NFL Training Camp 2023: What Can We Expect from Justin Fields and Anthony Richardson?
At training camp, young quarterbacks draw the most attention. They can provide hope for the future or raise concerns with their performances on the practice field. Over the past few days, two young signal-callers have shown a lot of promise and potential.
Justin Fields will go into his third season with the Chicago Bears, who passed on this year's group of rookie quarterbacks to surround him with quality talent. He has a new starting wide receiver, another pass-catching tight end and a top-10 pick protecting his right side.
With that said, Fields has shown encouraging signs with his newfound command of the offense.
Just like Fields, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has impressed his teammates while taking most of the first-team reps at practice.
What can we expect from the two signal-callers in the upcoming season?
In addition to the quarterback discussion, we have rounded up the biggest storylines from around the league after Thursday's practices.
Justin Fields Is Taking Ownership of the Bears Offense
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The Chicago Bears decided to roll with Justin Fields and passed on the opportunity to have their pick of the litter among quarterback prospects, trading the No. 1 overall selection to the Carolina Panthers.
Clearly, the Bears are all in on Fields and his development. Typically, coaches will use cliches about a prominent player's offseason progress—teammates usually do the same.
But Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney provided a detailed response to a question about Fields' growth.
Remember, the Bears' previous regime led by former general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy moved up to the No. 11 spot to draft Fields in 2021. In 2022, Chicago hired Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus to replace them, respectively. Fields had to learn a new system behind a subpar offensive line and few playmakers.
According to Mooney, Fields has been able to build on what he learned last year and run the offense fluently, which will help him process what he sees on the field and make quicker decisions in the pocket.
This year, Fields has a top-10 draft pick at right tackle in Darnell Wright and new pass-catchers with wideout DJ Moore and tight end Robert Tonyan on the perimeter. He seems mentally prepared and equipped (personnel-wise) to make a third-year leap.
Anthony Richardson Continues to Push for Starting Job
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The Indianapolis Colts' quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew seems to favor the rookie right now.
According to ESPN's Stephen Holder, Richardson took "practically all the first-team reps" Thursday, a running theme this week.
Richardson earned praise from three-time All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson, via Holder:
"His work ethic and his poise in the huddle, for a rookie, has impressed me a lot. The growth I've seen from OTAs til now, you could tell that in the offseason he was at home... studying, he was working on calling the plays and the huddle. I'm really happy with where he is at right now."
If Richardson carries this momentum through the preseason, he has a good chance to earn the starting role, though Minshew's experience in head coach Shane Steichen's offense may help him fend off the rookie for the job.
Indianapolis will play its first preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on August 12. Richardson will draw a lot of attention with his big arm and mobility. In his only year as a starter at Florida, he threw for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 53.8 percent of his passes and rushed for 654 yards and nine touchdowns.
Steichen's work with Justin Herbert in 2020 and Jalen Hurts over the previous two seasons suggests that we could see Richardson stretch the field with his arm and use his legs to make plays early in his career.
D'Andre Swift Looks Like Eagles' Top Running Back
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In 2022, running back Miles Sanders racked up career highs in yards (1,347) and touchdowns (11) from scrimmage, and the Philadelphia Eagles let him walk in free agency. To fill his void, the front office signed Rashaad Penny and acquired D'Andre Swift from the Detroit Lions.
Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP believes Swift has stood out as "RB1 on this team."
Swift and Penny struggled to stay healthy with their previous clubs. Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson will likely use a backfield committee that also includes Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott and perhaps Trey Sermon to preserve the team's new tailbacks for the entire season.
Swift offers a little more upside than Penny because of his pass-catching ability. Swift has caught 156 passes for 1,198 yards and seven touchdowns in 40 games while Penny has just 27 receptions for 222 yards and a touchdown in 42 contests.
As a viable threat on third downs and in obvious passing situations, Swift should play most of the running back snaps.
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Jaguars Set Lofty Rushing Goal for Travis Etienne
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After a breakout 2022 Pro Bowl season, Trevor Lawrence has garnered a lot of offseason buzz, but Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson set a high bar for running back Travis Etienne.
While talking to reporters, Pederson emphasized Etienne's focus on hitting open holes with urgency for chunk yardage and tossed out possible rushing totals for the season.
"You don't just hand a guy a ball and let him go run. Sometimes that happens, but there's that skill and ability to anticipate a hole. We always talk about speed through the hole, not to the hole type of thing. He's really embraced that this training camp. That, to me, is the next step for him and that [1,100], [1,200], 1,300 yards start creeping up, and maybe he's pushing 1,600-1,700 yards as a rusher."
Last season, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs won the rushing title with 1,653 yards. If Etienne reaches the 1,600-1,700-yard range, he could be the next rushing champion.
More importantly, the Jaguars would field an offense that can beat opponents through the air or on the ground. Keep in mind that Jacksonville finished with the 10th-ranked passing attack in 2022.
