The wait is almost over.

There hasn't been any real, live NFL action since Super Bowl 50, further delayed by the debacle of Sunday's Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

But kicking off this Thursday, the Colts, the Packers and the 30 other teams are ready for some football. Call them warm-ups, call them exhibitions; but these are the first chances to see how your team might kinda-sorta look on the field when the games count.

MORE: Preseason Power Rankings | Top 25 QBs

As usual, debuts dominate the top 10 storylines for the preseason, led by three first-round rookie QBs who will be coming off the bench.

— The Rams-in-LA thing gets real. It's been 22 years since NFL teams last played in Los Angeles. Now the Rams will play in Memorial Coliseum, the historic home to two Summer Olympic Games. The natural first opponents are the Cowboys, the training camp pride of Oxnard, Calif. From the No. 1 overall draft pick to "Hard Knocks," the Rams have certainly made their Hollywood entrance. Now it's time to see if they can leave behind the playoff drought in St. Louis.

— Jared Goff: No. 2 to be, or not to be? Speaking of top draft picks, Goff was that guy, but the Rams keep making everyone believe he won't be their starter in 2016. Regardless of what they might be thinking, Goff is second on the initial depth chart, behind Case Keenum, meaning he'll need to better plead his case to start with preseason play. Goff needs to play well against Dallas' defensive reserves to get his crack at more critical reps in the second game.

— Carson Wentz's chances going, going ... gone? At least Goff knows he'll start if he can stay the course with his rookie learning. It seems like no matter what Wentz does — grasping the playbook quickly, possessing the immense physical talent that got him drafted second, flooring some of the Eagles' offensive staff — coach Doug Pederson will start Sam Bradford for the opener. To Bradford's credit, in camp, he hasn't yet given Philadelphia a reason to flip to Wentz. With Chase Daniel up next for the first-half reps against the Buccaneers before Wentz gets his chance, there already might be too much ground for Wentz to make up, barring a total flop from Bradford.

— Mark Sanchez, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch ... lather, rinse, repeat. Sanchez and Siemian are even in any way you would look at the Broncos' most peculiar QB situation. Sanchez needs to show fewer mistakes when he gets thrown into the fire against Chicago's defense. Siemian, maybe inspired by being close to Northwestern again, needs to show more flash. Lynch makes it 3-for-3 in first-round rookie QBs who will come off the bench at first, but he's the only one who makes sense to do so as a project-like athlete and passer in relation to Goff and Wentz. Gary Kubiak isn't delaying his decision for kicks. He will need to see much of Sanchez's and Siemian's preseason, and he may need to accept the fact that he's picking the least of the bad instead of the most of the good.

MORE: Should rookie franchise QBs start or sit?

(AP Photo) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/9/62/10-paxton-lynch-061416-ap-ftrjpg_1jberd5iupree1e2aro9hcg4oe.jpg?t=1335258861&w=500&quality=80

Paxton Lynch (Getty Images)

— RGIII, Part II. Everything sounds good for Robert Griffin III during his initial training camp in Cleveland. It's no surprise, given that Cody Kessler and Josh McCown are less-than-inspiring alternatives, that Hue Jackson declared RGIII the starter already. Griffin has done more grinding than groveling, shown more humility than hubris as the Browns have provided his first chance to start since Washington two long seasons ago. Now comes the hard part: keeping that mind-set and proving he can hold up as a No. 1 who's no longer being pushed for his job. The Packers will provide a great early road test.

— Kap vs. Gab revs up. Blaine Gabbert or Colin Kaepernick? The burden of proof is clearly on Kaepernick in the heated battle to emerge as Chip Kelly's first starting QB in San Francisco. Kaepernick is healthy and having more of his familiar good moments in camp, but that doesn't mean much, because it's clear Kelly is heavily basing his decision on who can take command in preseason games. Despite the gap narrowing, Gabbert can create a little more of a cushion with a solid performance against Houston. Kaepernick, meanwhile, has to do a lot of wowing to restore an even battle.

MORE: 49ers' QB situation looks awfully familiar

— Look who's really catching on. The 2016 draft brought another terrific wide receiver class to the NFL after the '15 draft. But it's not turned up roses in camp so far for the four first-rounders. Corey Coleman is the Browns' new No. 1 regardless of Josh Gordon, but a hamstring has his ascent on hold. Josh Doctson (Achilles') has fallen well behind schedule for Washington. The Vikings' Laquon Treadwell (in Charles Johnson) and the Texans' Wil Fulller (Jaelen Strong), once surefire starters, have found unexpected incumbent competition. As for the second-roudners, the Giants' Sterling Shepard, the Bengals' Tyler Boyd and the Saints' Michael Thomas will see if their consistent neon buzz of the offseason will translate to shining under the bright lights. For now, that trio is primed for the bigger impact than the four guys taken ahead of them.

— The Jimmy Garoppolo show. Garoppolo is having a good (but not great) camp on the cusp of taking over for Tom Brady. He prepared well knowing he would start during the 2015 preseason, and although he's made some mental mistakes that Brady rarely does in this year's camp, he has continued to build on his physical talent. With Brady not expected to play vs. the Saints after the teams' scrimmage this past week, it's Garoppolo's chance to seize the moment and make a lot more Patriots fans relax about the four upcoming games that matter.

(Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/11/d5/2-jimmy-garoppolo-081415-getty-ftrjpg_120rs67d5txbh18xac1tcqdwgf.jpg?t=746610175&w=500&quality=80

Jimmy Garoppolo (Getty Images)

— A Giant new defense. The Giants spent a lot of green to make the Big Blue D become more similar to their championship defenses. The moves alone for end Olivier Vernon and cornerback Janoris Jenkins should lead to significant improvements. There will be high expectations right away to at least look good, despite they fact they'll throw their vanilla schemes at the Dolphins.

— Jacked up Jaguars. Jacksonville has waited a long time to see what Dante Fowler Jr. can do as a first-string pass rusher. It will get a quicker look at this year's prized defensive rookies, first-round cornerback Jalen Ramsey and second-round linebacker Myles Jack. They'll be flanked by a trio of veterans, Malik Jackson, Tashaun Gipson and Prince Amukamara, who are also making their first splashes in teal, black and gold. If the Jaguars' defense flies around well against the Jets, there wil be more belief that the overhaul will see immediate, season-changing results.

MORE: Ranking all eight NFL divisions for 2016

Complete NFL Preseason Week 1 schedule

— Thursday. August 11

Buccaneers at Eagles, 7 p.m. ET

Redskins at Falcons, 7 p.m. ET

Panthers at Ravens, 7:30 p.m. ET

Jaguars at Jets, 7:30 p.m. ET

Saints at Patriots, 7:30 p.m. ET

Broncos at Bears, 8 p.m. ET

— Friday, August 12

Dolphins at Giants, 7 p.m. ET

Lions at Steelers, 7 p.m. ET

Vikings at Bengals, 7:30 p.m. ET

Browns at Packers, 8 p.m. ET

Raiders at Cardinals, 10 p.m. ET

— Saturday, August 13

Seahawks at Chiefs, 4:30 p.m. ET

Colts at Bills, 7 p.m. ET

Chargers at Titans, 8 p.m. ET

Cowboys at Rams, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

— Sunday, August 14

Texans at 49ers, 7 p.m. ET