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Training Camp Notes: Julio Not Playing It Coolio

Here's Tuesday's summary of key news items as training camps get underway across the NFL:

  • contract news dominated the headlines, with the biggest bombshell being the threat of a holdout from Julio Jones. While Falcons owner Arthur Blank says he's confident Jones will spend his entire career with the team, the receiver isn't happy with his current deal, which runs through 2020 with an average salary of about $13 million a year remaining on it. He's already sat out OTAs and minicamp, but given how much time is left on his deal it seems highly unlikely the front office will budge on  a renegotiation. At the moment, Jones has plenty of time to end his holdout and get up to speed before Week 1, but if the impasse extends too far into August it's going to start having an impact on his ADP.
  • two other foundational players for their franchises signed big deals Tuesday. Todd Gurley inked a four-year, $60 million extension with the Rams that will potentially keep him in blue and gold through 2023, while first overall pick Baker Mayfield signed a fully guaranteed deal with the Browns worth over $32 million. The former remains the first overall fantasy pick in at least a plurality, if not a majority, of drafts so far, while the latter will head into camp the nominal No. 2 quarterback on the roster behind Tyrod Taylor, although given the draft capital and now real dollars that Cleveland have invested in him, Mayfield could be pressing for the starting job as soon as Week 1.
  • third overall pick Sam Darnold, however, remains unsigned by the Jets, and won't report to camp until he has a contract. With Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater already fighting for the Week 1 starting gig, Gang Green has no reason to rush to get Darnold signed, but the rookie will need to get on the field quickly if he's going to make any kind of serious push to join that competition.
  • in non-contract news, Chris Thompson isn't fully recovered yet from last season's broken fibula and will be a limited participant to begin training camp. The pass-catching RB doesn't sound too concerned, however, and for now it appears as though the restricted workload is more cautionary than anything. He should be 100 percent by Week 1, with the only question being how the layoff will affect his chemistry with new Washington starting quarterback Alex Smith -- a QB whose dink and dunk history should, in theory, be an excellent match for the electric scatback.
  • J.J. Watt looked great as he underwent his conditioning test Monday, signalling that the time he stayed off the field during OTAs and minicamp was well spent. The 29-year-old still has Defensive Player of the Year upside if he can stay healthy, but after missing 24 games over the last two seasons to back and leg woes, the question marks around his ability to lead the Texans' defense and return the unit to elite status can't be ignored.
  • new Bears wide receiver Taylor Gabriel has drawn some early praise from his head coach, Matt Nagy. Nagy in particular highlighted Gabriel's speed, which is significant because it was with Nagy as offensive coordinator in Kansas City that Tyreek Hill, a similarly undersized receiver who can blow past defenders, really blossomed. Gabriel may not have Hill's upside, but the Chicago depth chart is hardly stacked with established options -- Allen Robinson's coming back from a torn ACL and learning a new system, Anthony Miller is a rookie and Kevin White can't stay healthy. If Gabriel clicks with Mitchell Trubisky and can prove himself as a big-play threat in the preseason, he could be a very interesting sleeper in fantasy drafts.