As training camp rolls on and the preseason begins in earnest, we are finally accumulating data points after seven months in the low-information zone. Some things are clear. Mitch Trubisky and Marcus Mariota will keep their rookie challengers at bay, for instance. Other places, not so much. With three games and several weeks of summer practices still on tap, here are 10 situations where we hope to gain further clarity between now and September.
The Packers’ Receiver Corps
Christian Watson has not practiced this summer. Aaron Rodgers is calling Allen Lazard the no. 1. 6-foot-2, fourth-round rookie Romeo Doubs is making highlight-reel plays every day. Confusing enough for you? It’s the kind of situation the preseason is made for, only Rodgers doesn’t even think the preseason is the best place to sort it out. Rodgers believes the tough questions are answered on the practice field, and the practice field is always something of a black box for fans and reporters. What we do know is, trends matter. Anyone can have one good practice. But a summer full of them? Pay attention if the Doubs reviews remain glowing through the end of the month. We also know Watson can’t put a move on anybody if he’s not on the field, and if you’re not on the field with Rodgers, you aren’t getting your foot in the door in this complex offense. It is an imperfect weapon, but parsing the training camp notebooks will be our best bet with this remade receiver group.
The Ravens’ Backfield
There is a perception that knee rehabilitation is easy in the modern age. And yet, JK Dobbins needed 345 days to finally get cleared for individual drills. That leaves him 34 days to get ready for Week 1. Is that enough time for a third-year pro with 152 career touches to convince one of the league’s savviest coaching staffs that he should be the clear-cut lead back? Complicating matters is that would-be backup plan Gus Edwards (knee) is “probably doubtful” for Week 1. The Ravens issued a backfield vote of confidence when they passed on meaningful running back additions in the draft or free agency, but it is very much an open question whether Dobbins will be ready by Sept. 11. We have only the camp reports to guide us, and if the first 11 months of Dobbins’ rehab are any indication, they will be opaque from this tight-lipped staff.
The Bills’ Backfield
We thought this would be simple: If second-rounder James Cook proved adept in pass protection, he would get the third-down role behind early-down back Devin Singletary. Only then Zack Moss re-emerged. Awful last season, Moss is getting a second chance after the Bills’ coaching staff decided his 2021 struggles could be attributed to the lingering effects of “tight rope” ankle surgery. Healthy this summer, Moss has done “as much as he could” to re-earn short-yardage duties. That is via ace beat reporter Joe Buscaglia, who allows it is “difficult to gauge running back play during training camp without live tackling or having the tackle-breaking element involved.” The preseason matters less with each passing season, but Moss is one player whose performance could make a difference. If it does, Singletary will be starting to look like a less-explosive Chase Edmonds — one who doesn’t catch many passes — and an inadvisable FLEX.
The Chiefs’ Backfield
Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Ronald Jones’ thin ice had already begun to crack when the Chiefs re-signed Jerick McKinnon on June 13. Now meltwater is pooling in the form of seventh-rounder Isiah Pacheco’s first-team reps. Generating praise for the entire camp, Pacheco has coach Andy Reid on record as praising both his “hard” running style and apparently soft hands. It is still difficult to believe that Pacheco could steal the Chiefs’ starting job, but he could threaten Jones’ roster spot. That in and of itself would shake up this backfield. You might be tired of the hype but whether it continues will be very telling. There is a big difference between lighting up a beat writer’s notebook on August 5 and August 25.
The Cowboys’ Receiver Corps
It is CeeDee Lamb and … Jalen Tolbert? Noah Brown? With With Michael Gallup (knee) ruling himself out for Week 1, what was once the NFL’s deepest receiver corps is now hanging on by a thread, with only third-rounder Tolbert offering any hope of upside. Emphasis on “hope,” as fantasy managers are now projecting all their dreams onto the No. 88 overall pick of the draft. As Hayden Winks points out, a wideout that was the WR15 in this spring’s draft class is now all the way up to WR54 by ADP. That is aspirational, to put it mildly, and could look downright foolish if Tolbert fails to pop in the preseason. He is the sort of player for whom the exhibition season still matters. Take heart if the hype continues. Consider the silence deafening if it fades.
The Seahawks’ Quarterback Situation
Pete Carroll’s message has been loud and clear. If Drew Lock wants this job, he has to come and take it. Geno Smith remains in the lead by every discernible measure, including starting this weekend’s first preseason game. Left more unspoken: Jimmy Garoppolo is still out there. The league’s most depressing quarterback battle could quickly become an anticlimax, with Option C being the winner and prompting a re-think of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett’s depressed ADPs.
The Commanders’ Backfield
We know Antonio Gibson isn’t ticketed for a bigger pass-catching role. The Commanders’ front office stood outside JD McKissic’s Buffalo window with a boombox saw to it. The question remains how many fronts the threat is on. Is third-rounder Brian Robinson about to hollow out Gibson’s raw carry and touchdown upside? There was summer scuttlebutt to that effect — fueled in part by coach Ron Rivera — but Robinson’s camp has been quiet so far. There is still time to change that, and if he does it will be the difference between Gibson being an undervalued RB2 or FLEX you would rather not be starting.
The Titans’ Receiver Corps
Just what is going on with No. 18 overall pick Treylon Burks? His introduction to the NFL was a bout of exercise-induced asthma. Then he missed minicamp. Then he was reported to be behind third-year UDFA Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Now we hear he is still receiving reps with the second- and third-team offense, including in Thursday night’s preseason opener. The supposed logic is that Burks needs all the snaps he can get — he is also spending time with the first team — but it is highly unusual for a top-20 pick to still be getting second- and third-team reps, let alone playing into the fourth quarter of exhibition games. There is very little ahead of Burks, with only a knee-rehabbing Robert Woods joining Westbrook-Ikhine. But it is unclear, perhaps bordering on doubtful, if Burks can overcome his growing obstacles, which could even include fellow rookie Kyle Phillips. We have three more weeks to find out if Burks is up to the increasingly daunting challenge.
The Falcons’ Backfield
And now to check the preseason depth chart. *Sees Tyler Allgeier is listed as the No. 8 running backs* Moving on. The Falcons aren’t going to be any help here. That leaves the preseason and local media. The problem is, the former hardly matters anymore and the latter is one of the weaker groups in the league. For playing in such a large market, the Falcons have always been lacking in strong local coverage. That means we have to connect dots as much as scour practice reports. Allgeier’s competition is a hybrid wide receiver, a 30-year-old journeyman who has handled more than 50 touches at one time in his career, and a legion of special teamers. He doesn’t have to clear the world’s highest bar, and the few reports that trickle out are positive. As long as Allgeier keeps generating good clippings and avoids an exhibition faceplant, that should be enough for favored fantasy status in this woefully-thin backfield.
The Jets and Saints’ receiving corps
Top-11 picks Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave went back-to-back in April’s draft. They are joining the receiver corps with established veteran talent and quarterback question marks. Olave is dealing with the long-awaited return of 2019 record-setter Michael Thomas to full health. The Saints have also added career-long target hog Jarvis Landry to a group that features 2021 contributors Marquez Callaway and Tre’Quan Smith. Olave wasn’t drafted to be the No. 3 wideout, but he is going to have to earn his targets in this veteran group. The calculus is not quite as complicated for Wilson, although Elijah Moore produced with four different quarterbacks as a 2021 rookie while highly-paid veteran Corey Davis is back after an injury-ruined campaign. Braxton Berrios can command targets in a pinch. Like Olave, Wilson will get the benefit of the doubt. Like Olave, he still has to go out there and sign on the dotted line with a strong August.