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Bears Depth Chart QB: Jay Cutler, Jimmy Clausen, David Fales, Shane Carden RB: Matt Forte, Jacquizz Rodgers, Jeremy Langford, Ka′Deem Carey, Senorise Perry, Daniel Thomas WR: Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal, Marquess Wilson, Kevin White (inj), Marc Mariani (KR/PR), Joshua Bellamy, John Chiles, Rashad Lawrence, Cameron Meredith, Levi Norwood, Ify Omodu TE: Martellus Bennett, Dante Rosario, Zach Miller, Blake Annen, Chris Pantele, Bear Pascoe, Brian Vogler LT: Jermon Bushrod, Charles Leno LG: Matt Slauson, Michael Ola C: Hroniss Grasu, Will Montgomery RG: Kyle Long, Vladimir Ducasse RT: Jordan Mills, Jason Weaver, Tayo Fabuluje K: Robbie Gould NT: Eddie Goldman, Will Sutton DE: Jarvis Jenkins, Jeremiah Ratliff, Ego Ferguson, Cornelius Washington, Brandon Dunn, Jamil Merrell, Olsen Pierre ILB: Mason Foster, Christian Jones, Jonathan Bostic, DeDe Lattimore, Jonathan Brown, John Timu OLB: Pernell McPhee, Jared Allen, Willie Young, Lamarr Houston, Shea McClellin, David Bass, Jonathan Anderson CB: Tim Jennings, Kyle Fuller, Alan Ball, Demontre Hurst, Sherrick McManis, Al Louis-Jean Jr., Terrance Mitchell, Tracy Porter, Bryce Callahan, Jacoby Glenn, Qumain Black S: Antrel Rolle (SS), Brock Vereen (FS), Ryan Mundy (SS), Adrian Amos, Anthony Walters, Anthony Jefferson, Sherrod Martin Cincinnati Bengals QB: The Bengals will be looking for more from Andy Dalton this season with Marvin Jones and Tyler Eifert healthy and the talented offensive line intact. Though offensive coordinator Hue Jackson generally relies heavily on the running game, he told reporters as camp began he was, “Going to open Pandora’s box…going to open it up a little bit more this year and be who I think we can be.” Jackson wouldn’t say more about his plans, but A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert, Mohamed Sanu, Gio Bernard, and Marvin Jones give the Bengals a diverse set of options. A.J. McCarron, who is fully recovered from shoulder surgery and looked comfortable during OTAs, is the likely backup. After some early inconsistency in camp, McCarron was sharp in the team’s weekend mock game. RB: Jeremy Hill’s performance in the second half of last season makes him a heavy favorite to carry the load on early downs. Expect him to take at least two of three series, with Gio Bernard working as a change of pace option and third down back. Hill is likely to see the bulk of the goal-line work, but it’s possible Bernard will be left in to finish drives during his series. The team will look for creative ways to use Bernard as a pass catcher. Behind the two primary backs, Rex Burkhead and Cedric Peerman will make the team as key special teams contributors. Burkhead also saw time as a receiver during OTAs, but it’s unlikely he’ll see any significant snaps as a receiver once the regular season gets underway. WR: A.J. Green would like a contract extension – and he’ll get one soon enough – but he reported to camp on time; he stuck to his word and had no interest in holding out as other wide receivers have done. Marvin Jones is fully recovered from offseason surgery to clean out his troublesome ankle but missed time last week with hamstring soreness. Jones, when healthy, has been a frequent target for Dalton and should remain so. Mohamed Sanu will see snaps in many different formations and should again be used in the running game. Behind the top three receivers, veteran free agents Denarius Moore and Greg Little will fight for a roster spot. Neither has distanced themselves from the field. Brandon Tate and rookie Mario Alford are competing for return duties. Alford has impressed in the early days of camp and showed good chemistry with A.J. McCarron in the team’s mock game. TE: Tyler Eifert is back on the field after elbow and shoulder issues cost him nearly all of 2014. As was the case last summer, Eifert is drawing rave reviews. Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com called Eifert uncoverable and noted that Dalton is throwing to him in every high leverage situation. Hue Jackson plans to use Eifert in a diverse set of packages, including in the red zone, if the young tight end can stay on the field. The Bengals took two tight ends in the May draft. Third round pick Tyler Kroft and fifth round pick C.J. Uzomah are both performing well, with Uzomah singled out by observers as a standout performer in mini-camp. Defense: Vontaze Burfict continues to recover from offseason microfracture surgery. Head coach Marvin Lewis did not sound positive this spring and it looked unlikely Burfict would be ready for opening