NFL Training Camps 2015: Updates, Rumors and Analysis for August 11

Training camp, like Saturday night in Elton John songs, is alright for fighting.

Yes, coaches hem and haw about how there's "no place" for it. But there's a reason there are so many scuffles in camp every year. Players are fighting for spots and trying to make an impression on coaches. Tempers are running high.

And on some level, those coaches want that tension—that "edge."

That is, right up until one of those dust-ups lead to disaster, as with the story that kicks off Tuesday's look at the latest news and updates from camps around the NFL.

Geno Smith Breaks Jaw in Locker Room Fracas

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Yes, you read that right.

On Monday, the Carolina Panthers averted disaster when star quarterback Cam Newton scuffled with a teammate in practice.

The New York Jets (being the Jets) had no such luck.

As ESPN's Rich Cimini reports, quarterback Geno Smith will miss the next 6-10 weeks after suffering a broken jaw from a "sucker-punch" thrown by (now ex) teammate IK Enemkpali.

Head coach Todd Bowles, not surprisingly, was not at all amused by this turn of events:

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The team knows it. It's something we don't tolerate, something we can't stand. You don't walk up to a man and punch him in the face.

It was something very childish, something sixth-graders could've talked about. It had no reason to happen. If they want to tell you what happened, they can tell you what happened. I told them I wouldn't say anything about it.

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It's a crushing blow to both Smith and the Jets. By all accounts Smith had fared well to this point. Now, a quarterback facing a make-or-break year will miss all of the preseason and several regular season games before he's even able to practice, much less play.

It also leaves veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick as the team's Week 1 starter, Enemkpali looking for work and fans of the Jets reaching for the liquor cabinet...again.

Cardinals Make Offer to Chris Johnson

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

The Arizona Cardinals had some trouble moving the ball on the ground last year. There were a number of reasons, from injuries at quarterback to ones that left the team looking at a lot of stacked fronts.

The Cardinals attempted to upgrade the backfield in this year's draft with the selection of David Johnson, but with a hamstring pull sidelining the rookie, it appears Redbirds GM Steve Keim has moved on to plan B.

According to ESPN's Dianna Marie Russini, "The Cardinals are pursuing RB Chris Johnson. They have offered him a 1 year deal per sources. Stay tuned to see if he says yes."

It's the first known serious interest in the 29-year-old Johnson, who failed to hit 1,000 yards on the ground last year for the first time in his career.

According to ESPN, Arizona head coach Bruce Arians didn't mince words when asked about the state of his backfield.

"I'm not pleased with the amount of time that [Andre Ellington] and David have lost," Arians said.

Bobby Massie Gets Three-Game Ban

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

The state of the Arizona running backs isn't the only thing Arians isn't happy about on Tuesday.

As Chris Wesseling of NFL.com reports, offensive tackle Bobby Massie will miss the first three games of the 2015 NFL season courtesy of a league-mandated vacation:

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Right tackle Bobby Massie is facing a three-game suspension for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports, via sources informed of the situation. Massie will appeal the ban.

The suspension is the result of an incident from Super Bowl week, per Rapoport. Massie was arrested for being intoxicated behind the wheel at the Cardinals' facility.

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It's not just a matter of losing Massie, who started all 16 games at right tackle for the Cardinals last year. As Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic tweeted Tuesday, rookie D.J. Humphries, who would seem the obvious fill-in for Massie, has struggled in camp.

"Arians says Humphries nickname is 'knee deep,'" Somers said. "Because that's how far coaches have put a foot up his rear to motivate."

That motivation now carries even more pressure because for all the things Carson Palmer does well, avoiding pass-rushers is most assuredly not one of them.

Breshad Perriman Still on the Shelf

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

With Torrey Smith now in San Francisco, the Baltimore Ravens needed a vertical threat to pair with veteran Steve Smith at wide receiver.

The team thought first-round speedster Breshad Perriman would fit that bill.

The problem is, to run fast on the field you have to be, you know, on the field.

And it's been a while since Perriman was.

As ESPN's Jamison Hensley tweeted Tuesday, "#Ravens WR Breshad Perriman (knee) is missing his 10th straight practice. He hasn't suited up since the first day of camp (July 30)."

Offensive coordinator Marc Trestman tried to downplay Perriman's absence recently while speaking with Hensley:

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He's a smart young man. He's not going to get behind learning the offense. Obviously, he doesn't have the opportunity to develop his skill set on the grass, but we can't do anything about that. We'll work hard with Bobby [Engram, wide receivers coach] and our coaches to get him ready as quickly as we can and put him in a position where he can compete. When that time comes, we'll get started.

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Perriman has yet to be ruled out for the exhibition opener Thursday night, but as things stand today, it appears unlikely he'll take the field against the New Orleans Saints.

Steelers Sign Garrett Hartley

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't waste any time replacing injured kicker Shaun Suisham.

According to ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler, the Steelers agreed to terms on a one-year deal with veteran kicker Garrett Hartley, who most recently played in two games for the Cleveland Browns last season:

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Hartley, a career 81.7 percent kicker in seven NFL seasons, received a one-year deal, sources told ESPN. Hartley spent six seasons with the Saints and a two-game stint with Cleveland, where he went 3-for-3 last year.

