What we're watching in the preseason
No, seriously. There are some pretty exciting NFL things happening in August.
The new football season is inching closer and closer to its arrival. We don’t just know that because we can read a calendar. We also recognize all the telltale signs: teammates throwing hands during practice; coaches acting super Football Guy, in ways both hilarious and cringe; quickly debunked trade rumors, Carson Wentz dealing with an injury; and oh yeah, an actual preseason football game.
The Cowboys and Steelers kicked off the first preseason action in nearly two years Thursday night. Next week, the other 30 teams will join them in games scattered throughout four days. It’s easy to overrate how much preseason truly matters, but it does factor into roster decisions and playing time. It also gives us plenty to chat about until the regular season starts up.
On that note, let’s get to our weekly discussion. This time, we’re focusing on the latest happenings in the NFL, the Hall of Fame Game, and what we’re looking forward to this preseason.
What, if anything, do you think the Colts will do about the quarterback position now that Carson Wentz is out 5-12 weeks after foot surgery?
Sarah Hardy: Trading for Nick Foles would make a lot of sense. Both Foles and Wentz played under Frank Reich, then the Eagles OC, when they won the Super Bowl, and currently, Foles is on clipboard duty as the No. 3 quarterback with the Bears.
Still, I wouldn’t count on the Colts making a move … yet anyway.
At least for the preseason, I think Reich will see how his other quarterbacks perform: Jacob Eason, a 2020 fourth-round pick who hasn’t thrown a pass in an NFL game; Brett Hundley, a former backup for Aaron Rodgers and Kyler Murray who has a 3-6 record as a starter; and Sam Ehlinger, a sixth-round rookie out of Texas who is off to a good start.
If Reich feels comfortable with how Wentz’s backups play, and Wentz’s rehab remains on schedule, then the Colts can stay on course. If there’s an issue with either of those situations, however, then they’ll have to weigh their options, including a trade for Foles (which might risk alienating Wentz in the process). The early part of Indy’s schedule is pretty brutal — vs. the Seahawks, Rams, Titans, Dolphins, and Ravens. The Colts need to make sure they can rely on their quarterback, whoever that is.
And if Wentz gets injured again later in the season, they can always call up Philip Rivers.
Ryan Van Bibber: It’s a crummy situation for the Colts. I can’t really think of a team that had much success after its quarterback came back from an injury halfway through a season. (On the bright side, it saves the Colts from having to give the Eagles a first-round pick since he won’t be seeing 75 percent of the team’s snaps now.) Whoever ends up under center isn’t going to be helped by Quenton Nelson’s injury either.
They can’t really come out and say, “hey, this season is a wash,” but they can give those younger guys, Eason and Ehlinger, some meaningful snaps to A) develop a legit backup, and B) affirm their commitment to Carson Wentz beyond this season.
Other than Wentz’s, which training camp injury could end up being the most consequential?
SH: I’ll stick with the 2016 draft class here. I’m keeping close tabs on Dak Prescott’s shoulder strain, which quickly went from “not serious” to the Cowboys taking a conservative — maybe out of necessity — approach with him:
Prescott later said he was taking his injury day by day and was working toward being ready for Week 1. At this point, I believe he’ll be ready to go for the regular season, and then the question will be if he’s rusty after missing most of last year with a fractured ankle. If Prescott’s injury is worse than we know, then it’s the Cowboys who might have to make a trade for someone like, say, Nick Foles. I saw Garrett Gilbert, Cooper Rush, and Ben DiNucci take snaps in the Hall of Fame Game, and if the Cowboys need a backup to start in Prescott’s place in any game this season, then it shouldn’t be anyone currently on the roster.
RVB: I guess this doesn’t include the self-inflicted wounds key players like Kirk Cousins and Lamar Jackson are putting on their teams with their sudden interest in vaccine conspiracies. (“Hey, they just have some questions!!!!”)
Since we’ve touched on the two big quarterback injuries so far, I’d point to Michael Thomas in New Orleans. He’s clearly going to miss the first month of the season, at least. So the Saints are starting the preseason with a shaky quarterback situation and their best receiver weeks way from playing, and when he is back, will he be playing at 100 percent?
Which player will you watch most closely during the preseason?
SH: A week ago, Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers did not have an open competition at quarterback. Since then, though, the Trey Lance hype has only grown. He’s looked sharp throwing the ball deep and even received a first-team rep on a designed run.
Shanahan and left tackle Trent Williams insist there’s no QB battle and that Jimmy Garoppolo is the starter, and for now, I believe them. But I want to see Lance in actual game-type situations, against defensive pressure, with my own eyes to try to deduce how far along he really is. I’m not sure he’s ready to start now, but my mind could change, depending on how Lance looks in preseason action.
