NFL training camp preview: Biggest question mark for each AFC team

David Helman

Dallas Cowboys Insider

The doldrums of summer never last too long in this league.

The NFL grinds to a bit of a halt in the month leading up to training camp. But with most teams set to report this week, it’s again time to give our attention to the gridiron.

Among other things, the return to the practice field puts a spotlight on the biggest weaknesses across the league. Every team has at least one serious question mark at a specific position — often due to a lack of depth or experience or a lingering injury. How those matters manifest will determine a lot about the 2024 season.

With camp upon us, this article seeks to identify the most pressing concern for each club.

Today, we look at the AFC.

EAST

Buffalo Bills: Defensive end

Everyone is going to harp on the receiver situation, but I’m not as worried as others. The Bills might not have a true top dog like they had in Stefon Diggs, but there are plenty of options in this passing game. Josh Allen can help turn rookie Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid or Khalil Shakir into a star. Instead, I wonder if Sean McDermott has enough juice in his pass rush. Leonard Floyd left for San Francisco in free agency. Von Miller gave the Bills nothing last year, and he just turned 35. A.J. Epenesa and Greg Rousseau are both still around, but is that enough? The Bills are also breaking in several new faces in the secondary, and a great pass rush would do wonders to help them out. They just might not have that luxury in 2024.

Miami Dolphins: Guard

The way last season went, it’s fair to be concerned about Miami’s offensive line until further notice. Injuries battered the group last year, which makes that something worth watching again. The tackle duo of Terron Armstead and Austin Jackson is a solid one, but Armstead has missed 25% of his games since signing with the Dolphins in 2022. More important might be the two new starters at center and guard. Aaron Brewer was a plus starter during his time in Tennessee, but right guard Robert Jones has mostly been a backup to this point in his career. Mike McDaniel is smart enough to scheme around issues on the offensive line — but only to a point.

New England Patriots: Left tackle

The Patriots ultimately drafted a young left tackle to begin the Drake Maye Era, but they took their sweet time doing it. With all due respect to Caedan Wallace, it’s rare to see a third-round draft pick step in and excel at left tackle from Day 1. It’s even rarer to see that from a guy who only started at right tackle in college, as is the case with Wallace. If Wallace isn’t up to it, veteran tackle Chukwuma Okorafor is also primarily a right-side player. Whether it’s Maye or Jacoby Brissett starting at quarterback, it’s hard to feel good about the guys on the blind side.

New York Jets: Slot receiver

A lot of people are going to focus on tight end, but Tyler Conklin has quietly been a solid producer since landing in New York. The options in the slot look like a bigger mystery heading into training camp. Xavier Gipson was primarily a return guy as a rookie, catching just 21 passes on the year. Rookie Malachi Corley is an intriguing talent, but the draft scouting community has raised questions about his route running as well as his consistency. Aaron Rodgers will want to find a steady option for easy completions aside from the obvious in Garrett Wilson.

NORTH

Baltimore Ravens: Offensive line

It feels like the changes to the Ravens’ offensive front are flying a bit under the radar. Three of Baltimore’s five starters from the AFC Championship Game departed this offseason — Morgan Moses and John Simpson off to the Jets, and Kevin Zeitler signing with the Lions. To be fair to them, Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum are probably the Ravens’ two best offensive linemen, but they can’t do everything themselves. Andrew Voorhees and Ben Cleveland need to step up at the guard spots, and rookie tackle Roger Rosengarten needs to be ready to go. If not, life is going to be a lot tougher for Lamar Jackson.

Cincinnati Bengals: Running back

In the long run, it makes a ton of sense for the Bengals to get younger and cheaper by moving on from Joe Mixon. But with a roster that’s ready to contend for a Super Bowl, it is at least a slight gamble heading into the season with such little proven production at running back. Getting Zack Moss on a two-year, $8 million deal was solid value, but Moss has just one season of sustained success across his four years in the league. Even still, the issue isn’t Moss so much as the entire RB room. Chase Brown showed some flash as a rookie but has just 60 career touches. Trayveon Williams has hung around the roster for five years but has yet to play a major role on offense. The depth here is a quiet concern.

Cleveland Browns: Quarterback

It’s surreal that this is the biggest question mark for a team with a $230 million quarterback, but here we are. This is a loaded Browns roster. The defense was borderline historic in 2023, and the offense is loaded. Nick Chubb will (hopefully) be back to 100 percent after last year’s knee injury. Cleveland was a playoff team despite playing five different quarterbacks last year. If they can get quality play out of Deshaun Watson this year, the Browns are a Super Bowl contender. It’s obviously a big if. Watson hasn’t played near that level in two years with the Browns, and he hasn’t looked like a franchise quarterback since 2020.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Offensive line

All the focus in Pittsburgh is going to be on Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, and that’s understandable. While that steals the headlines, it feels like the Steelers’ true X-factor is the group of guys blocking for them. There is real potential here. Left tackle Broderick Jones looked like a budding star in his first year, and new rookies Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier came with great draft grades. If all these youngsters play up to their billing, they could pave the way for an offensive resurgence in Pittsburgh. If they stumble, the offense could struggle yet again — regardless of who’s under center.

