NFL Training Camps 2015: Updates, Rumors and Analysis for August 4

It's August in the NFL, and that can mean only one thing.

Camping time!

All across the league, training camps are underway. Not rookie symposiums. Not voluntary OTAs. Training camp. The real deal.

It's go time.

By week's end, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings will have given us our first glimpse of game action for 2015, and while that game won't be pretty (the preseason never is) it will only serve to ramp the hype surrounding the NFL up another notch.

Not that there isn't already plenty to talk about—like these bits of news, speculation and analysis from around the league Tuesday.

Arian Foster Injury Update

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Well there's a headline you don't see every day.

On second thought...

When he's healthy, Houston Texans running back Arian Foster is as talented as any ball-carrier in the NFL. Foster topped 1,200 yards on the ground in 2014, the fourth time in five seasons the soon-to-be 29-year-old has accomplished that feat.

However, Foster has also missed time in three of the past four seasons with an assortment of soft-tissue injuries, and he made it all of one padded practice into 2015 before picking up another one.

According to Jayson Braddock of ESPN 97.5 in Houston, Foster suffered a "serious" groin injury that may require surgery. In fact, Braddock suggests that Foster could be a candidate for injured reserve/designated for return, which would cost him the first half (at least) of the regular season.

And as the day grew later, the news got worse. Per Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston, Foster will have surgery, although "he is expected back at some point during the season."

There goes any real shot the Texans had of making hay in the AFC South this year.

And isn't that a kick in the...

Cody Latimer Shining in Denver

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Last year may have been the year of the rookie wideout across the NFL, but one first-year receiver who many tabbed before the season as a potential breakout candidate barely saw the field.

Well, Cody Latimer's first season with the Denver Broncos may have been a disappointment, but the youngster is apparently determined to make sure Year 2 isn't a repeat.

According to Andrew Mason of the team's website, "Cody Latimer continues to make catch after catch. He's basically saying, 'I dare you not to play me a lot this year.' Impressive every day."

That jibes with a report from Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, who wrote recently that teammate Emmanuel Sanders believes Latimer hasn't been getting his due:

"

You want to talk about a guy who’s a physical tool just like Demaryius Thomas? I feel like coming in with the rookie class of Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Mike Evans and all those guys, he feels like he’s kind of overlooked. I’m big on Cody. He’s strong, he’s fast and I think that’s he’s going to come in and he’s going to have a big year for us. I’m looking forward to him just taking off and showing everybody, ‘Hey, look at (No.) 14 over here from the Denver Broncos.'

"

Granted, Latimer isn't going to push Sanders or Thomas for a starting job, but the former Indiana standout appears to be taking hold of the No. 3 receiver job many assumed would be his a year ago.

Better late than never.

The Loss of Gaines

Michael Thomas/Getty Images

He didn't have the pedigree of a Justin Gilbert (who was terrible for the Cleveland Browns in 2014) or a Kyle Fuller (who fared better for the Chicago Bears), but St. Louis Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines quietly had a very solid first NFL season last year.

Pressed into action by injuries, Gaines wound up making 15 starts for the Rams, recording 70 stops and picking off a pair of passes. The sixth-round pick ranked inside the top 30 players at his position in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.

Not Darrelle Revis, but nothing to sneeze at, either.

However, Gaines' efforts to build on that success have hit a snag. As Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, Gaines suffered a knee injury in practice that has coaches "concerned" and could sideline him at least 2-3 weeks.

Gaines, who is set to undergo further tests, was battling Trumaine Johnson for the right to start opposite Janoris Jenkins for a rising Rams defense.

Now that battle may have been decided by default.

The Rich Get Richer

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

In Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and second-year pro Davante Adams, the Green Bay Packers have one of the deepest and most talented wide receiver corps in the NFL.

And it looks like it's getting deeper.

As ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reports, third-round rookie wideout Ty Montgomery has been one of the early stars of training camp, impressing coaches and teammates alike.

Nelson has certainly taken notice:

"

Taking away the athletic part of it, just his approach to understanding our playbook, asking questions, trying to be detailed as much as possible in a short amount of time. He's not just worried about having a 15-yard puma [route] but knowing what he has to do within that.

We give him a hard time that it must be the Stanford coming out of him, but I think it's the detail and the effort that he's putting in to understand that he's going to be part of this and that he needs to get going. Sometimes you see that more with some guys than with other guys, so it's great to see that. As an older guy you have appreciation for that because then you want to help him out and you understand that he's going to retain it and you see the impact.

"

Great. Just what the rest of the NFC North needed.

For Aaron Rodgers to have even more weapons.

Is Terrelle Pryor for Real?

David Richard/Associated Press

Training camp is often a time of unbridled optimism bordering on delusion. Every team has playoff dreams. Every young player is "making great strides."

However, in the case of one player trying to resurrect his NFL career, there have been so many positive reports that it may just be more than wishful thinking.

Terrelle Pryor, who is attempting to switch from quarterback to wide receiver with the Cleveland Browns, has been the subject of all those glowing reports.

