Every summer, we see a handful of players have breakout performances during training camp and the preseason and turn that into having a breakout performance during the season. Well, this year is no different, as the Broncos have several players who could have breakout performances during training camp that could elevate them up the depth chart and potentially have a larger role on the team during the season.

I have identified a total of eight players who I believe have the best chances of having a breakout performance during training camp. The list is heavy on young players, but training...

We’re starting on the d-line with our Chicago Bears’ training camp positional preview articles, and after looking at EDGE yesterday, today is all about the interior. While the Bears didn’t add any defensive ends this offseason (not a single one!), they did add some tackles to compete.

Roster Locks

Grady Jarrett fought through an early injury last year and played better in the second half. He was DT3 most of last season, which is a perfect role for him, but it should come with a decrease in playing time in 2026. He played the third-most snaps on the entire...

Every year at around this time, the first 53-man roster projections pop up. And (almost) every year we dutifully chronicle those first roster projections here on BTB. I usually preface these summaries with an introduction like this:

“Not to be a killjoy here, but if the past 15 years or so that I’ve been intensely following the Dallas Cowboys training camp have taught me anything, it’s that rosters are largely set before the offseason program even begins, and most of the extra players brought in are little more than sparring and training partners for the roster locks.

*That is the...

One of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ more notable free agent signings may not be guaranteed a starting job.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed former second-round safety Jaquan Brisker to bolster their secondary this offseason. However, NFL analyst Emory Hunt doesn’t think Brisker is guaranteed a starting job.

Hunt believes that Brisker will have to beat out fellow veteran safety Darnell Savage for the position.

“The real battle is Jaquan Brisker and Darnell Savage,” Hunt said on CBS Sports. “It’s about what you prefer. Brisker is a solid player, had a lot of solid years in Chicago. I was surprised to see him...

The Dallas Cowboys report to training camp in less than a week, and this has probably been the best offseason in a long time for this team.

It started with adding to a horrible defensive line, cashing in on getting Caleb Downs, who I think is the best defender in the draft, regardless if he dropped to Dallas or not.

As training camp gets here next week, the Dallas Cowboys have a issue that is clear as day as to what it is on the defense.

The offense returned everyone, and they won seven games a year ago with the...

If Derrick Harmon is the future of the Steelers’ defense, he can prove it in one key area entering his second season in 2026. A first-round pick a year ago, he showed significant promise as a rookie. Though multiple knee injuries hampered his play, with a year under his belt, he has the potential to […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected wide receiver Roman Wilson out of Michigan in the third round, 84th overall, in the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite this relatively significant investment, the wideout’s career has yet to really get off the ground. Wilson suffered ankle and hamstring injuries that derailed his entire rookie campaign, but still came into 2025 with optimism that his development was headed in the right direction.

After a strong training camp and preseason, Wilson still struggled to find consistent playing time and only recorded 12 catches in his second season. Now entering his third year, this could be Wilson’s last...

Last year, the Minnesota Vikings were entering the season with a great amount of risk. They had won 14 games in 2024, the second-most in franchise history. Yet, once the offseason arrived, the Vikings let the QB who helped them get there, Sam Darnold, sign with a new team in free agency.

That decision gave second-year pro J.J. McCarthy the keys to the Corvette, even though he’d never driven the car before. While he led the team to six of the Vikings’ nine wins, the team’s top-10 scoring offense from 2024 was nowhere to be found. Instead, it was the...

TEAM TALK

• Mike Dussault’s Position snapshot: Cornerbacks. Roster, analysis. Bottom line: “With their top trio in place, the Patriots cornerback group is among the NFL’s best, but there are multiple roles available behind them. …”
• Evan Lazar’s Position snapshot: Quarterbacks. Roster, analysis. “…The Patriots head into training camp with high hopes that Drake Maye will make another run at being the NFL’s Most Valuable Player while leading New England on a deep playoff run once again.”
• Camp Preview: Cornerback (8 min. video) and Quarterbacks (6 min. video)Mike Dussault, Evan Lazar and Paul Perillo break it all down....

How much the offense will look different in 2026 versus 2025 has been a significant topic if discussion ever since former offensive coordinator Joe Brady was announced as the new Buffalo Bills head coach following the dismissal of former head coach Sean McDermott. How much the offense was influenced by McDermott’s desires, and in what ways, is a largely speculative topic. And while the truth is that we’ll won’t really know until the bullets start flying in week one what is true, the next logical question after “how much will be different” is “how will we know”? Apart from diving...

I know. The season hasn’t even started and here I am talking about Chris Ballard’s replacement. We have ten years of data, so I am not sure this is exactly what you’d call putting the cart before the horse, pun intended… I get it though. This isn’t a case of me predicting that the upcoming season for the Indianapolis Colts is going to be a disaster, but if one resides in an area that experiences a lot of disasters, not having a disaster preparedness plan would be foolish. That is why the Colts need to be thinking about Ballard’s replacement...

One of the most exciting parts of training camp is seeing which players have taken a step since last year. We often talk about Year 2 or Year 3 jumps, but actually seeing it out there on the field is extremely satisfying. That improvement is never guaranteed, but when it happens, it’s validation that the general manager made the right draft pick.

But improvement isn’t always just about the young talent. Sometimes, it’s a veteran finding a breakthrough. Sometimes, it’s a player who signed with the team last year but needed a season to adjust to the scheme. Sometimes, it’s...