By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Jared Goff was, to the Rams, worth selling the farm to move up to select him. But that value is also enough to keep the organization from forcing him into the starting lineup, at least for Week 1 of the preseason.

Former University of Houston star and current middling quarterback Case Keenum will start for the Rams against the Dallas Cowboys in their return to Los Angeles at the Coliseum on Aug. 13, coach Jeff Fisher said Friday.

What a bummer for those Rams fans and their shiny, new No. 16 jerseys, right? Wrong, says NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks, who went to Rams camp and witnessed Goff’s current progress as a professional quarterback. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Fullbacks, once the offensive crown jewels of the sport, are somewhat of a dying breed these days.

That isn’t stopping John Kuhn.

The nine-year veteran, who spent the majority of his career as a fan favorite in Green Bay, will move southeast to sign a one-year deal with the Saints. New Orleans offers the fullback another chance to play, Kuhn’s agent told ESPN. Kuhn later bid farewell to Packers fans on Twitter: Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Summertime. August. The dog days of training camp.

As the sun shines down on sweat-drenched backs and bakes the arms and legs of players one shade darker, players trudge from group drills to full team sessions. Eleven-on-eleven. The horn sounds. It’s time to roll.

Pads and helmets clash. Grunts of various tones sound through the hot air. Coaches shout “stay up! stay up!” as whistles bring plays to an end.

Seriously, though — stay up!

That’s the point Eagles tight end Zach Ertz made after practice Friday, a session that saw Jordan Matthews leave early with a knee injury scare after a low hit by rookie corner Jalen Mills. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Tom Brady‘s decision to end his personal fight in the Deflategate saga was made simply to help everyone move forward.

That’s the point Brady stressed Friday when speaking to the media for the first time since deciding not to pursue further legal action in the appeal of his NFL-imposed four-game suspension. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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In 2011, Sebastian Janikowski became the third kicker in NFL history to convert a 63-yard field goal attempt, thus completing the kicker triumvirate. In 2012, left-footed David Akers nailed a 63-yarder and blew up the coalition. Matt Prater came along and obliterated our scope of kicking greatness a year later, drilling a 64-yarder before halftime in a 51-28 win over the Titans.

Two of those kicks — Janikowski’s boot and Prater’s bomb — came in Denver, the famed Mile High City, where the air is thinner and brewery commercials would lead you to believe the spring water is more pure. Altitude’s influence has one kicker, Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, with his head in the clouds, claiming he can make an 84 — eighty-four — yard field goal within the confines of Denver’s home stadium.

Consider his bluff called. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Swap one injured back for another. That’s how it seems things are going so far in Miami’s camp.

One day after Arian Foster “annihilated” his conditioning test, earning him freedom from the physically unable to perform list, running back Jay Ajayi is missing Dolphins practice, NFL Media’s Jeff Darlington reported.

Ajayi is on the practice field, but on the side riding a stationary bike. That should be encouraging enough to expect he and Foster to resume their time together in the backfield in the near future, though it is sobering to consider the running back vying for a starting job is dealing with a knee issue before the team has even entered full pads.

Ajayi later told reporters, per The Miami Herald, that he’s currently battling a bone bruise in his knee but doesn’t expect to be out for very long.

Here are more injuries we’ve been tracking on Monday:

1. Carolina Panthers defensive end Kony Ealy remains in concussion protocol, according to the Charlotte Observer. Ealy suffered a helmet-to-helmet hit during Saturday’s practice session. Continue reading →