Each NFL team's biggest challenge: Will Bengals play defense in '25? Did Chiefs, Texans fix offensive line?

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The NFL regular season is less than a month and a half away, which means it’s time to start thinking about what’s on the horizon.

Every team has opened training camp, consequently kicking off discussions about how each will fare this fall. Some are thinking about taking a run at the Super Bowl; others are merely hoping to keep assembling the right pieces to make themselves relevant in the future. The one thing everybody has in common is the need to address as many questions as possible between now and September. They all made moves/key hires in the offseason with the goal of improving themselves. Now it’s time to see how close they can get to being finished products before Week 1 rolls around.

It would be quite a task to detail all the challenges for all 32 teams. Instead, I’ll focus on what strikes me as be the biggest challenge for each squad.

Biggest challenge: Turning Marvin Harrison Jr. into a superstar.

The second-year wide receiver had a decent rookie season, catching 62 passes for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. The problem is Arizona didn’t use the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft for a decent season. Harrison possesses elite traits, and the Cardinals need to maximize those talents. He had enticing flashes in 2024, with two 100-yard games as evidence. He also had his struggles, as he only surpassed 65 yards once in his last nine games (with the Cards competing for a playoff spot). That can’t happen in Year 2. Arizona could’ve added another weapon to take some pressure off Harrison. The team instead chose to double down on last year’s core, and MHJ showed up for camp with 11 more pounds of muscle. The message from both sides is obvious: There’s going to be more weight placed on Harrison’s broad shoulders this fall. He needs to be ready to deal with it.

Biggest challenge: Developing Michael Penix Jr.

Penix was able to start the final three games of last season after Kirk Cousins morphed into a turnover machine. Atlanta won one of those contests, but the number that really stuck out about Penix’s rookie campaign was his completion percentage: 58.1. Some of those accuracy issues likely were the result of Penix being thrust into a starting role after most assumed he might not play at all for possibly a couple years with Cousins under center. Penix will come into this season better prepared and with a clearer sense of how to succeed. The key for him will be taking care of the football and relying on a bevy of weapons — including running back Bijan Robinson and wide receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney (who’s going to miss a few weeks with a shoulder injury) — to make plays. If Penix limits his turnovers, then the Falcons should be much improved.

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