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WR: Dez Bryant is dealing with a minor hamstring strain, and may be kept out of Thursday’s preseason game versus the Chargers; but it’s nothing that should impact his availability for the regular season. Prior to the hamstring tweak, Bryant looked dominant in early practices – as expected. Tony Romo was effusive in his praise for his top target: “He changes the game. Sometimes I push the coaches like there’s big play potential on every first down. We don’t need to get in a bunch of crazy formations. Just line up Dez. Either they’re double-teaming him or they’re not. It’s kind of a simple game from that point. Dez is ultimately the guy that changes the way that the defense rotates.” Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley are secure in their roles, and have both looked great through a week+ of camp. Beasley, in particular, looks deadly playing inside as the slot receiver. In Sunday’s Blue-White scrimmage, Beasley was uncoverable and scored a touchdown. At the back of the depth chart, keep an eye out for Lucky Whitehead – an undrafted rookie free agent out of Florida Atlantic. He’s stood out in team drills and could push Devin Street and A.J. Jenkins for a spot on the 53-man roster. TE: Rumors of Jason Witten’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. He remains the unquestioned starter and key cog in the Cowboys first team offense. One beat writer mentioned never seeing Witten out of the huddle in 1st team drills this preseason. Tight ends coach Mike Pope is pleased with backup Gavin Escobar’s work in the weight room, and thinks Escobar needs a breakout year so the team can confidently use 2-TE sets. Defense: The defense will get its first test on Thursday when it takes on the San Diego Chargers, but so far their performance in camp has been encouraging. Sean Lee is back. Last year’s positive momentum under defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli came in spite of losing Lee for the entire season. His recovery went well and Lee has reclaimed his status as the team’s top defender. The Cowboys are excited about their front seven, in particular the pass rush component of the equation. Jeremy Mincey signed a contract extension and will be paired up with Demarcus Lawrence on the ends. Rookie Randy Gregory will be a pass rush specialist – for now. That’s to say nothing of Greg Hardy’s impact once he returns from the 4-game suspension. Brandon Carr has looked sharp after a disappointing 2014; he had minor surgery on his hand this week but should be back on the practice field by week’s end. Beat writer Bob Sturm (Dallas News) said the secondary is “pretty loaded right now.” Cowboys Depth Chart QB: Tony Romo, Brandon Weeden, Dustin Vaughan RB: Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar (inj), Gus Johnson, Lache Seastrunk FB: Tyler Clutts, Ray Agnew WR: Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Devin Street, Lucky Whitehead (PR), Antwan Goodley, Deontay Greenberry, A.J. Jenkins, George Farmer, Reggie Dunn TE: Jason Witten, Gavin Escobar, James Hanna, Geoff Swaim LT: Tyron Smith, Darrion Weems, Ryan Miller, Lawrence Gibson LG: Lael Collins, Ronald Leary, Mackenzy Bernadeau C: Travis Frederick RG: Zack Martin, Donald Hawkins RT: Doug Free, Chaz Green, John Wetzel K: Dan Bailey DT: Tyrone Crawford, Terrell McClain, Nick Hayden, Ken Bishop, Josh Brent (res) DE: Greg Hardy (susp), Demarcus Lawrence, Jeremy Mincey, Randy Gregory, Jack Crawford, Ryan Russell, LaVar Edwards, Ben Gardner MLB: Rolando McClain (susp), Jasper Brinkley, Damien Wilson, Cameron Lawrence, Troy Davis OLB: Sean Lee (W), Anthony Hitchens (S), Kyle Wilber (S), Mark Nzeocha, Keith Smith (W), Will Smith (W), James Anderson (S) CB: Brandon Carr, Orlando Scandrick, Morris Claiborne, Byron Jones, Tyler Patmon, Corey White, Robert Steeples S: Barry Church (FS), J.J. Wilcox (SS), Jeff Heath (FS), Keelan Johnson, Danny McCray Denver Broncos QB: Denver’s offense in 2015 figures to be a melding of new coach Gary Kubiak’s old offense and the scheme Peyton Manning has been running in Denver for the past three years. While many of the shotgun concepts are still in use, Manning has been spending more time lining up under center, and has even practiced a few rollouts. While results in December and January are what will ultimately matter, Manning’s arm has