Bengals RB Samaje Perine was activated from the PUP list on Wednesday. He operated as Cincinnati's #2 RB last season but will need to hold off 2nd-year RB Chris Evans for that job this summer.
Cardinals WR Marquise Brown is on the non-football injury list with a "tweaked" ankle he suffered last week, HC Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday. It was previously reported that Brown was dealing with a hamstring injury. An ankle is actually less worrisome, but we'll see when Brown is able to get back to practice.
Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire was out on the field and doing "everything" in Wednesday's training-camp practice, according to Arrowhead Pride's Pete Sweeney. Edwards-Helaire was placed on the PUP list on Tuesday, but it looks like he's already been removed. Sweeney did notice a compression sleeve on CEH's left leg, so that'll bear monitoring going forward.
Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire was placed on the PUP list on Tuesday. Per Nate Taylor of The Athletic, the injury is “nothing major” and CEH “could” miss just a few days. A lengthy absence would certainly spell good news for new Chief Ronald Jones.
The Cardinals on Tuesday placed WR Marquise Brown on the non-football injury list with a hamstring injury. That designation -- as opposed to the PUP list -- means Brown didn't sustain the injury during a team activity. Arizona can still activate Brown whenever he's ready, though. We'll assume for now it's not a serious issue.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore was on the field for the start of training camp on Sunday. The rookie missed most of the offseason program with a left hamstring strain, but that looks to be a non-issue now. Moore is battling for snaps with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman in Kansas City's remade WR corps.
The Bengals on Saturday placed RB Samaje Perine on the training camp PUP list. The team didn't reveal his injury, and a player can come off the camp PUP at any point. But it certainly doesn't help him in his competition with Chris Evans to serve as the team's #2 RB. We'll be watching that battle throughout camp.
Nate Taylor of The Athletic writes that Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s workload “should increase” in year 3. Taylor notes that training camp will turn up a position battle between CEH, Ronald Jones and Jerick McKinnon. But CEH is clearly the favorite for touches — and a clean bill of health is a big reason why. "This offseason, it was pretty much getting back to the basics, being able to have a full offseason," Edwards-Helaire said. "That was one of the things Coach (Andy) Reid and I talked about. He said, 'This is really your first real offseason in the NFL.' Really, health was the biggest thing.” CEH’s first offseason was largely done virtually due to COVID. Then last offseason, he underwent gallbladder surgery. Only 23, Edwards-Helaire is priced fairly as a fringe RB2.
Per beat writer Nate Taylor, Chiefs WR Skyy Moore missed most of the offseason program with a left hamstring strain. He’s expected to be fine for the open of training camp later this month. There, he’ll battle with a host of others to be the #2 target behind Travis Kelce.
Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury talked up the offensive fit for new WR Marquise Brown. "I think it's similar to what he played in at OU [Oklahoma],” Kingsbury said. "Obviously, position-wise, no-huddle type stuff, signal-based. But he's been in Baltimore for a while now, and so it's just readjusting to that, but I think he feels comfortable in what we're doing.” Kingsbury believes Brown is “ahead of the curve” with the new offense — no surprise considering his experience with Kyler Murray in a similar system. With DeAndre Hopkins out for the first 6 games, Brown’s short-term WR1 potential is obvious. Over the course of the season, Brown projects more as a WR2.
The Cardinals plan to limit WR DeAndre Hopkins' reps in training camp. Hopkins underwent surgery to repair a torn MCL in December and is suspended for the first 6 games of this season. "We're trying to come up with a great plan that rolls right up to Week 7 of the season and make sure we're smart about it," HC Kliff Kingsbury said. "But, the main thing I don't want him to do is ramp up, make a bunch of plays in training camp, do this, practice really hard and then six weeks he's not doing anything." Hopkins still boasts WR1 upside for the final two-thirds of the season. His recent FFPC ADP is sitting in early Round 9.
Per NFL insider Albert Breer, the Chiefs have seen a “more mature version” of WR Mecole Hardman this offseason. Breer writes that Hardman “had a lot of growing up to do coming into the NFL,” even beyond his rookie season. It’s a huge year for the 24-year-old, as his contract is set to expire in 2023. But following the additions of Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster, it’s clear that Kansas City isn’t expecting a major leap from the incumbent.
