Drinking from the training camp news firehose can be overwhelming. The best way to not drown is to understand what news is potentially actionable to begin with.
RELATED: See the 8 Wide Receiver Rooms to Monitor in Training Camp here.
Many training camp items simply reinforce what we already know. The most valuable items are those that add detail to what we don't know - i.e., playing time and role allotment, whether due to new coaching staffs, new faces, or a player entering a new phase of his career.
Which camp battles are we watching at running back, and what have we learned so far?
Rookie Situations to Monitor
New England Patriots
TreVeyon Henderson has been running as the third-string running back behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson, who looked good as the season went on last year. Henderson has been involved a lot in the passing game,
but new head coach Mike Vrabel is on the conservative side when it comes to trusting rookies.
Early Outlook: Henderson might be overvalued and Stevenson undervalued in redraft leagues.
Cleveland Browns
Quinshon Judkins hasn't signed a contract as the last holdout in the great second-round pick guaranteed money movement. Unlike the other second-round picks, he was arrested during the offseason in a domestic violence incident. The Browns seem to be moving forward without him. Jerome Ford is in line to start while Judkins is out, but he hasn't been practicing because of an undisclosed injury. Fourth-round pick Dylan Sampson is the next man up, and he has had some good moments in camp so far.
Early Outlook: Judkins falls every time we re-rank the running backs, and Sampson moves up. But this is still a team with a four-way quarterback competition that could be won by Kenny Pickett (although he just suffered a hamstring injury). No back here is worth more than a late-round pick.
Denver Broncos
When the Broncos took RJ Harvey in the second round, many had him ticketed for a lead-back role. Then they signed J.K. Dobbins to a one-year deal with a little over $2 million guaranteed. Lest we forget, scatback Jaleel McLaughlin and 2024 fourth-round pick Audric Estime are still there.
Early Outlook: Dobbins is getting the first rep with the first team, but this has the look of something like the Mark Ingram II/Darren Sproles split from Sean Payton's days in New Orleans. No one in this backfield is worth a heavy investment in redraft as of now.
Los Angeles Chargers
Najee Harris was signed to a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the entire amount guaranteed, indicating that the team viewed him as a possible starter. Then they drafted Omarion Hampton in the first round. Then Harris injured his eye in an early July fireworks accident and started camp on the NFI list. He has been present at practice (wearing sunglasses) and still hasn't practiced yet.
Early Outlook: Hampton has done well with the opportunity, catching head coach Jim Harbaugh's eye with his ability to find holes in the "mush". Harris's tenure as the lead back might be over before it started. You'll need to take Hampton in the third round if you want him, and Harris is rightfully falling into the back half of drafts.
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