Chad a Happy Camper?

Will Chad Johnson show up for training camp? Both muckraker Mike and The Chickster think so, with the latter speculating that Ocho Loco might even appear sooner, at the mandatory mini in mid-June.

Chad’s threat to sit out the season has always been a hollow one, but the idea that he wouldn’t report until the start of the season always seemed pretty likely. Skipping camp would bring fines and give the team the option of pursuing a portion of Chad’s signing bonus, but all that would likely be swept under the rug once Johnson came back. And, from Chad’s point of view, there’s always the chance that some preseason injury around the league might send a team scurrying to Mike Brown’s office with another trade offer, so why remove what little pressure he can apply?

On the other hand, that scenario has to be considered extremely unlikely, and if Chad’s going to be in stripes this fall, there’s no better way to get back in the team’s (and the fans’) good graces than to show up, shut up and work hard. So stay tuned.