The final week of mandatory minicamps rolls around this week, and then comes a healthy break that will allow NFL players, coaches and staffers time to rest, recover and gear up for training camps in late July.Slated to take the field this week for minicamp: the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders. The Los Angeles Rams had originally scheduled minicamp for this week, but coach Sean McVay wound up canceling the sessions as a reward for his players’ work in prior weeks.From new faces on coaching staffs and rosters to comeback quests for key players, this final week of work will go a long way toward helping teams firm up the foundation for the coming season.Here are seven of the leading minicamp storylines around the league this week.A.J. Brown’s fresh startOne of the big-name trade figures of the month, A.J. Brown, remains in the acclimation process with his new team, the Patriots. It was all smiles for Brown last week as the former Philadelphia Eagles wideout went through his first couple of OTA sessions. This week will afford him additional opportunities to bond with third-year quarterback Drake Maye while learning Josh McDaniels’ offense and gearing up for what the Patriots hope amounts to a return to the Super Bowl and completion of last winter’s unfinished business.Tua Tagovailoa vs. Michael Penix Jr.The Falcons set themselves up for a quarterback competition when they added Tua Tagovailoa in free agency. The former Miami Dolphins starter is expected to challenge the Falcons’ 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. for the starting job. But thus far, the competition has yet to truly commence because Penix hasn’t received full clearance as he completes the final stages of rehab from last year’s season-ending knee injury and surgery. For now, Penix has taken a significant number of seven-on-seven snaps while Tagovailoa has handled all of the first-team 11-on-11 action. When asked about Penix’s progress, coach Kevin Stefanski indicated Penix could get the green light for team drills at this week’s minicamp. Such a move would trigger a true competition between the two.The Falcons hope that one of the two left-handed quarterbacks can pace their offense. But questions loom over each, thanks in part to extensive injury histories dating back to their college days. Tagovailoa recorded a league-high 4,624 passing yards in 2023 and, in 2024, boasted an NFL-best 72.9 completion percentage. However, his effectiveness waned last season. Penix battled consistency in his first season as Atlanta’s starter (completing 60.1 percent of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions in nine games).Titans resetRobert Saleh’s reclamation project takes another step forward as the new head coach and his players continue to familiarize themselves with one another and the systems they’ll be running this fall. One of the top priorities involves developing second-year pro Cam Ward into a franchise quarterback. Thus far, Ward has struggled in practices while trying to grasp the concepts of offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s playbook. Interceptions have abounded both in seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 portions of practice. Saleh has downplayed the struggles, however, telling reporters, “I think it’s very safe to say that we’ve got a really, really, really good quarterback and we’re in good hands.” The coach fully understands that it’s only June and the best way for Ward to gain comfort is to continue getting reps.The Titans feel they are “in good hands” with second-year quarterback Cam Ward. (Robert Nelles / USA Today Network)Mike McDaniel-Justin Herbert union In each of the last two seasons, the Chargers have reached the playoffs only to hit the wall in the wild-card round. They have talent on defense and one of the best young quarterbacks in Justin Herbert; however, something is missing.So, this offseason, head coach Jim Harbaugh pursued former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and hired him as his offensive coordinator. McDaniel may have struggled to get the Dolphins over the hump; however, there’s no question about his offensive creativity and ability to position quarterbacks for success.Now, he embraces the task of further elevating Herbert. The two-time Pro Bowl passer is now on his fifth OC in seven seasons, so he’s used to having to start over with a new system. He and the Chargers hope this change leads to the first playoff win of Herbert’s career and the franchise’s first since the 2018 season.Bucs’ bounce-backInjuries took a heavy toll on the Buccaneers last season. Owners of a 6-2 record at their Week 9 bye, Todd Bowles and his players saw the season slip away as they went 2-7 to finish 8-9 and out of the playoffs for the first time since the 2019 season. The Bucs then experienced an offseason of significant change.Bowles fired both his offensive and special teams coordinators and hired Zac Robinson and Danny Smith to get those units back on track. Tampa Bay also saw long-time star wide receiver Mike Evans depart for the San Francisco 49ers. The Bucs hope the talented Emeka Egbuka can replace Evans as the leading weapon on offense after a promising rookie season. And they’re hoping rookie pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr., inside linebacker Josiah Trotter and defensive back Keionte Scott can help infuse Bowles’ defense with life as the Buccaneers aim to regain their place atop the NFC South.Jayden Daniels’ rebound After taking the league by storm as a rookie in 2024, Jayden Daniels battled injury throughout the 2025 campaign, and as a result, the Commanders took major steps backwards in Year 2 under Dan Quinn. With Daniels healthy again, the Commanders hope they can again compete in the NFC East and the conference.Part of Daniels’ road back will involve gaining comfort in a modified offense. Gone is Kliff Kingsbury, and Quinn elevated assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough to offensive coordinator. The 30-year-old former NFL journeyman quarterback will try to blend the best elements of Washington’s previous offense with elements from the systems he learned while playing under Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota and Ben Johnson in Detroit to produce a system that best supports and positions the 2024 offensive rookie of the year for a significant step forward.Detroit’s responseThe Lions ranked among the elite teams of the NFC in 2023 and 2024, but the 2025 losses of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn dealt Dan Campbell’s squad a blow, and the Lions posted a 9-8 record and missed the playoffs.The offseason has brought with it some changes. Campbell replaced offensive coordinator John Morton with Drew Petzing. The Lions have moved Penei Sewell from right tackle to left tackle, and they said goodbye to running back David Montgomery and plan on turning Jahmyr Gibbs into their workhorse back after using a platoon system the last three years. The Lions are counting on meaningful contributions from rookie right tackle Blake Miller and defensive end Derrick Moore. Minicamp will help the team gain further comfort with all of the changes around them as they aim to catch back up to the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears in the race to first in the NFC North.Jun 15, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms