2024 NFL preseason, Week 3: What We Learned from Saturday's games

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Coral Smith's takeaways:

1. Young looks good in first action. Finally making his preseason debut, quarterback Bryce Young orchestrated a touchdown on his one drive, appearing calm throughout behind generally solid protection -- bar one sack after a scramble. He finished 6 for 8 for 70 yards, with highlights including a fourth-down conversion via a 17-yard throw over the middle to Diontae Johnson with plenty of time in the pocket, and then later finding Jordan Matthews in the end zone for an 8-yard score. It was a promising outing for both Young and the starting offense around him, one that the Panthers will hope can translate to the regular season in a couple weeks.
2. NFL legacy has his moment. Bills running back Frank Gore Jr. is a long shot to make the 53-man roster, but with extended time on Saturday the son of the former 49ers great made a case for why he should earn one of those coveted and limited spots. Gore had by far the most carries of the afternoon, recording 18 totes, while all other players had nine combined, including QB runs. He accumulated 101 yards on the ground, averaging 5.6 per carry, and tacked on a touchdown in the third quarter for good measure, just getting the ball into the end zone on a 5-yard rush. Based on the unofficial depth chart, Gore’s main competition is Darrynton Evans, who had a receiving touchdown Saturday before being ruled out with a hamstring injury.

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Coral Smith's takeaways:

1. Backup RB battle down to the wire. The Packers turned to the run early and often in Saturday’s win, with the spotlight on a trio of backs fighting for a roster spot. Emanuel Wilson, who made the 53-man roster last year behind a strong preseason, started the day with 52 yards rushing on 11 attempts, also adding a pair of catches for 26 yards. Ellis Merriweather (16 rushes for 74 yards) and Nate McCrary (11 rushes for 64 yards) followed him for a team total of 193 yards on the ground. A RB spot could still be open for the taking, especially with MarShawn Lloyd and AJ Dillon working through injuries. Multiple players submitted their final portfolio to earn that spot on Saturday.
2. Mixed results for Ravens WRs. With the starters once again resting, it was the backups’ time to shine. Many of the wide receivers with less solid footing took the field one last time against the Packers, with varying results. Rookie Devontez Walker has had a quiet preseason as he dealt with a rib injury, and finished in much the same way with one catch for four yards. Conversely, Tylan Wallace’s single catch of the day was a monster 48-yard reception, outrunning multiple defenders before diving for the pylon for the score. No player had more than two catches, with the equal spread of targets meaning few chances for bubble players to stand out. Unfortunately what might have been the most impressive play of the day didn’t end up counting, as rookie Dayton Wade appeared to catch a touchdown pass that ricocheted off two defenders, but it was incomplete upon review.

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Nick Shook's takeaways:

1. Steelers finally find a little offensive rhythm. Through two preseason games, Pittsburgh fans had plenty of reason to worry that the combination of their revamped quarterbacks room and a new offensive coordinator might not work out. But again, it is the preseason, and Arthur Smith used the finale to assuage those fears, turning to a familiar face in Cordarrelle Patterson on an inside run (that came right out of their days spent together in Atlanta) for a touchdown. The Steelers also capitalized on a short field provided by a Nick Herbig (who has had an excellent preseason) strip sack, capping that possession with a 1-yard La'Mical Perine touchdown run. The bad news: Neither Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields did anything to separate in their trudge of a preseason quarterback competition, and Mike Tomlin didn't make any announcements after the game. But it was nice, at least, to see the Steelers do a little something on offense for once, even if it came against the Lions' backups.
2. An up-and-down day for Hendon Hooker. The second-year Tennessee product was given most of the game to get in some quality work, and the results were mixed. He worked through his progressions well and found open targets in some instances, but also missed receivers in a number of examples that kept him from getting into a legitimate rhythm. His interception wasn't his fault -- it came off a deflection because his intended target throttled his route down -- but Hooker also held onto the ball too long on some occasions, leading to sacks. Hooker broke 200 scrimmage yards and led the Lions in rushing, and overall, it was a passable effort (if not better), but not the type of showing optimists would expect to see.

