NFL training camps continue to bring clarity for teams molding rosters.
But not all the news from camps is good, especially for the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders.
Days ahead of the start of the first major slate of preseason games, Yardbarker NFL writers dish on the biggest disappointment from the camp of each NFC team.
NFC East
DALLAS COWBOYS | Quarterback Trey Lance | Unable to beat out Brock Purdy as starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft appears to be trailing Cooper Rush for the No. 2 job with Dallas. With starting quarterback Dak Prescott unsigned for 2025, owner Jerry Jones would like to see Lance have a strong camp, but he has struggled with interceptions and failed to connect on simple throws.
NEW YORK GIANTS | Right tackle Evan Neal | The Giants would love to see Neal play up to his potential and reclaim the starting right tackle position, but he hasn’t recovered from an ankle injury that required surgery and forced him to miss 10 games in 2023. The seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft won’t be ready anytime soon so it’s good the Giants signed free-agent offensive linemen Jermaine Eluemunor and Greg Van Roten in the offseason.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | Linebacker Nakobe Dean | According to Bleeding Green Nation’s Brandon Lee Gowton, the former third-round pick has struggled with coverage. In the meantime, former Saints linebacker Zack Baun is getting first-team reps and appears ready to start alongside former Buccaneer Devin White.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS | Quarterback Marcus Mariota | Unlike Dallas’ Lance, Mariota is in no danger of losing the No. 2 job, but his spotty play in camp all but assures that Jayden Daniels, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, will open the season as starting quarterback. According to Dean Jones of Riggo’s Rag, Mariota has struggled with pre-snap reads and in Day 4 of camp, threw off-target throws and interceptions. Should the Commanders have stuck with Sam Howell, who would have been a better (and less expensive) option behind Daniels? — Bruce Ewing
NFC West
ARIZONA CARDINALS | BJ Ojulari’s injury | The Cardinals, who had one of the NFL’s worst pass rushes in 2023, were going to rely on the second-year linebacker to be a key part of improving that unit. However, he is done for the season after suffering a knee injury Friday. His loss severely impacts an already weak pass rush that did not get much help over the offseason.
LOS ANGELES RAMS | WR Puka Nacua’s injury | Nacua left practice Sunday with a knee injury and is considered week-to-week, but a source told ESPN the injury is “not serious.” Nacua became one of the Rams’ go-to offensive players in 2023, and with fellow WR Cooper Kupp having his own injury issues in recent years, the team needs him to have another huge season.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | Contract holdouts | Left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk are two of the 49ers’ best and most important players on offense. So far, however, neither player has taken a snap. Both want a new contract. Per ESPN.com Tuesday, Aiyuk has permission from the Niners to negotiate a contract with another team ahead of a potential trade.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | Sam Howell’s accuracy problems | With starting quarterback Geno Smith banged up, Howell must show he’s worthy of filling in as starter. However, he has not been accurate passing in camp and doesn’t look like a reliable option. — Adam Gretz
NFC North
CHICAGO BEARS | Guard Nate Davis | Davis is the highest-paid member of the offensive line (three years, $30M, per Spotrac), and the team really needs him on the field. However, he has missed several days of practice due to a muscle strain. “Availability is everything in this league,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said recently. “You’ve got to be available to practice and you’ve got to be able to go through hard, in terms of doing hard better, during training camp.”
DETROIT LIONS | Receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones | With Josh Reynolds now in Denver, the Lions need a new No. 3 receiver. Peoples-Jones appeared to be the favorite to win the job, but Daurice Fountain has outplayed him. Head coach Dan Campbell said he wants more from Peoples-Jones, per The Detroit News.
GREEN BAY PACKERS | Kicker Anders Carlson | Carlson had a rough rookie season, missing seven field goals and six extra points. The competition the Packers brought in to compete with him in camp — Greg Joseph and James Turner — seems to have messed with his head, and Carlson is missing kicks in practice that he shouldn’t.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS | Receiver Jordan Addison | This has less to do with what Addison has done on the field and more to do with the trouble he’s gotten into off it. Addison is facing charges of driving under the influence and driving with a blood-alcohol content over California’s 0.8 percent legal limit. He could face a three-game NFL suspension during the regular season, per Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. — Michael Gallagher
NFC South
ATLANTA FALCONS | WR Rondale Moore | Acquired in a trade that sent former starting quarterback Desmond Ridder to the Cardinals, Moore was expected to slide in as a starting slot receiver in three-receiver sets. Instead, the fourth-year wideout trails journeyman Ray-Ray McCloud, who’s on his fifth NFL team.
CAROLINA PANTHERS | TE Tommy Tremble | In his prove-it year, the Panthers’ third-round pick (No. 83 overall) hit his first hurdle when the team shut him down on the second day of the team’s training camp. Head coach Dave Canales cited hamstring tightness. A holdover from the Matt Rhule regime, Tremble already has ground to cover to earn a significant role in Carolina’s offense.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | RB Kendre Miller | Head coach Dennis Allen challenged Miller after a hamstring injury forced him out of the team’s first camp practice, saying, “Look, that’s a player that’s going to have to figure out how to stay healthy because it’s hard to make the team from the training room.” After only appearing in eight games as a rookie as he battled knee and ankle injuries, Miller is quickly earning the unfortunate “injury-prone” label.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | OLB Randy Gregory | The Buccaneers signed Gregory to a one-year deal in the offseason, but the eight-year NFL veteran has yet to show up to a team practice, a sign Gregory isn’t serious about continuing his NFL career. We have a feeling Tampa won’t miss him. — Eric Smithling
