Training camp is in full swing around the NFL on Monday, and plenty happened over the weekend as well. Here’s a look at what’s going on right now:
Scott Chandler, Pierre Garcon among those sitting out of training camp Monday
Training camp is in full swing, which means the updates we’ve got are mostly related to injuries or position battles.
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Injuries
Buffalo Bills tight end Scott Chandler sustained a groin injury during a Sunday practice and had to leave the session. Buffalo is already down Tony Moeaki and Chris Gragg, but Chandler was the team's leading receiver last season. Chandler caught 53 passes for 655 yards last year, so losing him would be a big deal.
The extent of Chandler's injury is not yet known but nothing particularly positive has come out regarding it since he left practice. After Chandler, Moeaki and Gragg, the Bills have Lee Smith and Dominique Jones, the latter of whom has only been with the team since Saturday.
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Washington wide receiver Pierre Garçon tweaked a hamstring on Monday morning and opted to sit out the remainder of practice. He told Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Washington that he’s “just being smart.”
“There’s no real need to keep playing through it right now, early in the season,” Garcon said. “Just got to be smart and get it healed up.”
Garcon had the best season of his career in 2013, catching 113 passes for 1,346 yards and five touchdowns. He’s right -- there’s no reason to risk further injury by taking training camp snaps.
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The Buccaneers were down a pair of corners, as Alterraun Verner and Rashaan Melvin sat out with unspecified ailments, according to Scott Smith. The good news is that Melvin was out of the walking boot he was spotted in over the weekend. Lovie Smith told Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times that there were no major injuries, so it's safe to assume that Verner's absence was precautionary.
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San Francisco 49ers running back LaMichael James also went down on Sunday and will have to miss some time. James took on a significant role once it was learned that Kendall Hunter tore his ACL on the second day of training camp. Unfortunately, James' injury is a dislocated elbow, so he was not at camp on Monday and will likely miss most or all of the preseason going forward.
Position battles
It's not a training camp roundup without an obligatory Johnny Manziel update. It appears as though veteran Brian Hoyer is holding onto his early edge as the Browns' starter, as he reportedly outclassed the rookie in Monday morning practice.
Pretty clear here that Hoyer is much more comfortable and effective than Manziel so far. Not even really close during this session
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) July 28, 2014 Manziel tossed a pick and struggled while rolling out of the pocket, but managed to look good down the stretch.
Manziel finished on a high note in some red zone work, making smart reads, throwing well to his right. When they booted him left not so good
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) July 28, 2014 That’s always a good sign -- you can’t place too much stock into a single practice, but Manziel recovering from his earlier struggles will definitely ease a lot of nerves. Now for something a little more silly ...
I am not making this up. Browns are playing you've got to fight for your right to party at practice. Johnny's walk-up music.
— Don Banks (@DonBanks) July 28, 2014 So there’s that.
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The Bengals' running back position is crowded and has been a point of focus throughout training camp as well. Second-year back Giovani Bernard is the starter, but behind him things are wide open. Rookie Jeremy Hill, who was taken in the second round this year, seems poised to push for carries, while BenJarvus Green-Ellis, the dependable veteran, is hoping to secure a spot.
Some thought Green-Ellis might be pushed out, especially with Cedric Peerman and Rex Burkhead also competing. But Bengals running backs coach Kyle Caskey said that "Nothing's been taken away from" Green-Ellis, as noted by Coley Harvey of ESPN. Whatever the case, Hill continues to run ahead of Green-Ellis throughout camp, as he did on Monday.
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some pretty big issues at the guard position. Carl Nicks parted ways with the team due to injury, and they already had a competition going along the right side. Now, both guard positions are open for competition, though most figure Jamon Meredith will earn the starting job on the left side.
But the right guard spot is wide open, with a long list of players potentially in on it. Monday saw an interesting wrinkle in the position as fifth-round pick Kadeem Edwards and undrafted rookie Matt Patchan took the majority of the snaps with the first team. As noted at Bucs Nation, it wouldn't be surprising to see Edwards find himself starting in the regular season.
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