Welcome to July 12. On this day in 1543, Henry VIII of England married his final wife Catherine Parr, while in 1962, The Rolling Stones performed for the first time. John Breech is still out tending to his budding family so you're stuck with me, Jordan Dajani, to deliver the HEAT on this fine Friday.
The countdown to training camp is on, so go ahead and please subscribe to our newsletter right here. Let's jump into some things you can argue about in your group chat.
1. 2024 NFL training camp battles to watch
You know what the best part of training camps are? Position battles! We all know the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders are hosting quarterback battles, but there are others we should be keeping an eye on. Cody Benjamin highlighted them for us in his most recent column:
Chargers WRs
The competition: Josh Palmer vs. Quentin Johnston vs. Ladd McConkey vs. DJ Chark
It's no wonder new coach Jim Harbaugh invested in the trenches and run game, because they may need to carry the offensive load in 2024. There's a lot of deep-ball upside between Chark, Palmer and Johnston, whereas the rookie McConkey could end up being the most trusted target for Justin Herbert.
Dolphins OLBs
The competition: Bradley Chubb vs. Jaelan Phillips vs. Chop Robinson vs. Shaquil Barrett
It's unclear if Chubb, the former Pro Bowler, will be ready to start 2024 after suffering a torn ACL late last season. Robinson brings a first-round pedigree as an explosive depth piece, while Barrett could be best-suited sliding into a rotational role after once thriving as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' top edge presence.
To read Benjamin's entire piece, click here.
2. 4 reasons why Chiefs can be dethroned in 2024
The Chiefs have won the AFC West EIGHT STRAIGHT SEASONS. This incredible run is going to come to an end at some point. Could it be this season? Our guy Garrett Podell listed four reasons why the Chiefs could finally be dethroned in 2024.
Here's one of them:
Losing CB L'Jarius Sneed in free agency hurts defense more than expected
Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was as solid as it gets for the Chiefs in 2023. His 4.7 yards yards per pass attempt allowed last season were the fewest in the league among the 53 players with at least 75 passes thrown their way. Sneed's 48.3% completion percentage allowed also ranked as the third-lowest in the league among the 53 with at least 75 passes thrown against them in coverage.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has a tall task ahead of him to replace that top-tier production in 2024 after Sneed signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract with the Tennessee Titans this offseason. His spot opposite first-team All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie is up for grabs between three third-year defensive backs: Nazeeh Johnson, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams -- all of whom were Day 3 draft picks and have a combined 14 career starts between the three of them.
If they struggle to pick up the slack in Sneed's absence, the Chiefs' pass defense could become noticeably weaker.
Podell's No. 1 reason actually has to do with star tight end Travis Kelce. To check out his full piece, click here.
3. Josh Jacobs slams Raiders culture
The 2022 NFL rushing champion is now a member of the Green Bay Packers, and he's hoping to do more winning than he did during his time in Vegas. In fact, Jacobs recently revealed that that played into him leaving in free agency:
"That went (into) me leaving," Jacobs said on the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast in June. "Coming from Alabama, I went to a championship every year I was there. I remember coming to the league and losing my first game, and I was mad and not talking to nobody. A vet came up to me and was like, 'This is the NFL. You're going to lose.' I'm like, 'So ya'll cool with losing?' It was so different.
"Then, the most frustrating thing about it all, you've got me, and Tae (Davante Adams) and Maxx (Crosby), you've got guys who come in every day and work hard, and you don't get the results. ... You'll be close every year, but (we're) not winning. You want me to come back on a discount and lose? I don't know how I feel about that."
To read our full writeup, click here.
4. Davante Adams 'signed off on' Jimmy G benching
Speaking of the Raiders, Jimmy Garoppolo didn't last even one year in Vegas, as he was benched midseason for rookie Aidan O'Connell. In Netflix's "Receiver," star wideout Davante Adams revealed that he "signed off on" the Jimmy G benching, because he believed it was something that needed to happen for Vegas to even have a chance down the stretch.
The Raiders didn't make the playoffs, but they did upset the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Kansas City by double digits on Christmas Day, and destroyed the rival Chargers by 42 points on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 15, which led to Brandon Staley's firing.
To check out Adams' full comments, click here.
5. Kevin Durant compares Jayden Daniels to himself
Kevin Durant is one of these long-suffering Washington Commanders fans who deserve better, and he hopes the franchise is finally on the right track with the selection of Jayden Daniels. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner recorded the highest passer efficiency in a season in FBS history (208.0), while also leading the FBS in total yards per game (412.2) and total touchdowns per game (4.2).
Daniels is similar to KD in the way that his body doesn't look like it belongs to the position he plays.
"He's like the KD of college football last year with his body type, you know?" said Durant. "You watch him on TV, it's easy to watch their team because of how he plays. So hopefully he brings that same type of enthusiasm to the game to Washington. You know everybody is rallying around him, we feel like we got a player that can take us somewhere now."
To check out Durant's full comments, click here.
6. Extra points!
- From insider Jonathan Jones: Raheem Morris shares level of confidence entering Year 1 as he prepares team to win, remain winners
- Monte Kiffin, mastermind behind Tampa 2 defense, dies at 84
- Free agent Justin Simmons explains why this offseason has been challenging
- Chargers announce opening of 'The Bolt,' the team's new 150,000-square-foot training facility
