1 – By far the most interesting will be Kyler Murray. He played very well in the last few games last season, so how does he look now? As explosive as his own self pre-injury? And does he carry himself like a leader, as he has all offseason?
2 – To us fans, training camp is mostly about individuals, and less about team play. We will not hear much from closed practices, where they truly prepare the specific team play for the season. We will mostly hear about how this or this guy are making a ton of plays, or the opposite. We will also not know much about the coaches’ abilities and work.
3 – I have never been a fan of appointing “can’t miss-prospect-”titles in the draft, and no, Marvin Harrison is no exception. But of course, we all want to see what he can do. Does he look as good as advertised?
4 – Neither Jalen Thompson nor Budda Baker was deployed in traditional safety-roles last season, but Dadrion Taylor-Demerson might be. Those three could be a difference-making unit on defense.
5 – Who plays left guard? My money is on Evan Brown (or could be Brown at C and move Froholdt to LG), but could one of the young guys take over? Isaiah Adams, Christian Jones, Jon Gaines? We will most likely know the regular season starting five when training camp ends.
6 – I am highly excited about Darius Robinson. Might be the addition I am most excited about. I am usually not a big fan of players without one clearly defined position. That said, Robinson is a great fit in both an interior role in Gannon’s 5-1 defense and an edge role in his 4-2.
7 – Will Ossenfort sign, buy or sell at the end of training camp?
8 – I’ll admit that I was not a big fan of Greg Dortch the two first seasons he was with the team. I thought he was only playing in lack of better options, since the WR-unit was so bad. Not anymore. Now Dortch is my guy, and I am rooting hard for a strong camp from him. He probably starts as #4 or #5 on the depth chart, but could he surpass Zay Jones, Chris Moore, Zach Pascal or whoever is above him?
9 – It makes sense that most people are talking about Max Melton, but I am more interested in Elijah Jones in camp. I mentioned in my mock draft how I multiple times wanted to like him, because of his potential, but just never did, mainly because he is not a traditional Jonathan Gannon-DB. However, Gannon obviously has a plan for him, and that excites me.
10 – The running game might actually be the one aspect where we will have a good sense of the potential after training camp. And it could be great. The offensive line could be very strong in that aspect, and we know what Connor can do. Plus, Tre Benson and Michael Carter could certainly add a dangerous change up-element. Not to mention Kyler Murray’s presence.
11 – The edge rush scares the **** out of me. Who steps up? I mean, Ojulari played better last season than most think, so I guess he is the obvious candidate. Gardeck, Collins, Dimukeje, Tyreke Smith are what they are, and none of them are going to keep anyone up at night. Xavier Thomas? Maybe, but let’s not put all our eggs in a fifth-round rookie-basket. This is a scary, scary department, and not for good reasons.
12 – Elijah Higgins was a pleasant surprise last season. Obviously, he is behind Tre McBride and Tip Reiman, but in Petzings scheme, Higgins should get plenty of chances. Prove it, young man.
13 – Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones will probably not blow you away, but don’t worry. They were not signed to rush the passer. They were signed to allow others to rush the passer. If the running backs are not having an impressive training camp, chances are that Nichols and Jones are.
14 – The backup quarterback is always important, and with Kyler Murray as your starter, he is essential. Desmond Ridder was a quality acquisition – especially considering the prize – and it will be great if he can show some sort of promise.
15 – Someone will be the training camp-darling among fans and media. Who? My shot in the dark is on either Dante Stills or Myles Murphy from the defensive line.
2 – To us fans, training camp is mostly about individuals, and less about team play. We will not hear much from closed practices, where they truly prepare the specific team play for the season. We will mostly hear about how this or this guy are making a ton of plays, or the opposite. We will also not know much about the coaches’ abilities and work.
3 – I have never been a fan of appointing “can’t miss-prospect-”titles in the draft, and no, Marvin Harrison is no exception. But of course, we all want to see what he can do. Does he look as good as advertised?
4 – Neither Jalen Thompson nor Budda Baker was deployed in traditional safety-roles last season, but Dadrion Taylor-Demerson might be. Those three could be a difference-making unit on defense.
5 – Who plays left guard? My money is on Evan Brown (or could be Brown at C and move Froholdt to LG), but could one of the young guys take over? Isaiah Adams, Christian Jones, Jon Gaines? We will most likely know the regular season starting five when training camp ends.
6 – I am highly excited about Darius Robinson. Might be the addition I am most excited about. I am usually not a big fan of players without one clearly defined position. That said, Robinson is a great fit in both an interior role in Gannon’s 5-1 defense and an edge role in his 4-2.
7 – Will Ossenfort sign, buy or sell at the end of training camp?
8 – I’ll admit that I was not a big fan of Greg Dortch the two first seasons he was with the team. I thought he was only playing in lack of better options, since the WR-unit was so bad. Not anymore. Now Dortch is my guy, and I am rooting hard for a strong camp from him. He probably starts as #4 or #5 on the depth chart, but could he surpass Zay Jones, Chris Moore, Zach Pascal or whoever is above him?
9 – It makes sense that most people are talking about Max Melton, but I am more interested in Elijah Jones in camp. I mentioned in my mock draft how I multiple times wanted to like him, because of his potential, but just never did, mainly because he is not a traditional Jonathan Gannon-DB. However, Gannon obviously has a plan for him, and that excites me.
10 – The running game might actually be the one aspect where we will have a good sense of the potential after training camp. And it could be great. The offensive line could be very strong in that aspect, and we know what Connor can do. Plus, Tre Benson and Michael Carter could certainly add a dangerous change up-element. Not to mention Kyler Murray’s presence.
11 – The edge rush scares the **** out of me. Who steps up? I mean, Ojulari played better last season than most think, so I guess he is the obvious candidate. Gardeck, Collins, Dimukeje, Tyreke Smith are what they are, and none of them are going to keep anyone up at night. Xavier Thomas? Maybe, but let’s not put all our eggs in a fifth-round rookie-basket. This is a scary, scary department, and not for good reasons.
12 – Elijah Higgins was a pleasant surprise last season. Obviously, he is behind Tre McBride and Tip Reiman, but in Petzings scheme, Higgins should get plenty of chances. Prove it, young man.
13 – Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones will probably not blow you away, but don’t worry. They were not signed to rush the passer. They were signed to allow others to rush the passer. If the running backs are not having an impressive training camp, chances are that Nichols and Jones are.
14 – The backup quarterback is always important, and with Kyler Murray as your starter, he is essential. Desmond Ridder was a quality acquisition – especially considering the prize – and it will be great if he can show some sort of promise.
15 – Someone will be the training camp-darling among fans and media. Who? My shot in the dark is on either Dante Stills or Myles Murphy from the defensive line.