All the training camp storylines we *actually* care about
Whose takes will burn hottest? Should we care about the Niners' RBs or the Lions' WRs? (yes)
This week, a couple of teams reported for training camp. By the end of next week, all 32 teams will have started up. Your reaction to that could be “yesss, football is almost here” or “my god, already?” or maybe a little of column A, a little of column B.
As we enter the pre-preseason portion of the NFL schedule, several storylines are unfolding, some of which are familiar. You’ll read about how certain players are in the best shape of their lives, how this is the year that guy who hasn’t put it together will finally break out, and how Tom Brady isn’t ready to retire anytime soon — the same type of reports we hear, like clockwork, every year at this time.
Others are unique to 2021 … at least we hope so. The NFL, whose desire to make money above all else actually came in handy for once, issued a new Covid policy that’s as close to a vaccine mandate as possible:
A few players were upset, but that’s their problem (and/or their team’s). Meanwhile, no one knows for sure whether Aaron Rodgers will show up to Packers training camp (but he probably will), or what Deshaun Watson’s status is going forward (except that he won’t be starting for the Texans this year).
Both good and bad, a lot will happen in the NFL during training camp. So we decided to have a little discussion about what we’re looking forward to, as well as offer a couple predictions about what these next couple weeks could bring.
Pick a training camp storyline you’re following closely … even if you just decided, in this moment, to commit to caring about it.
Sarah Hardy: Besides the fights, the best training camp tradition of them all? Well, I’m curious to see the aftermath of the Juilo Jones trade for both teams.
For the Titans: How will Jones look at training camp? Will he be healthy? How will first-time OC Todd Downing use him alongside A.J. Brown?
For the Falcons: How much will they feel Jones’ absence? Will Kyle Pitts live up to the hype and hardly make them miss Jones? Or should we save this screenshot from the most recent episode of Dave to troll Falcons fans with all year?
Christian D’Andrea: I’m in Wisconsin, so I’ll be inundated with hourly reports on whatever the hell Aaron Rodgers is doing this summer. I’m of the mind he’ll hold out long enough to force Green Bay into starting Jordan Love for some period of time, all the while hoping the second year QB looks entirely too much like he did in his final season at Utah State (he was the Mountain West’s fifth-best quarterback that year, per passer rating). If Love looks bad in the preseason? Hoooooo buddy, things are gonna get *fun* in Wisconsin. And by fun I mean miserable.
Rodgers is the safest bet to create August’s hottest, nuclear-level take. Will he ever return to the Pack? Will Green Bay be bullied into firing its GM to solve this problem (while creating several others) I don’t know! It’s gonna be great!
Ryan Van Bibber: Obviously, which players are “in the best shape of their lives” is the training camp story I always love to follow. (BTW, I already saw a story about Ben Roethlisberger’s great shape.) Just kidding. But I am curious to see how well some of the marquee players who suffered major injuries last year are looking over the next month. I had fun watching Joe Burrow, which is the first time I can say that about a Bengals player since Vontaze Burfict. Dak Prescott too. He was, for whatever dumb reasons, pretty underrated for a top-tier QB, so I hope he bounces back. There’s Christian McCaffrey and OBJ too.
Which quarterback competition interests you most?
SH: Since I believe the Bears when they insist Andy Dalton is starting Week 1 over Justin Fields, I’ll go with the Teddy Bridgewater vs. Drew Lock battle in Denver.
This is Lock’s last real chance to prove he can be the Broncos’ franchise quarterback. He’s shown glimpses of promise but never consistently. Maybe a worthy competitor and a healthier supporting cast can be the motivation he needs to break through.
If not, Bridgewater has already proven he’s a capable NFL starting quarterback. The question with him is if he can be more than capable. He’s never had a huge arm, though perhaps the mile high air in Denver and downfield threats such as Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, and Courtland Sutton will help with that. (Bridgewater’s average intended air yards was 7.3 last season with the Panthers, while Lock’s was 9.1.)
