Two weeks of preseason games are in the books, and we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This past week's slate of preseason games, plus joint practices, brought us more glimpses of what we could expect to see in the regular season. But it brought some drama, too.
Deshaun Watson was named the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback on Monday after making pointed remarks to the team's fans following his lackluster performance on Saturday. There's also an unusual storyline developing with players who might wind up playing college football in the next couple of weeks. So, with only one more preseason week to go, here are our takeaways from the latest slate of preseason games.
1. Deshaun Watson Didn’t Deserve The Starting Job In Cleveland. He Got It Anyway.
Ralph Vacchiano: Deshaun Watson showed everyone on Saturday why he shouldn’t be the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback, with a terrible on-field performance and an even worse one off the field. Then, Todd Monken gave him the job anyway. Maybe that’s a sign that the new Browns coach had nothing but bad options in his quarterback competition, but his choice still couldn’t have been any worse.
He went with a 30-year-old who’ll surely be an ex-Brown next season over a somewhat promising young quarterback, Shedeur Sanders. And he did it two days after Watson was terrible in a preseason game against the Bills (5 of 12 for 36 yards and an interception) and then showed an incredible lack of self-awareness (and an abundance of immaturity) when he whined about being booed. "I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do with the performance," Watson said.
"It’s a little more personal than that. So, I think that’s a disrespectful thing." OK, that’s a little rich and a lot outrageous, coming from the man who got the biggest fully-guaranteed contract in NFL history from the Browns in 2022 (five years, $230 million) even though he hadn’t played in two years and was accused of sexual misconduct by 27 women. He then rewarded that startling generosity by only being healthy enough to play in 19 games over the last four seasons — and not particularly well, either.
Even without that bad moment, though, Monken still made the wrong choice. The coach had been leaning this way, multiple team sources told me, in part because the Browns’ early schedule is overloaded with road games (their first two and six of their first nine), and Monken thought Watson’s veteran presence would help his young team. But Watson’s play didn’t warrant that faith.
He was just 16 of 27 for 162 yards and an interception in two preseason games. His passer rating of 61.0 was even a notch below Sanders’ 65.2. So while it’s true that there was no good option here, it’s also true that really is no upside to Watson, who is understandably reviled by what seems to be a majority of the Browns’ fan base.
Starting Sanders at least would’ve given them hope that he can get better, something to look forward to other than the QB-rich 2027 draft. Instead, Monken latched on to the anchor that has been scraping the Browns along rock bottom for the last five years. Sanders will surely get a shot later this season.
But as usual in Cleveland, any hope for the future is delayed. 2. Yes, The Pipeline To The Pros Goes Both Ways Greg Auman: The most backwards trend of the NFL preseason?
Marginal players testing the waters of playing in NFL preseason games and … going back to college. It seems impossible, but these days, if you can get a judge to rule the right way, traditional lines of amateurism and eligibility can disappear. The NCAA’s shift to a five-year eligibility model wasn’t intended to be backdated for athletes who had exhausted their window – and signed a pro contract, gotten paid and even played for NFL teams.
But that’s really happening, leaving general managers to wonder if they’ll lose players off their roster to the allure of NIL money from colleges. Tight end Dae’Quan Wright, an undrafted rookie with the Browns, put his name in the transfer portal. Cleveland has since waived him, setting him up to play for LSU this fall.
"Man, ain’t this s— crazy?" Browns coach Todd Monken said. "I mean, I don’t even know what to say … I wondered why Lane Kiffin reached out a week ago. Now I know.
I didn’t call him back, guess I should have." Speaking of LSU, consider Tampa Bay Buccaneers undrafted rookie linebacker Jack Pyburn, who had two sacks in Tampa Bay’s preseason opener. He’s also one of the players granted a temporary restraining order that could allow him to return to college football. He played at LSU last year, and that sets up the man-bites-dog possibility of an NFL player leaving early for college.
The fall semester at LSU started on Monday, and NFL rosters will be cut from 90 players to 53 by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday. It’s unlikely the Bucs will keep Pyburn for their 53, but he has (had?) a good shot at their practice squad.
