended time, the line
could be in trouble. Rookie Laremy Tunsil got the start at left
guard while veteran Jermon Bushrod got the nod at right guard
against Dallas. Despite the team’s official depth chart, this duo
is a strong bet to unseat Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner,
respectively.
Dolphins Depth Chart
QB: Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore, Brandon Doughty
RB: Arian Foster, Jay Ajayi, Kenyan Drake (KR)
(inj), Damien Williams, Isaiah Pead, Daniel Thomas
WR: Jarvis Landry (KR), DeVante Parker, Kenny
Stills, Leonte Carroo, Jakeem Grant (PR), Griff
Whalen, Rashawn Scott, Matt Hazel, A.J. Cruz, Tyler Murphy
TE: Jordan Cameron, Dion Sims, Thomas Duarte, Dominique
Jones, MarQuies Gray (inj)
LT: Branden Albert, Vinston Painter, Sam Young
LG: Dallas Thomas, Laremy Tunsil
C: Mike Pouncey, Jamil Douglas
RG: Billy Turner, Jermon Bushrod, Kraig Urbik
RT: Ja••Wuan James, Ulrick John
K: Andrew Franks, Marshall Koehn
DT: Ndamukong Suh, Earl Mitchell, Jordan Phillips, Chris
Jones, Deandre Coleman
DE: Mario Williams, Cameron Wake (inj), Jason
Jones, Andre Branch, Terrence Fede, Dion Jordan, Chris
McCain
MLB: Kiko Alonso, Zach Vigil, Mike Hull
OLB: Jelani Jenkins (W), Koa Misi (S), Spencer Paysinger
(S),James-Michael Johnson, Neville Hewitt, Danny Lansanah
CB: Byron Maxwell, Xavien Howard, Tony Lippett, Bobby
McCain, Chimdi Chekwa, Brandon Harris, Chris Culliver
S: Reshad Jones (SS), Isa Abdul-Quddus (SS), Walt Aikens
(FS), Michael Thomas (SS), Jordan Lucas (FS), Shamiel
Gary, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (IR)
Minnesota Vikings
QB:Teddy Bridgewater sat out against the Seahawks on
Thursday night and Shaun Hill and Joel Stave received extra
snaps to see how they can manage the offense as the 2nd and
3rd string quarterbacks, respectively. Hill completed 10-of-17
passes for 129 yards and no touchdowns. Stave went 6-for-14
with 67 yards passing and showed an impressive drive to end
the first half as he led the Vikings on a 69-yard drive in 69
seconds that ended with a 27-yard field goal by Blair Walsh.
Stave is getting used to the NFL game: “More than anything ,
I can keep playing quicker. That’s the thing that I noticed,”
Stave said. “Everyone out here is fast, everyone out here is a
good player, so the thing I’ve noticed is I can keep playing
quicker and get used to the speed of the game.”
RB: The running game has been lackluster so far this
preseason despite the team being 2-0. Adrian Peterson has yet
to play but there hasn’t been a whole lot of room for the other
running backs to run. On Thursday night Jhurell Pressley was
the leading rusher with 28 yards on 6 carries, followed by C.J.
Ham’s 25 yards on 8 carries, Jerrick McKinnon with 15 yards
on 9 carries and Matt Asiata with 2 yards on 3 carries.
McKinnon did find the end zone so not all was lost. The
Vikings like to pass to their running backs and it showed with
Asiata catching two passes for 20 yards, C.J. Ham with 2-for18, and McKinnon with one for 5 yards.
WR: Adam Thielen continues to make plays and is making a
case for the 53-man roster. Thielen was targeted 6 times
against the Seahawks, catching 4 passes for 61 yards. He has
worked with the first team in a three-receiver sets along with
Charles Johnson and Stefon Diggs. Coach Zimmer is
impressed by Thielen so far and credits the success to the hard
work he has put in. “He’s made some good plays and made a
really nice catch on the one ball over the middle that was a
little bit behind him,” Zimmer said. “You know, kind of like
he did in Cincinnati, too, same kind of scenario. The more you
make plays, the more you get to play.” Rookie Laquon
Treadwell followed up his solid opening game with one that
was not so great as he failed to catch a single ball on 4 targets.
Treadwell primarily played with rookie quarterback Joel
Stave so reading much into no catches is a bit unfair until we
see him on the field with Teddy Bridgewater.
TE: Kyle Rudolph came back to life for the Vikings as he
caught 2 of 3 targets for 54 yards, with one of them being a
connection with Shaun Hill down the middle of the field for a
32-yard gain on the team’s first scoring drive of the night.
Defense: The defense played Russell Wilson tough on
Thursday night as they had some special packages set aside
for Wilson in particular. The Vikings 1st team defense got to
the star quarterback often, sacking him 4 times. “Just trying to
play better than we did the previous week,” nickel back
Captain Munnerlyn said. “Guys said we were going to get
after the quarterback, we were going to cover him up in the
back end, try to eliminate the big plays. I thought we did a
pretty good job of doing that, especially in the first half. I
think we had like four sacks on Russell Wilson - the D-line
did a great job getting after him, and in the back end we did a
great job covering.” Marcus Sherels went from a pass
interference penalty to a pick six in the span of two plays,
helping the Vikings knock of the Seahawks 18-11 on
Thursday night. Sherels stepped in front of a Trevone Boykin
pass and returned the ball 53 yards for a touchdown
with 1:23 left in the game.
Returners: The last time someone other than Marcus Sherels
returned a punt for the Minnesota Vikings was 2010. While
Minnesota has spoken— as they always do— about wanting to
find someone else, Sherels looks like a better bet every day to
run that remarkable streak to a sixth season.
OL: After the second preseason game against Seattle, the
Vikings’ coaches praised the offensive line’s pass
protection. This was a welcome improvement after a rocky
Week One performance. The coaches continue to stress the
need for an improved run blocking push. Joe Berger may
displace John Sullivan at center; Berger was getting first team
reps during weekend practices. He previously filled in for
Brandon Fusco at guard, but Fusco has recently returned to
practice. T.J. Clemmings was having trouble beating out free
agent Andre Smith in the battle at right tackle, but Clemmings
is now getting reps at left tackle after Matt Kalil was forced
from practice with a leg injury. The Vikings need to settle on
a lineup, but injuries are making that difficult.
Vikings Depth Chart
QB: Teddy Bridgewater, Shaun Hill, Joel Stave, Brad
Sorensen
RB: Adrian Peterson, Jerick McKinnon, Matt Asiata, C.J.
Ham, Jhurell Pressley
FB: Zach Line, Blake Renaud
WR: Stefon Diggs (PR), Charles Johnson, Laquon
Treadwell, Adam Thielen, Jarius Wright, Cordarrelle
Patterson (KR), Mortiz Boehringer, Isaac Freuchte, Terrell
Sinkfield
TE: Kyle Rudolph, MyCole Pruitt, David Morgan, Rhett
Ellison, Brian Leonhardt, Kyle Carter
LT: Matt Kalil, Austin Shepherd
LG: Alex Boone, Willie Beavers, Zac Kerin
C: John Sullivan, Joe Berger, Nick Easton
RG: Brandon Fusco, Mike Harris, Jeremiah Sirles
RT: Andre Smith, T.J. Clemmings
K: Blair Walsh
DT: Linval Joseph (NT), Sharrif Floyd, Tom
Johnson, Kenrick Ellis, Shamar Stephen
DE: Everson Griffen, Brian Robison, Danielle Hunter, Justin
Trattou, Scott Crichton, Zach Moore, Thieren Cockran
MLB: Eric Kendricks, Kentrell Brothers, Terrance
Plummer, Audie Cole
OLB: Anthony Barr (S), Chad Greenway (W) , Edmond
Robinson (S), Stephen Weatherly, Brandon
Watts (W), Emmanuel Lamur (W),Alex Singleton (W), Jake
Ganus
CB: Xavier Rhodes, Captain Munnerlyn, Terence
Newman, Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander, Marcus
Sherels (PR)
S: Harrison Smith (FS), Andrew Sendejo (SS), Michael
Griffin (SS),Antone Exum (FS), Jayron Kearse, Anthony
Harris (SS), Melvin White (FS), John Lowdermilk (SS)
New England Patriots
QB: Tom Brady was expected to play in the Patriots' second
preseason game but a last minute accident with a scissors is
now going to sideline him for a while. Brady cut his hand
while preparing for the game, meaning that Jimmy Garoppolo
was surprised with a starting spot. Garoppolo completed 16of-21 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown to tight end A.J.
Derby when he split the coverage down the seam with good
timing and accuracy. Jacoby Brissett played in the second half
and showed improvement from the previous week but he
remains a distant third option on the depth chart.
RB: LeGarrette Blount once again started for the Patriots and
he appears to be the foundation of their offense. Talk of
Blount being cut during the offseason appears to be a distant
memory at this point. Blount is healthy and carrying the ball
on early downs. The veteran back carried the ball 11 times for
69 yards and a touchdown, showing off his patented
physicality and vision between the tackles. Blount features
heavily and James White on screen plays is a staple. White
had a big play in Week 1 and followed it up with a 14-yard
reception in Week 2. White has performed well with the
touches he has received, which is great news because he’ll be
forced into a major role following the news that Dion Lewis
underwent a second procedure on his knee. Lewis’ timetable
for return is unclear but he’ll miss considerable time and
possibly be placed on Injured Reserve. Brandon Bolden is
generally regarded as a reliable, versatile player and he should
be on the Patriots roster when the season begins. However,
Bolden had a fumble against the Bears that will have
frustrated his head coach, someone who offers little patience
in response to fumbling running backs. Donald Brown didn't
play against the Bears but Tyler Gaffney failed to make
enough of an impression to tighten his grip on a roster spot.
WR: Julian Edelman earned rave reviews after returning as a
full participant in practice. He didn't play against the Bears as
a precaution though. Edelman should be able to play in the
third preseason game. Chris Hogan didn't play in the first
preseason game but was a constant on the field in the first half
against the Chicago Bears. Hogan converted a two-point play
and showed off assured hands further afield with four
receptions for 53 yards. After his big block in Week 1, Aaron
Dobson was feisty throughout Bears practices last week.
Dobson played as much as Hogan in the first half against the
Bears, but only caught one pass for 10 yards. If he wants to
stay involved when the injured receivers return, he will need
to make more of an impact on the stat sheet. Danny Amendola
should be back in full practice by the end of next week.
Amendola didn't wear pads but worked out with the team
during the week. Despite dislocating his elbow in the first
preseason game, rookie Malcolm Mitchell practiced with the
Patriots during the week while wearing a massive arm brace.
How much Mitchell can do right now is unclear, but his
commitment and toughness is obvious and will earn him
plaudits from his head coach.
TE: Rob Gronkowski left Monday's practice on his own
accord, pulling up and walking off with a trainer. Gronkowski
wasn't at practice the following day but all reports have
suggested it was a minor issue. Gronkowski was a scratch for
the Bears game but that was to be expected regardless of any
health issues. Martellus Bennett played a lot in his place and
once again played well. The more notable performance from
the game against the Bears was from A.J. Derby. Derby has
impressed throughout the first two weeks of training camp. He
is a good athlete who runs precise routes and can adjust at the
catch point. His touchdown reception against the Bears
showed off his willingness to work against tight coverage also.
Defense: Jabaal Sheard made a big impression in Week 1
against the New Orleans Saints but also picked up an injury.
Sheard missed practice during the week and didn't play against
the Bears. Neither did teammate Rob Ninkovich who
continues to miss time with a triceps injury. Ninkovich could
play as early as Week 3 as his status continues to be viewed
through a prism of optimism. Without Sheard or Ninkovich in
the lineup, Trey Flowers got more opportunities. Flowers
moved around the line a bit, notching a sack of Jay Cutler after
lining up across from left guard Cody Whitehair. Flowers beat
Whitehair with his hands, out-leveraging the lineman to
penetrate past his outside shoulder. ESPN's Mike Reiss
highlighted defensive tackle Anthony Johnson, a second-year
player, as someone who stood out rushing the passer from the
interior. The first team defense struggled overall though,
failing to consistently rush the passer or play good coverage.
