1 of 10

Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

It's late August. Do you know where your quarterback is?

Training camp officially ended for most NFL teams over the weekend, meaning we are well past the "it's early, nothing to worry about" phase of preparation for the 2017 season. Yet three injured starting quarterbacks have been nearly invisible all summer long.

Do Ravens, Colts and Panthers fans have reason to be nervous? Let's take a closer look at three hard-to-read quarterback situations.

Quarterback: Joe Flacco, Ravens (Back injury)

Timeline: Flacco injured his back prior to the start of camp. Has not practiced since.

Alternative: Ryan Mallett (two interceptions Thursday night) is a "system fit," which is a nice way of saying that he combines the worst attributes of Flacco and Jay Cutler.

Doubletalk Level: High. Coach John Harbaugh said last week that doctors and a back specialist gave the team "a pretty straightforward date" for Flacco's return. Maybe they used the Mayan calendar. Flacco is not expected to practice this week; apparently, his injury was only minor two weeks ago, when reporters were asking Colin Kaepernick questions.

Anxiety Level: Moderately high. Without Flacco, the Ravens offense cannot engineer the 30-yard drives that lead to the 55-yard field goals that keep the team competitive. Kidding aside, Flacco-sized 32-year-old quarterbacks must worry about back injuries; they are often a sign of the beginning of the end.

Quarterback: Andrew Luck, Colts (Shoulder injury)

Timeline: Has not been seen throwing a football since the end of last season.

Alternative: Scott Tolzien, who is like the poor man's Dan Orlovsky, or Stephen Morris, who has been a preseason superstar for two years in Indianapolis.

Doubletalk Level: Extreme. The Colts haven't provided a straight answer about Luck's injury status since 2015. Trying to pin down general manager Chris Ballard or owner Jim Irsay for a timetable (no one even tries to glean sense from coach Chuck Pagano anymore) is like trying to get a narrower service window from your cable provider than "sometime between 9 a.m. Tuesday and when the sun goes supernova."

Anxiety Level: Extreme. The Colts without Luck are practically the Jets. The organization's "nothing to see here" approach to the severity of Luck's injury and lack of preparation for his absence don't jibe well with the "bold new direction" message they are trying to send.

Quarterback: Cam Newton, Panthers (Shoulder injury)

Timeline: Newton threw seven-on-seven drills in joint practices against the Titans last week.

Alternative: Derek Anderson, who looks like an adequate spot starter if you ignore the five interceptions he threw last year or the one he threw against the Titans on Saturday.

Doubletalk Level: Low. Ron Rivera said Newton is "trending up," will throw more this week and could play in the regular-season dress rehearsal against the Jaguars.

Anxiety Level: Low, but with an asterisk. Newton will be ready for the season opener. The concerns for the Panthers are: a) Christian McCaffrey looked like the only player who belonged on an NFL field for most of the Titans game Saturday; and b) Newton at less than 100 percent is susceptible to both bad throws and exacerbated injuries once he starts running and taking hits. The Panthers need 2015 Newton; lingering aches and rust could leave them with 2016 Newton.