Browns RB Kareem Hunt says that he’d love to remain with the team long-term. "I was born and raised here," Hunt told beat writer Mary Kay Cabot. "I'd love to finish my career here and just keep playing the game with [Nick] Chubb longer and with the great guys on this great team.” Trade rumors followed Hunt this offseason, but for now, indications are that he'll remain in Cleveland -- at least in the short term. Hunt, 27 in August, enters the final season of a 2-year deal.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid gave his assessment of rookie WR Skyy Moore at minicamp. “He looks strong,” Reid said recently. “You see that — the way he’s built physically. That transfers. You see those 10 [inch] hands that he has. He catches everything… and he’s a good route runner, a smart kid. He seemed to pick it [the offense] up well.” Moore will battle JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman for targets in training camp. Currently, the rookie projects as a fringe top-50 fantasy option.
Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury expects WR DeAndre Hopkins (knee) to be a "full go" for training camp. His 2021 season ended in Week 14 with a torn MCL that required surgery. That came with a 6-week timetable for return, so his status for the start of 2022 camp was never in question. Hopkins, of course, is suspended for the first 6 games of the upcoming season for violating the league's PED policy.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes called WR Justin Watson a "pleasant surprise" after throwing to him earlier this offseason. “That dude can roll," Mahomes said. "He came down to Texas. I threw with him the first day, and I called (general manager Brett) Veach and I was like, ‘Wait, how fast is this guy?’ He was running so fast that I was late on my throws. He’s had two great days.” Watson, a former 5th-round pick of the Bucs, has only 23 catches through 4 pro seasons. But he has a nice combination of size and athleticism and finds opportunity in a reshuffling Chiefs WR corps. We'll keep an eye on him this summer.
Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire revealed on the Arrowhead Addict podcast that he missed a bunch of time last offseason after undergoing gallbladder surgery in early March. "My gall bladder completely stopped working," CEH said. "I was down to about 160 pounds... I didn’t run, didn’t do anything all the way up until [OTAs] and was still dealing with stitches and recovery over the course of the summer.” That can at least be partly to blame for Edwards-Helaire's underwhelming 2021 campaign. This will actually be his 1st full offseason with the Chiefs, and Edwards-Helaire says he's "completely healthy." He added, "This offseason is gonna be perfect for me to do the things I need to do to have the season I feel like I should have." There remains plenty of fantasy appeal here -- largely because of the offense CEH is operating in. And he's cheaper than ever, with a 7th-round ADP in FFPC best-ball drafts.
Cardinals GM Steve Keim gave a breakdown on rookie RB Keaontay Ingram. "A big, physical back. A downhill runner. A good special teamer. A guy that we think can certainly contribute," Keim said. "Thought he had a really nice year this year and a lot of good things to like about him.” In 2021, Ingram posted 156-911-5 (10 games) as a power back for USC. Across 4 seasons (2 at USC, 2 at Texas) Ingram collected 89 receptions. The 6th-round pick will battle Eno Benjamin, Jonathan Ward, Jaylen Samuels and UDFA Ronnie Rivers for a depth role behind James Conner.
Per Nate Taylor of the Athletic, the Chiefs believe rookie WR Skyy Moore “can excel as a secondary slot receiver behind Smith-Schuster and be a possible deep threat on the perimeter in one-on-one matchups.” Moore’s undersized — both in height and wingspan. But he brings blazing speed and quicks and sure hands. Marquez Valdes-Scantling profiles as the field-stretcher with JuJu Smith-Schuster working the short to intermediate routes. Moore’s usage figures to be diverse in an offense that lost 260 targets with the offseason departures of Tyreek Hill, Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson. The rookie is battling a minor hamstring tweak at the moment, but there's no cause for concern.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the NFL is suspending Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins 6 games for violating the PED policy. Assuming he doesn't get it reduced on appeal, Hopkins' absence creates season-opening opportunity for Arizona WRs Marquise Brown, A.J. Green and Rondale Moore -- and it delivers a big blow to any best-ball drafters who combined Hopkins with QB Kyler Murray on their early rosters. We'll watch for any further developments with the situation, but Hopkins obviously tumbles down our WR rankings.
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