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Pittsburgh guard David DeCastro downplayed the change at kicker while speaking with Fowler.

"You're always trying to score in the red zone—if you're thinking about kicking field goals, that's not really the right mindset," he said.

However, it's worth pointing out that Hartley was let go in New Orleans due to accuracy issues, and there may not be a harder stadium in the NFL to kick in than Heinz Field.

And Suisham was very good at it.

EJ Manuel Bringing Up the Rear

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Two years ago, EJ Manuel was the first quarterback taken in the 2013 NFL draft.

Now, the third-year pro finds himself the third man in a three-man race to start at quarterback for the Buffalo Bills.

That's the latest from Mike Rodak of ESPN, who wrote that head coach Rex Ryan said that first Matt Cassel and then Tyrod Taylor will enter the game under center for the Bills when they kick off the preseason Friday against the Carolina Panthers:

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Yeah, we'll probably put him (Taylor) as the second guy. You guys want to? We'll put him second. I think we're gonna look at it over at least a two-game stretch, so I think that'll be where they're more balanced, probably. But each guy will get a shot.

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Mind you, this competition is far from settled. After all, just a few days ago Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com called Manuel the best quarterback on the team (that day, anyway).

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Manuel looked like the best quarterback of the bunch Saturday. His touchdown drive was the only one of the day, and he showed off his legs with an 18-yard run on a bootleg. Manuel's numbers could have been better if not for a few drops, including one from Marquise Goodwin that cost the Bills a first down. For the most part, Manuel took what the defense gave him, but he did take a few deep shots down the field. His touchdown came as Manuel worked his way through his progression, and he also had two impressive throws down the middle of the field: One to Percy Harvin and one to Chris Hogan. Manuel seems to be at his best when attacking the defense between the hashmarks.

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However, if the pecking order against the Panthers is any indication, Manuel has some ground to make up—and not much time in which to do it.

Brandon Coleman Making Waves in the Big Easy

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

There are some big changes afoot in the Big Easy this year. Tight end Jimmy Graham is gone. So is wide receiver Kenny Stills.

Those departures have opened the door for someone to step up and claim the No. 3 receiver role for the New Orleans Saints.

And Mike Triplett of ESPN believes that a surprise may be in store in that regard:

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As I’ve written before, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brandon Coleman emerge as New Orleans’ No. 3 receiver by Week 1. The big, 6-foot-6, 225-pound target was off to a terrific start in the first few days of training camp before being sidelined with a minor, undisclosed injury. He’s been working his way back into the lineup in team drills this week.

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Head coach Sean Payton talked up Coleman's Year 2 improvement back in OTAs while speaking with Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

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The first thing we evaluate is does the player know what to do. Those guys in their second year are getting aligned quicker.

If you know what to do, it's a lot easier or you have a lot better chance of doing it than if you're struggling getting in and out of the huddle and what route you have. They're playing with the knowledge of the offense and you can see that in their play.

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It appears Coleman has kept that momentum going.

Jordan Reed Out—Again

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

When he's on the field, Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed has shown the sort of athletic ability that's all the rage in today's NFL.

Of course, the problem is that Reed is seldom on the field, and the third-year pro made it back onto the practice field just in time to get hurt again.

As Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports, head coach Jay Gruden stated that "Jordan Reed battling a little hamstring soreness."

That might not sound like much, but given Gruden's comments to Jones on Monday, Reed may have bigger problems than just a sore hammy:

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I think Niles Paul is probably a little bit more of a complete [tight end] when you are talking about blocking also – when you are talking about your base offense where you go one fullback, one running back and one tight end where the running game and pass blocking is very important for that guy. Niles has emerged as the starter. Jordan will play a lot in our three-receiver sets, one-tight-end set, obviously. He is probably the starter in that particular group. … We change personnel so often, they will both get a lot of playing time. But if you just go with one fullback, one running back and one tight end, it will be Niles that’ll start.

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And being laid up again isn't going to help matters.

Jay Cutler Slicing Up Bears Defense

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Jay Cutler needs a hug.

If there's a more disliked signal-caller by his own fanbase than Cutler in Chicago, I'd like to know who it is. It's far from a state secret that the Bears tried to unload the 10th-year veteran (and his huge contract) in the offseason.

However, for once there's some good news surrounding Cutler. As Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reports, Cutler has yet to throw an interception through 11 training camp practices.

Cutler deflected credit for the "streak" while allowing that it could mean very little once the games begin to count.

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I think it’s a combination of everything. I think Adam does an incredible job scheme-wise of putting quarterbacks in the right position. But a lot of it goes on the offensive line, the way they’ve played throughout camp, and the receivers getting open. They all have to do their job and I’ve got to put it in the right spot, and those 10 other guys have done a really good job.

You never know. Camp’s camp. We’re not getting hit. These aren’t live bullets. So we’ll see what happens when we start going.

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Cutler may well be right. But the Bears are a team badly in need of some good news, any bit of positive momentum.

And it appears they may have gotten a little.