NFL Training Camp Storylines

The time has arrived. NFL teams are gathering again for the start of a brand new season. By this weekend, all 32 teams will have opened their camps, officially getting football going on the field for the 2019 season. There have been some big changes that have been made around the NFL this offseason, which creates some new and interesting dynamics around camps. So lets take a look at it right now. Here's some training camp stories to watch, both league wide and involving the locals.

Familiar Faces in New Places:
One we will get to in a little while (Bell with the Jets), but there are still some big names that moved in the offseason and its going to be interesting to see how well they mesh with their new teams. Two thirds of the Killer B's are gone in Pittsburgh, as Bell is in New York, while Antonio Brown is now a Raider. I really wanna see how well AB handles dealing with Chucky on the Oakland sidelines. And he's not the only bigtime wide out that went on the move. The Giants got rid of Odell Beckham jr to the Browns in a huge move. Of course, Odell can't stop running his mouth about the problems with the Giants, so I can't wait to see if the Browns can even attempt to get him to change his dumpy attitude. Then there was the big QB move with Joe Flacco getting outted in Baltimore and heading to Denver.

New Guns in Town:
So not only do we have big names switching tams,we got the new rookie class coming into the league as well. The era of Kyler Murray and new coach Kliff Kingsbury running ship in Arizona could make for a fun experience for the Cards. Murray has a lot riding on his arm, trying to get the Cards back in shape and on the winning path. So too does Kingsbury who's taking over a Cards team that hasn't hit double digits in wins since 2015 and won just three games last year. Being a first year head coach is tough, so doing it with this organization is going to be tougher. He's not the only one as Green Bay (Matt LaFleur), Cincinnati (Zac Taylor), Cleveland (Freddie Kitchens), Miami (Brian Flores) and Denver (Vic Fangio) are all breaking in first year head coaches. Going to be interesting to see how the players react to them as camp wears along.

Now onto the locals.

Giants
How will the rookies perform?
The Giants had three first round picks in this year's draft. Dexter Lawrence went 17th, while Deandre Baker was taken 30th. Both guys are going to have to prove their worth on the defensive side of the ball. The big story, of course, is how well Daniel Jones does. The Duke QB, taken 6th overall, has some might big shoes to try and fill once Eli Manning does call it a career. There's little doubt that Eli's going to get the bulk of the playing time this season, but depending on how well Jones does in camp will determine how much playing time he will see this season. His progression during camp is going to be key.

How quick can the new veterans catch up?
On the offensive side of the football, the line had been one of its biggest problems. Adding a guy like Kevin Zeitler could help bolster the team and maybe, just maybe, finally give Eli the protection he needs to be able to run his offense. Once Eli does get rid of the ball, he needs people to throw to. With Odell gone, Golden Tate was brought in to help Sterling Sheppard and be the go to guy in this offense. Golden still has the ability to be a 1,00+ yard receiver, but adjusting to this new offense and having Eli throwing to him could make things difficult. Oh and it wasn't just the offense that's added veteran leadership to this team. Both Jabrill Peppers and Antoine Bethea we're brought in on defense and Landon Collins is no longer here. Both Peppers and Betha have to prove that they can not only still go in this league, but help the Giants win.

Key Questions to answer during camp:
By the time camp breaks and we start the regular season in the beginning of September, hopefully a few of these questions can be answered.

Who will provide consistent pass rush on the perimeter and in the interior?
Someone needs to step up. How quickly will a young secondary develop and become high-quality NFL players?
Who will be able to consistently stretch the field?
Who’s the deep threat for Eli Manning?
Who will be the third down linebacker next to Alec Ogletree?
Who will win the third wide receiver spot?

Jets:
Can Sam Darnold take that next step?
Lets put it like this, it was a good year for Sam Darnold as a rookie, but he didn't set the world on fire. He played better down the stretch but it was a learning curve for Darnold. Now, in year two, he has a better understanding of the competition at this level. It also helps that he has an offensive minded coach, and a quarterback wisper, in Adam Gase, to teach him how to play at this level. He can only really go up from here and I'm really interested to see how his game will grow and mature as the summer months move along.

How's Le'Von Bell going to produce?
This is the biggest question mark for me as the season and camp go along. He sat out all of last season with the contract dispute, what kind of game shape is he even in heading into camp? Who knows. At one point, he was considered the best all around running back in the game. That was before the contract dispute. He missed a year and now who knows what form of Bell we're going to get. i hope its the old one, because he was kinda good at what he did on the gridiron

Can Jets get some edge rushing production? 
The Jets haven’t had an elite edge rusher since John Abraham left town after the 2005 season. And they still don’t have one. The Jets are counting on their pressure up the middle, with Leonard Williams and Quinnen Williams, to free up pass rushing opportunities for edge guys Jordan Jenkins, Brandon Copeland, and Jachai Polite (a project rookie who will have to fight for playing time in camp).

So that's just some of what we can look forward to over the course of training camp this summer.