Training camps are officially underway across the NFL!
5 of the best NFL storylines heading into training camp
Holdouts, quarterback battles and Jon Gruden talking points are among the things we’re looking forward to following during training camp. That and more in Thursday’s Rise ‘n Grind.
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Guys are showing up with mullets. Guys are showing up beardless. And guys are showing up thrilled to share a tiny dorm room with their friends.
Beyond that, football is back! And there are many good storylines to follow. Here are five things I’ll be keeping an eye on between now and the start of the season.
1. Rookie quarterbacks competing for starting roles.
I hope for the Browns’ sake that Hue Jackson doesn’t rush his rookie quarterback into starting, but all eyes will be on Baker Mayfield during training camp as he looks to prove he was a worthy choice for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Will he actually push Tyrod Taylor for the starting job, and will the Browns allow that to happen?
Elsewhere in the AFC North, Lamar Jackson is already impressing the Ravens who say their rookie QB is “way ahead of the curve” and that “one way or another, he’s going to be out there, taking snaps.” That’s straight from Ravens head coach John Harbaugh who further confirmed via the Toronto Sun that Jackson will see the field in 2018. “Yeah. That’s my plan. Put him out there. He may be out there with Joe (Flacco).” How serious is Harbaugh? We’ll have to wait and see.
Sam Darnold has a decent chance of starting this year, though it might not be in Week 3. The No. 3 overall pick is progressing nicely with the Jets and will be competing with Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater in training camp. Josh Allen is in a similar situation as there’s no clear starter in Buffalo with the rookie battling AJ McCarron and Nathan Peterman for the right to start for the Bills. In Arizona, Josh Rosen surely has faith in himself to compete for the starting job, but it’s most likely going to Sam Bradford while Rosen takes some time to learn from the vet.
It would be surprising for any other rookie quarterback to win a starting job this season, but, what makes training camp fun is that it’s full of surprises. No one saw Dak Prescott coming for the starting role before his rookie preseason debut.
2. How long will Julio Jones, Le’Veon Bell and Aaron Donald continue their holdouts?
There are quite a few players holding out from training camps across the NFL. In addition to the above-mentioned players, Khalil Mack is also holding out from Raiders camp. Julio Jones was set to holdout from training camp, but he ended up coming to an agreement on a new deal with the Falcons late on Wednesday night.
There’s no solution available for Bell. He’ll just need to give up his holdout and return to the Steelers when he decides it’s time. Last year, Bell held out from all of camp and showed up on September 1, just days before the Steelers’ first game.
For Donald, it’s a waiting game as he looks for a new contract, which the Rams are working on. He likely won’t show up until he gets a new contract or until the season arrives, whichever comes first. That’s unless he decides he wants to miss games over the contract, which seems unlikely.
Seahawks safety Earl Thomas is also holding out and could end up being traded, which seems to be what he wants. He reportedly told Raiders owner Mark Davis to come get him. The Cowboys have been linked to him, too.
3. The Browns’ mess of a roster and how it develops.
The Browns will be featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this season and it should be filled with lots of drama. Between Hue Jackson, Mayfield, Taylor, Jarvis Landry and Jabrill Peppers, I’m confident this season will offer a lot to laugh about. Plus, the Browns need to figure out a way to win a game this season after going 0-16 last year. You have to be REALLY bad to go 0-16; so, how will the Browns dig themselves out of that situation and get some wins in 2018? That’s what Cleveland will be looking to answer throughout training camp ... and “Hard Knocks.”
4. The bad offseason Patriots headlines and whether they amount to anything.
The Patriots have been in the news a lot this offseason, which is undoubtedly the case every offseason. But most of the headlines this offseason were negative. It started as soon as the Super Bowl ended with the Malcolm Butler benching. Then they lost Matt Patricia to the Lions. Then a group of starters left in free agency. They had a few scouts leave, too. There were rumors about Tom Brady retiring and both Brady and Rob Gronkoski skipped some of OTAs. I even floated a conspiracy theory about the rumor that the Patriots wanted to trade Malcolm Mitchell earlier this week. But no matter what happens in the offseason, the Patriots always find a way to win. Will that be the case again this year?
5. Literally anything Jon Gruden says.
Every time the Raiders’ new head coach opens his mouth, it seems like something extraordinary is said. Remember at the Scouting Combine when he said “I’m trying to throw the game back to 1998,” and that he’s ”not going to rely on modern technology.” This week, he said he wouldn’t take the salary the Raiders are paying him if he failed to do his job at a high level. Though, that’s really speculative as the exact quote was, “If I can’t get it done, I’m not going to take their money.” Gruden cracks me up and I’ll be following along with his training camp press conferences for more laughs.
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Tweet of the Day
SAY, WHAT?! Antonio Brown seriously took a helicopter to day one of Steelers training camp. A HELICOPTER! Upon landing, he said, “I don’t know what distractions you’re talking about. This is my lifestyle.”
AB, you win day one of training camp.
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