NFL preseason: Browns QB mess, nervous time for Raiders; nine key takeaways

We’re two-thirds of the way through the preseason, creeping ever closer to Week 1, and change is afoot in the NFL. 

This week’s games provided some actual drama in Cleveland, and that’s not the only place where there’s a lack of quarterback clarity.

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As we head into the final stretch of the exhibition season, here are the biggest takeaways from the recent spate of games.

Cleveland’s QB mess

Shedeur Sanders was given his chance to make a statement in the Browns’ QB battle, and he did some good things Saturday – and another interception. Still, he was far better against the Bills than Deshaun Watson was, and what happened after the game was the real stunner.

Watson played the victim, saying that Browns fans booing him wasn’t based on “performance,” suggesting that their attacks on him were “personal” and “disrespectful.” He might have outplayed Sanders in the first preseason game, but Watson had a bad pick and was far worse.

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Opening Day against the Jaguars is three weeks away. The Browns have been in quarterback purgatory many times, but it almost feels like a no-win situation.

What’s next: Todd Monken has a real mess on his hands. He’s close to announcing a decision on who starts, and it wouldn’t stun anyone if he picked Sanders now. Sanders has momentum on his side, and Watson’s postgame comments shot like a lightning bolt through Cleveland. Monken won’t have a home game until Week 3, but he risks losing the fan base – and potentially the locker room – if Watson is named the Week 1 starter. Even if he’s nominally the better QB at this moment than Sanders, who hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, Watson will be treated as persona non grata for a lot of folks who support the team. There has just been too much damage done there, and Watson threw a match on those old flames.

Maybe not Week 1, but Fernando Mendoza is coming

It feels a bit odd to hype up Fernando Mendoza’s chances of starting early in the season for the Raiders after a game in which he hardly dominated, but that was my takeaway after hearing Klint Kubiak talk postgame. He didn’t glaze Mendoza too hard, but he did keep the door ajar on a starting announcement. 

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Kirk Cousins has been treated like the Week 1 starter to this point, but there was a shift in the past week or so, with Mendoza earning first-team reps in joint practices (which he hadn’t previously) and the start Thursday night. His pick-six against the Texans’ backups was a tough moment, and it wasn’t a pristine showing overall, but there were still visible positives.

Which way will Kubiak lean?

What’s next: I still think it’s Cousins Week 1. Kubiak has been patient but pragmatic in his approach thus far. He’s said he doesn’t want anyone feeling comfortable, and I suspect he’s achieved that. It’s perhaps a hint that Cousins needs to be a little sharper, too. But Kubiak also has created the natural competitive dynamic and is setting up the possibility of a quick hook early in the season if Cousins and the offense stall. Timing it up properly, with the Raiders playing the meatiest part of their schedule in October, is going to be the trick. But one way or another, the idea of Mendoza sitting a large chunk of the season no longer feels like the set-in-stone plan.

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One of the headlines coming out of Thursday was the continued strong play of rookie RB Mike Washington Jr., who followed up a good first preseason game with nine carries for 56 yards and two catches for 18 more yards against the Texans. Washington until well into Round 4 (122nd pick), but he’s looking more and more like a precocious rookie.

The reason that’s potentially significant is what happened at practice on Sunday, with Jeanty reportedly going down with an injury of unknown severity. 

What’s next: If that injury is serious, it could deal a huge blow to Jeanty and the Raiders, who were expecting bigger things in Year 2. Kubiak has spoken about the importance of the run game, and Jeanty was expected to be a major part of that. Now this could elevate Washington into a major role in the Raiders’ offense. The other current options include 2024 sixth-rounder Laube, undrafted Roman Hemby and veteran Dare Ogunbowale. Washington is limited in the passing game and didn’t always maximize his physical gifts in college, but his explosive burst and big-play potential make him an intriguing replacement if need be.

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After three snaps, Jayden Daniels is ready for the regular season

That’s the plan, anyway. The Commanders gave Daniels and the first-team offense a brief (very brief) audition Saturday at the Lions, a grand total of three snaps, none of which fared very well. Incomplete pass. Sack. Draw play on 3rd and 20. Punt. After that, Dan Quinn had seen enough. 

Sam Hartman was fine, but rookie Athan Kaliakmanis stole the show after that at QB. That’s all fine and good, but there’s some concern about QB2 Marcus Mariota’s knee sprain that kept him out.

Daniels has earned strong reviews from his play in camp. He and play caller David Blough appear to be in sync, and Daniels has reportedly meshed well with the late-arriving Stefon Diggs. That’s the good news. The bad is that the offensive line is a concern, with Laremy Tunsil out indefinitely and Nick Allegretti missing most of camp with an injury. The running back room also has been chewed up badly. Perhaps the three-snap decision was for preservation as much as anything else.

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What’s next: We’ll see what kind of shape the offense is in Week 1 at Philadelphia. Quinn likely saw Daniels take the hit against Detroit and said, no mas. Maybe it was the pre-game plan. But he has to be a little scared about his QB situation, potentially one big hit away from playing a relative unknown, assuming Mariota’s knee is an issue. That first game will be a big challenge for Daniels, Blough and the rest of the offense.