RVB: Early reports on Joe Burrow have not been optimistic. I know people tend to over inflate training camp misfires, but by all accounts Burrow just doesn’t look good. And it’s understandable. That was a pretty nasty knee injury, and it happened in December, so it’s a minor miracle he’s on the field practicing now anyway. Still, I’m a firm believer that it can take players a full year to get back to their true 100 percent ability after an injury like that. He’s been rehabbing, so he’s missed the usual course of offseason strength and conditioning work. And it takes some time to learn to trust your body after a hit like that. So we’ll see how the Bengals second-year QB looks this month, but I’m afraid it’s going to be another year before we get a real feel for what this unit is capable of.
Who could break out this month, potentially earning himself a starting gig?
SH: Javonte Williams, the Broncos’ second-round pick, will share carries with Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone, no matter what. With Denver’s uncertain quarterback situation, running the ball effectively will be a major priority for the offense.
For now, Gordon remains the starter, but Williams has impressed, first during OTAs and then during training camp:
Williams said he’s worked on his receiving skills to prepare for the regular season, and so far, Vic Fangio likes the versatility the rookie has shown. How the workload is doled out during the preseason, and how Williams performs with the pads on, should give us a hint at how much the Broncos will use him early on in the season. And even if he doesn’t start, I expect Williams to keep earning touches.
RVB: Henry Ruggs was tantalizing as a deep threat last year, but he didn’t finish the season with the kind of numbers that are going to get much attention. I’m betting that could change this year. He’s more than capable of taking the top off a defense, which we saw him do a little bit last year. I think he and Derek Carr are going to develop a nice connection this month, and by the time the season rolls around, the Raiders are going to be serious trouble for opponents 20+ yards past the line of scrimmage.
Let’s say you have to choose one preseason game to watch — whether by force, losing a bet, whatever — in its entirety. Which one are you picking?
SH: Well, I’m the sicko who watched Cowboys-Steelers all the way until the end, so I would honestly tune in to any of the remaining exhibition games. I *won’t*, but I could. (The Olympics have really fed my addiction to sports, and right now, I crave any athletic competition, no matter the sport or the time of day. As I’m writing this, it’s 2 a.m. and I’m currently watching the preliminary round of men’s platform diving.)
I’m almost tempted to pick the Jaguars’ first preseason game against the Browns, just to see how Trevor Lawrence looks, but I won’t be able to stand any Tim Tebow talk or the 850 times the camera cuts to him.
Instead, I’ll go with Broncos vs. Vikings next Saturday afternoon. I’m curious to check in on the Drew Lock-Teddy Bridgewater quarterback battle, as well as get a glimpse of Javonte Williams in action. Plus, we might get to hear Mike Zimmer drag Kirk Cousins some more, which is always welcome.
RVB: The Jaguars-Saints game in preseason Week 2 could be fun, at least for a quarter. We should get to see Trevor Lawrence make a few plays, and get about as close as we can to a dress rehearsal for what Urban Meyer’s team is going to look like this season. On the other side of the ball, we might get to see some actually quality playing time for both Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill as Sean Payton has to sort out that mess.
What’s your main takeaway from last night’s Hall of Fame Game?
SH: The Steelers’ rookie who stole the show wasn’t Najee Harris but punter Pressley Harvin III:
The 255-pound seventh-round pick was nearly perfect in his NFL debut. He downed his first three punts, including that beauty above, inside the 11-yard line and allowed zero return yards. (The Cowboys muffed his fourth punt, which was recovered by the Steelers at the Dallas 25-yard line late in the game.)
If you paid any attention to Georgia Tech last year, first of all, my condolences. Second of all, Harvin’s performance wouldn’t have surprised you. He led FBS in punting average with 48 yards per punt, won the Ray Guy Award in 2020 (the first Black punter to ever take home the award), and was a unanimous first-team All-American. His game Thursday night was no fluke.
Congratulations, Steelers fans. It looks like Jordan Berry’s time in Pittsburgh could be ending soon.
RVB: Dallas’ first-round pick, linebacker Micah Parsons, looked pretty damn good. That whole “sideline-to-sideline player” thing is a terrible cliche, but I will be damned if it didn’t apply in this case. There wasn’t a spot on the field he couldn’t get to with a quickness. I don’t remember the last time Dallas had a reliable defensive playmaker like that. That should make Leighton Vander Esch, who’s actually healthy and playing well, a depth guy if not expendable.