Analysis
7/26/23
6 min read
5 Players Who Need to Dominate NFL Training Camps This Year
Preseason games are pointless. Training camp is pretty much a waste of time.
I’ve heard fans, and even the media, utter some form of these sentiments many times through the years. Heck, I’ve even listened to some established players say it in private.
As a former journeyman offensive lineman who played for five teams in seven NFL seasons, I can tell you nothing can be further from the truth, at least for guys like me who were competing for a starting job or a roster spot every year.
In my world, training camp and the preseason were even more important than the regular season because there was no regular season for me if I didn’t perform in the six weeks leading up to it.
That said, there are plenty of bigger names who need to have a good training camp and preseason. Here are a few guys who jump out to me as needing to play their best football this August.
Players in Need of Strong Camp
Mac Jones, QB, New England Patriots
Is it time for the “Return of the Mac” in New England?
With a stellar camp, fans and media alike will be more than happy to blame last year’s offensive coordinator — Matt Patricia — for the debacle that was Mac Jones and the passing game in 2022.
With a lousy camp, those same folks might call for Bailey Zappe to replace the former first-round pick whose performance dropped off in Year 2 after an excellent rookie campaign in 2021.
Either way, the pressure is on for Jones this August.
Chase Claypool, WR, Chicago Bears
Perhaps nobody needs Chase Claypool to have a better camp and preseason leading into the regular season than Chicago Bears second-year general manager Ryan Poles.
Poles traded what ended up being the top pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for Claypool, knowing he only had 1.5 years left on his rookie contract.
Claypool proceeded to catch 14 passes in seven games the remainder of the season, as the Bears lost game after game on their way to securing the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and the No. 32 pick, which was the equivalent of a first-round pick. However, that pick went to Pittsburgh due to the Claypool trade.
Poles is desperately hoping Claypool can prove he is worthy of a new contract so that it doesn’t go down as one of the worst trades in NFL history. That starts with Claypool staying healthy and establishing a much better rapport with Bears quarterback Justin Fields during camp.
>> READ: Potential Preseason Trade Targets
Rashaad Penny, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Rashaad Penny falls into the Trey Lance category of having both a high ceiling and low floor for his career based on how this season, starting with training camp and the preseason, goes.
Penny has been outstanding the past couple of years when healthy. He’s establishing himself as one of the best running backs in the NFL for brief stretches, ranking No. 1 among eligible ball carriers in yards after contact.
Unfortunately, he just hasn’t stayed healthy, getting injured every season of his first five.
If Penny shows he is healthy and still has his explosiveness, he could have a massive season behind arguably the best offensive line in the NFL. Given his injury history, the Philadelphia Eagles probably won’t give him bell-cow-type touches, but the possibility still exists for an All-Pro campaign.
Conversely, if Penny gets dinged during camp and doesn’t appear to have fully regained his burst after last year’s tibia fracture, he could get cut.
Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints
Remember this guy? He’s actually still in the NFL and still on the New Orleans Saints. According to coach Dennis Allen, Michael Thomas is 100 percent for training camp, even though it feels like he retired a couple of years ago.
Since leading the NFL with 149 receptions and 1725 yards in 2019, Thomas has played in a grand total of 10 football games in the last three years — 10.
He is only 30 and was known more for his body control, hands and route running than his speed when he was at the top of his game. A good camp could allow the Saints to feel like they are all set with Thomas and fellow former Ohio State Buckeye Chris Olave at wide receiver.
That should remove question marks about whether or not New Orleans should add another pass catcher outside.
Trey Lance, QB, San Francisco 49ers
The myriad of possibilities for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft seem endless at this point. It wouldn’t be shocking that with a great camp and preseason, Trey Lance could be the starting quarterback for one of the NFC favorites.
However, that seems unlikely, with the San Francisco 49ers announcing that Brock Purdy is 100 percent good to go to start training camp after elbow surgery.
Conversely, if Lance struggles, one realistic option for the 49ers would be to trade him for pennies on the dollar. Still, with the new rule allowing three quarterbacks to dress on game day combined with the NFC Championship Game fiasco in Philadelphia last season, that seems unlikely.
I’m most interested in the scenario in which Lance performs well but still doesn’t beat out Purdy for the starting job. Are there teams that would trade something of value to bring Lance in to compete for their starting job, or at least give the team another viable option should their incumbent falter?
Either way, Lance needs to show he still has the ability the 49ers saw when they drafted him so high and put himself in a position to get playing time somewhere.
Ross Tucker is a former NFL offensive lineman who played seven seasons for the Cowboys, Bills, Patriots and Washington after graduating from Princeton University in 2001. He works as a color commentator for both CBS Sports and Westwood One in addition to hosting a number of podcasts, including the popular Ross Tucker Football Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @RossTuckerNFL.
