On Sunday, the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills kick-off the 2014 NFL preseason. The first of 65 games, it begins a lengthy prelude to the regular season which arrives at the start of September. The preseason is often tossed aside as meaningless, but this is a very important time of the year that produces entertaining storylines to follow. Here’s five of them:
1. Michael Sam
Unless you’ve completely avoided NFL news, and general American sports news, since the end of last season, you will be familiar with Michael Sam. In February, the former Missouri defensive end came out. Crucially, he did this months before the draft, so teams would not be blindsided after selecting him.
Sam’s announcement probably caused his fall to the seventh round, though he wasn’t guaranteed to be drafted even before he came out. By becoming the first openly gay player to be selected, by the St Louis Rams, Sam has already made a massive impact on the NFL. The importance of this cannot be overstated. That is something the former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy recently found out the hard way.
For Sam, the next step is even bigger. The next step is making an NFL roster.
Because they have shunned the spotlight as much as possible since selecting Sam, there is no reason to think that the St Louis Rams only took him for publicity. The Rams appear to be giving Sam the fair shot he deserves. Of course, that is all Sam asked for and it is what he deserves – but making the roster may prove very, very difficult.
The Rams retained nine defensive linemen after training camp last year. Of those nine, six are likely guaranteed roster spots if they are healthy at the end of preseason. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald was the team’s first-round pick this year, so only injury will take his spot away from him. Versatile lineman Alex Carrington was a priority free agent, so he also should be assured of his spot.
Four defensive ends appear to be entrenched on the depth chart ahead of Sam. He will need to have a phenomenal camp and preseason if he is to take one of their spots. Instead, Sam will primarily be competing with defensive tackle Matt Conrath for the final roster spot. Conrath made the roster last year, but the competition for spaces wasn’t as tough then.
Sam has some physical limitations that he will need to overcome if he is going to impress on defense. Those measurements are the primary reason he was not considered a top draft pick even before he came out. Fortunately for Sam, making the roster as a late-round pick is often more about the effort and impact you can make on special teams.
2. Rookie quarterbacks
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel throws a short pass
Johnny Manziel starred for Texas A&M but he has work to do with the Browns. Photograph: Rogelio V. Solis/AP
Three quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the 2014 draft. Of the three, Johnny Manziel has made the most headlines during the offseason – headlines that have seemingly left a bad taste in the mouth of his new employer.
The Cleveland Browns didn’t draft the former Texas A&M quarterback, and Heisman winner, because of his celebrity lifestyle. They drafted him because of his ability on the field. In preseason, we will get our first glimpse of what he can do on the field. Manziel is under pressure to perform well. He was inconsistent in OTAs during the offseason and he lost ground in his competition with Brian Hoyer at the start of training camp.
What Manziel does during the preseason won’t determine if he can become a franchise quarterback or not, but he needs to play better if he wants to be a week-one starter.
In Minnesota, meanwhile, Teddy Bridgewater appears to be well on his way to the top of the depth chart. Bridgewater was the third quarterback taken in the first round, but the Vikings have been so impressed with him to this point that they believe he should have gone in the top. Before the draft process began, Bridgewater was expected to be the first quarterback taken. He is a phenomenal talent who was seemingly overly scrutinized during the draft process.
He is already splitting repetitions in training camp with incumbent starter Matt Cassel. In this situation, that typically means that the younger quarterback is outplaying his counterpart.
Even though Blake Bortles was taken before Manziel and Bridgewater during the draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars appear to be fully committed to sitting him down for a season. This hasn’t been a common approach with top picks at the quarterback position in recent years, but it isn’t abnormal either. The Jaguars clearly want Bortles to focus on improving individually before he takes on greater responsibility for the team. He will need to be exceptional during preseason to force a competition.