Starting cornerback Logan Ryan missed the game also, but
that allowed rookie cornerback Cyrus Jones to pick off Brian
Hoyer when he completely misread the coverage and Jones
jumped ahead of his receiver who ran a curl route.
Returners: Based on practice repetitions, the Patriots would
like their 2nd round rookie cornerback Cyrus Jones to take
over the starting punt returner duties from wide receivers
Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman. Based on Jones’
troubles fielding the ball, though, such a transition is far from
certain.
OL: Starting right tackle Sebastian Vollmer underwent
shoulder surgery and may be placed on Injured Reserve.
Marcus Cannon will get the first shot at the right tackle job.
Cannon has great size but not been technically consistent.
Former Lions starting right tackle LaAdrian Waddle will also
get reps. Bryan Stork could be a third option depending on
whether the Patriots prefer David Andrews at center. Stork has
been battling Andrews for the center position but Stork is tall
for a center and has game experience at right tackle. Right
guard Shaq Mason has broken his hand and Josh Kline is
starting in his place.
Patriots Depth Chart
QB: Tom Brady (susp), Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett
RB: LeGarrette Blount (SD), James White (3RB), Tyler
Gaffney, Brandon Bolden, D.J. Foster (3RB/WR), Joey Iosefa,
Dion Lewis (3RB) (inj)
FB: James Develin
WR: Julian Edelman (PR), Danny Amendola (inj), Chris
Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, Aaron Dobson, Nate
Washington, Keshawn Martin (KR/PR), Matt Slater, Devin
Lucien, DeAndre Carter
TE: Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, Clay Harbor, A.J.
Derby, Bear Pascoe, Michael Williams (IR)
LT: Nate Solder, Cameron Fleming
LG: Joe Thuney
C: Bryan Stork, David Andrews
RG: Josh Kline, Shaq Mason (inj), Tre Jackson, Jonathan
Cooper
RT: Marcus Cannon, LaAdrian Waddle, Sebastian Vollmer
(IR)
K: Stephen Gostkowski
NT: Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Vincent
Valentine, Markus Kuhn
DE: Rob Ninkovich (S/DE) (inj), Jabaal Sheard, Chris
Long, Geneo Grissom, Trey Flowers, Rufus Johnson
MLB: Shea McClellin, Elandon Roberts
OLB: Jamie Collins (S), Dont′a Hightower (W), Jonathan
Freeny (S), Ramon Humber (W), C.J. Johnson, Kevin Snyder
CB: Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, Justin Coleman, Cyrus
Jones (PR), Darryl Roberts, Cre′von LeBlanc, Jonathan
Jones, V′Angelo Bentley
S: Devin McCourty (FS/CB), Patrick Chung (SS), Duron
Harmon (SS/FS), Jordan Richards (SS), Brandon King
(FS), Nate Ebner (SS), Vinnie Sunseri, Kamu GrugierHill, Cedric Thompson
New Orleans Saints
QB: According to NOLA.com's Josh Katzenstein, “In a
shocking turn of events, the New Orleans Saints' offense has
looked like the more problematic unit through two preseason
games. The Saints lost their second straight exhibition game,
falling to the Texans 16-9 Saturday night at NRG Stadium, as
the offensive line struggled from start to finish.” Drew Brees
was sacked once for a 14-yard loss, and completed just 5-of-8
passes for 29 yards along with an interception. Luke McCown
was also sacked once for a 5-yard loss. He completed 14-of-19
passes for 118 yards. Garrett Grayson was miserable,
completing just 4-of-15 passes for 50 yards and an
interception. As Jeff Duncan noted after the game, “The
Saints' seven turnovers in their first two preseason games have
led to 32 points for their opponents. And it actually could be
worse. The Saints have fumbled three other times and
managed to recover the loose balls or have officials reverse
the calls on the field.” Ball security has been lax through two
preseason games, in spite of it being a point of emphasis for
head coach Sean Payton.
RB: Duncan of NOLA.com also commented on the New
Orleans' backs: “For the second consecutive week, the running
game has been missing in action. The Saints gained just 23
yards on their first 13 carries. Their longest carry in the first
half covered 6 yards... So far, no good. In 56 preseason
carries, the Saints have exactly one run of more than 10 yards
by a running back.” The one run of greater than 10 yards was
an 11-yard run by Daniel Lasco on Saturday night. Mark
Ingram managed just 11 yards on 7 rushing attempts and had
one reception for no gain. C.J. Spiller ran twice for 3 yards but
contributed as a receiver (16 yards on two receptions). Marcus
Murphy incurred coach Payton's wrath by fumbling a punt
early in the game: “We get a three-and-out to start the game,
and the first punt's on the ground. It just can't happen. We'll
find another returner.” Murphy did not have a touch on
offense after the muffed punt, but he did get another crack at
returns later in the game.
WR: Top wide receivers Brandin Cooks (undisclosed minor
injury) and Willie Snead (undisclosed minor injury) didn't
play in the second preseason game, leaving hyped rookie Mike
Thomas to fend for himself. Thomas had a rough outing
versus the aggressive Texans; he only caught one pass for 5
yards. Brandon Coleman dropped two catchable passes (and
narrowly avoided having one drop called a fumble), even
though he led the Saints in receiving on Saturday (10 targets
for 6/47/0 receiving). “I thought he was just OK,” said Payton.
“And honestly, it's been kind of pedestrian throughout the
camp. But there's certain things you see and you see and you
see and then all of a sudden they reveal themselves in a game
and you're not surprised.” Brees was more supportive of
Coleman, “I think as we go through OTAs and preseason and
everything else there's a lot of growing still to do - for all of
us. And yeah he's one of those guys. Of course any young
player each year, especially in those years 1, 2, 3, 4, you
wanna see those strides and those increases. And listen, I think
there's some things that he's done well, and I certainly think
that he would say there's some things that he could do better. I
would say that about myself.” TommyLee Lewis continues to
make a case for the 53-man roster (he had 2/25/0 receiving on
three targets, second on the team Saturday) and was inserted
into the return game in place of Murphy after the muffed punt.
TE: RaShaun Allen had a rough outing while playing with
third-string quarterback Garrett Grayson. Allen dropped a
potential touchdown pass and also mishandled another
potential long-gainer, winding up with three targets for zero
receptions on the night. Coby Fleener reeled in both of his
targets for 12 yards, and Josh Hill had a 7-yard reception on
his lone chance. Despite the depth chart mix up from earlier
this week (when Fleener was briefly listed as fourth-string
before the team corrected the depth chart), Fleener is the clear
#1 tight end this year followed by Hill. The other spots at this
position are still up for grabs.
Defense: Nick Fairley played well against the Texans, with a
sack of Brock Osweiler and a pair of stuffed runs. He wound
up with four tackles, one for a loss and a sack in limited snaps.
This is good news after the team lost rookie defensive tackle
Sheldon Rankins due to a broken leg during Monday's practice
(he's out at least six weeks of the regular season). In some
other good news, projected starting cornerbacks Delvin
Breaux and P.J. Williams both started and played well despite
being carted off the practice field last Thursday. Williams
gave up a touchdown in coverage but also had an interception
Saturday night. According to NOLA.com's Duncan, safety
Kenny Vaccaro “is going to make a living at the line of
scrimmage this season. He's basically a fourth linebacker in
running situations. Vaccaro has a good chance to lead the team
in tackles this season. He finished with four tackles in less
than one half of work [on Saturday].” Cornerback De'Vante
Harris is making a strong run at the final 53-man roster (he
had three tackles, two solo, on Saturday).
K: Both kickers did their job in the second preseason game,
with Kai Forbath converting from 27 and 37 yards, and
Connor Barth hitting from 33. Barth took the opening kickoff
in the very tight battle, but this one will likely be decided in
the remaining preseason games.
Returners: Despite looking like the Saints’ best returner for
long stretches, Marcus Murphy finds himself in a precarious
position after fumbling a return attempt in a second
consecutive preseason game. Afterwards, Sean Payton minced
no words, “We get a three-and-out to start the game, and the
first punt's on the ground. It just can't happen. We'll find
another returner.”
OL: After a lackluster performance against the Houston
Texans in Week Two, the Saints’ offensive line is cause of
great concern. Texans defensive end Jadaveon Clowney had
a big night, beating both Zach Strief and Andrus Peat for sacks
of quarterback Drew Brees. Peat started the game at right
guard, and looked far more solid there, than he did at left
tackle later in the contest. Peat may simply be better suited to
play guard at the NFL level. The other starting guard, Tim
Lelito, had an especially rough performance, and if the team
had a better option than Senio Kelemete, his job would be in
serious danger.
Saints Depth Chart
QB: Drew Brees, Luke McCown, Garrett Grayson
RB: Mark Ingram, Tim Hightower, C.J. Spiller, Travaris
Cadet (KR/PR), Daniel Lasco, Marcus Murphy (KR/PR)
FB: Austin Johnson, Sione Houma
WR: Brandin Cooks, Michael Thomas, Willie
Snead, Brandon Coleman, Tommylee Lewis, Reggie Bell, R.J.
Harris, Kyle Prater, Jared Dangerfield, Jordan Williams, Jake
Lampman, Vince Brown (IR)
TE: Coby Fleener, Josh Hill, Michael
Hoomanawanui, RaShaun Allen, Chris Manhertz, Garrett
Griffin
LT: Terron Armstead
LG: Andrus Peat
C: Max Unger
RG: Tim Lelito, Senio Kelemete
RT: Zach Strief
K: Kai Forbath, Connor Barth
DT: Tyeler Davison (NT), Sheldon Rankins (inj), Nick
Fairley, John Jenkins (NT), Lawrence Virgil, Ashaad
Mabry (NT)
DE: Cameron Jordan, Kasim Edebali (S), Bobby
Richardson, Obum Gwachum, Darryl Tapp, David
Onyemata, D.J. Pettway, C.J. Wilson, Matt Shaughnessy
MLB: James Laurinaitis, Michael Mauti (S), Nathan Stupar
OLB: Dannell Ellerbe (W), Stephone Anthony (S), Craig
Robertson (W), Davis Tull (W), Tony Steward, Erik
Harris, Dillon Lee, Hau′oli Kikaha (IR)
CB: Delvin Breaux, PJ Williams, Damian Swann, De′Vante
Harris, Ken Crawley, Brandon Dixon, Brian Dixon, Jimmy
Pruitt, Kyle Wilson (IR)
S: Kenny Vaccaro (SS), Jairus Byrd (FS), Vonn Bell
(FS), Alden Darby (SS), Roman Harper (SS), Trae Elston
(SS), Jamarca Sanford (IR)
New York Giants
QB: The Giants had a forgettable preseason game versus the
Bills, losing 21-0. Eli Manning was 4-of-9 for 44 yards and
failed to find the end zone. Ryan Nassib had a second
consecutive nightmare performance, this time completing just
2-of-12 passes for 25 yards while being sacked twice. Logan
Thomas was no better with 17 yards on 2-of-4 passing and two
interceptions. As a team, the Giants completed 8-of-25 passes
for 64 yards and two interceptions. Needless to say, head
coach Ben McAdoo is displeased with the state of his offense:
"I just finished talking to the team. I told them we worked too
hard to put a performance like that on film. They were more
physical than we were, that was obvious. We need to take a
long look in the mirror and bounce back."
RB: The running game had more success versus the Bills – the
team ran 19 times for 102 yards (5.4 per carry) but it wasn’t
all good. Andre Williams (15 yards on six carries) lost a
critical fumble which all but eradicated the goodwill he built
in last week’s strong performance. Bobby Rainey – probably a
long shot to make the 53-man roster – had 70 yards on two
carries thanks to a 67-yard breakaway. Starter Rashad
Jennings found little room to run and gained 10 yards on four
carries. Rookie Paul Perkins was no better (three carries for
five yards). The Giants offense needs to find a semblance of
consistency when it comes to run blocking, or the explosive
attack we witnessed in 2015 will be a distant memory.
WR: It seems like a distant memory when we were praising
the Giants receiver depth. Two weeks into preseason games
and it looks like the team has a bunch of non-performers.
Odell Beckham is fine, but even he struggled against the Bills
catching only one of his three targets. Rookie Sterling Shepard
has been a revelation in practices but failed to catch a pass this
week versus Buffalo. The third preseason “dress rehearsal”
needs to look much different than what we’ve seen over the
last two weeks.
