Going camping ⛺️

By: Josh Frey-Sam

We’ve reached the dog days of the NFL calendar.

Unless you’re a fan of the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs or Seattle Seahawks — which all hold the last day of mandatory mini-camp today — your team has broken for the summer, and the next time we’ll see them is August when training camp begins.

FYI - before we go any further today, I want to put this on your radar now: I’ll be starting a summer series where I talk to beat writers from every team (hopefully) about what we need to know about that team entering the season. I did this on a podcast previously, but started too late and couldn’t finish before training camp rolled around and the beat writers got too busy. I’m on it this year, so hopefully we can bang out all 32.

Back to today— I want to jump ahead to August for a moment.

I love training camp.

Beyond football being back, I enjoy following position battles and watching guys make names for themselves. It’s the last part of the roster-building process, and there’s an emotional human element about it all when you think of the hundreds of players who are fighting to keep their dreams alive.

On that note, let’s talk about what will be a few of my favourite camps to keep an eye on later this summer.

New England Patriots

So many storylines in Foxborough.

A new head coach. A second-year franchise quarterback. A boatload of money spent on free agents.

How will this all come together, and how much could New England actually close the gap on the Buffalo Bills in Year 1 of the Mike Vrabel era?

The Patriots *should* be fun to watch this season. I expect the defence to be in the top-10 conversation under Vrabel, and I’m optimistic the offence takes a significant leap with a more experienced Drake Maye at the helm, several new weapons (Stefon Diggs, TreVeyon Henderson and Kyle Williams) and an improved offensive line.

Jacksonville Jaguars

I’ve had a funny feeling about the Jaguars all offseason. Like they’re going to be a team that surprises a lot of people this season.

There’s a lot of buzz in Duval. A young new GM who has already made a sizeable impression. A new coaching staff, led by a head coach who is a bright offensive mind. A draft class that is highlighted by a unicorn talent.

The Jags are going to be better than they were last year. The question is, how much better?

This could be a big year for Trevor Lawrence, who has a solid receiving core and a re-tooled offensive line in front of him. Meanwhile, the talented defence should be much better under first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile.

Chicago Bears

This one feels obvious, no?

The offseason champs, led by new head coach Ben Johnson, have a lot of buzz — and expectations — entering this season.

For second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, the leash with fans already feels like it’ll be short. This team will be expected to win immediately and look good while doing it.

On paper, there’s not much to hate about this roster. There’s also plenty of intrigue for fantasy players to keep an eye on.

Can this ascending team deal with the sky-high expectations and produce?

Los Angeles Rams

Leading the charge for “teams poised to jump into legitimate Super Bowl contention” is the Rams.

It’s a young team led by a veteran quarterback who has seen and done it all. They’re the perfect blend, and they’re led by one of the best coaches in pro football.

Count me as a believer in the Rams. This team is going to be dangerous this season, and I expect them to be a tough out come the playoffs.

There isn’t much in the way of camp battles happening here, as far as starters are concerned, but this will be a fun team to keep an eye on.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh