Kenny Britt missed 13 games last season with an injured knee and might need additional surgery according to Head Coach Mike Munchak, a major hit for the still 23 year old receiver who figured to be Tennessee’s #1 guy in 2012. The surgery would be minor in comparison to the surgery that cost him his 2011 season and he might not miss any games, but it’s never good to hear that a player needs additional surgery. A similar situation presented itself for the Titans’ defensive end Derrick Morgan in 2011. Morgan played the whole season, but didn’t look right and managed just 2.5 sacks.

It’s not for sure at the moment, but it’s certainly not good news and a situation to monitor, especially for fantasy football players. In 14 games over the past 2 seasons, Britt has had 56 catches for 1046 yards and 12 touchdowns, which would be good numbers in a full season 16 game season, let alone over just 14 games and he did that with inconsistent quarterback play. He just needs to be on the field and healthy.

The Redskins have re-signed Tim Hightower, the man who started the 2011 season as their #1 back, to an undisclosed contract. Still just 26, I’m surprised Hightower lasted as long as he did on the open market, even after a major knee injury ended his 2011 season short. Hightower was solid as a starter for Washington last year and before that was a great 3^rd down back in Arizona behind Chris Wells.

Roy Helu is the top guy on Washington’s depth chart at running back right now, but Hightower, Evan Royster, and rookie Alfred Morris could all see snaps given how quickly Mike Shanahan likes changing backs. It’s a situation to avoid in fantasy, unless you happen to be Mike Shanahan himself. Only he knows what he’ll do with his backs on a weekly basis. Nonetheless, this was a smart signing by the Redskins, provided they didn’t pay much for him.

There was some talk earlier this offseason about the Giants moving Michael Boley to middle linebacker and when the Giants traded a 5^th round pick for Keith Rivers, an outside linebacker, that talk seemed confirmed. Not so fast, says Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. Fewell said that incumbent starter Chase Blackburn will open training camp as the starter and Boley will remain outside.

Blackburn played very well for the Giants down the stretch, even picking off a Tom Brady deep strike to Rob Gronkowski in a win over the Patriots in Super Bowl 46. However, there’s a reason he was without a team in November when the Giants signed him. The career journeyman has never been able to lock down a starting job. Blackburn will not be without competition and Rivers sounds like the #2 guy on the depth chart at the position right now, even though he’s only ever played outside. 2^nd year players Mark Herzlich and Greg Jones are also in the mix. This position will be decided in training camp, but it appears it’s Blackburn’s job to lose.

The Bengals lost Jerome Simpson in free agency, but added 2 new receivers in the draft, Mohamed Sanu in the 3^rd round and Marvin Jones in the 5^th round. Both have impressed in rookie camp. Sanu has been compared to TJ Houshmanzadeh by the coaching staff and Marvin Lewis confirmed Sanu was a candidate for the starting job. Meanwhile, Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer believes Jones is the favorite for the starting job.

However, they may not be the only two candidates. The Bengals’ official website doesn’t just call Armon Binns a candidate, but insists he’s the “leader in the clubhouse.” Binns is a former Cincinnati Bearcat, but the undrafted rookie didn’t play a snap for the Bengals last season. Thin at wide receiver after losing Simpson and Andre Caldwell in free agency, it appears all 3 will compete for the starting job opposite AJ Green, with the losers fills the #4 and #5 spots on the depth chart as Jordan Shipley is entrenched in the slot.

It seems like only yesterday when Steve Smith caught 100 passes in a season (when in fact it was 2009). However, injury problems have sapped his athleticism in the past few years and he only caught 11 balls last year in a situational role in Philadelphia. When he signed with the receiver needy Rams last month, some believed he could play a bigger role if healthy.

However, a Pro Football Weekly report says contrary. According to a Rams’ team insider, Smith would only be the 4^th receiver on the Rams depth chart if he is healthy and is no lock to make the roster. It appears rookies Brian Quick and Chris Givens, as well as Danny Amendola, are all above him on the depth chart. Smith will compete with Brandon Gibson and Danario Alexander, the team’s two leading returning receivers, as well as 2^nd year players Austin Pettis and Greg Salas to make the roster.

