The NFL preseason slate opens with two games on Thursday night and continues through the weekend with five games on Friday, eight games on Saturday and one game on Sunday. It’s been an awfully long time without meaningful football, so let’s dive into a 10-point breakdown of what we’re looking for. While we’re big on running backs, we’ll provide a handful of training camp rookies to keep an eye on, as well as some details on how we’ll evaluate some of the preseason’s biggest offensive questions.
Trevor Lawrence’s re-debut
Trevor Lawrence’s fresh start: Looking back now, Lawrence’s 2021 preseason wasn’t just a collection of fledgling Bambi-on-Ice moves from a rookie quarterback learning the NFL. It was, more than likely, the flailing of a young pro trying to overcome a completely broken offense. Read also : MLB trade results winners and losers: Padres get Juan Soto; Yankees, Phillies improve; Tough day for O’s fans. Do you remember his first touchdown against the Browns? Seems a little messed up now that we know what was going on behind the scenes, doesn’t it?
Lawrence played a lot of tackles at Clemson, something the Jaguars could showcase this season.
I looked back at Clemson’s success under OC Tony Elliott, now the head coach at Virginia, and Chad Morris, Elliott’s predecessor at Clemson. The Tigers, Lawrence’s alma mater, ran a lot of formations with two backs (estimates as high as 40%). And while that may have been the thought process behind former Jaguars coach Urban Meyer drafting Travis Etienne to pair with James Robinson, Etienne’s injury made that dream impossible for Meyer to realize. In fact, the Jaguars used 01-personnel last year (no matching running backs, one tight end and four wide receivers) more than almost any team in football. They were almost exclusively an 11-man team (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers) with a small 12-man section (one running back, two tight ends).
While we obviously won’t see what the Jaguars’ offense will look like as a whole, will we see them experiment with any two-backs (or situational tight end usage that has the tight end act as the second back)? To me, that would represent a promise to Lawrence to peel the best of Clemson’s offense and adapt it to his game. New coach Doug Pederson did it with Alex Smith in Kansas City and started the NFL’s RPO explosion with Carson Wentz in Philadelphia.
Daniel Jones’ future with the Giants
In 2014, I remember going to Canton to see the Giants debut a new offense for Eli Manning, led by current Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. Manning was with previous coordinator Kevin Gilbride for nearly seven years, and the nuances of his plan became familiar to the fan base. This was something new. Exciting. Of course, McAdoo didn’t reveal anything that week, and he hasn’t revealed anything throughout the preseason. With the exception of Chip Kelly, I can’t recall a coach bringing up the finesse of the offense during the exhibition period. It took us a long time in the ’14 regular season to digest the differences.
This is a long-winded way of saying that I’m curious to watch Jones, but I’m not ready to jump to any sweeping conclusions. This is true for the reasons I mentioned before, and the fact that new coach Brian Daboll’s strength, I’ve always felt, is attacking opponents situationally. You can read more about it here. Read also : MLB announces the permission of jersey ads. So we’ll be watching Jones Thursday night against the Patriots not for the stats, but to see how confidently he lets it happen after his back foot hits the turf on the third step of his drop. Does he drop the ball at reasonable times? Does he feel comfortable stretching the field on third-and-long? While there has been no conclusion that Jones is in the running back competition, it would be worth noting if he is acting with a lack of confidence that could suggest he may find himself in one soon. We will be able to see that.
The zone blocking Patriots
This is one of the best-reported highlights of the preseason, from the great Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. Read also : Bloomberg UK Politics: Choosing the wrong politicians. She called out legendary Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarneccia about the team’s nightmarish struggles to adopt a bootleg-heavy out-of-zone running game reminiscent of the 49ers, Titans, Packers and others (New England has long been a gap-blocking front). Scarneccia takes:
“Bill [Belichick] was never one to say, ‘We’re going to run this no matter what it looks like,'” he said. “He won’t do it. I remember him saying many times, ‘Let’s go do something else.’ But in the meantime, you can’t stick your toe in the water and say this is going to be it. You just have to take the leap, trust the techniques and the people involved.”
Basically, Belichick could easily throw a zone scheme. Maybe he’s just experimenting. Also, Scarneccia said the Patriots ran the play out of the zone, but never tied the passing game to that play the way Kyle Shanahan does (because when you have Tom Brady, you just do whatever he wants). Mac Jones is more athletic. Alabama ran a lot of plays. They may just be comfortable with gap elements in the run game and hope to be situational out of the zone.
