Training camps are upon us, and with them, countless competitions that will help shape NFL lineups for the 2025 season. A handful of teams are kicking off big-name quarterback battles, but the fight to be a starting signal-caller isn’t the only pressing topic across the league now that the summer is in full swing. Dozens of veterans at other positions are also vying not only for starting roles but last chances with their respective teams, or to prove they deserve a bit more patience at the NFL level altogether.
We know that training camp stardom doesn’t always equate to meaningful production when the games actually begin. Quite a few players who are desperate to stand out in camp are bound to be under an even bigger microscope in the fall. And yet training camp can be very instructive, not only to teams making roster decisions ahead of preseason cutdowns, but to players settling into new homes or expectations ahead of the regular season.
With that in mind, here are 10 NFL veterans with the most to prove in 2025 training camp:
You’d think there wouldn’t be a ton of pressure on a young guy to make an immediate impact on the Eagles’ championship defense; the entire unit was swarming in the team’s Super Bowl destruction of the Chiefs. But Philadelphia shed salary after hoisting the trophy, leaving Hunt, a second-year project out of Houston Christian, as the top internal partner for Nolan Smith now that stalwarts like Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat are gone. If he can’t translate late-year burst into a fuller role, the Eagles will either have to lean heavily upon bargain-bin rentals like Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche or go hunting for added help down the road.
The Panthers spent a top-10 pick on wide receiver help for Bryce Young this spring, adding Tetairoa McMillan to a group most recently headlined by aging holdover Adam Thielen. But it’s Legette who might be the real X factor in Carolina. Another young big man who arrived at the back end of the first round in 2024, he had fewer than 50 receiving yards in each of the club’s final five games. Can he parlay a promising spring session into a legitimate Year 2 leap? Young needs chemistry here to make his own strides.
Raise your hand if you remember the Patriots gave Stevenson a $36 million contract extension ahead of last year’s camp. It doesn’t seem right considering what’s transpired since, namely the team spending this year’s 38th overall draft pick on TreVeyon Henderson, who also just inked a fully guaranteed rookie deal. Where Stevenson fits into the new-look backfield under new coach Mike Vrabel may well be decided by how he holds up — and holds onto the ball — throughout camp and preseason.
For a former first-round pick about to make his debut in the Big Apple, Fields sure hasn’t gotten a ton of national press. Maybe it’s a byproduct of the Jets torturing all who devoted so much time and attention to the failed Aaron Rodgers experiment of the last two years. Fields isn’t really in danger of losing the top job; the 2025 season is essentially his oyster on a one-year, prove-it deal. Still, he’s got to settle in as “the guy” on his third team in as many years, proving to the new regime he’s still got long-term juice.
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We talk a lot about the spirited youth that propels the Packers as playoff contenders; it’s all over the offense, where Matthew Golden and Savion Williams are the latest newbies to support Jordan Love. On the other side, Van Ness is one of the few youngsters with more prominent question marks. After logging just seven sacks across his first two seasons, the Iowa product could be in for more reps as an interior defender, per coach Matt LaFleur, as Green Bay looks to jump-start his impact as a pocket pusher.
Three years after he was a top-25 draft pick by Sean McDermott’s Bills, tabbed for a meaty role on a title-contending defense, Elam is trying to rewrite his story in Dallas. Dumped in a late-round pick swap this offseason, he has a chance to secure a spot on the Cowboys’ back end with Pro Bowl cover man Trevon Diggs still recovering from a knee injury. Elam admitted in the spring he senses more “energy” in Dallas than during his abbreviated stop in Buffalo. Now it’s time for him to translate that in the secondary.
The Browns might be prepared to carry four new quarterbacks into the 2025 campaign; it’s not a bad strategy for a franchise in perpetual search of a sustainable captain under center. Joe Flacco is the favorite to open the year with the top job thanks to a previous dabble with playoff contention under coach Kevin Stefanski. But Pickett is 13 years younger and just a few years removed from entering the NFL as a first-rounder. If he can’t find a way to emerge from this competition, perhaps he is just No. 2 material.
The Chiefs threw big money at Jawaan Taylor back in 2023, paying a premium for extensive experience more than an elite resume, and the returns have been mixed. This offseason, Kansas City took a different approach, paying top dollar for the other tackle spot, but this time betting on upside more than an extensive body of work. Moore is the favorite to be Patrick Mahomes’ blind-side blocker despite making just 12 starts in four years with the San Francisco 49ers. He’s also trying to hold off first-round rookie Josh Simmons.
In one sense, McCarthy has little to prove in camp; he’s already Kevin O’Connell’s chosen signal-caller for the next chapter of a talented Vikings team, the chief reason Minnesota passed on Aaron Rodgers despite appearing a “quarterback away.” We’ll only truly know whether McCarthy has “it” once the pass rush is live and the pressure is mounting on Sundays. Still, this is a 22-year-old with zero official NFL snaps under his belt. He’s still got to prove he belongs to his teammates to enter 2025 with momentum.
Two years ago, Richardson was the fourth overall pick in the entire draft. Two years in, he’s barely survived 15 game appearances at the NFL level, despite boasting supersized gifts. Another offseason of injury concerns has journeyman Daniel Jones positioned as the favorite to lead Indianapolis’ beleaguered quarterback room. Richardson needs a strong summer and preseason to retain any short- or long-term shot at a top gig with the Colts. That would include both availability and much-improved accuracy as a passer.
