Each Friday throughout the 2024 NFL season, we'll be performing somewhat of a leaguewide check-in, with quick-hit takes from all 32 NFL squads based on news, fodder, trends and/or results.

And with every team now having played at least two preseason tune-ups, we're ready to take you around the country with thoughts on the latest happenings.

Let's jump into what's dominating the national football conversation this week.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills: What you've seen of late is about all you're going to get this month from a team that is playing it safe this weekend as a result of a rash of August injuries, but at least Greg Rousseau made a statement recently ahead of what many hope will be a breakout season.

Miami Dolphins: Friday night in Tampa, an underrated battle between Skylar Thompson and Mike White will likely be decided. It's not sexy, but it could end up making a huge impact on Miami's season. Backing up Tua Tagovailoa effectively is massive considering his history as well as the inevitably stiff competition in the AFC East.

New England Patriots: I've been all for Drake Maye sitting until he's ready and the Patriots feel he has enough support. After all, this isn't likely to be a competitive season for New England anyway. But the talent delta between the rookie and Jacoby Brissett is becoming glaring. A solid performance Sunday night against Washington should lock this up.

New York Jets: I appreciate that Robert Saleh thinks Aaron Rodgers is physically capable of returning to dominance, but that's never really been my concern. I'm much more interested in what's going on with Rodgers mentally and emotionally and how that could prevent him from getting the Jets back on track in 2024. I guess we'll soon find out.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens: Broadly, it's beginning to feel as though there's an all-or-nothing nature to the 2024 Ravens. Lamar Jackson will try to swing for the fences more often, but can he stay healthy behind a hit-or-miss offensive line? What about Mark Andrews? They're also less deep than a year ago at this time. It's an intriguing element, but likely stressful if you're a fan.

Cincinnati Bengals: It's a tad quiet as a veteran team officially says goodbye to the preseason, but glovegate is a prime indication that August football fodder has jumped the shark.

Cleveland Browns: Honestly, when you're as historically snake-bitten as the Browns, and if you're only going to give the guy a few reps anyway, why bother playing Deshaun Watson Saturday against Seattle? What are you really getting out of that?

Pittsburgh Steelers: I don't know how Russell Wilson comes back from losing the starting job to Justin Fields, if indeed that's what transpires in the days to come. At what point is the hole too deep? The Steelers might still be better off starting the season with Wilson to ensure he's toast, because it might be a lot more difficult to go from Fields to Wilson in the midst of the 2024 campaign.

AFC South

Houston Texans: Last week I said I'm starting to believe Houston is a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Another smooth preseason performance on both sides of the ball (this time against the Giants) and another week of work with few health hiccups and that belief is growing stronger.

Indianapolis Colts: No major injuries and the starters got some significant work in as the team wrapped up the preseason Thursday night. Sometimes, that's enough to be satisfied. This unit should be fun to watch in 2024.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Considering Trevor Lawrence's injury history, it's gotta be quite a relief for the Jaguars to see Mac Jones stand out. We know the guy has good talent and can at least be an upper-echelon backup at age 25. Now, if Lawrence has to miss any time this year, the Jags have a better chance of surviving that stretch.

Tennessee Titans: It's hit me lately just how experienced this roster is outside of Will Levis and JC Latham. Word that DeAndre Hopkins is on track to return for Week 1 sort of caused it to dawn on me. New arrivals L'Jarius Sneed, Tony Pollard, Calvin Ridley, Kenneth Murray, Jamal Adams, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Quandre Diggs, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Tyler Boyd, Chidobe Awuzie and Shane Ray make up quite an experienced quilt alongside returning vets Hopkins, Harold Landry III, Jeffery Simmons, Arden Key and Amani Hooker. It will be fascinating to see how they all come together.

AFC West

Denver Broncos: At the very least, it's likely a comfort to know that Bo Nix won't be thrown to the wolves behind a bad offensive line as a rookie starter. Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey form a strong tackle duo and Quinn Meinerz and Ben Powers bring plenty of experience inside. That group has survived the summer to this point.

Kansas City Chiefs: Key injuries this month on both sides of the ball do have me wondering if the Chiefs will struggle out of the gate. It's never easy having a Super Bowl target on your back under any circumstances, and this somewhat disjointed team has the Ravens, Bengals and Falcons right off the bat.

Las Vegas Raiders: With Gardner Minshew II locked in and the starters chilling this weekend, the focus has basically turned to that opener against the Chargers. And honestly, with the Raiders in Baltimore in Week 2, that is one of the most critical Week 1 tilts on the schedule.

Los Angeles Chargers: The Bolts will now almost certainly have a healthy Justin Herbert for that aforementioned Week 1 meeting with the Raiders. If that's the case and Herbert can deliver in Jim Harbaugh's home opener, the Chargers have a decent chance at starting strong with the Panthers and Steelers on deck.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: The fact that most of the chatter and commentary by Jerry Jones surrounds CeeDee Lamb's contract situation rather than Dak Prescott's is indicative of how unlikely it is that Dak signs anything anytime soon. I really think this is probably his last season in Dallas.

New York Giants: Daniel Jones has to be running out of leash already following a terrible preseason debut last weekend, and that could compound if Drew Lock can return from injury and play well against the Jets on Saturday. I expect to see plenty of Lock at some point this season.

Philadelphia Eagles: Hard to argue against a team that is all-in on this season adding much-needed wide receiver depth at the expense of some middle-round draft capital. Jahan Dotson is a 24-year-old former first-round pick who scored seven touchdowns as a rookie in 2022. He could easily take his game to a new level in Philly.

Washington Commanders: Meanwhile, the Dotson trade makes a lot of sense for the Commanders considering that they're likely a year away and they've added Olamide Zaccheaus and Luke McCaffrey to the fray. Potential win-win here.

NFC North

Chicago Bears: That's a successful wrap, with the focus now shifting to Chicago's home opener two weeks from now against Tennessee. It's one of the most highly anticipated games on the Week 1 schedule, for good reason. If the Bears can take care of business, it takes a lot of pressure off the following week in Houston when Caleb Williams meets C.J. Stroud.

Detroit Lions: The Penei Sewell injury is a reminder that even if you keep your starters out of preseason action, guys can of course still go down. Fortunately, the star offensive tackle appears to be OK. You can't incubate these guys entirely, but the heavily hyped Lions have survived the summer, with Jahmyr Gibbs reportedly on track to return for Week 1.

Green Bay Packers: Considering what we're seeing now from Sean Clifford, and that the only other option beyond that is rookie seventh-round pick Michael Pratt, it's safe to say an injury to Jordan Love that costs him time on the field will likely blow up Green Bay's season in such a competitive division.

Minnesota Vikings: Stephon Gilmore was one of just 16 cornerbacks to start 10-plus games and allow a completion percentage below 56.0 in 2023. That's a great late-summer signing. Low risk, high potential reward.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: I love what they're doing with the defense, but the reality is the A.J. Terrell extension at $81 million over four years is a clear-cut overpay right now. He's a solid starter, but the guy hasn't intercepted a pass since 2021 and has surrendered 10 touchdowns in coverage the last two seasons. This is a gamble.

Carolina Panthers: At the very least, they're giving us something to watch Saturday with Bryce Young and other starters expected to get significant reps in the preseason finale in Buffalo. A strong showing could at least generate some positive vibes entering a critical season.

New Orleans Saints: Sunday against Tennessee, we'll at least get what feels like a decisive battle between Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener in the battle to back up Derek Carr. I have a feeling that might matter later this year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: I think the Bucs have had the quietest summer in the NFL. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It might actually be a good omen. We'll start to get a feel for that when they host Washington in two weeks.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Gannon says Kyler Murray is "leaps and bounds" ahead of where he was in 2023, which is awesome to hear because Murray is such a unique talent. If he and Marvin Harrison Jr. can click and excel together in 2024, the Cards will at least become appointment viewing.

Los Angeles Rams: If they want to have a real shot at making a statement against the Lions in their prime-time season opener, the Rams need to get Darious Williams and Jonah Jackson healthy. The good news is Sean McVay sounds optimistic about both.

San Francisco 49ers: The fact the Brandon Aiyuk situation has lingered this long leads me to believe a lot of the trade talk was posturing and that a deal will get done between now and the start of the season. That's a great thing if you're the 49ers, who need Aiyuk with a low margin for error atop the NFC.

Seattle Seahawks: I know they remain publicly optimistic on Jerome Baker's return from a knee injury, but the history there indicates the Seahawks would be smart to avoid relying heavily on Baker at any point this season.