2024 Preseason Week 2 Takeaways

Welcome to what used to occur in week 3 of the preseason! With only 3 exhibition contests, the second game is the one where you see the most starters. Teams are fine-tuning their plans for the regular season, as opposed to last week when we were merely getting our feet wet. Some squads were trying to resolve positional competitions, others needed their players to put reps on film, and a few simply wanted to avoid injuries at all costs. My job here is to provide you with information about those who did participate, especially the rookies. So let’s get to it! Here are my 2024 preseason week 2 takeaways.

Former 1st-Round QBs Jones and Pickett Struggle Mightily

The Giants’ Daniel Jones missed most of last year with a torn ACL. Philly’s Kenny Pickett was recently traded from Pittsburgh to be the Eagles’ new QB2. How did they fare? In a word: abysmally. I want to give Jones some slack since it was his first game back. However, his play prevents me from doing so. After a 3-and-out, Jones started at his own 5 on the subsequent drive. He nearly got sacked for a safety but manage to fire the ball away while being dragged to the ground. In doing so, he tossed it right to a defender for a pick six. He’d throw another INT before leading the Giants to 10 points against reserves.

I understand that preseason is meant to get all of the bad plays out of players’ systems before the games count. Still, we should expect better from a QB making $40M guaranteed this season. The main issue is that this type of turnover-happy performance isn’t out of character for Jones. Aside from his first year with HC Brian Daboll, he has been a turnover machine his entire career. Maybe the fact that he settled down a bit in the second quarter is a positive omen. If Jones can’t play well this season, his guarantees will run out just in time for his stay in New York to end as well.

Meanwhile, Pickett basically showed us everything we saw in Pittsburgh: very timid play. When you see that he went 11/13 with no INTs, you might be impressed. Unfortunately, those 11 completions went for a total of 67 yards (5.2 YPA), and he took 4 crushing sacks. It didn’t help Pickett’s cause that Tanner McKee (15/19, 140 yards) looked a whole lot better, also against backups. Fans, whose team did not spend a 1st-round pick on Pickett like Pittsburgh did, are already clamoring for McKee to supplant him. HC Nick Sirianni so far refuses, but I need to see far more from Pickett to vouch for him as the primary backup.

Defenses Mostly Have Upper Hand Against Suspect Offenses

In a league that is known to favor offenses, something very curious is happening this preseason: the defenses are mostly the better units. While a few games this week had some points, far more of them were FG affairs. Eight contests were games in which NEITHER team exceeded 16 points. What are the reasons for this? For starters, it’s harder for an offense to get in rhythm than a defense. Defenders are reactionary by design, so whatever the offense does, they can account for. Offenses need chemistry and execution to succeed in penetrating coverages.

The second explanation, and one the league probably doesn’t want to hear, is that there is more defensive depth than offensive depth across the NFL. We always hear about the scarcity of quarterbacks and offensive linemen. Conversely, safeties and inside linebackers seem to be a dime a dozen. During the preseason, when every team has massive a 90-man roster, the 80th-90th players likely include better defenders than offensive talent. I bring all of this up just so people don’t freak out about offenses that don’t look great right now. When the games count and the starters appear, things will get much better.

QB Battles in Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, and Denver Likely Conclude

Three high-profile QB competitions, i.e., ones with actual stakes and not predetermined outcomes, were at the forefront of this week’s games. First, let’s get the depressing one out of the way. Pittsburgh is likely to maintain the status quo, with Russell Wilson as the starter, because nothing has changed. Wilson looked mediocre and took 3 sacks, but Justin Fields did nothing to seize the job. Regardless, what chance did either man have behind an offensive line that’s still putrid. How that’s possible after investing two consecutive 1st-round picks into the unit is beyond me. Wilson basically wins by default.

Las Vegas didn’t have the most pleasing decision either. Gardner Minshew started this week, and he didn’t really impress (10/21, 95 yards). Aidan O’Connell came in and looked marginally better against backups (14/21, 96 yards, TD, INT). Overall though, Minshew has been the better player since camp started. While some might want to see the young guy get the job, O’Connell was a 4th-round pick, so he isn’t guaranteed anything. HC Antonio Pierce needs wins, and Minshew is his best shot at succeeding. He named Minshew the starter yesterday, and I think he made the right call.

Finally, Denver gave us the clearest evidence yet of the direction they should take. Zach Wilson faded from the competition weeks ago, and he took a bad safety to give Green Bay their only points of the game. Among the final two contenders, rookie Bo Nix should be the starter over Jarrett Stidham. The latter has been an average backup throughout his career, and he looked no different during the preseason. Against backups, he went 7/11 for 65 yards with an INT, looking downright pedestrian. Conversely, Nix (also playing versus backups) starred, seeming to be in complete command.

The twelfth overall pick only threw one incompletion on that night, and that was nearly a TD. He fired a strike for a score, but he was beyond the line of scrimmage when he released the ball, and it was overturned. Nix completed all 8 of his other pass attempts for 80 yards, including a TD on the very next drive. His mobility also makes a difference; while he ran for only 12 yards, his movement while looking to throw stood out. As anticipated, Nix looks like the most pro-ready rookie QB of this draft class. HC Sean Payton would be wise to name him the starter and let him learn on the job.

