It’s hard to determine what’s real and what’s illusory in the preseason, when you’re primarily watching a lot of guys who are going to get cut in two weeks playing against a lot of other guys who are going to get cut in two weeks. That said, here’s what stood out in the five preseason games played on Saturday.
Cleveland Browns, 21, Indianapolis Colts 18
Andrew Luck was seen warming up before this game, and he looked pretty good for a guy who is going through ankle and calf issues. Still, he’s not going to play in the preseason, which left things to Jacoby Brissett. Brissett has developed as an in-pocket mover, and he has good mobility, but he has inconsistent mechanics which cause his more challenging throws to fly off the handle at times. That’s the primary thing that will keep him a career backup unless he’s able to tighten the little things that create starting-caliber quarterbacks. Brissett did have a nice timing throw to Eric Ebron for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Matt Eberflus’ Colts defense was one of the NFL’s more underrated in 2018, and they’re picking up where they left off when it comes to the secondary. Pierre Desir and Kenny Moore are adept and highly physical—they time their contact well, and Browns receivers were often willing to give up the catch to avoid an impending hit. Rookie Rock Ya-Sin projects perfectly into a secondary like this. If free-agent acquisition Justin Houston and second-year man Kemoko Turay can bring consistent pressure along with interior lineman Denico Autry (a massively undersold talent), Indy’s defense will be a real problem for every opponent they face in 2019. I had Turay on my list of second-year breakout players for 2019, and he had a sack and a tackle for loss early in this game. He’s definitely one to watch.
The Browns didn’t have Baker Mayfield or Odell Beckham, Jr., but there were three new former Pro Bowlers on the field for the first time in Browns uniforms—running back Kareem Hunt, edge-rusher Olivier Vernon, and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. Quarterback Garrett Gilbert is a decent distributor with the short to intermediate stuff, but he lacks the ability to make the explosive play one expects from Mayfield. That likely affected the opportunities for Hunt, who still shows the explosiveness to the outside as a runner, and the ability to shoot up the seam as a receiver. Cleveland’s defensive front did a nice job of moving with Indy’s slide blocking concepts. Having Richardson along with Larry Ogunjobi inside will be a big boost for this front seven.
In other news, rookie Jamie “The Scottish Hammer” Gillan of the Browns skied this 74-yard punt halfway through the first quarter.
New England Patriots 22, Tennessee Titans 17
Stop us if you’ve heard this one several times before, but the Patriots may have a late-round steal on their hands. Fifth-round defensive lineman Byron Cowart absolutely demolished high-ticket left guard Rodger Saffold on the Titans’ first pass play for a sack of Marcus Mariota. A highly-prized high-school recruit, Cowart washed out at Auburn, but found a measure of redemption at Maryland. At 6’3” and 298 pounds, Cowart has the strength and speed to be an impact rotational pass-rusher in the right circumstance.
More unsettling news for those who would like to believe that New England’s pass rush will be a liability this season—third-rounder Chase Winovich, whose edge production was far better than Packers first-rounder Rashan Gary at Michigan, had a marvelous series in which he cakewalked through the right side of Tennessee’s offensive line.
Left tackle Isaiah Wynn, who lost his entire rookie season to a torn Achilles tendon, looked very sharp in his first serious reps at left tackle. Some saw the 6’3”, 313-pound Georgia alum as a guard prospect because of his dimensions, but the Patriots do things their own way, and Wynn brings excellent technique and a real orneriness to the position. Wynn will need to work a but on hand use and hitting his landmarks in space, but he looks to be a fine replacement for Trent Brown, who signed a massive contract with the Raiders in the offseason.
Injuries limited Titans tight end Delanie Walker to just 39 snaps in the 2018 season, so it was great to see the veteran bring a first-quarter post to the goalpost from Mariota for a touchdown. Walker’s clearly over the broken ankle that cost him most of the 2018 season, and his return will be a huge help for Mariota, who’s in a push season.