Bridgewater has the experience and steadiness. Lock has the arm and willingness to take risks. I honestly don’t know who wins this battle, but I’m eager to find out, even if it’s still unsettled at the end of training camp.
CD: As the resident Patriots homer (RI til I die, kiiiiid), I’ll be intently watching what happens between Cam Newton and Mac Jones in New England. Will Bill Belichick be able to tamp down his rookie QB-destroying instincts in practice long enough for Jones to develop some NFL self esteem? Was Newton really derailed by COVID last year, or were teams just able to read him more easily? How much improvement in the team’s offense will be thanks to the quarterback and not the fact the receiving corps has been upgraded from a bunch of old Johnny Manziel cardboard cutouts to a bunch of living, breathing wideouts and tight ends?
Honestly, I think Newton still has enough in the tank to take the Patriots back to the postseason, but he needs help. He didn’t have the personnel to make sideline throws regularly nor the tight end help to make short passes over the middle viable. But he also made a handful of backbreaking mistakes all on his lonesome last year and has a lot of miles on that 32-year-old body, so what the hell do I know?
RVB: The post-Brees Saints have an interesting situation. To me, it seems like Jameis Winston is a no-brainer to be the starter, and while he was inconsistent as a starter during his time with the Bucs, he has the makings to thrive in that offense. But if he’s INT-prone, how long before it’s Taysom Hill time. Camp interceptions are rarely worth paying attention to, but if Winston is making better throws and sound decisions with the ball, the Saints offense could have some pop this season.
Then again, maybe not. Ugh.
Which position battle, non-QB edition, are you most excited about?
SH: The 49ers and their extremely crowded running back room. Considering the team’s injury history, I understand why they felt the need to stockpile RBs, but they won’t be able to keep Wayne Gallman, JaMycal Hasty, Elijah Mitchell, Raheem Mostert, Trey Sermon, and Jeff Wilson Jr.
I’ll be watching to see how Kyle Shanahan uses each one and who sets himself apart. And, of course, I’ll be hoping no one gets injured. Well, other than Wilson, who is already injured. This is still the 49ers, after all.
CD: This is more morbid curiosity than notable position battle, but …
Who will be Jared Goff’s top wideout in Detroit?
Tyrell Williams hasn’t had more than 43 catches since 2016. Kalif Raymond has 19 career receptions. Breshad Perriman is Breshad Perriman, so he’ll probably have ~300 receiving yards headed into Week 15 and 700 receiving yards on the season, somehow.
Is Quintez Cephus gonna be the key to someone’s fantasy football championship? Will Amon-Ra St. Brown be the guy who makes Goff look good? This is like dissecting cockroach eggs under a microscope but I am here. for. it.
RVB: I’m interested in what the Buccaneers do at tight end. I don’t know if it’s really a position battle since they’ll probably end up rotating between O.J. Howard, Gronk, and Cameron Brate, if the latter isn’t eventually traded. Howard’s the best player of the three, now that injuries and age have slowed Gronk, but is he going to bounce back and make the case that he deserves all the reps they can give him?
The Steelers signed Melvin Ingram just before the starting of training camp. Who do you predict will be the next notable free agent to land with a team this month?
SH: Ingram was the best remaining pass rusher on the market until he signed with the Steelers. That title now belongs to Justin Houston, who I think will soon finally pick a new team.
Houston has already received interest from a few teams, including the Steelers. Although he’s no longer the same player at 32 that he was at 25, Houston still has something to offer a team in need of a veteran edge defender who knows how to get after the quarterback (he’s recorded at least eight sacks in each of the last four seasons).
If Houston has truly been waiting for the right situation, then my guess is that he ends up with a different AFC North team, and one that can give him a real chance at earning a Super Bowl ring: the Ravens.
