4-Down Territory: Training camp stories, rookies, and stars in new homes
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire get into a few important items as NFL teams prepare for training camp… and sooner than you may think, the 2023 NFL season!
What will be the most fascinating training camp story?
Which training camp narrative already has our guys burnt out?
Which late-round rookies might surprise as potential starters; and
Which people in new homes will do the most for their new teams?
You can watch this week’s episode of “4-Down Territory” right here.
Which training camp story are you most looking forward to following?
Now that training camps are in full swing for the most part, we have more pressing NFL storylines than we’ve had for a while. And as we roam around the league, which of those stories do you find most interesting?
Doug: As much as I’m prepared to be annoyed by the Aaron Rodgers Experience when it gets going at full speed, I am also tremendously interested in what this Jets offense will look like with competent quarterbacking. I don’t think there’s any question that this would have been a playoff team last season were it not for the evil triumvirate of Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, and Mike White, and while Rodgers’ 2022 season left people wanting in comparison to his Hall of Fame best, he’s also got a top receiver in Garrett Wilson who brings the kind of production and athletic potential that Rodgers hasn’t had since Davante Adams. So, overall, I’m highly interested in the Jets as a concept.
Kyle: The Justin Fields improvement (or lack thereof) is by far the thing I’m most eager to learn about in training camp. Last season showed that Fields can dramatically affect an offense just with his legs. There’s clear development necessary as a passer that should come as the Bears get actual weapons around him on offense. I love the Bears as that ‘out of nowhere’ team that stinks one year and then finds its way into the playoffs the next, and that hinges largely on what kind of leap we see from Fields in Year 3 because that roster is still a few players away.
Also, I can’t wait to hear all about how much better the vibes are in Washington. It feels like every Commanders training camp report is going to actually be some kind of dig at Dan Snyder and that’s something I’m very much here for.
Which training camp story are you already sick of?
Conversely, which training camp story are you already tired of before you’ve heard it?
Doug: The Browns recently tried a “hype video” on Twitter consisting of Deshaun Watson throwing a ball about five yards into a net. It’s pretty interesting how quickly that franchise has had to go from “All this trouble is worth it, because he’s the face of our franchise” to “Hey, our quarterback threw the ball in the right direction without falling down.” Watching the Browns try to paint over what might wind up being one of the worst trades in sports history is going to be tough to stomach for all kinds of reasons.
Kyle: Everything related to Odell Beckham Jr. and how he’s going to impact the Ravens’ offense. I’m a believer in what Baltimore is doing on that side of the ball. Getting Todd Monken in there as offensive coordinator instead of Greg Roman should be immensely helpful for their passing game. Rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers is also one of my favorite receivers from this draft and I think he’ll help out right away.
Both Monken and Flowers are going to be overlooked throughout training camp though because of some one-handed catch Beckham made, or how much he dominated one-on-one drills. Beckham moves the needle nationally, so I get why every time he breathes it’s going to be covered like the moon landing, but it’s already annoying given that he’s a few items down the list of reasons the Ravens should be at least different offensively this season.
Which late-round rookies could be surprise starters?
Are there one or more rookies, drafted outside of the first and second rounds, who you think will be a starter by the time training camps and the preseason end?
Doug: I’ll start with Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders, who the Broncos took with the 67th overall pick in the third round. The Alabama transfer got enough reps with the Razorbacks in 2022 to show that he’s an excellent run-stopper at the second level (needs some work in coverage), and he’s also a highly effective blitzer. Sanders had 11 sacks and 39 total pressures last season, and I’m fascinated to see how new Broncos DC Vance Joseph utilizes him in those fronts.
I’d also like to mention one of My Guys in this draft class – former TCU cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, selected by the Rams with the 182nd pick in the sixth round. Hodges-Tomlinson lasted so long due to size concerns (5-foot-8, 178), but the Rams are rebuilding at just about every position. Hodges-Tomlinson can be a legitimate outside cornerback who can roll deep, and the Rams have experience with a guy like this. They turned UAB’s Darious Williams from an undrafted free agent who was floating around the league to a starting-level defender, and WIlliams is 5-foot-9 and 187 pounds. Hodges-Tomlinson will prove the skeptics wrong if given a chance, and with this Rams team, there will be opportunities.
Kyle: I’ll snag one from each side of the ball here. On offense, it’s hard to imagine WR Jalin Hyatt, a third-round pick from Tennessee, not getting a lot of burn pretty quickly for the Giants. He might wind up just kind of being a one-trick pony who takes the top off defenses, but New York won’t have a ton of options outside of him on the perimeter. Hyatt is a super explosive athlete in an offense that saw NINE wide receivers catch passes last year with their leader, Darius Slayton, leading the club with 724 receiving yards. New TE Darren Waller will get some looks as well, but Hyatt will have every opportunity to snag a starting job without a ton of competition.
On the other side, I’m looking at the depleted Rams roster where another third-round pick from Tennessee, DE Byron Young, now resides. Young is an exciting athlete at the position and he joins a defense that tallied 38 sacks last year, but lost 15 of them with Leonard Floyd and Bobby Wagner both exiting this offseason. There’s certainly some rawness to Young’s game, but getting to play a lot and on a defensive front that features Aaron Donald should give him a chance to grow into a significant role really quickly.
4. Which people will make the biggest differences for their new teams?
Which new arrival in the NFL are you most excited to see in these training camps? Coach, player, whoever. Who has piqued your interest due to their potential in a new home?
Doug: Back to the Browns, and the combination of a renewed defensive line and new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. In 2022, per Pro Football Focus, Myles Garrett was responsible for 18 of the team’s 37 sacks, eight of the team’s 23 quarterback hits, and 47 of the team’s 118 quarterback hurries. Now, Cleveland has Schwartz’ acumen, and the additions of Za’Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. That’s a seriously underrated bunch to align with Garrett’s world-destroying talents. I think the Browns’ defense will be far more fun to watch than the Browns’ offense.
Kyle: Part of me wants to go back to DJ Moore joining Justin Fields in Chicago, but I’ll diversify for the sake of the bit. The 49ers have leaned all the way in to their “quarterbacks don’t matter” mantra (that’s not actually their mantra, but it sure feels like it) and bringing defensive tackle Javon Hargrave into the fold strengthens perhaps the weakest area on the 49ers’ defense. The last time they had a dominant presence on the interior was 2019 and they rode that group to the brink of a Super Bowl victory.
Hargrave alone last year had 57 pressures and 11 sacks in the regular season. The entire 49ers defensive interior combined last year had 61 pressures and 4.0 sacks per Pro Football Focus. Hargrave could free up the likes of Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa to wreak even more havoc than they did last season. Perhaps it won’t matter because of San Francisco’s issues at QB, but Hargrave gives their defensive front another dominant pass rusher which may just be enough to get them over the hump.
