Coach Josh McDaniels suspended Brandon Marshall through September 5th for conduct detrimental to the team. Marshall, who is unhappy with his contract, further acted out in practice, batting down a ball thrown his way, and punting another off the field. The suspension is on the wimpy side - excusing him from preseason work without docking his pay or suspending him for the regular season doesn't strike me as a huge punishment - kind of like being sent home from school when you've done something wrong. But there's a danger that Marshall escalates the situation by taking to the press - which will no doubt be hounding him for a reaction - and that it becomes intractable like Jay Cutler's. It's also unclear what Marshall's status with the team would be when he returns - whether he'd go back to being the team's No. 1 target off the bat or not. In any event, downgrade Marshall and upgrade Eddie Royal.
Matt Leinart completed 24-of-38 passes for 360 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in Friday's preseason game against Green Bay. Of course, he was playing against backups, but Leinart by all accounts has matured as a player, and keep in mind Larry Fitzgerald and Boldin were productive when Leinart beat out Kurt Warner for the job two years ago. If anything happens to Warner, Leinart would be a top-10 quarterback, given his offense, climate and division. He's worth drafting late even if you don't already have Warner for the same reason you'd draft LeSean McCoy even if you didn't have Brian Westbrook.
Tom Brady suffered a shoulder injury late in the second quarter of Friday's preseason game against the Redskins. He didn't play in the second half, and coach Bill Belichick naturally refused to divulge any information about Brady after the game. Chances are it's not a big deal as Brady remained on the sidelines rather than being rushed to the locker room.
Chris Wells rushed seven times for 46 yards and two touchdowns in Friday's preseason game. First off, he showed he was healthy, and second, he displayed good elusiveness on the longer of his two TDs (20 yards). Tim Hightower might still be ahead of him on the depth chart, but Wells is by far the superior talent, and on a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, that should get him the bulk of the carries before long.
Terrell Owens indicated his sprained toe is 100 percent healthy. Expect him to be fine for the start of the season.
Roy Williams has a contusion on his left shoulder. This doesn't sound too serious, but Williams has had trouble playing through injuries in the past. At this point, I'd expect him to be back for Week 1.
Jermichael Finley, who's had a fantastic camp, had another big game, catching four passes for 28 yards and two scores Friday. He's likely to be a significant factor in one of the league's top passing games. Tight end is exceptionally deep this season with breakout candidates like Dustin Keller, John Carlson, Visanthe Shiancoe, Brent Celek and Finley likely to be on the board until very late in your drafts.