NFL Training Camps 2016: Updates, Rumors & Analysis for August 15

With the preseason now in full swing, NFL training camps are already beginning to wind down. That's good news for exhausted veterans, bad news for youngsters trying to make roster pushes before it's too late, and great news for those of us who can't wait for the return of real football. 

As many teams kicked off their final full week at camp on Monday, injury stories dominated the NFL news cycle. Here's a summary, along with other hot news items from around the league. 

Rob Gronkowski Leaves New England Patriots Practice

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The New England Patriots already know they'll be forced to start the season without their All-Galaxy quarterback, so they'd really appreciate it if the football gods would be nice to their All-Galaxy tight end. 

A lot of breaths are being held in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont right now as the team awaits news on Rob Gronkowski, who appeared to injure his groin during 7-on-7 drills Monday. 

The three-time All-Pro pulled up short during the drill and was met on the field by a trainer before heading to the locker room, according to WEEI's Ryan Hannable. 

Gronkowski, who has gone over 1,100 yards while scoring at least 11 touchdowns in each of the last two seasons, has been relatively healthy ever since missing the majority of an injury-plagued 2013 campaign. But with Tom Brady facing a four-game suspension to start the year, the Pats are certainly hoping that Gronk can make life easier on Brady's replacement, Jimmy Garoppolo. 

On the bright side, even if this injury forces Gronkowski to miss some time, the team looks like it made a sharp move in trading for veteran Pro Bowl tight end Martellus Bennett earlier this year. 

Cleveland Browns Welcome Josh Gordon Back

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One day after participating in his first walkthrough, Josh Gordon has taken another big step forward in his return to the Cleveland Browns. 

On Monday, the talented but maligned wide receiver was officially activated off the non-football injury list, according to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, enabling him to participate in his first practice since 2014. 

Gordon, who was suspended for the 2015 season for repeated violations of the league's substance abuse policy, had been dealing with a quad injury. 

"I'm the same guy," he said after practice, per Cabot. "I'm definitely the same guy. I'm confident in my abilities. I know what I can do. Just given the opportunity and the right timing, right position and the relying on the rest of the team as much as they rely on me, it's a great boost of motivation and anything is possible for anybody.

"But I definitely am aware of what I can do and I think I can build upon that and do even better."

It's been a while, but Gordon did have a league-high 1,646 receiving yards in 2013 and he's only 25. So you can't count him out, even if he still will be suspended for the first four games of the regular season. 

Baltimore Ravens Get Terrell Suggs Back

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After missing virtually the entire 2015 season and most of the 2016 offseason, Terrell Suggs has finally returned to the Baltimore Ravens. 

The six-time Pro Bowler practiced on Monday for the first time since he tore his left Achilles last September, per Garrett Downing of the team's official website. 

When Suggs started all 16 games in 2014, the Ravens had a top-10 defense while winning 10 games. But without him last year, Baltimore was ranked in the bottom 10 in terms of points allowed, winning just five games. 

“Darth Sizzle is back," Suggs said in a statement after practice, according to Downing. "It felt great to be back on the field with the team, there is nothing like it. Didn't get to do too much today as I am working my way back. I will speak with the media when I am fully back practicing."

So there's clearly a lot of progress to be made. Suggs, after all, turns 34 this year. But he's bounced back from major injuries before, and he still had 12 sacks as a 32-year-old in 2014. 

The Ravens' physically unable to perform list is far from empty, with key players Steve Smith, Breshad Perriman and Elvis Dumervil still sidelined, but this represents a nice break for a team that has seemingly been cursed by injuries. 

Depleted Bills Defense Adds Kroy Biermann; Offense Gets Karlos Williams Back

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The Buffalo Bills have been hit hard by injuries this offseason, but Bills fans did get some good news on two fronts Monday. 

First, with young front-seven defenders Shaq Lawson, Reggie Ragland and IK Enemkpali all down, the team added some experience on the edge by signing veteran pass-rusher Kroy Biermann to a one-year deal. 

And on the offensive side of the ball, running back Karlos Williams passed his physical in time to make his training camp debut. 

The 30-year-old Biermann had 23.5 sacks over the course of his first eight years in the league, all with the Atlanta Falcons, but he was used sparingly in 2015. Meanwhile, Williams, who had been sidelined since reporting to organized team activities overweight, will compete for reps with LeSean McCoy, Reggie Bush,  Mike Gillislee and rookie fifth-round pick Jonathan Williams. 

Considering that he averages a stellar 5.6 yards per attempt on 93 carries last year, you'd think Williams could make a serious push for action in 2016. But he's slated to serve a four-game suspension for violating the substance abuse policy, and now he's starting camp two weeks late. 

So Biermann and Williams might not be saviors, but for once, it sure is nice to see the downtrodden Bills adding rather than subtracting. 

New Orleans Saints Rookie First-Rounder Sheldon Rankins out with Injury

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The New Orleans Saints defense was historically bad last year, surrendering 29.8 points per game. That's a big reason why New Orleans used its No. 12 overall pick on a highly touted defensive tackle who was expected to play a major role out of the gate. 

Unfortunately for Saints fans, that will not happen. 

According to Josh Katzenstein of the the Times-Picayune, Sheldon Rankins is expected to miss at least six weeks after breaking his left fibula during practice on Monday. 

That likely means he'll miss New Orleans' first couple of games, but he'll also lose plenty of practice and preseason reps, which could leave the former Louisville star further behind when he is able to return. 

The Saints did sign veteran defensive tackle Nick Fairly in the offseason, and there's a lot of optimism regarding 2015 fifth-round selection Tyeler Davison, who appeared to make a lot of progress late in his rookie season. 

