5. DeSean Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
DeSean Jackson is a confident, speedy, game-changing wide receiver, so that alone makes him worth watching every year. Even at 30 years old, he’s as quick as ever and has the potential to break a game wide open with a big play.
But even beyond the obvious skill Jackson possesses, it’s how he’ll fit into the Buccaneers offensive system that makes him interesting.
Quarterback Jameis Winston has been developing nicely, but he hasn’t had a full set of weapons. With Jackson, alongside budding superstar Mike Evans, Winston now has a guy who can completely stretch the field.
Training camp will be telling for Jackson and the Buccaneers. How quickly he can get rolling will determine just how potentially lethal Winston and the offense can be. If the veteran receiver can still stretch the field, it will prevent opposing defenses from rolling double-coverage onto Mike Evans and open things up for Winston.
Jackson is a piece to a much larger puzzle, but a key piece nonetheless. And it’s for that reason he’s worth keeping an eye on.
4. Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck has not yet thrown a pass with his surgically repaired shoulder, and he refuses to put a timetable on when that might occur. Still, he insists there’s no reason for anyone to be concerned — even if he’s unable to return by the time Indianapolis opens their regular season.
“I would say that there’s no reason to freak out,” Luck said via NFL Network. “I will be better than I was coming into this coming out. I know that. I don’t know what day it’s going to be, I don’t know what week, I don’t know when it’s going to be but I definitely will be. So there’s no reason to freak out. And on that note, football is the greatest team game in the world. No one person is bigger than the team and I’ve always felt that. We’ve got a solid, solid team that is forming at this complex. So, no reason to freak out.”
The vague nature of Luck’s approach to his recovery isn’t likely comforting to the Colts, but it certainly makes for an interesting storyline for training camp.
Although football is a team game, not having a starting quarterback available is troubling for any organization. So while Luck may not be on the field right now, his recovery is worth watching.
If he does return during training camp, all eyes will be on him and how quickly he can round back into shape. And if he doesn’t return for training camp, all eyes will be on the panic button in team headquarters.
3. Joey Bosa, DE, Los Angeles Chargers
When Joey Bosa began his first training camp a year ago, he did so by holding out. There were words exchanged from both sides that got the relationship off to a rough start, but he eventually put pen to paper.
Unfortunately, the early issues had just begun for Bosa as he missed the first four weeks of the season after suffering a hamstring injury.
Frustration had begun to mount, but it didn’t take long for Bosa to reassert himself once he returned. In his first NFL game, Bosa recorded two sacks, one quarterback hit, and four hurries despite playing only 27 snaps. And by the time the season had concluded, the young superstar had collected 10.5 sacks and won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
This year, Bosa enters training camp healthy and under contract but will be met with a hype train the likes of which he hasn’t experienced before. Expectations are off the charts and now he’ll have to contend with the potential sophomore slump.
What makes Bosa worth watching in camp this year is that he’s now got a season of experience under his belt and an entire summer to work with the team. And if he was that good without any experience a year ago, there’s no telling how high he can fly in 2017.
2. Marshawn Lynch, RB, Oakland Raiders
There are a lot of things going on for the Raiders early on in training camp — Derek Carr recovering from injury and Donald Penn holding out — but perhaps nothing surpasses the interest in the return of Marshawn Lynch.
After a year away from the NFL, Lynch’s love for Oakland brought him back to the game. And following a trade from the Seattle Seahawks, he’ll now get to play in front of his hometown crowd, which is something that’s brought out the kid in him.
Not only will it be interesting to see how Lynch performs after a year away from football, but his unpredictability will make him worth watching.
On the first day of training camp, Lynch video bombed a live report on NFL Network, hit on a married reporter and cursed twice. And as awkward as it was to watch, it was impossible to turn away.
The reality is, you never really know what to expect from Lynch — on the football field or away from it.
1. Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington Redskins
Kirk Cousins was the obvious choice to top off this list, and the reasons why are plentiful. The entire drama surrounding him and his relationship with the Redskins has been must-watch television for anyone within the football universe, and that’s not likely to change in training camp.
Yes, Cousins and the Redskins failed to reach an agreement on a long-term deal which essentially makes him a lame-duck quarterback in 2017, but the situation encompasses so much more than that.
When team president Bruce Allen decided to publicly release the rejected contract numbers, he did so in an attempt to save face for the organization and lower public opinion on Cousins. It doesn’t help that Allen also repeatedly referred to “Kirk” as “Kurt.”
While Cousins has shrugged off all the drama, the tension behind closed doors has to be mounting. There’s no doubt Cousins assumes this will be his final year in Washington, but given that he wants to land a massive contract in 2018, he must put it all behind him and play well. Talk about pressure.
Ultimately, this ongoing drama is far from dead and will constantly be in the face of Cousins throughout the season. But how he deals with it and how well he performs all begins in training camp.
