Caleb Williams is already with the Bears.
He may also be a lone wolf.
In April, NFL history was made when six quarterbacks were selected with the first 12 picks in the first round of the draft: Williams of the Bears (No. 1), Jayden Daniels of the Commanders (No. 2), Drake May of the Patriots (No. 3), Michael Pennis Jr. of the Falcons (No. 8), J.J. McCarthy of the Vikings (No. 10) and Bo Nix of the Broncos (No. 12).
But how many of that sextet will end up waiting on the ice to begin their NFL careers?
Williams is the only player entering training camp who has been named a starter by the coaches.
Pennis, who was drafted just weeks after the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million free-agent contract, is almost certainly the only backup available.
The other four rookies are competing against veteran journeymen like Marcus Mariota (Commanders), Jacoby Brissett (Patriots), Sam Darnold (Vikings) and the duo of Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham (Broncos).
Teams have to decide what developmental path is best: If a rookie is the best choice, should they start him Week 1 and stick with him through the tough times?
Or will he sit behind a veteran for a few weeks and learn?
There is a lot of debate about which strategies are most effective.
Of course, the Pennis-Cousins dynamic might be more intriguing than any of those battles, given that the Falcons are playoff contenders, the 24-year-old Pennis is considered by scouts to be ready to play and Cousins, fresh off a torn Achilles, isn’t happy with his future looming before he’s even played a snap.
The timeline for all these decisions will determine whether the NFL quarterback landscape changes gradually or all at once.
As NFL training camps all open this week, here are nine other storylines to watch.
Contract Disputes
Under the collective bargaining agreement, which does not allow for exemptions from the $50,000-a-day fine, resistance is largely a thing of the past.
Welcome to the world of hold-ins, where players who are unhappy with their contracts report to camp but then make some kind of excuse not to practice.
Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper and Jets pass rusher Haason Reddick all missed mandatory minicamp and Saints running back Alvin Kamara left early, all for contractual reasons.
Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins can’t negotiate until after the season, but he might find a way not to push it while he’s under the franchise tag.
Like anything, when the quarterback does it, it’s bigger news.
The Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa is frustrated with stalled negotiations and has a bigger reason to press for a contract extension than the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, who is close to free agency and cannot get a deal done at the end of the season if one isn’t reached.
Packers’ Jordan Love is also set to sign a contract extension.
Product details
The divorce of Bill Belichick and the Patriots is doubly interesting.
First off, what is camp looking like right now in New England?
Are players having fun?
Is new head coach Jerrod Mayo actually offering insightful answers in his press conference?
What changes to plans are coming?
Second, this will be the first time since 1974 that Belichick will not be on an NFL staff.
So where will he be before he starts his new job as an analyst for “Inside the NFL” on Aug. 30?
Unemployed coaches typically visit friends in other organisations during their gap year to broaden their horizons.
We know Belichick plans to coach again in 2025, but who would give the notorious rule-bender the opportunity to share his secrets in exchange for lending his championship-winning expertise?
If Belichick is spotted at a camp anywhere, it will be big news.
All eyes are on the 49ers and Kyle Shanahan.
Harbaugh 2.0
Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL as head coach of the Chargers after leading the University of Michigan to a national championship a decade after parting ways with the 49ers over a power struggle.
Will Harbaugh be kinder to his players and delegate more responsibility in his second stint?
If so, can he win that way at the same pace he did with the 49ers (44 wins, 19 losses, 1 tie)?
The biggest problem most college coaches have when they come to the NFL is finding that highly paid adults aren’t going to accept being beaten down and micromanaged the way college players are.
The Chargers appear to be in the early stages of dismantling their roster, but Coach Harbaugh may finally be able to get the most out of ultra-talented quarterback Justin Herbert.
New York, New York and beyond
Aaron Rodgers (torn Achilles tendon) and Daniel Jones (torn anterior cruciate ligament) are back from season-ending injuries for the Jets and Giants, respectively.