When the Browns signed Pryor it appeared to be a gimmick. Now, not only does Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland consider Pryor a "near lock" to make the 53-man roster, but it looks like the former Ohio State star could have a real role in the Browns offense:

"

Did (head coach Mike) Pettine tip his hand on Pryor’s roster status? In discussing the end-around pass, the coach said, 'Special plays are going to be part of our plan each week. You want to have those up, the sooner the better. I’m just a firm believer of always having that option. If it’s there, you have a couple practiced and ready to go. If you get into a game where there’s a lull on both sides offensively, you need something to break it open. Having a guy like Terrelle certainly gives us that ability.'

"

Good things can happen in Cleveland. Who knew?

Duke Johnson Still on the Shelf

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, it's Cleveland, so you had to know the good times weren't going to last.

Almost from the moment he was drafted this year, the hype machine around Miami running back Duke Johnson kicked into overdrive. After ESPN.com's Adam Caplan called Johnson "the most impressive" of the Browns' backs in OTAs, some fans began envisioning Johnson as the team's Week 1 starter.

Well, slow your roll.

A hamstring injury has kept Johnson off the field to this point in training camp, and Pettine admitted to Grossi that the youngster is falling behind in the running back race: "It’s just disappointing that a guy we’re counting on being a big part of what we do, to lose him at this formative time of what we’re getting done … he’ll have a lot of catch-up work to do. There’s no substitute for getting live reps."

With Terrance West reportedly "on thin ice" with the coaching staff as well, it's looking more and more like the Browns' starting job is Isaiah Crowell's to lose.

Rough Day at the Office for Jameis Winston

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

One of the knocks on Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston entering the NFL draft was that he was sometimes reckless with the football, throwing balls into tight windows that wound up in the defense's hands.

As Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported, it didn't take long for Winston to get an object lesson in how bad an idea that is at the NFL level. Over a five-pass period during a blitz drill, Winston completed more passes to defenders than receivers. Three, to be precise.

Needless to say, this was not a development that pleased head coach Lovie Smith, but Smith told Stroud it's all a part of getting the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft ready for his first career start:

"

Our goal is to get Jameis ready. We're doing a lot of things that we normally don't do this early, too, to try and give him as many looks as we possibly can. And it was the one blitz period is where he had his most trouble and that's how it should be for a young quarterback.

We're not inventing defense or anything like that with what we're doing on the other side. Jameis will tell you on some of those plays he just can't make, but it's part of the process of becoming a good quarterback in the league to go through some days like this. Keep in mind there are some scholarship players on the other side that we feel pretty good about. With my glass being half full, I'm pretty fired up about those takeaways we got on the defensive side.

"

It's only one drill, but it underscores an important point.

If Winston's turnover problems continue in the pros, it's going to be another long season in Tampa.

Mack of All Trades

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The defense of the Oakland Raiders was something of a mess a year ago. That was hardly the fault of outside linebacker Khalil Mack, who showed why the Raiders spent a first-round pick on the former Buffalo standout early and often.

New head coach Jack Del Rio apparently took notice, and now Del Rio and the Raiders are hard at work devising ways for Mack to make an even bigger impact in 2015.

That's the latest from Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area, who wrote that the Raiders are moving Mack around the formation, including playing him with his hand in the dirt at defensive end.

New Raiders defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. it's just a matter of putting Mack in a position to do what he does best -- wreak havoc:

"

Khalil is special. There are a lot of players I’ve worked with who might be similar, but he’s in a class of his own. Bruce Irvin in Seattle was similar but, at the same time, Khalil is built different than most. He’s athletic, talented, smart and relentless. Those things, in addition to his versatility, allow you to play him at end and linebacker. He’s amazing. He the type of player you want to surround with other good players.

"

Man. Good things happening in Cleveland. Hope in Oakland.

This is starting to freak me out.

Fantasy Fanatics Take Note

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Just as this article began, this last bit of news is of particular interest to fantasy football enthusiasts.

However, unlike the Arian Foster injury, this is good news.

According to Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com, veteran running back Rashad Jennings has shown no ill effects from the injuries that marred his first season with the team:

"

Running back Rashad Jennings had a real nice practice. He's had a real nice start to training camp. He looks big, strong, fast and quick. He burst though the line twice late in practice for substantial gains, once finding a hole in the middle from 25 yards out and almost reaching the end zone.

Jennings also made middle linebacker Jon Beason look foolish in a 1-on-1 pass-catching drill, although he did have the ball get popped free by linebacker J.T. Thomas later in the drill. Jennings catches the ball pretty well for a man his size (230-plus-pounds).

"

Now, it's only training camp, and durability has been an issue for Jennings dating all the way back to his days in Jacksonville.

However, Jennings was receiving almost 20 touches per game prior to getting hurt last year, so he has the confidence of offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. And while Jennings may lose some passing-down work to newcomer Shane Vereen, the gap between Jennings and Andre Williams to be the Giants' lead back appears to be growing.

And given Jennings relatively modest asking price in fantasy drafts to date this year, that's news worth knowing.