NFL Training Camp: 5 Biggest Quarterback Stories

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NFL training camp is moving along at its usual steady clip, leaving plenty of juicy stories in its wake for fans to follow. Naturally the most talked about part surround the quarterbacks. How are they doing? Did they get hurt? Who is winning the competition?

Here is a look at five of the most interesting QB stories circulating camps around the league.

Johnny Manziel not going away

Everybody assumed that Josh McCown had the Cleveland Browns starting job all but locked up from the moment he was signed. He’s more experienced, has played well in the past and is a tremendous leader. Besides, second-year man Johnny Manziel is coming off a disastrous 2014 that ended in rehab.

Instead the young quarterback has taken up the challenge, looking better and better each day at camp, showing off his usual mobility coupled with accurate passes. If this continues into the preseason, a surprise may be in store for Cleveland.

Jay Cutler protecting the football

Just like the tides rolling in, everybody knows Jay Cutler for one thing. He’s going to turn the football over at some point. For all his obvious talent as a thrower of the football, he’s a classic gunslinger who can’t seem to control his impulse for trying to fit the ball into spaces it shouldn’t be. That leads to interceptions, even in training camp.

Suddenly though things have gone quiet. For eight entire practices Cutler did not turn the ball over once with only the occasional overthrow on plays. It was a stunning run for the 32-year old, and raised hopes with Chicago Bears fans who wonder if the impact of new offensive coordinator Adam Gase is being felt.

Buffalo Bills still have no answers

It can be argued the Buffalo Bills are the best football team in the league without a quarterback. They have defense, they have a running game and signs continue to show they have a trio of dynamic and talented wide receivers headlined by Sammy Watkins. That makes the problems at quarterback all the more frustrating.

Matt Cassel, E.J. Manuel and Tyrod Taylor have failed to distinguish themselves in camp thus far with mixed periods of good and very bad play. This battle will likely stretch into the preseason but doesn’t figure to offer much in the way of true answers for a team that believes it’s Super Bowl caliber almost everywhere else.

Peyton Manning showing renewed life in his arm

One of the biggest reasons pinpointed as to why the Denver Broncos fell apart down the stretch of last season was the sudden loss of velocity quarterback Peyton Manning could put on his throws. It severely limited the passing game and led to problems producing points on offense. Sure enough it came back to haunt them in the playoffs against Indianapolis.

Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas sees signs of hope though. Through the first practices of camp he’s noticed that Manning has rediscovered some of the “zip” he lost on his throws last season. If that’s true, then the Broncos offense just regained some of what made it so dangerous the past few years.

Nick Foles gets huge vote of confidence from Rams

It’s one thing to accept a beneficial trade for a young quarterback, but for Nick Foles to receive a two-year extension on his contract from the St. Louis Rams despite coming off a season in which he threw 13 touchdown to 10 interception before breaking his collar bone is a rather sizeable leap of faith.

Then again it’s not a surprise. The Rams have been starved at quarterback for years. Foles is easily the most accomplished they’ve had in a decade given his recent Pro Bowl trip in 2013. They believe if he’s healthy and reasonably protected, they’re going to win a lot of ball games. Is that confidence or blind hope? Foles will decide that.

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