2025 Preseason Week 1 Takeaways
Two teams kicked off the preseason last week, but NOW it’s officially preseason week 1. All 32 teams participated, and we learned a LOT! The Jaguars’ Travis Hunter made his (quiet) 2-way debut, two players somehow got themselves ejected from a preseason contest, two games ended in ties, and one game came to an early and unfortunate end. More excitingly, an RB kicked a PAT, while a real kicker connected from 70 yards (alas, that FG doesn’t count as a record)! That gives us plenty to talk about, with our usual preseason focus points. Expect to hear a lot about rookies in the coming weeks, and enjoy my preseason week 1 takeaways!
Rookie QB Debuts Mostly Encouraging
We always start off this column with a look at the newest batch of rookie QBs. It’s generally the topic that interests people the most. Only four of these draftees are very intriguing, so we’ll narrow our focus to them. The first rookie signal caller to debut was Cleveland’s Shedeur Sanders. He came with an abnormally high amount of intrigue for a 5th-round pick, and granted a chance to start due to injuries above him on the depth chart, he played pretty well. Things started off a bit shaky, and I think Sanders learned quickly that the hero plays he made while running for his life in college won’t work against pro defenders.
However, he settled in well in the second quarter, throwing a beautiful touchdown where he layered the ball between two defenders. The third quarter started slowly as well, but Sanders ended up throwing another TD (both were to WR Kaden Davis). Overall, he had a very Sanders stat line: 14/23 for 138 yards and 2 TDs, along with 19 rushing yards. His yards per attempt weren’t too high, but he was efficient and took care of the football. I don’t think he dominated to the point that the team should consider starting him, but he definitely earned some more opportunities as we move forward through the preseason.
First-rounder Jaxson Dart (#25 overall) of the Giants premiered next, and I consider his debut a mixed bag. He had two passes batted at the line, and one should’ve been picked off but was dropped. Encouragingly though, he bounced back with a 28-yard TD strike to WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey on the very next play. Dart went 12/19 for 154 yards and a TD, as well as a team-leading 24 rushing yards. A couple of his passes were off target, but I thought he processed well. There’s work to do, so I really like that he’ll sit and learn behind Russell Wilson for a bit. He has the traits to succeed though if he can put it all together.
Tennessee’s Cam Ward, the #1 overall selection, made his first start Saturday evening with shockingly little fanfare. With all the media attention on Shedeur Sanders, no first-pick QB has gotten as little airtime as Ward; his game wasn’t even on TV! He was out of rhythm on his first drive, going 0/2. In characteristic fashion, he started cooking on his second and final drive, completing 5/6 passes for 67 yards on the series. He led his team to a TD on the drive and wisely leaned on WR Calvin Ridley (3/50). As he plays more, he’ll become more comfortable. I’m not worried about Ward right now, as he seems very in control of things.
Finally, second-rounder Tyler Shough got his first chance to stake a claim to New Orleans’ starting job. He entered the game after Spencer Rattler didn’t do much of anything, and he led an FG drive during a 2-minute drill. He threw a telegraphed INT, but he came back with a deep shot TD that was beautifully thrown. Ultimately, he looked like a rookie, going 15/22 for 165 yards, a TD, and an INT. Jake Haener (who threw a pick six himself) came in with just 5 minutes to go, so he’s probably not a real member of this competition. Shough can very much win the job, but he’ll need to take care of the football and outperform Rattler.
Trend Toward Playing Starters During the Preseason Accelerates
We talked last year about how more teams opted to play their starters during the preseason. While some teams like the Rams will never risk their players in a game that doesn’t have an impact (even during the regular season!), many stars you might not expect to see suited up. The debate is always the same: should you keep your most important players safe on the sideline or get them fully ready to play in week 1? Rust is always a potential threat for an inactive player, but one bad injury can completely tank your season before it even begins. The former consideration is best exemplified by the Cincinnati Bengals.
