NFL insider's diary: Notes from Raiders, Panthers & Ravens training camp feat. Bryce Young concerns and breakout pass rusher
With Week 1 of the preseason behind us, it’s time to take a brief trip and look at the happenings from a few camps around the league. It’s decision time in Las Vegas, where a pair of rookies are impressing the coaching staff. Meanwhile there is real concern in Carolina, while a third-year veteran looks ready to explode in Baltimore.
Inside Las Vegas Raiders training camp
The Raiders had their final practice in Costa Mesa, California, on Friday before losing to the Vikings in their first preseason game, 24-23. The big question surrounding the team centers on the quarterback position and who will start come Week 1.
The media pounded the play of Aidan O’Connell and free-agent signing Gardner Minshew in the weeks leading up to the first preseason game, but the organization feels the situation is not as bad as presented. The belief is the team will have a solid starter all season long with either O’Connell or Minshew. Prior to the Vikings game, people told me it was a tossup between the pair as to who would be the Week 1 starter. But Minshew looked good last week and had a solid outing against the Vikings. Head coach Antonio Pierce said he would make his decision on who will start this season after the second preseason game.
The team is very happy with Brock Bowers, who they selected with the 13th pick of the draft in April in somewhat of a surprise move. And it’s not Bowers’ pass catching that has the team enamored with its first-round pick, rather his blocking. Bowers has exceeded all expectations in camp with his blocking, and the team feels he’s rounding into a complete tight end.
Another draft pick the team is excited about is offensive lineman DJ Glaze, selected in the third round. Glaze has lined up at both right and left tackle, helping to fill in for injured starter Kolton Miller. The team is pleased with Glaze and feels he is competing to start at the right tackle spot. While Glaze may not play with the first team in Week 1, many believe he could replace Thayer Munford Jr., the team’s present starter at right tackle, before the season ends.
Inside Carolina Panthers training camp
There have been numerous concerns about the Panthers throughout training camp, and those were deepened after the team got hammered by the New England Patriots in Week 1 of the preseason, 17-3.
Despite people claiming that second-year quarterback Bryce Young has made progress in camp this summer, there are still a lot of question marks and concerns about the first pick of the 2023 draft. Most people I’ve spoken with feel he won’t be able to hold up over the course of the season, and those who meet Young for the first time are shocked how small he is. Young, you may remember, measured just over 5-foot-10 and 204 pounds at the 2023 NFL Combine. Truth be told, Young was drafted for his quarterback intellect as much as anything else, as he was branded as a “football genius” in the lead-up to the draft that year. Still, if he doesn’t turn the corner this season, the trade made by the Panthers to move up and draft him with the top pick in 2023 will continue to look worse.
“Football genius” is a term that will never be assigned to Panthers owner David Tepper any time soon. League insiders and those who have been to the team’s facility tell me Tepper is at the root of the problem with the organization. As one person told me last week, “He wants all the control but doesn’t know what he’s doing!” And while it may be an exaggeration to claim he wants all the control, several sources tell me Tepper wants too much input into how the team and roster is run.
On a positive note, second-round selection Jonathon Brooks should be ready to play by Week 4, if not earlier. The former Texas running back was the most physically gifted ball carrier available in last April’s draft, but he suffered a torn ACL against TCU in mid-November last year, which called into question where he would land in the draft.
Inside Baltimore Ravens training camp
The team known for putting stout defenses on the field may be even stronger this season thanks in large part to the development of a 2022 third-round pick.
Travis Jones, the UConn product who was selected by Baltimore with the 76th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, has been dominant throughout training camp. After modest production the past two seasons despite starting 32 games, Jones is poised for a breakout campaign, and it couldn’t come at a better time for the Ravens.
The Ravens needed another pass rusher in the offseason and hoped selecting Adisa Isaac in the third round last April would cure the problem. Yet it’s been Jones who has stood out all camp long, and many feel he has the potential to turn in a Pro Bowl season.