Top storylines to watch as NFL training camps open
Believe it or not, NFL training camps are scheduled to begin over the next few weeks and football will once again be upon us. All 32 teams will report and the quest for Super Bowl LI will officially get underway.
For some teams, like the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots, the expectations will be obvious. For others, the goals will come in tiers beginning with win totals and, ideally, divisional crowns. However, a lot needs to happen before those boxes begin to get checked off, and it all starts with training camp.
There will be no shortage of storylines or sidebars to keep you entertained throughout late July and August, but here’s a quick look at a handful that will undoubtedly command substantial attention.
5) Can Robert Griffin III salvage his career in Cleveland?
From No. 2 overall pick to NFL Rookie of the Year to injury prone to benched is the CliffsNotes version of the Robert Griffin III story. And while there are several other finer details to his tale, the bottom line is that he’s now free from the Washington Redskins and facing a fresh start as a member of the Cleveland Browns.
That begs a new question: can RG3 save his career and establish himself as the elite quarterback so many had envisioned him becoming?
The opportunity for Griffin III is most certainly there, but reviews out of mini-camp were not exactly rave. He had moments where he resembled the quarterback from 2012, but he also had moments that left onlookers scratching their heads. Of course, if you’re a fan of the Browns, that’s nothing to be extremely concerned over. After all, Griffin III is with a new team, with new teammates and learning an entirely new offensive system. It’s not going to happen with a snap of the fingers; there will be a learning curve.
On the other side of that same coin, Hue Jackson and Co. are not going to hand RG3 the starting job based solely on a small sample of success from four years ago. Griffin III will have to enter camp and battle it out with Josh McCown, Cody Kessler and Austin Davis.
“Everybody has to earn everything that they get,” Griffin III told WKCY this week. “When you go out there and you perform at a high level and you show guys that they can trust you, that is when they will buy in. You don’t really focus on putting together a plan to take over the team. You put together a plan to go out and execute the offense, be there for guys when they need you to be there and continue to grow and increase the camaraderie amongst your teammates.”
Whether or not Griffin III comes out victorious, his battle for the starting job is likely to dominate headlines for weeks. Needless to say, he’ll be worth watching come training camp and the preseason.
4) Can Victor Cruz bring the salsa back to New York?
It wasn’t all that long ago that New York Giants wideout Victor Cruz was considered one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. However, a series of unfortunate injuries coupled with the emergence of Odell Beckham Jr. has left Cruz as a bit of a forgotten man.
But as the Giants prepare to open training camp in East Rutherford, there’s a growing belief that Cruz has finally put his injuries woes behind him. Still, there’s a lot that needs to be proven for a guy who hasn’t buckled his chin strap for a game since 2014.
“That’s the plan,” Cruz told reporters in June regarding a training camp return. “That’s how I feel and that’s how the training staff is preparing me. So come July 28, the plan is definitely to be 100 percent full go.”
Assuming Cruz can return to the field without limitations, the focus will immediately shift to what he’s capable of (or not quite capable of) doing after two consecutive season-ending injuries — each of which required surgery and could have ended his career.
The good news? Cruz looks pretty sharp during his workouts.
As optimistic as all that seems, it’s important to note that same optimism was shared a year ago at this time. In fact, Cruz had even thrown himself a “The Return” party which featured a celebratory banner and a speech from the man himself.
Still, it’s hard not to ponder the potential of a group consisting of Victor Cruz, Odell Beckham Jr., Dwayne Harris and Sterling Shepard. Such a group playing to the height of their abilities would immediately establish the Giants as one of the elite passing offenses in the entire league, if not the premiere passing offense in the league.
3) Seven new head coaches begin to settle in
Nearly a quarter of the teams in the league will be led by new head coaches in 2016, including four first-year head coaches.
Adam Gase, Miami Dolphins – After 13 years as an assistant coach with four different teams, Gase earns his first head coaching job with the Dolphins. At 38 years old, he’s also the youngest head coach in the league. That alone is a story worth watching, but he’s also a fiery guy who likes to battle and push his players to the max. Thus far, there seems to be quite the rapport between coaches and players.
Ben McAdoo, New York Giants – At 39, McAdoo is the league’s second-youngest head coach, and he’s replacing a man who had been the league’s oldest head coach. The differences in ages between the coaches should result in an ability for McAdoo to relate to the players differently than Tom Coughlin did.