CD: The Rams need to sign someone to bulk up their running back depth after losing Cam Akers to a torn Achilles. There isn’t a rich free agent pool to pull from this late in the offseason, but there are some big names who could add depth. Will LA reunite with Todd Gurley less than two years after unceremoniously dumping him due to a combination of depleted play and excessive cost? Will Le’Veon Bell be able to bounce back from the cardinal NFL sin of criticizing Andy Reid and find his third team in the past nine months? Is Adrian Peterson’s next stop the west coast? Can Frank Gore play until the heat death of the universe?
Unless Sean McVay’s real high on Ito Smith or Paul Perkins, it feels like one of those four former headliners could wind up getting a call from the Rams. Hell, LA might cycle through a few of them behind Darrell Henderson.
RVB: Former Jets CB Brian Poole should find a secure gig before training camp wraps up. It was easy to overlook his play given the trash fire burning around him, but he’s a good slot corner who’ll bolster just about any unit. Despite missing half the season last year, he’s allowed just 472 yards on 600 snaps from the slot over the last two seasons, according to PFF. Why he hasn’t been signed yet is probably due to a combination of things, but as injuries pile up and as teams start getting a clearer assessment of their needs heading into the season, someone is going to sign him.
Fred Warner recently received a big-money extension from the 49ers. Who’s next?
SH: I’ll stay in the NFC West and say Jamal Adams. A year ago, the Seahawks gave up significant draft capital (two first-round picks and a third-round pick) to trade for the 2019 All-Pro. His current contract expires after this season. There’s no way Seattle paid that much for just two seasons of Adams, which means they’ll need to get a new deal done relatively soon.
Just like Warner isn’t your typical linebacker, Adams isn’t your typical safety. Seattle also utilizes him as a pass rusher and in only 12 games last season, he led the team with 9.5 sacks. Adams proved his value to the Seahawks in his first season with the team, and at 25 years old, he’s just getting started. But while other defensive players around the league receive new deals, Adams’ price will only keep going up the longer the Seahawks wait to extend him. As such, I don’t think they’ll drag their feet much longer.
CD: Darius Leonard loved the Warner deal:
That’s not just camaraderie and a balanced appreciation for one of the best players of the game; Leonard is psyched because he knows he’s next and the baseline for his extension with the Colts has been set. Leonard has been stellar since joining the league in 2018, earning All-Pro honors each year since. Since he was only a second-round pick, his rookie deal is set to expire after 2021. Indianapolis knows this, and it knows how stupid it would be to allow the foundation that allows the rest of its defense to grow to walk as a free agent next offseason.
Jim Irsay says a deal is forthcoming. Don’t be surprised if it hits nine figures for one of the best young linebackers in the game.
RVB: The Bills would be smart to go ahead and get Josh Allen’s next contract done. I know there’s been some low level reports of talk between player and team, but nothing, so far, substantial. He’s got one more year on his deal after this season, which constitutes a fully guaranteed $23 million+ next year, when the Bills are currently projected to be really tight against the cap (like less than $1 million, per Over the Cap.) The sooner they get that massive piece of the puzzle done, the better positioned they’ll be heading into the spring.
On July 31, NFL Network will air 13 hours of live coverage from training camps across the league. Be honest: Will you watch any of it, even out of curiosity?
SH: Maybe, like, one minute? Honestly, I appreciate that the NFL Network is doing this for all the football junkies who need their fix, but I won’t need to tune in beyond a quick check-in.
Besides, I’ll be feeding my sports addiction in another way that day, thanks to the Olympics. Gimme that tape-delayed discus throw, 800m freestyle, and sure why not, BMX freestyle over faraway video of Sam Darnold overthrowing DJ Moore and an unsubstantial seven-minute interview with an overly excited and sunburnt Jon Gruden.
CD: I have a three-year-old at home. All I watch during the day is Peppa Pig and Bluey. At night, the power hours begin.
RVB: Nah, some poor saps at the major sports aggregation sites will be forced to recap the handful of interesting moments, and I’ll just get caught up that way. The excitement of teams going back to camp never lasts more than a day. Wake me when September rolls around.