● Rico Dowdle, RB Cowboys, while not elite by any means, does have more juice at this point in his career than Ezekiel Elliot and will have a significant role in the Cowboys’ offense.
● Isiah Pacheco, RB Chiefs, seems to be in a good spot heading into the season. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is taking a backseat in the preseason to two UDFA’s Deneric Prince and this years darling Carson Steele. Prince is a size/speed combo, while Steele is a versatile runner who was asked to run and catch in Chip Kelley’s offense at UCLA. HC Andy Reid had recently come out and said Pacheco has improved as a pass blocker.
● Travis Etienne, Jaguars RB, is having a great camp as both a runner and receiver. ETN runs the “Texas Option Route” as well as any RB in football. Don’t buy the hype that Tank Bigsy looks improved. We heard the same thing last training camp, and Bigsby, by the numbers, was one of the worst backs in football.
● Cooper Kupp, WR Rams, is healthy, and all the training camp reports are glowing about him returning to form. Even in a vacuum, I like Kupp to have a season comparable if not better than his running mate Puka Nukua. Reports out of Rams camp, even before the Nakua injury, were that Kupp was the most targeted Rams WR. Now Puka has been on the mend with a knee injury which could make for a slow start to the season and we should get to see one more dominant campaign from Kupp, one of the games long time elite playmakers.
● The Colts and Bengals had a joint practice recently, and the Bengals defense was critical of Colts QB Anthony Richardson’s play. They made statements that all he does is run; he doesn’t see where his WRs are going, and he only throws to spots. Richardson has not looked good when throwing the ball in preseason action, coming back from the shoulder injury. While AR’s talent and upside is immense, things feel a bit more volatile recently heading into this season. There could be some ups and downs early on for the Colt’s offense, and may need to rely on RB Jonathan Taylor.
● WR’s Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy look fantastic in this years version of the Chiefs offense. With Hollywood Brown sustaining a pretty serious injury and missing time, these two WRs are both in line for great campaigns.
● Rhomondre Stevenson, RB Patriots, is the defacto New England offense. Reports out of Pats camp are that “Mondre” is the one and only consistent thing in this offense. The rookie WRs Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker are reportedly ways away from making major impacts, and there just aren’t a whole lot of other weapons.
● I wanna get excited for a breakout season from Bills 2nd Year TE Dalton Kincaid with all the targets up for grabs, but talk out of Bills camp is that Dawson Knox continues to have a role. Kincaid, a 2023 first-round pick, is uber talented, and we saw his ADOT pickup the latter portion of last season. In this instance, you have to go with talent > everything.
● I hate to be a buzz kill about Jaguars rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr., but I’m going to stick with my original evaluation of him being a developmental WR. The training camp highlights of him running past defenders on deep routes are exciting I get it, but unfortunately NFL defenses will scheme for this and stop it. He showed a nice “sell deep, comeback route” in the last preseason game so we see him working on developing his route tree..
● Keon Coleman, WR Bills is running exclusively with the 1’s during camp and pre-season action, but like fellow rookie Brian Thomas has a lot of work to become a good pro WR. My original evaluation of him was not great, but the Bills organization really seems to like him and is going to do everything they can to setup him up for success. Josh Allen has come out recently and said Coleman fits perfectly as part of the culture of the city of Buffalo.
● Some reports out of Bears camp say rookie WR Rome Odunze is more involved then expected. They are reportedly trying to find ways to get him the ball and we saw that in the second preseason game with a scripted rushing touch. Add to it that Keenan Allen by some reports has come to camp weighing in at 230 lbs., 20 lbs more then his normal playing weight. The narrative that Odunze will have a similar limited role as Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba did last season might not be accurate.
● Zamir White, RB Raiders, played into the second half of the second preseason game, which is not something a starter typically does. Reports out of Raiders camp have also been a bit mixed about White’s role. The Raiders do appear to want to run the ball and play good defense under Antonio Pierce, but it sounds like it will be a three-pronged approach with vet-free agent Alexander Mattison and rookie 6th-round pick Dylan Laube mixing in.
● Even before the trade of WR Jahon Dotson, Zach Ertz was reportedly the #2 target earner on offense for the Commanders. Now, with Dotson traded to Philadelphia, Ertz’s role is secure, and he is currently holding off standout rookie 2nd Round Pick Ben Sinnot, who also looks fantastic in camp.
● Cole Kmet, TE Bears, has been viewed as a viable Red Zone option for the offense and someone rookie QB Caleb Willams can rely on. Reports out of Bears camp suggest that Gerald Everett is running ahead of Kmet in practice. The pre-season game action did, in fact, confirm these reports. The two have been rotating quite a bit. Everett is familiar with new OC Shane Waldron from their time in Seattle.
● Joshua Palmer, WR Chargers, was the first WR taken out of the second preseason game. This typically signifies the depth chart rank and pecking order as viewed by a team. So, Palmer appears to be WR1, and he has always been a reliable option and favorite of QB Justin Herbert.
● Brandin Cooks, WR Cowboys, is clearly the only other consistent option in the passing game in Dallas right now, as Cedee Lamb is still not in camp due to a contract dispute. Even when Lamb returns Cooks will have a big role. Jalen Tolbert, entering his 3rd season, and rookie 6th Round Pick Ryan Flournoy are battling for the WR3 spot. Reports show that Tolbert is slightly ahead, but Flournoy has narrowed the gap, scoring his first touchdown as a pro in the second preseason game.
● Lions WR Jameson Williams has consistently drawn the praise of HC Dan Campbell. He called him a man in a mission, most improved Lions player during OTAs, and saying this is the most confidence he has seen in Williams. He continues to improve and make plays.
● Cardinals rookie RB Trey Benson has reportedly struggled during camp. HC Jonathan Gannon even came out and said as much. Benson did look much better in the second preseason (9/43), showing good vision and explosion through the holes.
● Saints RB Kendre Miller being in the doghouse of HC Dennis Allen is an understatement. The second-year RB has been marred by injury his entire time in New Orleans. Allen has come out several times and been critical of Miller’s continued unavailability due to injury. There has even been recent mention of Miller as a potential cut candidate.
● One final note: Bears WR DJ Moore and Texans WR Nico Collins are having great camps going about their business, and nobody ever seems to talk about either of them. Everyone else around them seems to get all the buzz, but these are fantastic players on ascending offenses. They have two of the most impressive analytical profiles in football and are the efficiency leaders at their position.