That pays $247,500 for a full season, and Pyburn could make three or four times that much on the Van Wilder go-back-to-college route. Pyburn said after Saturday’s preseason game that his agents had told the Bucs that college was a potential "backup plan," but when pressed as to what he might decide if choosing between an NFL practice squad and going back to college, he was noncommittal. "Ultimately, that’s a decision I’m going to have to make with my family, talk to my agents and see what’s the best business decision and what’s the best option for me and my future career," he said.
Yes, it’s NFL "respect my decision" season. Players would have to repay their NFL employers to regain college eligibility. Pyburn got a $15,000 bonus and $100,000 in guaranteed salary, but it’s possible that college NIL payments could also be covered by "offset" language standard in such contracts, normally intended so if NFL Team B pays a player to be on their practice squad, that subtracts from the money NFL Team A was on the hook for by their guarantee.
The league will have to sort out the ramifications. Can a player already passed over once in the draft get another shot, like baseball players do? This was already happening with basketball and G League players showing up on college rosters, but for NFL teams, it’s made roster-building even more complicated by the idea that players can make more money playing football at a lower level.
3. Stetson Bennett Commands Offense, Cements Role As Rams' Backup QB Eric D. Williams: With Jimmy Garoppolo no longer on the roster, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay’s search for someone to fill that void, should reigning MVP Matthew Stafford suffer an injury during the regular season, appears to be over.
In the battle between Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett, the Alabama product cracked the door open with a sparkling performance in a Week 1 preseason win over the Kansas City Chiefs. But Bennett may have closed the door by playing well in a 34-0 victory over the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium. The Georgia product finished with two rushing touchdowns in the first half, leading the Rams to scoring drives on four of his five possessions.
Bennett finished 19 of 31 for 181 yards, with no touchdown passes and no interceptions for a 77.5 passer rating. Ty Simpson also played solidly, finishing 8 of 12 for 73 yards in the second half. Simpson led the offense on one scoring drive.
However, Bennett impressed McVay by the way he led the offense, with quarterbacks coach and associated offensive coordinator Dave Ragone calling the plays – although he didn’t like Bennett reaching for the pylon with the ball on his first rushing touchdown. "I loved the fact that he used his legs," McVay said. "We’ll learn from reaching the ball into the end zone, even though I challenged that and we were successful.
We don’t want to leave ourselves susceptible to losing the ball out of the end zone where it goes for a touchback. "But he did a great job. I thought he got an opportunity to really showcase a lot of his skills." 4.
Daniel Jones Primed To Pick Up From Where He Left Off Last Season Ben Arthur: Watching the Indianapolis Colts quarterback at Wednesday’s joint practice with the Atlanta Falcons, it was impossible for me to tell that he tore his Achilles just eight months ago. Everything you want your passer to do — drop back, scramble, throw on the move, evade pressure — Jones looked normal in doing so. Oh, and he was carving up the Falcons’ secondary as well.
With Indianapolis’ rushing attack struggling, Jones was near perfect in the pass game, targeting various receivers. We still need to see Jones move and perform in games. But all the early signs suggest that he can pick up from last season, when he was playing the best ball of his career before a broken leg slowed him down and the Achilles injury ended his season.
"I think with any major rehab process, you're always kind of progressing and getting back and getting used to doing everything, building up the reps on it, building up just your conditioning level," Jones said Wednesday. "I feel really good and there's nothing I don't feel good doing." The Colts’ pass-catching situation around Jones is a bit shaky at the moment, given star tight end Tyler Warren (groin) and wide receiver Alec Pierce (offseason ankle surgery) are currently sidelined. But when they return, they’ll add to a group that features one of the league’s best slot receivers in Josh Downs and recent signee Keenan Allen, who’s been a dominant force on third down.
That’s a cast of receivers Jones can find success with. "I think it could be really special, to be honest," Colts coach Shane Steichen said of the pass-catching group. "Alec (Pierce) obviously is a hell of a football player, which you guys know. [Josh] Downs, Tyler [Warren], and then adding Keenan [Allen] to the fold.
I think we can do a lot with those guys and move bodies around and find matchups." 5. Let’s Have A Conversation About Chiefs Breakout Rookie WR Cyrus Allen Henry McKenna: If you’ve been following training camp for Kansas City, you’ve heard of Allen. If you’re the type who combs X for potential breakout stars in fantasy football, you’ve heard of Allen.
