You hear that knock on the door? It’s the NFL preseason! While we had a quick appetizer with the Hall of Fame Game, the full exhibition season kicks off this week with a full slate of contests. Not only does this mean we’re inching ever closer to the start of the regular season, but we’re also about to get our first true glimpse of teams as they gear up for the 2025 campaign. Technically, these games don’t count in terms of the win/loss column, but how some players perform throughout the next month could be telling for how their teams will perform when the lights turn on for real. Meanwhile, the biggest storylines surrounding the preseason sometimes don’t have anything to do with the games being played at all.
With essentially the entire preseason in front of us, we’re going to highlight the 10 biggest storylines that are currently looming over the league as we begin these exhibitions. They’ll range from positional battles, some clubs simply shaking off the rust before the year and, of course, some off-the-field drama.
10. Will James Cook ink a new deal?
The Buffalo Bills running back has continued to sit out of practice throughout training camp, holding in as he seeks a new contract. Cook is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and it appears he won’t participate until a new deal is agreed upon. Over the weekend, Cook was spotted on the field during Buffalo’s Sunday training camp session but did not participate due to what he described as “business.” The 25-year-old is coming off his second-straight Pro Bowl season and piled up a league-leading 16 rushing touchdowns in 2024. He also rushed for 1,000 yards for the second consecutive year and added 32 receptions on 38 targets last season. He has blossomed into a key figure within the Bills offense, and the longer this situation goes without a resolution opens the door for Cook to dig in even further and possibly result in this bleeding into the regular season.
9. Can the Bengals set themselves up for a fast start?
In years past, the Cincinnati Bengals have limited their starters drastically throughout the preseason. In an effort to get off to a faster start to begin the regular season, however, they are changing course this summer. Coach Zac Taylor told reporters this week that he expects to give the starters “several series” throughout the preseason, with the largest load expected to come on Aug. 18 when they take on the Washington Commanders. For reference, Joe Burrow played a single series in the preseason opener last summer and attempted seven passes before being shut down until Week 1.
That is expected to change exponentially this time around, with the hopes that Cincinnati can avoid another sluggish start to the regular season. In 2024, the Bengals lost their first three games of the season and were 1-4 through Week 5, which directly contributed to them missing the playoffs. In 2023, they were 1-3 over the first month and 2-2 to begin the 2022 season. With those issues in mind, using the preseason to whip themselves up into shape could prove to be one of the bigger developments of the 2025 season if Cincinnati can come out of the gate firing on all cylinders.
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8. Browns QB conundrum
The Cleveland Browns QB room is crowded, but not exactly in a good way. The club boasts Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders and Tyler Huntley on the depth chart. That’s also not mentioning Deshaun Watson (Achilles), who is sidelined indefinitely. Cleveland finds itself in a precarious position with this group, as Flacco, albeit at 40 years old, likely gives them the best chance to win games in 2025, while the likes of Gabriel and Sanders provide the potential of being long-term answers at the position but could lead to more bumps early on. That presents a fascinating fork in the road for coach Kevin Stefanski. Meanwhile, the room is already dinged up as Pickett and Gabriel are both recuperating from hamstring injuries. They will be sidelined for the preseason opener along with Flacco (veteran rest), so that opens the door for Sanders to state his case early, with the Colorado product slated to get the start vs. Carolina.
Has there been a more overlooked No. 1 overall pick? It feels like Cameron Ward is flying completely under the radar despite the Miami QB being the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and the clear-cut starter for the Tennessee Titans. One way that Ward can bring his star status even more into the national limelight, however, is if he flashes his potential throughout the preseason. While Tennessee isn’t expected to contend out of the gate during this Ward era, we’ve seen lowly organizations have their fortunes flipped overnight with the arrival of the right quarterback. Could Ward be that type of talent to hit Nashville?
Indianapolis is where we find one of the true quarterback competitions of the summer, with Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones duking it out for the starting job. Jones seemed to gain a bit of an edge back during offseason workouts as Richardson dealt with an injury to his throwing shoulder. However, Richardson’s stock does seem to be rising now that he’s been able to get onto the field during training camp. Indy’s former first-round pick will start in the preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens, and coach Shane Steichen noted that he expects Richardson to play about “a quarter and a half.” Meanwhile, Jones is slated to play “half a quarter” in the opener, but is set to start in the team’s second preseason game against the Packers. So, while Richardson will get the early nod to start, it does seem like this competition is far from over. How these two perform over these exhibitions could very well solidify who is under center come Week 1.
