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Training Camp Update
Volume 10, Issue 3 – 8/26/15

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 Andrew Luck and Le’Veon Bell are great. You know that.

Read our weekly updates to get the inside scoop on how the Giants running backs are practicing and which player is the best bet for your draft. Or the Packers WR corps. Or which Carolina receivers are 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 2015 season,

Joe Bryant and David Dodds
Owners, Footballguys.com

Arizona Cardinals

QB: Carson Palmer looks great, as though he was never injured last season. The quarterback's statistics (3-for-7 for 88 yards and a touchdown) versus the Chargers may not have jumped off the page, but his performance wasn't fairly reflected in them. Palmer was sharp and is firmly on track to start in Week 1. He had an impressive long touchdown throw to John Brown as well as a huge play to J.J. Nelson down the left sideline. Maybe most importantly, Palmer absorbed two big hits on sacks without suffering any ill-effects. After an excellent display during the first preseason game, Logan Thomas fell back to Earth with a thud; he was 0-for-4. Phillip Sims played well (8-for-13 for 82 yards) and earned praise from Bruce Arians.

RB: The Cardinals signed veteran Chris Johnson to an incentive-laden contract this week. He didn't play against the Chargers because of a pulled hamstring. Rookie David Johnson has responded well to the new threat by returning to full practice this week. In the game, he faced the Chargers first team defense for an extended time and thrived. With impressive cuts and power at the point of contact, Johnson was able to consistently gain positive yardage. He gained 66 yards on 13 carries. Kerwynn Williams struggled with the backups (5 rushes for 9 yards) and Stepfan Taylor didn't register a carry against the Chargers. Beat reporter Mike Jurecki believes that Taylor will make the roster alongside the two Johnsons and Andre Ellington. Marion Grice also made his preseason debut but netted zero yards on six carries.

WR: J.J. Nelson appears to have firmly taken over the third receiver role in the absence of Michael Floyd. He caught a huge pass down the left sideline from Carson Palmer on the team's second drive against the Chargers. Nelson is a rookie though, so growing pains are to be expected. Immediately after catching the long touchdown he was on the wrong page with his quarterback for a sight adjustment. Nelson ran a slant when Palmer was expecting him to stay where he had lined up. John Brown was the other standout receiver. He caught three passes for 39 yards, threatening different levels of the defense on each play. Brown caught a short crossing route before carrying the ball upfield for a first down and ran a deep post to come free behind the safeties for a touchdown. Even though Jaron Brown has toppled down the depth chart, he still made a highlight-caliber reception against three defenders. Jaron should hold onto his roster spot ahead of Brittan Golden.

TE: Tight ends continue to be neglected in Arizona. With so much talent at the wide receiver position, Coach Arians appears to be pushing his philosophy of using tight ends primarily as blockers to an even greater extreme. That may change when Jermaine Gresham inevitably makes his debut, but the Cardinals will be waiting at least another week to get their free agent addition in a uniform. Troy Niklas did play against the Chargers but his most notable moment was being cursed at for giving up a sack.

Defense: If the Cardinals were concerned about losing their aggressive streak when Todd Bowles departed, their play against the Chargers should have alleviated those concerns. Defensive coordinator James Bettcher was calling blitzes over and over against the Chargers when game was close at the end. Kevin Minter has been an every-down inside linebacker throughout the preseason. Minter lost 20 pounds in the offseason to become more flexible in coverage. Key defensive lineman Calais Campbell was dinged up this week, but it proved to be only a minor ailment. With each passing week, it appears more and more likely that Markus Golden will have a prominent role this season. He may not be technically sound, but Golden's motor is making waves.

OL: Recent free agent addition left guard Mike Iupati is scheduled for knee surgery (torn meniscus) and is expected to miss three to eight weeks. The drop-off in talent from Iupati to Ted Larsen is massive. At right tackle, Bobby Massie's 3-game suspension doesn't help the unit’s ranking, and rookie D.J. Humphries has been disparaged by the coaching staff for his lack of effort. This leaves Bradley Sowell to start at right tackle. The Cardinals’ line did well run blocking versus the Chargers but were victimized in pass protection. The Cardinals have been hit hard by injuries and fall to 28th in the latest offensive line rankings.

