Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas was "rolled up on" in practice on Monday, but he's expected to be fine, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports. Thomas went down, yelled and was in obvious pain as the trainers immediately checked out his right knee, which led many to fear the worst.
Browns OT Joe Thomas avoids big injury, Matt Cassel impressing for the Bills
Joe Thomas went down with an injury on Monday but it sounds like it won’t be serious, Matt Cassel had his best practice yet for the Bills and more from around the league.
Fortunately, the injury doesn't seem serious, though there is no official word on if he will need to miss any time. As one of the best left tackles in the league, Thomas is a hugely important player for the Browns. He has started all 128 possible games since the team made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Only Eli Manning, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Philip Rivers and Jason Witten have longer active starting streaks.
Thomas has been named to eight Pro Bowls, every season he’s been in the league, which is second-most in Browns franchise history. He’s also been a first-team All-Pro five times and was named to the second team twice. You can’t overstate Thomas’ value to the Browns. They dodged a bullet with this one.
Cassel impressing for Bills
The Buffalo Bills have an ongoing quarterback battle between Matt Cassel, EJ Manuel and Tyrod Taylor, with none of the three having done much in training camp to really distinguish themselves. But Cassel finally managed to stand out after Monday's practice session, as noted by Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com.
Cassel tossed three touchdowns and showed a real command of the offense during Monday's session. It was the best practice he's had all camp, and head coach Rex Ryan surely took note of his performance. Most have felt like Manuel will win the job due to his ceiling -- he's still young and has a lot of room to grow at this stage -- but Cassel has found success in the NFL in the past. This may be a sign that Cassel, who will start in the Bills' first preseason game on Friday, is taking over the quarterback competition.
Then again, as Fairburn pointed out, each quarterback has had similar moments this offseason. Taylor had a string of big practices during which he looked in control of the job, and then Manuel stood out during the team's scrimmage on Saturday. The Bills released an unofficial depth chart on Monday and the three are, sure enough, all listed as the starter, with Matt Simms all alone as the backup.
Cooper, Crabtree listed as starting Raiders WRs
The Oakland Raiders released an unofficial depth chart on Monday and there are a couple of things worth noting on the offensive side of the ball. Rookie first-round pick Amari Cooper seems to have turned enough heads to get the early starting nod at one of the wide receiver spots, while free agent addition Michael Crabtree holds the other spot. Crabtree has been consistently called the standout player at camp.
At the running back position, Latavius Murray seems primed to be the starter. He's been taking the majority of the first-team reps and is listed as the starter on this depth chart. There's also Trent Richardson, who has earned the "first-round bust" label after just a few seasons in the league. Richardson is listed as second on the depth chart, which is interesting since he's only participated in a handful of practices. It seems like he'll get plenty of opportunities to touch the ball this season.
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT
Tempers flare at NFL training camps, and fights are bound to happen. No team is safe from them, and on Monday, we had a handful of them. The first and biggest was the fight between Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and cornerback Josh Norman. Norman picked off Newton, and then Newton shoved him and the two went to the ground:
That was the aftermath right there. You can clearly hear Newton say “Hit me like that again, you’ll know something.” And if that video of said aftermath wasn’t enough, how about this crazy picture of a smiling Newton in mid-shove:
Stunning series of photos of Cam Newton fight here: http://t.co/l4gKkPVp9M pic.twitter.com/X2IeMyvtkf
— Mike Persinger (@mikepersinger) August 10, 2015 There was also a fight out of Bills camp, between wide receiver Robert Woods and cornerback Stephon Gilmore. That fight saw Woods' helmet come off, but he continued throwing punches at Gilmore regardless:
Robert Woods and Stephon Gilmore get in the first fight of Bills camp. Woods throwing haymakers. He's been frustrated for the last few days.
— Matthew Fairburn (@MatthewFairburn) August 10, 2015 Given the troubles the Bills have at the quarterback position, it’s easy to see why Woods would be frustrated.
Finally, there was a scuffle at Cincinnati Bengals camp between Dan France and Marquis Flowers. The two "traded a couple swings," though it didn't last long.
Dan France/Marquis Flowers just traded a couple swings. Mostly Flowers, though. France blocked him out of bounds,Flowers stopped near stands
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) August 10, 2015 Matthews makes his return
Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews has been absent from training camp to this point with a sore knee, but he was given the all-clear on Monday on a "trial" basis. The Packers will probably pull him if there's any sign of regression with his injury, and it likely means he won't be taking on a full workload for some time.
Matthews is the leader of Green Bay’s defense and one of the best pass rushers in the league. Getting him healthy for the regular season is one of the team’s top priorities.
White could miss full preseason
The Chicago Bears still don't have rookie first-round pick Kevin White back at training camp, and it's looking like it might not happen at all. The team is "preparing for the event" that White doesn't play at all in the preseason, which means he won't be around in training camp either, according to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. White was supposed to take on a large role with the Bears this season, starting opposite Alshon Jeffery, but the shin injury could now force him to miss time into the regular season.
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