Brown's issues at heart of Cardinals receiving woes

Not long ago, John Brown was raving about how good he felt, how draining a cyst in his back had been the answer to health problems that dogged him throughout last season.

Well, Brown's having troubles again and his health issues are at the heart of the Arizona Cardinals' receiving woes.

A critical part of the Arizona offense, he practiced some on Tuesday despite a lingering quadriceps injury. He said afterward that he's nowhere near full strength and doesn't want to play until he is.

"I'm not just about to run there hurting myself just because I've got to be out there," Brown said. "I understand the situation that's going on with the receivers and all that, but I'll just come back when I'm ready."

Brown was diagnosed last season with sickle cell trait, a condition that affects his recovery from injuries.

"I can't rush it," he said. "My body's different than others. They expect me to come back fast but you know I can't."

Quarterback Carson Palmer said Wednesday that the important thing is for Brown, whose speed makes him Arizona's main downfield threat when he's healthy, to be ready for the Sept. 10 opener at Detroit.

"I don't know the specifics of the sickle cell. I don't know how that works," Palmer said. "I know John and I know how hard he works. I've seen him. He wants to be out there. He's doing everything he can. But at the same time we've got a ways to go before we play our first game. He's such a big part of this offense. We want him in Detroit, we need him in Detroit."

The downcast Brown didn't sound optimistic when asked if he'd be ready for the opener.

"It's unknown," he said. "If I can't produce in the preseason, what can I do in the regular season? So I'm just taking it how it comes, taking it one day at a time."

Coach Bruce Arians was asked if he could be patient while Brown recovers.

"I don't have any choice. If he can't run, he can't play," the coach said. "Now if he can't run long enough, we've got to replace him. ... Hopefully it's not two months to recover, when the muscle heals he'll be ready, but it does affect differently. Some guys are slow healers, some guys are fast healers."

On Monday, Arians called out his receivers — with the exception of Larry Fitzgerald and Jaron Brown — for a "lethargic" practice, dropping passes and messing up assignments.

That led to John Brown and rookie Chad Williams returning to practice the next day.

Fitzgerald had been due a veteran's day off from Tuesday's workout but he practiced, too.

"I think he wanted to help lead his group," Arians said. "You can't say anything more about Larry that hasn't been said. He takes care of his (receivers) room as good as anybody."

J.J. Nelson is probably third in the current pecking order of receivers.

"He just dropped a couple of balls but he's probably been the next-most consistent guy," Arians said.

Brittan Golden, a special teams whiz who caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Palmer in last Saturday's preseason win over Oakland, seems a lock to make the team again, although he's sidelined with a groin injury sustained against the Raiders.

"Brit's always been solid," Arians said. "He's a core special teamer. Whenever he plays, he makes plays."

Williams, a third-round draft pick who had been out with shin splits "jumped out there (in practice Tuesday) because he had some fresh legs, then he dropped a touchdown," the coach said. Williams might be ready to play eventually, probably by Thanksgiving, Arians said.

Jeremy Ross, who has played with six teams in five NFL seasons, was working with the first unit in Wednesday's practice.

As for the rest of the receivers, it's a mixed bag.

"Carlton (Agudosi) was looking good before he got hurt," Arians said. "(Krishawn) Hogan does some good things and some bad things."

The best of those second-tier receivers probably has been 5-foot-9 Chris Hubert, Arians said, who's been wide open on plays but "we just can't hit him."

The coach said the team will probably keep six wide receivers. Whether all six are currently in camp "remains to be seen," he said. The Cardinals, he meant, might sign someone new instead.

Savage is Houston's starting QB, but Watson impressing early

Tom Savage is Houston's starting quarterback for now, but coach Bill O'Brien is keeping a keen eye on rookie Deshaun Watson, charting his progress as the Texans prepare for their season opener.

When the Texans traded up 13 picks to take Watson 12th overall in this year's draft many assumed that the Clemson standout would immediately move into the starting role.

Instead the Texans insisted that Savage was their starter and have operated that way throughout training camp with the third-year player getting the bulk of the snaps with the first team.

That hasn't stopped coach Bill O'Brien from being questioned about Watson and his progress every day.

Sometimes he'll talk about the rookie quarterback, but often he steers his comments back to his starting quarterback.

"I think we have a really good situation here," O'Brien said. "We have Tom. He's had a good camp. He's thrown the ball well, he's done some good things ... but Deshaun's had a good camp, too, so it's been very productive for both guys."

The interest in Watson was already high after he became the first quarterback the Texans drafted in the first round since taking David Carr with the first overall pick in their first season.

But interest got even higher after he threw for 179 yards and ran for a touchdown after taking over for Savage in Houston's preseason opener against the Panthers last week.

While O'Brien often deflects questions about Watson, he did admit that he was one of the best rookie quarterbacks he's coached and said he often does the little things a quarterback needs to do to be successful.

