Early Disappointments from the First Week of NFL Training Camps

This week is the first week in which all 32 NFL teams are in training camp and practicing. Though teams are still very early in the preseason process, we have still had some opportunities for players to make an early impression.

Unfortunately, not every early impression has been a positive one. Whether they have shown up to camp out of shape, are failing to grasp the playbook, have had issues off the practice field or are failing on it, some players have simply been downright disappointments.

In many cases, red flags in training camp indicate a player is headed for even more disappointment in the future. Just take a look at Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel's 2014 campaign, for example.

Over the next few pages, we're going to take a look at some of the biggest disappointments of the first week of training camp and examine how continued problems could impact the start of the coming season. 

Bills QB EJ Manuel

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Former first-round pick EJ Manuel has mostly been a disappointment as a quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. He was rated 69th among all quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus as a rookie in 2013 and was benched last season in favor of journeyman Kyle Orton.

So far, it appears Manuel's camp is following the rest of his young pro career.

According to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News, Manuel has looked the worst of the three quarterbacks currently competing for the starting job. Veteran Matt Cassel has been taking most of the starting reps while former Baltimore Ravens backup Tyrod Taylor has been getting some work in with the first team.

The fact Manuel has fallen behind Cassel early in training camp is a disappointment, considering Cassel was so bad earlier in the offseason that Mike Rodak of ESPN.com predicted he wouldn't even make the final roster.

If Manuel cannot find a way to win the starting job this season, Buffalo may want to start thinking about its options early in next year's draft.

Cowboys RB Darren McFadden

Gus Ruelas/Associated Press

The Dallas Cowboys will likely count on veteran Darren McFadden to at least help replace departed running back DeMarco Murray in 2015. In order for him to do so, however, McFadden will have to be healthy and available on game days.

This is a major concern for McFadden, who has struggled with injuries throughout his NFL career. He missed 29 games due to injury in seven seasons with the Oakland Raiders.

The Cowboys just had to be disappointed when McFadden opened training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list with a hamstring injury. 

According to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his son Stephen are willing to take a conservative approach with McFadden's injury.

"I know there are a lot of fans who have their doubts," Stephen Jones told Marvez on SiriusXM Radio. "There's probably people in this organization right now that are a little frustrated he's not out there on the field. It's Jerry's and my opinion that we want to make sure he's ready to go when he hits that field."

McFadden certainly won't be able to contribute if he cannot get on the field.

It's a little hard to fault McFadden for being injured, but given his history, it doesn't make the situation any less disappointing. 

Saints OT Andrus Peat

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

The early reports from New Orleans Saints camp seem to indicate that rookie offensive lineman Andrus Peat is having some difficulty in his transition to the NFL.

According to ESPN's Mike Triplett, Peat remains a "work in progress" has had a "rough time" in one-on-one pass-rushing drills. 

"I wouldn't put too much stock into it yet." Katherine Terrell of Nola.com recently wrote of Peat's struggles. "He's transitioning from left tackle to right tackle, and the move from college to the NFL can be tough at that position. First rounder or no, not everyone is ready to play right away."

It isn't unusual for a rookie offensive to have a slow transition, of course, especially when switching positions. However, the Saints were rated just 20th in pass protection by Pro Footbll Focus in 2014, and it would certainly be nice to get some immediate impact out of the 13th overall pick in this year's draft.

Overall though, the Saints probably won't suffer too much if Peat cannot crack the starting lineup. However, the team would probably still like to get him some playing time this season, which could be hard to do if he remains a liability against the pass rush.

Ravens CB Lardarius Webb

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Baltimore Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb had a bit of a rough season in 2014. He missed three games in total and was rated just 186th among cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus for the season.

He ended up taking a $2.75 million pay cut during the offseason. 

Webb may be able to turn things around this season, but the start to his 2015 training camp was a tad disappointing. According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, Webb failed the team's conditioning test.

"It's always a big deal," head coach John Harbaugh said, per Hensley. "It was a big deal when Jacoby [Jones] didn't pass it. It was a big deal when Haloti [Ngata] didn't pass it. It's always a big deal."

The Ravens shouldn't be terribly concerned about Webb for the coming season, though. The team's official website reported he passed the test and was back on the practice field by the second day of camp. After a disappointing 2014 campaign, however, Webb will need to keep proving he is ready to rebound.

Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie quarterback Jameis Winston has done some good things in training camp and has also shown some growing pains. He is a rookie quarterback, after all.

However, he seems to be continuing a trend of throwing silly interceptions, which is very disappointing.

According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Winston threw three such picks on Monday during a five-pass stretch of drills. The picks were thrown against basic coverage.

"We're not inventing defense or anything like that with what we're doing on the other side," head coach Lovie Smith said, per Stroud. "Jameis will tell you on some of those plays he just can't make."

Winston threw 18 interceptions last season while playing with one of the best overall teams in the country. Many of those interceptions were also the result of bad throws. 

"He threw 18 interceptions, way too many," NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock said of Winston prior to the draft. "And a lot of them were bad picks.

It is important to remember Winston is still a rookie quarterback, even if he was the No. 1 overall pick. There really won't be a need to panic unless he fails to show progress between now and the end of camp the way Johnny Manziel did as a rookie last season.

It's still disappointing to see Winston throwing picks, however, especially when No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota is avoiding them with ease over in Tennessee Titans camp. According to John Glennon of the Tennessean, Mariota made it through the first four practices without throwing a ball to the defense.

If he keeps throwing picks in the regular season, it will be even more difficult for the Buccaneers to improve.

Raiders CB D.J. Hayden

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

The Oakland Raiders made cornerback D.J. Hayden a first-round draft pick back in 2013, but injuries and struggles have prevented the former Houston star from living up to his draft status.

