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The countdown to training camp rolls on, and before you know it, NFL players and coaches will find themselves in the thick of it as they lay the foundations for the upcoming season.
For some teams, camp represents a refresher, but for others, its a reset as new coordinators continue to teach their charges a new way of doing things.
Advertisement This offseason, 14 teams made changes at defensive coordinator, while 13 teams will feature new defensive play callers.
These new architects some of them head coaches, some of them assistants spent the offseason studying their players strengths and weaknesses and determining the best way to blend the talent they have inherited with the philosophies that they have developed.
Even if they have a rough idea of how they want to attack, most coaches realize that plenty of questions must be solved between now and the start of the season.
Heres a look at one pressing question facing every new defensive play caller in the league entering 2026.
Baltimore Ravens: Jesse Minter Will he have DT Nnamdi Madubuike this season? The Ravens havent had their two-time Pro Bowl anchor of their defensive front since Week 2 of last season because of a neck injury that required surgery just to give him a chance to continue playing.
Baltimore added Trey Hendrickson and Calais Campbell to help bolster their front, but Madubuike at the heart of it all would take Minters unit to another level.
Thus far, the rookie head coach, who will serve as defensive play caller despite the hiring of Anthony Weaver as coordinator, has avoided making predictions about the potential return of the difference-maker.
Buffalo Bills: Jim Leonhard How long will it take the Bills to adjust to a new approach? After nine seasons under the direction of defensive minded head coach Sean McDermott, the unit has a new leader in first-year coordinator Jim Leonhard.
The former 10-year NFL safety, who most recently served as the Denver Broncos pass game coordinator, is installing a dramatically different system featuring a 3-4 front with unconventional and aggressive blitz-heavy schemes.
The Bills loaded up on talent, adding veterans like Bradley Chubb, Geno Stone and C.J.
Gardner-Johnson, while drafting potential impact players like pass rusher TJ Parker and cornerback Davison Igbinosun early.
But it could still take some time for players (especially returners) to grow into new roles and develop a fluency that will allow them to play instinctively and without thinking.
Advertisement Cleveland Browns: Mike Rutenberg Can Jared Verse fill Myles Garretts massive shoes? Mike Rutenberg takes over for the highly successful Jim Schwartz, and the 44-year-old former Atlanta Falcons assistant draws the tall task of constructing an imposing defense without the most dominant defensive player in Browns history.
Gone is Myles Garrett, and in his place is Jared Verse, a 25-year-old former Rams pass rusher who came over in that trade with Los Angeles.
Verse does a good job of generating pressure on quarterbacks, but the Browns will need more from others, including young edge rushers Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire and linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
Dallas Cowboys: Christian Parker How quickly will he bring improvements to Dallas porous unit? The Cowboys defense underperformed at historically bad levels last season, so things can only go up from here, right? Rookie coordinator Christian Parker is a high-energy, imaginative coach with strong communication and instructional skills and a knack for developing young talent.
Jerry Jones has worked to reshape the defense and upgrade at key positions, spreading around the wealth that would have gone to Micah Parsons.
So Parker should have pieces to work with.
Unlike Matt Eberflus, Parker will not be nearly as rigid and will play to his players strengths, which could translate into early results.
Green Bay Packers: Jonathan Gannon How will he solve the Packers takeaway deficiencies? The Packers last season ranked among the worst in the league, managing just 14 (tied for the fourth-fewest).
But there arent any clear and obvious solutions to that problem.
Rookies Brandon Cisse (cornerback), Chris McClellan (defensive tackle) and Dani Dennis-Sutton (edge) all have potential, but neither was a turnover-generating machine in college.
The acquisition of Pro Bowl linebacker Zaire Franklin should also help, especially once Parsons returns from his surgery recovery.
But Gannon will have to use both strategy and motivational skills to coax the unit towards improvement in this game-defining category.
Los Angeles Chargers: Chris OLeary What can he expect from his pass rush? Perennial Pro Bowl pass rusher Khalil Mack had his least productive season in 2025 as injury limited him to just 12 games and 5.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits.
Mack, who had just six sacks in 2024, returns for a 13th NFL season, but at 35, a resurgence isnt likely.
Fortunately for the Chargers, third-year edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu recorded a career-high 13 sacks and 23 quarterback hits and earned Pro Bowl honors.
This year, the Chargers spent a first-round pick on pass rusher Akheem Mesidor.