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Nick Shook's takeaways:

1. Cam Akers wraps up a solid preseason. Akers has bounced around the NFL and dealt with plenty of adversity in his career, enough that many may hear his name and wonder "is he still in the league?" Well, he is, and the Texans running back has had a quality preseason while playing with the backups and third unit, running hard for decent-sized chunks and demonstrating he can still lower the boom on defenders. Saturday was his best showing of the preseason, finishing with 53 yards on seven attempts. He might not make this roster, but he'll find a job somewhere this week.
2. Dresser Winn puts together a nice day. The Rams played zero starters and relied almost exclusively on the bottom third of their roster for this preseason finale, handing the entire game to Winn, a CFL product who is in his second stint with the Rams. The stats won't suggest he didn't anything spectacular, but Winn was composed and handled the duties of quarterback with poise, helping the Rams move into scoring range on three possessions before allowing Zach Evans to finish off drives with a pair of touchdown runs. With Jimmy Garoppolo headed toward a suspension and Stetson Bennett locked in as Matthew Stafford's backup, Winn may have temporarily earned himself the third-string job until Garoppolo returns.

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Jeremy Bergman's takeaways:

1. DeJean everywhere in Eagles debut. Cooper DeJean, Philly's highly touted second-round defensive back, made his first appearance on an NFL field on Saturday after missing time in the preseason with a hamstring injury. The safety played a ton (43 defensive plays, eight special teams plays) and made his presence felt, mostly for better -- but it didn't start that way. On Philly's first defensive drive, DeJean committed an illegal contact penalty on a third-down interception, a sign of growing pains for a rookie getting his first look at NFL players (and officiating). But DeJean made up for it on two shots to Lucky Jackson, playing the Vikings receiver to the boundary on a deep pass just three plays after his initial error and forcing an out-of-bounds incompletion. On Minnesota's last first-half drive, DeJean was on Jackson's tail again, this time in the end zone, as the WR hauled in a pass but out of bounds. To cap off the day, DeJean earned a tackle for loss and took snaps as a punt returner in the second half. It's too early to tell where in Philly's secondary or special teams rotation the rookie will slot in come Week 1, but DeJean's debut (four tackles, one TFL, one pass defensed) was promising.
2. Hall, Vikings backups close trying preseason on high. This summer hasn't been easy in Minnesota, as the Vikings have had to face unexpected adversity on and off the field. But if Saturday afternoon was any indication, the kids will be all right. Second-year QB Jaren Hall paced the Vikes to five scoring drives -- including two over seven minutes -- in two-plus halves of work, throwing for 189 yards and two TDs on 17-of-25 passing. The Receivers Jackson (Trishton Jackson and Lucky) showed out with strong hands -- the former on a TD catch, the latter on a helmet catch that was anything but lucky. Not to be outdone, backup tailback Myles Gaskin looked smooth as butter in racking up 61 rushing yards on 13 carries. The awesome afternoon could be big for Hall, who as Minnesota's QB3 behind Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens is on the bubble to either make the 53-man roster or be relegated to the practice squad. Even though he and the Vikes played against Philly second-teamers, Hall was first-rate.

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Nick Shook's takeaways:

