NFL Training Camps 2017: Schedule and Top Storylines to Watch

Don't look now—not much time sits between fans and the return of live NFL football on Aug. 3.

The Hall of Fame Game highlights a period when league legends such as Kurt Warner go forever enshrined into the Hall of Fame.

The short march to the event sees every team begin to report to training camps, where players will battle for roster spots and coaching staffs will whittle down rosters throughout the remainder of summer.

Here's a look at the location and report dates for each franchise.

AFC

Baltimore Ravens: Under Armour Performance Center, Owings Mills, MD; Rookies: 7/19; Veterans: 7/26

Buffalo Bills: St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY; Rookies: 7/26; Veterans: 7/26

Cincinnati Bengals: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH; Rookies: 7/25; Veterans: 7/27

Cleveland Browns: Cleveland Browns Training Complex, Berea, OH; Rookies: 7/23; Veterans: 7/26

Denver Broncos: UCHealth Training Center, Englewood, CO; Rookies: 7/23; Veterans: 7/26

Houston Texans: The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, WV; Rookies: 7/25; Veterans: 7/25

Indianapolis Colts: Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, Indianapolis, IN; Rookies: 7/24; Veterans: 7/29

Jacksonville Jaguars: Florida Blue Health & Wellness Practice Fields, Jacksonville, FL; Rookies: 7/19; Veterans: 7/26

Kansas City Chiefs: Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO; Rookies: 7/24; Veterans: 7/27

Los Angeles Chargers: Jack Hammett Sports Complex, Costa Mesa, CA; Rookies: 7/29; Veterans: 7/29

Miami Dolphins: Baptist Health Training Facility, Davie, FL; Rookies: 7/20; Veterans: 7/26

New England Patriots: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA; Rookies: 7/24; Veterans: 7/26

New York Jets: Atlantic Health Jets Training Center, Florham Park, NJ; Rookies: 7/28; Veterans: 7/28

Oakland Raiders: Napa Valley Marriott, Napa, CA; Rookies: 7/24; Veterans: 7/28

Pittsburgh Steelers: Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA; Rookies: 7/27; Veterans: 7/27

Tennessee Titans: Saint Thomas Sports Park, Nashville, TN; Rookies: 7/28; Veterans: 7/28

NFC

Arizona Cardinals: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ; Rookies: 7/21; veterans: 7/21

Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta Falcons Training Facility, Flowery Branch, GA; Rookies: 7/26; Veterans: 7/26

Carolina Panthers: Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC; Rookies: 7/25; Veterans: 7/25

Chicago Bears: Olivet Nazarene University, Bourbonnais, IL; Rookies: 7/19; Veterans: 7/26

Dallas Cowboys: Marriott Residence Inn, Oxnard, CA; Rookies: 7/19; Veterans: 7/22

Detroit Lions: Detroit Lions Training Facility, Allen Park, MI;  Rookies: 7/24; Veterans: 7/29

Green Bay Packers: St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI; Rookies: 7/26; Veterans: 7/26

Los Angeles Rams: University of California, Irvine, CA; Rookies: 7/26; Veterans: 7/28

Minnesota Vikings: Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN; Rookies: 7/23; Veterans: 7/26

New Orleans Saints: New Orleans Saints Training Facility, Metairie, LA; Rookies: 7/19; Veterans: 7/26

New York Giants: Quest Diagnostics Training Center, East Rutherford, NJ; Rookies: 7/27; Veterans: 7/27

Philadelphia Eagles: NovaCare Training Complex, Philadelphia, PA; Rookies: 7/23; Veterans: 7/26

San Francisco: SAP Performance Facility, Santa Clara, CA; Rookies: 7/27; Veterans: 7/27

Seattle Seahawks: Virginia Mason Athletic Center, Renton, WA; Rookies: 7/29; Veterans: 7/29

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: One Buccaneer Place, Tampa, FL; Rookies: 7/25; Veterans: 7/27

Washington Redskins: Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center, Richmond, VA; Rookies: 7/26; Veterans: 7/26

via NFL.com.

Top Storylines to Watch

Rookie Backs 

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Running back might be the most interesting position of the summer—not bad for a spot many consider dying or falling out of favor. 

