Today’s morning practice should have been tagged, “Survival of the Coolest.” There were no winners. The heat was so brutal that the team took frequent water breaks and emphasized more drills than individual battles.
The Heat Is On
Even in the extreme heat, there were a couple of players that made the most of their opportunities, especially with a healthy number of scratches for the day – including Chris Carter, John Urschel, Kyle Arrington, and Carl Davis.
Who Stood Out?
Michael Pierce
The rookie nose guard may have benefited the most from Davis and Brandon Williams taking a rest day. He got first-team reps, was active against the run, handling two-gap responsibilities while keeping linemen occupied.
At 6-0, 330 pounds, he’s got the low center of gravity you want from a nose guard, but he also has the size you don’t typically get from a player that’s shorter in statute. He’s able to get his pads lower and does a nice job of consistently moving his feet.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the rookie made the final 53-man roster, especially with Davis having to take on more reps at LDE with Bronson Kaufusi going down. It’s clear that the coaches like what Pierce brings as a promising NG prospect.
Keenan Reynolds
It was a bounce-back practice for the rookie who has been such a focal point since he was drafted from Navy. He caught several passes and the drops from previous practices were a non-issue.
Before I get into the good, I noticed a couple of things from Reynolds that he still needs to work on. One, his ability to get in and out of his breaks has to improve. On a route against Will Davis in a 1-on-1 session, Reynolds rounded off his route and took too long to make his break. As a result, the timing of the pattern was off, and the ball ended up behind where Reynolds needed to be.
Again, Reynolds is learning the ropes as a converted QB, so route-running precision isn’t expected so quickly but if he can get the timing of his cuts down, he has the short-area quickness to put a lot of stress on cover corners.
Physically, you can also see Reynolds struggle when he has to fight through contact. He can be disrupted off of his route by a strong jam or push. This is an area the coaches have been working with him to improve.
Now, the positive. Reynolds was able to create space on his routes, which is what you have to like the most about his potential. He’s getting better at using his quick footwork to create separation.
One of his best plays of the day came on a bubble screen fake in which the rookie was able to break open down the right sideline. It’ll be interesting to see if Reynolds can fight his way through the competition for a roster spot, especially with Michael Campanaro continuing to be a spectator.
Will Davis
I’ve mentioned before that Davis isn’t at his best when has to move laterally or handle stop routes when he gives up a cushion, and that was on display today. Davis lost his footing trying to track a flag route to the right sideline. He gave up a large cushion two other times when he played off of Reynolds and Jeremy Butler, and both receivers took advantage of Davis’ late recovery coming out of his backpedal. If Davis is that slow to react, he’ll be bait on double moves.
It’s not a bad thing to shift Davis around and have him cover in space, or to have him show what he can do in off coverage. Camp is meant to be a large sandbox for the coaches to figure out players’ strengths and weaknesses.
But it’s pretty clear to this point that when Davis plays press technique, he’s at his absolute best because he can use his long arms, has a better feel for when to break on the ball, and understands how to use the sideline to squeeze a receiver’s vertical route.
Kamar Aiken
He put on another show today, catching tough passes over the middle, gaining position over Jimmy Smith in the process. Aiken understands how to use his body to box out corners for positioning, even when the corners are as big as Smith. Aiken is just more savvy with his technique.
He can also kill corners with his sharp footwork, as he was able to turn around Shareece Wright on a double move where he sold a hard inside stab move, only to break outside. Aiken is poised to continue his run from the end of last season as the team’s top receiver.
Ronnie Stanley
I haven’t written much about LT Ronnie Stanley, so I made it a point to observe the team’s top pick. Stanley didn’t get a lot of reps today as James Hurt handled most of the LT duties. But when the tackle was matched up against Lawrence Guy in 11-on-11 situations, he looked effortless keeping Guy at bay.
On one play, Guy was able to stagger Stanley off balance momentarily but the rookie recovered and engulfed the defensive end. Two players later, Stanley also displayed the mean streak that is supposedly lacking in his game when he finished his block off with authority by shoving Guy through the whistle.
