We asked our Sports Illustrated NFL team publishers to break down the biggest story on their teams entering 2024 training camps. The publishers looked at position battles, key offseason losses, coaching moves, and, of course, quarterbacks. And let’s not forget that health will be a determining factor for every team.
So let’s take a look at what you should keep an eye on in all 32 training camps.
Arizona Cardinals: All eyes will be on Marvin Harrison Jr. in training camp, who is expected to improve Arizona’s offense almost overnight. We’ve heard all through minicamp and OTA’s that Harrison has met the billing, and fans will be eager to see one of the highest-rated prospects to come out in some time with their own eyes. It will be fun to see if Harrison can continue impressing when the pads come on. —Donnie Druin, Cardinals On SI
Atlanta Falcons: Kirk Cousins. Plain and simple. The Falcons invested $100 million guaranteed for a 36-year old quarterback (Aug. 19) coming off a season-ending Achilles injury. If Cousins isn’t everything the Falcons hoped he would be when they signed him, the calls for 24-year old rookie Michael Penix Jr. will start early and often. —Scott Kennedy, Falcons On SI
Baltimore Ravens: Baltimore lost three starting offensive linemen this offseason in left guard John Simpson, right guard Kevin Zeitler and right tackle Morgan Moses. To replace them, the Ravens are counting on mostly unproven players such as second-round pick Roger Rosengarten and Andrew Vorhees, who may as well be a rookie after missing his entire debut season with a torn ACL. If the Ravens are to maintain their status as an elite offense, they simply must get this unit right. —Jon Alfano, Ravens On SI
Buffalo Bills: Who will emerge as Josh Allen’s primary target? Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis—who combined for 241 targets, 152 receptions and 1,929 yards a season ago—are gone. Who will step up in their absence? Second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid figures to see his role grow, but he already accounted for 91 targets last season—it’s difficult to imagine that number increasing too significantly. At least one wideout will need to step up. Will it be Khalil Shakir, who had a strong finish to his 2023 campaign to cement himself as Buffalo’s WR1? Will second-round pick Keon Coleman burst onto the scene as a rookie? Will Curtis Samuel break out now that he’s reunited with offensive coordinator Joe Brady? Or will the team truly take a democratic approach to offensive success? —Kyle Silagyi, Bills On SI
Carolina Panthers: Everyone’s eyes will be on Bryce Young, and rightfully so. The Panthers mortgaged their future to go up and get him in last year’s draft and his rookie year provided more questions than answers. Much of the offense’s issues were out of his control, so it was difficult to gauge what type of QB he can eventually become. With an aligned coaching staff, it’ll be interesting to see how far Young has come in such a short time. —Schuyler Callihan, Panthers On SI
Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams’s development will be front and center every day as Bears fans live and die with every one of his training camp passes. Media will be charting every pass in 7-on-7 and full-squad scrimmages and the tremendous overkill will create overwhelming pressure on the rookie to show he can lead a team ready to win now. —Gene Chamberlain, Bears On SI
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow’s health. How much will he practice as he continues to recover from a serious wrist surgery? Will he play in the preseason? What about the Bengals’ joint practices? All eyes will be on Burrow’s participation and health throughout training camp. —James Rapien, Bengals On SI
Cleveland Browns: The biggest story will not be the quarterback, but who will be the play-caller for 2024. The question of Deshaun Watson’s health will be solved on Sept. 8 against Dallas. The final mystery in Cleveland is who will be calling plays on Sundays. Kevin Stefanski and Ken Dorsey have clashing philosophies, so whoever gets the nod will drastically influence the way this team looks in the fall. —Anthony Moeglin, Browns On SI
Dallas Cowboys: Unsurprisingly, the most significant storyline entering training camp is the contract situations the Cowboys face. Dak Prescott is set to be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end if a new deal is not reached, CeeDee Lamb is expected to hold out through training camp until he gets a new contract, and a Micah Parsons megadeal looms in the background. It’s unlikely that the Cowboys will be able to re-sign all three of their stars, so everyone will be waiting to see which contract is the first domino to fall and who will be the odd man out. —Josh Sanchez, Cowboys On SI
