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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Matt Williamson

11 takeaways from Thursday’s preseason action

From Sam Darnold showing that last December wasn’t a fluke, to Kyler Murray’s NFL debut, to David Montgomery showing he could shoulder a full load as an NFL feature back, here’s what stood out to Touchdown Wire’s Matt Williamson from Thursday’s slate of preseason games.

Jets at Giants

On the Jets’ impressive opening drive touchdown, there were some defensive gaffes by the Giants. That said, with the exception of one pass that Jabrill Peppers undercut and nearly intercepted, Sam Darnold extended plays, showed great poise and command as well as accuracy delivering the ball. The Jets also showed that not only do they have a very diverse group of pass catchers (even without Le’Veon Bell), but explosive receivers as well that can really get downfield.

The story from this game though has to be Daniel Jones’ debut and taking the Giants right down the field on his first drive behind center. While his ball flutters a fair amount, Jones was decisive and put the football where it needed to be. Cody Latimer and Bennie Fowler, two well built receivers with some ability, were the beneficiaries.

Colts at Bills

(Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

The Bills’ running back situation is extremely interesting. LeSean McCoy’s job is far from safe, but we knew that after his performance last year, the money he is making and Buffalo’s adding two veterans as well as drafting Devin Singletary. Singletary could easily take this job over. Not the biggest or fastest, Singletary does have excellent vision, natural running skills and isn’t overwhelmed in pass protection. We saw all of these attributes in spades against the Colts. He also made a nice catch over his head and was quick to turn and get upfield. Expect Singletary to end up leading the Bills in rushing in his rookie season.

Robert Foster also could be Buffalo’s best wide receiver in 2019. He wasn’t a flash in the pan last year and made a spectacular catch against the Colts. Foster brings more to the table potentially than any of the Bills other wide receivers.

Jaguars at Ravens

Lamar Jackson played quite a bit and was up and down as a passer, but the key here is he wasn’t active as a runner. That can’t be an accident in a preseason game and must have been wisely ordered by the coaching staff. Justice Hill really struggled in pass protection at the college level, but he showed off electricity against Jacksonville. His Combine performance was better than any other running back in this class and that athleticism and speed is quickly translating to the NFL. Could he be the Alvin Kamara to Mark Ingram? It should not surprise you if Baltimore’s backfield goes that direction this season before long.

The Ravens’ offense all of a sudden became one of the fastest and most explosive in the league. This goes for Myles Boykin too, with his long separation and above the rim skills. Baltimore’s rookie class could go a long way to transforming this offense.

Titans at Eagles

(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

This should come as no surprise to anyone that has watched Dallas Goedert, who is on track to truly become a star in this league, but the second year tight end put on a dominant performance on Thursday night. He is rugged, yet fleet of foot and has acclimated much faster than most young tight ends to the NFL. Of course he is blocked to some degree by Zach Ertz, but Goedert is proving too good to keep off the field. The Eagles have a very good group of wide receivers, but 12 Personnel puts their best offensive players on the field.

It was good to see Tennessee’s top offensive unit operating mostly out of 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers). While they are two deep at tight end, using three wide receivers is the best use of the Titans receiving talents. It also could really benefit Marcus Mariota, who kept going Adam Humphries’ direction in Philadelphia. Mariota and Humphries are building something together.

Falcons at Dolphins

Josh Rosen threw a terrible interception, but other than that, his first time in a Dolphins uniform went very well. We know he throws the ball well and that showed, but he handled adverse conditions well and looks very comfortable. Kalen Ballage is a big strong running back with very good speed and receiving ability. He showed up big in this game. But please realize that he showed very little wiggle or change of direction skills. That is who Ballage is and he will have to be used accordingly. In fact, Kenyan Drake was the more impressive of the top two backs, even though the Dolphins offensive line was dreadful.

Keep an eye on Preston Williams in Miami. He wasn’t drafted, but he absolutely has NFL traits, including his length, body control and long speed. Williams can go up and get it too. It was off the field issues that pushed him out of the draft, not talent. The Dolphins should also be very happy with Christian Wilkins first game. He flashed in a big way with a very well rounded overall defensive tackle skill set.

Patriots at Lions

Many overlooked Jamie Collins’ return back to New England, but there has been quite a bit of buzz around his ability to rush the passer off the edge and we saw more of that in Detroit. Another promising Patriots note is that first round pick N’Keal Harry showed excellent physicality and contested ball skills, which is exactly what they will need from him during the regular season. Harry used his big strong body very well, but it must be noted that he did leave this game with an injury.