Still, this is a massive blow for a defense that needs to improve quickly. 

With Victor Cruz Still Out, Larry Donnell Leaves New York Giants Practice

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Based on a formula used by Football Outsiders, the New York Giants were hit harder by injuries than every other team in football last season. 

And in 2014.

And in 2013. 

Can the G-Men continue to build an injury dynasty? They're off to a good start in 2016. Take Monday's developments...

• Veteran wide receiver Victor Cruz, who has missed most of the last two seasons due to knee and calf injuries, remained sidelined to start the work week Monday as he continues to deal with a groin injury. 
• Tight end Larry Donnell had to be carted off from practice early, although head coach Ben McAdoo says the veteran starter was merely dehydrated. 
• First-round rookie cornerback Eli Apple remained out after injuring his knee Friday night. 
• Second-round rookie wide receiver Sterling Sheppard was again limited by a groin injury. 

While Donnell, Apple and Sheppard should be fine, you're now clear to panic about Cruz. Things have become so dire for him that Giants general manager Jerry Reese has been forced to confirm that they are "still not giving up on Cruz." 

“Hopefully," Reese added during a radio interview with WFAN on Monday, per Seth Walder of the New York Daily News, "he’ll make it back.”

The fact that it's come to a point at which team officials are making statements like those is discouraging. 

Detroit Lions Add Suspended Tight End Andrew Quarless

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Brandon Pettigrew remains on the physically unable to perform list due to a knee injury and Eric Ebron remains out with an ankle injury, which has the Detroit Lions desperate for a boost at the tight end position. 

And sadly, when you're desperate, it's easier to sacrifice your morals. 

That might explain why, seven months after stating he'd employ a zero tolerance policy when it comes to obtaining players with "domestic violence and dangerous weapons" issues, Lions general manager Bob Quinn signed tight end Andrew Quarless on Monday. 

The same Andrew Quarless who is facing a two-game suspension after being arrested for allegedly firing a gun into the air outside of a nightclub last summer. 

"We are aware of the upcoming NFL suspension of Andrew Quarless," Quinn said in a statement released by the team, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "We have thoroughly researched the incident that caused the suspension and have talked at length with Andrew about this. Andrew has been forthright and honest about the situation and he has gone through the process within the legal system. As an organization we are comfortable with adding Andrew to the roster and look forward to seeing him compete for the rest of the preseason."

If the Lions remain handcuffed at tight end, Quarless has the ability to produce. He caught 61 passes and scored five touchdowns with the Packers in 2013 and 2014, albeit with the highest-rated passer in NFL history throwing most of those balls. 

Ezekiel Elliott Expected to Return to Dallas Cowboys Practice on Tuesday

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A lot of folks think Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott can put together a dominant rookie season, but for that to happen the No. 4 overall pick will have to get back on the field sooner than later. 

Elliott has been out nearly two full weeks with a balky hamstring, but it now looks as though he's on the verge of returning to practice. 

"Just taking his situation day by day," Garrett said Monday, per ESPN.com's Todd Archer, who noted that on Monday Elliott took first-team walkthrough reps for the first time since getting hurt on Aug. 2. "He's closer and closer and we do anticipate him practicing here fairly soon."

Archer suggests "fairly soon" could be Tuesday, which would give the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year an outside shot at making his preseason debut Friday against the Miami Dolphins. 

Vance Walker Carted off at Denver Broncos Camp

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The Denver Broncos lost a pair of top-notch defenders and a pair of quarterbacks in the offseason, and now the defending Super Bowl champions are hoping that they'll avoid having to enter the 2016 season without yet another important cog. 

That's the fear after veteran end Vance Walker went down with what appeared to be a right leg injury during Monday's practice. 

“Fingers crossed when that happens,” head coach Gary Kubiak said, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. “Didn’t really see it. It was one of the early plays in practice. He and (offensive lineman) Max (Garcia) were tied up and he went down. We just have to see. Sit here and hope for the best.”

Walker isn't a star, but this D already lost starters Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan in free agency and Walker was expected to play a fairly significant role with Jackson gone. He had a pair of sacks and 21 tackles in 15 games last season, making four starts. And he's been a regular starter in both Atlanta and Oakland. 

Without him, a defensive line that already lost offseason acquisition Phil Taylor to a knee injury would become dangerously thin, with Derek Wolfe, Sylvester Williams and Jared Crick forced to start in front of a slew of players neither of us have likely ever heard of. 

"Walker left the Broncos’ facility on crutches and wearing a large brace on his right left," Jhabvala wrote. "He was expected to undergo magnetic resonance imaging to determine the type and severity of the injury, but if he’s lost for significant time, the Broncos’ may be forced to bring on additional help on the line.

Fingers crossed, indeed. 

Backup QBs Bruce Gradkowski, Thad Lewis Suffer Injuries

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It was a tough Monday for backup quarterbacks, with Thad Lewis of the San Francisco 49ers tearing his ACL and Bruce Gradkowski of the Pittsburgh Steelers suffering what ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler called "a sizable hamstring tear."

Of course, if all goes according to plan for either Pittsburgh or San Francisco, those injuries will never come into play. But Ben Roethlisberger is 34 and coming off a season in which he missed four games due to injury, and Colin Kaepernick is already dealing with "arm fatigue."

So these injuries put extra pressure on Roethlisberger, Kaepernick and San Francisco's "other starting quarterback," Blaine Gabbert, while probably opening up doors for Pittsburgh's Landry Jones and San Francisco's Jeff Driskel.