Twentyman: LaPorta ‘terrific’ in camp

Jennings spent time on the active/non-football injury list this summer. He was activated 10 days ago. It is unclear whether the same issue that sidelined him then caused his injured reserve placement. The Patriots correspondingly signed RB JaMycal Hasty.

Nabers reportedly sported a red, non-contact jersey as he took part in a walkthrough period that Giants coaches used to install plays. According to SNY’s Connor Hughes, Nabers caught a couple of passes while running routes against the defense today. Per Hughes, “everything points towards him being back for the start of the season.”

When Garrett initially began experiencing knee soreness and swelling in late July, Rams coach Sean McVay said he expected Garrett to resume practicing by August 6th. Garrett retook the field on August 5th, but began sitting out again this week. Garrett, 30, has regularly played through injuries in his career. At this point, he has plenty of time to get right for the season opener. His participation is worth tracking, though.

McVay was helpfully forthcoming with information today, telling reporters that Nacua’s absence is specifically due to soreness in his psoas muscle. Nacua does not seem to be at risk of missing any time in the regular season, and should return with more than enough time to ramp up for Week 1. He is deservedly a top-five pick in fantasy drafts.

Wiggins was carted away on Tuesday, and Humphrey walked off with trainers on Wednesday. Minter’s phrasing is obviously non-committal, but it does seem like the Ravens’ starting cornerbacks will return before long.

According to Nagy, the Giants’ goals for Dart this offseason consisted of getting into the huddle, calling the play, getting up to the line of scrimmage, seeing the defense and playing fast. The New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard writes that Dart’s summer has not been “devoid of progress” because Dart has apparently mastered the first three items on the checklist — which seems like a fairly low bar to clear. Dart and his pass catchers have also reportedly struggled to connect downfield. Coaches like Nagy, pass game coordinator and QB coach Brian Callahan and senior offensive assistant Greg Roman dot coach John Harbaugh’s somewhat disconcerting staff. Dart is a talented player who may be able to overcome perceived schematic shortcomings. It would be really nice to see him perform well in the preseason, but Harbaugh has not yet revealed whether Dart will suit up this weekend.

Per Schottenheimer, Blue and Mafah “are in a tight battle for the backup running back spot.” Blue has received positive reports for some time now. His speed and receiving ability make him an ideal complement to starting RB Javonte Williams, who “probably won’t get a whole lot of run” in the preseason. If Blue can secure the role, he could warrant FLEX treatment on a weekly basis. Mafah (6'/234) is a burly rusher. Were he to win the RB2 job, he may be ill-suited to playing on passing downs, which could benefit Williams. We’ll see how things shake out in the preseason. Stay tuned.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Beck suffered a rib injury in the Cardinals’ Hall of Fame game against the Panthers. Despite feeling “soreness,” he managed to practice this week. The Cardinals “decided to keep him out tonight as a precaution and to allow more time to heal.” This pours a little cold water on Beck’s moderate hype, but the reporting suggests that the injury is not overly concerning. Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett will start, and presumably be relieved by QB Kedon Slovis at some point. No word yet on QB Gardner Minshew’s potential involvement tonight.

You, of course, cannot simply flip a switch and “finish better,” but it remains notable that the Packers’ players and coaches have spent the entire offseason and summer pledging to avoid the late-game collapses that have so often plagued them in recent seasons. It would appear coach Matt LaFleur and company are dead serious about changing their mindset. That is always easier said than done, but offensive balance just for the sake of it looks like it might be out the window in Green Bay this season. Hopefully the same will be true of taking the air out of the ball the second they have a second half lead. Again, it would be far from surprising if nothing really changes, but it is rare you will hear a team have these kinds of conversations out in the open. A more aggressive mindset would obviously only mean good things in fantasy football.

This is mostly just for bookkeeping purposes, though it’s now been three days since Nacua was able to practice in full. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has reported Nacua is dealing with “minor soreness,” but “minor soreness” has a way of spiraling when teams aren’t required to actually be honest with their injury reports during training camp. The most important thing is, there has been zero indication Nacua’s Week 1 status is in doubt. We will let you know if that changes.