Meanwhile, Jakobi Meyers has been lighting the Patriots camp on fire and kept it up during this game. His short area quickness, especially for a taller receiver, stands out and could be perfect for this style of passing game. He doesn’t run away from people, but his ball skills are superb. Tom Brady might really like these two young receivers.

Redskins at Browns

Obviously Baker Mayfield was on point to say the least. With Duke Johnson now in Houston, it seems pretty apparent that Dontrell Hilliard, with his smooth gate and swivel hips, is ready for a legitimate role as Cleveland’s best receiving back. Now it shouldn’t be overlooked that Nick Chubb has a lot of untapped potential as a pass catcher, but Hilliard’s presence made it much easier for the Browns to move on from Johnson and we saw that on Thursday night. Also, it does appear that is was not lip service that Rashard Higgins, who had an excellent evening, is ahead of Antonio Calloway in the wide receiver pecking order. It also should be noted that once promising, but recently forgotten, Jaelen Strong’s career might not be over.

Dwayne Haskins passed his first test for the most part. He was under some duress and isn’t all that fleet of foot, but he wasn’t operating as a non-athlete either and made impressive throws on the move. Haskins can really sling it, often with just a flick of the wrist. Haskins showed his undeniable arm strength and calmness in the pocket. There isn’t much around the rookie quarterback. In fact, it is pretty terrible. Still, the pick six by Mack Wilson, who showed up time and time again in this game with terrific ball skills, as well as Cleveland’s defenders too often getting a hand on his passes showed that Haskins is far from a polished player. Still, Washington has a lot to work with here in their first-round selection.

Texans at Packers

Hopefully Texans receiver Keke Coutee’s injury isn’t serious, but adding Duke Johnson might be a bigger deal than originally expected if Coutee is to miss significant time. Houston was far too reliant on just their wide outs for receiving targets last year and need to diversify that distribution much more, presumably creating more easy throws for DeShaun Watson. This is especially important with Houston’s highly questionable front five.

Even with his respectable stat line, DeShone Kizer still isn’t showing advanced quarterbacking traits. He is obviously a big strong man with a power arm and plus athletic ability, but Kizer’s feel for game and ability to place the football where it needs to be were problematic in his first game in Matt LaFleur’s offense. He makes easy throws look difficult far too often.

Panthers at Bears

Chicago’s backfield situation is a little bit murky, but David Montgomery’s best trait, his contact balance, was in full display in his professional debut. He won’t break long runs at this level, but he is set up well to create chunk runs with much of it coming after first contact. Montgomery is a dark horse Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate and obviously was one of the stars of Week 1 of the preseason for any team. Maybe this backfield is less murky now.

Another heralded rookie, first round pick Brian Burns, also showed up huge in this game. His pursuit, closing burst and ability to fight off much bigger blockers were on full display in Chicago. He also is sudden and smooth when changing directions without losing speed.

Broncos at Seahawks

Broncos running back Royce Freeman ripped off some big runs early in this game. Mike Munchak and the new offensive line additions could be paying off for Denver. Dalton Risner in particular stood out. Freeman played hurt much of his rookie season, but he fits this new offense very well. The signing of Theo Riddick surely will cut into Freeman’s receiving production, but this is still a breakout candidate and Denver’s coaching staff must realize that their best path to victory will be on the ground.

Chargers at Cardinals

All eyes of course were on Kyler Murray. He didn’t disappoint. Timing is so important in this offense and Murray was great in this department. We also saw Murray releasing the ball from all arm angles, much like Patrick Mahomes. He played his first NFL game with a swagger and extreme confidence. Once Brett Hundley took over, the Cardinals offensive line problems really couldn’t be hidden.

On the opening drive, Los Angeles easily marched down the field before Jordan Hicks made a huge play near the goal line with a big stop, strip and recovery. Hicks could be a major asset for the Cardinals defense with his every-down abilities. Other than that though, Arizona’s defense was totally overmatched by Tyrod Taylor, Austin Ekeler and the wealth of weaponry on Los Angeles’ offense. Even without Melvin Gordon and Keenan Allen, it the Chargers’ firepower was still ultra-impressive in this setting. This outing didn’t help Gordon’s quest for a new big contract.

A former scout for Pitt, Akron, and the Cleveland Browns, Matt Williamson worked with ESPN’s Scouts, Inc. for years. He is a contributor to Touchdown Wire and currently works for the Steelers Nation Radio Network.

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