Top storylines for training camps: Positional battles, rookie breakouts, injury news

18.07.2025, 16:58 espn.com

They say Christmas is in December and it's 12 days long. Codswallop, say I. Christmas starts in July, is four weeks long and comes with a present nearly every single day: That your favorite third-string receiver made a tough snag over the middle in double coverage; that the undersized, small-school undrafted pass rusher is once again terrorizing the backup offensive line; that everybody -- and I mean everybody -- is in the best shape of his life.

It's NFL training camp, folks. And it's right around the corner, with veteran players for the Chargers and Lions reporting to camp later this week, ahead of the Hall of Fame Game on July 31.

There's little I look forward to more than the first video to hit my timeline of a few star players jogging out onto the practice field. Perhaps the only thing I cherish more are answers to the following questions, winners of the following positional battles, health for the following injuries and updates on the following rookies. Let's get into it.

Jump to:Questions | BattlesInjuries | Rookies

Campbell is one of the best coaches in the league. There is no question about this, none at all. Two of his best acts with the Lions have been as follows: hiring Aaron Glenn as defensive coordinator, and promoting Ben Johnson to offensive coordinator after his first hiring (Anthony Lynn) didn't work out.

Those are the only moves Campbell has needed to make at coordinator over his four years in Detroit -- a rare thing for a team as successful as the Lions have been. After years of interest, both Glenn and Johnson have finally taken head coaching jobs elsewhere, which raises a few questions. The first: Just how good is Campbell's eye for coaching talent? New DC Kelvin Sheppard was promoted from the linebackers coaching job, but Campbell first worked with him back in 2014-15, when Sheppard was still a player on the Dolphins. He's been the defensive coordinator-in-waiting for a while now. What does Campbell see in him? And will that vision be realized?

On the offensive side of the ball, where plenty of candidates for internal promotion were available (Hank Fraley, Tanner Engstrand, Antwan Randel El), Campbell went for an external hire in John Morton. There is some familiarity there, as Morton spent the 2022 season as the Lions' senior offensive assistant. Does he have a particularly strong relationship with Jared Goff, who will need to shoulder a greater load now that Johnson has left the building? Can Morton bring the same creativity, the same situational excellence that powered the Lions' fourth-down approach of seasons past?

The Lions are transitioning from a rebuilt upstart to a bona fide force, and that means they must combat brain drain. This is Campbell's first crack at replacing key staff departures, and getting it right is critical to completing the total team turnaround.

When Fields finally got out of Chicago last season, I was thrilled for him. Few franchises have been worse at QB development over the past several seasons than the Bears. The Steelers are another such candidate, as they have struggled to modernize their offensive approach or flood their roster with pass catchers for a young quarterback. Of course, Fields joined Pittsburgh as a backup behind Russell Wilson, and he started only six games while Wilson recovered from a calf injury.

Rather surprisingly, the Jets gave him a starter's deal and an unimpeded path to the QB1 job. The Jets are another candidate for our "even worse than the Bears at quarterback development" list, but it's a new staff in New York -- namely, head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. Both came from Detroit, and Glenn in particular watched his defenses get ravaged by Fields' legs twice a season. Fields' last three games as a Bear against Glenn's defense: 12 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown; 10 carries for 132 yards; 13 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

Now, the Jets have few pass catchers behind Garrett Wilson, but they have a pretty solid offensive line. I don't think they'll tip their hand (and put Fields in harm's way) too much during training camp, but I'll be watching the reports closely. And I won't be surprised if we see a 2022-like season for Fields. Back then, he posted 160 carries for 1,143 yards, the second most all time for a quarterback. If he can replicate that season with his legs, while getting more passing game help from Engstrand and Wilson than he ever got in Chicago, there just might be something there.

There isn't a training camp question with a bigger range of outcomes than the McCarthy question in Minnesota. I can draw two parallel universes for you. In the first, a year of rehab gave McCarthy the opportunity to prepare mentally, and he is accordingly as sharp as a tack under center -- no rookie mistakes. Fully physically recovered, he offers more on the boot than Darnold ever did, creating a new layer in the already dangerous Vikings offense. Minnesota hits the ground running.

