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Justin Tuck
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 It has little to do with the fact that Michael Strahan retired, but Giants officials believe DE Justin Tuck is ready to become a full-fledged star. In fact there were some who believed strongly that Tuck would have beaten out Strahan for a starting gig had he returned. Tuck reportedly is in excellent condition, hoping to build up his stamina with the idea that he’ll be counted on even more this season.
Cowboys sources have been impressed with the development of Miles Austin, who made a few impressive plays in minicamp and could push Patrick Crayton at some point. Austin steadily has improved as a wideout and has good enough size to be a factor in the red zone, as opponents key on Terrell Owens and Jason Witten.
The Lions aren’t yet concerned about WLB Ernie Sims’ return from arthroscopic shoulder surgery, but they will monitor him closely in the first few days of training camp. Sims did not participate in much of the recent minicamp practices, but the team isn’t worried — yet.
As of now, Vikings DE Brian Robison is Jared Allen’s backup on the right side. Robison was considered to be a potential starter on the left side, competing with Ray Edwards. Although Edwards remains shelved with a back injury, it was Jayme Mitchell — not Robison — who got first-team reps at the final minicamp sessions, but that could change if Edwards misses time in camp.
It’s starting to look like the versatile John St. Clair could grab the Bears’ starting OLG job away from Terrence Metcalf. As for Josh Beekman, who was expected to compete for the role, OTA observers said the Bears’ fourth-round pick in 2007 saw no action at guard and spent every session backing up Olin Kreutz at center.
Not that he’s thinking at all about changing the Packers’ plans at quarterback, but we hear head coach Mike McCarthy can’t say enough about how quickly second-round rookie QB Brian Brohm has picked up the offense. We hear McCarthy also continues to like the progress being made by the team’s other rookie signalcaller, seventh-rounder Matt Flynn.
Free-agent QB Daunte Culpepper recently confirmed that he did indeed turn down an offer from the Packers, but declined to say why.
We hear Tyler Brayton is the front-runner to win the Panthers’ starting job at right defensive end. Stanley McClover and Charles Johnson also have been jockeying for the spot throughout the offseason, but Brayton’s experience and versatility — he can shift inside to get a pass rush up the middle on third down — has given him a leg up on the competition.
Word out of New Orleans is Saints CB Mike McKenzie is on track to begin practicing when training camp begins on July 24. McKenzie sat out all of the team’s OTAs while recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL he suffered late last season.
Sources tell PFW that the new Falcons coaching staff was never very high on FS Jimmy Williams. When he showed a lack of commitment by arriving at minicamp overweight, the decision to release him became a much easier one to make. The impressive showing by rookie FS Thomas DeCoud in OTAs also helped to make Williams, the team’s top draft pick in 2006, expendable.
Bucs head coach Jon Gruden recently hinted that he may add another receiver or two to his roster before training camp begins. Tampa Bay had free-agent WRs Eddie Kennison, Eric Moulds and Bryan Gilmore in for tryouts in May but did not sign any of the veterans. Gruden could turn to someone out of that group again, or he could take a chance on Chris Henry or Koren Robinson, who come with character concerns. Gruden, however, has a history of giving once-troubled players a chance at redemption.
Our sources in the desert don’t see Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin skipping training camp because of contract concerns, as he indicated he might do in a mid-June article on the team’s Web site. “I still think he’s just too competitive and too much of a team player,” a longtime team insider told PFW. “And I think getting fined $15,000 for every day missed will make a difference.”
We still keep hearing the Cardinals wouldn’t mind obtaining a veteran backup tackle before the season starts. While the offensive line appears to have decent depth at center and the guard spots, it remained dangerously thin at the OT spots heading into July.
We hear the Rams were pretty disappointed after the division-rival Niners beat them to the punch in securing the services of veteran OL Barry Sims, who started 119 games in nine seasons in Oakland before being released at the end of February. Word is the team believes it needs more depth at tackle, with journeymen Brandon Gorin and Adam Goldberg currently figuring as the top backups at the position.
With newly acquired Barry Sims giving the Niners badly needed insurance behind injury-prone Jonas Jennings at right tackle, we hear the team is quite likely to move second-round rookie Chilo Rachal from right tackle back to guard, the position he played at USC.
