2026 Preseason Week 2 Takeaways
Unfortunately, much like last year, teams mainly rested their starters in week 2 of the preseason. Those who played only did so for a series or two. That didn’t stop us from seeing interesting and important football! Carolina’s trouncing of Jacksonville ended at the 2-minute warning due to lightning. Cleveland’s game against Buffalo had an hour-long lightning delay, and our reward was lackluster QB play and eyebrow-raising comments from Deshaun Watson. In the other games that weather didn’t mess with, we learned a lot about all 32 teams. I’m here to convey that knowledge, so read on for my 2026 preseason week 2 takeaways!
Chargers’ Rushing Offense Looks Lackluster Once Again
One of the most hyped coordinator hires this offseason was the Chargers’ importing of Mike McDaniel as their OC. Previously the Dolphins’ head coach, McDaniel comes from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree and is known for his run game prowess. This week, the Chargers faced Shanahan and his 49ers, but the running game went AWOL. Call it a product of going against the teacher, the lack of LT Rashawn Slater (for the starters anyway), or simply poor play, but the Bolts could not run the football. As a team, they averaged 3.4 yards on 20 carries for 68 yards, but they were actually worse than those stats imply.
Most of their ground production came from two off-script scrambles by QB Trey Lance (42 yards rushing). Justin Herbert is reasonably mobile, but he doesn’t offer the same ground threat that Lance does (he’s a far superior passer though). The first five RBs who played for LA totaled 10 yards on 13 attempts, including a single -1-yard carry for starter Omarion Hampton. San Francisco’s defense is decent enough against the run, but they didn’t play almost any defensive starters. That made me try and determine whether this is a blip or a concerning trend for the Chargers going into the regular season.
I think the answer is a little more nuanced, but there’s definitely a problem. San Francisco correctly discounted the threat that Lance provided through the air. Teams will never make that choice with Herbert, so the Bolts won’t see the stacked boxes they saw this week. The interior blocking issues are real though. C Tyler Biadasz is done for the year with an ACL injury, forcing rookie Jake Slaughter to go back to his college position. That makes the guard spots even weaker, and they were already liabilities. McDaniel will have to live up to his reputation as a schemer and play caller to create easy answers for his attack.
QBs Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels Return from Serious 2025 Injuries
Two starters who played drew plenty of attention because we hadn’t seen them in a while. The first was Broncos QB Bo Nix, who broke his ankle during the AFC Championship game. I liked his mobility coming off the injury. He didn’t run past the line of scrimmage, but he moved the pocket and extended plays well against Green Bay. Even better was his chemistry with new play caller Davis Webb. Nix (6/9, 76 yards, TD) looked to be in sync with the offense, and he finished his day with a beautiful deep TD to RB RJ Harvey. If Nix can return to form and improve in year 3, Denver might go further this year and reach the Super Bowl.
Jayden Daniels, who dealt with a litany of injuries last year in Washington, had a much more muted return. Daniels (0/1) played just one series and faced constant pressure. One time he managed to throw the ball away, but Lions DE DJ Wonnum then managed to take Daniels down for a 10-yard sack. LT Laremy Tunsil is likely to miss most of the season with a torn triceps, and that’s a problem. The current line is failing to protect an already injury-prone QB. Daniels has to protect himself better than he has in the past. Otherwise, Washington is staring at a second consecutive lost season and questions about their future.
Steelers, Saints, and Colts Aren’t Deep Enough to Withstand Injuries
Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and Indianapolis all see themselves as playoff contenders. Their chances vary, but there’s a path of each of them to playing January football. However, the teams that succeed have depth so that when inevitable injuries strike, the ship stays afloat. All three of these teams devolved into doormats this week with their backups, showing that they can’t hold up in the face of disaster. The Saints and Colts allowed 34 points each, with New Orleans also joining the Steelers in being on the wrong end of a shutout. One common thread linked these teams: their backup QB situations looked atrocious this week.
