NFL Training Camp Report: Week One Around the League
Camps are officially in the books for a week, and there is so much to get through that Jeff Bell and I skipped the small talk this episode and dove right in. This is part one of a five-part series Jeff and I are recording every Tuesday night between now and kickoff. We're hitting every team's camp news, discussing changing player takes, shifting ADPs, and things to watch going forward.
Catch up on the episode here, or read along for a summary.
Seattle Seahawks
The defending Super Bowl champs gave us two stories. George Holani is getting reps with Jadarian Price, both ahead of Emanuel Wilson, according to ESPN's Brady Henderson. On top of that, Zach Charbonnet is being called a "potential close call" for Week 1, per SI's Albert Breer.
I don't think this actually moves player values much. We've known for a couple of weeks that Price wasn't going to own this backfield, and his ADP hasn't budged. Jeff and I agreed this is a classic case of double counting this time of year. We already expected Charbonnet might miss the start of the season, but now that he's got a "Q" next to his name on draft apps, he's sliding anyway (about half a round), and Price has slipped about a quarter of a round. Holani remains a fine late-round zero-RB target for early-season value, but I'm not sure he has a ton of utility later in the year. Jeff also flagged Elijah Arroyo generating some camp buzz at tight end, and he's curious whether a second receiver emerges behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
New England Patriots
Kayshon Boutte has been an "early star" at camp per ESPN's Mike Reiss. And A.J. Brown dislocated his thumb, though it isn't expected to be a long-term issue.
I've been saying for a while that Boutte can simply outscore Romeo Doubs, and I think ADP still doesn't reflect that possibility. There's nearly a 10-round gap between the two right now. Jeff agrees that Doubs is a "complete avoid" for him this offseason. Boutte has gone from undrafted in most drafts to inside the top 190 over the last week, which is a massive riser to keep an eye on. Jeff also pointed out the tight end room is thin behind Hunter Henry, with Eli Raridon close to a primary role if anything happened to Henry. On the backfield, with TreVeyon Henderson reportedly struggling in pass protection, Jeff has seen positive notes on rookie Jam Miller, and if he solidifies himself in that role, it could cut into the "if one RB goes down, the other takes over" plan that a lot of people are banking on.
Denver Broncos
Bo Nix said his ankle surgery will not impact his rushing or scrambling. Given Nix has been a QB8 or better in both of his NFL seasons, that's good news, and if he repeats that with a full arsenal (they added Jaylen Waddle, and that offense isn't going to throw fewer passes with him on the roster), he could be one of the best values at quarterback this year. Jeff called him one of the very best values at the position, sitting around QB15 in most drafts.
J.K. Dobbins gave us a great quote: "There won't be any injuries. I'll be there for all 17 games. I pinky promise all of you right now." If he stays healthy, this could be one of the best value plays in drafts. He was pacing for over 1,400 scrimmage yards last year before he got hurt, and he's the clear lead back in this offense, regularly falling outside the top 110 picks because of the injury history. Jeff said he's grabbing Dobbins or Jonah Coleman in most every draft given where RJ Harvey's ADP sits (Round 8-9). He doesn't fully understand why Harvey is going first off the board in that backfield given his passing-game struggles.
Denver is also exploring bringing in Taysom Hill, who was just released by the Saints. Fun story if it happens, but as Jeff put it, less fun for fantasy purposes if he's stealing five touchdowns from Nix, Dobbins, or whoever else is getting work in that backfield.
Los Angeles Rams
Blake Corum will be a "big factor" this year, per Sean McVay, and he's reportedly having a strong camp another year removed from that college knee injury. Kyren Williams' ADP has actually gone up since May, and Corum has gone up even more (about a full round). Jeff doesn't see Williams getting deleted from this offense. He thinks the ratio could shift closer to 50/50 rather than Williams' usual workhorse role, but pointed to Miami and Detroit as examples of two backs both providing top fantasy value in the same backfield. I tried to find a discount on Williams given all the Corum buzz, but his ADP just isn't moving. He's got his believers holding the line.
Puka Nacua is not expected to get a new deal this offseason, which doesn't move his 2026 outlook much. After some of his offseason issues, it makes sense that the team wants him to keep his nose clean before committing long-term. He's still going early in Round 1 regardless.
Jeff also threw out a couple of deep sleeper names here: CJ Daniels, a rookie who's looked strong in camp, and Terrance Ferguson, who I noted has gone from a name we were buzzing about with Joe Bryant last week to reportedly operating as the team's wide receiver three behind Nacua and Davante Adams. That's a riser I'm willing to chase up draft boards.
