NFL Preseason 2015: Latest Buzz Ahead of Week 2 Games

With the NFL preseason entering its second week, the main storyline surrounds Eli Manning's reported desire to become the league's highest-paid player.

The New York Giants aren't the only team looking to lock up its star. The Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions continue to negotiate long-term deals with a pair of defensive difference-makers.

In other news, the Kansas City Chiefs lose an offensive tackle to injury, a Buffalo Bills quarterback has an uncertain future, and one cornerback calls Calvin Johnson the toughest cover.

Luke Kuechly

With Manning's situation well documented after Ian Rapoport's report, let's move on.

After exercising a fifth-year option on Kuechly that will keep the linebacker in Carolina through the 2016 season, the team is looking to lock him up long term.

ESPN.com's David Newton reported that head coach Ron Rivera said its a "50-50 proposition" that a deal gets done before the season.

"Hopefully, it will get taken care of," Rivera told Newton. "It would be a great thing to have that taken care of, then we can go on to the next guy."

Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer noted that while contract talks slowed earlier this offseason, negotiations are heating back up.

Jones also reported that Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman has put a deadline on a potential new contract and won't negotiate once the season begins.

Offering Kuechly a contract to make him the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL is an easy decision. Pro Football Focus ranks Kuechly as the best linebacker in the league:

The 2013 Defensive Player of the Year will likely get locked up soon.

Haloti Ngata

With the front office locking up linebacker DeAndre Levy earlier this offseason, an extension for Haloti Ngata becomes its next priority.

The Lions traded for Ngata after Ndamukong Suh opted to sign with the Miami Dolphins in free agency. The 31-year-old is in the final year of his contract and scheduled to make $8.5 million this season. 

Rand Getlin of NFL Network tweeted that talks are ongoing and an extension appears to be in the works:

Currently, the former All Pro is on the non-football injury list and didn't play in the Lions' first preseason game.

After spending nine seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Ngata seems comfortable in Detroit. The defensive tackle told Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press last month that this defense is unique.

"It's exciting, man," Ngata told Monarrez. "I've never been a part of a defense like this. You have so many athletes: J.J., Ziggy, Caraun, Darryl Tapp. You just have so many playmakers all over the front on the D-line. I'm just excited to be a part of it."

It'll be shocking if an extension isn't worked out before the season starts, as both parties appear extremely comfortable with each other. 

Plus, it seems unlikely the front office will risk losing a second All-Pro tackle to free agency after dealing with the Suh debacle.

The Lions defense should benefit from adding an elite run-stopper such as Ngata to a team that ranked No. 1 in that department. Overall, the Lions finished with the No. 2 defense in the NFL.

Eric Fisher Injury

The Chiefs announced on Tuesday that Eric Fisher has a high ankle sprain.

The former No. 1 draft pick injured the ankle at practice on Monday and had to be carted off the field.

Ed Werder of ESPN.com reported that a source informed him that Fisher "will miss a couple of weeks" with the injured ankle.

If all goes well, Fisher should return in time for the first game of the season. In the meantime, Werder noted that Donald Stephenson is filling in during Fisher's absence.

In 2014, Fisher was an iron man for the Chiefs by playing 1,030 of a possible 1,032 snaps, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.

Head coach Andy Reid told Paylor that Fisher made progress in his second NFL season.

“I thought Fisher made big strides this year,” Reid told Paylor. “Number one, he played every game and took down the left tackle position. He did all that without having really any offseason.”

It's imperative for the Chiefs to get Fisher back healthy and in time for the first game of the season. Otherwise, the team will rely on a pair of tackles without much experience.

EJ Manuel

EJ Manuel told John Wawrow of the Associated Press that he's not worried his time might be running out in Buffalo because he's solely focused on being the best quarterback he can be.

"At the end of the day, if I play well, it should take care of itself," Manuel told Wawrow. "Whether it's here or whether it's somewhere else, I don't know,"

Wawrow noted that Manuel fell behind Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor in the pecking order at quarterback. 

In the Bills' first preseason game, Manuel was the third quarterback to enter play. Still, Manuel told Wawrow that he's hoping for a chance to run with the first unit in camp.

"Nothing I can do it about it," Manuel said. "Of course I want to go with the ones, I want to go with the twos and things like that. But if that's not what coach has for me, I'll just roll with it."

This isn't a good sign for Manuel. Any time a team has two journeymen at quarterback ahead of its former first-round draft pick, it's troubling. 

The Bills seem to have lost confidence in Manuel figuring things out and improving as a player. It doesn't appear likely that Manuel's future in the NFL is with the Bills.

Calvin Johnson

The Lions' star wide receiver has dealt with several injuries over the past few seasons, and as he gets older, questions arise about fading skills and durability.

At least one NFL cornerback isn't ready to call Megatron too old just yet.

Brent Grimes of the Dolphins told James Walker of ESPN.com that Johnson remains the most difficult to cover:

"

I would say Calvin Johnson because of size. He’s huge. He’s like an NBA small forward playing NFL receiver, and he still has the ability to run routes. But there’s a few of them that’s really good. I like Julio [Jones] a lot. But Calvin Johnson is just huge, and that combined with his athletic ability presents a lot of problems.

"

Sure, it's not groundbreaking stuff, but it shows that Johnson is still feared.

If healthy, Johnson looks primed to prove critics wrong. The 6'5" receiver has tons of weapons surrounding him and should get plenty of single coverage for one of the first times in his career.

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