TE: Larry Donnell and Will Tye both want the starting job
badly, and it could well turn into a committee situation; much
to the chagrin of fantasy owners. Against the Bills it was Tye
who made his mark – albeit a small one; he caught two passes
for 14 yards.
Defense: The Giants had their moments against the Bills but
ultimately it wasn’t good enough. The team had three sacks,
nine tackles for loss and five passes defensed, but most of that
damage was done against the Bills backups. Tyrod Taylor
completed 7-of-10 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. The
Bills couldn’t run the ball – which is something. Landon
Collins was all over the field with seven tackles and Olivier
Vernon was a force (for the second consecutive week) as he
brought pressure and sacked the quarterback. Free agency
cornerback Janoris Jenkins also notched a sack on a blitz.
K: Starting kicker Josh Brown was suspended for one game
due to a domestic violence charge. The team had been
carrying Tom Obarski, who had a great chance to get at least a
one-game regular season audition as a starting kicker, but he
missed a 27-yard field goal. On Monday, the team signed
Randy Bullock, a veteran kicker who most recently replaced
Nick Folk last season with the Jets. Bullock will have the
chance to push Brown for the job.
Returners: Top returner Dwayne Harris suffered a scare in
New York’s second preseason game, leaving the first half with
an apparent knee injury. Fortunately, x-rays were negative and
Harris should be back at full strength soon.
OL: The Giants’ offensive line was without starting left guard
Justin Pugh in the preseason game versus the Bills. Push has
missed time with a bruised shoulder. Bobby Hart started in
Pugh’s place. The line had a very rough night against the
Bills as left tackle Ereck Flowers, right guard John Jerry and
right tackle Marshall Newhouse all missed blocks and were
called for penalties. The line didn’t produce until third
stringers were in the game, forging a hole on Bobby Rainey’s
69-yard run. Some beat writers are concerned, calling the line
the Achilles’ heel of the team. Early returns support that
observation.
Giants Depth Chart
QB: Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib, Josh Woodrum, Logan
Thomas
RB: Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen (3RB), Andre
Williams, Paul Perkins, Orleans Darkwa, Bobby
Rainey, Marshaun Coprich
FB: Will Johnson, Nikita Whitlock
WR: Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, Dwayne Harris
(KR/PR), Victor Cruz (inj), Geremy Davis, Roger
Lewis, Myles White, Darius Powe, Tavarres King, Anthony
Dable, KJ Maye
TE: Will Tye, Larry Donnell (inj), Matt LaCosse, Jerell
Adams, Ryan Malleck
LT: Ereck Flowers, Byron Stingily
LG: Justin Pugh
C: Weston Richburg
RG: John Jerry, Adam Gettis
RT: Marshall Newhouse, Bobby Hart
K: Josh Brown (susp), Randy Bullock
DT: Damon Harrison (NT), Johnathan Hankins, Jay
Bromley, Montori Hughes, Louis Nix
DE: Olivier Vernon, Jason Pierre-Paul, Kerry Wynn, Owa
Odighizuwa, Stansly Maponga, Mike Rose
MLB: Jasper Brinkley, Keenan Robinson, Kelvin
Sheppard, B.J. Goodson (M), Uani Unga (IR)
OLB: Devon Kennard (S), Jonathan Casillas (W), Mark
Herzlich (S),J.T. Thomas (W), Nico Johnson
CB: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Janoris Jenkins, Leon
Hall, Trevin Wade, Eli Apple, Bennett Jackson, Leon
McFadden (RFA)
S: Landon Collins (FS), Darian Thompson (SS), Nat Berhe
(SS), Cooper Taylor (SS) (inj), Mykkele Thompson
(FS), Justin Currie (SS), Andrew Adams
New York Jets
QB: The Jets quarterback position is clear at the top—Ryan
Fitzpatrick is in charge even though he has been uneven in
preseason action so far and looked shaky against Washington.
The main battle is between Geno Smith and Bryce Petty, and
so far, all indications are that Petty has outplayed Smith. Since
being demoted by Fitzpatrick’s return, Smith has struggled
and Zach Braziller of the New York Post reported Smith
slammed his helmet into the ground after nearly being
intercepted multiple times, fumbling the ball and struggling
with accuracy. Head coach Todd Bowles has been cagey
about whether Petty is pushing Smith for the No. 2 job, but the
second year quarterback has been getting a few more snaps in
practice and got a ton of time in the game against Washington.
Petty played the entire second half, and went 16-for-26 for 242
yards and a pair of touchdowns. Smith, meanwhile, played a
little over a quarter, was picked off once and completed 6-of13 passes for 47 yards. Smith’s interception was brutal, as he
had plenty of time and threw into double coverage. On top of
that he appeared to stare down receiver Charone Peake, which
put Blackmon and corner Dashaun Phillips in perfect position
to pick the pass off. There’s plenty of rumor that Smith is on
the trading block, or will be soon, though his value is fairly
low given his play of late. It certainly appears that Petty has
made the case to stick on the roster, which makes moving on
from Smith—who was not a pick from this front office and
coaching staff—seem likely. Christian Hackenberg has yet to
take a snap in preseason games, which is a sure sign that he’s
not ready for prime time quite yet. The Jets knew he was a
project and it appears he very much continues to be. That said,
it still seems too risky to try and sneak him on to the practice
squad without someone grabbing him. It isn’t unprecedented
for a team to keep four quarterbacks, but it is uncommon and
given the need for depth elsewhere on the team, it seems
unlikely. The Jets have a hard decision to make, and given that
we expect most of the next game to feature Fitzpatrick, they
may not be able to make it before the end of preseason.
RB: The Jets were very careful with their running backs
against Washington, allowing Bilal Powell to take three
carries and leaving the other six carries to fullbacks Tommy
Bohanon and Julian Howsare as well as quarterback Bryce
Petty. The offense was shaky to start the game, but Powell
provided a little juice with his 23 yards. Matt Forte might get
a couple of reps in Game 3 against the cross-town Giants,
which is a great sign for a guy who has been hampered all
camp with a hamstring issue. Forte was back in team drills this
week and looked good, so the Jets can breathe a little easier at
a position that has been hammered by injuries. He should be
ready for Week 1 and he and Powell will split carries, though
Forte is still expected to take most of the carries. Finally off
the PUP list, Khiry Robinson is waiting for full clearance so
he can have contact as he comes back from a fractured tibia.
The Jets put Bernard Pierce on Injured Reserve, and signed
former Falcons back Antone Smith. He’s seen little action
since a solid 2014 with the Falcons, and has injury issues. But
he’s a home run hitter if he can stay healthy.
WR: The biggest news at the position is that Quincy
Enunwa—who is assumed to have the No. 3 spot locked up—
left the game against Washington with a concussion. Enunwa
was injured while covering a punt return. The severity of the
concussion and how long he might be out have not been
released. While rookie Charone Peake has been a big story, he
has competition from undrafted free agent Robby Anderson,
who had six catches for 131 yards and a touchdown. Anderson
made two big plays—a 50-yard reception and the 46-yard
touchdown both from quarterback Bryce Petty. The Jets can
only hold onto so many receivers and if Anderson continues to
build on this game, the team will have hard decisions to make.
Rookie Jalin Marshall had a great game against Jacksonville
but struggled with drops against Washington; he’s a roster
long shot with two weeks to go.
TE: Once again, Jace Amaro has reverted to form after a
promising start to camp. He caught two of four targets but had
bad drops on the other two looks. All the work with the JUGS
machines seems to have been for naught, as the issue of
dropped passes has again become a consistent thing. Amaro
got significant time when receiver Quincy Enunwa left the
game with a concussion but didn’t do anything with the
opportunity.
Defense: The Jets secondary continues to struggle as both
Buster Skrine and Marcus Williams got abused by a
Washington team without DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon
in the lineup. Rookie tackle Deon Simon has been playing
well in camp and he had solid moments against Washington as
well, including a fourth down stop. First round pick Darron
Lee spent all his time with the ones, and he showed well in all
aspects of the game, especially in pursuit.
K: Rookie UDFA Ross Martin extinguished whatever pulse
he had in the kicker battle when he missed an extra point in
the second preseason game against Washington. Nick Folk is a
shoo-in to remain the team’s kicker.
Returners: Undrafted free agent Jalin Marshall signed with
the Jets because he felt like he would have a chance to make
the roster as a return specialist. So far it’s looked like an
excellent decision, as Marshall has continued to excel and
looks like a better bet for the final 53-man roster every day.
OL: The first team offense had a rough night against
Washington. Center Nick Mangold’s absence was a big part
of the problem; he was given the night off for precautionary
reasons. Wes Johnson got the start at center and was later
spelled by Dakota Dozier. Right guard Brian Winters had a
holding penalty and several missed blocks. Unfortunately,
there are no credible threats to his job at present. Right tackle
Breno Giacomini remains on the PUP list and coaches say he
is at least a week away from practicing. Brent Qvale got the
start in Giacomini’s place after Ben Ijalana got the start in the
preseason opener. The duo are splitting reps evenly midway
through the preseason.
Jets Depth Chart
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith, Christian
Hackenberg, Bryce Petty
RB: Matt Forte, Bilal Powell, Khiry Robinson, Dominique
Williams, Romar Morris, Antone Smith , Lache Seastrunk
FB: Tommy Bohanon, Julian Howsare (LB)
WR: Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Quincy Enunwa, Devin
Smith, Charone Peake, Kenbrell Thompkins, Jalin Marshall
(KR), Jeremy Ross, Robby Anderson, Chandler Worthy, Titus
Davis, Joseph Anderson, Kyle Williams
TE: Jace Amaro, Kellen Davis, Zach Sudfeld, Brandon
Bostick, Wes Saxton, Jason Vander Laan
LT: Ryan Clady, Brandon Shell
LG: James Carpenter, Dakota Dozier
C: Nick Mangold, Wesley Johnson
RG: Brian Winters, Jarvis Harrison
RT: Ben Ijalana, Brent Qvale, Breno Giacomini (PUP)
K: Nick Folk, Ross Martin
DT: Steve McLendon, Deon Simon
DE: Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson
(susp), Leonard Williams, Jarvis Jenkins, Mike
Catapano, Lawrence Thomas
ILB: David Harris (M), Erin Henderson, Darron Lee, Taiwan
Jones, Julian Stanford
OLB: Lorenzo Mauldin, Jordan Jenkins, Trevor Reilly, Josh
Martin, Deion Barnes, Freddie Bishop
CB: Darrelle Revis, Buster Skrine, Marcus Williams, Dee
Milliner, Juston Burris, Darryl Morris, Dexter McDougle
S: Marcus Gilchrist (FS), Calvin Pryor (SS), Dion Bailey
(FS), Rontez Miles (SS), Ronald Martin (SS)
Oakland Raiders
QB: Derek Carr looks poised to take another positive step
forward in his third season. We know he has a big, accurate
arm, but he has also shown improved timing with his top
receivers and he is extremely comfortable in the leadership
role that comes with being a franchise quarterback. Carr went
just 9-of-13 for 38 yards and one interception against Green
Bay. He was unconcerned with the poor stat line and came
away excited about his growing rapport with Amari Cooper.
"The one that we hit down the Green Bay sideline, that was
such growth, because I alerted him in the huddle that, hey, if
they play a certain coverage, to be ready for that on that
particular play. They played it and he knew what to do. He ran
the route perfectly and knew where the ball was going to be.
That stuff where we can be on the same page, we can grow
like that and do things like that. Last year I don't know if we
would have done that. That is definite growth and that was
good to see." Connor Cook played 17 snaps, finishing the
game 6-of-9 for 101 yards, and one interception.
“I think Coach Musgrave called some good plays to get me in
a rhythm early,” said Cook. “Guys were getting open. Guys
were making plays. Guys were catching the ball. It was just
unfortunate that I made a stupid decision like that, but right
now its preseason, just learn from it, and don’t make the same
mistake twice.” “I’ve been pleased with the way (Cook’s)
come out in the first two opportunities,” said Jack Del Rio.
“He’s come out and showed poise and he’d been pretty
accurate throwing the ball and running the offense and making
good decisions.”