Cardinals Depth Chart
QB:Carson Palmer,Drew Stanton,Logan Thomas
RB:Andre Ellington,David Johnson,Chris Johnson (inj),Kerwynn Williams (KR),Stepfan Taylor,Marion Grice
FB:Robert Hughes
WR:Larry Fitzgerald,Michael Floyd (inj),John Brown (KR),Jaron Brown,J.J. Nelson (PR),Brittan Golden,Ryan Spadola,Travis Harvey,Jaxon Shipley,Nathan Slaughter
TE:Darren Fells,Troy Niklas,Jermaine Gresham,Ifeanyi Momah,Gerald Christian,Ted Bolser
LT:Jared Veldheer,Tavon Rooks
LG:Ted Larsen,Mike Iupati (inj),Anthony Steen
C:Lyle Sendlein,AQ Shipley
RG:Jonathan Cooper,Earl Watford,Antoine McClain
RT:Bradley Sowell,Bobby Massie (susp),DJ Humphries,Cameron Bradfield
K:Chandler Catanzaro
NT:Alameda Ta′amu,Corey Peters (IR)
DE:Calais Campbell,Frostee Rucker,Matt Shaughnessy (NT),Cory Redding,Rodney Gunter,Ed Stinson
ILB:Kevin Minter,Sean Weatherspoon (inj),Glenn Carson,Kenny Demens,Gabe Martin,Andrae Kirk,Daryl Washington (susp)
OLB:Alex Okafor,LaMarr Woodley,Lorenzo Alexander,Markus Golden,Kareem Martin,Shaq Riddick,Zach Wagenmann(IR)
CB:Patrick Peterson (PR),Jerraud Powers,Justin Bethel,Shaquille Richardson,Damond Smith,Jimmy Legree
S:Tyrann Mathieu (FS),Deone Bucannon (SS),Tony Jefferson (SS),Rashad Johnson (FS),Chris Clemons(FS),D.J. Campbell(SS)

Atlanta Falcons

QB: Matt Ryan (4/5 for 75 yards passing, one TD and zero interceptions) led the Falcons to two TDs to open the game on Friday night versus the Jets. "He's really feeling it, in terms of his familiarity of the offense, where he has the ownership of it," Head coach Dan Quinn said after the contest. Matt Ryan added, "The first drive was jump-started by the explosive play by [FB] Collin Mooney (one target for 1/60/0 receiving). … When you get going and you want to start fast, those plays help a lot. Then we did a great job of finding a way to punch it in in the red zone." The first-team offense has outscored the opposition 31-0 over the first two exhibition games. T.J. Yates had a tough outing versus New York with 8/15 for 78 yards and one interception. Sean Renfree posted 10/14 for 94 yards and zero TDs or interceptions thrown.

RB: Dan Quinn said Devonta Freeman (hamstring injury) and Tevin Coleman (hamstring) are "getting close" to returning. Both players were held out of the second preseason game (during which the running back stable posted 19/31/2 as a unit), and it is anyone's guess as to whether Coleman or Freeman emerge as the starter. The Falcons could use a committee approach to open the season; but history favors Kyle Shanahan preferring one workhorse runer. Reserve Terron Ward (6/5/1 rushing with three targets for 2/12/0 receiving) scored a touchdown versus the Jets while Freeman, Coleman and Antone Smith sat out with hamstring problems. Evan Royster suffered a ding to his midsection, but the injury isn't believed to be serious. Michael Ford (6/0/1 rushing) scored for the second straight week. Jerome Smith (6/25/0 rushing) didn't overwhelm observers versus New York. He may have trouble sticking on the roster come September. Coach Quinn commented: “For the running backs, can they hit it one gap at a time and make their cuts. That's really the thing we've been preaching... Whether if you’ve been in here for a day or if you’ve been in here the whole offseason, execute the system.”

WR: Roddy White is scheduled for minor surgery on his right elbow next week for the removal of loose bodies in the right joint that caused swelling. The team expects him to be ready for Week 1, but his absence opens the door for Leonard Hankerson. The depth chart behind Julio Jones is not set heading into the third preseason game. Hankerson saw three targets for three receptions during the second preseason game, and scored a touchdowns.

TE: According to local reports, Jacob Tamme (one target for zero receptions at the Jets this past weekend) hasn't done anything notable to re-inforce his claim to the top job spot. Levine Toilolo (two targets for 1/6/0 vs. New York) and Tony Moeaki (two for 1/4/0) were both minimally effective versus New York. The tight end position looks like a fantasy desert after two preseason games. Toilolo is communicating regularly with former teammate Tony Gonzalez, according to local reports. He has a tenuous grip on the starting job even with advice from a future Hall of Famer.

Defense: Rookie defensive end Vic Beasley did a good job against D'Brickashaw Ferguson in New York, ending up with one pass defensed and one quarterback hit. Dezmen Southward isn't doing well so far while transitioning to cornerback. Coach Quinn commented on the defense: "Defensively, I want to keep emphasizing our tackling. Keep emphasizing our mindfulness to go after the football. Those are probably the two things that stand out most for me defensively." Defensive tackle Ra'Shede Hageman suffered a concussion in practice on Tuesday, and will have to undergo the NFL concussion protocols before resuming football activities. Safety William Moore suffered a calf strain on Tuesday and didn't practice on Wednesday last week.

