NFL teams finalized their initial 53-man rosters Sunday, but the word “initial” is important. Between now and Week 1, teams will be making tweaks to their teams via waiver claims, free agent adds, injury designations and maybe even a trade or two more. After all, we saw 15(!) trades on Sunday alone.
With teams finally, fully turning their attention to Week 1, we can do the same — but not before we name the biggest winners and losers from the past month of training camp and preseason action.
Winners
Los Angeles Rams
What more is there to say? After the Rams added one of the best defensive players of all time (Myles Garrett) and two cornerbacks (Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson) to address their biggest need, Aaron Donald officially un-retired on a one-year deal. Donald is now 35, but if he is even 70% of his peak self, he’s still a star. Los Angeles can work him in slowly if they need to. A pass rush with Garrett, Donald, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Braden Fiske and others is nightmare fuel for opponents.
Furthermore, unlike last year, Matthew Stafford has seemingly no back concerns entering the year. And if he should miss time, both Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett flashed in preseason action.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are another Super Bowl contender feeling good. There were positive developments on both sides of the ball, with Ja’Kobi Lane emerging as a training camp star and impressing in the preseason as well. On defense, the best news is Nnamdi Madubuike, who has worked his way back from a career-threatening neck injury to be in line to play early this season. He hasn’t practiced fully yet, but Baltimore not placing him on IR shows he’s trending in the right direction. Players have lauded new coach Jesse Minter, Trey Hendrickson has impressed, and even undrafted quarterback Joe Fagnano made the 53-man roster. If he can be an eventual QB2, Baltimore has unearthed another gem.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Who says you can’t go home? After not playing last year, Odell Beckham Jr. made the Giants‘ roster. Forget the name recognition and the nice storyline; he had to earn his way, playing alongside and against backups.
Beckham’s role is TBD. It might be pretty small. But good on him for sticking with it, through injuries, aging and many team changes.
Bo Nix
The Broncos won 14 games last year, were the AFC’s No. 1 seed, and were likely a Bo Nix broken ankle away from going to the Super Bowl. And yet it seems like they’ve flown under the radar. The same goes for Nix, who is bunched in with Patrick Mahomes, Daniel Jones, Kyler Murray and Jayden Daniels among quarterbacks returning from injury.
Nix played two series this preseason. He went 6-for-9 for 76 yards and a beautiful touchdown to RJ Harvey. He also connected with his new top weapon, Jaylen Waddle, on a 35-yarder.
Waddle adds the explosiveness to take this passing game to another level. Courtland Sutton looked awesome in the preseason, and Pat Bryant made waves as well. Same for rookie running back Jonah Coleman. The Broncos also return one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. It’s all adding up for a big year for Nix.
De’Zhaun Stribling
In just 34 snaps across two preseason games, De’Zhaun Stribling caught 11 passes for 109 yards. He was a surprise and much-criticized pick at No. 33 overall, but all he has done since then is impress pretty much everyone. He has impressive size (6-foot-2, 207 pounds) and YAC ability, and with Ricky Pearsall out for the season, he is likely to step in as a starter right away. He earned rave reviews from Brock Purdy.
Everyone who got paid
It’s easy to look past it now, but many contract situations leaked into training camp. Many — but not all — got resolved.
Running backs were big winners. Bijan Robinson signed a record-setting three-year, $66.75 million deal in early August. Jonathan Taylor got a two-year, $44 million extension a few days later. Then Jahmyr Gibbs signed a three-year, $67.5 million extension to top Robinson’s contract.
There were other winners, too. The reigning-champion Seahawks made Devon Witherspoon the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL and, more recently, extended Leonard Williams. Elsewhere, Peter Skoronski, Darnell Wright and Jalen Carter all became the highest-paid players at their respective positions.
Montorie Foster Jr.
Sorry for the spoiler, “Hard Knocks” fans: Montorie Foster Jr. made the Seahawks’ initial 53-man roster. As the show details, Foster was a substitute teacher and realtor last year after failing to make Seattle’s team. Now, he’s back.
On a Sunday when hundreds of players’ dreams of making an NFL roster went up in smoke, there were plenty of good stories like Foster’s. Here are two:
Losers
Cam Skattebo
“Infectious” became the word of Giants camp after this John Harbaugh quote:
“Skatt’s great. He does bring a lot of energy. But he did get a 15-yard penalty at the end of practice. Did you notice that? That’s not infectious. Well, it is infectious, actually. Infectious in a bad way. Like an infectious disease type of thing. You don’t want that. You want it to be directed in a positive way.”
The quote came after a testy practice in which Cam Skattebo rankled some defensive players with his play in non-tackling drills. It also isn’t the first time Harbaugh hasn’t exactly been pleased with Skattebo. Remember the failed backflip? (Skattebo is coming off a major leg fracture, by the way.)