RB: Latavius Murray looks locked in as the Raiders
workhorse back. Through two preseason games, he has been
on the field for all but one of the snaps with the full first-team
offense. Murray played most of the first quarter before
heading to the bench. "We just weren't able to get anything
going,” Murray said. “We just didn't play like we know we are
capable of playing." The second quarter featured Taiwan
Jones and Jamize Olawale running behind the first-team
offensive line. Neither stood out and neither is a serious threat
to Murray. But both should make the team and Olawale should
see a handful of touches each game. Somewhat surprisingly,
DeAndre Washington did not get any snaps in the first half
with Derek Carr and the first-team offensive line. He had a
bad drop but otherwise showed well with the backups, playing
most of the third quarter. Washington has impressed Latavius
Murray. "He has been doing some great things in training
camp,” Murray said. “So I think we are going to complement
each other well and do some good things in the running
game." Washington’s main role early in the season is likely to
come in the passing game. “Third-down situations, I think
that’s why they brought me in, to create mismatches against
opposing defenses,” Washington said. Jalen Richard remains
out of practice with a knee injury and is hoping to return in
time to see the field in the fourth preseason game.
WR: Amari Cooper caught two of his three targets for 21
yards against the Packers. He ran a beautiful route on a 20yard completion down the sideline. Later, he mistimed his
jump on a deep ball thrown over his head that was picked off
by the Packers. Michael Crabtree continues to have a strong
camp and is ready to pick up where he left off last season.
Seth Roberts played almost every snap with the first team
offense and has created some separation between himself and
Andre Holmes in the competition for the third receiver job.
Should either Cooper or Crabtree miss any time with injury,
Roberts would be a major part of the offense. With the top
four set, the only drama is who will step up and grab the fifth
receiver spot. Undrafted rookie Johnny Holton has made
splash plays numerous times throughout training camp and the
preseason. His ability as a return man and on special teams
makes him the favorite to win the fifth receiver job.
TE: Lee Smith is listed as the starter at tight end, but he is
used almost exclusively as a blocker. Clive Walford continues
to have a strong camp and will be the primary pass catcher at
the position. He was not targeted at all in Week 2 of the
preseason.
Defense: Ben Heeney, starting at inside linebacker, will be a
key for the Raiders defense this season. He is speedy and
instinctive, but he has a tendency to overrun plays and
struggles at times to get off blocks. Heeney had a rough game
against Green Bay and his play was one of the main reasons
Eddie Lacy and the Packers gashed the Raiders on the ground.
Sixth-round rookie Cory James has proved a quick learner and
could push Heeney for playing time at linebacker. James is
“an active guy,” Del Rio said. “He’s picking up our scheme
very well. He’s a guy that’s going to be productive. He flies
around. He gets around the football. We’ve been happy with
him this entire spring.” Mario Edwards Jr. suffered a hip
injury last week and will miss 4-6 weeks. With the injury
occurring on August 13th, the best-case scenario would have
Edwards ready to play in the September 11 th opener. DJ
Hayden remains ahead of TJ Carrie in the competition for the
slot cornerback job. The Raiders depth and talent in the
secondary took a major leap forward this offseason with the
additions of Reggie Nelson, Sean Smith and Karl Joseph. The
unit showed well in training camp practices.
K: The kicker competition in Oakland is losing intrigue, as
mainstay Sebastian Janikowski made his 46-yard attempt, and
challenger Giorgio Tavecchio missed an extra point.
Janikowski job was thought to be in jeopardy heading into
camp because of his $3.6 million price tag, but he’s done
enough to maintain his roster spot heading into the third week
of the preseason.
Returners: Taiwan Jones has been a long-time kickoff
returner for the Raiders, but the team would not be opposed to
upgrading the spot in 2016. GM Reggie McKenzie attended
the preseason game between Los Angeles and Kansas City this
past weekend, fueling speculation that he was scouting
potential return specialists who might find themselves
among the first round of cuts.
OL: The offensive line continues to play at a high level, and
should be one of the best units in the league this season. The
guards are looking extremely strong but center Rodney
Hudson made a bad mistake against the Packers; his holding
penalty wiped out a 16-yard run by quarterback Derek Carr.
Menelik Watson continues to hold off Austin Howard at right
tackle, and Howard could find himself as the swing tackle if
Watson can stay healthy for another few weeks.
Raiders Depth Chart
QB: Derek Carr, Matt McGloin, Connor Cook, Garrett Gilbert
RB: Latavius Murray, Deandre Washington, Taiwan Jones
(KR), Jalen Richard, George Atkinson III
FB: Jamize Olawale, Marcel Reece (susp)
WR: Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Seth Roberts, Andre
Holmes, Johnny Holton, K.J. Brent, Nathan Palmer, Max
McCaffrey, Jaydon Mickens, Marvin Hall, Joe Hansley
TE: Clive Walford, Lee Smith, Mychal Rivera, Ryan
O′Malley, Gabe Holmes, Colton Underwood
LT: Donald Penn, Matt McCants
LG: Kelechi Osemele, Jon Feliciano
C: Rodney Hudson
RG: Gabe Jackson, Vadal Alexander
RT: Menalik Watson, Austin Howard
K: Sebastian Janikowski
DT: Justin Ellis (NT), Jihad Ward, Dan Williams (NT), Stacy
McGee, Darius Latham (NT), Leon Orr
DE: Kahlil Mack (S), Mario Edwards Jr. (inj), Denico
Autry, Shilique Calhoun, Damontre Moore, James
Crowser, Branden Jackson
MLB: Ben Heeney, Cory James, John Lotulelei, Kyrie
Wilson, Chase Williams
OLB: Malcolm Smith (W), Bruce Irvin (S/DE), Aldon Smith
(susp), Neiron Ball, Korey Toomer, Daren Bates, Neiron
Ball, Perez Ford
CB: Sean Smith, David Amerson, D.J. Hayden, TJ Carrie
(FS/PR), Neiko Thorpe, Dexter McDonald, Antonio
Hamilton, Kenneth Durden
S: Reggie Nelson (FS), Karl Joseph (SS), Nate Allen (FS)
(inj), Dewey McDonald (SS), Keith McGill (SS), Brynden
Trawick (FS),Chris Hackett (FS), Chris Edwards, Jimmy Hall
Philadelphia Eagles
QB: Carson Wentz participated in throwing sessions on the
side of practice over the weekend, and was unsurprisingly sore
from the process. "I don’t know what’s normal. I’ve never
dealt with this before," he said. "It’s killing me. I want to be
out there, but it’s just one of those things that takes time." The
team isn’t going to rush Wentz back from his hairline rib
fracture, but the rookie quarterback hopes to be cleared to play
in the 4th (and final) preseason game. With Wentz sitting out,
McLeod Bethel-Thompson has gotten valuable reps in practice
and versus the Steelers in Week Two of the preseason. All
three quarterbacks (Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel and BethelThompson) were limited to dink-and-dunk passing against the
Steelers. Starter Sam Bradford completed 14-of-19 passes for
115 yards (6.1 per attempt) but couldn’t find the end zone.
Chase Daniel had a similar evening with 82 yards on 16
attempts (5.1 per throw). Bethel-Thompson rounded out the
night completing 2-of-4 passes for 22 yards (5.5 per attempt).
While the Eagles offense wasn’t explosive against the
Steelers, it’s clear Doug Pederson is going to run the offense
differently than Chip Kelly. For example, he plans on giving
Sam Bradford plenty of opportunity to audible. "It's not
every play, but there are certain plays that we give him the
opportunity to change or to change a route or to change a
protection, whatever he feels necessary at the time," Pederson
said. "[Preseason] games we try not to show a bunch of things
on film that way to our opponents. But we give all the
quarterbacks the freedom to make adjustments where
necessary and it's stuff that we coach up here in practice and
stuff that we've done in the past, give them tools to give us the
best chance on any play."
RB: Ryan Mathews ran five times for 18 yards (3.6 per
attempt) in an otherwise quiet game versus the Steelers. More
important than the box score is Mathews’ continued good
healthy, ability to practice hard, and clearly defined role as the
team’s starter. In spite of reports that Darren Sproles would
play a major role in place of Mathews, it’s hard not to
conclude that Kenjon Barner is the true backup tailback. He’s
looked good throughout the preseason, and was the best player
on the field against the Steelers; Barner ran six times for 41
yards (6.8 per rush) and scored the team’s lone offensive
touchdown. Sproles didn’t have a carry but did catch three
passes for 8 yards. Byron Marshall and Cedric O’Neal face
long odds to make the 53-man roster but each worked a few
series versus the Steelers.
WR: Jordan Matthews continues to rehab his bone bruise and
his timetable for return remains uncertain. The receivers
played better than feared against the Steelers, although the
position remains of paramount concern entering next week's
critical "dress rehearsal." With Jordan Matthews still nursing a
bone bruise, all eyes were on Nelson Agholor and he managed
to impress with two receptions for 30 yards in limited action.
Unfortunately that’s about where the platitudes end and the
questions begin. Recently acquired Dorial Green-Beckham
was targeted twice but failed to make a catch. Rueben Randle
-- who is considered to be on the roster bubble -- had two
catches but only for 10 yards; he's expected to be a vertical
threat yet was quite the opposite. Josh Huff matched Randle
with a paltry 5-yard average. The lone bright spot, outside of
Agholor, was Paul Turner. Turner remains a long shot to make
the 53-man roster but shone against Pittsburgh with three
catches for 44 yards.
TE: As we’ve noted in prior weeks, Doug Pederson values the
tight end position and wants to keep four on the active roster.
The most likely quarter – Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Trey Burton
and Chris Pantale – all made plays against the Steelers in the
second preseason game. Ertz converted three of four targets
for 24 yards and continues to be the team’s most consistent
playmaker in practice and against preseason opponents.
Defense: As was rumored last week, the Eagles signed veteran
linebacker Stephen Tulloch to a 1-year, $3 million deal.
Tulloch has a long history with new defensive coordinator Jim
Schwartz and should not only provide a veteran leader who
understands the scheme, but a sure tackler in the middle of an
attacking defense. The defense, on the whole, deserves kudos
for its play versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
The Eagles won 17-0 and intercepted quarterback Landry
Jones four times. Nolan Carroll took his interception into the
end-zone for a pick six; and credited the play to extensive film
study leading up to the game. While the offense has plenty of
questions, the defense appears to be poised to finally capitalize
on the talent that was underutilized by the prior coaching
regime. Philly.com’s Sam Donnellon compares Jim Schwartz
to Jim Johnson – arguing that Schwartz may be the key to
Doug Pederson having a successful first season as an NFL
head coach.
K: Caleb Sturgis has been leading the kicker competition
throughout the summer, but he got hit in the head by an errant
punt and suffered a concussion before the second preseason
game, opening the door for Cody Parkey. Parkey hit a 40-yard
field goal attempt and both extra points. Sturgis has the lead,
but his concussion makes this an open battle with a few weeks
left of the preseason.
Returners: Punt returner and ageless wonder Darren Sproles
finds his roster spot secure heading into the season. The same
cannot be said for top kickoff returner Josh Huff. Eagles coach
Doug Pederson hinted that Huff would get an extended
audition in Week 3 of the preseason, “We've got to start
getting those (veteran) players, Josh Huff being in that group,
more touches, more reps; offensively and on special teams. I
would expect his workload to potentially increase this week.”
OL: In light of the Lane Johnson 10-game suspension, the
offensive line was shuffled around for Week Two versus the
Steelers. Left guard Allen Barbre was moved to right tackle.
Third round rookie Isaac Seumalo will get the first crack at
Barbre’s left guard spot. Seumalo had a mixed evening against
the Steelers, at one point getting called for holding which
wiped out a big gain. Rookie Dillon Gordon has been
compared to Jason Peters – which is as heady praise as
anyone can give to a young Eagles lineman.
Eagles Depth Chart
QB: Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel, Carson Wentz, McLeod
Bethel-Thompson
RB: Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles (3RB/PR), Kenjon
Barner, Wendell Smallwood, Byron Marshall
WR: Jordan Matthews (inj), Dorial Green-Beckham, Nelson
Agholor, Rueben Randle, Josh Huff (KR), Chris Givens, Paul
Turner, Cayleb Jones, Marcus Johnson
TE: Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Trey Burton, Chris Pantale, M.J.