OLeary will try to uphold the standard set by Jesse Minter, who is now in Baltimore, but hell need his pass rushers to serve as the tone-setters for the defense to ensure success in Year 1.
Las Vegas Raiders: Rob Leonard Will offseason resources and a system switch translate into instant improvement? Promoted from defensive line coach to coordinator, Leonard is doing away with the 4-3 and switching to a 3-4 front intended to give the Raiders more flexibility and less predictability.
The blessing in disguise that was the Maxx Crosby-to-Baltimore deal falling through means the Raiders still have a top-flight pass rusher.
It seems like the Raiders finally have some help for Crosby after re-signing Malcolm Koonce, adding another pass rusher in Keyron Crawford as well as linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean to name a few.
A more aggressive approach and infusion of talent could position Leonards unit for a much-needed impact.
Advertisement Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley How will he make up for a lack of proven talent? The Dolphins are in rebuild mode and things could get off to a rocky start for rookie head coach Jeff Hafley.
The former Packers defensive coordinator must work to reshape a defense that saw impact players like Bradley Chubb and Minkah Fitzpatrick depart in the offseason.
Hafley will lean heavily on third-year pass rusher Chop Robinson, but the pickings are slim when it comes to proven options both at edge rusher and in the secondary for the Dolphins, who have to face the likes of Josh Allen and Drake Maye twice a year and could wind up battling the New York Jets for last place in the division.
New York Giants: Dennard Wilson Who replaces Dexter Lawrence on the interior? Wilson inherits two talented edge rushers in Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeau, but he has a gaping hole in the middle of his defense following New Yorks trading of Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this offseason.
The Giants surrendered an NFC-worst 145.3 rushing yards per game.
So theyre hoping the offseason additions of DJ Reader, Shelby Harris and ascending Darius Alexander can team up to help fortify the heart of their defensive front.
But this could be a work in progress.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Patrick Graham Can he get more out of linebackers Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson? The Steelers are always associated with physicality and punishing defenses, but Pittsburgh has proved average against the run and ranked among the bottom third in the league on third downs.
The Steelers have invested heavily in their defensive line, but for new coordinator Patrick Graham to truly make improvements in this department, hell need improved execution from inside linebackers Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson.
Both have the athleticism to make plays all over the field, but Graham will need to help each learn how to play with greater discipline and better execution so they become true tone-setters.
San Francisco 49ers: Raheem Morris Can he restore the ferocity that has gradually waned? Four years ago, Morris helped the Rams win the Super Bowl after guiding a defense that ranked among the most disruptive in the league.
Now, after two seasons as head coach of the Falcons, he teams up with long-time friend Kyle Shanahan with the task of constructing a championship-caliber defense for this NFC West squad.
Five years ago, the 49ers certainly had that when the unit helped carry San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance.
But in the years since, turnover at defensive coordinator, age, injuries and free-agent departures have led to the regression of the unit.
Morris comes in with the mission of restoring the unit to its former glory.
Hes an aggressive play caller and creative chess master.
The 49ers are hoping his expertise, along with the healthy returns of pass rushers Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, growth from young defensive linemen Alfred Collins and CJ West, and the trade for Osa Odighizuwa, the drafting of pass rusher Romello Height, lead to a revival of this unit.
Tennessee Titans: Robert Saleh Will a return to play calling give his desired results in his second stint as a head coach? Robert Saleh is regarded by one of the brightest defensive minds in the game, but when serving as head coach of the New York Jets, he deferred to defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
But this time around, Saleh said hes calling the shots for the Titans defense, and he hopes that will give him a better connection with his players, and of course, better results.
Tennessees defense was just middle of the road last season, but after an offseason that saw them bolster the roster with the additions of defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers, cornerbacks Alontae Taylor and CorDale Flott and rookie linebacker Anthony Hill, the unit anchored by lineman Jeffrey Simmons has the potential to make some real strides in 2026.
Washington Commanders: Daronte Jones Can he mask deficiencies at safety enough to execute his style of attack? As a disciple of Brian Flores, new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones is expected to run a highly aggressive, creative and unpredictable defense that applies a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Free agent additions of pass-rushers Odafe Oweh and KLavon Chaisson and top rookie middle linebacker Sony Styles gives Jones the players to fly around and make plays.
But, its hard to say if the coach has the rangy safeties necessary to play the type of shell coverage Jones likes to run.
Nick Cross is another free agent addition that has the potential to help remedy this problem.
The former Colt recorded 120-plus tackles in each of the last season.
But Jones must settle on another starter in training camp.