Hue Jackson, Cleveland Browns – Although Jackson is not among the first-time head coaches, his resume at the position doesn’t exactly stand out. He had a cup of coffee leading the Oakland Raiders in 2011, but with a new general manager came a pink slip. He gets a second opportunity and new life in Cleveland with the hope of creating a sort of stability the team hasn’t had in a decade. Going up against the Cincinnati Bengals, for whom he coached from 2012-2015, twice a year isn’t a terrible incentive, either.
Chip Kelly, San Francisco 49ers – Perhaps one of the more intriguing head coaching changes comes in San Francisco with the addition of Chip Kelly. Kelly joins the 49ers after three seasons in Philadelphia that were mired with controversial personnel decisions. Such decisions ultimately led to his firing as the Eagles collapsed down the stretch last year. Kelly will likely have a bit less say in those decisions under General Manager Trent Baalke, but the team is still excited about what Kelly can potentially bring as a quick-strike offensive-minded coach.
Doug Pederson, Philadelphia Eagles – Replacing the aforementioned Kelly in Philadelphia will be Doug Pederson, another first-year head coach who has deep ties to the organization as both a player and assistant. He’ll bring a West Coast-style offense to the team — a style that highlighted Alex Smith’s play in Kansas City — and a firm desire to protect the football. He’ll also open with a bit of a quarterback controversy, which will only add to excitement of Eagles training camp.
Mike Mularkey, Tennessee Titans – After going 2-7 as the team’s interim head coach over the final nine games of the 2015 season, the Titans decided to give Mularkey the head coaching job free and clear. It will be his third chance to lead a team, as he previously acted as head coach of the Buffalo Bills (2004-2005) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2012). Despite his lack of success, Titans owner and co-chairman of the Board of Directors, Amy Adams Strunk, has praised Mularkey’s integrity, character, leadership skills and vision of the team’s future. Needless to say, the eyes of Tennessee will be on Mularkey when the Titans report to camp later this month.
Dirk Koetter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – After only a single year as the team’s offensive coordinator, Koetter got a bump in January when he was named the Buccaneers’ next head coach. Continuing with the theme of new head coaches, this will be Koetter’s first such job at the NFL level. He previously acted as the head coach for Boise State (1998-2000) and Arizona State (2001-2006) at the college level. Also sharing a similar theme to the others, it was Koetter’s offensive experience and vision that helped sell him to the Bucs. He’ll bring along former Falcons head coach Mike Smith to help with the defense, which will make Tampa Bay an interesting watch throughout training camp and the preseason.
2) Who ends up under center for the Denver Broncos?
The legendary Peyton Manning retiring is a big deal, so naturally the battle to replace him will be an equally big deal. Add in that the Denver Broncos are defending Super Bowl champions, and the entire situation and its importance is only compounded. Accordingly, all eyes will look to Denver as training camp begins because everyone will be curious to see who replaces the future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
With Brock Osweiler departing to the Houston Texans for a large sum of money, the Broncos are left with a trio that includes Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian. Collectively, the group has been ranked among the worst in the league.
Early on, it appears as if the battle will boil down to Sanchez, a former first-round pick who failed to stick with the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles, and Trevor Siemian, the team’s 2015 seventh-round draft pick. 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch is expected to ride the pine behind the eventual starter and be groomed for the position moving forward.
“It’s a new lease on my career. What a place to land,” Sanchez told the Denver Post in June. “There was a big question mark at quarterback, and we’re just trying to erase that.”
As mini-camp concluded, Sanchez was leading the first-team offense and had the playbook almost entirely memorized. But while he may have the early advantage, head coach Gary Kubiak has insisted onlookers should not sleep on Siemian.
Perhaps more than any other team in the league, early preseason games are going to be significant for the Denver Broncos.
1) Hello, Los Angeles!
After 21 long years, the NFL will finally return home to the nation’s second-largest media market. And in doing so, the fans of Los Angeles will welcome back their beloved Rams.
“With the NFL returning home, Los Angeles cements itself as the epicenter of the sports world,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement when the move was announced. “We cannot wait to welcome the Rams, and perhaps others soon, as they join a storied lineup of professional franchises, collegiate powerhouses and sports media companies.”
For the Rams, training camp will legitimately be the under the league’s spotlight. Not only do they have first-overall draft pick Jared Goff under center, but they’ll be featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” throughout camp.
The expectations for the Rams may not be all that high in 2016, but literally every aspect of their young team and their development will be of interest to true football fans. From LA to London, it will be entertaining to see how things shake out beginning early in training camp under the watchful eye of HBO and millions of NFL fans.