With Lawrence, Etienne and a group of pass-catchers that include Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, the Jaguars offense could be a top-tier unit in multiple categories this year.
Bills GM Brandon Beane Says Stefon Diggs Never Asked for a Trade
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The Buffalo Bills would like to move on from media gossip about their in-house matters with wideout Stefon Diggs.
A few weeks ago, quarterback Josh Allen appeared on the Bussin' With the Boys podcast and said, "The media has blown this so far out of proportion."
General manager Brandon Beane sounds like he feels the same way.
"No, no one called on Diggs," Beane said on The Pat McAfee Show (via Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio). "I think people know that he's ours. Even if there was an issue, and he was never asking to be traded, it never came up."
The media caught wind of Diggs' issues with the Bills when head coach Sean McDermott told reporters that he was "very concerned" about the receiver not showing up for the first day of mandatory minicamp. On the following day, Diggs practiced with the team, but skeptics questioned whether Buffalo had a lingering problem with its star playmaker.
At the conclusion of mandatory minicamp, McDermott said the team is "in a real good spot" with Diggs.
According to the Boston Globe's Ben Volin, Diggs expressed his frustration with his "role in the offense and his voice in play-calling."
Buffalo has done its best to cool the temperature around its situation with Diggs. Nonetheless, in the upcoming campaign, we'll all watch Diggs' interactions with coaches and teammates to get a feel for his buy-in with the team's offensive game plans.
Lions Fans Are Buying the Hype
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In the offseason, most NFL fans have high hopes for their favorite team. But this year, it's historically different for the Detroit Lions.
For the first time in the Lions' history at Ford Field (dating back to 2002), they sold out their home games.
Lions president and CEO Rob Wood commented on the fanfare and enthusiasm around the team.
"This is an exciting moment for our franchise," Wood said. "To reach this milestone as we celebrate our 90th season of Detroit Lions football makes the moment even more special."
Even though the Lions fell short of a playoff berth last season, they generated hope for the short-term future, winning five of their last six games to finish 9-8. The club recorded its first winning record since 2017.
The Lions have continuity on offense with quarterback Jared Goff under center and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson returning to call plays after turning down head coaching opportunities. They also made an effort to strengthen their defense, which gave up the most yards and fifth-most points last season, by adding cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, rookie linebacker Jack Campbell and rookie safety Brian Branch.
Last season, the Lions beat the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 to knock them out of the playoff picture. Following Aaron Rodgers' departure from Green Bay to the New York Jets, Detroit looks like the top in-division threat to the Minnesota Vikings, who won the NFC North title in 2022.
Broncos' Injury Woes Continue With Jonas Griffith Tearing His ACL
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The injury bug bit the Denver Broncos multiple times this week.
On Monday, wide receiver Tim Patrick went down with a torn Achilles. On Wednesday, head coach Sean Payton told reporters that rookie third-round cornerback Riley Moss had core-muscle surgery. And on Thursday, Mike Klis of 9News reported that linebacker Jonas Griffith had torn his ACL.
Last year, Griffith started in eight out of nine games before the team placed him on injured reserve because of a foot injury. In the wake of this latest setback, rookie third-round linebacker Drew Sanders could play a significant number of snaps in the upcoming season.
From a big-picture perspective, Denver likely lost two players who would have had decent roles, and Moss will need time to ramp up into game shape after missing a month of action.
In the coming days, the Broncos will either take a look at free agents or test the depth of their roster at practices and through the remainder of training camp.
DeForest Buckner Is Dealing With a Foot Injury
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On Thursday, Indianapolis Colts All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner left practice with a foot injury, according to head coach Shane Steichen.
Steichen didn't provide any further details about Buckner's injury or when the defensive tackle would return to practice, though we should expect the Colts to be careful with one of their best defenders.
Buckner hasn't missed a game since 2020, and he's registered at least seven sacks and nine tackles for loss in five consecutive seasons. If the eighth-year pro avoids a major injury, he'll probably continue to play at an optimal level.
Even though the Colts hired a new head coach in Steichen, they retained defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. The Colts finished 21st in rushing yards allowed last season, but they gave up the fifth-fewest yards per carry (4.1) thanks in part to Buckner's play in the middle.
Justyn Ross Is Taking Full Advantage of Opportunities with Chiefs Starters
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When Patrick Mahomes builds a rapport with a pass-catcher, fantasy football managers must make note of it, especially given the current makeup of the Kansas City Chiefs' wide receiver unit.
Aside from Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the Chiefs wideouts have limited starting experience. Skyy Moore is going into his second season, and Rashee Rice is a second-round rookie out of SMU. Kansas City lost JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency and signed Richie James, who's played 57 games (14 starts) in five seasons.
Third-year wide receiver Kadarius Toney underwent knee surgery last week, which allowed Justyn Ross to emerge with the starters.
Mahomes has noticed Ross' ability to make splashy highlight plays downfield.
