Everything that happens during the NFL season evolves from what happens during training camp. It’s more than just jobs that are won and lost or roles that are defined. Training Camp is where the playbook is installed. It is where the players learn the game and how to play together as a unit. Training camp is where Tiki Barber learned to stop fumbling, it’s where Kurt Warner showed he could run an offense and where Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison learned one another’s tendencies. Thus, its where the seeds of a breakout fantasy football season are planted and cultivated.
More recently this is where players like Tyrod Taylor, Thomas Rawls and Kamar Aiken proved they were worthy of expanded roles in their offenses. The expanded roles led to more playing time or in Taylor’s case the starting QB job for the Buffalo Bills. The increase in playing time turned into a breakout regular season that translated into immense fantasy values. Nobody was talking about any of those three at this point last season. But in reviewing my Training Camp Reports from 2015 I had 12 entries discussing one or more of them as players who were on the come.
Training camp is so much more than just where teams come together and players get into shape. It’s a bonding experience for the players. It’s a chance to get away from the distraction of everyday life and do nothing but think and play football. Training camp brings teams closer together or even sometimes draws them further apart. But we see those cracks forming early and adjust our thinking accordingly in order to take advantage in our leagues.
It has been this way throughout time. For those of you who have played fantasy football or just been NFL fans for a while, we can go back and uncover previous fantasy breakouts. If you had paid attention to Training Camp 2010 you would have seen Victor Cruz grab everyone’s attention with some highlight reel catches a year before he broke out in the regular season. In 2003 a little known former college quarterback named Anquan Boldin worked his way into the Arizona Cardinals starting lineup during camp. Heck just three seasons ago we saw a fourth-string running back named Alfred Morris in Washington work his way up the depth chart to become the Redskins starting running back and workhorse. How about Arian Foster who wasn’t even drafted back in 2009 but took advantage of a camp invite by the Texans where he demonstrated a knack for identifying and hitting cut back lanes? He became a top five fantasy running back in each of the next three years.
Two years ago we watched as a little known tight end named Travis Kelce lit it up to the tune of 11-193-2 in the preseason for the Chiefs. I wrote about Kelce and his developing rapport with Alex Smith four times between July 28th-August 10th of 2014’s training camp blog. So, if you were paying attention then, you landed a pretty solid tight end who few had heard of late in your draft.
You may hear other fantasy analysts downplay the impact of training camp. For the life of me I don’t know why they do it but I hear it every year. Maybe they don’t believe that jobs are really at stake? Maybe they think it’s easy to learn an NFL playbook? Or maybe they think that training camp is just a bunch of guys running around getting in shape. It could be, as I say often, that few fantasy analysts have been through a training camp before. They haven’t participated in them and haven’t covered them which is why they don’t understand all that comes out of training camp. But it could be simply because some analysts are lazy. They don’t have access to folks who attend the practices. They don’t investigate each team to uncover those useful nuggets of fantasy worthy information.
As someone who has been to and covered many NFL training camps over the past decade I can assure you that everybody in the NFL wins their job during training camp. Remember, NFL contracts are not fully guaranteed. Even the biggest of superstars go into each summer with something to prove.
Those players who don’t realize their job is on the line are usually the ones who are stunned to be cut at the beginning of September. Tell a player like Montee Ball that it is easy to learn an NFL playbook. Why did this second round pick from 2013 get cut just before the start of the 2015 season? Because he couldn’t pass protect which when you have a 39-year-old quarterback coming off a significant leg injury, is a serious issue. Juwan Thompson an unsigned free agent wound up beating out Ball for the third-string running back job in Denver because if this and went on to win a Super Bowl ring as a result.
The coaching staff has a pretty good idea of what they have on their team and where they fit after organized team activities (OTA’s) and minicamps conclude in mid June. But training camp is where it all comes together. Sometimes a veteran player shows that he has lost a step. Sometimes a young player shows that he can’t adhere to the curfew rules the team establishes for them. Then, sometimes an undrafted free agent like Arian Foster or Kurt Warner trots onto the field and shows that they can play with the big boys too.