Houston Texans
Tank Dell is not on PUP to start camp, though he hasn't been cleared for contact yet. He's doing individual drills, and by all accounts his route running looks sharp. Jeff and I both like Jayden Higgins a lot here; Jeff called him one of the very best values in drafts right now, with both Nico Collins and C.J. Stroud praising him. I've started mixing Dell into some 20-round best ball drafts on the chance he can get back to even 80% of his old self, but Higgins is our clear preference by a landslide.
San Francisco 49ers
This is the team we spent the most time on, because it's an absolute injury mess. Ricky Pearsall is on season-ending IR with a PCL injury. Mike Evans is missing time with a quad injury. De'Zhaun Stribling, who had made real noise early in camp, is now out with a hamstring injury. Christian Kirk exited the first practice with a calf strain. They brought back Deebo Samuel Sr. on a one-year deal, and also signed Khalil Herbert for backfield depth after Jordan James broke a rib (expected to miss a few weeks) and Kaelon Black is dealing with a groin injury.
Jeff mentioned Jacob Cowing has had a pretty decent camp, and between him, Samuel, Kirk, and Stribling, there might be one too many veterans in that receiver room. On Samuel versus Stribling, Jeff said his rankings currently have Deebo projected to score more points, while I've got them back-to-back with a slight edge to Stribling. Obviously I want him back on the field for the rookie reps, though. In the backfield, Jeff isn't confident Isaac Guerendo would be more than an emergency option, and he sees this as a big blow for Kaelon Black, who could have solidified himself as the clear RB2 if not for the timing. Right now, I'll just throw a dart at whichever of James, Black, or Herbert is still there around round 20, mixing it up and hoping some teams break in my favor.
On Christian McCaffrey, Jeff thinks he's tremendous value in the middle of Round 1 given the red flags around his age and workload. If healthy, he's a near-lock to outscore Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson given his track record of record-breaking fantasy seasons.
Buffalo Bills
Running backs have been noticeably more involved in the passing game, per ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg. It's a new coaching staff bringing something that felt missing from Buffalo's offense. James Cook III is already trending toward the back of Round 1 for me, and Jeff ran some numbers on this: last year Cook only had 40 passing targets, similar to Dylan Sampson and Aaron Jones Sr. If you add just one passing target per game to Cook's actual production last year, he moves right into that cluster with Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. I have pushed up in my running back tiers alongside Chase Brown as one of his favorite values.
Skyler Bell could earn an early role, per BillsWire's Justin DiLoro, potentially jumping ahead of Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer in three-receiver sets as a rookie. Jeff is skeptical Palmer makes the team but has heard reasonably positive things about Coleman.
Chicago Bears
Kyle Monangai returned to practice Monday after missing time with a soft-tissue injury. There was some panic in the streets when that news first came out, but it's business as usual now. Zavion Thomas is getting reps with returners, receivers, and running backs, which tracks with what we discussed right after the draft about his versatility. Jeff thinks he's absolutely someone to have on the radar, especially in return-yardage leagues, and could carve out a role as the elusive change-of-pace piece D'Andre Swift and Monangai don't really offer out of the backfield.
We also talked Rome Odunze versus Luther Burden III. Jeff and I agreed that based on the tone of the reports out of Halas Hall, and Ben Johnson's public praise comparing Burden to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jarvis Landry, Burden is pulling away from Odunze early in camp. ADP is already reflecting that shift.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Parker Washington has "routinely been the top target" for Trevor Lawrence, per SI's John Shipley, though I mentioned I'd talked to a Jaguars radio contact who said it wouldn't surprise him if Washington leads the team in receptions, Jakobi Meyers leads in yards, and Brian Thomas Jr. leads in touchdowns. There isn't a clear number one right now. Jeff pushed back on my lean toward Washington, making the case that the offense's ceiling is so much higher if they commit to developing Brian Thomas Jr. as the true number one and push Trevor Lawrence out of his comfort zone with him, rather than defaulting to the "struggle target" in Washington. I countered that based on the scheme Liam Coen wants who win over the middle and create after the catch, that's not really Thomas's game, and I'm comfortable letting my leaguemates fight over these three guys rather than picking a clear lead.
Grant Udinski, the offensive coordinator, said Travis Hunter "continued to progress from a route technique fundamental standpoint, but also a knowledge of the offense and just the system in general." Liam Coen also said they plan to use Hunter in "F and X" spots, in high-leverage situations, third down, two-minute drill, red zone. Jeff and I both read that as bullish, since a guy getting six or seven targets a game in those exact spots still gives you real fantasy value even without full-time snaps, and his catches will come with big-play juice attached given he doesn't need a huge target share. There's also contingent upside in the event of injuries to other receivers.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. made an immediate impact in his first practice back from a foot injury, reportedly leveling a defender and drawing praise from Coen. Bhayshul Tuten is also getting positive coach-speak, but I pointed out Coen's history in Tampa of spreading work around (Rachaad White one week, Bucky Irving the next, Sean Tucker after that), so I don't want to pay up for Tuten when I can get Rodriguez many rounds later. Jeff's read is that the key variable is actually LeQuint Allen Jr. If he takes the full passing-down role away from both Rodriguez and Tuten, you're looking at flex/bye-week players rather than true difference-makers. We also joked about how much hype Tuten's breakaway speed has generated despite him reportedly having just one breakaway run all of last season.
