While the NFL is never too far away, given the busy offseason programme that sees the Super Bowl followed by the Combine, free agency, Draft and then training camps, actual football is back.
The Chicago Bears and Houston Texans take part in the NFL’s annual preseason curtain raiser on Thursday evening when they play in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
Here’s a look at five preseason questions that should be answered over the next month.
How set up is Caleb Williams to succeed?
When a quarterback is drafted first overall, the nature of the NFL Draft means they are usually parachuted into the worst team in the league, which can hamper their development. That’s not the case for Caleb Williams however, who has landed in Chicago with a Bears team that had the number one pick gifted to them via a trade. Williams - who was one of the best quarterback prospects to come out of college football in years - will have an impressive offensive supporting cast as he looks to find his feet in the NFL. A deep reciever corps includes D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and fellow rookie Rome Odunze, while D’Andrew Swift is a solid free agent addition at running back.
We won’t see Williams in the Bears’ first preseason clash against the Texans, but we won’t have to wait long to see how he transitions into the NFL.
How does the post-Belichick era look in New England?
The biggest coaching switch of the offseason was the curtain falling on the Bill Belichick era in New England. All eyes will be on Jerod Mayo who has taken up the task of following the most successful NFL head coach of all time.
The former Pats linebacker looks to be ushering in an evolution, rather than a revolution, so expect the team’s defense to look very similar. The biggest subplot is on the offense, where third-overall draft pick Drake Maye is likely to have to bide his time behind the reliable veteran Jacoby Brissett. Maye will get a shot in preseason, but will have to go some if he is to land the Week 1 starting job.
But if Mayo faces the same issues as so many of those that have attempted to follow in the footsteps of a legend, putting in the raw, exciting rookie will be an option.
Will Mike Macdonald hit the ground running?
It wasn’t just the Patriots that said farewell to a long-standing head coach, as Pete Carroll was out in Seattle after 14 seasons. The Seahawks have gone from one of the oldest coaches in the league to one of the youngest, with Mike Macdonald coming in from the Baltimore Ravens.
The 37-year-old achieved great things with the Ravens defense and has plenty of good players to utilise in Seattle, who registered a 9-8 record last season. The preseason will give us out first clues as to whether his new team are responding to his new message.
Who comes out on top in the Vikings quarterback battle?
You’ll hear lots about the NFL’s various quarterback battles in preseason. Denver and Pittsburgh look intriguing, but the best face-off could come in Minnesota, as the Vikings move on from the Kirk Cousins era.
Sam Darnold looks to be the presumptive starter, but given what the Vikings have invested in J.J. McCarthy after moving up in the draft to land him with the 10th pick this spring, they clearly see him as their QB of the future. Should the rookie go toe-to-toe with the former Jets first-round pick in preseason and impress, he could quickly find himself the starter.
Do we see Aaron Rodgers this month?
Finally, the return of Aaron Rodgers will be a huge talking point over the next few weeks. The former Packers star suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on the Jets’ first offensive series of the regular season last year and while head coach Robert Saleh has ruled out playing the 40-year-old in the first two preseason games, the door has been left ajar for the final warm-up game.
Rodgers broke with recent habits last season when he took his first preseason snaps since 2018 as he looked to establish a rapport with his new team and whether or not he returns in preseason this year seems to be a case of who wins the argument between him and Saleh.
Either way, he will need to be fit and firing for the Jets’ tricky Week 1 clash, which is a Monday Night Football clash against the San Francisco 49ers in California.
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