Denver Broncos: Broncos fans have become familiar with the top headline of 2024 training camp. It’s been a perennial storyline since Peyton Manning hung up his cleats: an open quarterback competition. Incumbent Jarrett Stidham will do his level best to delay the inevitable ascension of rookie first-rounder Bo Nix into the starting lineup, while the Broncos hope that repairing Zach Wilson’s confidence comes with at least a modicum collateral utility to the team. —Chad Jensen, Broncos On SI
Detroit Lions: The Lions are in somewhat uncharted waters heading into training camp as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The pieces are in place, but some questions remain about the team’s depth. They have the chance to do something special, but the Lions will be adjusting to be the hunted rather than the hunters. —John Maakaron, Lions On SI
Green Bay Packers: Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Packers have a high-powered offense led by a tremendous quarterback but a suspect defense. The Packers have a new defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, whose defenses while the head coach at Boston College weren’t very good. Can Hafley and three key additions—Xavier McKinney and rookies Javon Bullard and Edgerrin Cooper—turn the defense into a strength? —Bill Huber, Packers On SI
Houston Texans: Which cornerback will start opposite Derek Stingley Jr. come Week 1. After free agency, it appeared that Jeff Okudah would take that spot. However, Kamari Lassiter’s play during OTAs and minicamp has given the rookie prospect the upper hand to win the job. —Coty M. Davis, Texans On SI
Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Richardson’s health, development and growth in Year 2. The Colts’ lack of outside moves this offseason put a big investment in the Richardson basket. The Colts’ offense won’t know its full potential until there is a mix of Shane Steichen with a healthy Richardson and Jonathan Taylor. —Jake Arthur, Colts On SI
Jacksonville Jaguars: Who is calling the plays? The Jaguars had offensive coordinator Press Taylor call plays last season, a development that was curiously revealed on the morning of the season’s opening game against the Indianapolis Colts. Taylor called some games in 2022, too, but he has taken the brunt of the public blame for the disappointing offense in ’23. And so far this offseason, head coach Doug Pederson hasn’t committed to anyone as play-caller. —John Shipley, Jaguars On SI
Kansas City Chiefs: Who’s getting the snaps at left tackle? The Chiefs’ wide receivers may earn most of the training camp conversation, but the left tackle battle is the most important one to watch for Kansas City. The Chiefs drafted BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft, one year after selecting Oklahoma tackle Wanya Morris in the third round. Morris played adequately when forced into action as a rookie, but Suamataia was selected to give the Chiefs a potential long-term answer for protecting Patrick Mahomes’s blindside. If both young tackles struggle, the Chiefs could look for a reunion with Donovan Smith, but they’ll give Suamataia and Morris every chance to battle it out before going back to a veteran. —Joshua Brisco, Chiefs on SI
Los Angeles Chargers: What will L.A.'s offense look like? There has been a rumored emphasis on pivoting from a reception-heavy offense to a smashmouth running approach ahead of Jim Harbaugh's first season as head coach, but is that really the best use of rocket-armed Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert? —Alex Kirschenbaum, Chargers On SI
Los Angeles Rams: Matthew Stafford’s contract situation. Despite the Rams losing arguably their best player in franchise history, Aaron Donald, the delay in meeting Stafford's demands is a cause for concern. Stafford continues to search for more guaranteed money in his contract, and the Rams' reluctance to budge could lead to a critical situation if he's not at training camp when it commences on July 23. The Rams need Stafford to play this season if they want any shot at competing for the playoffs. —Ricardo Sandoval, Rams On SI
Las Vegas Raiders: Antonio Pierce has this team ready for a rugged 2024 season with a dominating defense that is even better than last season. Zamir White continues to improve carrying the rock in a new wide zone offense, and Aidan O’Connell seizes control of the QB1 position. —Hondo S. Carpenter, Sr., Raiders On SI
Miami Dolphins: What will happen with Tua Tagovailoa if he doesn’t have a contract extension? Tua and his potential new contract has been the story for the Dolphins since the start of the offseason and his demeanor during minicamp suggested he would not be a happy camper (literally and figuratively) without a new deal. And it’s important to note he only took part in 7-on-7 drills in the spring. —Alain Poupart, Dolphins On SI
