NFL Training Camp Notes: New York Jets Finally Ink Their Franchise QB

This was the first league-wide working "Monday" of the 2018 NFL season. All 32 teams are now congregating on a daily basis, and the countdown to football feels very real. 

The Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears will play a game in just over 48 hours. And at that point, only a blink of the eye will separate us from the start of one of the most highly anticipated regular seasons in pro football history. 

In the meantime, there's plenty to buzz about. Here are the highlights and lowlights from a busy Monday in football, starting with rookie quarterback Sam Darnold's introduction to Gang Green. 

Sam Signs, Works with First Team

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Can't get enough analysis pertaining to offsets and language concerning voids in contracts? Good for you, but because we want to keep the rest of our readers awake, let's keep this simple: Quarterback Sam Darnold has finally signed his rookie deal with the New York Jets. 

The No. 3 overall pick made a slightly delayed debut Monday, soon after signing a four-year, $30.25 million contract that, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, is fully guaranteed and contains a $20 million signing bonus.

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News recorded video of the 21-year-old USC product receiving somewhat of an ovation as he jogged onto the field, while reports from Florham Park indicate he quickly completed several beauties.

Darnold even received some first-team reps in his first practice, according to ESPN.com's Rich Cimini, so it'll be hard to keep him out of the Hall of Fame now.

The development leaves Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith as the last unsigned draft pick of 2018. The No. 8 overall selection continues to be absent from training camp as his representatives work with the team to overcome an impasse that Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune reports is related to the league's controversial new helmet rule. 

"Smith's representatives at CAA Football are asking the Bears to include in the contract a written assurance that the team would not go after any of Smith's guaranteed money if he were suspended under the new rule," a source told Campbell. "They all requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of negotiations."

Still conscious? Good, no more contract minutiae the rest of the way...

Hue Jackson Says It Again: Tyrod Taylor Is His Starting Quarterback

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The only quarterback selected higher than Darnold in the 2018 draft has already put in plenty of time with the Cleveland Browns, and top pick Baker Mayfield has indeed garnered plenty of praise in the process. 

Browns head coach Hue Jackson noted on Sunday that Mayfield was "exceeding" expectations in camp, according to ESPN.com's Pat McManamon, and much has been made of the fact that he's yet to throw an interception in practice. 

But the Browns have never wavered about who their starting quarterback is. He might only be a bridge starter, but veteran Tyrod Taylor is the guy. And when he addressed the media Monday, Jackson felt like a broken record. 

"Do you want me to say it again?" he said, according to Steve Doerschuk of The Repository. "Tyrod is our starting quarterback."

The Browns traded away a third-round pick for the handsomely paid Taylor, but don't be surprised if Jackson finds himself having to "say it again," and again, and again, until eventually he finds himself confirming that it's Mayfield's turn. 

We're probably looking at if, not when. 

Jamaal Williams Might Have an Early Edge in the Green Bay Backfield

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Is Jamaal Williams about to run away with the much-buzzed-about three-way competition for the lead running back job in Green Bay? The Packers' 2017 fourth-round pick averaged just 3.6 yards per carry as a rookie, but he's healthy and receiving promising early-camp reviews. The same can't be said for his peers. 

Williams was outperformed by 2017 fifth-rounder Aaron Jones last season, but he's facing an early-season two-game suspension and is now nothing more than a practice observer. The UTEP product has missed back-to-back practices due to a hamstring injury, and Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported Monday that Packers head coach Mike McCarthy doesn't have a timeline for Jones' recovery. 

It also appears Williams is in line for a bigger role than veteran converted receiver Ty Montgomery. 

"Although no one will say what that actually means in terms of reps, early in camp Williams has gotten the bulk of the work with the starters during normal down-and-distance situations while Montgomery has handled the two-minute and no-huddle drives where his receiving skills could come back into play," wrote ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky on Monday.

Bad Day in Green Bay

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Jones isn't the only important Packers player on the fritz. The Ray Nitschke Field cart and team doctors were busy Monday, when Green Bay lost both safety Kentrell Brice and linebacker Jake Ryan to leg injuries. 

Demovsky called Brice's injury "potentially serious," while Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Ryan's was "not looking good."

It appears Brice was in the mix to compete for a starting spot with second-year N.C. State product Josh Jones. And while Jones was probably the favorite to win that job based on his pedigree, competition is a good thing, and the Packers look as though they're about to become a bit thinner on defense. 

That'll especially be the case if they lose Ryan, who is by no means a Pro Bowl-caliber player entering his fourth season but is a solid run defender as part of Green Bay's front-seven rotation. The 26-year-old 2015 fourth-round pick is supposed to team up with 2016 fourth-rounder Blake Martinez this season, but without him, rookie third-rounder Oren Burks could be pressed into more action than would be ideal. 

Still no definitive word on either defender, but a lot of fingers are crossed in Packers camp right now. Particularly those belonging to new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.

