After COVID-19 threatened to delay the start of 2020 NFL training camps, the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs reported Saturday while the remaining 30 teams report Tuesday at their respective facilities.
Players go through roughly a two-week acclimatization period that the NFLPA and NFL negotiated to minimize the chances of injury after the virtual offseason program that included no traditional football work. The plan includes just over a week of strength and conditioning, followed by five days of non-padded practices. The first padded practice could occur Aug. 17, with a maximum of 14 padded practices before the start of the regular season.
We asked our NFL Nation reporters to make a bold prediction about what will come out of camp for the team they cover. See their answers below.
Jump to a team:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
Buffalo Bills
Devin Singletary will dominate snaps in the Bills' backfield.
The team's leading returning rusher, Singletary is poised to blossom in his second NFL season -- despite the fact that Buffalo drafted running back Zack Moss in the third round this year. The two should split carries during training camp, but Singletary's experience and effectiveness in Brian Daboll's system will quickly set him apart from the rookie as the Bills' featured back. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques
Miami Dolphins
There will be three Week 1 rookie starters, but quarterback Tua Tagovailoa won't be one.
This unique offseason will likely give advantages to veterans over rookies, but the Dolphins' roster was slim on talent, particularly in the trenches, so first-round pick Austin Jackson (left tackle) and second-round pick Robert Hunt (right guard or tackle) are my picks to earn starting roles from the jump. Rookies Noah Igbinoghene (nickel cornerback), Raekwon Davis (defensive tackle) and Brandon Jones (safety) all can make a case to be Week 1 starters with a strong training camp, and the projection here is that at least one does. Tagovailoa is the most high-profile Dolphins rookie, but the presence of trusted veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and his familiarity with offensive coordinator Chan Gailey might put the team's No. 5 pick on the bench to start the season. That isn't a knock on Tagovailoa, either. He's coming off a serious hip injury, and his little time with the coaching staff means patience is the best plan. -- Cameron Wolfe
New England Patriots
Cam Newton wins the starting quarterback job.
Bold? Perhaps not, but given the way coach Bill Belichick doesn't hand out top jobs, it's at least notable, right? The Patriots seemed ready to roll into the 2020 season with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer as their top quarterbacks until Newton showed a willingness to accept an extremely modest one-year contract that guarantees him just $500,000. So the Patriots can walk away with limited financial exposure. That's why this is truly an open competition, and Newton needs to prove he's healthy and capable in a new system and culture. -- Mike Reiss
New York Jets
General manager Joe Douglas will acquire a starting-caliber wide receiver before Week 1.
The Jets' lack of depth at the position will become pronounced as camp progresses, with rookie Denzel Mims falling behind because of the truncated offseason. This will prompt Douglas to explore free agency and the trade market. No, they won't sign Antonio Brown, but they will add a competent veteran. -- Rich Cimini
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens
Devin Duvernay wins a starting wide receiver job.
The rookie third-round pick was one of general manager Eric DeCosta's favorite draft prospects because of his competitive streak. DeCosta compared him to Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason and Steve Smith Sr. Duvernay has a prime opportunity because the spot next to No. 1 wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown is up for grabs. While it will be a challenge for a first-year player to beat out Willie Snead and Miles Boykin during this shortened offseason, Duvernay is a proven pass-catcher, leading the FBS in receptions (104) and receiving yards (1,382) from the slot in 2019. -- Jamison Hensley
Cincinnati Bengals
Logan Wilson will be a starting linebacker.
The rookie out of Wyoming was taken in the third round and earned high marks from the Bengals' coaching staff throughout the draft process. Given the offseason overhaul of the linebacker corps, Wilson is in a strong position to hold down one of the starting spots in Week 1. -- Ben Baby
Cleveland Browns
Rookie safety Grant Delpit will win a starting job.
Safety was a problem for the Browns last year, prompting the new front office to overhaul the entire position this offseason. Cleveland brought in veterans Karl Joseph and Andrew Sendejo as stopgap solutions. But Delpit, despite falling to Cleveland in the second round after a rocky final season of tackling at LSU, has the size, speed and versatility to become an immediate standout. As Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods said, Delpit "possesses it all." -- Jake Trotter
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers will carry five running backs on their 53-man roster.
