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“It’s just the preseason,” cried everyone outside of Chicago, Denver, Washington and Minnesota, where their first-round quarterbacks looked promising. That and more inside today’s newsletter:
- 📊 Preseason Week 1 trends
- ⭐ Dianna’s update on Aiyuk
- 📝 Latest on CeeDee Lamb
- 👋 Meet Drake Maye
📈 Trending 📉 after Week 1 of the NFL Preseason
With 17 preseason games in the books, let’s check out the (extremely early) risers and fallers as we approach the regular season kickoff on Sept. 5:
📈 Bears rookies. No. 1 pick QB Caleb Williams looked poised in the pocket and made plays when he needed to, especially on third downs. Check out this cross-body throw. It feels like a jinx to write this, but the Bears might finally have their quarterback. DE Austin Booker, their fifth-rounder, also impressed with 2.5 sacks and three QB hits. We even have punter hype: Fourth-rounder Tory Taylor placed a beauty at the 10.
📉 Jim Harbaugh’s offense. Zero first downs in their first six possessions. Two for 13 on third downs. Just three total points. As Daniel Popper put it, the Chargers’ “offense was a dud.” QB Justin Herbert’s absence adds an asterisk, but this is concerning after training camp struggles.
📈 Seahawks defense. The team that held Harbaugh’s unit to just three points, Seattle played all of its defensive starters and gave up just seven yards across the first six snaps. New HC Mike Macdonald’s unit came out firing. This year’s No. 16 pick, DT Byron Murphy II, will be a problem, as the Chargers learned this weekend.
📈 Broncos QB Bo Nix. The 24-year-old clearly benefited from having more career starts than any other NCAA QB ever, looking comfortable in his NFL debut. Nix — who relieved starter Jarrett Stidham — completed 15 of 21 passes for 125 yards, leading Denver to four scores across five drives.
📉 49ers health. With 23 players sidelined (most of them dealing with injuries, including RB Christian McCaffrey and LB Fred Warner), the team canceled a joint practice with the Saints this week. At least there were positives from their first preseason game, including third-round pick G Dominick Puni and No. 2 RB contender Jordan Mason.
📈 Vikings quarterbacks. Yes, both Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy looked sharp. Darnold started and completed two third-and-longs, finishing 4-of-8 despite a few receiver drops. McCarthy continued to exceed expectations in Minnesota, completing 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, bouncing back after an interception on his third pass.
📈 Guardian Caps. It’s amazing what a difference skull caps can make, as Jonathan Taylor used one to make his supplemental safety gear barely noticeable.
Reminder: This is the first year the bobblehead-looking Guardian helmet covers are allowed in games. Improved player safety with no downside? Sign me up.
📈 Jayden Daniels. Washington’s unofficial starting QB showed why he was the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, impressing as a dual-threat by completing a perfect 42-yard bomb before running a zone read option into the end zone. Daniels finished 2-for-3 for 45 yards and a touchdown run in one drive. No, I’m not overreacting by drafting him on every fantasy team I can.
📈 Bengals offense. As Paul Dehner Jr. writes, QB Joe Burrow checked every box post-wrist surgery, WR Tee Higgins is exactly where he needs to be and first-round OT Amarius Mims is on track to start immediately.
And how about Sean McVay as a broadcaster. He was insightful, fun and energetic. It was perfect. Meanwhile, we’re still waiting on Tom Brady’s broadcast debut after the NFL accidentally implied it was happening yesterday.
What Dianna’s Hearing: Aiyuk’s options down to two
The Brandon Aiyuk Saga, arguably the best drama series of the summer (now that the legal drama “Presumed Innocent” is over), has been a rollercoaster. Much has happened over the last four days, so let me catch you up.
The Patriots, Browns, and Steelers all made both strong trade offers to the 49ers and contract offers to the 26-year-old receiver, but no takers for now.
- The Patriots have moved on after learning Aiyuk wasn’t thrilled about the idea of playing for them.
- I’m told the Browns don’t believe they have a good chance of landing him, and the Steelers are still waiting to hear from San Francisco.
- In the meantime, the 49ers have re-engaged in contract talks — the same team that had not changed their extension offer since May.
It is down to two teams now: the Steelers and the 49ers. As we begin this week, the ball is in the hands of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch.
Back to you, Jacob.
Contract Updates: When will Lamb return to practice?
Despite rising prices, the Cowboys still have no extension for Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb or Micah Parsons, with owner/GM Jerry Jones saying he has no “sense of urgency about getting [Lamb’s deal] done,” before clarifying that his statement had nothing to do with Lamb’s contract. Huh.
Cowboys beat reporter Jon Machota visited Scoop City to answer the big question in Dallas: Will we see any of the Cowboys’ big contracts resolved before the season kicks off?
💬 Jon: “Lamb is the most likely. It would be surprising to see the Cowboys not get a deal done before the start of the season. They believe that even a contract holdout won’t prevent their star wide receiver from playing at a high level as soon as he returns. And they need Lamb at his best. Dallas’ offense would be in significant trouble without its top playmaker.
“In regards to Dak Prescott, an extension could get done before Week 1, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if they allowed him to play out the final year of his deal, see how the season goes and then decide to meet everything he’s looking for or decide to move on. The Cowboys generally don’t do deals during the season, so if Prescott doesn’t have a new deal by Sept. 8, it’s probably not happening this year. Micah Parsons’ next contract won’t come until next offseason, at the earliest.”
Remember, Lamb is the only one holding out. For more on this situation, read Jeff Howe’s article on what he’s hearing on the Cowboys contract talks.
Under the Helmet: Meet Drake Maye
In this great read about the 21-year-old quarterback tasked with resurrecting the Patriots, The Athletic’s Chad Graff details what made Drake Maye.
The Tar Heel blue runs in the family. His father was also a quarterback at UNC, while two of brothers played basketball there, too. Maye, the youngest, then set the school record in passing yards.
One of four boys, Maye brought his brothers on stage when first introduced in New England. “If you’re getting me,” Drake said on the podium that day, “you’re getting them.” Read the full story here.
Around the NFL
Chiefs WR Marquise Brown damaged his collarbone on the first snap of their preseason game and went to the hospital. HC Andy Reid said it could be the same injury WR Tyreek Hill suffered in Week 1 of 2019 (Hill missed four games).
Giants WR Malik Nabers left Sunday’s practice early with what the team believes to be a minor ankle sprain. Since he’s by far New York’s most explosive player, missing any time would be devastating for the Giants.
Rams rookie WR Jordan Whittington impressed in his preseason debut with six catches for 74 yards and “really stood out” to HC Sean McVay. I’m watching the sixth-round pick closely after the Rams stole Puka Nacua in the third last year.
The Jaguars signed S Tashaun Gipson, a 34-year-old who started nearly every game for the 49ers each of the last two seasons. Gipson is suspended for the first six games of 2024 due to violating the league’s PED policy.
The Browns acquired C Nick Harris and a 2026 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. The Browns lost C Luke Wypler to a broken ankle on Saturday, so bringing Harris back to Cleveland (after he left for Seattle in March) makes sense.
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Rich Barnes / Getty Images)