Philadelphia Eagles
DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon are both out with hamstring injuries, neither considered serious. Dontayvion Wicks is stringing together quality practices, per ESPN's Tim McManus, and has some scheme familiarity. Jeff said he's more comfortable taking a shot on Wicks in best ball on the chance he settles in as a 30-40-yard-a-week receiver who scores six or seven touchdowns in a high-scoring offense, especially with Lemon out and missing valuable reps. Lemon himself is someone we're mostly avoiding in redraft right now.
Los Angeles Chargers
Ladd McConkey is a full go to start camp after the offseason leg injury we'd been tracking for months. Tre' Harris is expected to be "a legitimate part of the passing offense," per ESPN's Kris Rhim, and Keaton Mitchell "can help in the passing game," per ESPN's Dan Graziano. We've seen highlights of Mitchell catching the ball down the field, which builds on the buzz since he signed. Jeff raised the question of whether Omarion Hampton can still pay off at his early-second-round ADP if Mitchell carves out a real role, pointing back to what Miami did a couple of years ago with both De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert as top-end fantasy backs. On the receiver side, Jeff floated the idea that Harris and Quentin Johnston, given their physicality as blockers, could see plenty of snaps in three-wide sets alongside McConkey, especially with a deep tight end room (Oronde Gadsden, Charlie Kolar, David Njoku) available in jumbo packages. I'm not ready to write off McConkey's route-running snap share just because last year's offense was broken around team injuries, but I acknowledged we didn't see it materialize consistently last season.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Genuinely almost no news out of Pittsburgh this week. Aaron Rodgers is expected to play in the preseason despite saying he'd rather not, with Mike McCarthy wanting him out there. Jeff's real note here was on the receiver depth chart. He expects the two veterans, Michael Pittman Jr. and DK Metcalf, to hold down the outside, with the wide receiver three spot not mattering much in this offense. The bigger story to him is how much two-tight-end usage keeps both Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth on the field, potentially unlocking Freiermuth as a high-volume slot option that's flying under the radar. I've been drafting a fair amount of Freiermuth and have never understood the hype around Germie Bernard in this room. Rodgers' track record with rookie wideouts doesn't inspire confidence that Bernard will materialize into a fantasy-relevant player.
Green Bay Packers
Jayden Reed is a full-time player in two-receiver sets, exactly what we predicted during our NFC North preview, when we said this offense runs through Christian Watson and Reed. This is another double-counting case: Matthew Golden is falling in drafts while Reed climbs, and this shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone who was paying attention. Tucker Kraft was activated off PUP but is still limited in practice. He's backed off his earlier statements about being ready for Week 1, but all indications are that he'll be good to go. Sam LaPorta and Kraft used to go back-to-back in drafts; now there's a round-and-a-half gap as LaPorta rises and Kraft falls, and we both said flatly that we'd prefer Kraft. Our rankings prefer him outright.
On the receiver side, Golden looks locked in as the X receiver, stepping into the role Romeo Doubs vacated, with positive comments from Jordan Love. Jeff is curious about Savion Williams getting more schemed-up touches after flashing in the screen game as a rookie. He sees some parallel to what Zavion Thomas could be for the Bears. No firm notes on the backfield, but Jeff mentioned MarShawn Lloyd has strung together strong practices and could be the "Emanuel Wilson role" back if healthy, with Chris Brooks more in a LeQuint Allen Jr.-esque "on the field but doesn't touch the ball" role.
Carolina Panthers
Jonathon Brooks will not play in the Hall of Fame Game. Jeff's take: it's just unnecessary risk given the positive reports on him so far, nothing more sinister than that. He did flag that Trevor Etienne is also running with the ones, which could turn this into a three-man backfield, complicating the calculus.
Chris Brazzell II is out for the year with a torn LCL, and the very next report said Xavier Legette and David Moore are competing for a roster spot, meaning one of them is likely getting cut. Jeff doesn't think the team is overly committed to Legette; he sees him as a candidate for a late-round trade to a team like the Raiders down the line, sitting toward the bottom of this depth chart. Jeff also flagged Mitchell Evans as an interesting deep sleeper at tight end given his blocking-plus-soft-hands profile.
