Training camps start in earnest across the league this week. The Hall of Fame game is just over a week away and before we know it, the preseason will be upon us. A lot of important things happen during training camp, from players fighting for their careers to key positional battles taking place.

We can learn a lot from training camp, though not every camp has a lot of intrigue from a national perspective. Today, I’ve compiled the five most interesting storylines to monitor across the league as camps get underway. Let’s dive right in:

Browns’ Quarterback Competition

The training camp headliner, without a doubt, is Cleveland’s quarterback situation. I can’t remember the last time we had a true four-way quarterback competition. Three real contenders is rare enough, but four?

The presumed leader in the clubhouse is veteran Joe Flacco. He didn’t look like he had much left in the tank with the Colts last year, but the year before that, he was the on-and-off starter in Cleveland and led the Browns to a playoff berth. The coaching staff has familiarity with him, and Flacco knows the offense.

Then we have the two rookies. Third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders both flashed potential during OTAs, but mid-round picks usually need time and development, something they won’t be granted during this competition. Reps will be at a premium, and if one falters early, they may not have a chance to make that ground up.

The wild card here is trade acquisition Kenny Pickett. We last saw Pickett in real action in 2023, when he was the starter in Pittsburgh. The Steelers traded him to the Eagles without a clear succession plan in place, telling you all you need to know about how they felt about his future. Still, he’s a multi-year starter, and if Flacco’s decline last season continues and the rookies aren’t ready, there’s a real chance Pickett wins the job.

The Browns have signaled they want to keep all four quarterbacks on the roster this year. That would be highly abnormal, but there won’t be much of a market for any of them. Most likely, we’ll see at least three of these guys start this year for the Browns, if not all four. Flacco is the odds-on favorite to win the job in Week 1, given his experience, and Sanders has all the hype as a projected borderline first-round pick who fell to the fifth. Sneakily, I think Gabriel might win this job, as he’s the higher-drafted of the two Cleveland rookies and offers a decently high floor with his ability to execute an offense.

Bengals’ Contract Situations

It’s not as sexy as a quarterback competition, but the contract showdowns in Cincinnati might be the biggest storyline in the league heading into training camp. The Bengals are playing hardball with their starting edge rushers, and it has a chance to blow up in their faces…or all could be resolved in a week without further incident.

Trey Hendrickson is one of the best pass rushers in the league and would like to be paid like it. He was brought over from New Orleans on a four-year contract in 2021 and given a one-year extension in 2023. Now set to play on an expiring contract paying him $21 million ($20 million below the top of the market), Hendrickson is steadfast in his desire for a new deal. He’s certainly deserving of one, with 35 sacks over the last two seasons, but the Bengals rarely hand out third contracts and appear to be pretty dug in — and now Hendrickson has left the state as talks broke down once again.

The more unusual situation is with first-round DE Shemar Stewart. The Bengals are attempting to add some language to the contract that voids Stewart’s guarantees under specific circumstances. It’s something other teams have done before but Cincinnati hasn’t, and they’re trying to set a new precedent. Stewart is refusing to be the first, and neither side is moving in a manner that would suggest a resolution is imminent. For what it’s worth, Stewart says he has the support of the locker room, which makes sense. He’s the lone unsigned first-round pick.

The Bengals are notorious for being penny-pinchers when it comes to contracts and roster construction, but this is a bad look even by their standards. Refusing to pay your best defensive player already on an extremely team-friendly deal is no way to please the locker room, and star QB Joe Burrow has expressed his frustration with how the front office is handling this. This team is expected to bounce back from a rough couple of seasons to be contenders in the AFC again, but that’ll be difficult with these contract negotiations lingering.

In Stewart’s case, he was supposed to compete with Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai to start opposite Hendrickson this year. More importantly, he was a prospect expected to need some time to develop, as he had elite, all-time athletic scores and good pressure numbers, but down-to-down consistency and sack production were issues in college. He won’t be at training camp as long as he’s unsigned, and he’s losing out on valuable time as a result. This isn’t the time for the Bengals to be making these petty stands, but as long as they do, they’re sending a message as to what’s most important to them.

Colts’ Quarterback Competition

While not as hectic and fun as the quarterback battle in Cleveland, this one is probably more consequential. Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in 2023, was the Colts’ Week 1 starter each of the past two years. Injuries and inconsistent play have plagued him in his two years in the league, as he missed most of 2023 with a shoulder injury and the last two games of 2024 with a hip. When on the field, Richardson pairs flashes of elite quarterbacking with an abysmal completion percentage and plenty of mistakes.

To provide some insurance, Indianapolis added Daniel Jones to the room this offseason. Bringing in Jones was one of Indy’s top priorities in free agency. Some have speculated he could have a Sam Darnold-esque resurgence in HC Shane Steichen’s offense, but more realistically, Jones will provide a baseline of competence at quarterback the Colts haven’t had since Gardner Minshew replaced Richardson for the bulk of the season in 2023. Indy was a couple of plays away from the playoffs that year, and after struggling through the ups and downs of Richardson and an aging Flacco last season, Steichen and company clearly wanted a more stable option to turn to.

During OTAs, Richardson and Jones rotated reps evenly. Steichen and GM Chris Ballard have said at every turn this is a true, open competition. However, Richardson reaggravated his shoulder and was forced to miss minicamp, during which time Jones reportedly took a lead in the race. Richardson is healthy again and has resumed throwing on the eve of camp opening, but he has some ground to make up.

It’s extremely likely that both quarterbacks start games for Indianapolis this season, but who wins the job out of training camp still matters. It’s best for the Colts if Richardson takes a leap and establishes himself as the guy, but his injury meant he didn’t have a chance to do that this spring. Steichen and Ballard need to win games this year and probably make the playoffs to keep their jobs, so they’ll play whoever gives them the best chance to do that. Right now, Jones has the advantage, but camp and preseason games will matter a lot for a battle that’s far from over.

Aaron Rodgers’ Last Run

Future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed with the Steelers this offseason, and let it be known this is likely his last season before retirement. He had a legendary run with the Packers before two brutal years with the Jets, the first infamously ending with a torn Achilles after four snaps. The Steelers traded for WR D.K. Metcalf and TE Jonnu Smith to bolster his weapons, and this defense should remain one of the better units in the league.

In many ways, this situation is similar to the one he just left in New York: a top wide receiver and an elite defense, but depth questions in the receiving core and unknowns along the offensive line. The difference is in stability and coaching, where HC Mike Tomlin is one of the best in the business and knows how to maximize his assets. Training camp matters less for older veterans like Rodgers, but it’ll be interesting to see how he looks early on and how some of the younger Steelers progress heading into September.

The New-Look Bears

After a disappointing rookie season for the 2024 No. 1 overall pick, QB Caleb Williams, Chicago broke the bank to give him a new offensive line. Three new starters on the interior were brought in via trade and free agency, turning one of the worst lines in the league last year to perhaps one of the best — at least on paper.

As well, the Bears drafted TE Colston Loveland in the first round and WR Luther Burden III in the second. Both operate primarily out of the slot, and it’ll be interesting to see how they’re used, especially given TE Cole Kmet is sure to remain a factor. But Loveland and Burden add an important element of speed that this offense was missing a year ago, and it should open things up considerably.

It’s an important year for Williams, with new HC Ben Johnson coming over from Detroit as one of the top offensive minds in football to help him out. We’ll get our first real look at this revamped offense in the coming weeks, and seeing how Johnson brings it all together will be fun to watch.