As rookie workouts wrap, OTAs begin, with mandatory minicamps looming in June. We pick one player from every team to keep an eye on.
theathletic.com
The
NFL Draft is over, and so are rookie minicamps. Next up on the league calendar: a monthlong stretch of offseason practices and team minicamps. The
Atlanta Falcons and
Washington Commanders both open organized team activities (OTAs) this week before the rest of the league joins in starting May 20. Team minicamps are the first two weeks of June.
New coaching staffs will introduce their playbooks, roster additions will meet their teammates and the groundwork for training camp in late July will begin to be laid.
This is where all of the puzzle pieces begin to come together and where positional battles begin to take shape.
Here’s a rundown of one key player on every team to watch during offseason workouts. A reminder that player attendance at OTAs is voluntary but mandatory for June minicamp. You can find each team’s OTA and minicamp schedule
here.
AFC North
After years of running back-by-committee approaches, the Ravens lured one of the most dominant backs to Baltimore in free agency this offseason. Henry, who is coming off his fifth 1,000-yard rushing campaign in six seasons, should help ease pressure on
Lamar Jackson and ensure balance for the Ravens’ offense. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken and the Ravens coaches will spend the offseason integrating the 30-year-old Henry into the mix.
Surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right wrist ended Burrow’s 2023 season after 10 games, but he has been throwing since early April and is
fully cleared for everything except contact. Patience is key, however. Having a healthy Burrow by the start of the season is priority No. 1 for the Bengals, who struggled out of the gate last season as the quarterback battled a calf injury suffered during the preseason. Then the wrist injury occurred. Cincinnati is eager to return to the playoffs after going 9-8 last season and missing out. The Bengals made AFC Championship Game appearances in 2021 and 2022.
Winston is among the most important players in Cleveland until starter
Deshaun Watson fully recovers from shoulder surgery. Gone is
Joe Flacco, who shocked the league and helped lead the Browns to the playoffs in place of Watson. In his place is Winston, the 2015 No. 1 pick, who spent the last four seasons as a backup in New Orleans. Winston went 6-4 in 10 starts for the
Saints. This offseason, he’ll learn Kevin Stefanski’s and new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey’s playbook and work on establishing chemistry with his new teammates, particularly wideouts
Amari Cooper and
Jerry Jeudy.
The Steelers scrapped the
Kenny Pickett experiment after just two seasons and acquired Wilson, believing the former Super Bowl champion can turn them into contenders in the division and beyond. The
Seattle Seahawks and then
Denver Broncos both moved on from Wilson after deciding his best days were behind him. Can Wilson redeem himself in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers are installing a new offense and have just invested heavily in their offensive line? Or will Wilson’s run as QB1 for Mike Tomlin be short-lived, opening the door for Justin Fields’ own redemption quest?
Keon Coleman has big shoes to fill in Buffalo as he works to create chemistry with Josh Allen. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)
AFC East
Stefon Diggs,
Josh Allen’s former No. 1 target, is gone. In his place is Coleman, the 6-foot-3, 213-pound rookie from Florida State who must assume the role of
Buffalo’s big-play weapon. Coleman has much to learn. He lacks Diggs’ speed, but he does have great size and with it comes the potential to become an imposing possession receiver and red zone threat. Coleman will get to work on developing chemistry with Allen and learning how to beat press coverage, something he saw little of in college.
They already own one of the league’s most prolific offenses, but the Dolphins believe there’s no such thing as too many weapons. So, they added Beckham to a receiver unit that already features
Tyreek Hill and
Jaylen Waddle. This is a curious experiment since knee injuries and surgeries have robbed the 31-year-old Beckham of most of his explosiveness, and the Dolphins’ offense is all about speed and timing. Beckham was serviceable in Baltimore with 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns but did average a career-best 16.1 yards per reception. How will the ever-creative Mike McDaniel work OBJ into the mix?