Travis Hunter is the most exciting prospect to enter the NFL this season because of his rare dual-threat ability. The Heisman Trophy winner dazzled at the collegiate level as arguably the nation’s best wide receiver and cornerback, and he’s now looking to bring his talents on both sides of the ball to the NFL. However, we don’t expect it to be a true 50-50 split for Hunter on both offense and defense. He’ll likely major in one side and minor in the other. On Jacksonville’s opening depth chart, the club does list Hunter as a starting wide receiver and a backup corner, which suggests that he could see more time on the offensive side of the ball. How first-year coach Liam Coen deploys his first-round rookie throughout the preseason should give us a clearer picture of their plans for him during the regular season.
To me, this is the most underrated story in the NFL right now. Had the Kansas City Chiefs had better protection in front of Patrick Mahomes — specifically at left tackle — they might have completed the NFL’s first-ever three-peat last season, and we’d be talking about them possibly rattling off four championships in a row in 2025. Mahomes was sacked a career-high 36 times during the regular season in 2024 and added 11 more throughout the playoffs, including six in Super Bowl LIX. The club tried to solidify the blindside tackle position this offseason by selecting Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons at No. 32 overall. So far this summer, Simmons, who is recovering from a patellar tendon injury he suffered in college, has impressed to the point that he may start for the club in Week 1. If so, that’s a monumental development. That means the Chiefs feel like they’ve answered arguably their biggest issue from last year’s team, and Mahomes should have better protection in 2025. If they’re right, it may swing the balance of power in the NFL back toward Arrowhead Stadium.
The Minnesota Vikings were one of the surprise teams of 2024, bursting onto the scene with a 14-3 record. Veteran Sam Darnold was under center throughout that prolific run through the regular season that also featured a playoff berth. Despite that success, however, Minnesota opted to let Darnold leave in free agency this offseason, turning the keys to the offense over to 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy. The Michigan product was sidelined throughout his rookie season due to a meniscus injury, but is now slated to be QB1 of this high-powered Vikings offense. McCarthy did impress during his brief showing last preseason, but he really hasn’t played a meaningful snap since the Wolverines’ national championship win over Washington in early January 2024. How he looks this preseason will give us insight into whether or not Minnesota can continue its success from 2024 or if the Vikings will be in more of a transition year as they develop their young quarterback.
2. Will Terry McLaurin be traded?
The Washington Commanders and Terry McLaurin have been engaged in a contract standoff throughout the offseason, and things have devolved to the point where the wideout has requested a trade. Will the Commanders actually go through with that request, or will cooler heads prevail with the two sides agreeing to some sort of an extension? At the moment, McLaurin is earning $23.2 million in average annual salary. Nine receivers are making at least $30 million per season, including DK Metcalf, who fetched a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason that pays him roughly $33 million annually. That’s the kind of deal that McLaurin could be eyeing from the Commanders, but it remains to be seen if the franchise is willing to get to that $30 million-per-year number. There’s no denying McLaurin’s production over his tenure in Washington, but as he enters his age-30 season, the lack of a new deal to this point further fuels speculation of a possible trade before Week 1.
1. How will the Micah Parsons situation play out
Speaking of venomous contract disputes, we head to Dallas, where Micah Parsons has severed ties with the organization as he seeks a new contract. Along with breaking away from the team, Parsons has recently requested a trade from the Cowboys due to poor negotiations this offseason. Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones noted that he has not spoken to Parsons since the trade request and added that he’s not confident the star pass rusher will play Week 1. Parsons has a résumé that warrants him becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, which would mean a deal that exceeds the one that T.J. Watt just inked with the Pittsburgh Steelers that pays him $41 million annually. Does Jones shell out that kind of dough, or does he look to trade the 26-year-old phenom for what would be a king’s ransom? If they do, it would dramatically lower Dallas’ ceiling defensively for 2025 and maybe even take the Cowboys out of the running of being a dark-horse candidate in the NFC playoff picture altogether.
