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TE: Dwayne Allen lost 13 pounds from last year, in an effort to stay healthy, and become more of a weapon on offense. The early returns have been positive. “He looks great. When he flexes out and gets in the wide receiver stance when they displace him in the formation, you can mistake him for a bigger wideout at times he looks so good,” said Head Coach Chuck Pagano. With Allen the more capable in-line blocker, and the Colts’ crowded wide receiver depth chart, there’s some concern Coby Fleener will become a forgotten man this season. Pep Hamilton disagrees. "I think there will be many opportunities for guys to make plays for us," Hamilton said. "That hasn't been an issue for us in years past. I don't see it being an issue as we move forward." Defense: Chuck Pagano says he’s open to having Vontae Davis shadow the opposing team’s top wide receiver. This would be a departure from last season, when Davis covered just one side of the field. "We have to be able to do whatever we want to do with him," Pagano said. "If that means putting him on somebody's best wide receiver instead of just playing one side of the football then maybe that's the next progression and we'll see.” It’s a schematic change that would have significant fantasy ramifications for opposing teams’ top wideouts. Davis was one of the best cover corners in the NFL last season, by any metric. It appears linebacker Robert Mathis won’t be back from his Achilles tear before October. The 34 year-old defensive leader had been hoping to be ready for Week 1. Journeyman cornerback Jalil Brown turned heads during the first week of camp by coming down with at least four interceptions. Brown has a shot to beat out rookie D’Joun Smith for fourth defensive back duties with continued strong play. Fourth round strong safety Clayton Geathers has been used as hybrid linebacker-safety early in camp. The Colts feel he can be an x-factor for their defense. Colts Depth Chart QB: Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck, Bryan Bennett RB: Frank Gore, Dan Herron (3RB), Josh Robinson, Vick Ballard, Zurlon Tipton, Tyler Varga WR: T.Y. Hilton (KR/PR), Andre Johnson, Donte Moncrief, Phillip Dorsett, Duron Carter, Griff Whalen, Quan Bray, Vincent Brown, Ezell Ruffin, Ryan Lankford TE: Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, Jack Doyle, Erik Swoope, Sean McGrath, Justin Sinz LT: Anthony Castonzo, Joe Reitz, John Ulrick LG: Todd Herremans, Donald Thomas, David Arkin C: Khaled Holmes, Jonotthan Harrison RG: Hugh Thornton, Lance Louis RT: Jack Mewhort, Denzelle Good, Demarco Cox K: Adam Vinatieri NT: Josh Chapman, Montori Hughes, David Parry, Zach Kerr, Kelcy Quarles, Jeris Pendleton DE: Kendall Langford, Arthur Jones, Henry Anderson, Earl Okine ILB: Jerrell Freeman (W), D′Qwell Jackson, Nate Irving (inj), Amarlo Herrera, Henoc Muamba, Shawn Loiseau, Andrew Jackson OLB: Trent Cole, Robert Mathis, Jonathan Newsome, Erik Walden (S), Bjoern Werner, Zack Hodges, Junior Sylvestre, Terrell Hartsfield, Zachary Hodges, Daniel Adongo, Cody Galea CB: Vontae Davis, Greg Toler, Darius Butler, D′Joun Smith, Sheldon Price, Deveron Carr, Jalil Brown, Al-Hajj Shabazz, Donald Celiscar, Brandon Vitabile, Chance Casey, Tevin Mitchel (IR) S: Mike Adams (FS), Dwight Lowery (SS), Clayton Geathers, Colt Anderson (SS), Dewey McDonald (FS) Jacksonville Jaguars QB: Blake Bortles had a great finish in Jaguars’ scrimmage on Saturday. Bottles struggled to start the day but ended up gaining confidence and finished strong completing 9 or 15 passes for 96 yards and 3 touchdowns to receiver Allen Robinson and tight ends Clay Harbor and Julius Thomas. Coach Gus Bradley was beaming with pride while talking about Bortles saying, “You can just see his confidence. Accuracy, decision making, timing those things are key factors for a quarterback, and I thought he showed some of those components.” RB: Rookie T.J. Yeldon had a bit of an injury scare in Saturday’s scrimmage as he suffered a sprained finger on a touchdown run. Yeldon banged his left hand on linebacker Jeremiah George’s helmet and headed to the sidelines immediately after clutching his left hand. He then was taken to the locker room and later returned with his hand wrapped in ice. Coach Bradley said X-rays showed no broken bones and Yeldon should not be expected to miss any time, “He’s good, should be good, they said a sprain.” John Oehser of Jaguars.com also praised Yeldon, and the Jaguars new offensive coordinator Greg Olson had glowing remarks for the rookie runner: “We liked what we saw there. That was not a question mark for us, but I think people outside questioned whether or not he would be able to step into the National Football League and be good enough as a pass protector. We liked what he brought physically and I thought he attacked the linebackers. We’re excited about him. He’s made a couple of very nice runs in the open field and made some people miss. We’ve been excited about what we’ve seen so far." Denard Robinson took the first snap of the scrimmage but both Yeldon and Toby Gerhart also saw opportunities with the first team offense. Yeldon also had the opportunity to split out wide during the scrimmage and caught a pass out of the backfield. Toby Gerhart is penciled in as more of a third-down player and has looked right at home in pass protection; he stood up the blitzer in three of his four reps. Bernard Pierce is also still a factor and has played well in limited opportunities. Storm Johnson had a long run late in Saturday’s scrimmage. WR: Allen Robinson continues to turn heads as he hauled in a diving, 25-yard touchdown pass from Bortles. Marqise Lee continues to battle an injured hamstring and is projected to miss two weeks. He will likely miss preseason games against the Steelers and Giants. Lee can ill afford an extended absence as both Rashad Greene and Arrelious Benn are pushing for bigger roles. Look for Bryan Walters and Tony Washington to also get a few more snaps in Lee’s absence. With Robinson and Allen Hurns continuing to take all the 1st team reps, it is going to be hard for Lee to make a favorable impression leading up to the start of the season. Robinson and Hurns have been in a dead heat throughout camp for the mantle of the Jaguars best receiver. TE: On Saturday’s scrimmage Blake Bortles had a connection with his tight ends. He found both Clay Harbor and newcomer Julius Thomas for touchdowns. The Jaguars will use more 2-TE sets this year. Julius Thomas has looked like the real deal this preseason, and his 14-yard TD catch was one for the highlight reel. Bortles spotted Thomas lined up on strong-side linebacker Dan Skuta in a spread formation. From there Thomas easily ran past Skuta and made an over the shoulder catch. “There’s never going to be huge windows,” Thomas said. “As a receiving option, that’s what you want to do. You want to keep your defender on your back and be able to screen them out so you can allow the ball to come in. Blake threw a great ball and I was able to get under it.” At practice on Friday, veteran Marcedes Lewis got a step on linebacker LaRoy Reynolds and made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone. It was a perfectly thrown ball from Bortles placed where only Lewis could catch it. Defense: Defensive end Chris Clemons has missed the first 7 days of training camp and Coach Bradley said that he expects Clemons to miss the first preseason game. Sen’Derrick Marks also remains out while recovering from reconstructive knee surgery. He should be close to returning for the regular season opener. Former Alabama quarterback Nick Marshall saw time at cornerback with the second team defense and recorded a pass defensed, and then nearly made an interception. Marshall also surprisingly returned the scrimmage’s opening kickoff. PK: Jason Myers has been booming kicks from long distance in camp and could push Josh Scobee, who is scheduled to make $3.4 million dollars this year. Myers is signed to a cheap three-year deal, so the team could favor him if their performances are close this preseason. Jaguars Depth Chart QB: Blake Bortles, Chad Henne, Stephen Morris, Jeff Tuel RB: T.J. Yeldon, Denard