Garett Bolles May Have a Concussion

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On Sunday, Andrew Mason of the Denver Broncos' official website quoted Denver defensive end Derek Wolfe's praise of the team's seemingly improved offensive line. 

"I think their coaching is really good this year," Wolfe said, according to Mason. "[With their] technique, they're doing things that I haven't seen before. It's making us better. So I'm happy about it."

On Monday, though, that unit lost a key member. 

Starting left tackle and blue-chip 2016 first-round pick Garett Bolles was knocked out of practice after taking a shot to the chin. NFL Network's James Palmer reported that the Utah product was being evaluated for a head injury. 

Any time that happens in this post-"bell rung" era, it's a concern. Hopefully, Bolles has avoided a concussion—both for his and his team's sake. 

Ross Cockrell Goes Down in Carolina

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While the Packers and Broncos are still hoping to dodge bullets with Brice, Ryan and Bolles, the Carolina Panthers have already received bad news on a player who went down in practice Monday. 

Just a few hours after veteran cornerback Ross Cockrell was carted off at practice, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the 26-year-old 2014 fourth-round pick broke his left leg. And while that doesn't mean he'll automatically miss the entire season, it's a blow to a Panthers team that still doesn't have receiver Curtis Samuel and is reeling from the loss of key offensive tackle Daryl Williams. 

The Carolina secondary wasn't deep to begin with, and Cockrell was expected to play a big role after intercepting three passes while starting nine games with the New York Giants in 2017. 

They'd better hope Cockrell can recover quickly or rookie second-round pick Donte Jackson can emerge immediately.

Gareon Conley Will Miss Time, Leaving Oakland Paper-Thin at Corner

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With veterans David Amerson, Sean Smith and T.J. Carrie gone, the Oakland Raiders are expected to rely heavily on sophomore first-round cornerback Gareon Conley in 2018. But that's a risky approach because Conley missed nearly all of his rookie season while battling shin splints. 

And now the former Ohio State star is once again on ice. 

While noting that he has impressed when he's been on the field this offseason, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Conley "is expected to miss a couple of weeks" while dealing with a hip strain. 

Even if the 23-year-old battles back from that injury in time to play Week 1, you have to wonder if more lost practice time will prevent him from earning a major role early this season—and if he's somewhat injury-prone. 

Regardless, the pressure is on as he rehabs again. The Raiders don't have much else at cornerback beyond potential one-year wonder Rashaan Melvin and over-the-hill veteran Leon Hall. 

Jabrill Peppers Is Ready to Roll

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Not all of Monday's injury-related news was bad. Two NFC North teams saw key players receive clearance to return from injuries in order to make their training camp debuts. 

First, the Cleveland Browns got word that 2017 first-round safety Jabrill Peppers had the green light to return from the groin injury that forced him to miss the first few days of camp. That's big news for a high-potential player who entered the summer without a guaranteed starting job and was still competing with 2016 fourth-rounder Derrick Kindred, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.

The 2016 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year failed to make much of an impact as a rookie, intercepting one pass and recording just three passes defensed in 13 starts. It seems he was eased in Monday, but he'll have plenty of chances in the coming weeks to prove he deserves to keep that starting job in 2018. 

So it was a good day at Browns camp, especially because the team also got rookie third-round defensive end Chad Thomas out there for the first time, according to ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi.

Tyler Eifert Cleared in Cincinnati, but Can He Stay on the Field?

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Meanwhile, one of Cleveland's division rivals got pleasant news Monday when it was revealed that tight end Tyler Eifert passed his physical and was cleared to practice after missing the first few days of training camp. 

The talented but injury-prone 2013 first-round pick has been plagued by back issues the last couple of years. He's endured three back procedures and has played just 10 games since the start of 2016. But the Bengals still brought him back on a one-year, $8 million deal in March, which probably puts him in a make-or-break situation. 

Eifert probably still has a higher ceiling than his 2017 replacement, Tyler Kroft, and now he might have a chance to prove that it wasn't a fluke when he scored 13 touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl in 2015.

Taywan Taylor Working with First-Teamers in Tennessee

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There's plenty riding on quarterback Marcus Mariota taking a big step forward for the Tennessee Titans this season, but it doesn't help that Mariota's supporting cast contains plenty of question marks. 

Right tackle Jack Conklin is on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list as he recovers from a torn ACL, second-year first-round receiver Corey Davis is trying to prove he can stay healthy and productive after failing to do so as a rookie, and now veteran wideout Rishard Matthews is on the PUP list with a mystery injury. 

According to a Monday report from Terry McCormick of Titans Insider, that has opened a door for second-year third-round receiver Taywan Taylor, who has been working with the first-team offense in camp. 

The speedy Western Kentucky product caught just 16 passes while working primarily in the slot as a rookie, so a trial run as a starting outside receiver is worth monitoring if you're a Titans fan or a fantasy football dude in search of potential sleepers.