weekend. However, there appears to be some optimism of late, with the team suggesting Burfict could be cleared to return by the third preseason game. The defense has been ahead of the offense in early 11-on-11 drills, led by a strong pass rush. Geno Atkins has been unstoppable in early practices. Unfortunately, the Bengals lost Michael Johnson to a mid-grade MCL sprain on the first weekend of camp. The injury will likely keep him out until the start of the regular season. The secondary could get a big boost from Dre Kirkpatrick, who finally seemed to turn the corner last year with both consistent health and strong on-field play, and Darqueze Dennard, last year’s first round pick who played well enough this spring to threaten to join the starting lineup. PK: Bengals kicker Mike Nugent was thought to be in some danger of losing his job to offseason signing Tom Obarski if he had a poor summer, but most observers believe Obarski is only there for “list keeping” despite special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons proclamation against “camp legs” in May. Bengals Depth Chart QB: Andy Dalton, A.J. McCarron, Josh Johnson, Keith Wenning RB: Jeremy Hill (SD), Giovani Bernard (3RB), Rex Burkhead, Cedric Peerman, James Wilder Jr., Terrell Watson FB: Ryan Hewitt (HB), Mark Weisman WR: A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Denarius Moore, Brandon Tate (KR), Greg Little, Mario Alford, Tevin Reese, Desmond Lawrence, Onterio McCalebb, Jake Kumerow, James Wright (IR) TE: Tyler Eifert, Tyler Kroft, C.J. Uzomah, Jake Murphy, Matt Lengel, John Peters LT: Andrew Whitworth, Jake Fisher, Matt ODonnell LG: Clint Boling, Tanner Hawkinson C: Russell Bodine, T.J. Johnson RG: Kevin Zeitler, Trey Hopkins RT: Andre Smith, Cedric Ogbuehi , Eric Winston K: Mike Nugent, Tom Obarski DT: Geno Atkins, Domata Peko (NT), Brandon Thompson, Kwame Geathers, Marcus Hardison, Devon Still, Pat Sims, DeShawn Williams DE: Carlos Dunlap, Michael Johnson (inj), Wallace Gilberry, Margus Hunt, Will Clarke, Sam Montgomery MLB: Rey Maualuga, Vincent Rey, Paul Dawson, Nico Johnson OLB: Vontaze Burfict (W) (inj), Emmanuel Lamur (S), A.J. Hawk (W), Jayson DiManche (S), Marquis Flowers (W), Chris Carter, Sean Porter, Trevor Roach CB: Dre Kirkpatrick, Adam Jones (PR), Leon Hall, Darqueze Dennard, Josh Shaw (FS/CB), Chris Lewis-Harris, Troy Hill, Brandon Ghee S: Reggie Nelson (SS), George Iloka (FS), Shawn Williams (SS), Shiloh Keo (SS), Derron Smith, Floyd Raven, Eric Dargan Cleveland Browns QB: It’s only the first week of training camp and Johnny Manziel is once again a major focus. Head Coach Mike Pettine declined to guarantee that Josh McCown would be the starter in Week 1 while reiterating that McCown remains firmly ahead. The competition is wide open heading into the second week with both players giving coaches and teammates reason for optimism. Manziel has been competent and, by all accounts, he is focused, working hard, and doing and saying the right things. Count Browns Owner Jimmy Haslem among those impressed, "I think he's starting to grow up, and he's starting to understand that you have to work hard and you got to get after it every day. Hopefully, he's learning to do that. He's got to prove that he'll do it over a period of time. But so far so good." On Friday night, both quarterbacks performed well during their annual public scrimmage. McCown connected with Brian Hartline for a touchdown on the opening drive moments after finding Gary Barnidge for a 47-yard catch and run. Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas offered praise for both of his quarterbacks, while stating that McCown is their starter and throwing his support behind the 14-year veteran: "Josh (McCown) has done so many good things that to me it's not really a conversation about who should be the starter right now." At least Manziel is pushing McCown with three strong consecutive practices. Manziel didn’t play with the first team in the scrimmage, but he went 9-of-11 for 93 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He made good decisions and got rid of the ball quickly. “I wouldn't make a huge deal about it, but it's progress for me," Manziel said. "It's better than I played last year in the scrimmage. A year later, there's a lot of progress. I'm happy about it and happy about stringing some good days together. That's what I wanted to do." RB: One week into camp and the running back situation continues to frustrate not only fantasy owners, but running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery, too. Montgomery was critical of his group for not taking advantage of the opportunity to