Everyone has something to prove in the upcoming NFL season. Big-name quarterbacks are seeking to live up to big-money deals. Big-time contenders are seeking to fulfill Super Bowl aspirations. Which players, in particular, could stand to earn more trust as soon as this summer, however?
Here are 10 veterans with the most to prove entering 2024 training camp:
Technically, Deshaun Watson probably has more to prove in-season, considering he's played just 12 games for Cleveland since his polarizing arrival. After a limited throwing schedule in the spring, however, he's got additional questions to answer about the durability of his surgically repaired shoulder, not to mention his comfort and chemistry within new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey's system.
The former San Francisco 49ers prospect doesn't have much to prove to Dallas other than that he's worth their previous fourth-round trade investment/capable of unseating Cooper Rush as Dak Prescott's No. 2. Entering a contract year, though, can the former No. 2 overall pick prove to the rest of the NFL he's actually making measurable progress as a pro passer?
New Panthers head coach Dave Canales has made a point to emphasize the run game while working to set 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young on the right track. It remains to be seen if Miles Sanders will have any part of that, despite signing a sizable deal as the team's top back last offseason. With Jonathon Brooks in tow as a new sidekick for Chuba Hubbard, the former Philadelphia Eagles starter is in a fight for touches.
The person who definitively figures out Kadarius Toney's true role and NFL future will be the first to do so. Hailed internally as maybe the most talented receiver on the Chiefs' depth chart, the former New York Giants castoff is also one of Kansas City's most mercurial characters. With speedsters Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown added to the room, he's once again battling for looks from Patrick Mahomes.
Fellow Titans receivers like DeAndre Hopkins have talked up Treylon Burks' gifts, but there's a reason Tennessee juiced up Hopkins' supporting cast this offseason, adding both Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd as perimeter targets. Two years after he arrived as a first-round pick and (somewhat unfairly) A.J. Brown's successor, Burks is still a relative unknown, and could be a trade candidate depending on his summer performance.
When the Chargers selected the big-bodied TCU product 21st overall in 2023, they did so knowing Quinton Johnston could grow behind proven pass-catchers in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Now both those veterans are gone, and Johnston will be tasked with quickly elevating chemistry with Justin Herbert -- and his 56.7% rookie-year catch rate -- under new coach Jim Harbaugh.
Would Aaron Rodgers, Garrett Wilson and Co. be doing so much joking about a possible Davante Adams trade to New York if Rodgers' other old friend from the Green Bay Packers actually inspired confidence as a starting wideout? Allen Lazard has always been better-suited for a secondary role, but he was a near-non-factor in his Jets debut sans a healthy Rodgers. With Mike Williams in tow, his role is in question.
The Lions have so much talent across the board on offense -- Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta -- that we've collectively overlooked the uncertainty residing in their No. 2/3 receiver spot. Jameson Williams remains an enticing downfield project, but "project" is the operative word, as the Alabama product enters 2024 with just 10 career starts in two seasons. If he's finally at full speed, look out.
The Saints spent a top-20 pick on Trevor Penning in 2022, and two years later, the only reason the Northern Iowa product may remain a starter is that longtime right tackle Ryan Ramczyk is still recovering from injury. With Taliese Fuaga new to the trenches as this year's 14th overall pick, Penning has a chance to revive his reputation in New Orleans by showing progress in his sudden switch to the right side.
Kansas City won its second straight Super Bowl in 2023 even with so-so production at the left tackle spot from ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter Donovan Smith. Now the job appears to be Wanya Morris' to lose, despite the 2023 third-rounder making just four starts as a rookie. He's got sterling peers up front in Creed Humphrey and Joe Thuney, but still, as Patrick Mahomes' blind-side blocker, the pressure is on.
