NFL training camps
open this week. And you know what that means: questions.
Peyton Manning is gone, Los Angeles is back, and 32 teams are gearing up for another run at the Lombardi Trophy.
NFL training camps kick off this week with veterans reporting, and there are seven new head coaches. Only the NFC North and AFC West return all four coaches from last season.
Take a closer look at key questions surrounding each team:
NFC WEST ARIZONA
The Cardinals are looking to turn up the heat on opposing quarterbacks with the acquisition of outside linebacker Chandler Jones and defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche.
Big questions: How much does Larry Fitzgerald have left in the tank? Will Tyrann Mathieu be back from knee surgery for the opener?
LOS ANGELES
The Rams made a power play to move up to the No. 1 spot to draft California quarterback Jared Goff.
Big questions: How quickly can Goff secure the starting job, seeing as he’s making the transition to playing under center? How will tailback Todd Gurley build on his outstanding rookie year?
SAN FRANCISCO
It’s a coastal change for Chip Kelly, who was 26-21 in almost three seasons in Philadelphia.
Big questions: Can Kelly help Colin Kaepernick regain some of the promise he showed earlier in his career, or will Blaine Gabbert
wind up with the quarterback job?
SEATTLE
The Seahawks rekindled memories by signing back a couple of their former players: defensive end Chris Clemons and cornerback Brandon Browner.
Big questions: Is the offensive line an Achilles’ heel for this team? How well will running back Thomas Rawls (ankle) and tight end Jimmy Graham (knee) recover from injuries that cut short their 2015 seasons?
NFC EAST DALLAS
The Cowboys are hoping they have their answer at running back in No. 4 pick Ezekiel Elliott, who denied the domestic-violence allegations that surfaced against him this past week.
Big questions: Can this team resume its 2014 form now that quarterback Tony Romo and receiver Dez Bryant have had time to heal? Will a playmaker step up on defense?
N.Y GIANTS
The Giants have invested big bucks in their defense, re-signing defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, and plucking high-priced defensive linemen Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison from free agency. Big question: Can the Giants relocate their defense? Is their offense more than Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr.?
PHILADELPHIA
The Eagles traded up twice to select North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz with the No. 2 pick.
Big question: How soon before Wentz goes from No. 3 to No. 1? Is tailback Ryan Mathews durable enough to get through a season?
WASHINGTON
The Redskins strengthened their secondary by signing dynamic cornerback Josh Norman and safety David Bruton Jr.
Big question: Can Kirk Cousins pick up where he left off last season when he strung together three 300-yard passing games to clinch the division?
NFC NORTH CHICAGO
The Bears upgraded at linebacker with the addition of playmaker Danny Trevathan, Jerrell Freeman and first-round pick Leonard Floyd.
Big questions: Both Carolina and Denver made huge strides in their second seasons under Fox, so can the Bears (6-10 in 2015) follow that pattern?
DETROIT
With the surprise retirement of Calvin Johnson after nine seasons, the Lions needed help at receiver. They signed free agents Marvin Jones and Jeremy Kerley.
Big questions: What will life after Megatron be like, especially for Matthew Stafford? Can the Lions generate a running game and take some pressure off their quarterback, who has been sacked 89 times the past two years?
GREEN BAY
Typically, the Packers weren’t extremely active in free agency. They did sign tight end Jared Cook, giving
Aaron Rodgers another capable target.
Big questions: How will Jordy Nelson bounce back after a devastating knee injury? Which Eddie Lacy will show up this season?
MINNESOTA
The Vikings were looking for another big target for Teddy Bridgewater, and they found one in 6-foot-2, 210-pound first-round pick Laquon Treadwell.
Big questions: Can the Vikings christen their new stadium with a second consecutive NFC North title? Will an improved supporting cast help Bridgewater take a big step forward?
NFC SOUTH ATLANTA
With the Falcons releasing Roddy White, there’s ample opportunity for Mohamed Sanu to step in and complement Julio Jones.
Big questions: Quarterback Matt Ryan took a step backward last season. Can he and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan make strides? How does the club recover from the bottom dropping out after last season’s 5-0 start?
CAROLINA
The Panthers are expecting strong performances from rookie defensive tackle Vernon Butler and corners James Bradberry and Daryl Worley.
Big questions: Can the Panthers avoid the doldrums that often strike Super Bowl losers? Can Cam Newton keep up his torrid pace?
NEW ORLEANS
Forever looking to turn around their sagging defense, the Saints added defensive tackles Nick Fairley and Sheldon Rankins, linebacker James Laurinaitis and safety Roman Harper.
Big questions: Can defensive coordinator Dennis Allen do what Rob Ryan could not and whip a U-turn on that side of the ball? Can Drew Brees build on the momentum from the end of last season, when the Saints won three of their final four?
TAMPA BAY
The Bucs made big strides with their offense last season, and now it’s the defense’s turn. Rookie cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and defensive end Noah Spence are expected to make a splash. Big questions: Can Dirk Koetter get this franchise to the playoffs for the first time in nine years?
AFC WEST DENVER
After Peyton Manning retired and Brock Osweiler signed with Houston, the Broncos made a trade with Philadelphia for quarterback Mark Sanchez, and took Deltona Trinity Christian graduate Paxton Lynch in the first round. Big questions: With Manning and Osweiler gone, how does coach Gary Kubiak manage the quarterback situation? Can Von Miller keep the defense rolling despite all the departures?
