Breaking down the New York Jets' roster, unit by unit, in preparation for training camp:
Position: Wide receiver
Projected starters: Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker
Projected backups: Jeremy Kerley, Devin Smith, DeVier Posey, T.J. Graham
Notables on the bubble: Quincy Enunwa, Shaquelle Evans, Saalim Hakim, Chris Owusu, Walter Powell.
Player to watch: Quite frankly, Marshall is one of the keys to the entire season. If healthy and in the right frame of mind, he will be the Jets' first legitimate No. 1 receiver since Santonio Holmes, circa 2010. Marshall reeled off seven straight 1,000-yard seasons before injuries slowed him down in 2014, resulting in his worst numbers since his rookie year in '06. The Jets, who gave up a fifth-round pick for Marshall, expect him to be highly motivated. In a way, it's similar to the Holmes situation in 2010: They get a talented player who wore out his welcome on his previous team. The difference is Holmes was 26, Marshall is 31. All eyes will be on Marshall, waiting to see if (when?) he lives down to his reputation as a combustible personality. Will there be public displays of frustration when Geno Smith sails a pass over his head?
Top storyline: My, how times have changed. A year ago, the big story was the battle for the No. 2 spot, the starting position opposite Decker. Now the first three jobs appear to be solid, with Marshall, Decker and Kerley, meaning the competition starts at No. 4 -- an indication of how much the talent level has improved. Smith (second-round pick) will be somewhere in the mix, which means there will be six returning players angling for one or two spots. Special teams could be the deciding factor, which helps Graham, Owusu, Powell and Hakim. Posey has something else in his favor -- he's a Mike Maccagnan favorite from their days together in Houston.
Training camp will be a success if ...: Marshall and Decker are healthy for Week 1. Everybody knows what they can do as players, so they don't need to strut their stuff in the preseason. Both dealt with injuries last season and preserving them for the regular season is imperative.
Wild card: Smith is a textbook example of a "wild card." Despite his draft status, he will arrive at his first pro camp with a big question mark: Can he take his college game to the NFL? At Ohio State, he blew past cornerbacks and racked up an FBS-leading 28 yards per catch. Smith could fill the team's void as a deep threat, but he'll have to expand his repertoire because you can't run past corners on a consistent basis in the NFL. There will be growing pains for Smith, who will be behind after missing minicamp due to the birth of his first child.
By the numbers: Only three players have more receptions than Marshall (279) over the last three seasons -- Andre Johnson (306), Antonio Brown (305) and Demaryius Thomas (297). Over the same span, Marshall is tied with tight end Jimmy Graham for the most drops -- 24.