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NFL training camp 2020 – Kittle and Mostert get cheesy, Gronk catches a shark

August 20, 2020
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5:05 PM ET

ESPN staff

As training camp keeps rolling through August, it was a notable day for rookie running backs, according to our NFL Nation reporters. Plus Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski caught a shark. Of course he did.

Here’s what you need to know from camps across the league:

Jump to the best of the day:
Photos | Videos | Quotes

Top news of the day

Belichick: Not ruling out QB platoon with Cam

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick isn’t ruling anything out while figuring out his quarterback depth chart, including the possibility of a platoon involving Cam Newton. Asked Wednesday morning before practice if it might be a benefit to pair two signal-callers with varied skill sets, Belichick said, “It might. I always say I’ll do what I think is best for the team, what gives us the best chance to win.” Newton, who signed with the team July 8, is splitting repetitions evenly with 11-year veteran Brian Hoyer and 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham in practices. Unlike past years, Belichick won’t have the benefit of preseason games in making the decision.

Report: 2 women say Guice raped them at LSU

Two former LSU students say they were raped by former Washington Football Team running back Derrius Guice in 2016, when he was a freshman at the school, according to a report in USA Today. The women told USA Today that Guice assaulted them in their own apartments following nights of heavy drinking. Washington released Guice, a 2018 second-round pick, on Aug. 7, two hours after he was arrested on three separate domestic violence charges in Virginia.

Best videos

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Quotes of the day

“I had some throws get away from me in the past; really just last year, more than anything. But I don’t want that to turn me into someone that’s scared to make a play, because I don’t think you can play that way either.”

Philip Rivers on his turnovers

What our NFL Nation reporters saw Wednesday

Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire showed one of the reasons the Chiefs drafted him in the first round this year when he took a pass in the flat and put a move on linebacker Anthony Hitchens that allowed him to gain extra yards. The Chiefs have talked about how it’s difficult for defenders to bring down Edwards-Helaire in the open field and Hitchens afterward said he agreed. “He’s one of the better players in this league or will be one of the better players in this league at making people miss in the open space,” Hitchens said. — Adam Teicher

Ravens rookie running back J.K. Dobbins played with an emotional edge in practice. He didn’t back down from the verbal sparring with safety DeShon Elliott and then got in a heated exchange with safety Nigel Warrior, which prompted coach John Harbaugh to step in between to squash it. Dobbins, a second-round pick, has looked like a first-round talent. He’s still running behind starter Mark Ingram, but he has been explosive with his jump cuts and has made some fine catches in the passing game. It’s been a strong first impression by Dobbins, who is trying to earn playing time in a crowded Baltimore backfield. — Jamison Hensley

Welcome to the NFL, rookie! It’s only Day 2 of full pads at Rams training camp, and cornerback Jalen Ramsey wasted no time delivering a big hit to running back Cam Akers, whom the Rams selected in the second round of the draft. “He’s welcoming him to the NFL, if you will,” Rams coach Sean McVay said after practice. “It was a good, physical, smart real play and we like those.” Ramsey’s hit drew excitement from the sideline and a reminder that practice was thud-only. — Lindsey Thiry

New Saints receiver Bennie Fowler definitely credits Drew Brees (and longtime friend Emmanuel Sanders) for getting him a chance to crack New Orleans’ 53-man roster. Fowler was unsigned and unable to try out for teams because of COVID this summer when Brees and Sanders invited him to join them for a workout session in Denver. Brees liked what he saw and told Fowler he’d put in a call to the Saints’ front office to check him out. “I was like, ‘OK, we’ll see,'” Fowler said. But sure enough, a day or two later, his agent called and said, “Whatever you did, you must’ve really impressed him.” Another thing that could help the seventh-year veteran — he considers his blocking a “specialty,” and that will be key for trying to win a fourth WR job. — Mike Triplett

Receiver Ryan Switzer stood out in the team competition periods at Wednesday’s practice. The 25-year-old had a handful of nice catches with the first team, including one in the back corner of the end zone on a pass from Ben Roethlisberger. With the team not practicing in pads, most of the practice focused on the passing game and pass coverage, which is why coach Mike Tomlin was less concerned with T.J. Watt’s would-be sack of Roethlisberger on the play, and more pleased with the play resulting in a deep touchdown connection. — Brooke Pryor

If there was a knock on Adrian Amos when the Packers signed him to a four-year, $36 million deal last offseason, it was his lack of big plays while playing alongside Eddie Jackson in Chicago. While he matched his career high with two interceptions last year in his first season with the Packers, perhaps there’s more to come if his start to training camp is any indication. He picked off his second Aaron Rodgers pass in as many days on Wednesday, accounting for half of the total picks on Rodgers through four practices. Perhaps it’s because of new defensive backs coach Jerry Gray, a ball-hawking cornerback with 28 career interceptions during his NFL playing days and a longtime assistant coach who joined the Packers this offseason. “He’s somebody who’s done it before, and someone who’s coached it a lot before,” Amos said.” — Rob Demovsky

There is a new sound to get used to at training camp this year — a beeping noise that sounds something like the alarm clock on your phone and is heard sporadically throughout the day. Team employees and media members with Tier 2 designation wear tracking devices that go off when they are within 6 feet of someone else wearing the device. It’s not only a good way to remind everyone to social distance, but the interactions are recorded so if someone contracts coronavirus, it’s known who they have come in close contact with. — Tim McManus

It is a sign of the times, but when Broncos coach Vic Fangio gave an update on some players who did not practice Wednesday, he made a distinction that will likely become a common one as the season rolls on. Tight end Noah Fant was one one of four players who did not practice and when Fangio was asked about Fant’s status, Fangio said Fant was sick. But Fangio then quickly added: “Not COVID sick, but normal sick.” So, Fant is expected back on the practice field soon, possibly as quickly as Thursday. The Broncos currently have no players on the COVID-19 reserve list and thus far only tight end/fullback Andrew Beck is the only player to have tested positive for the virus since training camp opened. — Jeff Legwold


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