Robinson (WR), Storm Johnson, Corey Grant, Bernard Pierce FB: Toby Gerhart WR: Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee (inj), Rashad Greene,Tandon Doss, Arrelious Benn, Bryan Walters, Neal Sterling, Damian Copeland, Tony Washington, Greg Jenkins, Kasey Closs, Justin Blackmon (susp) TE: Julius Thomas, Marcedes Lewis, Clay Harbor, Ben Koyack, Nic Jacobs, Conner Hamlet LT: Luke Joeckel, Sam Young, Brennan Williams LG: Zane Beadles, AJ Cann C: Stefen Wisniewski, Luke Bowanko RG: Brandon Linder, Tyler Shatley RT: Jermey Parnell, Austin Pasztor K: Josh Scobee, Jason Myers DT: Senderrick Marks, Roy Miller, Tyson Alualu, Ziggy Hood, Michael Bennett, Abry Jones, Eric Crume DE: Jared Odrick, Chris Clemons, Andre Branch, Ryan Davis, Chris Smith, Dante Fowler Jr. (IR) MLB: Paul Posluszny, Jeremiah George OLB: Telvin Smith (W), Dan Skuta (S), LaRoy Reynolds (M/S), A.J. Edds (S), John Lotulelei (W), Khairi Fortt (W), Thurston Armbrister, Matt Robinson, Todd Thomas CB: Davon House, Aaron Colvin, Demetrius McCray, Dwayne Gratz, Jeremy Harris, Nick Marshall S: John Cyprien (SS), Sergio Brown (FS), Josh Evans (FS), James Sample (FS) (inj), Craig Loston (SS), Jeremy Deering, Matt Daniels Kansas City Chiefs QB: Alex Smith returns for his third season in Kansas City and will remain the starter for the foreseeable future. Last year’s deficiencies at wide receiver have been addressed and the solid but unspectacular Smith will benefit from better targets. The downfield passing game has been a focus. Smith rarely took chances downfield last year but has been picking his spots in practice and seven-on-seven drills. “I’m really trying to push some of these windows and see what we can do. That’s kind of what those drills are for,” Smith said. Chase Daniel appears locked into the backup role. Second-year pro Aaron Murray would have to seriously impress in the preseason to push Daniel for backup consideration, but should secure a roster spot. Murray did receive a full day of reps early in camp while Smith and Daniel were given the day off. Tyler Bray has yet to practice as he recovers from a torn ACL. He has been observing practice from the sidelines while on the non-football injury list (NFI). RB: Jamaal Charles remains the focal point of the offense. With an eye towards keeping the all-world back healthy for a full season, Charles has seen his practice workload decline and the club also plans to keep a keen eye on his touches throughout the season. "You want to make sure he is healthy late in the season, so if that means giving a guy like Knile Davis some reps — whatever you have to do, number one, to keep him healthy for 16 games, and you do that each week," said Offensive Coordinator Doug Pederson. Davis is locked into the number two job and continues to focus on improving his receiving and pass-blocking skills. Charcandrick West spent most of 2014 on the practice squad but has stood out this preseason showing elusiveness and open field ability. “He’s got great quickness. That’s a positive from that standpoint. It makes him a little bit different from the other two. He’s little bit smaller. It’s a different look than the other two guys but in a positive way,” said Andy Reid. WR: Jeremy Maclin has been impressive and provides the Chiefs with the downfield threat they were sorely lacking last year. Maclin has made several spectacular grabs thus far, and is quickly developing chemistry with Alex Smith. “He understands defenses, complexity of defenses, and what they're trying to do to stop him," said Doug Pederson. Albert Wilson is listed as the other starter on the first depth chart of training camp. Rookie Chris Conley has been on the shelf with a knee strain, leaving Wilson in the driver’s seat for the No.2 job. De’Anthony Thomas converted to wide receiver and has been seeing time with the first-team offense in three-receiver sets. Thomas has explosive speed and could excel with a larger workload in 2015. TE: Travis Kelce will look to build on his breakout 2014 campaign and has embraced his role as the No.1 tight end. "I've stepped up to kind of