KANSAS CITY
It wasn’t a splashy headline-stealing move, but the Chiefs picked up a rock-solid tackle in Mitchell Schwartz, a starter in Cleveland the past four seasons.
Big question: The Chiefs made an incredible U-turn last season, starting 1-5 before winning 10 in a row and making the playoffs. Now they’re getting back injured stars Jamaal Charles, Justin Houston and Tamba Hali. Are they poised to go deep into the playoffs this year?
OAKLAND
The Raiders have beefed up their already-strong defense with the addition of linebacker Bruce Irvin (formerly of Seattle), cornerback Sean Smith (Kansas City) and safety Reggie Nelson (Cincinnati).
Big question: The Raiders have gone 13 consecutive seasons without making the playoffs, or even recording a winning record. With their promising roster — and young stars in quarterback Derek Carr, receiver Amari Cooper, and defensive end Khalil Mack — can they finally end that drought?
SAN DIEGO
The Chargers fortified their trenches by adding center Matt Slauson, nose tackle Brandon Mebane and rookie defensive end Joey Bosa.
Big questions: Coming off a 4-12 season, and having missed the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons, can the Chargers regain their footing in the twilight of the Philip Rivers era? And what about that lingering threat to relocate to Los Angeles?
AFC EAST BUFFALO
The Bills used their first three picks on defensive players: linebackers Shaq Lawson and Reggie Ragland and defensive tackle Adolphus Washington. All could be starting by midseason.
Big questions: How will the club work out the contract situations of two pivotal players, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and quarterback Tyrod Taylor? Does coach Rex Ryan have to make the playoffs to keep his job?
MIAMI
Rookie tackle Laremy Tunsil, who slid from the top of the draft to No. 13 because of character concerns, will look to solidify an offensive line that has yielded an NFLhigh 184 sacks since 2012.
Big question: Can new coach Adam Gase turn around a franchise ranked 25th in offense and 26th in defense last season?
NEW ENGLAND
Defensive end Chris Long, who played eight seasons in St. Louis, fits the mold of an aging star who is reinvigorated in Bill Belichick’s system.
Big question: How will third-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo perform in the first four games while Tom Brady serves his Deflategate suspension?
N.Y. JETS
Running back Matt Forte, who rolled up an NFL-high 12,718 yards of all-purpose offense the past eight seasons in Chicago, joined the Jets in free agency.
Big question: Can the Jets work out their quarterback situation? The Ryan Fitzpatrick negotiations have dragged on for months, and the Geno Smith fallback plan is less than enticing.
AFC NORTH BALTIMORE
Safety Eric Weddle, for years the face of San Diego’s defense, will now patrol the back end of Baltimore’s defense.
Big question: How well will Joe Flacco recover from reconstructive knee surgery, and can he do enough to return the Ravens to their Super Bowl glory?
CLEVELAND
New coach Hue Jackson is overseeing a fluid quarterback situation, with Josh McCown back but competing for the starting job with
Robert Griffin III and rookie Cody Kessler.
Big question: Can Jackson, a quarterback specialist, work his magic and cobble together a solution at the most important position? The club has cycled through 24 starting quarterbacks since relaunching as an expansion franchise in 1999.
CINCINNATI
The Bengals signed a bigname veteran on both sides of the ball with the same-day pickup of receiver Brandon LaFell and linebacker Karlos Dansby.
Big question: Coming off the best season of his career, can quarterback Andy Dalton win a playoff game and maybe even make an MVP push?
PITTSBURGH
The homegrown Steelers don’t typically wade too deep in the free-agent pool, so it’s noteworthy they grabbed tight end Ladarius Green, who was a good complement to Antonio Gates in San Diego.
Big questions: With all their offensive firepower, are the Ben Roethlisberger-led Steelers on their way to record-breaking numbers? What will the availability of Le’Veon Bell be, considering the looming threat of suspension?
AFC SOUTH HOUSTON
The Texans paid big bucks ($18 million per year) to lure quarterback Brock Osweiler from Denver, and now they’re looking to reap the dividends.
Big questions: The Texans need to build an offense to complement their strong defense, but is Osweiler up to the challenge? How quickly can three-time NFL defensive player of the year J.J. Watt recover from back surgery to return?
INDIANAPOLIS
The Colts picked four offensive linemen in this spring’s draft, including first-round center Ryan Kelly, expected to anchor that line.
Big question: After an abysmal season in which he missed nine games — and his team missed the playoffs for just the second time since 2002 — will quarterback Andrew Luck bounce back strong?
JACKSONVILLE
The Jaguars made a big commitment to stepping up their defense, opening their wallet to acquire defensive tackle Malik Jackson and cornerback Prince Amukamara, as well as draft cornerback Jalen Ramsey and linebacker Myles Jack.
Big questions: Although they improved on offense, the Jaguars were dragged down by their defense last season, ranking near the bottom in virtually every defensive category. Will all the personnel adjustments change that? How much more time does coach Gus Bradley have, seeing as he’s 12-36 in his three seasons?
TENNESSEE
The Titans were 25th in rushing offense last season. They addressed that by trading for running back DeMarco Murray.
Big question: With an improved offensive line, and more horsepower in the backfield with Murray and rookie Derrick Henry, can Marcus Mariota build on his strong debut?