Perhaps none of that impacts the on-field product, but the Giants’ signing of Najee Harris might.
People hoping to see Fernando Mendoza soon
Another telling quote, this time from Raiders coach Klint Kubiak about No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza:
“He needs another three preseason games, all those rookies do. Now that the season’s starting the practice reps get smaller and that’s just life.”
We won’t go as far as to say Mendoza was a preseason loser, but that quote shows there’s a ways to go. After a strong preseason Week 1, Mendoza threw an interception in both Week 2 and Week 3, threw no touchdowns, completed roughly half of his passes and took a beating behind an offensive line that did him few favors.
Kubiak is right. Mendoza needs time. Kirk Cousins looked solid in the preseason, which should give Mendoza even more time. But those “he should start immediately” thoughts? Let’s reassess in six weeks.
Shedeur Sanders
I’ll keep this quick, because I’ve written extensively about it: Shedeur Sanders will get his shot this year, whether it’s due to Deshaun Watson’s performance or a potential injury. After all, Watson has played 19 of a possible 68 games since joining Cleveland and is coming off two Achilles tears.
Still, it’s surely a disappointment for Sanders that he didn’t get the starting job and a chance to run with it. Perhaps he was never going to win the job. Perhaps interceptions in both preseason games were the deciding factor. Regardless, Sanders missed on what could be the best shot he’ll ever have to be a Week 1 starter.
J.J. McCarthy
J.J. McCarthy went from battling for the starting job to battling for a roster spot. Though he ultimately made the Vikings‘ initial 53, his future is uncertain, given that he was splitting QB2 reps with Carson Wentz. Maybe a fresh start would have been better.
In preseason action, McCarthy showed all-too-familiar, frustrating inconsistencies. He is woefully inaccurate. Against the Ravens in Week 2, McCarthy missed an open Tai Felton and then missed a wide, wide, wide open Myles Price in the end zone two plays later. Both have to be touchdowns. McCarthy’s processing speed still isn’t up to par, either, and he got beat up behind a leaky offensive line. In fact, he emerged from the Ravens game with a slight injury.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders were having a strong training camp by all accounts before star left tackle Laremy Tunsil tore his triceps. He’ll miss much, if not all, of the season. The hits kept coming, revealing a roster that lacks both top-end talent and depth. In a joint practice with the Ravens, Washington’s offense was so dismal that longtime beat writer Nicki Jhabvala called it “the worst I’ve ever seen the Commanders’ offense in years.” I was there too, and, yes, it was really bad.
The Commanders were down a couple of starters, but the fact that the top backups were unplayable is damning. Projected starting center Nick Allegretti (calf) has hardly practiced. Cornerback Trey Amos has hardly practiced and is starting the season on IR. EDGE Odafe Oweh, Washington’s top free agent signee, is also dealing with a calf strain. And Daniels, while excellent on the field, even had the LSU thing, which seems to be in the past. The Commanders lost their preseason finale 41-3, a fitting end to a rough last few weeks.
Green Bay Packers
Josh Jacobs landed on the Commissioner Exempt List after being charged with two misdemeanors stemming from a May arrest. While on the list, he cannot practice or attend games.
The Packers got an encouraging preseason from Marshawn Lloyd, but relying on a player who has played in only one game over two years is precarious.
Defensively, Micah Parsons will start the year on the PUP list, an expected development but still one worth considering. Green Bay’s defensive backs are a major, major question mark, exposed throughout the preseason, and losing one of the game’s best pass rushers will put even more stress on them.
Atlanta Falcons
After an awful preseason debut with the Falcons, Tua Tagovailoa was much better in Week 3 … for one drive. Then he fumbled the opening snap of the following drive. He also fumbled a snap in preseason Week 1.
The Falcons haven’t had much of an opportunity to remove him from QB1 status, though. Michael Penix Jr. only recently returned to full team drills, and he didn’t play in the preseason finale. Tagovailoa’s turnovers seemingly come in all shapes and sizes, many inexplicable.
Add in Jalon Walker’s torn ACL and James Pearce Jr.’s eight-game suspension, and it was a rough preseason ahead of what could be a rough regular season.
Christian Gonzalez and Joey Porter Jr.
If we’re going to name those who did get paid “winners,” we have to acknowledge those who didn’t get paid “losers.”
Both Christian Gonzalez and Joey Porter Jr. are at odds with their respective teams. Gonzalez wants to be the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, but the Patriots are reportedly unwilling to go there after Witherspoon’s extension. Porter was only on the PUP list because of the contract stalemate, and now he’s been activated. Will either player get a new deal? If not, will it have adverse effects on their ability and/or their play?