grab the starting job and run with it. Terrance West (calf) and rookie Duke Johnson (hamstring) succumbed to injuries early on leaving the bulk of the work to Isaiah Crowell., who appears to be the target of Montgomery’s rancor. "How can you play and not want to be a starter?" Montgomery said. "It just bothers me that guys don't want to be the lead bell-cow guy." Montgomery then referred specifically to Crowell, "He's got to show me that he's hungry. If you want to be a starter, you practice like a starter ... You take care of your body. You show up and do the things that are going to keep you healthy, get treatment after practice, hydrate, do all the little things you have to do in order to be that guy." Crowell struggled out of the gate with a few exchange problems and ball security has been one of his primary concerns. Beyond that, Crowell has dominated first team snaps over the first week with Shaun Draughn mixing in on passing downs. Backup Glenn Winston underwent arthroscopic knee surgery forcing the team to sign a few veterans – Tim Slanders and Jalen Parmale. Once healthy, Duke Johnson still projects as the favorite for passing downs with Crowell the lead dog on early downs. Johnson opened camp running with the threes behind Crowell and West, though, and he needs as many reps as he can get to shore up his lofty ADP and fantasy expectations. West may be on thin ice after reports emerged of him reporting to camp a little “chunky”. WR: Beyond Johnny Manziel, Terrelle Pryor was arguably the biggest story during the first few days of camp. Pryor recently converted to receiver in an attempt to stick in the NFL and he has at least looked the part with his size, speed and athleticism. Pryor turned heads during the first few days of practice, even earning some snaps with the first team offense last Sunday. It was enough for beat writer Mary Kay Cabot to consider Pryor a lock to make the final roster. "Pryor will ease the loss of Josh Gordon. He can do this," said Cabot. Coach Pettine even suggested the team will have special plays for Pryor this season. "I’m just a firm believer in always having that option," Pettine said. "If you get into a game where there’s a lull on both sides offensively, you need something to break it open. Having a guy like Terrelle certainly gives us that ability." Unfortunately, Pryor missed Friday’s intra-squad scrimmage after tweaking his hamstring and missing two days of practice. Fourth-round pick Vince Mayle had a rough start to his first camp dropping several passes. Mayle broke his pinkie during the offseason and only recently began catching passes. He remains a good bet to make the team even if it’s via the practice squad. The top four receivers are: Dwayne Bowe, Brian Hartline, Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel. Pryor, Mayle, Travis Benjamin and Marlon Moore are competing for the final roster spots. TE: Sound the training camp fantasy alert! Rob Housler, the presumed starter, is listed as the No. 3 tight end on the team’s initial depth chart released this week. Gary Barnidge is at the top followed by Jim Dray. Housler signed as a free agent, so the current listing may have been a sign that he’s not learning the offense quickly, or out of deference to the veteran holdovers. The starter could have some sneaky value in deeper leagues, but otherwise it’s one worth monitoring at this point and not worth a draft pick. For now, keep Gary Barnidge’s name on a list of wait-and-see players. One of these could be on the short-list of waiver candidates if any of them emerges. Defense: First round pick Danny Shelton made a good impression in his first few days of camp even if he wasn’t matching up against starting center Alex Mack, who was held out while recovering from last season’s injuries. Still, Shelton demonstrated his ability to apply constant pressure on the quarterback as well as drop into coverage when needed. On one pass play, Shelton read an outside throw, ran to the sideline and waxed receiver Marlon Moore. Shelton won’t be dropping into coverage much, but it shows why several teams were high on him as an athletic, but physical run stuffer. It wouldn’t be training camp without injuries and the Browns have a few. Outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo tore his meniscus and will be out for three to four weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on Thursday. Scott Solomon will work with the starters in his absence. He was already working ahead of Mingo and rookie Nate Orchard early in camp, although all three players could rotate into this spot when healthy. Billy Winn was carted off