In the other, Minnesota really does hit the ground running because McCarthy isn't ready. He is uncertain on the knee and still adjusting to NFL speed, and it's not like he was a pass-heavy maven in college either. The Vikings heavily rely on a retooled offensive line, as well as a running back by committee with Jordan Mason joining Aaron Jones. They keep as much off their young passer's shoulders as possible as he works his way to NFL ball.

Harry Douglas, Kimberley A. Martin and Damien Woody discuss what will make a successful season for J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings.

These two worlds, and every world in between, feel possible for the Vikings. We shouldn't overreact to anything we get in training camp, especially negative. The McCarthy we get in August won't be the McCarthy we see in December, as a season's worth of NFL action teaches some big lessons. But the Vikings are in a competitive division and harbor deep playoff aspirations. They only have so much leash to give a rookie, especially when you consider how easily Kevin O'Connell has made veteran quarterbacks shine in this offense. McCarthy's health and confidence are about as big of a July storyline as you get in the NFL.

I remain confident that the two most obvious things will happen in Cincinnati: The Bengals will reach an extension with Hendrickson that makes him a top-three highest-paid defensive player in football, and they will give Stewart the rookie contract language he seeks so he can start practicing.

However, there's a not-insubstantial (excellent writing there; I'm a professional) chance at least one of these takes a left turn. Hendrickson seems to have more internal locker room support for a prolonged holdout than any other player I can remember. Everyone in a Bengals uniform knows he has carried that defense for a long time, and in no season was that more obvious than last year. If Hendrickson flatly rejects every offer the Bengals give him and tries to reinvigorate trade markets as other teams reevaluate their rosters during training camp, I will be surprised. But not shocked.

The Stewart situation feels tied to the Hendrickson situation. If Hendrickson is holding out (or holding in, as that's the method these days), then the Bengals will swiftly revert their rookie contract language and get Stewart practicing -- they need him even more than they thought. But what if the Hendrickson deal gets done before camp? I can see the Bengals "losing" the Hendrickson negotiation (i.e., paying him a bajillion dollars), and digging their heels in on the Stewart contract as a result.

Again: I still strongly believe we're going to get the expected outcome on both of these deals, but I'm not counting my chickens just yet.

With every offseason, it feels like new offensive coordinators have bigger and bigger leverage in surprising team outcomes. Compare the 2024 Eagles to the 2023 Eagles if you don't believe me -- a playcaller can just as easily tank a humming offense as he can resurrect a fallen one.

In the latter case this season, we have new Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley, who inherits a Texans offense that fell from lofty expectations in 2024. Houston's approach to pass protection proved far too rudimentary, and opposing defenses easily found pressure schematically. They found it against personnel as well, so the Texans retooled their offensive line accordingly.

It's easy to poke holes in the 2025 Texans' offensive personnel. Rookie receivers fill the depth chart behind Nico Collins. Christian Kirk is returning from a collarbone injury; Tank Dell might not be back this season at all. The offensive line is young and shuffled. But I remember how explosive this offense was in 2023 when the playcalling was sharp, and the core of that success -- C.J. Stroud and Collins -- remains. I'm bullish on a Texans offensive bounce-back, so long as Caley is as billed.

On the other hand, Josh Grizzard isn't looking to rebound, but sustain. The new offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, Grizzard steps into Liam Coen's shoes as the playcaller for Baker Mayfield and a Bucs offense that returns every single starter from last season (and adds Emeka Egbuka, a first-round wide receiver from Ohio State). But Grizzard has never called plays before, and he was a fast riser through the Dolphins' offensive ranks before his one season as the Buccaneers' passing game coordinator last season. What's his DNA?

The Bucs were one bounce away from a wild-card win over the Commanders last season, and that was with an injury-riddled defense. If they are healthier on that side of the ball, they look like a bona fide NFC contender ... so long as you assume the offense doesn't take a step back with Coen's departure. A huge responsibility is on Grizzard's shoulders.

The key fulcrum of this battle could have been in a later section, a

Read full news…