It’s a new day in New England as Jerod Mayo takes over for Bill Belichick. The Patriots traded failed 2021 pick
Mac Jones, and then signed reliable veteran quarterback
Jacoby Brissett. But then they used the No. 3 pick on Maye. The offseason is all about coaching up Maye in hopes that he can blossom into the team’s next great quarterback. It could take some time, and Brissett may serve as a bridge. But the Patriots believe their future is bright.
The 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers will take another stab at restoring the Jets to their former glory, but first, he must knock off the rust accumulated during his recovery from Achilles surgery. Rodgers will have no restrictions at offseason practices, and he’ll use this time to rekindle the budding connection he had with his receivers while also acclimating to a revamped offensive line.
AFC South
Hoping quarterback
C.J. Stroud can take another leap forward after an impressive rookie season, the Texans have gone all out to upgrade his supporting cast this offseason. Among the new faces: Diggs, one of the most prolific wide receivers in the
NFL over the last six seasons. Diggs grew frustrated in Buffalo but now has a chance to help elevate Stroud’s game, similar to how he provided a boost for Josh Allen. Stroud and Diggs will work on their connection this offseason while offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik figures out how to best integrate the 10th-year veteran into the offense.
The gifted passer’s promising rookie season came to an abrupt end after four games because of a shoulder injury that required surgery. The Colts soon will welcome Richardson back onto the field, but for now, he continues to rehab and will likely train on the side as offseason practices kick off. Richardson resumed throwing earlier this spring and has told people he believes he is good to go. The Colts will exercise caution, however. Richardson could take part in positional drills once OTAs begin, and we’ll see if he can talk his way fully back into the mix by the time minicamp rolls around.
Jacksonville lost the talented
Calvin Ridley in free agency, so finding new targets for quarterback
Trevor Lawrence topped its offseason priority list. The Jaguars used the 23rd pick in the draft on Thomas, a 6-3, 209-pound LSU product, who clocked a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the combine. Thomas will spend the spring and early summer learning his new quarterback and playbook as well as how to react to NFL coverages.
Ridley returned from his yearlong gambling suspension and achieved a good degree of redemption with Jacksonville (76 catches, 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns). The Titans pulled off a stunner, signing him away from Jacksonville for $92 million over four seasons. They hope Ridley can become a security blanket for young quarterback
Will Levis while also complementing
DeAndre Hopkins, who turns 32 next month.
AFC West
Denver Broncos: QB Bo Nix
Sean Payton shipped Russell Wilson to Pittsburgh and used the
12th pick on Nix, the Oregon quarterback who graded out as a late first-/early second-round draft pick.
Jarrett Stidham and
Zach Wilson are also on the roster, but the offseason is all about getting Nix coached up. The hope is that he can eventually lead the Broncos out of the wilderness they have wandered through ever since Peyton Manning retired in 2016 following a Super Bowl 50 victory.
The Chiefs snatched up the fastest wideout in the draft in Texas’ Worthy, who clocked a 4.21 40 at the combine. But there’s much more to NFL pass-catching than speed, as Worthy learned during a
rocky rookie minicamp. The lumps came against fellow first- and second-year players, and soon, he’ll square off with veterans. Catching passes from
Patrick Mahomes could help, but Worthy doesn’t have to be a finished product this spring. The Chiefs just want to see steady improvements.
The Raiders hoped to draft a top quarterback, but didn’t succeed at moving up and then refused to reach on a prospect. That means interim incumbent
Aiden O’Connell and newcomer Minshew will duke it out for starting duties. Minshew took over for an injured Anthony Richardson last season and kept the Colts’ season alive. Now, he aims to spearhead a revival with the Raiders and coach Antonio Pierce, who was promoted from interim to full-time head coach this offseason.
The Chargers are starting over under new coach Jim Harbaugh, whose goal is to support quarterback
Justin Herbert with an imposing offensive line. Harbaugh used his first draft pick with the Chargers on Notre Dame’s Alt, who at 6-9, 321 pounds is massive and powerful and should become a franchise cornerstone from Day 1. Alt will take his lumps at camp from
Khalil Mack and
Joey Bosa, which will only help him round into form.