Most important developments from 1st week of NFL preseason, including Shedeur Sanders

We’ve now seen every team play this preseason. Or, at least there were players in all 32 team uniforms on an NFL field.

As we know, some teams won’t play starters in the preseason. In the first week of the preseason, half of the teams did not play their starting quarterback or many starters overall. Some starters played very little, like Patrick Mahomes who threw just one pass. At least it was for a touchdown.

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So we don’t have interesting developments on every team. But there were some important news items from the first week of the preseason:

Shedeur Sanders’ critics don’t have much to say

Sanders hasn’t played a real NFL game and he might be the most divisive player in the league already. He moves the needle both ways, but those tuning in to see him fail in his preseason debut didn’t have much to work with. There wasn’t much negative about it.

Sanders was pretty good in his surprise start, and it was even more impressive considering it was a difficult situation. Sanders, who started due to injuries to Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel and also Joe Flacco being held out, did everything expected of him. He was safe early with short throws but got warmer as the game went on. He was comfortable and confident, and both touchdown passes were excellent in different ways. All in all, it was a successful debut.

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But with Sanders being the most discussed rookie fifth-round pick ever, the reactions weren’t going to be measured. Sanders still is very unlikely to be QB1 before the season starts, and a half of football doesn’t prove much for the long term either. But it was a promising beginning and it was a good step in a competition that does matter, and that’s with Gabriel for the top rookie on the depth chart entering the season.

Anthony Richardson’s mistake isn’t good for him

The issue with Richardson in the NFL has rarely been physical. He is still incredibly inexperienced, and that was amplified in his first preseason action this year because his mistake ended up getting him injured.

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Richardson got blasted on an outside rush by Ravens linebacker David Ojabo, and plenty of former quarterbacks and film analysts quickly determined that it was an error by Richardson. He had to identify that the Ravens would have a free rusher to his right and hit the outlet, which was the running back. He also had a wide open receiver on a curl route to the right side. But he looked left, never saw Ojabo coming and took a sack that also dislocated his right pinkie finger. The injury doesn’t sound like it will be a long-term issue, but Colts head coach Shane Steichen will take note that Richardson couldn’t identify where to go with the ball on that play before it turned into a negative. It’s just one play, but it will have to be in the back of the staff’s mind when it decides if Richardson or Daniel Jones wins the job.

Bengals defense didn’t answer any questions

The Eagles gained 432 yards on the Bengals without playing any starters, and Philadelphia backup quarterback Tanner McKee looked like an All-Pro. A lot of the snaps were taken by the Bengals’ backups, but the starters did play some. And they did not play well.

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Cincinnati’s issue isn’t a mystery: Its offense is great and its defense isn’t. The Eagles’ backups scored a touchdown on the Bengals’ starters, then they got a field goal against a defensive lineup that included many starters. The preseason doesn’t matter too much, but the Bengals’ defense starting the preseason slowly (without last season’s NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson, who is holding in) isn’t the best news.

Jaxson Dart plays well, draws praise

Brian Daboll seemed to like what Dart did in his first preseason snaps. Dart completed 12 of 19 passes for 154 yards and a very nice touchdown throw.

“Efficient, effective, aggressive, confident in the pocket,” Daboll said after the game “Some stuff we can work on, but he’s doing good.

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“Look, there’s things he can be better at, but we missed some opportunities on third down, some drops that would have even been better for him and for us. But he’s a confident young player. He’s improved since he’s been here. Still have a long way to go, but I enjoy working with him. I like his demeanor on the sideline. He sees the game well.”

Often coaches want to tone down praise for first-round quarterbacks, especially those who might begin the season on the bench. No reason to fuel a controversy that will be there regardless. Daboll saying many good things about Dart is interesting. Dart did play well and if that continues this month, it will be harder to keep him out of the starting lineup early in the season. There’s still time for Dart to at least make a strong argument to get the start in Week 1, too.

Tetairoa McMillan is going to be good

It’s just one play, and a preseason play at that, but a story can be told from rookie Tetairoa McMillan’s 30-yard grab from Bryce Young in the Carolina Panthers’ opener. McMillan wasn’t open, it’s just that Young knew McMillan would be open for him and trusted him enough to drop a deep pass in the bucket. And McMillan, the eighth pick of the draft, made a great adjustment with the ball in the air and a very nice over-the-shoulder catch.

Overreacting to one play is a bad idea. But that is a good preview for how that connection will click right away.

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Pair of important RB injuries

Tyjae Spears and Rachaad White aren’t starters, but they are expected to be high-usage backups this season. And both are already dealing with injuries.

Spears, Tony Pollard’s backup with the Tennessee Titans, left on a cart after having his ankle rolled up on a tackle. It was a high ankle sprain and Spears’ preseason is likely done, via Turron Davenport of ESPN. Even if Spears comes back for Week 1, high ankle sprains can often limit a player for weeks after returning.

White is behind Bucky Irving in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ running back depth chart, but he was going to play a lot. A groin injury could change that. While Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said White is day to day, we’ll see when he returns.

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What this mostly means is Pollard and Irving might have to carry more of the load in September.

Kyler Murray’s bad INT

The good news is Murray completed seven of his eight passes. The bad news was the other pass.

Murray threw a poor interception that was easily picked off by Chiefs safety Jaden Hicks. Murray explained that he “just didn’t get enough on it,” and while it’s not the end of the world to make a mistake in the preseason, it’s not the way the Arizona Cardinals want this season to get going.

Murray’s potential to be a top-tier quarterback is being hyped again this offseason. And mostly he played well in his preseason action last week. But he can’t be making mistakes like that interception anymore.

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Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins is one of the best in the league. The Bills pay him more than $20 million per season. And Carter, the New York Giants’ top-drafted rookie, looked really good in a few snaps against him.

Carter, the third pick of the draft, had three pressures on three pass-rushing downs, according to Pro Football Focus. And the way he moved was eye-popping.

Carter was already the most obvious pick to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. If his first preseason action was any indication, he might run away with the award.