The busiest round of mandatory minicamps gets underway across the NFL over the next few days.
The Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers held their minicamps last week and now will proceed with voluntary workouts before breaking until training camps kick off in late July. This week, 16 teams — the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks — will hold their mandatory minicamps.
The San Francisco 49ers were originally to hold minicamp this week, but after his team enjoyed 100 percent participation in voluntary workouts, coach Kyle Shanahan opted to cancel minicamp as a reward.
These sessions will help coaches and players lay the foundation for training camp and should help bring clarity to key position battles. Here are 10 of the leading minicamp storylines to monitor across the league.
Deshaun Watson vs. Shedeur Sanders
The Browns shook up the league when they traded the NFL’s all-time single-season sack leader, Myles Garrett, to the Los Angeles Rams last week, and now, the biggest question hanging over the Browns involves who will start at quarterback. First-year head coach Todd Monken has rotated veteran Deshaun Watson and second-year pro Shedeur Sanders with the first team for much of OTAs, and that approach will likely continue during minicamp.
This could represent the oft-injured Watson’s final shot at a starting job with the Browns, who acquired him from Houston in 2022 and gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract despite the personal conduct scandal that hung over him at the time. Since then, Watson has played in only 19 of 68 possible games, most recently missing 10 games in 2024 and all of 2025 while rehabbing from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Sanders, meanwhile, aims to rebound from a trying rookie campaign that saw him start the final seven games of 2025 while managing just seven touchdown passes and 10 interceptions and completing only 56.6 percent of his passes.
Monken has said he wants to have the starting job determined before training camp, so minicamp could serve as the final audition for both Watson and Sanders.
Jacoby Brissett-Cardinals staredown
Eleventh-year veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett stayed away from the voluntary portions of the Cardinals’ offseason workouts. Due to make a base salary of $4.88 million, Brissett wants greater financial assurances to serve as the bridge quarterback for a Cardinals team with a shaky offensive line, rebuilding defense and bleak prospects for success in 2026.
It’s understandable that Brissett, who was sacked 43 times in 14 games (12 starts), wants better compensation. Everybody wants a raise. However, does he really have all that much leverage? He went 1-11 as a starter, and the Cardinals have fellow journeyman Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck on the roster. While Beck needs time to develop, multiple rival talent evaluators view the gap between Brissett and Minshew as minimal. Brissett has the stronger arm and is the bigger, more physical player, but Minshew is a slightly better rhythm passer and is described as more of a boom-or-bust gamer. If Brissett opts to skip this week’s session and officially become a holdout, first-year coach Mike LaFleur and general manager Monti Ossenfort must decide whether to relent and throw him a new deal or if they should proceed with Minshew and the third-rounder Beck.
Lamar Jackson’s new partnership
The Ravens hit the reset button this offseason, replacing long-time head coach John Harbaugh with rookie Jesse Minter. The defensive-minded head coach brought in 30-year-old offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, a first-year play caller who draws the task of equipping two-time MVP Lamar Jackson for even greater success. Doyle, who worked under Ben Johnson in Chicago last season and Sean Payton in Denver, is taking an aggressive approach to the acclimation process. He has thrown a lot at his charges during OTAs, and will likely maintain that pace in minicamp.
Jackson’s supporting cast is led by wide receiver Zay Flowers, tight end Mark Andrews and running back Derrick Henry. The Ravens also drafted a pair of receivers in Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt and guard Vega Ioane. The big pickup on defense is pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. All eyes remain locked on Jackson, however, not only because of his ongoing playoff struggles, but also because the Ravens would like to sign him to an extension, and thus far, he has seemed content to slow-play negotiations.
The Joe Brady era
The Bills also made a surprising move in the offseason, firing coach Sean McDermott after missing a trip to the AFC Championship Game by inches. Now leading the show: former offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
The 36-year-old has a good relationship with quarterback Josh Allen, which is key. To get the Bills over that long-problematic hump, Brady must be more than a talented play caller. He has to serve as part talent evaluator, part CEO, part problem-solver and teacher. He must figure out how to solve the inconsistencies that have plagued Allen’s wide receiving unit. This offseason, the Bills traded for veteran D.J. Moore and drafted Skyler Bell in the fourth round. They’re hoping Joshua Palmer can rebound from an injury-shortened 2025 campaign, and that third-year pro Keon Coleman can finally live up to his potential. Meanwhile, the Bills’ defensive players are learning an entirely new system led by first-year coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Next step for Caleb Williams, Bears
Year 1 under Ben Johnson featured tremendous growth for quarterback Caleb Williams and surprising success for the Bears as a whole. Williams’ leap helped carry the Bears to victory in nine of 10 games from Weeks 3 to 12. For the season, Williams also helped lead Chicago to six fourth-quarter victories and the team’s first NFC North title in seven seasons. The Bears also earned their first playoff victory in 15 years.
