The Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions already have kicked off training camp. Rookies for several other teams have also reported. All veterans across the league are due this week.
The NFL season is underway. The road to San Francisco for Super Bowl 60 begins in the grueling summer heat.
Some teams have new coaches. A couple of old coaches have new teams. Star players have switched uniforms. There are position battles to determine.
And, plenty of storylines to watch.
Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles aim for a repeat. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs look to rebound after being denied the first three-peat in Super Bowl history.
Training camp dates
The Chargers and Lions were the first teams to have their full roster in camp. The Cowboys and Chiefs will have theirs on Monday. The rest of the league starts Tuesday. The Falcons and Steelers arrive Wednesday.
Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers face off against Dan Campbell’s Lions in the Hall of Fame game on July 31 in Canton, Ohio.
A pair of division rivalry games will open the season. The Eagles will host Dallas to begin the regular season on Sept. 4. The Chiefs and Chargers meet in Brazil the following night.
New head coaches
Pete Carroll is back in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders after just one year out of coaching. Carroll, who turns 74 in September, has a tough task building the Raiders into a playoff contender in a difficult division.
Former Patriots star linebacker Mike Vrabel takes over in New England, replacing Jerod Mayo, who lasted one season after replacing Bill Belichick.
The Bears turned to former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The Jets hired former Lions DC Aaron Glenn. Kellen Moore left Philadelphia after one championship season to take over in New Orleans. Liam Cohen’s success as Tampa Bay’s OC landed him the head job in Jacksonville. Jerry Jones gave Brian Schottenheimer a chance to lead Dallas.
Teams with new quarterbacks
The Steelers are going all-in on Aaron Rodgers, hoping the 41-year-old, four-time MVP can take them to the big game.
The Raiders acquired Geno Smith, reuniting Carroll with the quarterback he chose to replace Russell Wilson in Seattle.
Sam Darnold ended up with the Seahawks after a career-year in Minnesota.
Joe Flacco is back in Cleveland where he was the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2023. The Browns also traded for Kenny Pickett and drafted Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth.
Wilson and Jameis Winston ended up in New York, but the Giants also selected Jaxson Dart in the first round.
Justin Fields has a third chance with the Jets.
J.J. McCarthy is the man in Minnesota after he missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury.
Saints rookie Tyler Slough gets an opportunity to replace Derek Carr, who retired.
The Titans have No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.
Top camp storylines
Some contract issues still need to be resolved.
The Bengals have yet to sign first-round pick Shemar Stewart and they haven’t agreed to a new deal with All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who wants a raise after leading the league in sacks last season.
The dispute with Stewart, a pass rusher the defense needs, isn’t about money; it’s about the team trying to insert language in Stewart’s contract that would trigger the voiding of his salary guarantees with a breach or default by him.
Another contract situation to watch involves Dallas. Micah Parsons is due for a new deal that’s expected to make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. T.J. Watt currently holds that distinction after Pittsburgh gave him a $123 million extension worth an average of $41 million per season. Jones waited too long on Dak Prescott and ended up making him the NFL’s first $60 million man last season. Now, he’s going to end up paying Parsons more than anyone else who doesn’t play QB.
Quarterback competition
The Browns have to choose between Flacco, Pickett, Sanders and Gabriel. Veteran Daniel Jones is competing with Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis. Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in 2023, has been injured often and has a lingering shoulder problem.
Shough and Spencer Rattler are battling in New Orleans.
Wilson, Winston and Dart should make it a tough decision for the Giants.
Ward has to beat out Will Levis in Tennessee.
Joint practices
With more teams opting to rest quarterbacks and key starters in preseason games, joint practices have become the way to prepare players for the regular season. A total of 29 teams have scheduled joint practices with other clubs.
On the road
Six teams – the Bills, Cowboys, Colts, Chiefs, Rams and Steelers – will spend their entire camp away from their facilities. Dallas, which trains in Oxnard, California, is the only team going out of state.
Roster cuts
Teams can carry a maximum of 90 players throughout training camp and for all of their preseason games. Rosters must be trimmed to 53 by 4 p.m. EDT on Aug. 26.
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