"He's learning the offense fast," Mahomes said of Ross. "He's obviously making big plays, and he's getting more and more involved in those first-team reps."
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy expects Ross' skill set to shine in his early developmental stages.
"He's a bigger receiver, but when you watch him, he really excels at route running," Nagy said to reporters. "He's learning his timing, for Pat to understand how he runs routes. It's going to be immense growth for him, in a good way."
Ross has experienced setbacks with major injuries.
At Clemson, doctors found out that he had a congenital fusion in his spine, a pre-existing condition from birth called Klippel-Feil syndrome. Ross underwent surgery and missed the entire 2020 season. He suited up for the following year, catching 46 passes for 514 yards and three touchdowns.
Despite posting impressive numbers (112 receptions for 1,865 yards and 17 touchdowns) between his freshman and sophomore seasons at Clemson, Ross went undrafted in 2022. A few months after the Chiefs signed him, he had surgery on his foot, which sidelined him for the 2022 campaign.
Now healthy, Ross has a shot to showcase himself in a featured role. At 6'4" and 210 pounds, he's someone to keep an eye on in a Mahomes-led offense.
DJ Chark Jr. Has Emerged as Bryce Young's Deep-Threat Target
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The Carolina Panthers rebuilt their wide receiver group this offseason. They signed Adam Thielen and DJ Chark Jr. in free agency, and they sent DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears in a blockbuster trade that allowed them to select quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick.
Chark has formed an on-field bond with Young, which caught the coaching staff's attention. The Athletic's Joseph Person picked up some noteworthy quotes from wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson and head coach Frank Reich.
"He's earned the trust of Bryce," Jefferson said of Chark. "Any time Bryce sees him out there one-on-one, Bryce is gonna take a chance. He's earned that right from Bryce."
"It seems like they connect every practice," Reich added. "You've got two really smart players. DJ's a really smart player, very savvy and instinctive. And then he's got speed to go with it. And I think Bryce (is) obviously same way. I think that's looked good. We're excited about that."
Over the last two years with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions, Chark has averaged 17.7 yards per catch, but he's been unable to stay healthy. He missed 19 games in that span.
Chark showed flashes of dominance early in his career when he hauled in 73 passes for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 en route to his only Pro Bowl nod. That season, he caught passes from Garnder Minshew, who was a rookie at the time, and Nick Foles. The speedy 6'3", 200-pound wideout doesn't need an established top-tier passer to put up respectable numbers.
While Thielen showed consistency during his nine-year tenure with the Minnesota Vikings, Chark could take the Panthers' aerial attack over the top both figuratively and literally.
Bills Will Feature Dalton Kincaid in Flexed-Out Tight End Role
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen may have another pass-catcher to feed on a consistent basis, which is a scary thought for opposing defenders.
In 2022, the Bills racked up the seventh-most passing yards and scored the second-most touchdowns through the air. They added to that strength in the draft with the addition of tight end Dalton Kincaid.
Over the last two years at Utah, Kincaid hauled in 106 passes for 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns. As arguably the best receiving tight end in the 2023 rookie class, he's likely to make an immediate impact in a pass-heavy offense with a big-armed quarterback under center.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane appeared on The Pat McAfee Show to discuss Kincaid's role, which is best described as a flex-out tight end who's a matchup nightmare for linebackers and safeties.
As Beane noted, Kincaid has worked on his blocking as an in-line (Y) tight end, but he's going to be featured in a receiving role alongside Dawson Knox in two-tight end sets.
Though star wide receiver Stefon Diggs will command targets as the focal point of the Bills' aerial attack, Kincaid adds another wrinkle to a top-tier passing offense that should rack up a ton of yards and touchdowns in 2023.
Ravens Unsure About J.K. Dobbins' Recovery Timetable
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While the Baltimore Ravens' revamped pass-catching group is generating plenty of buzz, they have a big question mark in their backfield that could impact the ground attack.
Running back J.K. Dobbins sat out mandatory minicamp amidst frustration with his contract situation, and the Ravens placed him on the physically unable to perform list at the beginning of training camp.
On Wednesday, head coach John Harbaugh said he's unsure when Dobbins will be able to suit up again.
"He wants to be out there, and he needs to be out there, just like any player does," Harbaugh told reporters. "Other than that, there's nothing else I can really add. I don't know when he's going to come back, but I know I'm going to be really happy when he does."
While the nature of Dobbins' injury remains unclear, he's dealt with knee issues since tearing his ACL in the Ravens' 2021 preseason finale. He missed the entire 2021 campaign and nine outings last season.
If Dobbins isn't back on the field for Week 1, Melvin Gordon III could take on an expanded workload in the run game. Baltimore signed him in July, and he arrived with a chip on his shoulder.
In Dobbins' absence, Gordon could touch the ball 10-12 times per game as part of a running back committee with Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.
College football statistics are provided by cfbstats.com.
Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.
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