McFarland
LT: Jason Peters, Andrew Gardner, Halapoulivaati Vaitai
LG: Isaac Seumalo, Josh Andrews
C: Jason Kelce, Stefen Wisniewski, Barrett Jones
RG: Brandon Brooks, Matt Tobin
RT: Allen Barbre, Lane Johnson (susp)
K: Caleb Sturgis, Cody Parkey
DT: Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan, Beau Allen, Mike
Martin, Travis Raciti
DE: Vinny Curry, Connor Barwin, Brandon Graham, Taylor
Hart, Marcus Smith, Alex Mccalister, Ryan Mueller
MLB: Jordan Hicks, Stephen Tulloch, Joe Walker
OLB: Nigel Bradham (S), Mychal Kendricks (W), Najee
Goode (W), Bryan Braman (S), Travis Long, Deontae Skinner
CB: Leodis McKelvin, Nolan Carroll II, Ron Brooks, Jalen
Mills (FS), Eric Rowe, Blake Countess, Jaylen Watkins
(RFA), Denzel Rice
S: Malcolm Jenkins (FS), Rodney McLeod (SS), Jerome
Couplin (SS), JaCorey Shepherd (FS), Chris Maragos (SS), Ed
Reynolds (FS)
Pittsburgh Steelers
QB: It was another uneventful week for Ben Roethlisberger,
as he once again sat out the team’s preseason game. Pittsburgh
should probably cover him in bubble wrap considering what’s
happening on the depth chart behind him. Bruce Gradkowski,
who was competing with Landry Jones for the backup job,
was injured in the first preseason game. The injury was
confirmed to be a hamstring tear, and Gradkowski could be
out for the season. Landry Jones started Thursday night’s
game against Philadelphia and threw four interceptions in a
half of work. Not all were his fault, and the team is likely to
stick with Jones as the primary backup due to his
performance in camp and a shallow veteran quarterback
market. Behind Jones, second-year player Dustin Vaughan
figured to have a chance to make the team as the third
quarterback, but he also got hurt in Thursday’s game, leading
the team to acquire Bryn Renner. Pittsburgh has historically
kept three quarterbacks, so the injuries to Gradkowski and
Vaughan could be impactful to the final 53-man roster as
Vaughan and Renner will compete for the third string job.
RB: The biggest story in Pittsburgh this week was the
reduction of LeVeon Bell’s suspension from four games to
three. Also significant for Bell is that he stays in the same
stage of the NFL’s substance abuse program, meaning that his
next infraction would be a four-game suspension instead of
10. Veteran backup DeAngelo Williams, who is expected to
shoulder the load when Bell is out, was given another night off
for the team’s second preseason (as was Bell). It’s just not
worth risking injury to the team’s most important offensive
pieces. Behind the top two, the battle for third-string duties
wages on between Fitzgerald Toussaint and Daryl Richardson.
Mike Tomlin spoke about the competition at length this
week. Tomlin called Toussaint “steady Eddie” but said he
needs more splash. Meanwhile, he said that Richardson makes
big plays but wants to see “more detail in his (Richardson’s)
work.”
WR: Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton were given the
night off on Thursday. Wheaton is nursing a minor soft tissue
injury, but it’s not expected to hamper him much longer. In
their absence, Sammie Coates and Eli Rogers got another
extended look. Coates struggled again. Last week, it was
fumbles that plagued him, but this week, he and Landry Jones
struggled to be on the same page. Coates was targeted on two
of Jones’ interceptions, and he took blame for the first.
Rogers, meanwhile, continued to see his arrow point
upward. He caught four passes and returned a punt 17 yards,
looking very shifty at all times. Darrius Heyward-Bey had
another dropped pass, further failing to capitalize on Coates’
poor in-game performances and earn more snaps.
TE: The Ladarius Green Saga continues, as the team
continues to insist that Green is on the PUP List due to his
ankle – not due to headaches and concussion-related problems.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote that Green is still a mystery –
and an expensive one at that. Green himself finally came out
and discussed his situation, but that media session served only
to further muddy the waters as Green maintained multiple
times that he is on the PUP list for his ankle and not
headaches. Behind Green, Jesse James is struggling with
blocking; he whiffed on a pass rusher that led to Landry Jones’
fourth interception. Xavier Grimble also had a dropped pass
on Thursday night. Green’s presence would be a huge boost to
this offense because neither James nor Grimble appear to be
starter-ready. But it’s more likely than not at this point that
Green won’t be playing by Week 1, if at all.
Defense: The biggest defensive story out of Pittsburgh this
week is an off-the-field item. James Harrison is scheduled to
meet with Roger Goodell about the Al-Jazeera report that
alleged his use of performance enhancing drugs. On the field,
the defense played well, especially considering it was without
three of the team’s last four first-round picks in Jarvis Jones,
Bud Dupree, and Artie Burns. Burns returned to practice
earlier this week, though, which allows the team to move
Doran Grant to safety and contribute in a dangerously thin
position group. Burns still has a chance to become a starter,
but he’s too far behind right now to overtake William Gay or
Ross Cockrell in Week One. Burns profiles more as a
boundary corner, which means that when he does get on the
field, he could perhaps push Gay inside, where he has past
experience at slot corner.
Rookie Sean Davis has been given the chance to take the reins
as the team’s top slot corner after the team lost second-year
Senquez Golson to injury last week, but Davis’ performance
has been up and down. He has impressed Mike Tomlin with
his conditioning though. Former Steeler Keenan Lewis was
released by New Orleans this week. Rumors have surfaced
that the team might want to bring Lewis back due to a thin
position group, but Lewis’ age (30) and injury situation
(lingering hip issue, multiple injuries that led to only six
games played last season) may lead the team to look
elsewhere for help.
Returners: Preseason star Eli Rogers has been the best punt
returner this preseason, though they’ve been holding Antonio
Brown out rather than risk injury. If the Steelers are serious
about lightening Brown’s special teams workload, (and
they’re able to resist the temptation of a proven all-pro
standing on the sidelines), Rogers is ready for the task.
OL: Despite losing 17-0 to in-state rival Philadelphia, there
were positive signs for the Steelers’ offensive line. Center
Maurkice Pouncey returned to the lineup for the first time
since breaking his leg last preseason. Alejandro Villanueva
started at left tackle for the second straight game and
reportedly “played angry” which is good news for his battle
against Ryan Harris. Actually, both players were in the lineup
against the Eagles, as Harris filled in for Marcus Gilbert, who
missed the contest with an injured shoulder. Gilbert should be
ready for the start of the season, but it’s good to have options.
Steelers Depth Chart
QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones, Dustin
Vaughn (inj), Bryn Renner, Bruce Gradkowski (inj)
RB: Le′Veon Bell (susp), DeAngelo Williams, Fitzgerald
Toussaint, Daryl Richardson, Rajion Neal
FB: Roosevelt Nix
WR: Antonio Brown (PR), Sammie Coates, Markus Wheaton
(KR),Darrius Heyward-Bey, Eli Rogers, Demarcus
Ayers, Issac Blakeney, Levi Norwood, Shakim Philips, Tobias
Palmer, Canan Severin, Martavis Bryant (susp)
TE: Ladarius Green (inj), Jesse James, Xavier Grimble, David
Johnson (FB), David Reeves, Jay Rome
LT: Alejandro Villanueva, Ryan Harris, Jerald Hawkins
LG: Ramon Foster
C: Maurkice Pouncey, Cody Wallace
RG: David Decastro
RT: Marcus Gilbert
K: Chris Boswell
NT: Daniel McCullers, Javon Hargrave, Lavon Hooks, Roy
Philon
DE: Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, L.T.
Walton, Caushaud Lyons
ILB: Lawrence Timmons (R), Ryan Shazier (L), Vince
Williams, Jordan Zumwalt, Tyler Matakevich, Steven Johnson
OLB: James Harrison, Bud Dupree, Arthur Moats, Jarvis
Jones, Travis Feeney, Anthony Chickallo
CB: William Gay, Ross Cockrell, Sean Davis (SS/CB), Artie
Burns, Doran Grant, Donald Washington, Senquez Golson
(inj)
S: Michael Mitchell (FS), Robert Golden (SS), Shamarko
Thomas (SS), Ross Ventrone (FS), Jordan Dangerfield
(FS), Jacob Hagen, Ray Vinopal
San Diego Chargers
QB: Philip Rivers was given the night off against the Arizona
Cardinals, but he benefitted from a solid week of joint
practices. "So it allows you to see four or five plays right in a
row, and let it come up against a defense that hasn't been
practicing against it all of the time, and see how it look and
how it feels," he noted. Kellen Clemens was behind center for
the first half of the preseason tilt before giving way to Mike
Bercovici after halftime, and he appears to be locked in to the
backup role. Clemens completed 11-of-20 passes for 134
yards (6.7 per attempt); a serviceable showing but it would’ve
been more encouraging to see Clemens get into the end zone.
Bercovici looked solid in limited duty – he completed 9-of-13
passes for 108 yards (8.3 per attempt) – and continues to build
off a strong training camp. “We gave Mike an opportunity to
go in there for a half. We said we wanted to give him a good
half to see what he could do. He went out there and made
some good plays,” said head coach Mike McCoy. The odd
man out in this week’s preseason action was Zach
Mettenberger, who appears to be losing the battle for the No.3
job to Bercovici. Next week’s preseason matchup against the
Minnesota Vikings will be telling for the Chargers quarterback
depth chart, and for the future of Mettenberger in general.
RB: A week after an impressive performance in the preseason
opener, Melvin Gordon was mostly held in check against the
Cardinals. He’s looked good in camp and there has been
plenty of buzz about expected improvement for the secondyear pro after a challenging rookie campaign. For Gordon’s
part, he’s noted that his confidence is at a whole new level.
“This time I was comfortable and stuck to my reads. I told
myself -- I was obviously nervous the whole trip there, but I
told myself 'you go against a lot of great players in practice
and you had a whole season so just be calm and read the reads
and follow your lineman,” he said. Brandon Oliver continues
to impress, and that’s translated to live action as well. He
produced 36 total yards off of five carries and one reception
against the Cardinals, as he continues to put his stamp on the
number three spot on the depth chart. Danny Woodhead has
been relatively quiet through camp and the preseason, but he
remains locked into a large role once the games begin to
matter.
WR: Reports from the joint practices held with the Cardinals
indicate that Keenan Allen looked particularly impressive,
and that was while being matched up with Cardinals
cornerback Patrick Peterson. Allen may be ready to take the
proverbial leap forward in 2016, and should continue to
receive all the volume he can handle in the Chargers passfriendly attack. Travis Benjamin was also solid in the joint
practice sessions, and he continues to build rapport with Philip
Rivers. He earned some praise from Rivers for a difficult catch
he made during the session. "Those are the trust-building plays
I talk a lot about that you need to make with a guy that you
haven't thrown a ton of those to," Rivers said. Tyrell Williams
continues to be one of the more impressive players in camp.
He hauled in four of his six targets for 47 yards, and he could
carve out a significant role in the passing attack if he closes
out the preseason in strong fashion. Undrafted free agent Dom
Williams helped his case with a strong showing against the
Cardinals, as he led the team in receiving with four catches for
55 yards. Projected WR3 Dontrelle Inman was leveled with a
big hit in the first quarter of the game and did not return, but
it’s believed the team was just being cautious.
TE: Antonio Gates was another Chargers veteran that was
given the night off against the Cardinals, but the 36-year-old
continues to look fine in camp. As a preferred target of Philip
Rivers in a pass-happy attack, Gates remains in the Top 10
tight end conversation. Hunter Henry has been another bright
spot of camp, and the rookie has reportedly impressed
coaches enough to carve out a role for himself this year.
Whether that results in additional two tight end sets for the
Chargers remains to be seen, but Henry appears to be
developing quicker than anticipated. He hauled in his lone
target against the Cardinals for a seven-yard gain. Veteran Jeff
Cumberland signed in the offseason to add depth, but his
season came to an abrupt end when he suffered a torn ACL in
Friday’s game. Sean McGrath and Asante Cleveland round out
the depth chart, but neither player is relevant for fantasy
purposes.