looked livelier so far this year. Receiver Demaryius Thomas said, “I don't know if you all are going to believe what I say, but I think it's a little more zip on it. I feel like every year around this time, there's almost more zip on his ball. You can notice it. He threw a couple posts today, probably 50, 60 yards, and I'm like, 'Whoa.' It's making me excited.” In an effort to keep his veterans fresh, Kubiak has held Manning, (and other key veterans) out of two practices, giving Brock Osweiler a rare chance to work with the first team. He looks to have continued his strides forward from last season, and seemed to relish the rare opportunity to get reps with starting receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. RB: C.J. Anderson seems to have solidified his grip on the starting job, and his practice reps back that up. He suffered an injury scare on Saturday when he left practice early with a banged-up shoulder, but was fine by Sunday and received a full workload. Coach Kubiak suggested that Anderson would receive an extended look during Denver’s first preseason action. The battle for Denver’s #2 tailback job is wide open, with “home run threat” Ronnie Hillman taking a recent lead in snaps in the battle with Montee Ball. Behind them, strong play from Kapri Bibbs and Juwan Thompson means a standout performance during preseason games will probably be a necessity to secure a spot in Denver’s rotation. WR: He may have gotten his new contract, but Demaryius Thomas’ holdout during offseason activities left him behind the eight ball coming into training camp. The Broncos have eased him in slowly. Discussing whether Thomas would play in Denver’s preseason opener, Coach Kubiak said, “I think he very well could from what I have seen him do the last couple days, but if we’re going to err on that decision, it’s probably going to be on the other side.” Emmanuel Sanders has missed several practices with a hamstring injury. Denver has consistently been cautious with injuries, frequently erring on the side of holding players out. Referring to the injury, Kubiak said, “He could have practiced. It was my decision.” Prior to his hamstring injury, Sanders was displaying the same chemistry with Manning down the field that made his 2014 season so memorable. Taking advantage of Thomas’ limited reps, Cody Latimer has made big strides this offseason. Kubiak said of Latimer, “When he’s fresh in practice, things are good. Things are sharp. He’s a vastly improved player from OTAs to now, and that’s what we need.” TE: New arrival Owen Daniels has quickly developed a rapport with Manning in his bid to replace Julius Thomas as Denver’s primary pass-catching tight end. Safety Darian Stewart said of Daniels: “He has a little wiggle to him, so he kinds of get you. He may out slow you a little bit. He's been in the league a while, so he knows his way around it.” While he lacks Julius Thomas’ athleticism and explosiveness, Daniels has been a reliable security blanket for Manning to this point in camp. Denver appears poised to make 2-tight-end set the most-used personnel package, and Virgil Green will see plenty of playing time. Green remains a blocker, first and foremost. Defense: While Denver has limited contact in camp, its defense has taken advantage and brought relentless pressure, starting with standout pass rushers Von Miller and Demarcus Ware and including defensive end Malik Jackson. Miller, in particular, has looked as explosive as he has at any point since his 2013 ACL tear. All of the pressure has created opportunities for the secondary, with cornerback Aqib Talib being the biggest beneficiary; he nearly averaged an interception a day against Peyton Manning in recent days. PK: Connor Barth is considered the incumbent in Denver, but Brandon McManus stuck around despite missing 4-of-14 field goals because of his leg on kickoffs. Barth is trying to win the complete kicker job by improving his leg strength. Nothing out of the early camp reports indicates that Barth is putting himself in danger or McManus is closing the gap. Broncos Depth Chart QB: Peyton Manning, Brock Osweiler, Zac Dysert, Trevor Siemian RB: C.J. Anderson, Montee Ball, Ronnie Hillman, Juwan Thompson,Kapri Bibbs, Jeremy Stewart FB: James Casey, Joe Don Duncan WR: Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Cody Latimer, Andre Caldwell (KR), Isaiah Burse, Jordan