The Steelers gave Will Howard (10/15, 74 yards, 2 INTs) the start, and he really flopped. His turnovers really hurt, especially against a Jets team that picked off 0 passes all of last season. I’d argue that he moved the ball better than rookie Drew Allar though. As the talk of the football world last week, Allar (11/23, 110 yards) had an awful encore. He showed his inaccuracy by completing less than half of his passes, and he responded very poorly to pressure. People think that Mason Rudolph is the odd man out in this 4-man QB room, but I see why he sat this week. He’s simply the only viable backup in the building right now.
New Orleans let Zach Wilson start this week, and he began with a nice 4/4 stretch against the Rams. Bad Wilson (6/12, 55 yards, INT; 4/19 rushing) showed up after that, opening the door for Spencer Rattler to seize the backup job. The problem was that Rattler (14/23, 141 yards, INT; 5/21 rushing) fared little better. While he moved the ball much better than Wilson did, his 100-yard pick six ended the Saints’ most promising drive. It also reminded everyone what’s so infuriating about Rattler despite his talent: the decision-making issues. Neither player should give HC Kellen Moore much confidence in what he has behind Tyler Shough.
Finally, the Colts switched the order of their backups as well, with Riley Leonard going first. The second-year player was exactly who I thought he was: a scattershot passer who relies entirely on his running. Leonard (7/14, 62 yards) misfired frequently against the Falcons and only ran for 2 yards. At least he posted 6 points though. Anthony Richardson (3/9, 24 yards; 3/15 rushing) was even more inaccurate and didn’t manage a single point in a 34-6 drubbing. Starter Daniel Jones is coming off an injury and frequently misses time. Should that happen again, the man who will substitute for him might not be on the roster right now.
Players are Leaving Camp to Try and Return to College
We’ve seen a LOT of legal jockeying over eligibility rules in college football lately. A judge created havoc when she ruled that players who graduated high school in 2022 were entitled to an extra year in college athletics. An appeals court reversed that ruling, causing more confusion, but that didn’t negate the numerous restraining orders that individual players have attained. Those orders still enable these specific seniors to return to college football, even if they entered the draft or signed an NFL contract. Most of the focus has been on what this will do to CFB teams. Less talked about is the NFL impact.
One surprising outcome of this new eligibility is that players are actually requesting their releases to go back to school. Some of them are sitting out of practice as they watch the legal drama unfold around them. Let’s look at this first from their perspective. Presumably, these guys don’t expect to make their teams’ 53-man rosters. Agents are (perhaps wisely) telling them that the best route is to cash in on NIL money at the college level while gaining another year of development. I can’t argue with that logic. That said, the goal is to make it to the NFL. Leaving once you’re already there is certainly a bold, untested choice.
For NFL teams, the impact is a bit more nuanced. Coaches are stuck wondering how to divide their practice reps because they don’t know who actually intends to stay and compete. There may only be a few players in this situation now, but if the court ruling flips again, the flood gates reopen. Roster planning becomes harder too. UDFAs (as the bulk of these players are) make up a large portion of a given roster. They prove depth and special teams ability. How can you fill a depth chart if you don’t know who you have? So far, no big names are involved. In theory, that should stay true because we’re talking about fringe roster candidates.
I’m most curious about what happens to the 2027 draft. Nobody is discussing the likely result here: players who were drafted in 2026 could try and declare for the 2027 edition as well. I’m guessing that only applies to guys who didn’t sign contracts this year. UDFAs present a more interesting case. Article 6, Section 11 of the CBA seems to suggest that undrafted players would remain free agents upon the completion of their extra college year. I fully expect lawsuits to challenge this language. What really matters is the uncertainty. Plans will be thrown into disarray, all because college football can’t get its crap together.
