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NFL training camp: What matters and what doesn't

Charles McDonald
Staff writer
·4 min read

NFL training camps are back in our midst, with the Houston Texans opening Wednesday and every other team following suit by July 24. which will undoubtedly spur conversations as practice clips and coaching media conferences start to hit the airwaves.

There’s a lot of fluff to sort through during training camp, but luckily I came up with a foolproof list to make sure that every fan can enter the regular season as level-headed as possible. Here are things that do matter and don’t matter for NFL training camp, to help you be your best self for Week 1.

Don’t. Just don’t. Even if he’s the rookie for your favorite team. Game reps. Stay focused.

This is an important one, particularly for teams that have unsettled positions featuring multiple players like offensive line or the secondary. Whether the players are working in the first or second team or further down the depth chart will give insight to what the coaching staff thinks of them through the early stage of the season. This is especially important for highly drafted rookies who are expected to make an impact on their teams right away.

Most football fans know this by now, but fights are going to happen during training camp. It’s a million degrees, coaches are barking and the same guys are hitting each other 50 times a day. The tempers are going to rise in a situation like that! It almost never means anything further that would actually affect the team. When you see reports of training camp fights, you should care about it as much as the coach of your favorite team: not at all.

Rookies who can get on the field faster tend to have brighter futures — or a team is just flat out stinky without much depth to compete with younger players. Still, if there’s a player who was drafted past the top 100 picks and is repeatedly getting on the field with the starters, it might be a sign that he'll stick around and potentially get a second contract.

Every year we go through the training camp highlight circuit, particularly when teams have joint practices against each other. You’ll be guaranteed to see some poor cornerback getting juked out of his shoes on a sluggo route or another route with a double move in a one-on-one drill. It doesn’t matter at all. Not even a little bit, even if the cornerback literally falls out of his shoes. Remember, in real games teams are more prepared for offensive trickery like that and there will normally be a safety over the top. It makes for a fun social media clip, but doesn’t have much real importance. (The same also applies for interior offensive linemen getting beat by defensive tackles in one-on-one matchups. There’s never that much space in a real game!)

Special teams aren’t sexy, nor do many people seem to care about them outside of kickers and punters, but they are an avenue for players to make the field without having real roles on offense or defense. A punt protector, gunner, frontline on kick return. This is where guys can have an impact even if a team didn’t invest a whole lot of assets into acquiring them. And with the new kickoff rules this season, there's added value there.

Look, you’re probably the smartest fantasy general manager in your league. Trust me, I get it. We’ve all won a little something here or there over the years. However, I must say: that player you signed that wasn’t drafted in real life or the fantasy league? Probably not going to make it, if we can keep it real. You don’t need to put on alerts for the fourth quarter of preseason games for teams you don’t watch during the regular season. Don’t be afraid to press the drop button, the team that signed them for real football likely won’t be.

Every year there’s a handful of veteran players that don’t sign with a team until after training camp starts. Usually, teams want to see what the young players they drafted or signed have before dipping into the veteran free-agent market. This is a part of the year when coaches and front-office people will be a little more honest because they still are adding pieces to their roster. There are a handful of talented players still on the market this year, including Justin Simmons, Xavien Howard, David Bakhtiari, Hunter Renfrow, Eddie Jackson. They are ready to step in if a team feels like it needs depth once August comes rolling around.