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Best of Saturday at NFL training camps: Larry Fitzgerald still has it, while Browns and Lions get key weapons back

August 9, 2020
ESPN.com
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5:40 PM ET

  • ESPN staff

As 2020 NFL training camps continue, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald shows that age is nothing but a number, while the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions each get key offensive weapons back in the fold.

Here’s what you need to know from camps across the league:

Jump to the best of the day:
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Top news of the day

Browns WR Jarvis Landry passes physical, rejoins active roster
Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry has been activated off the physically unable to perform list after passing his physical and has rejoined the active roster. Landry, who hasn’t missed a game over his six years in the NFL, underwent hip surgery on Feb. 4 after battling an injury there throughout last season. The Browns on Saturday also activated safety Karl Joseph (foot) and tight end Pharaoh Brown (foot) from the physically unable to perform list, and they claimed cornerback M.J. Stewart off waivers.

Lions’ T.J. Hockenson among 3 removed from reserve/COVID-19 list
The Lions activated tight end T.J. Hockenson off the COVID-19 reserve list on Saturday, more than a week after he first went on the list at the start of training camp. Hockenson, the team’s first-round pick last season, had 32 catches for 367 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie season, before suffering a right ankle injury on Thanksgiving against Chicago that ended his campaign.

Source: Seahawks’ Quinton Dunbar to be removed from commissioner’s exempt list
Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar is being removed from the commissioner’s exempt list, a source told ESPN, confirming an NFL Network report. The move is expected to become official on Sunday. Dunbar’s removal from the exempt list allows him to rejoin the Seahawks at team headquarters, which he is expected to do as early as Sunday. Dunbar could still face an NFL suspension. On Friday, prosecutors in Florida’s Broward County declined to file criminal charges against Dunbar in a robbery case because of insufficient evidence.

Washington releases RB Derrius Guice shortly after arrest
The Washington Football Team released Guice on Friday night, less than two hours after he was arrested on domestic violence charges in Loudoun County, Virginia. Washington wasted little time in releasing Guice, saying in a statement that it had learned of a domestic violence-related incident on Thursday. The team alerted the NFL and met Friday with Guice to let him know he was excused from all team activities.

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Quotes of the day

“Duce has always been someone that can control the room. He demands respect and guys do respect him.” Eagles TE Zach Ertz, on Duce Staley.

What our NFL Nation reporters saw today

On Sunday morning, Cory Undlin will step in front of his defense for the first time at the Detroit Lions‘ practice facility in Allen Park, Michigan. He has seen the players for months now, but he hasn’t been able to actually be face-to-face with any of them — at least in real life. The Lions’ new defensive coordinator was hired in January, and he met with his players over Zoom all spring. “To say excited would be an understatement, obviously,” Undlin said. “The respect that I have for virtual meeting right now and the way that whole spring was, and I talked about this a lot in June, if you’re having a conversation with somebody and you’re able to look them in the eye, like we are right now, I don’t care if you’re in person or not, this classroom, this media situation we’re in right now, we’ve been doing this all spring and I’ve got a great feel for all those guys, and I think they all have a great feel for me, whether we’re in the meeting room or virtual however. But there is obviously a different feel after you can do it for six months and now you’re physically in the same room. There is a difference. We know that. And I can’t wait.” — Michael Rothstein

The transition from Doug Pederson to Duce Staley has been “seamless,” according to tight end Zach Ertz. Staley is manning the day-to-day operations while Pederson quarantines after testing positive for the coronavirus. “Duce has always been someone that can control the room,” Ertz said. “He demands respect and guys do respect him.” Pederson continues to lead a lot of the team meetings virtually, “giving us direction at the end of the day,” Ertz said. — Tim McManus

Panthers coach Matt Rhule is optimistic there will be football this season at Bank of America Stadium even though the North Carolina governor this week extended Phase 2 of COVID-19 reopening another five weeks to at least Sept. 11. Rhule says he can’t imagine a safer environment than the one that has been created at BOA for coaches, players and staff members. So far, the Panthers haven’t placed a player on the NFL’s COVID-19 list. Whether all this will lead to some fans attending games, Rhule can’t say. He is preparing for all scenarios. “Obviously, we want to play in front of fans,” Rhule said. “We also want to be safe.” — David Newton

ESPN

The Rams have placed DT A’Shawn Robinson on the active/non-football injury list, the team announced Saturday.

Lindsey Thiry, ESPN8h ago

Following up on Jeremy Fowler’s report that Panthers LT Russell Okung has considered the NFL’s COVID-19 opt-out option and hasn’t ruled out retirement: According to Okung’s agent, J.I. Halsell, retirement only is on the board if Okung is “not feeling comfortable in his work environment due to an outbreak of COVID. At this moment, we’re nowhere near that scenario, meaning consideration of retirement is nowhere near imminent.” Okung missed 10 games last season with the Chargers with a pulmonary embolism due to blood clots. Halsell said Okung fully plans to play for Carolina this season, unless the current COVID-19 situation takes a turn for the worse. — David Newton

Giants veterans had their first day off. This came after they completed their fifth day of the acclimation period on Friday. The acclimation period is eight days total before they enter a four-day ramp-up period when they can actually do 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills (without pads). — Jordan Raanan

Original article: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29622374/nfl-training-camp-2020-larry-fitzgerald-while-browns-lions-get-key-weapons-back

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