The countdown to the 2015 NFL season continues as we check off one box at a time, until reaching the NFL opener. Organized Team Activities (OTA's) have wrapped up across the NFL and as players get some time to rest their bodies, the NFL calendar turns its focus toward training camp.
While OTA's give us an early glimpse at the upcoming roster and players to keep an eye on heading into training camp, it is still a limited sample size and each team faces their own questions they must answer in the coming months. Now let's take a look at the biggest question facing each team as we look ahead to July.
Atlanta Falcons
How Much Can Dan Quinn Do for the Falcons?
Offensively, the Falcons are pretty much set for a strong season. Matt Ryan is in the midst of his prime, Julio Jones is healthy and Atlanta hired one of the best offensive minds in the game by bringing in Kyle Shanahan. The problem for Atlanta last season was its defense, something they hope new coach Dan Quinn can fix.
To assist Quinn, the Falcons drafted Vic Beasley with their first-round pick. It could easily be argued that Beasley was the best pass rusher in this class and now will be coached up by Quinn. Atlanta also signed Adrian Clayborn to see if he can stay healthy and produce.
There's talent at corner with future All-Pro Desmond Trufant but questions remain at safety and inside linebacker. A great coach can never be discounted and this year we will see how great of a defensive mind and coach Quinn can be. Expectations shouldn't be set at Atlanta becoming a top-five defense, but Quinn could turn this group from an eye sore to a near above-average group.
Carolina Panthers
Can the Panthers Protect Cam Newton?
The same question surrounds the Panthers for a second season, can they do enough to hope Newton stay healthy and be successful. After the departure of Steve Smith, they needed a receiver and drafted Kelvin Benjamin. Benjamin had a solid rookie season and Carolina went out and drafted another weapon for him, Devin Funchess.
Now we arrive at the heart of the Panthers' issue, the offensive line. After Byron Bell's disastrous season, Carolina let him walk in free agency. Instead of going after a marquee offensive tackle, the Panthers decided Michael Oher was the man to solve their left tackle problems.
Frankly, it's unexplainable what they see in Oher. "The Blind Side" has nothing to do with the fact he has been atrocious for several years now, but Carolina believes it will work. Oher is the starting left tackle after OTA's and the Panthers still have a question mark at right tackle. This offensive line was bad last season and it hasn't improved.
New Orleans Saints
Is Drew Brees on the Decline?
The Saints made some changes this offseason, trading away Jimmy Graham and opting to re-tool the offense with a bigger focus on youth. New Orleans drafted offensive tackle Andrus Peat to help shore up the offensive line, pairing him with Max Unger from the Graham trade.
An improved offensive line is great news for the offense and the Saints also added C.J. Spiller to provide another weapon, capable of making big plays as a running back and receiver. Everything seems to be on the upswing, except there seems to be concern over Brees.
NFL Insider Jason Cole reported earlier this month that members inside the Saints' building were concerned Brees was starting to decline "noticeably". Cole pointed to the increased interception rate and increase in the amount of hits he has taken. Brees turned 36 in January and after six of the past eight seasons with 650-plus pass attempts, you could see a decline going back over Brees past five years. If Brees is on the decline, it really doesn't matter what the Saints do to improve the offense around him, it will fail to reach their potential.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Who Steps Up at Safety?
The focal point of Tampa Bay's offseason was selecting Jameis Winston first overall, after all it solved their quarterback problem. But after whiffing badly in free agency with Dashon Goldson two years ago, Tampa Bay cut ties with Goldson in the offseason just a few months after trading away former first-round pick Mark Barron. To fill the gaping void at safety, Tampa Bay brought in D.J. Swearinger and Chris Conte.
Conte essentially was "allowed to look elsewhere" by Chicago after numerous injuries and inconsistency at free safety. Even if he manages to stay healthy, Conte has had some bad lapses in coverage. It was also an odd move for Tampa Bay to claim Swearinger with Bradley McDougald locked in at strong safety.
There is the potential for this to be a good secondary, but there are a lot of moving parts with question marks. Major Wright is more of a depth safety, Conte has the issues listed above and Swearinger was cut loose from Houston for a reason. If it can all be figured out, Tampa Bay could surprise some teams in 2015. If the struggles continue, the Bucs will continue to have issues in the secondary and that's not good news in a division with Ryan, Newton and Brees.