If you’re obsessed with NFL rookies and the draft, you’ve heard of Allen. His training camp highlights have been crazy. And Andy Reid didn’t slow the hype’s momentum.
"He's done a nice job," Reid said of Allen. "The quarterback trusts him." This was the first week of training camp. Allen was a sixth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech.
It felt like a big proclamation, particularly given that Rashee Rice has a history of missing time due to injuries and suspensions and Xavier Worthy has failed to live up to his first-round hype. Since then, Allen has played well — steadily doing what he could to move up the depth chart. That included scoring touchdowns with the first-team when paired with Patrick Mahomes.
That also included beating first-round cornerback Mansoor Delane in 1-on-1s and team drills (7×7 and 11×11), per reporters on the scene. But here’s the truth for anyone expecting the second coming of Tyreek Hill. The folks at Arrowhead Pride broke it down with depth.
But it’s likely — perhaps even overly optimistic — to project 60 for Allen. And only six receivers converted 60 targets into 500+ receiving yards in 2025. But before he wows in the box score, he’ll need to land in the WR3 spot.
Given that he was playing behind Tyquan Thornton and Jaylen Royals in the second preseason game, Allen appears to be WR5. For what it’s worth, Hill had 83 targets, 61 catches, 593 yards and six touchdowns in his rookie season. That would be a great year for Allen.
So keep an eye on him. He’s a real playmaker. But let’s stay reasonable for a rookie in a Chiefs' offense that has a lot of mouths to feed.
6. De’Zhaun Stribling Shows Kyle Shanahan Knows How To Evaluate WRs Williams: NFL draft analysts were up in arms over the San Francisco 49ers taking Ole Miss product De’Zhaun Stribling in the second round, believing the organization had reached for a player that some consensus draft boards had going later in the draft. However, through two weeks of preseason play, Stribling has acquitted himself nicely.
Stribling is tied for the league lead with 11 catches for 109 yards, with a long of 32 yards. He finished with four catches for 46 yards in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers this week. I had a chance to watch Stribling in a joint practice at the Chargers’ facility.
At 6-2 and 210 pounds, Stribling is an easy mover with suction-cup hands that can make contested catches in congested areas. Along with that, Stribling has the potential for explosive playmaking ability to do something after the catch, a key attribute in Shanahan’s offense. With Ricky Pearsall out for the year and Brandon Ayiuk no longer on the roster, Stribling should find a significant role in San Francisco’s offense this season.
"I love how he handles himself," Shanahan said about Stribling. "He takes coaching well and never seems to take anything personally. He’s been a real fun guy to coach so far." 7.
Bills’ Thin WR Corps May Be More Of A Problem Than Ever Vacchiano: One great NFL mystery of this generation will surely be why the Buffalo Bills, with arguably the best quarterback in the league in Josh Allen, keep failing to surround him with top-end receivers. And once again, heading towards a season they hope will end in a Super Bowl, that failure is being exposed. Though they are getting a solid performance this summer from D.J.
Moore, the veteran "No. 1" wideout they acquired from the Chicago Bears, the rest of the corps is falling apart. Keon Coleman, their second-best receiver last season (38 receptions for 404 yards and four touchdowns), is nursing a concerning sprained toe.
Khalil Shakir, last season’s top wideout (72 receptions for 719 yards and four touchdowns), missed the joint practices and preseason game against the Browns last week with an undisclosed injury. And rookie Skyler Bell, their fourth-round pick, has missed two weeks with a groin injury. That leaves Allen right now with Moore, who cost the Bills a second-round pick in March, Joshua Palmer (22 receptions for 303 yards and zero touchdowns) last season, and … not much else.
That, of course, is not how the Bills see it. One team source told me their belief is that Allen can win with almost anyone around him, and that he can take what looks like a below-average group and make them much better. They are also convinced that Moore, at age 29, can reverse his steep, two-year decline simply by playing with an elite quarterback.
It’s a gamble, of course, because otherwise all the pieces are in place in Buffalo: A powerful running game led by James Cook, a top offensive line, a top-10 defense that gets a boost from the addition of edge rusher Bradley Chubb. And of course, the brilliance of Allen will always give them a shot. Still, it’s hard not to imagine what this team would look like with just one elite receiver by Allen’s side.
It would make their path to Buffalo’s first Super Bowl in 33 years look a lot easier than it currently is.