Most of this has to do with big names in interesting places. Look at, say, No. 4 pick Leonard Fournette out of LSU and his fit with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he'll likely steal snaps from TJ Yeldon and Chris Ivory while trying to boost a passing game featuring Allen Robinson and questions under center.

Perhaps even more intriguing is Christian McCaffrey with the Carolina Panthers. The former Stanford star came off the board eight picks later in almost predictable fashion and figures to form what could be one of the league's most potent one-two punches with veteran Jonathan Stewart.

Also of intrigue is the controversial Joe Mixon, perhaps the lone rookie back ready to take an every-down role right away. He'll likely do so in one of the league's more potent offenses as well thanks to core faces of the attack such as A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert.

"He's off the charts talent-wise," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said on Sirius XM, according to NFL.com's Conor Orr. "Big, fast, catch, run, see, smart—and he's a 20-year-old kid. He's as smart as a whip. You know, I mean, those things are fun. And I keep reminding everybody, he's a 20-year-old kid. Keep understanding that. Let Joe continue to grow and develop as we go."

Mixon is a good embodiment of the position as a whole—even a rookie can come in and take over right away these days, which is nothing but a good thing for teams and fans alike. Look for the battles to get serious right out of the gates.

Veteran Backs in New Places

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Veteran backs help the importance of watching running back closely this summer.

Thank Beast Mode and Adrian Peterson.

Marshawn Lynch made his almost predictable return to the NFL recently, joining on with the Oakland Raiders because of the locale and the potential for the team to compete for a Super Bowl with a star running back in tow.

Granted, the Raiders weren't bad at running back last year with Latavius Murray, who managed at least four yards per carry in each of his three seasons with the team and last year alone rushed for 12 scores.

But we're talking about Lynch, the guy famous for big runs and six 1,000-yard seasons under his belt, not to mention a brutal style capable of bullying defenses into submission, as Pro Football Focus helped illustrate:

The idea seems to be that Lynch will push the Raiders over the edge while hunting for a Lombardi Trophy in the same way the New Orleans Saints have to hope Adrian Peterson will at least help the team to the playoffs.

Peterson is now 32 years old and has had one notable season over his last three, which resulted in his searching for a job. The Saints, at least, give him a chance to have a big year while defenses focus on Drew Brees.

Granted, Peterson will have to work to take snaps from Mark Ingram, but the two could share and keep each other fresh over the course of a long season.

While just two names, it's worth keeping an eye on both veterans closely because of the gigantic impact they could have on their respective teams and conference's playoff races.

QB Battles Galore

Of course, running back will never surpass quarterbacks when it comes to entertainment value over the summer.

Where to even start? Let's try the AFC North, where the Cleveland Browns have to figure out what to do with three names. Cody Kessler flashed at times last year, but the front office picked up Brock Osweiler in a surprise trade and plucked rookie DeShone Kizer out of a fall in the second round.

Kizer has already turned plenty of heads during the opening stages of this battle:

Then there's the Chicago Bears, where the team will need to pick between big-money free agent Mike Glennon and rookie Mitchell Trubisky, the guy the front office traded up for in the draft after inking Glennon to his big-money deal, which is admittedly front loaded.

The logical direction says Chicago will let the rookie learn for a year, but if Trubisky is leagues ahead of Glennon after the summer, shouldn't the coaching staff put the best player on the field?

The New York Jets get a mention here for an unpredictable battle featuring Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty, though more interesting is the Denver Broncos.

Denver sits in a tough spot needing to pick between Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. The former didn't exactly impress last year while completing 59.5 percent of his passes over 14 games, throwing just 18 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. Not great, but Lynch—the No. 26 pick in 2016—still hasn't shown enough to get the coaching staff to hand him the keys.

To top it off, don't forget the Houston Texans. A borderline playoff team in a bad division without competent quarterback play, this year's No. 12 pick Deshaun Watson has the mental makeup and mobility to take over right away as long as he adapts to the speed of the game.

The situation and Watson's sheer skill have him as one of this summer's top overall names to watch:

As usual, quarterback turnover will rule the day as the summer progresses. Surprises will happen and teams bold enough to make changes, some of them unexpected, will reap the benefits.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.