3. The rest of the rookies
Quarterbacks will always draw most of the attention, but they aren’t always immediate impact players. For 2014, here are the players some high-profile draft analysts are predicting will have big years:
Dane Brugler of CBS: Brandin Cooks, WR, New Orleans Saints
“Besides Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans, Cooks was the top offensive playmaker in the 2014 draft class and was already on my list of possible offensive rookie of the year candidates. But then the Saints drafted him and he catapulted to the top of my list. Cooks has sudden feet and controls his momentum extremely well to create separation in his routes and I expect to hear the “Drew Brees-to-Brandin Cooks” connection quite a bit in 2014. Jimmy Graham or Marques Colston will lead New Orleans in touchdown grabs, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Cooks collects 65+ catches as a rookie and fills the void left by Darren Sproles.”
Sigmund Bloom of Football Guys: Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina Panthers
“The Panthers chose to address their ailing wide receiver corps instead of their ailing offensive line with their first-round pick. Kelvin Benjamin has the size to be a primary red zone target and the speed/athleticism to be a major deep threat for Cam Newton. As long as he contains his drops issue from Florida State and tightens up his execution and consistency, Benjamin will have the biggest impact of any rookie wide receiver in the NFL this year.”
Matt Miller of Bleacher Report: Sammy Watkins, WR, Buffalo Bills
“Sammy Watkins was the best offensive playmaker in the entire 2014 draft class, and we’re already seeing flashes of that with his training-camp performance. The brilliance in Watkins’ game is that he can beat a defense many different ways. His route-running is tight and controlled and he shows the burst off the line of scrimmage and in space to both create separation and pick up major yards after the catch. Watkins’ size, strength and speed are all a perfect combination for a top-tier wide receiver and if quarterback EJ Manuel can mature as a passer in his second season, Watkins has the tools to put up monster numbers. He’s my early favorite for offensive rookie of the year.”
Matt Waldman of the RSP: Aaron Donald, DT, St Louis Rams
“The rookie that I believe will make the greatest impact in 2014 is Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. [He has] blinding quickness, excellent technique and on-field smarts – I am among the many analysts that compared Donald’s talents to Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Donald’s coaches are already impressed with the rookie’s performance prior to training camp and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is already predicting that Donald will be named the NFL’s rookie of the year. Considering the strength of the Rams’ defensive front, opposing offenses will not have a reason to double-team Donald early on and I expect strong statistical performances from the rookie until the opposition has to address the tackle and subsequently place its edge protectors in a bind with the talented Rams ends. It’s a win-win for the Rams’ defense.”
Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated: Jadeveon Clowney, LB, Houston Texans
“What is Jadeveon Clowney, the No1 overall pick and wire-to-wire top prospect from this year’s draft class, capable of when he’s not drawing double- and triple-teams? We’re about to find out. Clowney may be a future NFL superstar, but he will play the sidekick role to defensive dynamo JJ Watt in Houston, at least early. With Watt commanding heavy attention at the line, Clowney should find more space to hunt quarterbacks than he did during his final year at South Carolina. How much Clowney can do outside of rushing the passer – like defending the run or dropping in coverage – will determine his usage rate. The upside is tantalizing – provided he can stay healthy (no guarantee so far), Clowney is the odds-on favorite for defensive rookie of the year.
4. New head coaches
Lovie Smith
Lovie Smith spent nine seasons with the Chicago Bears; now he’s in charge of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Photograph: Duane Burleson/AP
Eight teams appointed new head coaches before the 2013 season. Half of those head coaches immediately led their teams into the playoffs. Ahead of the 2014 season, seven teams have decided to bring in a new head coach, including one of the teams that made a change last year.
Despite hiring him before the start of the 2013 season, the Browns fired Rob Chudzinski after it. Chudzinski, a former Panthers offensive coordinator, will be replaced by Mike Pettine, a former Bills defensive coordinator and New York Jets assistant coach. Pettine spent just one season as the Bills defensive coordinator – it was a very successful season, but he is a relatively inexperienced coach.