Defense: The Chargers and first round draft pick Joey Bosa
remain at an impasse, but the two sides reopened talks this
past week. After a poor effort against the Tennessee Titans in
the first week of the preseason, the defensive side of the ball
stepped up in the 19-3 victory over the Cardinals. The run
defense and secondary looked much improved, and Manti
Te’o points to an improved team effort as the biggest
takeaway for this week. “Everyone trusted each other, and
everybody made their play. And they didn’t make it for
themselves, they did it because they wanted to make it for
their brother. When we stick together as a defense and we
play like that, we’re going to do well,” he said. Brandon
Flowers concurs. “I think last week we tried to make too many
plays on our own and we paid for it. This time we trusted each
other on the field and made it happen,” Flowers said.
Returners: After sitting out San Diego’s first preseason game,
Travis Benjamin returned to action and to his pre-ordained
place as the top punt returner this week.
OL: Orlando Franklin is healthy again, and he made his
preseason debut against the Cardinals. New addition Matt
Slauson has fit in nicely and is already proving to be an
upgrade at center over Trevor Robinson. Seventh round rookie
Donavan Clark tore his ACL against Arizona and will miss
the season. Clark was having a decent camp and was slated to
be a swing tackle behind King Dunlap and Joe Barksdale.
Undrafted rookies Vi Teofilo and Spencer Pulley will get
chances to claim that spot in Clark’s absence.
Chargers Depth Chart
QB: Philip Rivers, Kellen Clemens, Zach Mettenberger, Bryn
Renner, Mike Bercovici
RB: Melvin Gordon, Danny Woodhead (3RB), Branden
Oliver, Dreamius Smith, Kenneth Farrow
FB: Derek Watt, Chris Swain
WR: Keenan Allen, Travis Benjamin (PR), Dontrelle
Inman, Tyrell Williams, James Jones, Javontee
Herndon, Isaiah Burse, Torrence Allen, Jamaal Jones, Dom
Williams, Stevie Johnson (IR)
TE: Antonio Gates, Hunter Henry, Jeff Cumberland, Sean
McGrath, Asante Cleveland, Tim Semisch
LT: King Dunlap, Chris Hairston
LG: Orlando Franklin, Kenny Wiggins
C: Matt Slauson, Max Tuerk, Trevor Robinson
RG: D.J. Fluker, Chris Watt, Donavon Clark (IR)
RT: Joe Barksdale, Tyreek Burwell
K: Josh Lambo
NT: Brandon Mebane, Ryan Carrethers, Sean Lissemore (IR)
DE: Corey Liuget, Joey Bosa, Damion Square, Darius
Philon, Tenny Palepoi, Ben Gardner
ILB: Denzel Perryman, Manti Te′o, Joshua Perry, Nick
Dzubnar, Dexter McCoil
OLB: Melvin Ingram, Jeremiah Attaochu, Kyle
Emanuel, Tourek Williams, Jatavis Brown
CB: Jason Verrett, Brandon Flowers, Casey Hayward, Trevor
Williams, Craig Mager, Greg Ducre, Trevor Williams
S: Jahleel Addae (SS), Dwight Lowery (FS), Darrell Stuckey
(FS), Matt Daniels (SS), Adrian Phillips (FS)
San Francisco 49ers
QB: During pregame warmups, Colin Kaepernick displayed a
renewed passing arm according to NFL.com's Tyler
Dragon: “Kaepernick's arm appears to be getting its strength
back. The quarterback was spotted throwing a 55-yard pass
and had some other throws with improved velocity.” The team
hopes he can play in the third preseason game. Meanwhile,
Blaine Gabbert completed 6-for-9 passes for 69 yards during
the victory at Denver. Christian Ponder, freshly added to the
roster as Thad Lewis was sent to IR, looked good in his first
preseason action. He completed 7-of-8 passes for 86 yards and
a touchdown pass. Ponder also scored the winning TD on a
22-yard run. As Eric Branch of SFGate.com puts it: “The
performance, he [Ponder] thinks, was partly fueled because he
had an epiphany during his time away from the game: He was
going to have fun — a word he used four times in a threeminute interview Saturday — if he ever played football
again.” Ponder added, “I think it was the mind-set of like, 'I
don’t have anything to lose.'. I was already sitting on a couch
doing nothing. I think the biggest thing that hindered me
before [early in his career at Minnesota] was second-guessing
myself and being hesitant in certain decisions.” Jeff Driskel
completed 6-of-7 passes for 66 yards in cleanup duty.
RB: Starter Carlos Hyde found the end zone on Saturday, with
six carries for 28 yards. On the flip side, Hyde didn't catch
either of his two pass targets. Kelvin Taylor (10/47/0 rushing,
with one target for 1/2/0 receiving) and DuJuan Harris (6/46/0
rushing with one target for 1/1/0 receiving) were the most
productive runners on the night, while Mike Davis racked up
5/26/0 rushing with two targets for 2/1/0 receiving. As you can
see, none of the backs contributed much as receivers out of the
backfield. The team totaled 36 carries for 184 yards and two
touchdowns at Denver; an impressive feat considering the
defensive prowess of the Broncos. Shaun Draughn (ribs)
missed the game due to a rib injury.
WR: Bruce Ellington (ankle sprain) didn't practice much last
week and missed the Broncos game. Bryce Treggs (knee) left
the game after sustaining a medial collateral ligament injury.
He will undergo a MRI exam to determine the full extent of
the injury. Treggs is part of a bevy of young wide receivers
(including DiAndre Campbell, and Aaron Burbridge) that
aren't developing quickly. “What we do need to see is
consistency,” coach Chip Kelly said last week. “We haven’t
really seen a ton of that right now. We've seen them flash,
which is awesome because you know what they can do, but it's
being consistent not only on a daily basis but really, on a playto-play basis, that you can count on them.” General manager
Trent Baalke added: “We’ve certainly got to get better. And I
mean that we've got a lot of young guys. And we've got to
mature at that group. There's a lot to learn at that position.”
DeAndre Smelter hasn't practiced in a week due to a
hamstring strain that also slowed him in the spring, blunting
his drive to crack the starting lineup. With little upward
momentum from the youngsters in camp, the 49ers' receiving
corps looks set with Torrey Smith, Quinton Patton and
Ellington at the top of the depth chart. Jerome Simpson
remains in the mix for a backup spot, along with Smelter.
TE: Vance McDonald has caught five passes for 92 yards
from Gabbert through two preseason games, and looks like he
is building off the rapport he established with Gabbert at the
end of last season. McDonald saw four targets for 3/38/0
receiving on Saturday night, compared to two targets for
2/14/0 that went to Garrett Celek, and one target for zero
receptions going to Blake Bell. McDonald was described as
Gabbert's go-to receiver in multiple reports this past week. He
looks like a bargain fantasy option entering the third week of
preseason games, though if Kaepernick somehow upsets
Gabbert for the starting job, McDonald could slide as he and
Kaepernick haven't clicked in the past.
Defense: Chip Kelly was impressed with some 'bubble'
defensive players: “I thought [defensive lineman] Garrison
[Smith] played an outstanding game,” coach Kelly said
Sunday. “I think between him and [linebacker] Marcus
[Rush]... those two really, from a production standpoint, kind
of jumped out when (we were) flying home (Saturday) night
watching the tape. Two of those guys were around the football
a lot, causing a lot of disruption in Denver's offense.” Smith
and Rush were undrafted rookies in 2015 who spent season on
the practice squad, but they got in the game and made an
impact on Saturday. Barrows also highlighted the ongoing
three-way battle to start at inside linebacker: “Ray-Ray
Armstrong had another solid game as he tries to emerge in a
three-way battle for the 49ers' starting inside linebacker spot...
As they did in the preseason opener, Armstrong, Gerald
Hodges and Michael Wilhoite rotated throughout the game.”
Returners: With Bruce Ellington sidelined with a short-term
injury, cornerback Chris Davis has gotten a chance to step up
as San Francisco’s primary returner. His promotion likely
remains a short one until Ellington returns.
OL: The line looked decent against the Broncos’ defense,
opening up holes in the running game and only allowing one
sack. The battle at right tackle continues, as Trent Brown
remains the nominal starter over Anthony Davis. Davis has
been more effective than Brown in preseason action, and even
has a new team-first attitude. Davis has volunteered to play
guard, to keep Brown in the lineup, and he did see guard reps
in practice (not in the game, where he worked exclusively at
tackle). Despite saying all the right things, it should be only a
matter of time before Davis wins his job back.
49ers Depth Chart
QB: Blaine Gabbert, Colin Kaepernick, Jeff Driskel, Christian
Ponder, Thaddeus Lewis (IR)
RB: Carlos Hyde, Shaun Draughn, Mike Davis, DuJuan
Harris, Kelvin Taylor, Kendall Gaskins
FB: Bruce Miller (TE)
WR: Torrey Smith, Bruce Ellington (KR/PR), Quinton
Patton, Jerome Simpson, DeAndre Smelter (inj), DeAndrew
White (KR/PR), Aaron Burbridge, Dres Anderson, Devon
Cajuste, Bryce Treggs, DiAndre Campbell, Eric Rogers (IR)
TE: Vance McDonald, Garrett Celek, Blake Bell, Je′Ron
Hamm, Busta Anderson
LT: Joe Staley, John Theus
LG: Zane Beadles, Ian Silberman
C: Daniel Kilgore, Marcus Martin
RG: Andrew Tiller, Josh Garnett, Brandon Thomas
RT: Anthony Davis, Erik Pears, Trent Brown, Fahn Cooper
K: Phil Dawson, John Lunsford
NT: Mike Purcell, Garrison Smith, Ian Williams (IR)
DE: Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Quinton Dial, Glenn
Dorsey (inj), Ronald Blair, Tony Jerod-Eddie, Darren
Lake, B.J. McBryde, Demetrius Cherry
ILB: Navorro Bowman, Michael Wilhoite, Gerald
Hodges, Shayne Skov, Nick Bellore, Wynton McManis
OLB: Ahmad Brooks (S), Aaron Lynch (susp), Corey
Lemonier, Tank Carradine, Eli Harold, Ray-Ray
Armstrong, Marcus Rush, Jason Fanaika, Lenny Jones
CB: Tramaine Brock, Jimmie Ward (FS), Chris Davis, Dontae
Johnson, Kenneth Acker, Will Redmond, Rashard
Robinson, Prince Charles Iworah, Keith Reaser, Marcus
Cromartie
S: Antoine Bethea (SS), Eric Reid (FS), Jaquiski Tartt
(SS), L.J. McCray, Jered Bell
Seattle Seahawks
QB: Russell Wilson hasn't been at his best throughout this
preseason. Through two games he’s completed just 8-of-17
passes for 111 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception
while getting sacked four times. His interception to Marcus
Peters in the first game was a result of hesitation in the pocket.
That hesitation persisted against the Vikings which resulted in
two sacks. There are no real reasons to worry about Wilson at
this point because expecting him to sustain his second-half
performances from last year for 16 games is being unrealistic.
Trevone Boykin is solidified as the Seahawks' backup by
default more than because of his quality of play. Boykin has
been inconsistent but has amassed 315 yards on 26-of-46
passing.
RB: Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise came off the PUP list this
week. Rawls practiced fully but didn't appear in the team's
second preseason game. Pete Carroll expects Rawls to get
some snaps in the preseason though they may come during the
fourth outing rather than the third. General Manager John
Schneider said that Rawls will play in the fourth preseason
game while former Seahawks fullback, Michael Robinson,
proclaimed him the team's “lead dog.” Prosise returned to
practice but was seen icing his hamstring after practice.
Carroll said he expects Prosise to play next week. Despite not
being on the field, Prosise should still feel good about his
chances contributing this year. Christine Michael has thrived
in the starting role but primarily as a runner. Prosise is a better
fit as the 3rd down specialist. Alex Collins is more of a runner
than a receiver also, but Collins is now fighting for a roster
spot because of his extremely unimpressive outing in Week 2
– he rushed for just 13 yards on six carries (2.2 per attempt).
The Seahawks re-signed Will Tukuafu after waiving fullback
Jonathan Amosa.
WR: Tyler Lockett had the highlight play of the second week
of the preseason. He ran downfield against tight coverage and
Russell Wilson placed the ball perfectly between two
defenders. Lockett caught it into his chest and held it through
contact to complete the play. Lockett's speed has been on
display consistently throughout the preseason and he is
improving as an all-around receiver. ESPN’s Sheil Kapadia
expects Doug Baldwin to out produce his 75-catch, 990-yard
and seven touchdown ESPN projection, but only slightly.
