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For better or worse, the Houston Texans will again leave their primary quarterbacking duties to Matt Schaub this season. But behind him, a competition brews as the team attempts to determine the identity of his backup.

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Though their final results from 2012 wouldn't indicate that any part of their play was truly dominant, the Kansas City Chiefs have a pair of quite impactful OLBs in Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, and new DC Bob Sutton is poised to feature both as part of an aggressive pass-rushing scheme this fall. But, the scheme will also involve a number of the other players on that side of the ball.

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One of the key pieces of the Tennessee Titans' defense as we look ahead to the 2013 campaign, LB Colin McCarthy underwent ankle surgery this offseason. The procedure wasn't believed to be too major, though there can be complications following any surgery.

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Knowing that they'd definitely be without Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe this fall -- and might be without Jameel McClain -- the Baltimore Ravens used a second-round pick on LB Arthur Brown in the draft and signed Rolando McClain in free agency. The Rolando Experience is over (for now), as he's retired from football to get his off-field life in order. And there's new concern over Brown as the offseason rolls along.

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Coming out of college, WR Stephen Hill had some question marks in terms of his ability to play the game at the NFL level; unlike some of the other wideout prospects in the 2012 draft, he was not very polished. So it wasn't surprising that he had trouble making a big impact in his rookie campaign -- and the New York Jets' quarterbacking situation didn't help matters much, either. As we look ahead to the fall, Hill certainly has a chance to make his mark.

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Though Cincinnati Bengals starting QB Andy Dalton isn't counted amongst the elite players at his position, he's played well enough to get the team into the playoffs the past two seasons. However, as we look ahead to the 2013 campaign, the team has yet to identify the player that will be his primary backup.

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After new Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid got a look at his inherited troops this offseason, one player who really stuck out to him was RB/WR Dexter McCluster. And apparently, his new QB also envisions a big role for the Mississippi product.

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Moving from 2012 to 2013, the safety position was an area of concern for the Philadelphia Eagles, no matter who was going to be coaching the team. So, they signed Kenny Phillips and Patrick Chung in free agency before adding Earl Wolff in the draft. In the early portion of the offseason program, incumbent Nate Allen was lining up with the first team alongside Chung, which was somewhat confusing given that Phillips has the best resume of the bunch.

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Given the opinion in some corners of the Internet that the Dallas Cowboys have under-performed in recent seasons (based upon their assembled talent), there has been speculation that HC Jason Garrett is on the hot seat as we look ahead to the 2013 season. This idea has gained steam as the club has hired former NFL head coaches to serve as his assistants; after all, any of these men could serve as the interim HC if Garrett were to be canned mid-season.

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Following the news that San Francisco 49ers WR Michael Crabtree had torn his Achilles tendon, we ran through a list of speculative possibilities in terms of possible replacements. Internally, the club will lean on Anquan Boldin, A.J. Jenkins, Mario Manningham (recovering from a Week 16 knee injury), TE Vernon Davis and potentially rookie Quinton Patton. As for the outside options, former Niner Randy Moss is one of the ones we listed, and per a new report, at least one side of this potential deal is interested in making it happen.

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The Miami Dolphins attacked free agency this offseason with aplomb, and one of the areas where they made significant changes to their roster was at WR. Brian Hartline was re-signed, Mike Wallace and Brandon Gibson were added, and Davone Bess was traded to Cleveland. Things are naturally going to look a bit different as Ryan Tannehill scans the field this fall, and this week we got some hints as to how that will be.

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After undergoing surgery to repair a broken leg, Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson initially wasn't supposed to be ready to practice with his teammates until training camp, but the veteran took part in every one of Wednesday's OTA drills, according to the Detroit News' Chris McCosky.

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There are few bigger unknowns this offseason than whether Chip Kelly can translate his high-flying Oregon offense into a prolific system for the Philadelphia Eagles. ESPN NFL analyst Ron Jaworski took a deep look at the film and said on 97.5 The Fanatic this week that he doesn't see it working well.

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UPDATE: Although he thought that Hakeem Nicks would work out with some "limitations" to protect last season's knee injury, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin said he expected the wideout to attend their OTA sessions which began Wednesday. However, Nicks was a no show, according to Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News.

"I don't know," Coughlin said after the session. "He should be here."

Time will tell what Nicks' reason for being absent is, but it may well have to do with his contract running out after this season and his desire to ink a long-term deal.

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After four NFL seasons, Hakeem Nicks has yet to play a full 16-game slate. Last season, he missed three games and was never 100 percent. Things are looking better for Nicks this offseason, though, according to Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News.

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