7 NFL Questions That Must Be Answered Before the Start of 2021 Training Camps

It's question-answering season as NFL teams approach the most critical stretch of the summer. 

Over the course of training camps and three preseason games, each team faces a gauntlet of the typical positional battles while trying to formulate the best 53-man roster. 

Add in any potential drama, holdouts, remaining free agents and massive media attention that comes with starting quarterback battles, and it's no wonder shows like HBO's Hard Knocks are so popular. 

But before those camps start is this critical stretch where teams must answer important questions that will allow them to maximize the value of those training camps and make the most of the offseason.

It's no secret the Miami Dolphins will be starting Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback in 2021, though the offense itself is more of a mystery. 

In 2020, Tagovailoa appeared in 10 games and threw for 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions, but he had to deal with getting yanked for Ryan Fitzpatrick in key moments. 

Fast forward to this spring, and the talk from Miami was an emphasis on expanding the passing attack downfield—and then Tagovailoa made headlines by throwing five interceptions in practice. 

"I don't think Tua is going into a shell," Dolphins coach Brian Flores said, according to ESPN's Cameron Wolfe. "I tell him to continue being aggressive. It's using this time to practice pushing the ball down field, then we'll make the adjustments and the corrections."

While the reaction to Tagovailoa's rough minicamp outing was overly dramatic, as Wolfe pointed out, he did have the second-lowest QBR on attempts of 25-plus yards last season, and his 6.3 yards per attempt was the third-lowest average among all passers. 

Simply put, the Dolphins need to figure out quickly how to best adapt the offense to Tagovailoa's capabilities or risk the short- and long-term outlooks. 

The Seattle Seahawks had to know a Jamal Adams holdout would be a feature of the 2021 offseason that they need to handle.

Seattle gave Adams a ton of leverage on this front by sacrificing a pair of first-round picks to acquire him via trade. He only got in 12 games last year and generated a 64.2 grade at Pro Football Focus (backup range), yet still had 26 pressures and 9.5 sacks. 

That grade was an anomaly, even if Adams is an unorthodox safety in the way he makes more plays as a pass-rusher than in coverage. He's been a Pro Bowler three times for a reason. 

Adams had an excused absence for recent minicamp practices, but it could be a sign of things to come with him on the last year of his deal. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll even hinted at wanting to get an extension done, so that should be a priority to make sure the defense is fully intact during camp for a win-now contender. 

Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio has jokingly said he'd flip a coin to see who takes the first snap of camp this summer between quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock. 

But going 50-50 with the first-team reps might do more harm than good for both veteran and youngster alike. 

Lock didn't take the anticipated step up last year in his second season, completing just 57.3 percent of his passes with 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions over 13 games. Missing on the lion's share of the reps could only hurt his development at this stage. 

Then there's Bridgewater, brought over via trade after one year in Carolina. Going into his age-29 season, the veteran threw for a career-high 3,733 yards but just 15 touchdowns and 11 picks while going 4-11 as a starter in 2020. Erratic first-team reps could make it just as hard for him to adjust to a new team again. 

Denver has a fine line to walk here, so getting a better early idea of the team's direction (developmental or win-now) would make for a more productive camp. 

It's a little amazing how much Richard Sherman's free agency has flown under the radar. 

Sherman's name recognition alone should have made it a bigger deal. But now 33, the veteran only made it in five games last year due to injuries, only the second time since 2011 he's missed more than two games.

But Sherman's 2019 numbers say it all. Over 15 appearances, he only let up a 62.3 percent completion rate on 69 targets, earning an 88.9 PFF grade, just shy of 90 for the "elite" threshold. 

Based on his age and likely wanting to play for a contender, Sherman might be content to wait out training camp and join a team right before the season. But if he's not re-upping with San Francisco, it might be better for him to get in camp and adapt to new surroundings. Plus, any team would probably like to have him getting reps and having a positive impact on younger corners on the roster for the duration of the summer, too. 

Like Justin Herbert in Los Angeles last year, the San Francisco 49ers might be content to let rookie passer Trey Lance "fight" for the job in camp but start the season sitting behind a veteran passer. 

While the 49ers coughed up a huge sum of assets to move up to No. 3 for Lance, they do have the viable argument that Jimmy Garoppolo took the team to a Super Bowl in 2019. Of course, that's the only time the veteran has played more than six games in a season for the Niners over four years, but it's a good excuse to let Lance learn from the sidelines. 

The debate was brought up by offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel at minicamps, according to NBC Sports' Matt Maiocco. 

"You try not to get too far ahead of yourself," McDaniel said. "Of course, it tempts your mind a little bit, but really you have to get back to the basics. And with a guy like Trey, you’re just teaching him the offense and coaching him on fundamentals and seeing where he can get—preparing him to compete in training camp."

The question is whether the 49ers will let it be a real competition and if they bite on the allure of Lance's upside, as his athleticism would seemingly open up more opportunities for the offense. Not only is the veteran in front of him a counterweight to that, but his uphill transition from a smaller school like North Dakota State might also come into play, too. 

San Francisco doesn't want to rebuild of course, so whether Lance has a legitimate shot is a fair question. 

This is a question that was asked in some fashion last year too, largely due to the desperation reeking from a Chicago Bears front office that hasn't been able to find the answer under center. 

Somehow, the pressure's even higher this summer. 

Chicago used the 11th pick in the draft on Ohio State's Justin Fields, tossing him on the depth chart with ho-hum veterans Andy Dalton and Nick Foles. It's Dalton who has taken most of the first-team reps so far in practices, with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reporting Fields will see a ton of work in preseason games. 

From the sounds of Breer's writeup, Fields' work mostly centers on perfecting basics like leading the huddle. But if he isn't ready to go by the time the regular season rolls around, Chicago would be stuck with Dalton, a career 7.1 yards-per-attempt passer with a 74-66-2 record. 

After using such a high-profile pick on a first-round passer, the Bears aren't going to be able to avoid criticism if Fields sits, especially when the other options are so bland. And we're talking about a prospect who threw for 5,000-plus yards and 63 touchdowns with nine interceptions over two seasons with the Buckeyes. 

For the Bears, it's a matter of rebuild versus contend here, too. But Dalton isn't exactly known for the latter, and his eating the first-team reps could do more harm than good for the rookie, leaving Chicago in an awkward spot. 

Aaron Rodgers' name is all that really needs to be said, right? 

The Green Bay Packers have a huge problem on their hands, as last year's MVP remains disgruntled with the organization. 

A possible opt-out of the 2021 season was the latest curve in this windy road, with ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reporting there was thought Rodgers might skip next season via the opt-out rules to avoid playing for the Packers. Doing that would mean Rodgers wouldn't have to forfeit a $11.5 million signing bonus.

It was a tricky, if not far-fetched idea, but stems from ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting in April that Rodgers had told some members of the team he didn't want to play there anymore. After, he didn't show up to mandatory minicamps. 

Good luck figuring out how the Packers can make this work and avoid throwing 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love to the wolves in 2021. Roster and/or front office shuffling or a lucrative extension for the 37-year-old passer might be options. But losing arguably the league's best quarterback to something like an opt-out or even retirement might be something the Packers have to stare down in the coming days and weeks. 

If money is a non-factor, Rodgers has all the leverage. The whole ordeal makes the Packers by far the most interesting team to watch in the short term given the dramatic upending of an entire organization Green Bay faces if Rodgers pushes this scenario to its limits.