As NFL teams wrap up OTAs and then minicamps in the next two weeks, it's time to take a look at the players on the spot for all 32 teams.
These are players who fans, media members and their own teammates and coaches will be focusing on as they head to training camp this summer.
For several teams, it's their quarterback, which it often is for many teams in a quarterback-centric league. For others, it's new players trying to fill shoes or players coming back from injury or free agents with big-buck contracts.
All will be on the spot for one reason or another. These are the 32 I picked:
Arizona Cardinals
DE Chandler Jones
They traded to get him from New England to amp up their pass rush, which makes him key to their season. Jones is a good pass rusher, but there are questions since New England let him go. That's absurd. He's a good player who needs to get 10-13 sacks for a successful season after getting 12.5 last season.
Atlanta Falcons
OLB Vic Beasley
After playing defensive end last season as a rookie, he is moving to the strong-side linebacker spot. He said he likes the move, but will it be good for the team? He had four sacks as a rookie in 2015, so he's expected to at least double that number this season. He was the eighth-overall pick in last year's draft, so a lot is expected.
Baltimore Ravens
QB Joe Flacco
He played in just 10 games in 2015, his season cut short by a torn ACL. He is on the mend and should be ready for the season, but overcoming knee injuries can always be tough. It wasn't like he was lighting it up before the injury either. He had 14 touchdown passes and 12 picks. In his defense, the weapons outside weren't great.
Buffalo Bills
QB Tyrod Taylor
He did a lot of good things in his first year as a starter for the Bills last season, but they clearly want to see more, which is why he hasn't received a contract extension yet. Taylor threw 20 touchdowns and six picks and had a passer rating of 99.4 in his 14 starts. He also showed off the ability to make plays outside the pocket. But this is a big year for him to show he can be the long-term guy.
Carolina Panthers
WR Kelvin Benjamin
He impressed as a rookie n 2014, showing off big-time skills. But he tore up his knee last August in a practice with the Miami Dolphins, ending his season. The Panthers made the Super Bowl anyway, but they lacked that true No. 1 receiver outside. Benjamin is back and said he's going full speed on the knee. If he can return to his pre-injury form and be even better, the Carolina offense could be explosive.
Chicago Bears
RB Jeremy Langford
Bears coach John Fox wants to run the football. With veteran Matt Forte now in New York with the Jets, it will be up to Langford to take over as the starter. He did some good things as a rookie last year, rushing for 537 yards, but only with an average of 3.6 yards per rush. He did have 22 catches with a touchdown catch of 83 yards.
Cincinnati Bengals
WR Brandon LaFell
The Bengals lost receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu in free agency, and did little to replace them with veterans. They did draft Tyler Boyd in the second round, but LaFell is expected to be the starter opposite A.J. Green. He flashed at times in his career with both Carolina and New England. He battled a foot injury last season that led to the Patriots releasing him and the Bengals giving him a one-year deal.
Cleveland Browns
QB Robert Griffin III
Who else could it be? He's trying to become a great reclamation story after the way his career derailed in Washington with the Redskins. He flashed his first two years with the Redskins, but it went bad quickly. RGIII needs to be a better passer from the pocket, and coach Hue Jackson is one of the best at working with quarterbacks. Can he fix RGIII?
Dallas Cowboys
RB Ezekiel Elliott
The Cowboys bucked conventional thinking and picked Elliott with the fourth-overall pick in the April draft. That's way too high for a back, no matter how good they think he can be. Elliott will be a good player, but for the Cowboys to take a Super step he has to be a 1,500-yard rusher as a rookie. Is that possible?
Denver Broncos
QB Mark Sanchez
This is an easy one. Sanchez takes over as the starting quarterback for the Super Bowl champions, which isn't an easy task. He's had some success in his career, but there's also been a lot of failure. It doesn't help that the team drafted Paxton Lynch in the first round. If Sanchez plays poorly, Lynch will be the guy and that could mean Sanchez will settle in as a career backup. If he plays well, the Broncos could be back pushing for the Super Bowl again.
