NFL Preview: What To Expect For Every Team

By ESPN

As training camps get cranked up across the league, NFL Nation reporters preview what to expect for every team. Who's on the bubble? Which rookie could surprise? Where are the biggest strengths and weaknesses? Click the links after each team for more.

AFC EAST

Buffalo Bills

For the seventh time since the Bills last made the playoffs -- after the 1999 season -- the franchise hit the reset button this past winter by firing bombastic coach Rex Ryan and replacing him with Sean McDermott. McDermott has brought a more meticulous and measured management style that he hopes will begin to change the culture.

Miami Dolphins

All eyes will be on the health and progress of quarterback Ryan Tannehill this summer. Tannehill sprained the ACL and MCL in his left knee last December, forcing him to miss the final four games. Surgery was not required, but Tannehill must wear a brace this season. Mobility didn't appear to be an issue in organized team activities and minicamp.

New England Patriots

Can the Patriots, who are widely viewed as a preseason favorite across the NFL, repeat as Super Bowl champions? After they loaded up in the offseason with various personnel moves, expectations and excitement are as high as they've been in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era. Read more.

New York Jets

Do the Jets have any idea what they're doing? It will take a full season to answer that question, but the first clues will start to emerge in the preseason. General manager Mike Maccagnan built this team with an eye on 2018, stripping down a roster filled with overpaid, underperforming veterans and replacing them with young, unproven talents.

AFC NORTH

Baltimore Ravens

There are plenty of questions about the Ravens' offense, from QB Joe Flacco's struggles to the running backs' explosiveness to Marty Mornhinweg's playcalling. The biggest concern, however, is an offensive line that is projected to start two backups from last season with two second-year players.

Cincinnati Bengals

If rookies Joe Mixon and John Ross don't bring enough excitement going into training camp, then linebacker Carl Lawson might. After one of their biggest drafts in years (11 players selected), the Bengals head into camp bolstered by a youth movement.

Cleveland Browns

The usual quarterback drama persists, but the Browns have put a lot of energy and focus on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. They are putting a lot of belief in the arrival of coordinator Gregg Williams, whose loud and in-your-face approach is a complete contrast to the cerebral approach of Ray Horton a year ago.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers' offensive explosion with wide receiver Martavis Bryant back in the lineup was an offseason storyline. During training camp, eyes should be fixed on the Steelers' years-in-the-making defensive rebuild. The defensive backfield will feature four Day 1 or Day 2 draft picks from the past three years, plus a bevy of veterans.

AFC SOUTH

Houston Texans

Last season's No. 1 defense lost three starters to free agency -- A.J. Bouye, Quintin Demps and John Simon -- and Vince Wilfork is not back with the team. The Texans, however, do get back three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt, who played in just three games in 2016 because he aggravated a back injury.

Indianapolis Colts

All eyes will be on QB Andrew Luck when he takes the practice field and attempts his first pass since January. He missed the entire offseason after right shoulder surgery in the winter. Owner Jim Irsay went on the record to say Luck would be ready for the start of the regular season, but that target date will remain in question until Luck starts throwing.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars' season will hinge on whether QB Blake Bortles has made improvements in four key areas: turnovers, pocket awareness, decision-making and accuracy. Those are more important than any of his mechanical issues, which he worked on extensively during the offseason.

Tennessee Titans

General manager Jon Robinson has put the Titans in position to be successful for years to come by providing the necessary pieces for franchise quarterback Marcus Mariota to lead them. It started with an offensive line to protect Mariota, then the addition of running backs DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry, with Robinson also addressing the defense this offseason.

AFC WEST

Denver Broncos

The Broncos' impending decision at quarterback will lead the way through the summer. Either Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch will win the job. But this is a tough one for the coaches. If they hand the job to the guy who doesn't really win it, a veteran locker room filled with players who believe the Broncos are still Super Bowl contenders will not be happy.

Kansas City Chiefs

All eyes will be on rookie QB Patrick Mahomes II, who won't be a starter and may not even play during his first NFL season. But the Chiefs made a bold move to trade up to get Mahomes, making him the lone quarterback taken in the first round by the franchise in 34 years.