The Steelers typically carry three running backs on their 53-man roster, but the team needed more than that last season to manage injuries to James Conner, Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels. The Steelers plan on using Conner as the featured back, but they will carry more backs as a safety net -- including draft pick Anthony McFarland Jr., a speedy, playmaking runner. -- Brooke Pryor
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans
The Texans will sign Deshaun Watson to a contract extension before the start of the regular season.
While the Texans did not get their quarterback's massive contract extension done in the offseason, Houston will get the deal done before Week 1. The pandemic -- and the uncertainty of future NFL revenue and the salary cap -- has certainly made this less sure than earlier in the offseason, but it's more a question of when a deal will get done rather than if, and it makes sense for both sides not to push into the regular season. -- Sarah Barshop
Indianapolis Colts
Rookie Jonathan Taylor will end training camp in a dead heat for the starting running back job with Marlon Mack.
Coach Frank Reich said Mack and Taylor will go into the season as Nos. 1 and 1A with Mack holding the edge because he's the returner. But Taylor, as he did while at Wisconsin when he had back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons, is ready to immediately step in and contribute. And it's uncertain how Mack will handle not getting a contract extension during the offseason. -- Mike Wells
Jacksonville Jaguars
Wide receiver Dede Westbrook emerges as the No. 2 behind DJ Chark.
The Jaguars have been waiting on Westbrook to break though and hoped it would come last year, but a shoulder injury lingered throughout the season. He played through it but his numbers dropped slightly from 2018. He's healthy again and entering the final year of his rookie contract, which is always a motivator, and he'll surpass Chris Conley for the No. 2 spot. -- Mike DiRocco
Tennessee Titans
Receiver Corey Davis will emerge in training camp.
Davis is entering the final year of his rookie contract and should be a man on a mission after not having his fifth-year option picked up. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill said he wants to work to get Davis more involved in the offense this season. Expect to see Davis get a lot of targets early in camp to get off to a good start and carry that over to the regular season. -- Turron Davenport
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos
Rookie wide receiver Jerry Jeudy will exceed the hype.
Jeudy's social media posts have included must-see snippets of his offseason work. But Jeudy enters the perfect storm to have significant impact for the Broncos. He was the best route-runner on the draft board in a loaded group of wide receivers, the Broncos believe he already has a good handle on the concepts in the offense after a virtual offseason, and he is driven to produce out of the gate. Make no mistake, he carries an enormous amount of expectations for a team with a desperate need to pump up scoring, but while he might not reach Eddie Royal's team rookie record of 91 receptions in 2008, Jeudy will show enough in camp to be a good bet to be the third Broncos rookie to top 50 receptions -- Royal and Vance Johnson (51 catches in 1985) are the others. -- Jeff Legwold
Kansas City Chiefs
Veteran Damien Williams will hold off rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the bulk of the snaps as the featured back when the season begins.
An offseason like no other plus a reduced training camp will make things difficult initially for all rookies, Edwards-Helaire included. But Edwards-Helaire has too much ability to sit for long. He will wind up leading the Chiefs in rushing and in catches out of the backfield. -- Adam Teicher
Las Vegas Raiders
Marcus Mariota will pick up the offense quicker than expected and push Derek Carr.
Now, we're not saying Mariota, whose skill set more closely resembles what Jon Gruden's offense covets, will supplant Carr as the starting quarterback anytime soon. Besides, Mariota's work with Gruden has thus far been limited to virtual meetings amid the pandemic. But we are suggesting that Carr will either rise above it all and play better than ever before in his third full season in Gruden's system and coming off career highs in passing yards (4,054) and completion percentage (70.4), or be bothered enough by the competition that Mariota will be seriously nipping at his heels. Stay tuned. -- Paul Gutierrez
Los Angeles Chargers
Look for Sam Tevi to win the starting job at left tackle with right tackle Bryan Bulaga's arrival in free agency.
The Chargers did not sign or draft a left tackle this offseason, so the battle to earn the starting spot will run deep into training camp between Trey Pipkins and Tevi. Pipkins started three games at left tackle last season, while Tevi was the mainstay at right tackle. -- Lindsey Thiry
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys
Connor McGovern will win the starting center spot, replacing Travis Frederick, who retired in the offseason.