Detroit Lions
WR Marvin Jones
With Calvin Johnson retiring, the Lions went out and signed Marvin Jones as a free agent. With the Bengals, he was the second receiver to A.J. Green, but he will have to do more with the Lions to justify his big deal. He won't replace Johnson, but he has to get 80 catches and 1,200 yards or so to warrant his contract.
Green Bay Packers
WR Jordy Nelson
He is coming off a season lost with a torn ACL, and the Packers offense really struggled without him. Now the question will be if he can come back and be the same player he was before the injury. If he isn't, the Green Bay offense might have issues getting the ball down the field again this season.
Houston Texans
QB Brock Osweiler
This is as easy as any of the team's picks. When you pay a guy with seven starts in four years an $80-million deal, he has to be the choice. Osweiler flashed some with Denver, and then spurned the Broncos to take $18 million a season from the Texans. Smart move, but will it pay off big for the Texans?
Indianapolis Colts
QB Andrew Luck
It's crazy to put him in this spot, but that's the reality after his poor season in 2015. Yes, he had injury issues that shortened his season, but even before that he didn't look like the same guy. There were reasons for it, and I still think he's one of the better quarterbacks in the league. But let's be real. He's facing a big season in the eyes of a lot of people.
Jacksonville Jaguars
OLB-DE Dante Fowler
The Jaguars had 36 sacks last season, but the leader was Jared Odrick with 5.5. They need more production off the edge and Fowler, their 2015 first-round pick, is the guy expected to do it. He missed all of his rookie season after tearing an ACL in rookie minicamp. But he is back running again and the team expects him at full strength. That means he has to be their edge rusher of note. He has to influence the quarterback.
Kansas City Chiefs
OLB Dee Ford
With Justin Houston expected to miss a good chunk of the season with a torn ACL, Ford is expected to step in and provide the pass-rush complement to Tamba Hali. Ford was a first-round pick in 2014 and has shown some pass-rush ability. He had four sacks last season, That has to be double in 2016.
Los Angeles Rams
QB Jared Goff
They can talk all they want about a quarterback competition, but look at the room. This is clearly going to be Goff's job, and it should be. Get on with it. It's a new city, so get the new franchise passer going. When he does play, all eyes will be on his ability to stand in and make throws. He's a cocky kid, which is a good thing. But even the brashest rookie quarterbacks have had their psyche tested.
Miami Dolphins
QB Ryan Tannehill
This is the year Tannehill has to show he's a legitimate long-term starter who can take a team to the Super Bowl. In his defense, he was miscast in the gimmicky offense that past two years. I think in Adam Gase's pro-style system, Tannehill will be much more comfortable. Gase did a great job with Jay Cutler and I think he will have the same type of impact on Tannehill. If not, the Dolphins might be ready to move on.
Minnesota Vikings
LT Matt Kalil
The Vikings will pay him $11 million this season, which is a big number for a player who has struggled the past two seasons. He was bothered by knee injuries in 2014, and did play better last season, but he is far from being a quality left tackle. He has to improve to help an offense that was ranked 29th in yards last season.
New England Patriots
QB Jimmy Garoppolo
If Tom Brady is forced to sit out the first four games, all the focus will be on Garoppolo under center. Now in his third season, he's thrown 31 passes in two seasons. That's not exactly preparation for being a good team's starter for the first quarter of the season. For Garoppolo, this could also be a chance to show he might be the eventual replacement for Brady when he does walk away. Or he could attract something in a trade if he plays well. The focus will be on him for four games, that's for sure.
New Orleans Saints
TE Coby Fleener
The Saints gave him a five-year deal that averages $7 million a year. That's crazy money. But they love to feature the tight end in their offense, and he would seem to be a perfect fit for a pass-first unit. He isn't a good blocker, but Fleener has the tools to play the way Jimmy Graham did a few years ago in New Orleans. He's not that good, but he has to come close for what they paid him.
