Dowling has barely played in the last 2 seasons because of injury, dating back to his senior season in college at Virginia in 2010. Injury concerns are what dropped him to the 2^nd round of the 2011 NFL Draft, where the Patriots took a chance on him. After getting next to nothing from him in 2011, the Patriots are hoping that Dowling can be their nickel cornerback behind Devin McCourty and Kyle Arrington.

However, it appears he’s still not 100%. According to the Boston Globe, Dowling is essentially “working his way back from the ground floor.” They also called him “stiff.” He’s seeing very few reps in OTAs still and the Patriots might not be counting on him for much this season. He’ll have competition for that nickel back job from Sterling Moore, Will Allen, and Alfonzo Dennard, a competition he will not win if he’s not healthy.

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When last we saw the San Francisco 49ers, they were losing to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship. Kyle Williams was the scapegoat in that game because he fumbled two punt returns, that led directly to 10 points by the Giants, including the game winning field goal. However, 49ers wide receivers caught just 1 pass for 3 yards all game, which had to have cost the 49ers at least 10 points and unlike Williams, they were actually supposed to be out there. Williams was a backup who rarely returns punts.

The 49ers knew wide receiver was a position of need for them this offseason, bringing in Mario Manningham in free agency, taking a chance on Randy Moss coming out of retirement, and drafting AJ Jenkins in the 1^st round of the 2012 NFL Draft. However, it’s still unclear if they have a #1 receiver. Michael Crabtree was drafted 10^th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft and considered to be a steal at that point. He was supposed to be their #1 receiver, but has yet to surpass 1000 yards in a season and caught just 1 pass in the NFC Championship game last year, two things that aren’t characteristics of #1 receivers.

The 49ers would obviously love Crabtree to break out and live up to his potential, after a season in which he caught 72 passes for 874 yards and 4 touchdowns on 107 targets with 9 drops. If reports by the San Francisco Chronicle out of 49ers OTAs are to believed, Crabtree is really impressing so far. Alex Smith called him the star of OTAs and cited the fact that he was finally fully healthy as the reason. We’ll have to see how this translates into the season. My money would be on Crabtree having a very similar season to last year in 2012, especially on a conservative offense with now more targets around him. Tight end Vernon Davis could easily lead the team in receiving again.

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Sam Bradford is a very rich man, as the #1 overall pick in 2010, the last year of giant rookie contracts. However, he’s very poor in offensive supporting talent. The Rams’ offensive line allowed the most sacks in the league last year and the only reason Bradford wasn’t the most sacked quarterback in the league was because he wasn’t healthy enough to be around for all 16 starts. He also has very little receiving talent, so much so that the Rams could start two rookies, 2^nd and 4^th round, this season.

While the coaching staff has busy praising 2^nd round rookie Brian Quick and all of his natural talent, Sam Bradford today praised their other rookie receiver, 4^th rounder Chris Givens. Bradford called Givens a vertical, perimeter, deep threat that the team needs and someone that defenses will have to be aware of at all times. A steal in the 4^th round in my book, Givens actually ranked higher on my wide receiver board than both Brian Quick and AJ Jenkins. Undersized, but a fluid router and incredibly fast, Givens could make an immediate impact as a rookie.

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Rashard Mendenhall tore his ACL week 17 last year and the Steelers are handling the situation such that they’ll view anything they can get from Mendenhall in 2012 a bonus. They’ve talked up new lead back Isaac Redman this offseason and used a 5^th round pick on Chris Rainey to go with Redman and Jonathan Dwyer. However, Mendenhall hasn’t ruled out a return for the Steelers’ opener.

Any talk of that is overly optimistic at this point. My money would be on him starting the season on the PUP and returning sometime around October or November. If Isaac Redman impresses in Mendenhall’s absence, he might not find the lead back job available when he returns and instead have to settle for a split in carries between him and Redman in the final year of his rookie deal. He might not be resigned either after the season. Nothing is certain at all for Mendenhall in the future.

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After Jamaal Charles tore his ACL week 2 last season, the Chiefs are being very cautious with him this offseason and are holding him out of organized team activities until Training Camp. The Chiefs will be doing the same thing with Eric Berry and Tony Moeaki, who suffered similar injuries at similar times last season, just to be cautious. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that the Chiefs aren’t too worried about him and I’m not either.

I think he could be a valuable buy low candidate in fantasy football, with a career 6.1 YPA. The Chiefs plan to run the ball a ton this season so there should be plenty of carries to go around with Charles and Peyton Hills like there were with Charles and Thomas Jones in 2010. His injury situation and recovery is definitely one to monitor, however.