Pettine comes from the Rex Ryan coaching tree, so he shouldn’t be unfamiliar with distractions. He has already been forced to deal with the media circus that reacts to every move Johnny Manziel makes. Ironically for Pettine, he will need to do most of his work on the offensive side of the ball with Kyle Shanahan, after building his coaching career to this point on the defensive side of the ball.
Both of the Cincinnati Bengals coordinators from last season became head coaches this year. Mike Zimmer built and rebuilt the Bengals defense to great effect over the years. With the Vikings, he is inheriting a very talented offense with a rookie quarterback, so most of his efforts will be directed to where his expertise lies. After working with Andy Dalton for the past few seasons, new Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden inherits Robert Griffin III from the departed Mike Shanahan. Gruden’s main objective will be to get Griffin back to where he was as a rookie, while easing the transition of DeSean Jackson into the offense.
First the Texans brought in Bill O’Brien, then O’Brien brought in Jadeveon Clowney. How Clowney and JJ Watt line up and work together will be one of the most fascinating parts of the preseason. O’Brien is known for his work on the other side of the ball. He is a former quarterbacks coach who most notably worked with Tom Brady. He needs to get more consistency out of veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick or accelerate the growth of rookie Tom Savage.
Three of the seven new head coaches previously held those positions in the NFL. Both Ken Whisenhunt and Lovie Smith were fired as head coaches after the 2012 season. Whisenhunt was replaced by Bruce Arians in Arizona, while Smith made way for Marc Trestman in Chicago. Whisenhunt earned his new head coach position with the Tennessee Titans by revitalizing Philip Rivers‘ career in San Diego last season, while Smith took a year out after spending nine seasons in charge of the Bears, before taking over with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Both have inherited talented rosters, but former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell will feel like he has the most talent to work with. Caldwell left the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator position to become the head coach of the Detroit Lions. The Lions have a very talented roster with one flaw more significant than any other – the quarterback. Matthew Stafford’s mechanics and decision-making destroyed the Lions’ season last year, so it’s no surprise that the Lions brought in a coach who has a history of working with effective quarterbacks.
5. New faces in new places
Geno Smith, Michael Vick
New York Jets quarterbacks Geno Smith (7) and Michael Vick (1) walk off the field after practice. Photograph: AP
The two biggest free-agent moves this offseason – Jairus Byrd and Darrelle Revis –both play on the defensive side of the ball. It’s very difficult to gauge defensive players during preseason because teams don’t use team-specific gameplans like they do in the regular season. Therefore, in spite of the big-name additions on that side of the ball, it’s better to focus on the offensive additions.
A third-round pick from the 2002 draft is set to start for the Buccaneers this year. Josh McCown threw 13 touchdowns to just one interception for the Bears last season. He started five games in relief of Jay Cutler, despite starting just two from 2008 to 2012. McCown is a 35-year-old journeyman quarterback who couldn’t even find work in 2010. He signed with the Buccaneers in free agency and almost immediately became the starter over second-year player Mike Glennon.
The Buccaneers can justify that because they have replaced the regime that drafted Glennon last year and because of McCown’s production in 2013. McCown’s 2013 was the peak of his career, but a big reason for that was his supporting cast. Interestingly, the Buccaneers are building an offense that is very similar to what the Bears had last season, though it is unlikely to be as effective.
While there is no hint of a quarterback competition in Tampa, the Jets are trying to stave off the idea of one in New York.
Geno Smith beat Mark Sanchez by default last year. Sanchez was injured in preseason and missed the whole campaign. Now Sanchez is an Eagles player, Smith’s competition is the former Eagle and Falcon Michael Vick. Vick still has the talent to be productive, but Smith is expected to be the starter after a strong finish to his rookie season.
Whoever starts will have a much better supporting cast than Smith had last year. The free-agent additions of running back Chris Johnson and wide receiver Eric Decker can only be considered improvements.
Subject: NFL preseason: five key storylines 
