NFL Notes: Saquon Barkley, Cardinals, Dolphins

Saquon Barkley

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Media takes a first look at Penn State RB Saquon Barkley as part of his ongoing series on NFL.com.

• Jeremiah says he “pretty much like everything about Barkley’s game” including his patience, vision, power as an inside runner, lateral quickness, burst and dependability as a pass protector among other aspects.
• According to Jeremiah, Barkley is “everything you’d want in a modern-day running back” and he reminds him of Ezekiel Elliott coming out of Ohio State.
• Jeremiah adds that both Barkley and Elliott have the “ideal blend of size/speed and they are very instinctive football players.”

Cardinals

• Kent Somers could see the Cardinals showing interest in Kirk Cousins next year if Carson Palmer elects to move on.
• Somers adds that he’s always thought Arizona may have some interest in Sam Bradford, who is also set to be an unrestricted free agent next year.

Dolphins

James Walker of ESPN writes that the Dolphins forcing C Mike Pouncey to sit out of training camp could be the best approach in the end.

Dolphins HC Adam Gase is optimistic about Pouncey’s return from another hip injury.

“He’s really improving,” Gase said. “We feel like we’re on a really, really good track right now and we’ll wait to the next doctor’s visit when we get kind of that report back and see what our next step would be. Or did anything change? Better? Worse? We’re just trying to really focus on the steps that the doctors have us [doing] right now. He’s done a good job of not trying to push ahead and say, ‘Hey, I’m a fast healer and I’m tough.’ We all know that.”

Gase stressed the importance of ensuring that Pouncey is ready for the duration of the season.

“The biggest thing for us is we need him healed because that’s really what it is, it’s time,” Gase said. “He wants to be out there but it’s no good if we only get him for a couple of games. We need him for the duration.”