"He's ahead of where some rookies I've been around have been," O'Brien said. "I've seen him be able to do that. I think he needs to do it more consistently, but he works very hard to get it right. If he doesn't get it right away on the field, he goes into the meeting room and tries to fix it."

Watson, who threw for 4,593 yards and 41 touchdowns last season to lead Clemson to a national title, believes he's made a lot of progress since joining the Texans, but is still looking to get much better.

"Honestly, in the spring I knew what I was doing but at the same time my head was swimming," he said.

"But whenever I step on the field today, I can go out there and control the offense and do what they ask me to do and make good decisions, fast. I'm just trying to improve in all areas and continue to do that."

Whether it's Savage or Watson who starts, the Texans are looking for consistency at the position after starting eight different players there since 2014.

They thought they'd found the solution to their quarterback woes when they signed Brock Osweiler to a $72 million contract before last season, but he was benched for Savage late in the season before being traded to Cleveland in March.

Savage has shown potential in limited action, but it's hard to know exactly what he can do after he's appeared in just five games with two starts in his two-year career.

He likes the way his offense, led by receiver DeAndre Hopkins and running back Lamar Miller, is coming together and knows getting most of the snaps with the first team in camp has helped him improve.

"It's different just because I'm getting the reps against the ones, with the ones. That's been huge for me," he said. "Just knowing that I can go out there and I can do this and I can take over for this team and handle it."

Savage, who has yet to throw a touchdown pass in a regular-season game, is certainly aware that many people outside of the organization would like to see Watson under center when Houston opens the season on Sept. 10 against the Jaguars. But he has too many other things to think about to worry about that.

"I'm out there competing and that makes both of us better," he said. "So, we just have to keep going with that. At the end of the day, both of us, we want to win, so we let the coaches handle the rest and we'll go out there and focus on what we can control."

Browns' Thomas believes Osweiler will win starting QB job

After weeks of speculation, analysis and evaluation, the Browns' quarterback competition is headed into its home stretch.

Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas believes it's over — Brock Osweiler will start the season opener on Sept. 10 against Pittsburgh.

"I could be totally wrong," Thomas said Wednesday. "I might be going out on a limb here, but I think they're grooming Brock to be the starter in Week 1 based on what I've seen."

Thomas has seen it all — and then some — during 10 seasons with Cleveland. He's witnessed the Browns bungle enough quarterback decisions that he's hoping the team gets it right this time.

His preference is for the Browns to show patience and not rush rookie DeShone Kizer, the second-round pick who has had an impressive camp and rallied the team to a win in his exhibition debut. Kizer, a second-round pick from Notre Dame, could very well be ready, but Thomas feels the more prudent approach is to let him learn while watching Osweiler.

"It is a competition, but I would expect Brock to win because of his experience," he said. "And a rookie quarterback is the hardest position to get ready to play in your first year. So there's no doubt he (Kizer) could win the competition. I definitely would expect probably Brock to win it just because my personal philosophy is as a quarterback it takes at least two or three years to have a basic level of understanding of NFL defenses and offenses to be able to operate proficiently out there on the field, especially in Week 1."

As expected, coach Hue Jackson picked Osweiler to start his second straight preseason game when the Browns host the New York Giants on Monday night. Kizer will play second, with Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan getting time after that.

"It doesn't mean anything for the regular season," Jackson said. "This is this game."

Kizer was the third QB used in the exhibition opener, but Jackson moved him ahead of Kessler this week so he gets snaps against better competition.

Jackson added the starter of the third exhibition game on Aug. 26 at Tampa Bay "has got a very good chance of trotting out there the first game against the Steelers."

As a team leader and 10-time Pro Bowler, Thomas has opinions that matter greatly to Jackson. He consults with him on major decisions, and Thomas said that "99 times out of 100 we're on the same page."

Osweiler's rise from a Houston reject to likely starter may be improbable, but Thomas has been impressed with the way the veteran has gone about his business.

He may have been a longshot, but Osweiler, who went 8-6 last season as a starter before the Texans traded him in March, has displayed all the characteristics Thomas wants in a starter.

"He's got the 'it' factor when it comes to being a quarterback," Thomas said. "He's got the leadership and the understanding and the communication skills that it takes to be a starting quarterback. When he's in the game and when he's in the practice, it's got that feel of an NFL quarterback. ... He gets the ball, he drops back, he throws the ball on time to where it's supposed to be thrown.

"It's not always perfect, but that is like the minimum that you have to have to be a good starting quarterback in the NFL. If you can't do that, you can't play in the NFL."

Kizer's day will arrive. Thomas just hopes it's not anytime soon.

While he's got all the tools: size, smarts, pedigree and a big arm, Kizer lacks experience. And as far as Thomas is concerned, there's no way to accelerate the time needed to learn.

It's challenging to be patient, especially for a team that's coveted a franchise quarterback for two decades. But Thomas feels pushing Kizer along too quickly could backfire.

