This article is part of our Training Camp Notes series.
Injury Notes
It's not often you hear a player telling his quarterback to sit down -- well, not outside of Dallas, anyway -- but Ja'Marr Chase would very much like Joe Burrow to make absolutely, positively sure he's 100 percent recovered from his calf injury before getting back on the field, even if it means Burrow misses the first month of the season. "I don't want him rushing nothing. I don't want people in his ear telling him to play at a certain time. I just want him to be healthy," Chase said Friday on the NFL Network. "I told him as long as you're there after Week 5 on, we're good, brother." There's been no word from the team that Burrow's injury will sideline him anywhere close to that long, and it didn't seem like Chase's statement was prompted by any insider knowledge. Still, if the Bengals are forced to choose between having Burrow under center in September or January, you know what the decision is going to be. The star QB hasn't seen a big drop in his ADP just yet, but news of the injury only broke Thursday. If he does start to slide, Chase, Tee Higgins and the team's other skill players will probably follow suit given that Burrow's backup is Trevor Siemian. Of course, that might make a Cincy stack more affordable...
The Packers' tight end situation could get a little clearer in camp after Tucker Kraft suffered a knee injury Sunday. A third-round pick in 2023, Kraft is competing for playing time with fellow rookie Luke Musgrave, taken in the second round, and holdover Josiah Deguara. The knee injury isn't thought to be serious, but any reps Kraft misses will put him that much further behind the other two. Musgrave remains the most likely of the trio to make a fantasy impact, but the entire Green Bay passing game is a big question mark with Jordan Love taking over from Aaron Rodgers under center.
Eno Benjamin was officially placed on IR after tearing his Achilles during Saturday's practice. With Alvin Kamara suspended for the first few games of the regular season, the backfield cupboard is getting a bit bare for the Saints as free-agent signing Jamaal Williams and third-round rookie Kendre Miller are all that's left as legitimate options for touches. Whether that puts any pressure on the front office to sign one of the big names left on the market -- Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, Kareem Hunt or Leonard Fournette -- remains to be seen, but it's more likely the Saints just go back to the Mark Ingram well.
What's one more injured Seahawks running back? Seventh-round pick Kenny McIntosh could be out a couple weeks with a sprained left knee, which would have seemed like a much bigger deal while Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet were both sidelined. Instead, with Seattle's top two backs already back at practice, it just means McIntosh will have a much narrower window in which to prove he deserves a roster spot. The Seahawks have a lengthy history of seeing RBs break down -- some might even call it a curse -- and any back who makes the team has some sleeper potential, so McIntosh's progress is worth tracking for those in deep best-ball leagues.
Cody Barton, who missed practice Friday with a hip issue, was back at it and was a full participant in Sunday's session. The former Seahawk emerged as a starter, and a darn good one from an IDP perspective, in his final season with Seattle before signing a one-year deal in March to join the Commanders. Assuming he takes over Cole Holcomb's role and snap count in the middle of the Washington defense, he should be headed for another productive campaign.
Job Battles
The Eagles added a couple big names to their linebacking corps Sunday, signing Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham to one-year deals after workouts. Cunningham was once a lock to be one of the first LB off the board in IDP leagues, leading the league in tackles in 2020 for the Texans, but injuries have cut into his production the last couple seasons. Jack has reached triple-digit tackles in three straight seasons and four of the last five, but the Steelers made him a cap casualty in March. These aren't necessarily just depth signings; projected starting middle linebacker Nakobe Dean, a third-round pick last year, had trouble graduating from special-teams duty as a rookie, while the projected starter on the weak side, Nicholas Morrow, needed huge snap volume with the Bears in 2022 to post useful IDP numbers. The newcomers could be real threats to those jobs if they hit the ground running in camp and stay healthy.
Sticking with IDP news, Justin Houston has latched on with the Panthers. The 34-year-old is past his prime but still racked up 9.5 sacks in 14 games for the Ravens last year, the fifth time in the last six seasons he's had at least eight sacks. He'll provide a much better complement to Brian Burns on the opposite edge in Carolina's 3-4 scheme, but Houston's presence likely spells the end of any possible breakout for Yetur Gross-Matos.