Pete Carroll loves creating a culture of competition at all positions and the quarterback position is certainly no different. Tarvaris Jackson was serviceable for the 7-9 Seahawks last year, but the Seahawks still brought in two quarterbacks to compete with him, Matt Flynn and Russell Wilson. While Flynn, who signed a 19.5 million dollar deal with 10 million guaranteed over 3 years in March, is fully expected to be the team’s starter in 2012, Carroll did say Wilson, their 3^rd round pick, was in the competition.

The Seahawks are very high on Wilson and GM John Schneider called him one of the top 3 players he scouted in the fall. I still fully expect Flynn to be the starter, but he’ll have to earn it and if Wilson has a strong training camp, he could definitely make Jackson and his 4 million dollar salary expendable as a training camp cap casualty.

Going into the draft, the Browns had arguably the league’s thinnest receiving corps and they didn’t take a receiver until the 4^th round, when they took the speedy, but raw Travis Benjamin. Benjamin, widely viewed as a late round pick, is someone they were obviously very high on and Pat Shurmur’s comments today did nothing to change that.

Shurmur said Benjamin would play a “significant” role as a rookie. 2011 2^nd round Greg Little is the only Browns receiver entrenched in his spot on the depth chart and the Browns’ receiving corps after him are so bad that the raw rookie Benjamin could push either Mohamed Massaquoi for the starting job opposite Greg Little or Josh Cribbs or Jordan Cameron for the slot job.

When reigning defensive player of the year Terrell Suggs tore his Achilles a week or so ago, many assumed he’d be lost for the season. Many players suffered Achilles injuries in training camp last year after the lockout and none played all year. When the Eagles’ Jason Peters tore his over a month ago, the Eagles wasted no time in signing a replacement, Demetress Bell. However, it doesn’t appear Suggs’ Achilles injury is as serious as Peters’ or even Da’Quan Bowers’. Bowers was lost for the season when he tore his Achilles last week.

John Harbaugh is insisting team doctors are saying Suggs could play in 2012, though reports in the past have said that doctors were split on whether or not he could. If his Achilles is only partially torn, which it sounds like it could be, he could be expected back in October or November, rather than missing the whole season. If it’s completely torn, he’s done for the year. He’ll almost definitely begin the season on the PUP, but I don’t expect the Ravens to place him on IR until they absolutely have to. 2^nd round rookie Courtney Upshaw figures to see the bulk of the vacated snaps in Suggs’ absence.

Elvis Dumervil is part of a dangerous pass rushing duo in Denver as both he and Von Miller are terrors of the edge on 3^rd down. They have been amply nicknamed “Doom and Gloom.” However, Dumervil seems to not have been satisfied with his strong season in 2011. In an effort to regain the explosiveness he had in 2009, when he led the league with 17 sacks, Dumervil has lost 10 pounds and gone from 260 to 250. This will probably weaken him against the run, but it should make it a more explosive pass rusher, which sounds like the whole idea.

Even though the Eagles spent a 3^rd round pick on Nick Foles, they are likely not going to let him compete for the primary backup job behind Michael Vick. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today that Foles is not expected to compete for the backup job and will be a pure 3^rd string quarterback this season. It sounds like it’s between incumbent Mike Kafka and free agent acquisition Trent Edwards. It isn’t entirely clear what would happen to the loser, but it sounds like he’d lose his roster spot so they can keep Foles for the future.

Kafka would likely have the advantage. He has been in the system two years and played decent last year when both Michael Vick and Vince Young were hurt. Trent Edwards, meanwhile, didn’t attempt a pass in 2011. Vick figures to get hurt at some point once again this season so Kafka should see the field. Foles, meanwhile, has a long way to go in terms of his footwork and accuracy, which is why I was surprised he went in the 3^rd round. It sounds like he’s viewed as nothing but a developmental prospect in the immediate future.