Despite a 7-9 regular season, the 2010 Seattle Seahawks somehow snuck into the playoffs. Not expected to make much noise, they managed to steal a game from the heavily favored New Orleans Saints, much thanks to Marshawn Lynch's folklore-esque "Beast-Quake" – a game-winning touchdown so huge that the crowd noise actually registered on the Richter scale! Still though, they quickly exited the playoffs after that and moved on from long time signal caller Matt Hasselbeck.
Still searching for the right quarterback the team stumbled to a 7-9 record once again in 2011; this time not making the playoffs...
In that same season, on the Green Bay Packers, was backup quarterback Matt Flynn who was starting in a meaningless Week 17 game. In that game he slung the rock around for a team record 480 yards and another team record six passing touchdowns.
Back to the Seahawks – who were still looking for Mr. Right at the QB position… They jumped all over the then free agent Flynn in the following free agency period, and controversially heaped $20 million on a quarterback with one career start – albeit an historic one.
Headed into the 2012 season it was Flynn who was set to compete with incumbent quarterback Tavaris Jackson for the starting job.
But then something funny happened... Russell Wilson.
After the first few practices, it was clear that this third-round rookie was far superior to the others involved in the competition. He quickly gained favor of the coaching staff and was named the starter before the final preseason game.
Then the rest is history…
Wilson has since been to two Super Bowls, won one of them, been named to three Pro Bowls, and won Rookie of the Year. He’s easily considered one of the top players in the game today and is consistently relied upon as a top fantasy quarterback.
You are probably asking what the point is after this admittedly long-winded tale, and it is this… Training camp matters.
Despite giving a free agent quarterback $20 million and having an incumbent starting quarterback on the roster, Wilson won the job because he showed up the best in camp.
The Seahawks, in this story, are a microcosm for every NFL team before and after them because while they may not have seemed like it at the time, they were actually really close to contending for a championship regardless of finishing back-to-back seasons with sub-.500 records. In the NFL, there is no time to give players a chance because you invested heavily in them, or because they had the starting job last year, last week, or even last play. It’s a put up or shut up league, where everyone is expendable. Any team can be one player away in this league, which is what makes their training camp more important than just about every other major American sport’s. Just look at former fourth-round pick Dak Prescott last season. He entered training camp as the third-string QB, but after injuries to other players, he stole the job. He proved so true in training camp and preseason to be capable of running a locker room in the wake of adversity that Tony Romo – a future hall of famer – couldn’t even get his job back once healthy. He then flipped the script on this team from a 4-12 record the year before to a conference leading 13-3 record. After coming from a humble NFL beginning, he now looks to be a franchise player for years to come.
To get back to the meta point for the purposes of this fantasy draft guide, understand that following training camp battles and early August narratives is just as important as following the injury report and waiver wire during the season. It at times happens quietly, but scenarios have played out where former undrafted free agents can steal starting jobs out of camp headed into the regular season. Jobs won as late as the final preseason game have gone on to win fantasy football titles.
Don’t believe it?
Ask Russell Wilson.
Player News
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Cowboys are finalizing a trade for Steelers WR George Pickens.
The move, which includes a 2026 third round pick and a 2027 fifth round pick sent to the Steelers, comes after another ESPN report saying Pickens, 24, wanted to remain in Pittsburgh. Acquiring Pickens — who has 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over three NFL seasons — addresses an area of acute need for the Cowboys, who have one of the league’s weakest wideout room behind CeeDee Lamb. Pickens and Lamb will make for one of the NFL’s best receiver duos, with Pickens functioning as a viable downfield threat for Dak Prescott, who last season ranked 15th out of 40 qualifying quarterbacks in deep ball accuracy. Pickens in 2024 was third in deep targets and second only to Alec Pierce in receiving yards on downfield receptions. Pickens will have far more upside in the Dallas offense than he did in Pittsburgh. DK Metcalf, meanwhile, will enter the 2025 season as the unquestioned No. 1 wideout for the run-heavy Steelers. His fantasy prospects look much brighter with Pickens in Dallas.
NFL Network’s Jane Slater reports Saints QB Derek Carr wants to “see if he can play through with this shoulder injury.”
Slater reports that Carr believes he injured his throwing shoulder in the same Week 14 game against the Giants that he injured his left wrist last season. The shoulder issue was apparently discovered as he ramped up throwing in the spring, not as the season wound down in 2024. Carr has already had surgery on that arm and wants to see if he can play through the injury. Slater adds that Carr made two trips to New Orleans to meet with the team doctor and a decision will be made “sooner rather than later” as the 34-year-old tries to make the best decision for his shoulder and the Saints aim to make the best decision for their franchise. It would be a surprise to see Carr return to start for the Saints, especially without having surgery. New Orleans has signaled an attempt to move on by selecting Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Carr has two seasons left on his four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints and a decision on his future is looming.
9News’ Mike Klis reports free agent QB Desmond Ridder will get a veteran tryout at the Broncos’ rookie minicamp.
Ridder is a former third-round pick of the Falcons in 2022 and started 13 games for them in 2023. Atlanta moved on from Ridder after his 12-touchdown, 12-interception season; he joined the Raiders to play six games and start one in 2024. The 25-year-old is searching for backup jobs around the NFL after throwing for 5.4 yards per attempt and earning a 45.7 PFF grade last season, good for No. 69 out of 75 quarterbacks. The Broncos will bring him into rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, where Ridder looks to earn the chance to compete with Sam Ehlinger for the third-string quarterback spot in Denver.
Bengals DT B.J. Hill was seen in a protective boot at Tuesday’s voluntary workout.
Hill was seen in a protective walking boot for his left foot at the Bengals’ voluntary workout session on Tuesday. It seems to be a new injury for the veteran, though it is not yet clear what the injury is. The Bengals just signed Hill to a three-year, $33 million contract in the offseason and will be hoping one of the investments into their defense gets healthy for the start of the regular season.
The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf reports Brian Schottenheimer was “non-commital” on whether the Cowboys would have a lead back or take a committee approach.
“Schottenheimer wants to see how things unfold during offseason workouts and training camp,” Yousuf continues. It certainly seems to be a situation where Jaydon Blue could carve out a role in a hurry. “If Blue proves himself, he’ll have the chance to carve out a significant role,” Yousuf writes. Certainly nothing we saw from Javonte Williams or Miles Sanders in recent years would lead us to believe that they’ll be blocking Blue if he shows out in training camp.
Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said he’s “expecting Kyle [Pitts] to take a big jump.”
“Year 2 of the system. Year 2 of understanding what we’re trying to do offensively. All those things that come with it, so expecting a lot of good things from Kyle,” Robinson continued, presumably while trying to sell the people who asked him this question a bridge. The good news for those who would want to buy in on Pitts is, like the Spanish Inquisition, nobody is expecting a Pitts breakout year in his fifth season. He’s now a freeroll. But it’s hard to believe he’ll do any better than low-end TE1 duty this year.