1. Have a day, Tony Jefferson! You might recognize Jefferson's name, but may not know of the story of his last few years in (and out of) football. At this time last year, Jefferson was retired from playing and was cutting his teeth as a scouting intern with the Ravens. Fast forward one year to Saturday, and Jefferson proved he still has plenty left in his tank. With 10 NFL seasons under his belt, the 32-year-old veteran gave the Chargers plenty of reason to give him an 11th campaign, leading them in tackles and forcing three turnovers. He started by sliding underneath a short-armed throw from Trey Lance, snagging the pass while falling to the ground for an interception. Two Dallas possessions later, Jefferson allowed Lance to throw a perfectly placed ball over him, then recovered in time to clean up the tackle and forced a fumble in the process. Jefferson wasn't done ruining Lance's day, either, picking him off in the end zone in the middle of the third quarter and ruining a great scoring opportunity for the Cowboys. By the time the game ended, Jefferson had put on a clinic, finishing with 14 tackles, two interceptions, one sack and one forced fumble. Sure, he was playing against backups, but that's the beauty of it: A year after hanging it up, Jefferson proved he was still better than the bottom half of most NFL rosters. I'd expect this performance to earn him a spot on Jim Harbaugh's squad.
2. Trey Lance closes a journey of a preseason. Lance got a ton of work in this preseason, but almost none of it was consistent enough to make the Cowboys feel great about his outlook. There's no denying his athleticism, of course, which makes him a threat on every down and, frankly, a frustrating one to defenders who think they have him bottled up, only to watch him dance through traffic for first downs. He did that plenty Saturday, racking up 90 yards and a rushing touchdown on 11 attempts, but the passing game was still a tumultuous experience. He completed 33 of 49 passes for 323 yards, but with that high volume came plenty of forced passes and mistakes in the form of five interceptions. Almost all of them were groan-worthy errors -- especially the second pick Lance threw to Jefferson -- and they're even tougher to reckon with when juxtaposed with some of the on-target beauties he let fly in this game. Perhaps Lance will slowly grow over time, but it's become easier to understand why San Francisco willingly parted with him in favor of Brock Purdy: Lance just isn't reliable enough at this point in his career.

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Christian Gonzales' takeaways:

1. Jets RB rises to the occasion with starters sitting. With Breece Hall and Braelon Allen not playing Saturday night at MetLife Stadium, Israel Abanikanda took advantage of the opportunity to impress his coaches. The 2023 fifth-round pick made a dazzling highlight-play on a 45-yard touchdown run by spinning off multiple Giant defenders en route to pay dirt. Abanikanda’s first-half score was the Jets' last of the game, and it hopefully was enough to impress his coaches considering he did not take part in the final two quarters. He finished the night with nine carries for 83 yards (9.2 per carry) and the TD. Abanikanda made a strong case to make the 53-man roster, and if not, possibly New York’s practice squad after Saturday’s outing.
2. Tommy DeVito doesn’t put best foot forward in preseason finale. It was a rough Saturday night for Tommy Cutlets facing Robert Saleh’s defense. As Daniel Jones and Drew Lock sat out, DeVito struggled to find any rhythm. DeVito was sacked eight times throughout the night and completed just 14 of 27 passes for 103 yards. One of the best storylines for Big Blue during the 2023 season, DeVito didn't manage to carry over his magic to this preseason. In three games, DeVito went 32 of 61 for 270 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions with a 65.2 passer rating. Toward the start of camp, DeVito was confident that he might get scooped up by another team if the Giants neglected to keep three QBs. Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline will provide a clearer picture on DeVito’s status, namely whether or not he'll have to put that to the test.

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Bobby Kownack's takeaways:

1. Starting Seahawks offense passes with flying colors. Geno Smith took his first preseason snaps -- five to be exact -- and showcased everything Seattle fans hoped to see from coordinator Ryan Grubb’s new offense. After misfiring on his opening attempt, Smith tossed a 25-yard beauty to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a throw topped only by the second-year wideout’s fingertip catch. Smith showcased nifty moves evading a rusher his next play, an eventual 9-yard pass to Kenny McIntosh, connected again with JSN to move the chains and ended the drive on a 21-yard TD pass to DK Metcalf, who made an authoritative grab. The possession took five plays, all passes, and went 62 yards for the score. That was it for Smith and Co. Saturday night, but the tremendous aerial display could prove a precursor of much more to come.
2. Jamari Thrash continues to turn heads. Cleveland’s fifth-round wideout closed out his last preseason game the same way he did his first -- leading the team in receiving yards. Thrash didn’t really get started until Jameis Winston left the game (one target and zero catches over two drives), but once he did, it was electric. The rookie collected four receptions for 73 yards working with Dorian Thompson-Robinson. His first catch caused a bit of a scare when Seattle defensive back Coby Bryant forced a fumble, but the ball traveled harmlessly out of bounds. The next drive, he got payback on Bryant by taking advantage of the DB’s blown two-high coverage to reel in a 46-yard score. Thrash finishes the preseason with 10 catches for 141 yards and a TD, plus a résumé befitting a future contributor.