Baldwin is an established veteran so he has quietly gone about
his business to this point in training camp. Jermaine Kearse
has had a similarly quiet last two weeks as he remains a starter
ahead of Lockett. Paul Richardson went from being in the
spotlight in Week 1 to not catching a pass in Week 2. While
Richardson was absent, Kenny Lawler made his first big
impression. He looked comfortable and explosive as he caught
three passes for 47 yards. His most impressive play came
when he converted a 3rd-and-15. Lawler appears to have an
inside track on the final roster spot.
TE: Jimmy Graham (patellar tendon) is back at practice but he
didn’t play in the second preseason game. Pete Carroll backed
off his expectation that Graham would play in Week 1 of the
regular season but didn't shut the door on the possibility either.
Luke Willson will be the team's starter so long as Graham isn't
available. Rookie Nick Vannett has performed well during
camp but the team prefers 3-WR sets which makes a second
tight end somewhat superfluous. Vannett is working through a
high ankle sprain suffered in Thursday’s night game and his
timetable for returning is open ended.
Defense: Kam Chancellor's groin injury continues to linger.
Chancellor didn't play in the second preseason game and
concern around his status grows with each passing day.
Chancellor struggled when he returned from his holdout last
offseason so this injury could have a similar impact on his
play in 2016. Cornerback Jeremy Lane started outside in the
first preseason game, but DeShawn Shead started in the
second. Shead was replaced by Tharold Simon for the second
drive while Lane played in the slot throughout. The Seahawks
cornerback competition is being given time to play out. On the
defensive front, a familiar face was re-signed. Tony McDaniel,
a 31-year old defensive tackle, had previously been with the
Seahawks in 2013 and 2014. He was a free agent until last
week when a vacation visit to Seattle led to a workout before
he was signed. McDaniel immediately fit back into his old role
and impressed against the Vikings. He should get a roster spot
considering his experience and familiarity upfront.
Returners: Reigning 1st-team AP All Pro returner Tyler
Lockett continues to exhibit a death grip on the punt and
kickoff return duties for 2016.
OL: The Vikings’ pass rush had a big day against the
Seahawks’ offensive line. Russell Wilson was sacked four
times in the first half, as tackles Garry Gilliam and Bradley
Sowell struggled. Gilliam, manning the right side after all
offseason preparing to play left tackle, seemed especially
unsettled. In related news, J’Marcus Webb returned to
practice over the weekend, and could still contend for the right
tackle spot. The interior lineup appears to be set with Mark
Glowinski at left guard, Justin Britt at center and Germain
Ifedi at right guard. If nothing changes, this could leave high
priced veteran Jahri Evans on the roster bubble.
Seahawks Depth Chart
QB: Russell Wilson, Trevone Boykin, Jake Heap
RB: Thomas Rawls, Christine Michael, C.J. Prosise
(3RB), Alex Collins, Zac Brooks, Troymaine Pope
FB: Will Tukuafu, Tani Tupou
WR: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett (KR/PR), Jermaine
Kearse, Paul Richardson, Kevin Smith, Kenny Lawler, Kasen
Williams, Antwan Goodley, Douglas McNeil, Jeff
Fuller, Deshon Foxx, Tanner McEvoy, Uzoma Nwachukwu
TE: Jimmy Graham, Luke Willson, Nick Vannett
(inj), Brandon Williams, Clayton Echard, Joe Summers
LT: Garry Gilliam, Bradley Sowell
LG: Jahri Evans, Mark Glowinski
C: Justin Britt, Patrick Lewis, Joey Hunt
RG: Germain Ifedi, Kristjan Sokoli
RT: JMarcus Webb, Rees Odhiambo
K: Steven Hauschka
DT: Ahtyba Rubin, Jarran Reed, Jordan Hill, Sealver
Siliga, Tony McDaniel, Demarcus Dobbs, Quinton
Jefferson, Justin Hamilton
DE: Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Frank Clark (S), Cassius
Marsh, Tavaris Barnes, Will Pericak
MLB: Bobby Wagner, Eric Pinkins (S/M), Steve Longa
OLB: K.J. Wright (W), Mike Morgan (S), Kevin Pierre-Louis
(S), Brock Coyle (W), Josh Shirley, Montese Overton, Khairi
Fortt, Kache Palacio
CB: Richard Sherman, Marcus Burley, Brandon
Browner, Jeremy Lane, DeShawn Shead, Tharold
Simon, Mohammed Seisay, Tye Smith, DeAndre Elliott
S: Kam Chancellor (SS), Earl Thomas (FS), Kelcie McCray
(FS), Steven Terrell (FS), Robert Smith (SS), Tyvis Powell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QB: Tampa Bay Time's Rick Stroud was not impressed with
the first team offense on Saturday night. “There is slow, like
the line at the DMV. There is slower, like beach erosion. Then
there is slowest, like the way the Buccaneers start football
games... Saturday night against the Jaguars, quarterback
Jameis Winston missed his first six passes and had an
interception.” Head coach Dirk Koetter was calmer: “I
wouldn't make any judgments based on two preseason games.
Would we like to start better? Absolutely. It's going to beat the
start we had last week, but let's not confuse that with tonight.”
All told, Winston managed a meager 3-for-10 for 28 yards,
one TD and one interception. On Friday, coach Koetter
commented on Winston's development: “Jameis every day he
asserts himself more and more as a leader. I mean, he still has
things he needs to work on as a quarterback. I love what he's
doing leadership-wise.” Mike Glennon played well on
Saturday; he completed 11-for-19 passes for 120 yards and a
TD, while Ryan Griffin completed 5-of-10 passes for 78 yards
with an interception.
RB: Doug Martin missed the second preseason game, even
though he practiced all week despite a minor rib injury. Mike
James had a touchdown catch (two targets for 2/11/1) and
rushed 17 yards during the first half. Rookie Peyton Barber led
Tampa with 40 yards on 11 carries on a night when the
Buccaneers had 44 carries for 158 yards and a touchdown as a
team. Storm Johnson (7/27/1 rushing) punched in the rushing
TD, while Charles Sims posted 5/20/0 as the starter.
WR: Mike Evans (five targets for 2/18/1 receiving Saturday)
conceded after the game that the Buccaneers need to start
faster. “That helps any offense if you start fast and put points
on the board. That gives us confidence. We've got to work on
that these next two preseason games.” Vincent Jackson failed
to catch his lone target but was happy his team came away
with the victory: “It just feels good to win, man. Way to
compete every day. Let's just keep stacking, man, working for
precision and perfection.” Kenny Bell (two targets for zero
receptions), Russell Shepard (one target for zero receptions),
and Donteea Dye (three targets for 1/20/0) did little to stand
out from the field of receivers vying for the #4 wide receiver
position behind Evans, Jackson and Adam Humphries.
TE: Cameron Brate (three targets for zero receptions in the
game) took a hit to the back of his head in the end zone on
Saturday, drawing a personal foul penalty. Brate is being
assessed for a possible concussion. Austin Seferian-Jenkins
also caught all three targets for 36 yards. ESPN's Jenna
Laine reported that Brate has the trust of and rapport with
Winston. “...he has been the most consistent of the Bucs' tight
ends in training camp, catching virtually everything that's been
thrown his way, including in the red zone. He might not be
catching passes with two linebackers draped on his body and
still moving, but it's pretty clear that he's one of Jameis
Winston's favorite targets.” Also notable – prior to the
preseason game, the Buccaneers indicated that they would
start with a two-tight-end formation – and they listed Brate
and Luke Stocker as the starters, leaving Seferian-Jenkins out
in the cold.
Defense: Rookie cornerback Vernon Hargreaves played well
with the second team on Saturday. He intercepted Chad Henne
twice during the game. DT Gerald McCoy (ankle injury last
Thursday) and LB Daryl Smith (undisclosed minor injury)
missed the game. The starting unit allowed two TD passes to
Blake Bortles and company, leaving Tampa in a 14-7 hole
when the second teamers took over.
K: The Buccaneers are married to Roberto Aguayo after
trading up into the second round of the draft for him, but they
probably wish they could have an annulment. Aguayo missed
two field goals this week after missing an extra point last
week. He also made two field goals, but the rookie’s
confidence appears to be shaken.
Returners: Thanks to injuries at the position, Donteea Dye
handled kickoff returns in Week 2 of the preseason, though he
didn’t have much of a chance to make an impact. Meanwhile,
second-year receiver Adam Humphries maintains a strong grip
on the punt return job.
OL: The offensive line is still without high priced free agent
guard J.R. Sweezy, who is on the PUP list and is expected to
miss several weeks of the regular season. Kevin Pamphile
continues to fill in. While Pamphile is considered a short-term
solution, he did have an excellent performance during Week
Five last season. Don’t rule out Pamphile keeping the job
permanently. The line is also without rookie Caleb Benenoch,
who has not practiced since the first week of camp due to a
foot/ankle injury. As a result the team added undrafted rookie
Kyler Kerbyson, who has bounced around three teams this
summer before getting this most recent chance.
Buccaneers Depth Chart
QB: Jameis Winston, Mike Glennon, Ryan Griffin, Dan
LeFevour
RB: Doug Martin, Charles Sims (3RB), Mike James, Peyton
Barber, Storm Johnson, Russell Hansbrough
FB: Dan Vitale
WR: Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, Adam Humphries
(PR), Kenny Bell (KR), Louis Murphy, Russell
Shepard, Donteea Dye, Evan Spencer, Jonathan
Krause, Freddie Martino, Bernard Reedy, Andre Davis
TE: Cameron Brate, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Luke
Stocker, Brandon Myers, Alan Cross, Tevin
Westbrook, Kivon Cartwright
LT: Donovan Smith
LG: Kevin Pamphile, J.R. Sweezy (PUP)
C: Joe Hawley, Evan Smith
RG: Ali Marpet, Garrett Gilkey , Caleb Benenoch
RT: Gosder Cherilus, Demar Dotson
K: Roberto Aguayo
DT: Gerald McCoy, Clinton McDonald, Akeem Spence, A.J.
Francis, Ishmaa′ily Kitchen
DE: Robert Ayers, William Gholston, Jacquies Smith, Noah
Spence, Howard Jones, George Johnson (IR)
MLB: Kwon Alexander, Jeremiah George, Cassanova
McKinzy
OLB: Lavonte David (W), Daryl Smith (S), Adarius
Glanton, Devante Bond, Josh Keyes, Micah Awe, Luke
Rhodes
CB: Brent Grimes, Vernon Hargreaves III, Alterraun
Verner, Jude Adjei-Barimah, Johnthan Banks, Josh Robinson
S: Bradley McDougald (SS), Christopher Conte (FS), Keith
Tandy (SS), Ryan Smith, Major Wright, John
Lowdermilk, Elijah Shumate (IR)
Tennessee Titans
QB: Marcus Mariota started strong against the Carolina
Panthers. He drove the team down the field including two
completions (for 30 yards) to rookie sensation Tajae Sharpe.
Unfortunately, he was then picked off by Bene Benwikere
when he rushed his decision in the pocket, forcing the ball to
Harry Douglas, who was never open. The young quarterback
rebounded in the second quarter, leading an impressive
touchdown drive by repeatedly connecting with Sharpe before
hitting Douglas in the endzone after play action. Matt Cassel
played poorly versus the Panthers (38 yards and an
interception) but is locked in as the #2 quarterback. Alex
Tanney had a strong night (12-of-17 passing for 103 yards and
a touchdown) but it’s probably not enough to make the 53man roster.
RB: DeMarco Murray started against the Panthers and had a
good-but-not-great night (five rushes for 20 yards). Murray
struggled at times which is understandable given the Panthers
defensive prowess. His most notable play came in pass
protection when he was primarily at fault for a sack that ended
the Titans' second drive of the game. Derrick Henry had
another productive outing as the Titans left their first-team
offensive line in to clear paths for him. Henry led the team
with 31 yards on five carries. David Cobb played ahead of
both Bishop Sankey and Antonio Andrews, and made the most
of the opportunity. As a runner, Cobb looked good. He is
physically gifted and can be decisive working behind the line
of scrimmage. He even caught a pass to show off some of his
versatility. However, Cobb’s fumble offsets much of his
positive momentum. He hasn't played enough in the NFL or
performed well enough through training camp to solidify his
roster spot on the back of this performance. Bishop Sankey
received praise for his play in the first preseason game and
was rewarded with at least one snap in the first-team offense
during the following week. Antonio Andrews didn't have a
carry against the Panthers but he did play on special teams.