Word is Niners DL Ray McDonald, one of the team’s two third-round picks in the 2007 draft, slipped down the depth chart behind free-agent Walter Curry in the team’s most recent OTAs and could find himself in a heated battle with Curry, Joe Cohen, Melvin Oliver, Atiyyah Ellison and ex-Eagle LaJuan Ramsey for the final two spots on the roster. We hear the Niners like the potential of Ramsey, a late bloomer who didn’t start playing football until his junior year in high school.
We hear the Seahawks are encouraged by the progress being made by former first-round DT Marcus Tubbs, who has been sidelined the last two years by season-ending knee surgeries. Word is Tubbs is expected to be fully ready to participate in training camp.
Our Seahawks sources tell us the team couldn’t be happier these days with second-year OG Mansfield Wrotto, who was cited by coaches as the most improved player in the team’s offseason program. OTA observers said new O-line coach Mike Solari spent a lot of time working with Wrotto on his pulling technique and making blocks on linebackers.
The Patriots are hurting for a quality in-line blocking tight end after letting Daniel Graham and Kyle Brady go the past two offseasons. However, a source close to the team tells us that starting TE Ben Watson improved his blocking considerably during his injury-shortened 2007 campaign, which slightly lessens the concern.
TE David Martin may have started for the Dolphins in 2007, but word out of South Florida is that he’ll have to fight to merely keep a roster spot in training camp. Newcomers Anthony Fasano and Sean Ryan and holdover Justin Peelle could end up being the team’s TE corps.
Like teammate Dwight Freeney, Colts SS Bob Sanders is on course to be ready to go for the start of the regular season. Sanders is recuperating from shoulder surgery and —similar to his limited role in prior offseasons — will be held out of contact drills throughout training camp in order to ensure a healthy return for Week One action.
New Jaguars WR Troy Williamson, whose inconsistent hands made him a bust in Minnesota, has impressed the coaching staff in Jacksonville. However, we hear there’s a lingering suspicion that he’s a “practice field hero,” and that the team is waiting until actual game action to feel comfortable with its new deep threat.
In a recent interview with PFW, Titans WR coach Fred Graves said that rookie Lavelle Hawkins’ competitiveness and approach to the game reminded him somewhat of Panthers star Steve Smith’s. Graves was Smith’s position coach at the University of Utah.
Chiefs CB Patrick Surtain certainly is not young at age 32, but our sources tell us that he has looked even older during minicamp. He apparently is moving very slowly and looks like a player on his last legs. The veteran might have only one productive year left.
Following their signing of former Buccaneers WR-RS Mark Jones, the Chargers are aggressively trying to shop WR Eric Parker, with Cleveland being mentioned as a potential trade partner. However, the market for a 29-year-old receiver who missed all of last season is not very good, so San Diego might just end up releasing him.
The long-term contract negotiations between the Raiders and exclusive franchise free-agent CB Nnamdi Asomugha continue to drag on, but we hear they have not turned contentious. Sources fully expect the two sides to reach an agreement, and Asomugha has made it clear that he has no intention of extending his holdout into the season.
Yet another off-field transgression involving Broncos WR Brandon Marshall was revealed recently. Marshall was arrested in Atlanta on March 6 and received a misdemeanor battery charge for allegedly hitting his then-girlfriend, Rasheedah Watley. He is stockpiling a lengthy arrest record and it’s beginning to look more likely that he’ll receive some sort of punishment, potentially a suspension, from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy.
Despite the fact Ravens S Tom Zbikowski hasn’t gotten off to a particularly good start with his new club, we hear there is almost no chance he won’t make the final roster coming out of training camp. A third-round pick, Zbikowski certainly would be signed by another team were the Ravens to try and sneak him onto the practice squad. The Ravens would like Zbikowski to drop a little weight with the hope it will help him in pass coverage.
The way we hear it, this is a pivotal year for Bengals DE Frostee Rucker, who’s entering his third season for the club. Rucker, a 2006 third-round pick, will have to prove he can consistently contribute as a reserve.
As it stands now, Jereme Perry has the edge to be the Browns’ fourth cornerback behind Terry Cousin, Brandon McDonald and Eric Wright. But speculation persists that Cleveland will be looking hard at the waiver wire come August.
A source close to the Steelers says the club’s willingness to sign OLT Marvel Smith to a contract extension largely comes down to whether Smith, who has a history of back problems, can stay healthy. Smith, who will be 30 in August, has one year left on his contract. Whatever happens with Smith, we’re told not to expect as chilly a relationship between player and club as the one that the departed Alan Faneca had with the Steelers in his final season in Pittsburgh.
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