But now, expectations have skyrocketed. Williams will grace the cover of Madden NFL 27, and the Bears will try to prove that last season was the start of something big and not an aberration. Williams delivered heroics, but the Bears need him to execute with greater efficiency and consistency throughout games so those late-game fireworks won’t be necessary. They also need more from an offensive line that features a couple of new faces, including left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. and center Garrett Bradbury. Johnson’s team also must guard against complacency now that they have tasted some success for the first time in nearly a decade.
Daniel Jones’ comeback
The Colts had their eyes on one of the top spots in the AFC when their hopes came crashing down as quarterback Daniel Jones tore his right Achilles tendon 13 games into the 2025 season. Now, the quarterback and his teammates eye a strong rebound in their second year together.
Jones has a ways to go before he receives a clean bill of health, but he’s trending in the right direction. Last week, Jones took part in seven-on-seven passing drills during OTAs, and his workload will continue to ramp up. Jones is aiming for a Week 1 return, and the Colts are hoping that he can continue the career revival that he enjoyed in 2025 when he posted career highs in passing yards per game (238.5), yards per attempt (8.1), completion percentage (86 percent) and passer rating (100.2). The Colts also have some sorting out to do with their quarterback depth chart. Journeyman Easton Stick recently signed with the team to provide a veteran backup presence, and the 2025 sixth-rounder Riley Leonard returns. Anthony Richardson also remains on the roster despite being on the trading block.
Patrick Mahomes’ progress
The Chiefs saw their streak of nine consecutive AFC West titles and playoff appearances come to an end last season as Patrick Mahomes missed the final three regular-season games with a torn ACL and LCL. After an aggressive offseason (including signing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III away from the Seahawks), the Chiefs hope to bounce back quickly, but much of their success will hinge on Mahomes’ return.
Mahomes has his sights set on a Week 1 return, and despite the bulky brace on his left leg, he has reportedly looked sharp while going through seven-on-seven drills during voluntary workouts. Thus far, he has been held out of 11-on-11 work. The Chiefs acquired Justin Fields as an insurance policy, but they’ll also need playmakers to emerge this offseason. Great uncertainty hangs over Rashee Rice because of his legal issues. Xavier Worthy returns, as does Tyquan Thornton, who contributed with an average of 23.1 yards per reception last season, but the Chiefs could look to add another veteran pass catcher this summer.
The champs’ reset
The Seahawks take another step towards kicking off their title defense, and the offseason represents a crucial window of preparation for Mike Macdonald and his team, because they have some big holes to fill. Gone is offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak (Raiders head coaching job), Super Bowl MVP running back Walker (Chiefs), defensive backs Riq Woolen (Eagles), Coby Bryant (Bears) and pass rusher Boye Mafe (Cincinnati Bengals), among others. However, general manager John Schneider is masterful at retooling on the fly thanks largely to his ability to identify gems in the middle rounds of the draft.
While Macdonald and his assistants work to develop that talent and position them for success, Darnold and his offensive teammates will continue acclimating to new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who, like Kubiak, is another Shanahan disciple.
Fernando Mendoza’s development
No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza continues to soak up all of the information Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko are throwing at him. The former Indiana star finds himself in a relatively low-pressure situation. The Raiders intend to start veteran free-agent addition Kirk Cousins to give Mendoza time to learn and develop at a reasonable pace rather than thrusting him into a role for which he’s not yet ready.
Mendoza will use minicamp to get as many reps as possible while learning the offense and the pro game, and he’ll also observe Cousins, who played under Kubiak in Minnesota and will serve as a valuable resource and mentor to the 22-year-old.
Vikings QB competition
The Vikings pinned their hopes last season on second-year pro J.J. McCarthy despite a stellar 2024 campaign from Sam Darnold, whom they let depart in free agency. After an uneven first campaign as a starter by McCarthy, their 2024 first-round pick, the Vikings landed former Cardinals starter Kyler Murray in free agency. The two have spent OTAs competing for starting duties, but because of his experience, Murray reportedly has the leg up on the job. It’s quite possible he could lock things up by the end of minicamp.
The Vikings believe that they have the roster to contend. If healthy, Murray could make a significant impact. He has a talented cast of pass catchers (Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings and T.J. Hockenson), a quality rushing attack led by Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason, the backing of an aggressive defense and two of the best offensive and defensive minds in Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores. The NFC North ranks among the most competitive divisions in the conference, but a resurgence certainly is possible.