He has started just 10 games over two seasons and was rated just 154th overall among all cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus in 2014. Now it appears he could miss out on a starting job altogether.

According to Levi Damien of SilverandBlackPride.com, Hayden has fallen quite a bit behind second-year corners Keith McGill and T.J. Carrie:

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The one without who has fallen behind is D.J. Hayden. After not standing out all camp and a disappointing day 3, he worked almost exclusively with the second team defense in practice today with Carrie and McGill getting the first team reps. Both Carrie and McGill had passes defended on Michael Crabtree on passes very similar to ones Hayden gave up to him yesterday.

"

Right now, it would appear Hayden is set to be the team's No. 3 corner. There is obviously time before the start of the season for Hayden to step up and claim a starting job, but his progress early in camp is disappointing. 

If Hayden has another inconsistent season as a backup, it could be time to start looking at the bust label.

Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo

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As things currently stand, the Patriots are likely to rely on backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo while Tom Brady serves a four-game suspension to start the season.

Unfortunately, Garoppolo has been a disappointment early in camp.

According to Doug Kyed of NESN.com, the second-year quarterback has struggled with both poise and accuracy:

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Garoppolo struggled with accuracy throughout [Wednesday's] practice and held onto the ball too long, which has become the norm for him in practice. Garoppolo has been solid early in the summer sessions, so maybe the bright lights of Gillette made him wide-eyed. We’ll get a better sense of where the second-year pro is during the Patriots’ preseason games.

"

The Patriots need to find a way to get Garoppolo calmed down and ready to play because he is likely to be the team's starter for at least a quarter of the season. The opening stretch includes tough games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys.

If his struggles continue into the regular season, New England may find it very difficult to finish the first month with a non-losing record.

Browns CB Justin Gilbert

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Cleveland Browns cornerback Justin Gilbert was a major disappointment as a rookie in 2014. The former eighth-overall pick was kept off of the field much of the time and struggled when he was on it.

If the early reports from camp are any indication, 2015 could bring more of the same.

According to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com, Gilbert remains behind former fourth-round pick Pierre Desir on the depth chart. He couldn't even get reps at a starting spot when Joe Haden and Tramon Williams were given days off from practice.

The hope was that Gilbert would turn things around this offseason. When he committed to working privately with Haden in Florida, it had appeared he might be on his way. If he remains behind Desir, however, it will likely make him the No. 5 corner on the roster. Former undrafted corner K'Waun Williams appears to have a lock on the nickelback job.

Having a top-10 pick at the fifth spot on the depth chart is definitely disappointing, though it may not hurt the Browns too much this season. The team was rated first overall in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus a year ago.

Panthers OT Michael Oher

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

The Carolina Panthers appear content to give Michael Oher a chance at the left tackle job, even though he is coming off a very disappointing season.

Pro Football Focus rated him just 133rd overall among all offensive tackles in 2014.

Every player deserves an opportunity to redeem himself of course, but Oher hasn't exactly wowed early on in camp. Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer recently told wralSportsFan.com that Oher struggled mightily and allowed three different players to blow by him in the first practice of camp.

Head coach Ron Rivera tried to dispute that Oher really struggled, though he did admit the lineman got off to a slow start.

“I thought he looked much better in the team events,’’ Rivera said, per David Newton of ESPN.com. “He struggled a bit on one-on-one. He was a little bit rusty coming out of his stance. The speed I think was the biggest factor."

If Oher keeps improving in training camp, then his early struggles aren't going to matter. However, the Panthers have to be a little concerned since the depth behind him was lightened by the sudden retirement of tackle Jonathan Martin.

Carolina was ranked 30th in pass protection by Pro Football Focus last season. The need to improve in this area should be frighteningly obvious.

Cowboys TE Gavin Escobar

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

We'll forgive you if you forgot the Cowboys spent a second-round pick on tight end Gavin Escobar just two years ago. He has logged just two starts and 18 receptions since then. He does have six touchdowns, but he certainly doesn't make it onto the field often.

According to Pro Football Focus, Escobar saw just 263 snaps in 2014.

Todd Archer of ESPN.com recently wrote about what it would take for Escobar to see an increased role in 2015:

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It will depend on how Escobar fares in camp. He will be given the chance to run alongside [Jason] Witten when the Cowboys use their two-tight-end personnel grouping. Hanna won that job last year and did a nice job. Escobar has improved as a blocker but his strong suit will never be as an on-the-line tight end. Hanna is the better of the two when the Cowboys use two tight ends, especially in the running game, and Escobar can have a decent package of plays that can use what he does best.

"

According to Rainer Saban of the Dallas Morning News, Escobar has failed to stand out and has primarily stood in the background early in training camp.

If he cannot find a way to make a positive impression heading into Year 3, Escobar is likely to remain a role player. This certainly isn't what the Cowboys had hoped to get when they drafted him. As long as Witten keeps going strong, Dallas probably won't be too concerned, though. 

Browns RB Terrance West

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Browns running back Terrance West was part of a backfield committee alongside Isaiah Crowell and Ben Tate, before Tate was cut in 2014. This year he is expected to be part of a committee with Crowell and rookie Duke Johnson.

However, West has not gotten off to the strongest start to his training camp. He is one of several running backs who have missed time due to injury, and he appears to be having other issues as well.

According to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com, West has appeared out of shape and could be on thin ice with team decision-makers because of maturity issues.

West showed some flashes last season but averaged just 3.9 yards per carry and never threatened to be an every-down back. It would have been nice to see the former Towson standout make some progress before Year 2, but he could actually be headed in the opposite direction.

If West cannot show some more promise before the end of camp he could see a significant slide down the depth chart or even out of the rotation entirely.