the field on Saturday with an ankle injury. X-Rays were negative, so he should return soon. Meanwhile, at corner, Pierre Desir continues to run ahead of last year’s No. 8 overall pick, Justin Gilbert, as the team’s No. 3 corner. The 127th pick out of division II Lindenwood had a strong offseason. "He's a guy that's been here every day in the offseason working as hard as he possibly can," said strong safety Donte Whitner. "He's a guy that doesn't really say too much, but you can always see him working hard." PK: Travis Coons and Carey Spear are competing for the vacant kicker job. Coons hit on 47- and 53-yard field goals in the first scrimmage. GM Ray Farmer said both kickers had been accurate early in camp, but added that the team will be watching the waiver wire for possible additions at the position. Spear is seen as the better distance kicker, but Coons is more accurate and consistent. Browns Depth Chart QB: Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel, Thaddeus Lewis, Connor Shaw RB: Isaiah Crowell (SD), Duke Johnson, Terrance West, Shaun Draughn, Tim Flanders, Jalen Parmele, Glenn Winston (inj) WR: Dwayne Bowe, Brian Hartline, , Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel, Travis Benjamin (PR/KR), Terrelle Pryor, Vince Mayle, Marlon Moore (KR), Rodney Smith, Shane Wynn, Josh Gordon (susp) TE: Gary Barnidge, Jim Dray, Rob Housler, Malcolm Johnson, Randall Telfer (inj), E.J. Bibbs, Manasseh Garner LT: Joe Thomas, Michael Bowie LG: Joel Bitonio, Vinston Painter C: Alex Mack, Nick McDonald RG: Cameron Erving, John Greco, Ryan Seymour, Karim Barton RT: Mitchell Schwartz, Andrew McDonald K: Travis Coons, Carey Spear NT: Danny Shelton, Phil Taylor, Ishmaa′ily Kitchen, Calvin Barnett,Jamie Meder, Christian Tupou DE: Desmond Bryant, John Hughes, Randy Starks, Billy Winn, Xavier Cooper, Jacobbi McDaniel ILB: Karlos Dansby, Christian Kirksey, Craig Robertson, Tank Carder, Hayes Pullard, Keith Pough OLB: Paul Kruger (S), Barkevious Mingo (inj), Scott Solomon,Armonty Bryant, Nate Orchard CB: Joe Haden, Tramon Williams, Pierre Desir, Justin Gilbert, K′Waun Williams, Robert Nelson, Joe Rankin, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (inj) S: Donte Whitner (SS), Tashaun Gipson (FS), Ibraheim Campbell (SS), Jordan Poyer (FS), Johnson Bademosi (SS/KR) Dallas Cowboys QB: Tony Romo is off to a strong start in camp; with team owner Jerry Jones remarking that he’s never looked better. “What I’m seeing out here is Tony Romo at his best. I can’t remember a camp when I though he was playing any better, looked any better, made me feel any better or made our coaches feel any better as far as his execution and what he needs to do for us to win.” The coaches plan on resting Romo (and other key veterans) on Mondays during the preseason; just to keep him fresh – as they did last season. There is no mystery surrounding the depth chart, with Brandon Weeden #2 and Dustin Vaughan #3. Jameil Showers has designs on the #3 role, but early preseason work suggests that to be a longshot. RB: We all keep waiting for some indication that Joseph Randle isn’t THE guy, yet at every turn the evidence is to the contrary. While we never viewed Darren McFadden as a credible threat for the starting job, his persistent injuries early in camp reinforce our conviction. Beat writers and team officials haven’t hinted that McFadden’s spot on the 53-man roster is in jeopardy, but he needs to get on the field and produce. Meanwhile, Randle has taken the bulk of 1st team reps and has looked good. “Joseph is off to a good start, there’s no question about that, said Head Coach Jason Garrett. “Unfortunately, we haven’t seen McFadden yet in this situation." Lance Dunbar, who is in line for a role as both a backup and 3rd down specialist, has missed time with an ankle sprain but is expected back this week. Meanwhile, he too has been impressed with Randle: “Joseph, he’s matured but he’s still learning a few things to get there. He sees holes pretty fast and is explosive with sneaky speed, quick feet. Sometimes people underestimate his speed, and he gets away from them unexpectedly.” Late in the week, Randle suffered a minor oblique strain and will miss the first preseason game as a precaution. Recently signed rookie Gus Johnson will get the start against the Chargers. Johnson was undrafted out of Stephen F. Austin, but signed with the Cowboys early in camp after the team waived Ryan Williams. Johnson has looked capable, particularly up the middle and in goal-line drills. If he plays well with the 1st team offense in the preseason opener, he becomes an interesting late round handcuff for Randle. |