Former UFL Players Show Out

As someone who always wants more football, we need to highlight the instances when players who participated in spring leagues make plays in the NFL. Four UFL players made their marks this week. The league’s sack leader, Breeland Speaks, earned a nice sack for the Jaguars. This guy was a former 2nd-round pick, so you know he has physical talent. Unlocking it at this level is his main challenge, and he showed something this week. Cracking the Jacksonville roster won’t be easy, but I think Speaks is someone who should be on a team this fall.

At QB, keep an eye on Luis Perez of the Chargers. His stats (13/20, 78 yards) don’t look super impressive, but he was far more composed than Easton Stick. That’s mostly because Stick is so bad, but it gives Perez an opening. Keep in mind that he learned to play QB on YouTube, earning a D-II National Championship with Texas A&M-Commerce. He has played in all the spring leagues (literally every one in existence since 2018) to hone his craft. Unlike most QBs in these leagues, there might actually be untapped potential with Perez. If someone lets him stick around, he could eventually surprise us.

Last, let’s highlight a pair of kickers! Detroit’s Jake Bates kicked a game-winning 43-yard FG, and we know from his UFL time that he has a big leg. This might be a big-impact signing for the contending Lions. They didn’t have a reliable kicker last year, so if Bates comes though, that would be huge. The other is no mystery man: Brandon Aubrey of the Cowboys. Though he only played in the USFL, that league merged to form the UFL, so it counts. This All-Pro from a season ago did nothing but drill a 66-yard attempt that would have been successful from 72. Don’t tell anyone, but I think he might be good!

Rookie Watch

As always, we’re starting with the QBs, and the news was mediocre on that front. Chicago’s Caleb Williams led three straight 3-and-out drives against Bengals’ backups but rebounded against their 3rd stringers. I suspect he’ll be just fine, but outings like these remind us that he’s not even close to a finished product yet. That’s ok; he’s a rookie! On the plus side, WR Rome Odunze, who had a 45-yard catch and a 16-yard rush, looked explosive as advertised. Washington’s Jayden Daniels (10/12, 78 yards; 13 yards rushing) looked fine, leading two drives that ended in FG attempts (one missed, one made).

In New England, Drake Maye looked a little better than last week, but that was a low bar. He went 6/11 for 47 yards and importantly led a pair of scoring drives. There’s a ton of room for improvement, but at least he’s trending a bit in the right direction. Atlanta apparently has seen enough of Michael Penix Jr, as the team is not playing him any more in the preseason. That is good news for Penix, who is being protected for a positive reason. For more information about Bo Nix, see the section above concerning QB battles.

The RB position gave us some great rookie performances this week. The best came from Carolina’s Dillon Johnson (18/83/1), who had a true workhorse role. He’s in a crowded WR room, but nobody is a star, so perhaps he can carve out a role. The Chargers’ Kimani Vidal (11/49) led his team in rushing, though he’s trapped behind a pair of former Ravens on the depth chart. I’ve liked this kid for a while, so I’m excited to see if he can claim some more touches. Buffalo’s Ray Davis (8/58) showed off his burst, and I anticipate him being an ideal complement to James Cook.

In the WR department, along with Odunze, fellow top-10 pick Mailk Nabers (4/54) had a good day for the Giants. He can be great…if his QB will allow it. Chiefs’ first-round speedster Xavier Worthy was a big play machine. He caught a 39-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes and a 22-yard TD from Carson Wentz. I expect Worthy to be a lot of fun in this offense. It was also another good day for Jordan Whittington, who led the Rams with 52 yards on 5 catches. Lions’ WR Isaiah Williams, who we highlighted on our UDFA analysis page, starred with 6 catches for 71 yards.

Over on defense, Rams’ LB Omar Speights had 8 tackles, including two for losses, in a dazzling display of field coverage. LA has a history of hitting on unheralded players and needs defenders, so Speights could really earn a role here. The same can be said of Buffalo’s Joe Andreesen, especially with Matt Milano out for a while. The local kid had 12 tackles (2 TFLs) and showed serious range. Cardinals’ 4th-round S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson earned 3 tackles and an INT for a team that needs secondary help. Tennessee LB Jaylen Harrell led all rookies with 2 sacks, which gets you noticed by the coaching staff.

Don’t think we’ll ever forget about special teamers on this site! Two of our top returners in the draft, Seattle’s Dee Williams and Indy’s Anthony Gould, both returned kicks and punts this week. They each had strong returns, reaffirming their value under this new system. Chicago punter Tory Taylor, a 4th-round selection, kept booming punts with a 50-yard average. I guess the Iowa Hawkeyes gave him practice with their dismal offense. We end with an interesting one: former rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit, returning AND kicking off. The latter scenario could be shrewd since kickers must tackle more often now.