- All eyes on Bradley Chubb: Chubb missed the entire 2024 season after tearing his right ACL in December 2023. The injury cut short what had been the best season of his career, as he set personal highs in total pressures (70), pass-rush grade (84.9), run-defense grade (71.1) and coverage grade (88.5).
- Here comes Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy: McCarthy posted an elite 90.6 PFF grade in his final season at Michigan, and Minnesota is banking on him making an immediate impact as the team aims to stay atop a competitive NFC North.
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With training camps set to open next week, the focus is officially shifting to the 2025 NFL season. The Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions, who square off in the Hall of Fame Game on July 31, will be the first teams to have players report.
For many players recovering from season-long injuries, training camp is their first real chance to get back on the field. Teams will often ease these players into action, but how quickly they ramp up over the course of camp can offer a strong indication of whether they’ll be ready for Week 1.
Here are five key players who missed the entire 2024 season and what to expect from them in 2025.
Edge Bradley Chubb, Miami Dolphins
Chubb missed the entire 2024 season after tearing his right ACL in December 2023. The injury cut short what had been the best season of his career, as he set personal highs in total pressures (70), pass-rush grade (84.9), run-defense grade (71.1) and coverage grade (88.5).
This marks Chubb’s third ACL injury. He tore his left ACL in high school and then re-injured the same knee in 2019 as a member of the Denver Broncos. While plenty of players have successfully returned from this injury, expectations should be tempered for the 29-year-old edge rusher.
The Dolphins spent the No. 21 overall pick last year on Chop Robinson, who flashed promise as a rookie. His 18.8% pass-rush win rate ranked sixth among all edge defenders in the NFL. With Robinson and the return of Jaelan Phillips, Miami heads into camp with no shortage of talent on the edge, even as Chubb works his way back.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
No player on this list faces more pressure in 2025 than Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota selected McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in last year’s draft, but he missed his entire rookie season after suffering a meniscus tear in the preseason opener.
Veteran Sam Darnold stepped in and delivered a career-best campaign, earning an 80.7 PFF grade that ranked 13th among 42 qualifying quarterbacks. With Darnold at the helm, the Vikings finished 14-3 and were one of the NFC’s top teams all year.
Now the spotlight shifts back to McCarthy. The Vikings have built a strong supporting cast around him at the skill positions and along the offensive line. McCarthy posted an elite 90.6 PFF grade in his final season at Michigan, and Minnesota is banking on him making an immediate impact as the team aims to stay atop a competitive NFC North.
Edge Malcolm Koonce, Las Vegas Raiders
Koonce suffered a torn ACL in practice just three days before the Raiders’ 2024 season opener, sidelining him for the entire year. His absence was felt, as the Raiders finished 27th in the NFL in pass-rush grade at 64.1.
A former third-round pick out of Buffalo, Koonce played sparingly in his first two seasons, logging only 116 snaps combined in 2021 and 2022. But he broke out in 2023, earning an 81.3 PFF grade that ranked 22nd among 112 qualifying edge defenders. He was a difference-maker down the stretch, racking up 38 pressures and eight sacks in the second half of the season.
If Koonce and Christian Wilkins (who also missed most of last year) return to full health, the Raiders’ defensive line could be one of the league’s most improved units in 2025.
Edge Sam Williams, Dallas Cowboys
Williams played just over 300 snaps in each of his first two seasons and was expected to take on a larger role in 2024 after the departures of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr. in free agency. But a torn ACL suffered during July training camp ended his season before it began.
The Cowboys’ defensive line took another hit when DeMarcus Lawrence was lost for the season with a foot injury in Week 4. Depth became a major issue for Dallas, but the team has worked to address it heading into 2025.
Williams now joins All-Pro Micah Parsons, second-round picks Marshawn Kneeland (2024) and Donovan Ezeiruaku (2025), and the returning Fowler Jr. as part of a revamped edge group. Williams has already proven he can produce at the NFL level, earning a 71.0 or higher pass-rush grade in each of his first two seasons. At just 26 years old, he has every reason to believe in a bounce-back campaign this year.
Edge Samson Ebukam, Indianapolis Colts
Like Malcolm Koonce, Samson Ebukam was coming off a career-best season in 2023. The former fourth-round pick out of Eastern Washington ranked 14th among 112 qualifying edge defenders with an 84.4 PFF grade in his first season with the Indianapolis Colts. Ebukam had already established himself as a productive pass rusher — it was his third straight year with at least 45 pressures — but his 80.0 run-defense grade was by far the highest of his seven-year career.
Ebukam suffered a torn Achilles tendon during training camp last July and missed the entire 2024 season. Before the injury, he had been one of the league’s most durable players, missing just two games (both in 2022) over seven seasons.
The expectation is that Ebukam will be cleared for activity when veterans report on July 22. With the defensive line as one of the Colts’ strengths, they can afford to ease him back into action early in the season as he works his way back from a yearlong recovery.
