NFL Training Camp Notes: No Setbacks for Carson Wentz

When it comes to training camp season, we can no longer say "It's early." 

Every team has been working for at least a full week now, the preseason is officially underway with the Hall of Fame Game in the books, and we're entering the last non-football week of 2018. 

Friday's league-wide focus was naturally on Tom Brady's 41st birthday and the mound of simple carbohydrates that was delivered to the New England Patriots' training camp site at Gillette Stadium in his honor.

But believe it or not, other developments took place nationwide as the first full week of training camps concluded. Here's a rundown from Friday.

Doug Pederson: "Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing" Is Wrong with Carson Wentz

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Last offseason, the Indianapolis Colts provided a cautionary tale for teams dealing with injured quarterbacks going forward. The Philadelphia Eagles took note. 

Unlike the 2017 Colts, the 2018 Eagles haven't made any grand promises regarding the health of their franchise quarterback, who in this case is recovering from torn ligaments in his left knee. We've heard throughout the offseason that Carson Wentz has been rehabbing well, but head coach Doug Pederson and his colleagues haven't made any guarantees regarding Wentz's status for Week 1. 

But Pederson did clarify on Friday that Wentz's absence from team drills at this week's practices was not indicative of any sort of setback in his recovery, even though the Pro Bowler participated in said drills last week.

"No setbacks," he said, according to NFL.com's Kevin Patra. "Not at all. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing."

Pederson explained that Wentz sat out team drills in all five Philly practices this week because the team wants the 25-year-old to practice in a more controlled environment at this point in time.  

"Pederson pretty much says they saw the traffic around Wentz during team drills, realized it was an unnecessary risk and backed him off," tweeted NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Kudos to the Eagles for taking it slow. Of course, it helps when your Plan B is the reigning Super Bowl MVP. 

In Case You Were Wondering, Anthony Barr Isn't Going Anywhere

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Apparently, somebody reported somewhere that the Minnesota Vikings were looking to trade Pro Bowl linebacker Anthony Barr. Wish we could give you more details, but it seems nobody has seen this report except Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. 

Nonetheless, Zimmer felt it necessary to clarify on Friday that the team isn't looking to deal Barr as he enters the option year in his rookie contract. 

"I was made aware of an erroneous report about Anthony Barr," Zimmer told the media, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. "Anthony is my guy, No. 1. We are unequivocally not trying to trade Anthony. He's the first draft pick I ever had with me. He's helped this defense (become) pretty good. There's none whatsoever truth to that rumor."

You get the feeling this stemmed from either Barr spending too much time on Twitter, or Barr listening to too many of his friends who spend too much time on Twitter. Zimmer's decision to address an obscure rumor out of the blue is an odd one, but it suggests somebody was bothered by the chatter. 

That being said, a Barr trade wouldn't be completely nonsensical if the Vikings believe he'll escape as a free agent next offseason anyway. But as Zimmer noted, he's a key piece of the puzzle on a championship-caliber team, and the Vikings don't have any significant holes to fill elsewhere. 

That could change, but Zimmer's comments suggest Barr is locked in for at least the 2018 season in Minnesota. 

Dalvin Cook Is Ready to Go "Now"

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So you want to target Dalvin Cook in your fantasy football league but you're nervous about the 22-year-old running back's left knee. Totally fair, because Cook tore the ACL in that knee just 10 months ago. And running backs typically need intact ACLs to do their jobs. 

But Zimmer offered some comfort to potential Cook drafters on Friday. According to ESPN.com's Courtney Cronin, when asked if Cook will be ready for Week 1, the oft-candid head coach said the former Florida State star is "ready now." 

Zimmer also noted that Cook would "likely get some reps in preseason games," so you'll even have a chance to see him for yourselves against NFL competition this month. 

And if he hasn't lost a beat, Cook will indeed be worthy of a prime fantasy draft selection. Before he went down last year, the second-round pick ranked third in the league in rushing and scrimmage yardage and had a stellar 4.8 yards-per-attempt average. 

Andrew Luck Feeling "Stronger and Stronger"

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Those having similar internal debates regarding Andrew Luck will also be tickled to hear that the Colts quarterback continues to look as though he's over the shoulder problems that plagued him for much of 2015 and 2016 and all of 2017. 

We noted Wednesday that multiple reports out of Indy suggested Luck had been nothing but fire on the practice field, and on Friday the man himself spoke glowingly about his own right arm.

