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 →

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 →