QB Joe Burrow is undoubtedly one of the league’s very best. However, his team has a 1-9 record in weeks 1 and 2 over his career. Due to injuries from the prior year, Burrow has seldom played in the preseason, which could be a contributing factor. This week, he and his fellow starters played a quarter against the Eagles, and the offense was scorching hot. Burrow (9/10, 123 yards, 2 TDs) and WR Ja’Marr Chase (4/77/1) were in midseason form (we’ll talk about the abysmal defense another day), even if it came against backups. Will that enable the Bengals to avoid yet another slow start in 2025? The team is betting that it will.
Numerous teams are giving their starters at least some live reps to avoid the Bengals’ annual fate. Some teams are still clinging to the safety of the bench though, but even that isn’t a surefire way to ensure your health. Take the Chargers for example. Through 2 preseason games, the starters haven’t played a snap. However, LT Rashawn Slater tore his patellar tendon during practice and is done for the year. Unfortunately, even keeping players out of games doesn’t guarantee their safety. It’s up to each coach to decide which approach works best for them. Lately, the more common strategy has been to play starters. We’ll see if it works out.
Colts’ QB Competition Not a Very Pretty Sight
One of the most hyped position battles this preseason is the duel between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones for the right to be the Colts’ QB1. The word out of camp is that neither player has come anywhere close to seizing the job, and HC Shane Steichen announced that each would start a preseason game. Richardson was up first against the Ravens, and he basically gave us a microcosm of his career. The former 4th overall pick went 2/3 for 21 yards, showing off his cannon arm. However, as he has done every year, he got himself injured. He took a sack after not seeing the pressure at all, and he dislocated his throwing pinky.
That brought Jones in earlier than anticipated, and I’m not sure if that had any impact, but the former Giants and Vikings passer did not look sharp. He completed just 10 of his 21 attempts for 144 yards, doing little to move the offense. If Richardson is back soon, he’s still in this competition because Jones failed to capitalize on his opportunity. Indianapolis wants the guy they drafted highly to win this job, but he’s running out of chances. As things stand, I’m not sure the Colts have their future QB on their roster, and this could be a very long season for this offense. Unfortunately, the team has more problems than that.
A side effect of the poor QB play is that it masked the Colts’ sieve of a defense. Baltimore ran on Indy at will. RB Keaton Mitchell (9/68/1), fully healthy now, shredded them. Fellow RB Rasheen Ali (9/37/1) did the same, and he added a 69-yard kick return for good measure in a bad sign for the special teams. A rookie returner who will appear later in this article took a punt to the house as well. Aside from how they handled Ravens QB Devin Leary, who is simply awful, I can’t find much positive to say about these Colts. All they can hope for is that their absent starters play well and stay healthy. These reserves won’t cut it.
Pete Carroll’s Return to Seattle Ends in Tie on FG Block
What were the odds that new Raiders coach Pete Carroll would face his former team in his very first preseason game? I’m guessing it was a bit more likely than the game unfolding the way it did. Vegas’ starters played one series, while Seattle’s didn’t play at all. It was our first chance to see LV’s new offense, especially QB Geno Smith and rookie RB Ashton Jeanty. Smith’s team debut (1/3, 15 yards) wasn’t anything special, and we really didn’t learn much. Jeanty (3/-1) found negative room to run and disappointed. I’m worried that he won’t be able to live up to the hype behind a line that pass protects better than it run blocks.
Neither team’s backup QB impressed me. Vegas’ Aidan O’Connell (18/30, 205 yards, TD, 2 INTs) and Seattle’s Drew Lock (12/22, 147 yards, TD, INT) were both their typical mediocre selves. The rookie third-stringers, however, were more interesting to watch. Seahawks 3rd-round rookie Jalen Milroe (6/10, 61 yards; 3/38 rushing) did some good things, but he has a long way to go as a passer. RB George Holani (7/61/1; 1/20 receiving) carried the offense. Milroe’s time on the cost Seattle their lead, as he did little in the way of point production, whereas his counterpart, 6th-round pick Cam Miller, played far better, particularly in crunch time.