"My arm continues to feel stronger and stronger," Luck said Friday, according to Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. "I'll get tired and I'll recover and I'll bounce back, and I feel like I'm on a great plan. It's been a lot of fun so far."

Luck will almost surely experience peaks and valleys during this period of acclimatization, and we won't see him in live game action for another week. But Colts fans couldn't have dreamed of a better first 10 days of camp. Because regardless of what's happening on defense or elsewhere on offense, if Luck is on his game, this team has a shot. 

Packers Finally Catch a Break, Get Bryan Bulaga Back

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It's been a tough week for the Green Bay Packers, who have lost key players Aaron Jones, Jake Ryan and Kentrell Brice to practice injuries in the last few days. But Packers fans were greeted with good news Friday morning when ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reported offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga has been cleared to practice after passing a physical. 

He was back in limited fashion on Friday, according to Aaron Nagler of Packers News.

Demovsky used two forms of the word "remarkable" in that one tweet breaking the news, and that's all good because Bulaga's recovery has been impressive. He tore the ACL in his right knee nine months ago, but now it looks as though he'll be ready to go when the Packers host the Chicago Bears to start the season in five weeks' time. 

And that'd be big for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the rest of that offense, because the 29-year-old is one of the best right tackles in the game when he's healthy. Pro Football Focus graded him 14th among 76 qualified players at his position in 2016, and in order to get back on track, they'll need him healthy again in 2018. 

Hamstring Injury Costs Keke Coutee His Momentum in Houston

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Just a week ago, yours truly identified Keke Coutee as one of a dozen rookies already making waves this offseason. The fourth-round pick out of Texas Tech put on an unexpected show during organized team activities, so much so that he earned high praise from one of the best receivers in the game. 

"He's only getting better," star Texans wideout DeAndre Hopkins said in June, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. "He's always hanging around, seeing what I'm doing in between periods, asking me questions. The guy can play football. That's going to take care of itself. Coming in, learning this offense, getting in his playbook and that's what he's been doing."

Wilson reported at the time that Coutee was challenging Braxton Miller for the slot receiver job in Houston. But that campaign was dealt a blow on Friday when Wilson reported that Coutee "will be sidelined for a few weeks" due to a hamstring strain.

If Coutee can't get some preseason work in, it'll be tough for the somewhat raw product to make a significant impact early in 2018. 

Injury Issues in San Francisco

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One minute apart on Friday, ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner and Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweeted unfortunate injury news stemming from San Francisco 49ers training camp. 

The first tweet came from Wagoner, who reported that veteran cornerback Richard Sherman "went down hard while in coverage" early in practice and did not return. Per head coach Kyle Shanahan, Sherman's "hamstring tightened up."

Shanahan then noted, via Maiocco, that guard Joshua Garnett "doesn’t feel right" and is getting a second opinion on the knee that cost him his entire 2017 season. 

And while Garnett's injury looks to be more daunting, Sherman's could be more problematic. The 49ers didn't have either player last year, but with Laken Tomlinson, Weston Richburg and Jonathan Cooper on board, they can probably get by without Garnett. And the 2016 first-round pick has disappointed early in his career anyway.

But a lot of 49ers fans are hoping Sherman can revive his career in San Francisco, and he's yet to inspire a lot of confidence. The three-time All-Pro was only cleared to return from a major Achilles injury last week, video of him getting torched by teammate Marquise Goodwin went viral this week, and now he's dealing with a new injury. 

Players often suffer compensation injuries when they lean more heavily on certain muscles in order to avoid further injury to recovering muscles, and bad hamstrings can linger. In other words, this could be a problem for Sherman. 

The week didn't end well in Santa Clara.

With Sam Beal Officially Out, Giants Sign Leonard Johnson

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Just a few weeks ago, the New York Giants tried to shore up their secondary a little bit more by selecting former Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal in the third round of the supplemental draft. But Beal almost immediately aggravated a pre-existing shoulder injury. 

On Friday, hours after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Beal was having season-ending surgery to repair his dislocated shoulder, Rapoport tweeted that the team signed veteran corner Leonard Johnson. 

The former Buccaneer/Patriot/Panther/Bill ideally won't have to play too large a role with Big Blue, but they remain shallow at the position and could use that veteran presence in case things don't pan out with 2016 first-round pick Eli Apple. 

Rapoport noted the Giants also worked out former Pro Bowl cover man Alterraun Verner, who can't seem to find work despite his age (29) and resume. It doesn't take long to lose it in this league.