By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Victor Cruz‘s attempt to reclaim what once made him among the league’s best receivers remains in a rut.

After missing the team’s first preseason contest with a groin injury and being usurped on the first depth chart by rookie Sterling Shepard, Cruz’s fight for his job continues to be an uphill battle. After the receiver returned to practice to participate in individual drills, Giants head coach Ben McAdoo told reporters Sunday that the receiver’s groin injury is still noticeably bothering him, and he’ll be re-evaluated, per Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Robert Griffin III‘s first pass as a Cleveland Brown took the top off the defense and had wide receiverTerrelle Pryor diving to make the grab. It was the highlight of his night.

The majority of Griffin’s debut occurred under duress, and as is true for any passer, it’s not going to be all that pretty when you’re frequently running for your life. But to head coach Hue Jackson, it wasn’t too bad. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Sometimes, the first one is the most difficult — and most important.

The first jumper made for a struggling shooter in basketball. The first hit for a slumping batter in baseball.

Or, in the case of Melvin Gordon, the first touchdown. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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It’s been a fairly positive week in western New York.

The Bills handed Tyrod Taylor a new contract extension. The franchise announced a new stadium naming-rights deal with New Era Cap Company.

But even with the good vibes bouncing around Orchard Park, head coach Rex Ryan wasn’t pleased with the end of Saturday night’s 19-18 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, a game in which the Bills committed 11 penalties.

“The mistakes that we made, as I pointed out to our team, it’s like we’ve got to turn the page on that,” Ryan said, via The Buffalo News. “That was last year’s team, and we can’t have that.” Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Less than two years ago, Andrew Quarless was touting himself as a “top echelon” tight end.

Now, Quarless is without a job and facing a suspension. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the former Packers tight end has been suspended two games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, according to a source.

Quarless was arrested and charged with misdemeanor discharging a firearm in public in Miami Beach on July 4, 2015. He entered a plea and was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

After Quarless spent all but five games on the sideline with a sprained MCL in 2015, the Packers elected not to re-sign the veteran and instead inked free agent Jared Cook to a one-year deal. Quarless has since been without a team, and with a two-game suspension tacked on, it’ll be an uphill battle to find work during the preseason.

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The Cowboys are in need of a backup quarterback. Hypothetically, you could consider almost anyone short of Brett Favre.

Except Johnny Manziel.

“There’s no chance,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Friday morning on the Tiki and Tierney Show on CBS Sports Radio Network, via The Dallas Morning News. “Obviously Johnny needs to get his hands around his life. He needs to do the things that make him a good person off the field, I think, before he can ever have any chance of being successful in our league.

“He’s a guy obviously from Texas that we’ve all followed and had an amazing career there at (Texas) A&M. Unfortunately, he has some things that are holding him back not only as a football player, but as a person in life. We certainly hope he gets his hands around that because he’s obviously a guy who has had some very unique successes in his life.” Continue reading →

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 →