McGovern did not play a snap as a third-round pick in 2019 because of a pectoral muscle injury, but the Cowboys valued him in the draft because of his ability to play guard and center. He started 14 games at center in his last two years at Penn State. Joe Looney started every game for Frederick in 2018 and performed well, and his experience will give him the edge on McGovern early, but the Cowboys will go with the younger player with more room to grow over the veteran. Looney could still win the left guard spot as the starter, Connor Williams, battles back from last season's major knee surgery. -- Todd Archer
New York Giants
The Giants will lead the league in undrafted rookies to make their roster.
This might not be the best season for undrafted rookies, but this is an unsettled roster. It's young, perhaps the youngest in the league. The Giants with coach Joe Judge are going to lean toward youth over middling veterans. Get familiar with names such as running back Javon Leake, wide receiver Austin Mack and offensive lineman Kyle Murphy. A bunch of these guys (maybe five or six) will be contributing this season. -- Jordan Raanan
Philadelphia Eagles
Receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside will break into the starting rotation.
His rookie season was a disappointment, as he managed 10 catches for 169 yards while several of his peers around the league flourished. It's too soon to count him out. Arcega-Whiteside was slowed by injury and weighed down mentally by having to learn all three receiver positions. Less burdened entering Year 2, he'll make a case for being the starting receiver opposite DeSean Jackson -- especially with Alshon Jeffery still on the mend from a Lisfranc injury. -- Tim McManus
Washington Football Team
Dwayne Haskins will settle the quarterback position once and for all.
Maybe that's not bold considering he was the 15th overall pick in 2019, but too many people are focused on his early failures. Yes, he was horrible in his early outings, but Haskins finished with two good starts to close the season and appears to have had an excellent offseason. He reshaped his body -- he weighs 18 pounds less than when he was drafted -- and he has put in the time on his QB skills, studying Carolina's offense and route trees before getting the playbook of ex-Panthers coordinator Scott Turner. Haskins relies on being in a good rhythm to play well; that rhythm comes when he's feeling confident -- and there's little doubt he enters camp confident. Considering it's a new offense and this has been a weird offseason followed by a different camp, it's asking a lot for a strong start. But look for a more extended strong finish than 2019. -- John Keim
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears
Nick Foles edges out Mitchell Trubisky for Chicago's starting quarterback job.
Foles didn't have the luxury of a standard NFL offseason to work with his new teammates, but Bears coach Matt Nagy clearly had reservations about Trubisky's play last season. Foles has experienced his share of ups and downs, but the smart money is on the veteran running the offense better in practice than Trubisky, who was one of the league's least efficient quarterbacks in 2019. -- Jeff Dickerson
Detroit Lions
Rookies end up starting at both guard spots.
This isn't incredibly bold because third-round pick Jonah Jackson seems as if he's going to start. But Joe Dahl is an incumbent, and the Lions liked Kenny Wiggins enough last year to work him into a rotation with Dahl and the departed Graham Glasgow. Detroit drafted Logan Stenberg in the fourth round, and he has some improving to do, particularly when it comes to penalties, but if the Lions can coach that out of him in camp he could end up as a starter at guard along with Jackson. That would leave some sort of Dahl, Wiggins, Oday Aboushi combination -- or perhaps all three because Wiggins could play tackle in a pinch and Dahl was a tackle in college -- as the backups. This could be even more important this season considering the lack of overall prep time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. -- Michael Rothstein
Green Bay Packers
Tim Boyle will outplay Jordan Love and force the Packers to keep three quarterbacks.
Or Boyle will attract some trade interest and allow the Packers to get something in return for the former undrafted free agent. Either way, it will be Boyle who will take the Packers' decision to draft the quarterback of the future personally -- perhaps more so than Aaron Rodgers. Boyle easily outplayed DeShone Kizer in last year's preseason to earn the No. 2 job, and his arm strength and experience last year as the backup will serve him well this August. -- Rob Demovsky
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings will round out their cornerback group by signing Logan Ryan.
