Most of the news around NFL circles Saturday just wasn't that good for players, fans or teams alike. Injuries made all the headlines, which isn't a great sign during this early part of camp.
Nonetheless, eDraft has you covered when it comes to the most pressing news around the league as we wrap up the final weekend without football until February of 2014. At least, that can make us all excited.
Jeremy Maclin Tears ACL, Out for the Season
In what has to be considered horrible news for the Philadelphia Eagles, starting wide receiver Jeremy Maclin tore up his right knee at practice on Saturday. The former first-round pick was entering a contract year and was expected to help whoever is going to be under center as a solid receiver-tandem with DeSean Jackson. Outside of acquiring another veteran, it appears that Jason Avant will fill Maclin's starting role.
Dennis Pitta Fractures Hip, Out for the Season
Things couldn't have started out any worst for the defending Super Bowl champions. After trading 2012 leading receiver Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers prior to the start of free agency in March, Baltimore was expecting Dennis Pitta to play a much larger role for BFF Joe Flacco this upcoming season. On Saturday, reports surfaced, which were verified by the Ravens official Twitter account, that Pitta suffered a hip injury. Later on Saturday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the hip injury was much more serious than originally anticipated. Pitta did indeed fracture his hip. Ouch!
Baltimore will now rely on Ed Dickson, who had a down 2012 season, to fill the void at tight end. In terms of fantasy impact, this hurts those of you who were on the Pitta bandwagon prior to his injury. For what it is worth, Pitta had the eighth-highest ADP for tight ends prior to the injury. Expect Dickson to pick his game up and become a solid TE2 option.
Santonio Holmes Sends Ominous Message to the New York Jets
Fresh off what was a serious lisfranc injury, veteran wide receiver Santonio Holmes indicated on Saturday that he might be at the mercy of his foot. According to The New York Daily News, Holmes responded this way when posed with the question about playing this season: "I have to do what the foot says."
New York re-signed Braylon Edwards late last week, but the veteran receiver is nowhere near the point in his career where he can make a huge impact. If Holmes can't go, it appears that Jeremy Kerley and Stephen Hill will be New York's starting receivers in 2013.
Ryan Miller Injured in Cleveland Browns' One-on-One's
Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer was the first writer to tweet out a scary situation during Browns' practice on Saturday. "Browns player carted to ambulance. team has asked not to identify until family notified." The player, later revealed to be offensive lineman Ryan Miller, suffered some sort of head injury. It, however, seemed initially that Miller suffered a neck injury. The youngster was takien to a nearby hospital and was alert. Good news to end what was an otherwise disturbing day of injuries around the league.
San Francisco 49ers to Utilize First-Team Offense as Scout-Team in Practice
In yet another interesting philosophical switch by head coach Jim Harbaugh and Co., it appears that San Francisco fully intends to use its first-team offense as a scout team during practice in preparation for going up against mobile quarterbacks this season. The 49ers take on a wide array of athletic signal callers, including: Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Jake Locker, Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Josh Freeman.
It is interesting that San Francisco would come to this conclusion, especially considering that starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick would be pegged to run that scout team in practice. Of course, Harbaugh wouldn't put the rising star in danger during the week.
Denver Broncos 'Confident' That Von Miller's Suspension Will Be Overturned
According to The USA Today, a source speaking close to the situation believes that Miller did not fail a drug test and that the Broncos believe will not be suspended.
"The person spoke on condition (of course) of anonymity because drug test results are to remain confidential. The NFL does not announce suspensions until after the appeal process is over."
We are sure to learn more about this story. As of now, Miller will be part of the Broncos season opener against the Baltimore Ravens in early September. The appeals process will ultimately tell us what is going to happen with the star pass rusher.
Seattle Seahawks Claim Outside Linebacker O'Brien Schofield Off Waivers
The Arizona Cardinals placed former fourth-round pick when they signed John Abraham on Friday. Schofield recorded 10.5 sacks in three seasons as a part-time starter in the desert. Seattle might have claimed Schofield in part to prevent him from going to the division-rival San Francisco 49ers, which would be par for the course for these two bitter rivals. It remains to be seen where the 3-4 outside linebacker will play in Seattle's hybrid 4-3 scheme.
San Diego Chargers Not Impressed with Robert Meachem
The former regime in Southern California signed Meachem to a foolhardy four-year, $25.9 million contract last offseason. That contract guaranteed him $14 million, $3.4 million of which was paid last season. This means that Meachem is still owed over $10 million over the next three seasons. This also means that Meachem's contract is pretty much not a tradeable commodity. With Vincent Brown, Keenan Allen, Malcom Floyd and Eddie Royal all ahead of him on the depth chart, Meachem doesn't seem to have a role in San Diego.
Clark Judge of CBS Sports indicates that people close to the club don't see Meachem making an impact this upcoming season, which begs the question of whether the new regime will just part ways and eat the $10 million in guaranteed money. If he hits the open market, Meachem willl draw some interest.
Houston Texans Running Back Arian Foster Still Not Practicing
Foster injured his calf during offseason workouts, but seemed confident that he'd be ready to practice by the time training camp started. That being said, this confidence is no longer there a couple days into camp itself. Foster indicates that this will remain a story until the calf injures itself, which could take a bit longer. As a veteran with a ton of carries under his belt over the past couple seasons, Foster doesn't necessarily need to be on the field during practice. This will become a much larger issue if he is still sidelined a couple weeks into the preseason. As we have seen in the past with Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew, running backs missing time during training camp can hurt their production or cause further injury into the season.
Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton In Line For Next Big Quarterback Deals
With Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo and Joe Flacco all locked up to long-term deals, attention will now focus to these two young quarterbacks as the next in line for huge contracts. Neither Kaepernick or Newton can even negotiate long-term contracts until after this season, but their front offices could easily start mapping out plans for what promises to be huge contracts.
While Newton has put up some ridiculous numbers (9,366 total yards and 62 touchdowns) in his first two seasons, Carolina has faile to take the next step last season. There are also questions about Newton's leadership ability and maturity. With that in mind, he is the face of the Panthers' franchise. Meanwhile, Kaepernick dominated opposing defenses during San Francisco's run to the Super Bowl last season. The sample size might be small, but Kaepernick's performance this upcoming season will go a long way in determining what type of contract he receives. As it is, both are likely to sign deals in excess of $100 million next spring.
Quick News and Notes
As he indicated to Clark Judge, Ryan Mathews believes he can be a top-five running back.
"I think I can be a top-five back...and be up with the best of them. I just have to be consistent. That's the main thing, to be consistent with my play."
While we respect Mathews' high expectations, he hasn't proven he can be that type of running back in the NFL. His issues thus far in the league include widespread injuries, and before that, fumble problems. The former first-round pick is averaging less than 1,000 rushing yards per season and has scored 14 touchdowns in three seasons.
D.J. Fluker isn't impressing in San Diego Chargers camp. The rookie first-round pick is being relied on to start at right tackle out of the gate, but the following tweet from Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union Tribune, can't be good for Philip Rivers and Co.
"Coaches say they're searching for five best guys to start on OL. They won't say it, but so far DJ Fluker is not one of best five." Ouch, that hurts.
Oakland Raiders wide receiver Andre Holmes was suspended four games for violating NFL's policy on performance enhancing drugs. Holmes, a young receiver stuck behind other unproven players on the Raiders depth chart, was looking to make the 53-man roster. This isn't a way to go about it.