be the No. 1 role, with Fasano leaving. But other than that, it's all focused on getting better every day. You work on your fundamentals, you go into the film room to see what you have to do. On top of that, there's little things in terms of the schemes that we're doing. It's just putting everything together," Kelce said. James O’Shaughnessy has been one camp’s early stars. He has lined-up alongside Kelce in two tight end formations thus far, a role that should continue in the regular season. Defense: First-round draft choice Marcus Peters has received rave reviews for his work in camp and will help to solidify the secondary. He has worked with the first-team in practice and is expected to start at cornerback for the first three games while starting corner Sean Smith serves his suspension. The Chiefs have gradually increased Eric Berry’s workload as he continues his inspirational return from battling cancer. Berry has returned to full pads for live drills and has been lining up with the second-team defense. Linebacker Josh Mauga has received praise from defensive coordinator Bob Sutton for what he brings to the Chiefs defense. “For one, Josh is a bigger guy than you realize sometimes. He’s pretty athletic for a big guy. He has some things that he can do there. In the past, he’s played all the positions – in New York, he was a backup outside linebacker as well – so he gives us a lot of flexibility,” said Sutton. Nose tackle Dontari Poe continues to recover from back surgery and is a candidate for the reserve/PUP list. The Chiefs are expected to employ a committee approach at nose tackle until Poe returns. PK: Chiefs second-year kicker Cairo Santos is not in a competition for his job, but he has had a few rough days early in camp. If his woes continue and carry over to preseason games, it could be worth monitoring. Chiefs Depth Chart QB: Alex Smith, Chase Daniel, Aaron Murray, Tyler Bray RB: Jamaal Charles, Knile Davis (KR), De′Anthony Thomas (WR/PR), Charcandrick West, Darrin Reaves, Keshawn Hill FB: Anthony Sherman, Spencer Ware WR: Jeremy Maclin, Albert Wilson, Jason Avant, Chris Conley, Junior Hemingway, Frankie Hammond, Donatella Luckett, Fred Williams, Da′Ron Brown, Armon Binns, L′Damian Washington, Kenny Cook, Jeret Smith TE: Travis Kelce, James O′Shaughnessy, Richard Gordon, Demetrius Harris (inj), Ryan Taylor, Adam Schiltz LT: Eric Fisher, Derek Sherrod LG: Ben Grubbs, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif C: Eric Kush, Mitch Morse RG: Jeff Allen, Paul Fanaika, Zach Fulton RT: Donald Stephenson, Ricky Henry K: Cairo Santos NT: Dontari Poe (inj), Nick Williams, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Charles Tuaau DE: Allen Bailey, Jaye Howard (NT), Mike DeVito, Vaughn Martin ILB: Derrick Johnson, Josh Mauga, James-Michael Johnson, Dezman Moses, JoJo Dickson OLB: Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, Dee Ford, Ramik Wilson, D.J. Alexander, Josh Martin, Frank Zombo CB: Sean Smith, Phillip Gaines, Marcus Peters, Marcus Cooper, Steven Nelson, Jamell Fleming, Kevin Short, Justin Cox S: Eric Berry, Tyvon Branch (SS), Ron Parker (FS), Husain Abdullah (FS), Daniel Sorenson (SS), Kelcie McCray (FS), Sanders Commings (IR) Miami Dolphins QB: It will be Ryan Tannehill’s second year in Bill Lazor’s offense and following last Friday’s scrimmage he mentioned that he feels, “a lot more comfortable, (and is) making quicker decisions, knowing exactly where to put the ball.” Lazor also exclaimed, “We’re gonna go as fast as Tannehill and Mike Pouncey can go.” Tannehill’s increased comfort may lead to quicker snaps, more plays, and ultimately more fantasy points for the offense as a whole. Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel has seen improved footwork, which has aided Tannehill’s accuracy, but admits there’s room for more improvement. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald agreed that Tannehill’s deep passing still leaves much to be desired. Despite his limitations, Matt Moore faces little serious competition from Josh Freeman and McLeod Bethel-Thompson for the backup job. |