Los Angeles Chargers

Described as matter-of-fact and blunt by his players, new Chargers coach Anthony Lynn, a disciple of former crusty NFL head coach Bill Parcells, will try to turn things around for an organization that has won just nine games the past two seasons.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders ended a 13-season playoff drought last season with their first winning campaign since, yes, 2002. As such, they seem primed to make a serious Super Bowl run, as long as QB Derek Carr is fully recovered from his broken right fibula and the 26th-ranked defense can plug holes up the middle.

NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys

Can the Cowboys do it again? They surprised many with their 13-3 season in 2016 despite Tony Romo being relegated to spectator because of a compression fracture in his back. They enter this season with high outside expectations for a team that looks to be on the rise, thanks to a young core mixed with talented veterans.

New York Giants

The Giants added wide receiver Brandon Marshall in free agency and tight end Evan Engram in the draft. Paul Perkins is now the starter at running back. We'll see if it makes a significant difference for an offense that averaged a paltry 19.4 points per game last season.

Philadelphia Eagles

Carson Wentz enters training camp with the wind at his back. He is now ingrained in the role of quarterback and leader, and thanks to the work of the Eagles' front office, he is surrounded by new talent, including WRs Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith and RB LeGarrette Blount.

Washington Redskins

The top storyline headed into camp is QB Kirk Cousins and whether this will be his last season in Washington. The Redskins failed to reach a long-term deal with Cousins by the July 17 deadline, so now there's a chance that he will be a free agent in the 2018 offseason.

NFC NORTH

Chicago Bears

There are really two major storylines for the Bears in 2017. The first involves embattled coach John Fox. The second pertains to rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, whom Chicago drafted No. 2 overall in April.

Detroit Lions

Can the Lions go from a team trying to squeeze into the playoffs to one that can win the NFC North title for the first time in two decades and a playoff game for the first time in more than a quarter century?

Green Bay Packers

If the Packers don't come out of training camp with at least one new starting cornerback, then something probably went disastrously wrong. They signed veteran free agent Davon House and used their top draft pick on the athletic Kevin King. One or both should start if the Packers hope to radically improve their passing defense.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings will try to forge a new offensive identity in 2017 after saying goodbye to Adrian Peterson and bringing in two new running backs to replace their all-time leading rusher. Latavius Murray and Dalvin Cook figure to be featured, but the Vikings won't funnel their offense through their ground game the way they did with Peterson.

NFC SOUTH

Atlanta Falcons

The health of key players such as WR Julio Jones, CB Desmond Trufant and first-round draft pickTakkarist McKinley is a storyline heading into camp. Jones said he plans to be fully ready to go after undergoing surgery on his left foot March 6.

Carolina Panthers

As QB Cam Newton goes, so go the Panthers. When Newton had an MVP season in 2015, the Panthers went to the Super Bowl. When he had statistically the worst season of his career in 2016, the team struggled and missed the playoffs. Newton had offseason surgery to fix a partially torn rotator cuff, so training camp will be the first big test to see if the problem has been corrected.

New Orleans Saints

The two most important things the Saints need to accomplish this summer are revamping the defense and replenishing the banged-up offensive line. But the most compelling storyline will be the revival of Adrian Peterson.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs are getting rare national attention and even consideration for the NFC South title. Snagging WR DeSean Jackson in free agency and TE O.J. Howard in the draft has upped expectations for a team that hasn't reached the playoffs since 2007.

NFC WEST

Arizona Cardinals

Sure, there are individual position battles that will be captivating, but the top storyline heading into this year's training camp will be how the Cardinals can put last season's underachieving 7-8-1 record behind them as they try to make what could be their last Super Bowl run with their current core.

Los Angeles Rams

Defensive lineman Aaron Donald will dominate training camp like he dominates opposing guards. The Rams' star has spent the offseason hoping for a restructured contract, and nothing has been solidified. It's complicated.

San Francisco 49ers

This season isn't so much about turning into overnight contenders as it is about taking a step in the right direction for their long-term future. Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have injected some optimism into the franchise, but they also are well aware that a major turnaround in just one season is a long shot.

Seattle Seahawks

Can the Seahawks put the offseason drama behind them and compete for a Super Bowl while their core is still together? Coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider openly shopped CB Richard Sherman after his tumultuous 2016 campaign, but everyone said the right things during the spring.