The Falcons’ QB situation is pretty fascinating, and not entirely in a good way. The continued struggles of Tua Tagovailoa have delayed the naming of a starter, and head coach Kevin Stefanski announced after Saturday’s game against the Colts that Penix has been cleared for 11-on-11 action. Neither played Saturday, but it feels like there’s been a shift in the winds in Atlanta.

The big story from the game was the fine play of former D2 standout Jack Strand, who’s making a real push for the QB3 role, trying to fend off Cooper Rush. Right now, none of the roles feel settled heading into the final preseason week. Tagovailoa and Penix are battling for the starting job, and Strand and Rush are angling for a spot on the team.

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What’s next: A critical week of practice awaits the Falcons prior to facing the Dolphins in Miami. Penix can’t waste time, but the opportunity is there to steal the starting job in the final stage of this battle. How Stefanski handles QB playing time in the final preseason game could be telling, too. He’s already said his general philosophy is to play starters in the first and third preseason games, having sat them in Week 2 because of the joint practices. Outside of practice reports this week, the finale at Miami is kind of the biggest remaining data point in determining the starter prior to the regular season. 

Stetson Bennett states his case in Rams backup battle

After sitting in last week’s preseason opener, Bennett made a big statement in the first half of the Rams’ blowout win over the Saints in his battle against rookie Ty Simpson for the QB2 job. Bennett threw for 181 yards, ran for two scores and played turnover-free ball. 

A week after his impressive preseason debut against the Chiefs, Simpson played fine late, but he didn’t do anything too flashy and entered the game with a 27-0 lead, facing backups. The 2026 first-rounder is making the team one way or another, but can he hold off Bennett?

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What’s next: This feels like a legitimate battle behind Matthew Stafford. The Rams have a Super Bowl-caliber team, and the 38-year-old Stafford has battled through chronic injuries over the years, so this is a critical decision for Sean McVay, especially with no margin for error in football’s toughest division. My gut says Bennett holds off Simpson to start the regular season but that the battle will rage on behind the scenes after that. McVay typically has been a two-QB man, but he’s kept three previously, and I suspect he’ll do the same this time around. They appear to have three decent options.

Cowboys’ backups shine again on defense

They’re preseason reps, and mostly from reserves, but the Cowboys have played some good defense in two preseason games, allowing a mere 20 points. How much that tells us about the quality of the Dallas defense as a whole is a stretch, but it at least indicates that there is some depth we might not have known about previously. 

Rookie Jaishawn Barham shined against Arizona with active and physical play, including earning some green-dot responsibilities. Other young standouts included CB Shavon Revel, who could earn a starting role, and LT Overton. First-rounder Malachi Lawrence has had pressures in each of the first two preseason games.

What’s next: It’s gearing up for Week 1 at the Giants for a big Sunday night matchup. That’s when we’ll find out whether new defensive coordinator Christian Parker really has the makings of an improved unit. The signs are there, and the improvement has been steady throughout what has been mostly a good-vibes camp. There’s tangible excitement for what could be a capable unit, or even more. Last season was mostly a disaster on defense, but with the firepower Dallas’ offense has, it might only take marginal improvements to notice a difference in the standings. 

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Most established QBs sat Week 2

NFL teams have used the second of three preseason games as a de facto dress rehearsal for the season, but that definitely wasn’t the standard plan this weekend. Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford and plenty more star quarterbacks sat this weekend.

With Rodgers, Stafford and Mahomes, you can understand why because of age and injury risk, although Mahomes claimed to be eager enough to have played had Andy Reid let him. But more and more teams are taking the approach that it’s best to protect the assets you’ll be relying on from September through January – and hopefully beyond.

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What’s next: See you Week 1. If you’re worried about a lack of reps for some starting quarterbacks, fear not. This has been a growing trend for years, with less emphasis on preseason games and more on joint-practice work leading up to the games. Starters often receive quality reps while receiving extra protection in those periods, so they’re able to simulate game looks while theoretically reducing the injury exposure. 

Week 2 wasn’t just about rookies such as Kaliakmanis and Strand making unexpected noise at quarterback. For players such as Milton, who lit it up against the Cardinals, preseason games can also serve as potential narrative changers. Milton completed 9-of-13 passes for 179 yards and two TDs, plus a rushing score, in one half of work against the Cardinals Sunday night.

Last week Sam Howell received the first reps; this week the order flipped. Dak Prescott remains the locked-in starter, but Milton just made a big push for the No. 2 role.

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What’s next: It feels like Milton has all the momentum to win the QB2 job, and his strong play Saturday – flashing all of his god-given ability – felt like a convincing enough showing for the Cowboys potentially to keep only two quarterbacks. As for whether Milton is teasing the kind of ability that one day could see him as Prescott’s successor, well, we’re not ready to go that far. But he certainly feels a lot more intriguing now than he was not that long ago.