Rookie Watch
We start as always with the QBs, and LV’s Fernando Mendoza (8/15, 86 yards, INT) had a rough day. He had good moments, especially a great zip pass to WR Jalen Nailor, but he threw a pick six to fellow rookie Wade Woodaz of the Texans (who also broke his thumb during the game), reminding everyone that he’s still a rookie. HC Klint Kubiak stupidly still won’t name Kirk Cousins the starter, but whatever. The other first-round QB, the Rams’ Ty Simpson (8/12, 73 yards), also had a more subdued outing, but he really didn’t have to do anything at all. He still led 2 TD drives in his team’s shutout of the Saints.
The best days for rookie QBs came from a quartet of undrafted players. Jaguars QB Joey Aguilar (9/10, 130 yards TD) had a nice day throwing the ballThe Ravens’ Joe Fagnano (15/20, 134 yards, TD; 2/10 rushing) had his second straight solid outing. He helped rookie TE Josh Cuevas (3/46) lead the team in receiving. Atlanta’s Jack Strand (12/17, 212 yards, TD; 9/22/1 rushing), a D-II product from Moorhead State, looked like a superstar against a bad Colts defense. Finally, NE’s Behren Morton (13/17, 129 yards, TD) led a GW drive with a 37-yard TD to fellow rookie WR Nick DeGennaro (4/61/1)) and even punted 3 times for 133 yards!
San Francisco RB Kaelon Black (8/33) had the contribution that might matter most for the regular season among the backs this week. Christian McCaffrey is an injury-prone player, so having someone to spell him will be key. Atlanta’s Cash Jones (7/41; 4/62/1 receiving) showed off his 3-down skillset and even led the team in receiving. Another Ravens TE had a good week: Josh Cuevas (3/46) led Baltimore in receiving despite being known as a blocker. We even had a contributor on the OL: Eagles right tackle Markel Bell, with his massive frame, is drawing rave reviews. Lane Johnson even views Bell as his successor.
Wideouts had an excellent week. Jacksonville had two alone! Montana product Michael Wortham (3/41), who you may know from my draft returner article, caught a few passes and got some run as a KR. UDFA WR Trebor Pena (4/72/1) really opened some eyes with a strong performance. For the second straight week, 49ers WR De’Zhaun Stribling (4/46) still looked like a very important piece of their puzzle, and Cowboys WR Camden Brown (2/77) flashed once more with a 70-yard catch and run that nearly went for a TD. The Rams’ CJ Daniels (8/68), likely auditioning for a WR4 spot in a deep room, led his team in receiving yards.
On the defensive front, I liked what I saw from some high-profile players. Jets #2 pick David Bailey earned his first career sack and continued his trend of being very difficult to block thus far. My #1 prospect, Bailey is going to be a very good edge rusher. Texans 2nd-round DT Kayden McDonald also earned his first sack; if he can add some juice as a rusher to his already stellar run defense, he can be special. Titans 2nd-round LB Anthony Hill Jr lead his team with 7 tackles and had an INT in the team’s come-from-behind win. His excellent play speed is already showing up in the preseason, portending a strong rookie season.
For a more unheralded player, see the Bengals’ Landon Robinson. The 7th-round DT earned 1.5 sacks, 3 tackles, and a PBU. Cincinnati’s defense BADLY needs playmakers to emerge, so Robinson providing value would be a godsend. Rams CB Al’zillion Hamilton, in addition to having a fantastic name, made big plays on the field. He tied for the team lead with 6 tackles and earned an INT. As you can see, LA had plenty of rookies contribute. This is why they are consistently good: they make big moves to acquire stars, but they also draft and sign UDFAs really well to supplement those stars. They’re the favorites for a reason.
We even have some kicker updates. GB’s Trey Smack (4/4 on FGs with a long of 59 yards) was great again. He has completely justified the team’s 6th-round investment in him. Washington’s Drew Stevens went 2/2 on FGs, but what happened during the week mattered more. The Commanders released the struggling Jake Moody, seemingly handing the job to Stevens. Las Vegas’ K Kansei Matsuzawa, known as the “Tokyo Toe”, missed 2 PATs, stacking multiple bad weeks. This performance will almost surely result in him losing the job to veteran Matt Gay, pumping the brakes on a fascinating story involving the 27-year-old.