Minnesota Vikings: J.J. McCarthy will attract the most attention but the Vikings have done a nice job setting low expectations by saying Sam Darnold is QB1 entering camp. Until a true QB competition unfolds, the biggest storyline will be the battle for WR3. If Brandon Powell, Jalen Nailor, Trishton Jackson or someone else doesn’t step up, Vikings officials might have to take a long, hard look at free agency. —Joe Nelson, Vikings On SI
New England Patriots: When will Drake Maye start under center? Signs seem to point towards Jacoby Brissett being the early favorite to capture the Week One starting role, but it remains dependent on how the Patriots’ third-overall pick performs in his reps during camp and preseason. If Maye looks to be ahead of schedule in his development, don’t be shocked to see him begin the year as QB1. — Jared Koch, Patriots On SI
New Orleans Saints: Will Derek Carr lead the New Orleans Saints to the playoffs? Despite signing a four-year, $150M deal with $100M guaranteed, Carr has faced criticism for the Saints' failure to make the postseason for a third consecutive season. He must rebound and have New Orleans in a position to make a deep playoff run in 2024-25. —Kyle T. Mosley, Saints On SI
New York Giants: Can right tackle Evan Neal finally live up to his draft pedigree? Neal, the seventh pick in the 2022 draft, was supposed to be the Giants’ bookend at right tackle for years to come. However, he’s struggled with both injuries and technique issues that have him hovering dangerously close to earning the “bust” label. While the Giants did protect themselves by adding veteran Jermaine Eluemunor as the Plan B at right tackle, the team is hoping the issues that have plagued Neal when he has been out there on the field can be eradicated from his game. —Patricia Traina, Giants On SI
New York Jets: The story that will dominate training camp until it gets resolved is the whereabouts of Haason Reddick. He was a crucial addition in the offseason as New York lost its top pass rusher in Bryce Huff to the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s in the middle of a contract holdout where both the Jets and fans alike can only guess the next place he’ll pop up. All they know is that he’s not with the team or seemingly close to joining them. —Dylan Sanders, Jets On SI
Philadelphia Eagles: Nick Sirianni handing the baton to Kellen Moore with the offense. The Eagles’ playmakers are top-tier, the offensive line is still regarded as one of the best in the game despite losing future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce and Jalen Hurts is a top-10 quarterback. Sirianni described his offense as stale when stepping back in favor of Moore, who will be under a microscope with massive expectations to produce not only wins but style points. —John McMullen, Eagles On SI
Pittsburgh Steelers: Is there a real quarterback competition? Right now, Russell Wilson is in “poll position” to be the team’s QB1 by Week 1. But with Justin Fields competing behind him, and making it known he’s ready for a battle, all eyes will be on the team’s new batch of passers—and whether Fields can turn this into a real race for Week 1. —Noah Strackbein, Steelers On SI
San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk’s contract dispute has been the 49ers’ biggest storyline of the offseason and will continue to dominate the coverage until it’s resolved. Will he show up to training camp? If he’s there, will he practice? If he doesn’t practice, will rookie first-round pick Ricky Pearsall play well in Aiyuk’s place? Will the 49ers trade Aiyuk before the season starts? All these storylines will be on the table. —Grant Cohn, 49ers On SI
Seattle Seahawks: Will the offensive line be good enough for the offense to reach its potential? As has been the case for most of the past decade, the Seahawks struggled to protect Smith or create running lanes for a talented running back group in 2023, though injuries were a major factor. Set to break in three new starters in the interior, veteran Laken Tomlinson will have to show he still has good football left in the tank and center Olu Oluwatimi and whoever starts at right guard will have to grow up quickly or a talented skill position group will be wasted again. —Corbin Smith, Seahawks On SI
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: With moving parts such as new offensive coordinator Liam Coem taking over the offense, a potential step backward could see the Buccaneers’ streak of winning the NFC South coming to an end. An injury to a key player or improved player from other divisional teams could be detrimental to Tampa Bay. —Collin Haalboom, BucsGameday
Tennessee Titans: Who starts at right tackle? Nicholas Petit-Frere, Jaelyn Duncan and Leroy Watson are all potential options for the team at the position, but none of them are guaranteed to pan out. The Titans may look to the free agent market if they don’t like what they have in the building. —Jeremy Brener, Titans On SI
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Biggest Story for Every NFL Team Entering 2024 Training Camps.