Miller, who was a star as a dual-threat QB for FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, found an instant connection with 3rd-year receiver Shedrick Jackson (4/76/1). Entering the game with just under 10 minutes to go and a 10-point deficit, Miller (6/7, 76 yards, TD) led two consecutive scoring drives to tie the game. It would’ve been 3, including a game-winning drive, had a Daniel Carlson FG not been blocked by LB Jalan Gaines as time expired. Miller profiles as an intriguing developmental option behind Smith. He did enough to win, but a tie honestly felt fitting for a game that was evenly matched overall.
Rookie Watch
Beyond the QBs, rookies at plenty of other positions made their marks this week. In addition to the players we’ve already highlighted above, we’ll go through several more below. Please note, however, that this group is far from exhaustive. Most of our impact rookies came on offense and special teams. Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan (2/43), the 8th overall picked, showed glimpses of his potential. While he only caught two passes, it’s already clear that’s going to a weapon in the vertical passing game with his size. His strong hands were also evident, and I’m really high on him as this draft’s WR1.
Seahawks WR Tory Horton (3/31/1) has been getting a lot of hype in camp, and he made good on it in his debut game. His speed is evident even at 6’2″ and 196 lbs. I sincerely doubt that he would’ve fallen to the 5th round if he had stayed healthy during his 2024 season at Colorado State. Also at receiver, I couldn’t help but notice the Patriots’ Efton Chism (6/50/1). The UDFA just seems like a New England Patriot. He’s a shifty route runner who could profile as a Julian Edelman-like slot player. It’s not like we’ve ever seen a slightly undersized receiver from Eastern Washington make it in the NFL. We haven’t encountered that right?
In a couple of less-heralded debuts, two undrafted FCS players really stood out to me. The first should be taken with a grain of salt. Eagles WR Darius Cooper (6/82/1) shredded the Bengals’ defense, though that’s not saying a lot. Still, the Tarleton State product has decent size and showed good acceleration. Perhaps more meaningfully, Packers RB Amar Johnson (7/67/1) of SD State ran over a good Jets defense. He’s a big back, but he has a lot of burst. It was impressive to watch him break off big runs. He did so with both speed and sheer will, refusing to go down on first contract. Johnson belongs on a roster somewhere.
We saw plenty of rookie star power in the return game. Going back to NE and their drubbing of the Commanders, 2nd-round RB TreVeyon Henderson (1/18, 3/12 receiving) took the opening kick for a 100-yard TD. His game-breaking speed was immediately apparent, and he looked just as fast on his one rushing attempt. Ravens 6th-round WR LaJohntay Wester (2/41), who we teased a couple of sections ago, scored a TD on an 87-yard punt return. We highlighted Wester in our draft returners article, and he delivered. Shoutout to Denver’s Courtney Jackson, #1 on that list, for his 25-yard punt return in his own debut.
Defensively, we didn’t actually see many noteworthy performances. One player who did pop off the screen was Cleveland LB Carson Schwesinger. The first pick of the second round made 6 tackles, but you can’t just go by the box score. His playing style is simultaneously fluid and violent, and he always seems to be around the ball. With Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah already ruled out for 2025, Schwesinger is going to have a big role. In the same game, Panthers 2nd-round DE Nic Scourton earned a sack and 2 TFLs. With how little Carolina had up front in 2024, this sort of production will earn Scourton playing time in short order.
In the secondary, we had one truly standout display. That came from Chargers undrafted corner Eric Rogers. The Rutgers alum picked off two different Saints QBs, taking one of the INTs to the house for a TD. He broke up another pass and made 5 tackles, showing off his surprisingly complete game. Everyone took notice, but unfortunately, Rogers suffered an ankle injury on a meaningless kickoff at the end the game. Hopefully it’s not too serious and he can claim a roster spot. One final note: Tampa CB Roman Parodie gets an honorable mention, but he doesn’t get full credit for a pick six when it comes against Tim Boyle.