Team news: New York Jets | Page 63

The closest thing Jordy Nelson did to real football during his first practice in 364 days came at the end of the session, when he ran some half-speed routes while fellow receivers Randall Cobb and Davante Adams acted as cornerbacks during a jog-through.

No wonder Nelson called it "hardly even a practice."

By unofficial count, earlier in Monday's practice Nelson caught 15 passes from Aaron Rodgers and the other quarterbacks at the far end of the field while the rest of the team went through a special-teams period.

Nelson appeared to run closer to full speed in that drill, although never against a defender.

Nelson said he felt good conditioning-wise and added he believes he's on track to play in the season opener on Sept. 11 against the Jags. The team only has one more full practice before Friday's preseason game, which means it's unlikely Nelson will suit up for that, according to the story.

So here's Packers RB Eddie Lacy after two games this exhibition season with similar numbers. In two games, Lacy's limited work resulted in 13 carries for 69 yards, a 5.3-yard average, and one touchdown. He played the first series last week against the Browns and gained 24 yards on four carries. He took only the first series Thursday against the Raiders and posted 45 yards on nine carries.

Lacy could get a longer stint in Friday's game at San Francisco, where quarterback Aaron Rodgers expects to play for the first -- and likely only -- time this preseason.

The story said, if the preseason is any indication -- and based on last year's results for Lacy alone, it often is not -- coach Mike McCarthy wants to establish the run with Lacy as his point man early on. But Lacy does look good after losing weight in the offseason. We have Lacy 12th in PPR league but think he has a chance to be a top-10 back they way things have been trending this offseason.

After an offseason of back-and-forth on Tyrod Taylor's contract, the Buffalo Bills locked down their starting quarterback.

The Bills announced an extension for the sixth-year pro on Friday. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports the deal is for six years.

Taylor was scheduled to enter the final year of his contract, and set to make just over $1 million in 2016, the lowest average of any starting quarterback. Now he'll be paid consummate to his actual worth.

General manager Doug Whaley called Taylor "undeniably the leader of the Buffalo Bills"

Taylor missed a couple of games which serves to depress his season-long numbers. From a production standpoint, there's a lot to like. He only threw for an average of 217 yards per game, but he had a 20-to-6 TD-to-INT ratio and his yards per attempt (7.99) was 5th in the league. However, what really makes him a fantasy producer is his ability in the running game. On average, he rushed 7.4 times per game for 41 yards and 0.29 rush TD. Assuming that he has a favorable offseason, and Sammy Watkins’ foot isn’t an issue, owners looking for 2014 Russell Wilson or 2015 Carson Palmer should consider targeting Taylor in the later rounds.

Head coach Rex Ryan said Tyrod Taylor has taken over the team, and that he is going to do great things in his second year as the starting quarterback.

On Friday, Taylor's said he is eager to get this season underway with the first practice at training camp beginning Saturday morning at St. John Fisher College.

"Going into my second year as the starter, I'm definitely excited," Taylor said. "This is a big year for me, and a big year for the team."

Last year at training camp, Taylor was in a competition for the starting role along with E.J. Manual and Matt Cassel. Taylor won the battle for the starting role, and went 8-6 in his first year with the Bills. Now he's in search of a new deal as well. Taylor has crept into the QB1 talk this season and is ranked 11th on our list. We project him third among QBs in rushing which can obviously boost a QB's fantasy production. He's a low-end QB1 to high-end QB2 option heading into drafts, yet has an ADP of just the 12th round so he presents value.

According to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, the possibility of a deal for Tyrod Taylor before the start of the season is real.

A source said the team and Taylor’s reps were talking “relatively frequently,” as they pursue a contract.

As the story said, it's an interesting turn of events because of the short time Taylor has produced as well as the hot seat those above him seem to be on.

Those back-shoulder fades that Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson made look so easy were the result of rep after rep on the practice field.

The same thing can be said for those deep shot plays they connected on so often.

There’s a reason Rodgers has thrown more touchdown passes to Nelson (45) than any other receiver he’s played with despite the fact that Nelson didn’t play a single game in 2015.

So if there’s concern about how long it will take Rodgers and Nelson to regain their chemistry after the Pro Bowl receiver missed all of last season because of a torn ACL last summer. One theory is they’ve played so much together it will look like they never missed a beat.

Of course the other theory is their connection is so heavily based on timing that they’re going to need every possible moment of training camp together to recapture it. We're not too concerned, and project Nelson for a 76-1,242-10 line this year. He's already ranked as a top-10 WR coming in 10th on our list. If you pick at the bottom of your draft, he's a guy to target at least in the top of the second round.

Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Ty Montgomery and Jared Abbrederis offer little deep dimension on the outside, and it remains to be seen if speedsters Jeff Janis and Trevor Davis can make the team or win a role from scrimmage.

Janis piqued the interest of fans and, subsequently, coaches with his rare size, speed and ruggedness. Scouts have downgraded him on the basis of straight-line athleticism, tendency to body catch and average ability to adjust, but it's incumbent upon HC Mike McCarthy and his staff to determine this summer just what he can offer.

Janis had seven catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns in a playoff game against the Cardinals, but only registered a catch in one other game last year (2-79 vs. the Chargers) despite a host of injuries to the Green Bay wide receivers. For whatever reason, the team wasn't comfortable giving Janis consistent snaps despite his ability to stretch the field with his 4.42 speed and elite athleticism, something that is lacking elsewhere in the receiving corps. We believe that he'll make the final roster and push for snaps, but stranger things have happened.

No matter what happens with Davante Adams, the Packers figure to give third-year man Jeff Janis more opportunities than a year ago.

Janis was a forgotten man much of 2015, as McCarthy elected to play Adams instead. But Janis delivered one of the most memorable playoff performances in team history, with seven receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns — including a 41-yard Hail Mary touchdown reception on the final play of regulation — in Green Bay's overtime loss to Arizona in the divisional playoffs. Janis finished with the third most receiving yards in Packers' playoff history, and his two touchdown receptions tied eight other players for second place in that category.

Janis (6-3, 219) has almost identical measurables to Nelson (6-3, 217). Janis also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds at the 2014 NFL combine and has a vertical jump of 371/2 inches.

The Packers haven't had a burner outside since Javon Walker (4.38) more than a decade ago. If Janis proves this summer that his route running and knowledge of the offense are up to speed, he could add an element that Green Bay's offense desperately needs.

"When he can stop thinking so much and react more, you see the athletic ability," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said of Janis. "He's obviously gifted very well with his athleticism, his jumping ability and his speed. He just needs to get to a level where he's not thinking as much and his instincts take over."

This headline is not saying much, since Janis barely played last year, but he appears poised to pass Adams on the depth chart if he has a good camp.