Minnesota needs a veteran presence among its crop of young defensive backs given the current most experienced corner is Mike Hughes, who has played in a total of 20 games over the first two years of his career. Ryan will play nickel corner in the Vikings' defense, thus allowing Hughes and first-round rookie Jeff Gladney to occupy both outside spots. Minnesota is operating with less than $10 million in cap space, and when the team inks an extension with running back Dalvin Cook (another bold prediction!), Ryan will end up taking a significant pay cut on a one-year prove-it deal. -- Courtney Cronin
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons
Ito Smith will make the running back situation interesting.
Everyone is talking about former NFL Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley having a resurgence in Georgia despite knee concerns, and teammates have spoken highly of Brian Hill's tough running style. But Smith, the little guy in the bunch, has something to prove coming off last year's season-ending neck injury. "I just want to go ahead and show the team I am who they drafted,'' Smith told ESPN. "My first two seasons, I got injured. I just want to go out there and have a strong season. I'm still getting better. This is only the beginning.'' -- Vaughn McClure
Carolina Panthers
P.J. Walker will beat out Will Grier for the backup quarterback job.
Grier was a third-round pick in 2019 and started the finale. Walker went undrafted out of Temple in 2017 but has NFL roster experience and was an instant star in the XFL before the pandemic shut things down. More importantly, he played under first-year NFL coach Matt Rhule at Temple, so he knows the expectations. He might even push starter Teddy Bridgewater for a little playing time. -- David Newton
New Orleans Saints
The Saints will keep four quarterbacks.
Why limit yourself when you've got the NFL's most fascinating quarterback room? Drew Brees, Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston are locks. The Saints want to have all three active on game days so they can keep using Hill in his vital role as a TE/WR/RB, and both Hill and Winston will spend this summer trying to prove they're ready to be Brees' eventual successor. Meanwhile, this could be a "redshirt" year for versatile rookie seventh-round pick Tommy Stevens. But I'd be surprised to see the Saints let him go after they traded a future sixth-round pick to keep him away from the rival Panthers. -- Mike Triplett
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs will sign a rotational pass-rusher off the waiver wire to complement starters Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul.
They lost Carl Nassib to free agency, and Anthony Nelson, who played in nine games last season, hasn't had the reps to step in and truly be an impact player. They need more insurance and depth. -- Jenna Laine
NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will make a seamless transition to the Cardinals' offense.
Running a full-blown Air Raid-style offense is new for the star receiver. And consider this: Last offseason, the Cardinals' receivers had quarterback Kyler Murray telling them where to go and what to do throughout OTAs and minicamp, which prepared them for training camp -- and even that wasn't enough of an education as the Cards' offense struggled to find a rhythm early in the first year of coach Kliff Kingsbury's system. But Hopkins will show in camp that he has picked up the offense as well as anyone can virtually. -- Josh Weinfuss
Los Angeles Rams
Rookie running back Cam Akers will win the starting job.
Todd Gurley is gone, and the Rams must replace the production of the All-Pro back. Darrell Henderson returns in his second season, and Malcolm Brown will be a sixth-year pro, but look for Akers -- whom the Rams selected in the second round of the NFL draft -- to receive a bulk of the carries. Akers, of course, must catch up to speed during training camp after missing out on offseason work because of the virtual program. -- Lindsey Thiry
San Francisco 49ers
Jerick McKinnon will carve out a substantial role in the 49ers' offense.
One of the missing elements in Kyle Shanahan's offense in the past two years has been a reliable pass-catching tailback as they didn't have a back with more than 33 catches in 2018 or 2019. McKinnon was signed to play that role and now seems to finally be over the knee injury that has cost him the past two seasons. If healthy, expect him to consistently find his way on the field and offer an explosive pass-catching complement to Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman. -- Nick Wagoner
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks will sign a defensive lineman ... but not Jadeveon Clowney.
Yes, their pass rush remains a question mark to many observers, and yes, Clowney remains available -- likely at a big discount. But if Clowney is to return, that price would have to be significantly less than what he already turned down from Seattle and potentially less than what another team will offer him. The Seahawks aren't chasing Clowney because they feel good about their current group of edge rushers, which includes Bruce Irvin, Benson Mayowa, Rasheem Green and Darrell Taylor. They view run-stuffing defensive tackle as a bigger need with suspect depth behind Jarran Reed and Poona Ford. -- Brady Henderson