What We've Learned About Every NFL Team so Far in 2021

Expect the rookie to be used in numerous ways this season and to be one of the centerpieces of the Falcons' offense.Lamar Jackson is the most dangerous dual-threat quarterback in the NFL. If he meshes well with his new teammates and Brady's offensive system, Darnold should be in store for a career year.The Chicago Bears traded up to draft former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, but they're not planning on rushing him into game action."I promise you every single person will know including Justin when it’s the right time, and that’s naturally how it happens," head coach Matt Nagy said, per Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports Chicago.The Bears signed veteran Andy Dalton in the offseason to manage the quarterback position for 2021. Burrow won the Heisman Trophy, while Chase racked up 1,780 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.Now reunited in Cincinnati, Burrow and Chase are busy picking up where they left off."We can look at each other and already know what we're thinking," Chase said, per Geoff Hobson of the team's official website.Burrow was tremendous as a rookie before the injury, passing for 2,688 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games. It also gave Cleveland one of the better overall rosters in the NFL."If the offense hums the way it did for much of last season, the Browns will win a bunch of games and be a threat to beat just about anyone when it really counts," Zac Jackson of The Athletic wrote.With Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb and pretty much the entire Browns offense returning for 2021—and with reigning Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski calling the shots—the Browns have every reason to believe their offseason moves will put them into the title chase.While a large chunk of the league is looking at quarterback changes in 2021, the Dallas Cowboys are getting their franchise signal-caller back.Dak Prescott was lost for the 2020 season when he suffered a fractured and dislocated ankle in Week 5. Lock will have an opportunity to make up ground in camp and the preseason, of course, but if Bridgewater already has the inside track at the starting job, Denver might have a new Week 1 starter for the fifth time in five years.The Detroit Lions traded away quarterback Matthew Stafford this offseason, getting a package of picks that includes two first-rounders, which may eventually be parlayed into a move for a rookie quarterback prospect.The Lions also got quarterback Jared Goff as part of the deal, and he figures to be the starter in 2021. While Lawrence is considered a generational talent, he isn't going to immediately make the Jaguars contenders.Jacksonville still has one of the more underwhelming rosters in the league, a first-time NFL head coach in Urban Meyer and a defense that ranked 31st in both points and yards allowed last season.Even though he possesses a tremendous amount of upside, Lawrence has had his fair share of rookie struggles during OTAs."Lawrence returned from what appeared to be tightness # and threw two Pick 6's within a few passes of each other," Mark Long of the Associated Press tweeted after one session. Even though he wasn't named the Week 1 starter, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert went on to win Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020. He threw a rookie-record 31 touchdowns and looked every bit like a franchise quarterback in the making.While Herbert will have to learn a new offense under head coach Brandon Staley and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, there's little reason to believe that he won't be just as good in Year 2.Los Angeles got Herbert some offensive line help by signing All-Pro center Corey Linsley and drafting tackle Rashawn Slater. Most of Herbert's supporting cast is back from last season, and the second-year quarterback is adapting to the new offense well."As we started off and [have] gone through these last couple weeks of practice, he's really, really sped up as far as what he knows," quarterbacks coach Shane Day said, per Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times. "He's getting more comfortable with us, and I think that's coming with timing and throwing over and over again."According to Greenspan, Stafford plans to hold workouts with his receivers during the break between OTAs and training camp.Last year, Tom Brady proved that a new quarterback can step in and lead his team to a championship. He was twice pulled for journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick in-game.Miami, however, committed to Tagovailoa by trading the No. 3 pick and then trading back up in Round 1 to secure wideout Jaylen Waddle, the quarterback's former teammate at Alabama.Tagovailoa's teammates are also buying into what they've seen early in the offseason."His mechanics look different," wideout DeVante Parker said, per Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post. He is the latest in the line of their quarterbacks of the future, and he'll likely be thrown into the fire immediately.The Jets don't have a veteran mentor on their roster who can guide Wilson and/or open the season if the rookie isn't ready. New York's other quarterbacks, Mike White and James Morgan, have no regular-season experience.While making the leap from college to the NFL can be a challenge, it's become increasingly common for rookie quarterbacks to start early in their pro careers. BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick believes that Wilson will be up to the task."The next level is going to be a huge challenge, but he's ready," Roderick said, per Jack Bell of the Jets' official website.2018 first-round pick Sam Darnold started in Week 1 of his rookie season, though he ultimately didn't pan out as the Jets' long-term starter. He'll face competition from 2018 seventh-round pick Jordan Mailata."Oh, there's definitely one," offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland said of the left tackle competition, per Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia.Mailata was far from perfect in his 10 starts last season. He's a very good player," head coach Kyle Shanahan told ESPN (h/t Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith).Garoppolo doesn't appear to be ready to relinquish the starting job either."I think Jimmy had his best spring since we've had him," Shanahan said Wednesday, per Keiana Martin of the team's official website.If Lance clearly outplays Garoppolo in camp and/or Garoppolo suffers another injury—he's missed 23 games in three seasons with San Francisco—then the rookie probably will claim the starting job. One reason for this is that he'll be more comfortable with an offense that befuddled him at times last season."Midway through the year, I was still trying to figure out how to call the plays," Brady told the Hodinkee Radio podcast last month (h/t JoeBucsFan.com).The quarterback should also be healthier, as a knee ailment bothered him throughout the season and eventually led to offseason surgery."It was an injury I dealt with since last April-May," Brady said, per ESPN's Jenna Laine. They made that clear when they in part traded a second-round pick for 32-year-old wideout Julio Jones.While Jones is still a fantastic receiver when healthy, he is coming off an injury-hampered season and doesn't provide a massive window of high-level play.