By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Jacksonville opened the preseason with a quality first step, despite a 17-13 loss to the Jets. The brightest spot of that strong start belonged to wide receiver Allen Robinson.

A glance at the highlights will bring you two sensational grabs made by Robinson, which landed the Jaguars in the red zone, and soon after, the end zone. It’s the way things have largely been going for Jacksonville lately. After the franchise’s most encouraging offseason in recent memory (save for rookie Jalen Ramsey‘s setback), there are plenty of reasons to be excited.

Lost in Robinson’s big-play-packed preseason debut was the corner on the losing end of those one-on-one battles. Particularly who that corner was is important, because it was former first-round pick Dee Milliner.

Milliner has struggled mightily with injuries since being selected ninth overall out of Alabama in 2013 as the perceived successor to Darrelle Revis. He’s played in just 21 of 48 possible games in his professional career. He hasn’t seen the field as a defender in the regular season since 2014. On Thursday, he looked like it. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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His best pass might have been his second.

Facing second-and-15 from his own 32 with 1:15 left in the first half, Carson Wentz took a short drop from the shotgun, immediately jumped forward toward his right in the pocket and fired a dart to tight end Zach Ertz for a gain of 19 and a shower of cheers from the Eagles‘ faithful.

Wentz followed that with a short completion to Rueben Randle, a my-guy-or-no-guy toss out of bounds down the sideline, and a quick hitter under pressure that glanced off the hands of Ertz.

A punt followed, and Wentz continued into the night, commanding the Philadelphia offense in the second half of a 17-9 win. He was kept out of the end zone, and his stat line (12-of-24 passing for 89 yards, one interception) wasn’t quite indicative of his true performance. No worries. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Who’s the starter?

That’s the prevailing question everyone wants answered in training camp, and in itself is a key function of these preseason practices. Central to the determination of who is indeed No. 1 is the depth chart.

The first depth charts entered the view of public eye on Monday. Now, before we take these as football scripture, teams are required to put these out. A grain of salt is recommended on the side.

We saw the first clever publication by coaches on Monday with Gary Kubiak’s decision at quarterback in Denver. More on that later.

Tuesday brought another eye-opener, this time from the Browns‘ facility in Berea, Ohio. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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When one looks back on the Denver Broncos‘ 2015 championship season, they’d be remiss if they didn’t mention the impact Brock Osweiler made while filling in for Peyton Manning.

So it isn’t surprising that Osweiler wasn’t pleased with being relegated to the sideline in Week 17 against San Diego. After keeping the ship afloat — and really, sailing — in Manning’s absence, a stagnant stretch sent Osweiler back to the bench. It led to Manning taking over for one last title run and storybook ride into the sunset.

It’s understandable if Osweiler might have felt taken for granted, even with a heavy ring on his finger. His decision to take the money and run to Houston said enough. Broncos general manager John Elway took another step closer to solidifying that notion. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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While Mark Sanchez looks to be the leader by default so far, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak refuses to name a starter heading into Week 1 of the preseason.

That isn’t stopping Emmanuel Sanders from urging his team to move beyond the departed signal-caller.

Denver’s wideout respects and appreciates Peyton Manning, but he’s moved past the mourning stage, and is ready to heal and proceed forward after his teammate rode off into the sunset upon winning Super Bowl 50. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Every once in a while, a player widely considered to be past his playing days by virtue of drawing little interest sends out an inspirational tweet or post about his future comeback. So no one blinked an eye when former top-10 pick Kellen Winslow Jr. tweeted about working toward a dream no one could see but him.

We had seen the dream realized, in the multiple seasons (2004-2013) the son of a Hall of Fame tight end spent as a member of the Browns, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Patriots and Jets. But no one saw the 33-year-old Winslow getting a shot in 2016, and that’s now closer to becoming a reality. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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In holding out for one whole day, Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins hoped to kick start some talks on a new contract.

General Manager Rick Smith isn’t having it.

“There is not a negotiation happening at this point,” Smith said on Inside Training Camp Live. “He’s under contract for two more years.”

Hopkins chose not to report to camp on time with the rest of his teammates on July 30, but with each day missed came the possibility of a $40,000 fine. The threat of one fine was enough for the receiver, who posted 111 catches for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2015 to end his holdout July 31. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Melvin Gordon‘s first season in the NFL was one to forget.

The No. 15 pick in the 2015 draft rushed for just 641 yards on 184 attempts (3.5 yards per carry), fumbled five times (lost four of them) and was shut out of the end zone as the Chargers trudged through a 3-13 season.

Guess now is a good time to try him as a kick returner, right?

That’s what the Chargers did with Gordon during camp Friday, giving the running back reps as a kick returner during a couple special-teams periods, alongside fellow running backs Branden Oliver and Danny Woodhead, and receivers Isaiah Burse and DeAndre Reaves.

Only one of the aforementioned players is a first-round pick, which should sound the alarm bells inside the heads of the Chargers faithful. Here’s a quick look back on some of the best kick returners of the last decade and a half: Devin Hester, Josh Cribbs, and Dante Hall. Of those three, the highest selection was Hester, taken in the second round of the 2006 draft by Chicago. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Trent Richardson‘s latest release elicited a variety of reactions.

Disappointment. Pity. Laughter. Disdain for what knee injuries can do to great athletes.

Mentions were climbed into, and screenshots of blatantly missed running lanes were again shared.

But a striking profile of Richardson in 2016, shown on ESPN’s E:60, reminded us that Richardson is both human and also determined, even if the odds are stacked against him. Continue reading →

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 →