My opinion is that I would be stunned to see Belichick completely switch to a scheme run by half the NFL. Belichick has mastered the inefficiencies of the football market for over 20 years. Do we really think he’s trying to look more like a 49ers team that has coaches all over the league, all of whom have a pretty decent idea of how to combat that scheme? I’m not saying the outer zone is dead (far from it). But I say that with most defenses gearing up to defend, why would the Patriots play into their hands?
We can easily tell if the Patriots are fumbling with zone blocking in the preseason. They would almost certainly have to run him against the Giants with their rotating core of linemen if they expect to run him in the first week of the regular season.
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Willis’ athleticism could be enough to unseat Titans starter Ryan Tannehill.
George Walker IV/Tennessean.com/USA TODAY NETWORK
Malik Willis’ debut with the Titans
The Titans praised the rookie. Although this progress was chalked up to certain coaching platitudes about Willis being behind the eight in terms of his footwork (Willis came to the position much later than most, starting behind center late in his high school career after being most prominent as a wide receiver) , the preseason is often suitable for showcasing players with solid athleticism. We could come out of the preseason with an eye on Willis’ athletic ceiling, which could be enough to entice Titans fans wary of Ryan Tannehill’s on-field limitations.
When I checked out Willis before the draft, one of the coolest tidbits I heard about him was that he would be guaranteed an opportunity to play wide receiver or cornerback at any Power 5 school in the country. His talent is so real. For a coach as resourceful as Mike Vrabel, what does that allow you to accomplish immediately?
On the other hand, the Titans might want to see how well Willis gets the ball out on time. Either way, tracking Willis’ undrafted rushes will be a worthwhile endeavor during the Titans’ matchup with the Ravens on Friday. He’ll look great doing it, but would the Titans prefer to put him in situations where Willis has to work with structure? The word in Nashville is that Willis looks comfortable with the offense, but we’ll see how comfortable he is against a spirited defense that could send additional drives late in the second half to see who can contribute situational passing on the 53-man roster.
Baker Mayfield’s debut with the Panthers
Mayfield finished Tuesday’s practice with back-to-back touchdowns during a two-minute situational drill (according to The Charlotte Observer, the quarterback asked head coach Matt Rhule to start the drill over after Mayfield scored their first ). It sounds clear and obvious to anyone who attends regular Wofford practices that Mayfield will run away with the starting job. The questions are whether he will keep him or use the preseason to further drive a wedge between himself and Sam Darnold.
Mayfield has always been a superior player, and the Panthers wouldn’t have traded him if he wasn’t a significant upgrade over Darnold. While the smart money is on most of his skill players being miles away from the field this weekend against the Commanders, it’s worth watching how Mayfield programs with the Panthers. What do his readings look like? How fast does running backwards affect his progress? Will it minimize the situations where he has to step away from his headset to achieve the necessary visibility?
As an aside, one tangible aspect that we will be able to monitor: are people reacting to it? I used to think this was a joke, à la the movie Draft Day. But it’s true. Coaches look at these things. If Mayfield throws a touchdown, who will celebrate with him? How does he approach Darnold on the sideline? While attempts to smear Mayfield upon his departure from Cleveland always seemed transparent to their plans at the quarterback position, Mayfield’s personality may always have been an acquired taste. Where does the personal adaptation process go next?
The Steelers quarterback situation
While we should be encouraged to tone down any excessive criticism of players during training camp (see: Ja’Marr Chase can’t catch), the reports out of Pittsburgh are troubling at best. TribLive.com reported that Kenny Pickett has struggled to the point that the team may not feel comfortable putting him in live exhibitions. Remember, Pickett has the smallest passing arm of any running back in the NFL. Mitch Trubisky has a lower punt average from the 2-yard line in practice than the Pittsburgh Pirates. Trubisky is projected as the Week 1 starter, although Mike Tomlin’s endorsement doesn’t necessarily ring a bell here. Basically, he’s going back to coaching legalese a bit. Mitch has more experience, so he’s going to start right now. The team’s decision to delay finding a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger is a big one at this point. While Tomlin is one of the best coaches in the NFL, last year the Steelers showed exactly how talented a surrounding core can help a failing quarterback situation. It doesn’t get much better than barely sneaking into an extended free-to-play card game that will air on Nickelodeon.
Becton is out for the season with a knee injury, which could spell trouble for running back Zach Wilson.
Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports
Jets offensive line woes and impact on Zach Wilson
Mekhi Becton is out for the season, ending what should have been a bounce-back campaign for the promising former first-round pick. I don’t think Becton gets the credit he deserves for plunging headlong into the drastic change of plan that he did; one that didn’t necessarily match his body type. There is certainly an NFL team that matches his skills when healthy.