Will both of them make it through training camp unscathed?
Tyrod Taylor was moved from being Jones’ backup to being Rodgers’ backup in order to get more pay because the Jets can’t afford to have a playoff-caliber roster for a second straight year if Rodgers is unavailable.
Regardless of what Seahawks general manager John Schneider says, Jones will be the starter ahead of Drew Lock, but he may not play long in the regular season.
The Bengals’ Joe Burrow (wrist), the Browns’ Deshaun Watson (shoulder) and the Colts’ Anthony Richardson (shoulder), Herbert (finger) and Cousins (Achilles) are also returning from season-ending injuries.
Main concerns
The team, which has won two consecutive Super Bowls, is hoping that the biggest “distraction” this season will be the romance between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, who dominated last season.
Since beating the 49ers in overtime, the Chiefs have had four players arrested, but three of them — receiver Ruchy Rice, left tackle Wanya Morris and backup offensive tackle Chukwuevka Godrick — remain with the team.
Rice, the team’s No. 1 wide receiver, faces a possible fine at the start of the season for his alleged involvement in a high-speed hit-and-run crash that led to eight criminal charges.
Kicker Harrison Butker has received criticism from Serena Williams and made many enemies with his controversial comments about gender roles at a college graduation ceremony.
Oh, and the Chiefs have question marks at key positions on the field after parting ways with left tackle Donovan Smith and All-Pro cornerback Rujarius Snead while trying to become the first team in history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
Mr. Unlimited’s Last Stand
Is it over for ‘Mr Unlimited’ Russell Wilson?
The decline in his performance from his Pro Bowl appearances in his first nine seasons with the Seahawks to his final two with the Broncos was alarming.
Quarterback guru Sean Payton was willing to let him go for nothing.
The Steelers took the easy way out and acquired Wilson, but the option of former Bears starter Justin Fields as his backup, and if head coach Mike Tomlin agrees, could set up one of the most intriguing battles of this summer’s training camp.
And if the Steelers don’t ask Fields to do the kickoff return instead.
Tomlin said Wilson is in “pole position,” but Fields isn’t going to give up easily.
If Wilson doesn’t turn his career around now, his days as a starting pitcher will be numbered.
Trade Chip
Aiyuk has requested a trade, but the 49ers aren’t planning on granting it.
Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams said he would stay with the team for now but also floated the possibility of a trade to the Jets (to reunite with Rodgers).
If quarterbacks Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell don’t perform well in training camp, will Adams try to get out of town?
Panthers running back Miles Sanders, Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton, Eagles cornerback James Bradberry and Patriots edge rusher Matthew Judon are also big names that could be trade candidates.
Texans vs Lions Super Bowl
Two years ago, predicting a Super Bowl matchup between the Texans and Lions in a sports bar would have been met with laughter.
What about now? It’s tempting to choose the two teams that made the biggest leaps last season, even if they ended up being two of the seven worst-winning teams of the 2000s.
The Lions will enter camp with a reinvigorated quarterback, Jared Goff, fresh off a new $212 million contract extension.
Is coach Dan Campbell still as confident in his radical strategy after the Lions risked some key points in a blowout loss in the NFC Championship Game?
The Texans enter camp having spent $144.5 million in guaranteed money, including trading for receiver Stefon Diggs in the first three weeks of free agency, to meet growing expectations.
Fly Eagles crash?
The Eagles finished the season 1-6 after starting the season with an NFL-best 10-1 record, but they will need to be on the lookout for signs of last season’s negative effects.
The Eagles need new leadership after the retired duo of franchise stalwarts Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox have been unable to turn the team around.
Maybe it’s coming from Saquon Barkley, who is desperate to prove the Giants were wrong in letting him go and that running backs are still worth the investment.
Head coach Nick Sirianni escaped the threat of firing, but he still seems as focused on exciting opposing fans as he is on fixing internal flaws.