New York Giants
DE Olivier Vernon
They paid him $100 million even though he has one double-digit sack year in his four seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He has 29 sacks in four seasons, which would make the contract seem high. But he has pressured the passer, rolling up those pressure numbers, but for the money the Giants are paying him he has to have more than the 7.5 sacks he has in 2015 with Miami.
New York Jets
OLB Lorenzo Mauldin
The Jets need some more help from their edge rushers, and this 2015 rookie has a chance to be their primary edge rusher. He had four sacks as a rookie and flashed on passing downs when given the chance. He is expected to be a starter at outside linebacker, which means more chances to rush the quarterback. They have to hope he can get to double-digit sacks.
Oakland Raiders
CB Sean Smith
The Raiders gave him a big contract to sign as a free agent from division-rival Kansas City. Smith had a good year in 2015, but the Raiders need him to be even better. Their secondary had all kinds of issues last season. Smith has a chance to really help the defense and give Oakland a No. 1 corner.
Philadelphia Eagles
QB Sam Bradford
He signed a contract extension with the Eagles, then saw the team move up to take Carson Wentz second overall. He then pouted about it, and wanted to be traded. Instead he will go to camp as the likely starter and will spend the early part of the season looking over his shoulder. Does he respond? Or does the kid take over?
Pittsburgh Steelers
OLB Bud Dupree
The Steelers defense needs more from the outside edge rushers, which means more from Dupree. The Steelers took him in the first round last season and he had four sacks, but none in the second half of the season. The Pittsburgh defense is predicated on the edge rushers getting home. He has to be get there more in 2016.
San Diego Chargers
RB Melvin Gordon
The Chargers drafted him the first round in 2015 with the idea he would become their feature back and put up big numbers. As a rookie, it just didn't happen. The line wasn't good, but Gordon gained just 641 yards and had a 3.6 yards-per-rush average. That isn't good enough. He hurt his knee late in the season and had micro-fracture surgery on his left knee in January. When he comes back is up in the air, but when he does he has to be better.
San Francisco 49ers
QB Colin Kaepernick
He was once considered a future star and had the 49ers in the Super Bowl. Then it all went bad. He was benched last year for Blaine Gabbert and hopes to revive his career under Chip Kelly. He's got a long way to go. There is a lot of talent in his body, but can he turn it around as a passer and grow into a quality NFL quarterback? The 49ers clearly were ready to move on, but now he gets another shot. We think.
Seattle Seahawks
The entire offensive line
I am going with the entire unit since the line was a mess last season and not one player is expected to start in his same position from 2015. Left guard Justin Britt is moving to center and right tackle Garry Gilliam (pictured below) is moving from the right side to the left side. Three new starters are expected at the other spots. That's a bunch of questions for a line that wasn't good in 2015.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
LT Donovan Smith
When you have a franchise passer like the Bucs do in Jameis Winston, you need to make sure you protect his backside. Smith started as a rookie and flashed some natural ability, but he needs to be better. The Tampa Bay line has to take big steps forward this season if they are to push for a playoff spot. Smith struggled big time in pass protection as a rookie.
Tennessee Titans
RB DeMarco Murray
They traded to get him to with the idea a running game would help ease the pressure on second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota. Murray is coming off a bad season with the Eagles, but the Titans obviously think he can bounce back to his 2014 form when he led the league in rushing for the Cowboys. If that's the case, why draft Derrick Henry in the second round? Murray has to show last season was an aberration or he won't be around for long.
Washington Redskins
CB Josh Norman
When they signed him to that big deal as a free agent, it immediately put him on the spot. Is he as good as he looked last year for the Panthers, or was he a one-hit wonder. He was good before last season, but he had a career year for Carolina. They didn't go to great lengths to keep him, taking the franchise tag off him, so the Redskins jumped in and signed him as a free agent. He has to show he can replicate what he did last season.
