Will Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore show for training camp as he pushes for a new contract? Gilmore said he’ll get there “whenever I get there,” (Twitter link via Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News). When asked if that means he could miss the start, he said, “We’ll see.” If Gilmore does skip out on camp, he’ll be docked $40K per day.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Omar Kelly of The Sun Sentinel wonders if the Dolphins should balk at paying Dion Jordan‘s ~$1.7MM bonus. Word has it that the Dolphins are open to giving Jordan another chance, but sources tell Kelly that the team was curious about the timing of Jordan’s bid for reinstatement. The former No. 3 overall pick was eligible to apply for reinstatement in late April but he didn’t kickstart the process until June. Jordan is due his hefty roster bonus on the fifth day of training camp and the Dolphins might not be inclined to pay it if Jordan isn’t truly committed to football. Kelly suggests that Miami could push Jordan to re-work the contract and have the roster bonus moved or even eliminated since he would be unlikely to command that same kind of money on the open market.
- Much of the Jets‘ quarterback shuffle will hinge on second-year quarterback Bryce Petty, Brian Costello of the New York Post writes. If Ryan Fitzpatrick returns, there is a belief in NFL circles that the Jets could keep all four quarterbacks – Fitzpatrick, Smith, Petty,and rookie Christian Hackenberg – on the roster. However, if Petty proves he can be the No. 2 QB, the team could cut Smith. Or, if Petty struggles mightily, the Jets could drop him and just keep Smith and Hackenberg as the backups. If the team does not sign Fitzpatrick, then Petty must prove his worth or the team might have to look into signing a veteran signal caller.
- No surprise here, but Jets offensive lineman Willie Colon says that if he does play football in 2016, it will be his last season in the NFL. “If I do go back on the field, it’s going to be my last year. I just know it is,” Colon told Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday. “But the ego and the [guts] I have, if I do get back, I want to go out like Clint Eastwood — I want to go out firing and shooting. If it doesn’t happen, I’m going to move on and get a recorder just like you.” The 33-year-old guard suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2015 and only saw time in six games.
- The Bills have a kicking battle worth keeping an eye on, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW writes. The Bills have been pitting veteran kicker Dan Carpenter against UDFA Marshall Morgan. Morgan boasts a big leg while Carpenter has made his name on accuracy. Meanwhile, kickoff specialist/punter Jordan Gay is also in camp and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be given an opportunity to kick field goals. If he isn’t given that chance, then he faces an uphill climb to make the cut.