Still, the offensive game is especially important to Zach Wilson, who struggled under pressure at BYU. In a perfect world, Wilson gets plenty of time on action throws, plus a few extra milliseconds from a makeshift offensive line that can allow the Jets’ receivers to get open deep. This is a tough ask for Chum Edog, who according to practice reports had the initial task of spelling Becton in the lineup. Duane Brown is on their short list of free agents, and a performance this weekend could end up speeding up that process.
While it’s important not to make too much of one injury, anything tangentially related to Wilson’s progress is serious business. The quarterback was brilliant in short bursts last year and worrisome during longer stretches. If the Jets make progress toward closing the gap between those polar opposites, they will almost certainly have a viable franchise quarterback on their hands. But so much goes into that process. Only two players — Jameis Winston and Jalen Hurts — averaged more time to throw the ball last year. Wilson, with a whopping three seconds on his return, can’t get through with a replacement-level player anchoring the right side. (Since I can’t in good conscience give the Jets two of the 10 spots on this list, I’ll add as an aside that Sauce Gardner will play quarterback in Friday’s opener, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. There was no longer a particularly touted player in the preseason, and the Jets are players who know good cornerback play when they see it. We’ve been honored for so long to reach Darrelle Revis).
Does the Jimmy Garoppolo market open up?
From a 30,000-foot perspective, the 49ers’ quarterback has something to give, despite what coach Kyle Shanahan calls a dormant trade market. Of course, Shanahan is smart enough not to reveal anything publicly, and it’s ridiculous to think that given the lack of talented running backs in the NFL, Garoppolo would remain the fourth quarterback. He’s adept in the NFL’s most popular offense and has two deep playoff runs on his resume. Coaches have seen more success paired with far less talented players than Garoppolo.
What precipitates problems like this is often the team coming to grips with how unsatisfying or dire their own situation is. Garoppolo would have ties in Miami and could fit into offenses run in New England, Green Bay, Cleveland, Atlanta, Tennessee, Arizona and Denver, among others. We don’t actively root for injury or catastrophically poor play, but we recognize that it happens. Garoppolo is the last viable starter on the market, and for all the trouble and awkwardness the 49ers have endured keeping him under wraps, they may end up reaping the rewards for their patience.
By the way, what will Trey Lance look like? He took our breath away last year in the preseason. Despite what I saw as some promising moments, there seemed to be an overall lack of optimism among those around him. Lance has been described to me more as a “cool kid” than a “generational talent,” which he seems to have the tools to become. Garoppolo remained the starter while healthy throughout the season. All that said, if Lance still feels unable to figure out Shanahan’s system, is there any merit in keeping Garoppolo back?
How will announcers handle a problematic time for the NFL?
The NFL preseason features very little meaningful action after halftime, which means a great deal of on-air improvisation from announcers who may not be used to reaching outside of their local markets. As of this writing, Deshaun Watson could get snaps. Daniel Snyder is under investigation. The Buccaneers, Dolphins, Saints and Patriots were all embroiled in a massive match-fixing scandal allegedly started by Miami owner Stephen Ross. Brian Flores made his coaching debut in Pittsburgh. As an announcer, do you just pretend these things didn’t happen? Are you going deep into the fourth tight end competition? Are you breaking down the quarterback battle or do you get serious for a second and say, OK, Watson took some snaps tonight. Here’s what’s happening.
I spoke to one NFL executive who said, “In August, I mostly try to pretend these things don’t exist, with notable exceptions: the Miami news and the Watson news. But nobody wants to speculate about why their team is the worst.”
The unearthing of a mid-round/undrafted gem
That’s what preseason is for, right? At some point, a player will come along who will make a significant impact in the NFL regular season and get a chance in one of these games. Any options?
• Isaih Pacheco, running back, Chiefs (seventh-round pick from Rutgers) • Khalil Shakir, wide receiver, Bills (fifth-round pick from Boise State). He may or may not play due to lingering pain. • Nicholas Petit-Frere, Titans (third-round pick out of Ohio State) • Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen (according to the Seattle Times, both rookie cornerbacks will get serious looks as starters thanks to a string of injuries in camp. What a fascinating look at John Scheider and Pete Carroll with a few mid-round cornerbacks and you’ve got nothing to lose) • Isaiah Likely, tight end, Ravens (fourth-round pick, from Coastal Carolina): Starter Mark Andrews is out in the opener, and second-round pick Charlie Kolar is struggling with a hernia. Ravens covet tight end. He could probably turn out to be an associate. • Montrell Washington, wide receiver, Broncos (fifth-round pick from Samford)• Rachaad White, running back, Buccaneers (fourth-round pick from Arizona State)• Yusuf Corker, safety, Giants (undrafted from Kentucky)• LaBryan Ray, defensive end, Patriots (undrafted out of Alabama)