Fantasy football is such a competitive game these days and the people in your league are likely just like you in that they are always on the prowl for information. You simply cannot afford to go to your draft and be stunned that a guy like Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas or Colts running back Josh Ferguson are being scooped up in the middle rounds. You also cannot afford to take an early round running back like Jamaal Charles and not select his proper handcuff in Spencer Ware because the last you saw Charcandrick West was Charles’ backup. Mistakes like this will help ruin your season so stay alert and focus. If you’re the last person in your league to realize that the season has already started, you’ve already lost.
Player News
Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten said he had a private workout with the Commanders’ running backs coach.
Tuten didn’t name him directly, but Anthony Lynn is currently the Commanders’ running backs coach and run game coordinator. The Commanders were hampered by injuries to both Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler last year. Robinson Jr. missed three games and played through some of his injuries while Ekeler missed five contests and was limited to just 112 touches. Tuten crushed the combine with a 4.32 Forty at 5'9/206. He handled 200 touches in back-to-back seasons at Virginia Tech while topping 1,100 yards from scrimmage in both campaigns. He would offer the Washington backfield a good mix of durability and home run potential.
Titans released OG Logan Bruss.
Drafted in 2022 by the Rams, Russ didn’t appear in his first NFL game until last year. He appeared in eight games for the Rams to start the year, three of which were starts, but was then cut. The Titans claimed him and he appeared in three more games. Bruss suffered a torn ACL in practice ahead of Week 14. His recovery will determine how quickly he finds a new home. The Titans also released LB Curtis Bolton, WR Stanley Morgan, DT McTelvin Agim, DT Isaiah Itonm, and DB Gervarrius Owens.
Giants GM Joe Schoen said drafting a quarterback isn’t “mandatory” after signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
Adding two journeyman quarterbacks won’t prevent the Giants from drafting a quarterback, but it at least gives them emergency options if they strike out on draft night. New York currently holds the No. 3 overall pick. Shedeur Sanders has a private workout with them this week and remains a candidate for their first-round selection. The Giants also have private workouts with Tyler Shough and Jalen Milroe lined up. Neither player is expected to be drafted inside the top five, but the Giants could be eying a quarterback with pick No. 34. Russell Wilson can be penciled in as the Week 1 starter for now, but he’s far from a safe bet to make all 17 starts.
Texas WR Isaiah Bond filed a federal complaint against his acccuser, claiming he was “setup for financial gain.”
The news comes from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who is passing along an email Bond’s agent sent to all 32 teams. In it, Bond claims he is completely innocent after being arrested for sexual assault. He turned himself in to the Frisco Police Department last Thursday. The former Texas and Alabama receiver was eying Day Two of the draft before this incident came to light. Now NFL team’s will have to decide if they are willing to take on the risk with Bond.
Giants GM Joe Schoen said he “would not be afraid” to play Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter on offense and defense.
Schoen talked about the risks of playing Hunter both ways and noted how much of a mental workload it would place on the young dual-threat. Still, he ultimately came down on the side of letting Hunter do it all. The Browns currently hold the second overall pick and are favorites to land Hunter, but the Giants are one pick behind and nothing is set in stone. If Cleveland goes in a different direction, Hunter would be the logical choice for a Giants regime desperate for a big win. If Hunter succeeds on both sides of the ball, he could be the type of player who single-handedly turns things around for Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, both of whom enter 2025 on the hot seat.
Broncos hosted a top-30 pre-draft visit with Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson.
Henderson is gaining steam as the draft approaches. He recently completed a visit with the Steelers, who pick one slot ahead of the Broncos in the first round. Widely considered a dual-threat running back, Henderson rushed for 3,761 yards and 42 touchdowns while at Ohio State and ran for 183-1,248-15 as a true freshman in 2021. “This is a really good fit for several reasons,” Underdog’s James Palmer said, adding that Denver head coach Sean Payton “puts a ton of value in pass protection,” an area in which Henderson excels. Henderson would instantly become Denver’s lead back over Jaleel McLaughlin if he lands with the Broncos.