It seems we will get a shortened or cancelled set of the NFL’s organized team activities, with the coronavirus shuttering most of the teams’ facilities through May and, perhaps, June.
The spring workouts are a good time for NFL teams to teach their playbook and begin to get a sense of how the depth chart will shake out. It’s dubbed passing camp, because players can’t wear full pads and therefore can’t really practice the run game. OTAs are also more of a teaching camp, with minicamp and training camp generally being the more formal time when players are fighting for their jobs.
Even with COVID-19 putting football on pause, we won’t stop thinking about football. So we figured we’d highlight the biggest storylines ahead of organized team activities, whether they happen or not.
1. What are the Patriots going to do without Tom Brady?
All eyes will be on which quarterback gets the first snaps under center. Will it be Jarrett Stidham, who won the backup job in 2019? Or will it be Brian Hoyer, a veteran with a wealth of experience in the Patriots’ system?
New England is figuring out how to move on from the greatest quarterback of all time. That’s enough of a problem. But Brady’s supporting cast was weak in 2019, and the Patriots only upgraded the unit with a pair of rookie, third-round tight ends, a position where first-year players rarely make an impact. Not only will the Patriots have to figure out who to play at quarterback, but they’re also going to have to work on developing the talent around him, starting with receiver and 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry.
2. What will Tom Brady do without the Patriots?
Brady is already hard at work with his new Buccaneers teammates. For the first time in years, Brady’s teammates are teaching him the offense — and not the other way around. How will the quarterback look in a new environment? Considering he has an absurd amount of talent at the receiver and tight end positions, Brady should be just fine, especially because he’s got Gronk as a safety net. But it’s easy to imagine the quarterback will experience some growing pains, even at 43 years old.
3. Do Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen like each other?
Diggs seemed to leave the Minnesota Vikings in part because of Kirk Cousins. The receiver tweeted “it’s time for a new beginning” just hours after the Vikings signed Cousins to an extension. That came after Diggs’ sideline temper tantrum when Cousins failed to target the wideout. Their relationship seemed tense. And perhaps it was because Cousins misfired on deep balls — or misread the defense and missed an open Diggs altogether. Thing is, Allen is liable to make the same mistakes, maybe more often.
4. Where are the Panthers in their new construction of their offense?
Coach Matt Rhule is coming from Baylor. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady is coming from LSU. Teddy Bridgewater is coming from the New Orleans Saints. It’s a fascinating mishmash of experience and passing firepower.
How will it come together?
And can those three men get the most out of a high-potential receiving group which includes Robby Anderson, D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel?
5. Are the Cleveland Browns there yet?
Last season, they seemed like they had the talent at the skill positions to actually win some games and be playoff relevant. But Baker Mayfield and Freddie Kitchens regressed. The Browns did what they always do: lose. Then they did another thing they always do: fire their head coach.
And while increased spending and coaching turnover hasn’t been kind to Cleveland in the past, I’m fascinated with what the Browns did this offseason. They hired coach Kevin Stefanski. (Maybe he’s good?) They signed tight end Austin Hooper to add to their ridiculous group of skill players. But most important, they signed tackle Jack Conklin and drafted Alabama tackle Jedrick Wills. The tackle position has been a nightmare for quite some time (which is partially why the quarterback play has also been awful). That tackle talent will hopefully make Cleveland better on offense.
6. Is Jordan Love a total mess (or will we get a quarterback competition sometime soon)?
Love is a developmental prospect, who has time to improve during Rodgers’ lengthy runout on his contract. It’s hard to imagine Love competing for the starting job anytime soon. But it will be fascinating to see how quickly he develops, especially because Rodgers is clearly unhappy to have Love in the quarterback room.
7. Which Dolphins QB looks better: Ryan Fitzpatrick or Tua Tagovailoa?
Considering how tough the Dolphins schedule is, they might be wise to stick with Fitzpatrick, who was the 14th best QB in the NFL in 2019, according to Pro Football Focus. Fitzpatrick can help them win tough games at the beginning of the season while Tagovailoa learns the offense and gets 100% healthy from his hip injury. The Dolphins are open to starting the quarterback they selected at fifth overall, according to the Miami Herald. (Obviously.) So this quarterback battle will be a fun one.
8. Who needs Cam Newton?
I was just saying that OTAs are a good time for players to learn from the coaches. But the coaches may learn a few things from their players, too. And one of those things might be that they don’t have the talent they need at quarterback. Maybe this realization will dawn on the Patriots, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers or the Chicago Bears. But Newton needs and home, and maybe after OTAs (if they happen), he’ll find one.
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