"Just because DeShone may be good in a few years doesn't mean you want to throw him in before he's ready," he said. "I've been on teams where they throw a guy in there because he's a first-round pick or he's the guy that the front office says well you've got to play this guy and it doesn't always work out for the player or the team. The team ends up usually losing and the player loses confidence in himself because they're just not ready.

"So while I think DeShone's done an amazing job and he's exceeded most people's expectations, that doesn't necessarily just mean he's ready to be the starter tomorrow.

"There's still a lot of work that needs to be done before I think he's ready and you don't want to see a guy lose his confidence and lose his swagger by being played before he's ready."

Rookie Watt's emergence signals changing of the guard

Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick T.J. Watt will take all the preseason snaps he can get at right outside linebacker.

And perhaps most of them in the regular season too, a fact the man his is in the process of replacing isn't fighting.

James Harrison is the Steelers' all-time sacks leader, including a team-high five last season at the not-so tender age of 38.

The now-39-year-old Harrison doesn't care who has the starting spot he's held for the better part of a decade as long as it results in another Lombardi Trophy for the Steelers.

"I'm not worried about it," Harrison said Wednesday. "Whatever they want me to do. I'm 39 years old and still playing football."

Harrison, the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, dressed for one padded practice during training camp.

Other than that, he's been working out on his own, sporting a gray sweatsuit in the sun while teammates practice on an adjacent field.

Watt, the 30th overall pick in 2017, is the younger brother of Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt — a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

The younger Watt flourished as the starting right outside linebacker during the Steelers first preseason game against the New York Giants, earning two sacks in the first four snaps.

He wouldn't have a problem being in the same role when the regular season begins on Sept. 10 in Cleveland.

"I've always said from the beginning, I'm never going to turn down reps," Watt said. "If that comes with more reps, then I'm all for it. I'm just out here trying to show that I'm consistent as possible, I can make plays and I can be trusted."

Watt made his impact early against the Giants. He beat his man on third down and took down the Giants' Josh Johnson for his first sack. On the next defensive snap, Watt didn't fall for a run fake and sacked Johnson for the second time in as many plays.

"I was just playing football and trying to make a play," Watt said. "The second one was a read option, so I tried to see if he would keep it or dump it off. At that point, it's just instincts taking over."

Coach Mike Tomlin has called Watt a "one-rep learner," or a quick study, despite playing the position for just two seasons at Wisconsin.

Watt, who has two older brothers in the NFL, has also been commended for his high-level of conditioning, allowing the rookie to absorb significant snaps on defense and special teams deep into the fourth quarter against the Giants.

"I was ready for it," Watt said. "I knew going into the game that we were pretty light at outside linebacker, and that I was also expected to play some special teams, which I'm perfectly OK with.

"That's why I came into this camp as conditioned as possible."

Tomlin has sought to preserve the veteran Harrison in the past.

Harrison, who has a franchise-best 79½ sacks, didn't have a sack through the first seven games of the 2016 season while rotating with former first-round pick Jarvis Jones.

But Harrison took over the starting job and came on down the stretch, opposite 2015 first-round pick Bud Dupree. Harrison, who played in 15 games and made seven starts and picked up 2½ sacks in three playoff games.

Harrison said Wednesday he would do whatever the Steelers asked of him this season. Watt just wants to play.

"To be honest with you, I'm just coming out here, trying to do everything I can each and every single day to show these coaches what I can do," Watt said. "I'm trying to be the best player I can be."

Union appeals Elliott's six-game suspension

The NFL Players Association has appealed Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott's six-game suspension over the league's conclusion that its 2016 rushing leader injured his former girlfriend in three separate incidents last summer.

The union said Tuesday it will represent Elliott "to ensure that the NFL is held to its obligation of adhering to principles of industrial due process under the collective bargaining agreement."

The NFL suspended Elliott last week after a yearlong investigation into an Ohio domestic violence case that prosecutors declined to pursue. Elliott's attorneys blasted Commission Roger Goodell's ruling, saying the league "cherry-picked" evidence to reach its conclusion.

A hearing with Goodell or an arbitrator will be scheduled within 10 days with a decision "as soon as practicable" after the appeal is heard, according to the labor agreement.

The Cowboys open the regular season Sept. 10 at home against the New York Giants.

Jets' Whitehead having foot surgery, return duties uncertain

New York Jets wide receiver Lucky Whitehead will have surgery this week on his broken foot, leaving the team's kickoff and punt return duties uncertain.

Coach Todd Bowles says Wednesday that Whitehead could potentially return this season, but it's uncertain how much time he will miss.

Whitehead was the front-runner to serve as the Jets' primary kickoff and punt returner. He was injured during practice Monday and watched Tuesday from the sideline on crutches.

Jalin Marshall was the Jets' main returner last season as a rookie, but is suspended the first four games for violating the league's policy on performance enhancers. Frankie Hammond, Romar Morris, Chris Harper and Marcus Murphy could all be in the mix for the return jobs.