Week 2 of the NFL Preseason is now in the books and there is plenty of intrigue happening in the league on and off the field. Head Coaches are starting to get a better sense of who will make their 53-man roster, who will be the starters and some teams are already losing key players through injury. General Managers are under pressure to pull the trigger to acquire replenish the talent lost thru injury or even suspension and to appease current star by agreeing extensions ahead of the new season. In this article, we will discuss the top 5 storylines after week two of NFL Preseason.
5. Chargers special teams stink-the Chargers are poised to contend this season because they have a potent offense led by Justin Herbert and this off-season the team made key additions on the defensive end. However, the special teams still look like a sore point for a team trying to make the playoffs in a tough division. In Week 2 of preseason, The Chargers special teams allowed two return touchdowns — one kick and one punt to former USFL MVP KaVontae Turpin in the first half. The lightning bolt franchise has notorious reputation of choking away winning positions and special teams could prove to be their undoing.
4. Lamar Jackson deal is not finished- Jackson is the probably the most electrifying player in the NFL since Michael Vick with incredible speed and dexterity. The 2019 NFL MVP is due an extension on his current contract with the Ravens and it appears to be an impasse on the conditions of the deal. According to reports, Jackson has been offered more money than the Cardinals have agreed to pay to quarterback Kyler Murray. However, the former Louisville quarterback is a fully guaranteed contract similar to the struck by the Browns for Deshaun Watson. Lamar has set a personal deadline for the start of the regular season to complete negotiations and therefore the time is ticking if both parties can agree on a contract.
3. Pickett is coming for Trubisky’s job- After quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired in the Steel city, there were many questions as to who would succeed him as the starting quarterback. In the off-season, the Steelers signed Mitchell Trubisky to a two-years, 14-million-dollar deal. In April, Pittsburgh drafted Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. It appears the plan was to play Trubisky as the veteran behind a very shaky offensive line until Pickett would ultimately become the starter for the foreseeable. However, Pickett is showing he might be ready right now to start for the franchise because in two games, he has completed 19 or 22 for 171 yards with three touchdowns and a 138.6 passer rating. Yes, the leach for Trubisky is getting tighter by the week.
2. Mayfield wins Panthers starting nod- after months of denying that they were interested in signing Baker Mayfield, the Carolina Panthers acquired the former number 1 pick in a trade in July. The expectation was that Mayfield would compete with Sam Darnold for the starting position. Yesterday, the Panthers announced that Mayfield won the starting position because he excelled in three areas as explained by head coach, Matt Rhule. He stated, “Number one, mastery of the offense, number two, situational football excellence, and number three, moving the ball and getting guys involved. That’s been our focus all along. Baker has made a lot of improvement, a lot of growth in all three areas in a short amount of time.” Baker will get shot at redemption when the Panthers host his former team the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. Speaking of which….
1. Will the Cleveland Browns come for Jimmy Garoppolo? – Last week the NFL and NFLPA agreed on a settlement for a 11-game suspension to be imposed on Deshaun Watson. The decision puts the Browns season in jeopardy because the starting quarterback will nearly miss two thirds of the regular season. The team has a solid backup quarterback in Jacoby Brissett but it is hard to imagine that he could propel them into contention with a 13-24 record as a starter. Brissett has good leadership qualities but there is a ceiling to his ability to perform. A better alternative would be for the Browns to utilize one of their late draft picks and try sign to Jimmy Garoppolo from the 49ers. Garoppolo has proven with talent around him to can be the cog to take his team to 2 NFC Championships and even a Super Bowl. Garoppolo has gone 33-14, throwing for 71 touchdowns with 38 interceptions and an 8.4 yards-per-attempt average. If the Browns want to contend and not make this a lost season, then taking a low risk shot at Garoppolo should be a possibility to explore.