Taylor, Jordan Norwood, Bennie Fowler, David Porter, Corbin Louks, Kyle Williams (IR) TE: Owen Daniels, Virgil Green, Dominique Jones, Marcel Jensen, Jeff Heuerman (IR) LT: Ty Sambrailo, Michael Schofield, Ryan Clady (IR) LG: Ben Garland, Shelley Smith C: Gino Gradkowski, Max Garcia, Matt Paradis RG: Louis Vasquez RT: Chris Clark, Ryan Harris K: Connor Barth NT: Sylvester Williams, Marvin Austin, Darius Kilgo DE: Malik Jackson, Derek Wolfe (susp) (inj), Vance Walker, Antonio Smith, Kenny Anunike ILB: Brandon Marshall, Danny Trevathan, Lamin Barrow, Steven Johnson, Reggie Walker, Corey Nelson, Josh Furman, Todd Davis OLB: Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Lerentee McCray, Shane Ray, Shaq Barrett, Danny Mason CB: Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, Bradley Roby, Kayvon Webster, Tony Carter, Lorenzo Doss, Taurean Nixon S: T.J. Ward (SS), Darian Stewart (FS), David Bruton (FS), Josh Bush (SS), Ross Madison (FS) Detroit Lions QB: Matthew Stafford might be one of the most unchallenged quarterbacks in the NFL, as there in no other quarterback on this roster that is a threat to him. This is both good and bad; it speaks to him as a player but it also speaks to the disaster that could be if he were to get injured. By all accounts, Stafford is having a very good training camp. Kyle Meinke of MLive reported that Stafford had the first team offense rolling in their mock game on Saturday. Meinke called it an impressive performance and hinted that he thought Stafford and the offense might be maturing together. Stafford needs to continue to be more consistent, but this will be Year Two in this offense. Dan Orlovksy and Kellen Moore remain the backups. Moore had a very good preseason last year and comes into this camp with a legitimate shot at winning the #2 quarterback spot, and he’s doing what he can do. The Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett reported that Moore took second-team reps in Saturday’s practice. This competition looks like it’ll persist throughout the preseason. RB: Starting back Joique Bell hasn’t practiced yet due to clean up surgeries on his knee and Achilles. Kyle Meinke of MLive reports that Bell is very close to returning to action. It was thought that rookie Ameer Abdullah was drafted as a pass catching compliment to the big bodied Bell, but on second thought that may not be the case. The Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett reported that Abdullah is catching the ball very naturally. General manager Martin Mayhew said, “He catches the ball a lot better than I thought” and “they didn't use him a lot in the passing game in college, so we were kind of unsure how good he would be in the passing game.” These are not the comments of a GM drafting a running back to be a compliment; team executives clearly view Abdullah as a complete player. To say that Abdullah has wowed during the first week is an understatement. He has shown great balance and vision, and his lateral cutting ability is constantly on display. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said, “We can’t even tackle that guy” and “we can’t even touch him. He’s like grasping at air.” It is clear that Bell and Abdullah are RB1 and RB2, in some order, most likely dependent on game situations. The Lions #3 job is veteran Theo Riddick’s. He is a lock to make the roster because of how well he catches the ball. That leaves veteran George Winn and undrafted rookie and fan favorite Zach Zenner competing for one roster spot; each will have to prove their worth on special teams. Dave Birkett also reports that running backs coach Curtis Modkins thinks Zenner is a really good football player. Modkins said, “Really good vision. He has rare vision. He sees things really well and he’s going to be really exciting to watch in the preseason.” Winn is a solid special-teams player and it’ll be tough for Zenner to win that job, but he’s looked good to this point. WR: Calvin Johnson is still a monster, that‘s really all you need to know there. Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News says that Johnson is already in midseason form. Golden Tate has been difficult to cover and there are no doubts as to who the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers are in this offense. Both Johnson and Tate have had a very good first week. Corey Fuller has the speed that Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi covets and is virtually guaranteed a roster spot as the No. 3 receiver. After that, there is a full blown competition for the final roster spots between Ryan Broyles, Lance Moore, T.J. Jones, Jeremy Ross, Andrew Peacock, Greg Salas and Vernon Johnson. Ross will make this roster as a returner, not necessarily as a receiver, but he wasn’t very good down the stretch in 2014.The Detroit Free Press’ Carlos Monarrez is reporting that Broyles took a big hit this week, but is out to prove he belongs. The Pride of Detroit’s Alex Reno has been impressed by T.J. Jones. Reno reported on a great catch Jones made in practice on Friday. Moore is a savvy veteran that knows this offense and that will help him to navigate this training camp. Kent Platte of sidelionreport.com reported that Vernon Johnson is threatening the intermediate and deep areas of the field and that he has made some impressive catches. The reality is that the bottom of the roster types are working with lesser quarterbacks and have to do more with less, and this battle will rage through training camp. TE: Second-year tight end Eric Ebron has been heavily criticized because of his lack of first-year production, but more because there is a perception that he can’t catch the ball. Some criticism is warranted as drops are problematic for the offense; but he is a young man playing a very complicated position. By all accounts, Ebron is having a good camp. Kyle Meinke of MLive reported that outside of Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford, Ebron was the best player on offense in the first week. He reports that Ebron has been much more professional in this camp. Last year when Ebron made a mistake, he allowed it to carry over into his play, affecting him for long periods. Golden Tate has noticed Ebron’s maturity, "One thing I've noticed, he's not a repeat offender, he's not making the same mistake over and over." Backup tight end Joe Fauria is banged up as reported by Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News. Brandon Pettigrew is still here, and Sean Yuille of The Pride of Detroit has quoted head coach Jim Caldwell as saying that Pettigrew is capable of doing whatever they ask him to do, but there’s only so many balls to go around. Defense: The Lions will be trying to overcome significant losses on the defensive line this year and newly acquired defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is a very big piece of the puzzle. Ngata has not participated in training camp due to a hamstring injury. There are questions about the defensive line, but the Lions have added good depth and while Suh and Fairley are gone, talent remains. Starting weakside linebacker DeAndre Levy missed practice for the first few days, but the injury is minor. Middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch returns from a torn ACL and a little camp battle is brewing between second-year pro Kyle Van Noy and veteran Tahir Whitehead for the strongside linebacker position. The Lions have stability in the secondary with cornerbacks Darius Slay and Reshean Mathis, and safeties Glover Quin and James Ihedigbo. There is quality behind the starters too; with players like safety Isa Abdul-Quddus and cornerback Josh Wilson. There is a legitimate battle for the nickel cornerback position between second-year cornerback Nevin Lawson and rookie Quandre Diggs. Lions Depth Chart QB: Matthew Stafford, Dan Orlovsky, Kellen Moore, Garrett Gilbert RB: Joique Bell (SD) (inj), Ameer Abdullah (3RB), Theo Riddick (3RB/WR), George Winn, Zach Zenner, Desmond Martin FB: Michael Burton, Emil Igwenagu WR: Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate (PR), Corey Fuller, Jeremy Ross (KR/PR), Ryan Broyles, TJ Jones, Lance Moore, Andrew Peacock ,Greg Salas, Vernon Johnson, Jarrad Haggins TE: Eric Ebron, Brandon Pettigrew, Joseph Fauria, Jordan Thompson, Casey Pierce, David Ausberry (IR) LT: Riley Reiff, Corey Robinson LG: Laken Tomlinson, Rodney Austin, Darren Keyton C: Travis Swanson, Manny Ramirez, Braxton Cave RG: Larry Warford, Taylor Boggs RT: Cornelius Lucas, LaAdrian Waddle, Michael Williams K: Matt Prater DT: Haloti Ngata, Tyrunn Walker, Caruan Reid, Gabe Wright, Jerel Worthy, Jermelle Cudjo DE: Ezekiel Ansah, Jason Jones, Devin Taylor, Larry Webster, Darryl Tapp, Corey Wootton MLB: Stephen Tulloch, Travis Lewis |