OL: The first team did a steady job early keeping their quarterback clean versus the Jets on Friday night. Jake Matthews had an especially good night at left tackle, creating the hole for the Falcons’ first rushing touchdown of the night. However, guard James Stone and the second team had their hands full with Jets defensive tackle Leonard Williams. Stone is in the conversation to start. Overall, the tackles played better than the guards. The Falcons are a low tier unit right now as they are still looking for the correct lineup of interior blockers.

Falcons Depth Chart
QB:Matt Ryan,T.J. Yates,Sean Renfree
RB:Devonta Freeman (3RB) (inj),Tevin Coleman (inj),Antone Smith (inj),Terron Ward,Jerome Smith,Michael Ford,Evan Royster
FB:Patrick DiMarco,Colin Mooney
WR:Julio Jones,Roddy White (inj),Leonard Hankerson,Justin Hardy,Devin Hester (PR),Eric Weems (KR),Bernard Reedy, Carlton Mitchell,Nick Williams
TE:Jacob Tamme,Levine Toilolo,Tony Moeaki,Mickey Schuler
LT:Jake Matthews,Lamar Holmes,Sam Baker
LG:Chris Chester,Mike Person,Harland Gunn
C:Joe Hawley,Peter Konz,Valerian Ume-Ezeoke
RG:James Stone,Jon Asamoah,Jared Smith
RT:Ryan Schraeder,Tyler Polumbus,Jake Rogers,
K:Matt Bryant
DT:Paul Soliai,Ra′Shede Hageman,Jonathan Babineaux,Grady Jarrett,Ricky Havili-Heimuli,Cliff Matthews
DE:Tyson Jackson,Vic Beasley,Kroy Biermann,Adrian Clayborn, Malliciah Goodman,Stansly Maponga
MLB:Paul Worrilow,Allen Bradford,Nathan Stupar,Terrell Manning
OLB:Justin Durant (W),Brooks Reed (S),O′Brien Schofield (S), Joplo Bartu (S),Tyler Starr (S),Jacques Smith(S)
CB:Desmond Trufant,Robert Alford,Phillip Adams,Jalen Collins, Dezmen Southward,Jordan Mabin,Kevin White,Travis Howard
S:William Moore (SS),Ricardo Allen (FS),Kemal Ishmael (SS), Charles Godfrey (FS),Akeem King,Brandon Bishop(FS),Sean Baker(FS),Damien Parms

Baltimore Ravens

QB: Joe Flacco was not at his sharpest in Saturday’s preseason game against Philadelphia. He threw two interceptions on just seven pass attempts. The first was a deep ball to Kamar Aiken. Two defenders paired to make a fantastic interception. While the ball was slightly underthrown, it’s unfair to blame Flacco entirely. The second interception, however, was terrible. He badly overthrew a wide open Marlon Brown (who is 6’5”), and the ball went straight into the defender’s arms. Flacco said he overthrew Brown by five feet. Matt Schaub played uninspiringly against Philadelphia, leading the team to no points. Third-stringer Bryn Renner surprised by throwing for 158 yards and two touchdowns on 21 attempts. Renner has nice tools but lacks experience. He’s not likely to get that experience in Baltimore this season, but he made a case for them to keep three quarterbacks.

RB: Justin Forsett received the “star treatment” in this game, getting five carries and coming out of the game in the middle of the third offensive drive. Forsett was removed before Joe Flacco and the rest of the starters. Perhaps this was to give Lorenzo Taliaferro and Javorius Allen a chance to work with the first-team unit in their competition for the second-string running back job. But more likely, it was because Forsett is a 29 year-old player who is smaller than the typical every-down back. If that’s the case, his removal shows just how big of a part of the team’s plans he is. Forsett ran quite effectively in his short stint, gaining 29 yards on his five carries and catching one pass for four yards. In the battle for the backup job, neither Taliaferro nor Allen has distanced themselves from the other. Allen had the longest gain, a 20-yard catch, but it came with just 0:02 left in the first half and was basically a give-away play. Taliaferro is going to miss a few weeks with an MCL sprain; which opens the door for Allen to stake his claim on the #2 job unabated by competition.

WR: Much like Justin Forsett at the running back position, Steve Smith Sr. had a short night so the team could preserve him for the regular season. He caught just one pass for six yards and in typical fashion, trash-talked everyone in sight, including Philadelphia rookie Nelson Agholor after the first-rounder juggled and dropped a pass on Baltimore’s sideline. Baltimore will need Smith’s presence, as their own first-round pick, Breshad Perriman, still isn’t practicing. Reports this week said that his injury is actually a sprained PCL. Perriman still doesn’t have a timetable for a return.