NFL Training Camps Open in 1 Week With 5 Key Battles, Injuries and Rookie Tests
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Jul 21
NFL Training Camps Open in 1 Week With 5 Key Battles, Injuries and Rookie Tests
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jul 21
Summary
Most NFL teams are about a week from camp, with the biggest immediate questions centered on unsettled depth charts, injured stars and rookies who could force early roles before the Sept. 9 season start.
Houston’s rebuilt offensive line, Philadelphia’s post-A.J. Brown offense and Denver’s handoff of playcalling to Davis Webb headline the team-level storylines, while Las Vegas rookie Fernando Mendoza could push for more than 50% of first-team reps.
Several high-profile health updates will shape August: Malik Nabers is targeting some camp work after a second knee procedure, Patrick Mahomes is tracking toward Week 1 after ACL and LCL tears, and George Kittle hopes to return 242 days after his Achilles tear.
Position fights to watch include the Jets’ three-way cornerback battle, the Chargers’ crowded tight end room, Atlanta’s Tua Tagovailoa-Michael Penix Jr. quarterback competition and San Francisco’s search for stability in the secondary.
Rookies such as Colts linebacker CJ Allen, Bears center Jared Wilson Jones and Cowboys linebacker Barham could become early indicators of whether several teams’ offseason overhauls will hold up once the regular season begins.