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Chris Johnson is coming off his worst and most disappointing season as a pro, rushing for just 1047 yards and 4 touchdowns on 262 carries last year after being made the 2^nd highest paid running back in the league before the season. Johnson’s struggles last season were blamed on him failing in stay in shape during a holdout that lasted most of the offseason. The numbers back this up. In his last 8 games, he carried the ball 141 times for 681 yards and 3 touchdowns, as opposed to 121 times for 366 yards and a touchdown in his first 8.

Johnson has vowed to be in even better shape for the entirety of the 2012 season and he seems to be making good on his promise. Normally he works out at home in Orlando in the offseason and skips the voluntary parts of the offseason, but this offseason he is participating in all of the offseason program, even the voluntary parts.

The Titans coaching staff has been very pleased with him and he looks poised to have a bounce back season next year, especially after the Titans upgrading his interior blocking by adding Steve Hutchinson. He’ll be a big part of a potentially explosive Titans offense with Jake Locker/Matt Hasselbeck, Nate Washington, Kendall Wright, Jared Cook, and hopefully a healthy Kenny Britt. He’s a nice buy low candidate in fantasy football. The Titans better hope he bounces back. He’s owed 43 million over the next 5 seasons.

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According to the Denver Post, the Denver Broncos are very impressed with Ronnie Hillman early in OTAs. They made him their #2 running back even before OTAs and he has impressed throughout, especially as a pass catcher. They used a 3^rd round pick him and now they expect him to make an immediate contribution. His role should start out as a change of pace back behind Willis McGahee, but McGahee is up there in age and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Hillman led the team in carries this season. He’s a definitely fantasy sleeper.

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Knowshon Moreno was the 12^th pick of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos by Josh McDaniels, but like most of McDaniels’ picks, Moreno has yet to pan out. Moreno has been plagued by injuries and has not been that good when healthy in 3 years with the team. When hurt last year, he lost his starting job for good to Willis McGahee and the Broncos’ new regime clearly doesn’t believe in him the way McDaniels did, drafting a similar running back, Ronnie Hillman, in the 3^rd round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

That dropped Moreno immediately to 3^rd on the depth chart and he might not be done slipping. According to the Denver Post’s Lindsay Jones, Moreno, who is still not 100% from a torn ACL, will have to battle with Lance Ball and Mario Fannin just to stay on the roster. Ball carried the ball 96 times for 402 yards and a score last year, while Fannin is a 2011 undrafted free agent who the organization is high on now that he’s back from a torn ACL.

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In a surprising prediction, Steelers’ cornerback Keenan Lewis is predicting he’ll make the Pro Bowl this season. Teammate Ike Taylor seconded the opinion, saying that “expectations are sky high” for Lewis. Lewis, a 2009 3^rd round pick, first has to win the starting cornerback job opposite Taylor. He’s never been a starter in the NFL, but with William Gay gone, he’ll get a chance this season. He’ll have to beat out Cortez Allen (4^th round 2011) and Curtis Brown (3^rd round 2011) to win the starting job. Even if he does, the Pro Bowl will be a long way away. This just sounds like a case of a guy hyping himself up to get attention. At least he’s confident.

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Mike Jenkins lost his starting job with the Cowboys this offseason after they brought in Brandon Carr in free agency, giving him a massive contract, and Morris Claiborne in the draft, trading away a 2^nd round pick to move up 8 spots to grab him 6^th overall. Jenkins was not happy about this and asked to be traded, but the Cowboys are refusing to do so.

Still, the Indianapolis Colts are trying to acquire him. Needing a veteran cornerback as they are slated to start Jerraud Powers and Kevin Thomas this season, the Colts have made the Cowboys several offers for Jenkins, all of which the Cowboys have declined, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Colts ranked 26^th against the pass last season, allowing 7.8 YPA, and could rank in a similar spot this season unless they get some help.

It’s unclear if Jenkins is that help, however. Yes, he’s a former Pro Bowler, but there’s a reason he lost his starting job and is currently the Cowboys’ #4 cornerback. Since his 2009 Pro Bowl season, Jenkins has allowed 88 of 143 (61.5%) for 1334 yards (9.3 YPA), 10 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. The Cowboys remain adamant that he will not be traded right now, so the Colts will have to make the Cowboys an offer they can’t refuse. For a cornerback in the final year of his deal, it would not be wise for the Colts to do so.

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