If Mariota is unable to impress his coaches in a contract year, backup Ryan Tannehill is an interesting watch. The eighth overall pick in the 2012 draft has always been a random player, but productive to a degree in systems working to his mobility and scattershot ability to read the field. In this game, Tannehill made some nice downfield throws, overcoming a bad snap to connect with tight end Anthony Firkser down the right-side boundary, Tannehill isn’t an automatic starter in the league anymore, but he’s definitely one of the more intriguing backups, given Mariota’s errant productivity.
Houston Texans 30, Detroit Lions 23
Only the Patriots played more man coverage than the Lions did last year—not a surprise given the fact that head coach Matt Patricia was once New England’s defensive coordinator. And you could see cornerbacks Darius Slay and Rashaan Melvin giving the Texans fits in the red zone.
On the other hand… DeAndre Hopkins is still DeAndre Hopkins.
Much was made about the Texans missing out on Washington State offensive tackle Andre Dillard when the Eagles leapfrogged them in the first round, and then compensating by selecting Alabama State tackle Tytus Howard with the 23rd pick. Howard is far from a finished product, but he helped Deshaun Watson see pretty good protection at left guard—Howard is an athletic marvel, and if he’s able to put it all together, he’ll be a remarkable blocker. Any port in a storm for the league’s worst pass-blocking line in 2018. Third-round right guard Max Scharping helped Watson stay upright, as well.
Pittsburgh Steelers 17, Kansas City Chiefs 7
The Steelers did a nice job of limiting Patrick Mahomes and his targets to a five-and-out on their first drive, matching their defenders up in man coverage as opposed to the zone schemes that got them in so much trouble in 2018. Cornerback Artie Burns, last year’s punching bag on that secondary, wrapped Tyreek Hill up for a six-yard gain, and Mahomes didn’t see the open windows he saw last season when he scorched Pittsburgh for six touchdown passes.
Linebacker Mark Barron and cornerback Steven Nelson made things tougher for the Chiefs. On Kansas City’s second drive, backup running back Carlos Hyde fumbled, and Pittsburgh recovered. Not a banner start for Mahomes and Friends, and certainly an encouraging sign for defensive coordinator Keith Butler. Mahomes completed two of five passes for 11 yards, and this brought to mind his struggles against Denver’s man/match coverage in 2018. Something to watch as the season goes along.
There wasn’t much to be said about Pittsburgh’s offense, either. Mason Rudolph wasn’t able to get much going in the deep passing game as Joshua Dobbs did in Week 1 of the preseason against the Buccaneers’ substandard pass defense.
Of course, when Dobbs did see action, this happened:
Dobbs also threw a pick, but one takes what one can get with second-year backup quarterbacks.
Dallas Cowboys 14, Los Angeles Rams 10
Blake Bortles started for the Rams, and it’s now Sean McVay’s job to turn Bortles into a credible passer after a number of uneven years in Jacksonville. Bortles still has that long windup that makes the simplest swing pass an adventure, but one expects McVay to do with Bortles what he did with Jared Goff in 2017 when Goff was coming off one of the worst rookie seasons a quarterback’s ever had—make the route concepts favorable, give him an easy first read, and get him comfortable in a down-to-down rhythm. Bortles was comfortable on wheel routes and simple man-beaters that gave him the ability to place the ball without too much conflict.
Third-round running back Darrell Henderson didn’t do much in Week 1 of the preseason running inside the tackles against the Raiders. Then, Henderson gained just 13 yards on six carries. But when he’s flexed outside on a wheel route, or given a toss outside the tackles, he then shows his speed to the open field. Henderson may not be an every-down impact player in the NFL—not just yet—but he has the potential to make a difference as a satellite back.
Cowboys rookie back Tony Pollard shared a collegiate backfield with Henderson, so this was a bit of a Memphis reunion. While Henderson is all flash and dash, Pollard continued to impress with his ability to get his nose down and run with power off decisive one-cut runs. Not that he’ll render Ezekiel Elliott redundant, but the fourth-rounder has a good chance to stick and stay, perhaps playing the role of Derrick Lassic, the back who replaced Emmitt Smith when Smith held out for the first two games of the 1993 season. Pollard was a prolific receiver in college, so perhaps he can add that to his NFL skill set and get on the field even when Elliott returns from his contractual vacation.