SOUTH

Houston Texans: Cornerback

It’s wild how quickly Houston has turned this roster into a contender because it’s tough looking for obvious weaknesses. Even cornerback isn’t a true need, as the Texans do have a young star in Derek Stingley Jr. manning one side of the field. The issue is the other side. Kamari Lassiter is a big-time prospect coming out of Georgia, but he is still a rookie. Likely pushing him for that job is Jeff Okudah, who lands in Houston after a so-so season with the Falcons. The Texans have the talent to overcome this issue, but it’s worth noting.

Indianapolis Colts: Cornerback

The Colts opted to address their pass rush over their secondary when they took Laiatu Latu with the No. 14 overall pick in the draft back in April. Hopefully, Latu blossoms into an elite edge rusher — and quickly — because Indy’s secondary could use the help. Kenny Moore is one of the most underrated players in the NFL, handling slot corner duties, but the Colts’ options on the outside don’t inspire as much confidence. Julius Brents and Jaylon Jones showed promise as rookies, but they’ve combined for just 18 NFL starts.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Cornerback

Starting to sense a theme in this division? There are questions all over the group in Jacksonville after CB1 Darious Williams left for L.A. in free agency. Tyson Campbell has been solid when healthy, but he missed six games due to injury last year. The Jags did sign Ronald Darby, who had a strong season in Baltimore. But Darby turned 30 last season, and he also wasn’t asked to carry a heavy load in the Ravens’ loaded defense. Some of the Jags’ primary competitors for playing time, De’Antre Prince and Jarrian Jones, are rookies.

Tennessee Titans: Linebacker

One of the sneakiest losses of the league year came in Nashville, when the Titans lost Azeez Al-Shaair to their division rivals in Houston. Al-Shaair played under DeMeco Ryans in San Francisco, so it’s no surprise the Texans’ head coach snatched him up after a staggering 163-tackle campaign in 2023. That departure creates questions in the middle of the Titans’ defense. Tennessee did sign Kenneth Murray Jr. to fill the hole, though Murray’s career to this point has been up and down since the Chargers made him a first-round pick in 2020. Other than Murray, there’s Jack Gibbens, who was solid in his first season as a regular starter, rookie Cedric Gray and second-year player Otis Reese IV. A proven group, this is not.

WEST

Denver Broncos: Quarterback

Let’s keep this nice and simple: On paper, the Broncos have one of the thinnest quarterback rooms in the NFL this year. Zach Wilson is trying to resuscitate his career under Sean Payton after three disastrous years in New York, Jarrett Stidham has just four NFL starts to his name, and rookie Bo Nix has obviously yet to take a professional snap. Payton must be hoping that Nix is ready to hit the ground running after selecting him No. 12 overall in the spring. If Nix isn’t, this is a solid Broncos roster that could be hamstrung by bad quarterback play — again.

Kansas City Chiefs: Left tackle

At this point, you can doubt the back-to-back champs at your own peril. But if we are looking for objective weaknesses, it’s fair to wonder about Patrick Mahomes‘ blind side. Donovan Smith manned the left tackle position in 2023, but he hit free agency in March and hasn’t been re-signed. Second-year tackle Wanya Morris is on hand to potentially fill the void, and the Chiefs also drafted Kingsley Suamataia in the second round to battle for the job. Morris played 339 snaps at left tackle last year, so the early guess is that he’s the favorite. But this is something to monitor throughout training camp.

Las Vegas Raiders: Cornerback

It’s natural to point to the Raiders’ quarterbacks concerns, but Gardner Minshew did guide the Colts to within one win of the playoffs last year, while the Raiders went 5-5 when then-rookie Aidan O’Connell started. Instead, let’s focus on the secondary. Las Vegas has a nice pair of safeties and Nate Hobbs can handle the slot, but the boundary options leave something to be desired. Jack Jones figures to handle one of those outside jobs after joining the team midseason in 2023, but the other spot looks to be a battle between second-year corner Jakorian Bennett and rookie Decamerion Richardson. With a long list of veteran corners still available in free agency, it shouldn’t be a shock if Raiders general manager Tom Telesco looks for help before the start of the season.

Los Angeles Chargers: Secondary

We can whine all we want about the Chargers’ lack of proven production at receiver and running back, but at least Jim Harbaugh & Co. have taken steps to address that. Meanwhile, L.A. had one of the league’s worst pass defenses in 2023 and the new regime hasn’t done a ton to rectify that. Derwin James and Asante Samuel Jr. are a solid starting point, but the Chargers need playmakers to step up at three other positions. The offseason addition of Kristian Fulton is intriguing, but his play was up and down during his time in Tennessee. The offense will probably be fine as long as Justin Herbert is healthy, but this secondary gives cause for concern.

David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.

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