Andrews' value on special teams could be the key to earning a
roster spot ahead of Cobb or Sankey.
WR: Dorial Green-Beckham was traded to the Philadelphia
Eagles, turning his irrelevance into a permanent absence.
Tajae Sharpe's concussion concerns were short-lived after the
San Diego Chargers game. He returned to practice almost
immediately and started against the Panthers. Sharpe caught
Mariota's first pass and was then used on an end-around. The
end-around was stopped for a loss but it was a sign of just how
big of a piece of the offense Sharpe is set to become. Harry
Douglas found space in the endzone after play action drew the
attention of the safety to his side of the field and capitalized
with a touchdown. Douglas was in the lineup because Kendall
Wright remained out with his hamstring injury. Wright is
expected to return for the third preseason game. Rishard
Matthews is assured of a starting spot but he has yet to flash
over the first two games; he had just one reception for six
yards against the Panthers. Justin Hunter’s chances of making
the final roster improved with the Green-Beckham trade, but
it’s by no means a done deal.
TE: Mike Mularkey's offense is going to be adventurous in its
design. In the first week of the preseason he used a statue of
liberty design to one of his running backs. In the second week
he used Delanie Walker on the same play. Walker gained
positive yardage. Anthony Fasano remains the principal
backup but is primarily a blocker. Third stringer Craig Stevens
he won an OSPY, which is Mularkey's award for offseason
work, so his roster spot should be assured. Philip Supernaw's
positive performances may not be enough to make the 53-man
roster.
Defense: Antwon Blake quickly became a victim against the
Panthers. Cam Newton made a point of targeting Blake,
throwing to Kelvin Benjamin twice for first downs on the
opening drive before hitting Ted Ginn for a 61-yard
touchdown. On that touchdown Blake proved why he
shouldn't be in the starting lineup, he missed what should have
been an easy tackle when Ginn had his back to him. Blake was
only in the starting lineup because Perrish Cox and Jason
McCourty were injured. Cox isn't expected to be back until the
fourth preseason game but McCourty, along with Kevin Dodd,
is expected to be back next week. Dick LeBeau’s defense gave
up a huge gain to Fozzy Whitaker on a blown coverage, the
second blown coverage in as many weeks. The Titans can't
afford mental errors. Safety Kevin Byard's strong play in the
preseason opener and practice wasn’t enough to push him into
the starting lineup. Byard didn't feature in nickel packages
either; he played exclusively with the second team defense.
Returners: Tre McBride and Dexter McCluster are the
favorites to handle returns in 2016, but one interesting
development is the Titans recent deployment of rookie Derrick
Henry on the kickoff return unit, in front of the usual returners
and ready to field any kicks the opposing kicker tries to drop
short of the end zone.
OL: The Titans averaged four yards per carry against a
tough Carolina Panthers’ defense; the line continues to open
huge holes for the team’s tailbacks. With rookie right tackle
Jack Conklin playing well, this could be a very productive
running attack in 2016. The Titans acquired Dennis Kelly
from Philadelphia by trading wide receiver Dorial GreenBeckham. Kelly is being given reps with the first team as a
tackle. Expectations should be tempered since the Eagles
viewed Kelly expendable even though their starting right
tackle is facing a 10-game suspension.
Titans Depth Chart
QB: Marcus Mariota, Matt Cassel, Alex Tanney
RB: DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry, Dexter McCluster
(3RB/KR/PR), Antonio Andrews, David Cobb, Bishop
Sankey, David Fluellen
FB: Jalston Fowler, Sam Bergen
WR: Rishard Matthews, Tajae Sharpe, Kendall Wright
(inj), Andre Johnson, Harry Douglas, Justin Hunter, Tre
McBride, Damaris Johnson, Andrew Turzilli (susp), Nick
Harwell, Ben Roberts
TE: Delanie Walker, Anthony Fasano, Phillip
Supernaw, Jerome Cunningham
LT: Taylor Lewan
LG: Quinton Spain, Jeremiah Poutasi, Brian Schwenke, Josue
Matias (IR), Bryon Bell (IR)
C: Ben Jones, Andy Gallik
RG: Chance Warmack, Sebastian Tretola
RT: Jack Conklin, Dennis Kelly
K: Ryan Succop
NT: Al Woods, Austin Johnson, Angelo Blackson, Antwuan
Woods
DE: Jurell Casey (DT), DaQuan Jones, Ropati Pitoitua, Karl
Klug, Mehdi Abdesmad, Mike Smith
ILB: Avery Williamson, Wesley Woodyard, Sean
Spence, Nate Palmer, Curtis Grant, Justin Staples, J.R. Tavai
OLB: Brian Orakpo, Derrick Morgan, Kevin Dodd
(DE), Aaron Wallace, David Bass, Deiontrez Mount, Yannik
Cudjoe-Virgil
CB: Jason McCourty, Perrish Cox, Brice McCain, Antwon
Blake, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Leshaun Sims, Kalan Reed, Cody
Riggs, Bennett Okotcha
S: Da′Norris Searcy (SS), Rashad Johnson (FS), Daimion
Stafford (FS), Kevin Byard, Marqueston Huff (FS), Josh
Aubrey, Lamarcus Brutus
Washington Redskins
QB: Kirk Cousins sat versus the Jets and Colt McCoy got the
start in his place. Cousins was one of nine starters that Jay
Gruden opted to rest so he could see how younger players
performed in bigger roles. "It was my decision this morning,”
Gruden said. “We have a lot of good players in this locker
room and I wanted to make sure our backups were ready to
play at all times. We had a lot of our backups step up into
starting roles last year and I thought it was important for Colt
[McCoy] to get some quality work and quality defense, along
with some of the other guys that played, in first-team roles.”
McCoy proved yet again that he is one of the more capable
backups in the NFC; he completed 13-of-16 passes for 159
yards (9.9 per attempt) and 2 touchdowns with one
interception. Nate Sudfeld did his best to convince the coaches
to only keep two quarterbacks on the active roster with his 10for-20 for 77 yards (3.8 per attempt) second half.
RB: Matt Jones has a lot to prove, and was off to a good start
versus the Jets with 31 yards on seven carries (4.4 per carry).
Unfortunately, Jones’ night was cut short by an apparent
shoulder injury. Rookie Keith Marshall led the team with 10
carries but only mustered 26 yards. Chris Thompson – often
labeled a pure receiving back – had the most success with 18
yards on four carries (4.5 per attempt). Simply put, the
Washington ground game remains a risk factor as the team
managed just 101 yards on 31 carries (3.3 per attempt). On
Monday, Jones was diagnosed with a Grade 2 should sprain
and will be sidelined for the remainder of the preseason. Jones
doesn’t sound concerned about his readiness for Week One:
"I'm feeling great right now," Jones said. "On a scale of 1 to
10, it's probably like a two right now. It healed up fast, I got
great treatment in so it wasn't bad for what I did. We're
looking great right now and hoping for a speedy recovery."
WR: Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson were given the night
off versus the Jets, but continue to shine in practice and look
set to bounce back from forgettable 2015 seasons. Rashad
Ross – as he seemingly does every preseason game – led the
team with four receptions for 58 yards. Ryan Grant also had
four receptions for 43 yards. Jamison Crowder – the team’s
starting slot receiver – looked good in his return with three
catches for 38 yards in limited snaps. Vaunted rookie Josh
Doctson remains sidelined and there is (unfounded) chatter
from beat writers that he could start the season on the PUP list.
Coach Gruden is preaching patience: “I don’t have any
expectations for him whatsoever,” Gruden said. “I’m just
trying to listen to what the trainers are telling me and how he’s
feeling. I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see. He’s
going to progress slowly, and we’ll take our time with him.
When he feels right and the time is right, we’ll push him hard
and let him practice.”
TE: Jordan Reed was given the night off versus the Jets, and
his backups did very little to distinguish themselves. Logan
Paulsen and Niles Paul each had one reception (for a
combined four yards). Vernon Davis didn’t figure into the box
score, but he was a key blocker for Matt Jones’ early running
success. Reed wants to play in next week’s dress rehearsal
after missing the first two games. “Practice is never going to
be the same as the game,” Reed said. “I definitely need to get
out there on that field and go against somebody else other than
our own team, work on dodging tackles and getting out of the
way.”
Defense: Gruden’s plan to sit key starters extended to the
defense, with Ryan Kerrigan, Will Compton, Bashaud
Breeland and Josh Norman sitting. "I wanted to see [Martell]
Spaight play with the ones and against a good offense in the
New York Jets,” Gruden said. “I wanted to see [Kendall]
Fuller. I wanted to see [Quinton] Dunbar play against Brandon
Marshall and some of these guys from the Jets. These guys
really showed up in practice. I wanted to see how they did
against a heck of a unit like the New York Jets. They showed
up and played extremely well." Washington pressured the Jets
with three sacks and 8 quarterback hits, and Will Blackmon
intercepted Geno Smith. Spaight continues to stand out (we’ve
mentioned him every week in these columns) with four
tackles; it’s going to be very hard to keep him out of the
starting lineup at this pace.
Returners: While Jamison Crowder and Rashad Ross remain
the heavy favorites to handle punt return and kickoff return
duties, respectively, Crowder’s roster spot is secure and Ross
still finds himself on the roster bubble. Ross has two more
weeks to make an impression.
OL: The left guard competition is heating up, as Shawn
Lauvao started over Spencer Long versus the Jets. Lauvao
was an underdog to get his job back, but he has looked like his
old self of late. Kory Lichtensteiger has struggled as a run
blocker, and the team might be forced to consider Long at
center if they want to get their best five offensive linemen on
the field. The team was without Trent Williams, who was
given the night off with knee soreness. Williams was rested
along with quarterback Kirk Cousins and seven other starters.
Swing tackle Ty Nsekhe got the start, and while it’s always
good to give the swing tackle valuable reps, there is a
significant drop-off from the perennial Pro Bowler Williams.
Redskins Depth Chart
QB: Kirk Cousins, Colt McCoy, Nate Sudfeld
RB: Matt Jones (inj), Chris Thompson (3RB), Rob
Kelley, Keith Marshall, Silas Redd, Mack Brown
FB: Joe Kerridge
WR: DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Jamison Crowder
(PR), Josh Doctson (inj), Ryan Grant, Rashad Ross (KR)
TE: Jordan Reed, Niles Paul, Vernon Davis, Logan
Paulsen, Derek Carrier (inj), Marcel Jensen
LT: Trent Williams, Ty Nsekhe
LG: Spencer Long, Shawn Lauvao, Arie Kouandijo
C: Kory Lichtensteiger, Austin Reiter, Josh LeRibeus
RG: Brandon Scherff, Takoby Cofield
RT: Morgan Moses
K: Dustin Hopkins
NT: Jerrell Powe, Kedric Golston, Matt Ioannidis, Chris
Bilukidi, Anthony Johnson
DE: Chris Baker, Ricky Jean-Francois, Ziggy Hood, Corey
Crawford, Stephen Paea, Kendall Reyes
ILB: Will Compton, Mason Foster, Su′a Cravens (SS), Perry
Riley, Carlos Fields Jr., Steven Daniels, Martrell
Spaight, Derrick Mathews
OLB: Ryan Kerrigan, Preston Smith, Terence
Garvin, Houston Bates, Trent Murphy, Junior Galette (inj)
CB: Josh Norman, Bashaud Breeland, Kendall
Fuller, Deshaun Phillips, Quinton Dunbar, Will
Blackmon, Greg Toler, Deshazor Everett, Lloyd
Carrington, Jeremy Harris, Cary Williams, Al Louis-Jean
S: DeAngelo Hall (FS), David Bruton (SS), Duke Ihenacho
(SS), Tevin Carter (SS/LB)

Training Camp Update

Transcription

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