Preseason football isn’t always reflective of regular season football but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn anything. Last season, C.J.
Stroud looked like the lights were too bright for him in his first preseason game before having one of the best rookie seasons ever. But if you continued watching the Texans quarterback in the preseason, you could see Stroud getting more comfortable in each game. Like with any piece of evidence, you must look at the larger sample and add context, remembering that the game is simpler and there aren’t many snaps to use to reach conclusions.
Advertisement With that in mind, we can come up with some theories. Here are 10 things I think I learned from the 2024 preseason: 1. Eagles offense no longer stale The Eagles hired offensive coordinator Kellen Moore because head coach Nick Sirianni thought the offense got stale .
They needed someone to inject new life into the playbook, but Moore might have completely rewritten it. The Eagles were dead last in motion usage in 2023. I don’t have preseason motion stats, but it appears they used motion on most of their snaps and were using it creatively.
Moore used motion to create angles on run blocks and to get into certain pass concepts from unusual looks. Preseason Week 2, 7:05 remaining in the first quarter, first-and-10 On this play from the Eagles’ second preseason game, tight end E.J.
Jenkins motioned across the formation to become an “escort” block of the running swing as part of a four-strong concept (four receivers flooding one side of the field). The escort block, along with this four-strong concept, comes from the Kyle Shanahan playbook and is trending around the league. Though it’s still only preseason, Moore is showing that he will use a lot of motion and isn’t afraid to add trending ideas to the playbook.
Will more motion and more plays solve the offensive stagnation? That remains to be seen but you won’t be able to accuse Moore’s offense as being “stale.” 2. Kickoff rule having desired results The NFL wanted more kickoff returns and there have been more.
Also, returns have been longer. Since 2020, the average starting position after kickoffs is the 25.2-yard line.
This preseason, the average starting position after kickoffs is the 27.9-yard line. Since 2020, only 14.
9 percent of kickoffs have been returned for 30 yards or more. This preseason, that number has jumped to 22 percent. Special teams also have been relatively vanilla with their return schemes and experimenting with what works.
When returners with 4.3 or 4.2 speed start returning kicks, that will add another dimension to returns because the line will be threatened that much quicker.
Advertisement There haven’t been any touchdown returns but to me, that’s also a good thing. If a disproportionate amount of kicks were returned for touchdowns, they would have to consider altering rules because the new rules would have too much of an effect on the game. If returns are even more productive in the regular season, teams would have to consider just kicking touchbacks which would result in the ball being put on the 30-yard line rather than risk more yardage.
There is still much to learn about how the dynamic the kickoffs will be, but so far, so good. Pick up The Athletic 2024 Fantasy Football Guide to read expert evaluations & everything you need to know to win your fantasy football league. Pick up The Athletic 2024 Fantasy Football Guide to read expert evaluations.
3. Chiefs look like they got better The Chiefs offense didn’t play up to their usual standard last season. They even had stretches of abhorrent play.
But with an elite defense and some timely Patrick Mahomes magic, they still finished the season as champions. They’ve directly addressed some of their problem spots last year with the draft. They lacked a deep threat last season, so they drafted Xavier Worthy , who ran a 4.
2 40, in the first round. GO DEEPER NFL QB Tiers 2024: Only 2 join Mahomes in Tier 1; Rodgers, Herbert drop out Left tackle Donovan Smith struggled with injuries last season, giving up 42 pressures and committing nine penalties. His replacement will be Kingsley Suamataia , whom the Chiefs drafted in the second round.
Suamataia only played 30 snaps in the preseason but didn’t give up a pressure and looked smooth in protection. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub said they wanted to be ahead of the curve schematically with the NFL’s kickoff return. They finished fourth in highest yards per return (30.
5) on 17 returns, significantly more than the three teams that finished ahead of them in yards per return. They’ll have some tricky schemes up their sleeves when the season starts. So, theoretically, Mahomes could have better field position, protection and deep threats.
That doesn’t sound good for the rest of the league. Advertisement 4. Cowboys continue to draft well The Cowboys only this week resolved their contract issues with CeeDee Lamb and they continue with Dak Prescott looking for a new deal with only about a week before the season.
They said they were going “all-in” this offseason but one of their only notable free agent signings was bringing back 29-year-old running back Ezekiel Elliott . But the Cowboys will be relevant because they’ve been lights-out drafting, especially in the early rounds. Lamb, Micah Parsons and Tyler Smith are legitimate blue-chip players they’ve drafted in recent years.
It looks like they hit big on another offensive lineman with left tackle Tyler Guyton . Guyton only allowed one pressure on 56 snaps. He looked like a star against the Raiders starters in Week 2.
He still has some technical issues to clean up but athletically, he looks like a freak and finishes with purpose when run-blocking. It’s hard to fake looking good at the line of scrimmage and Guyton appears to be a future star. Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
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5. Steelers offense isn’t as improved as they hoped The Steelers moved on from statistically the worst quarterback in the league, acquired two new ones and hired a new offensive coordinator. They should be better on offense than they were last season, right? I think they will but how much better is the question.
Will they be good enough to knock out one of the top contenders in the AFC in the playoffs? Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are better than Kenny Pickett but it could take some time to acclimate to coordinator Arthur Smith’s system. Receiver Diontae Johnson struggled with drops at times but after trading him, they won’t have anyone nearly as productive this season opposite of George Pickens , unless they swing a trade for Brandon Aiyuk , which seems increasingly unlikely. Last year’s first-round pick, offensive tackle Broderick Jones , has struggled mightily this preseason, allowing two sacks and four pressures in 92 snaps.
GO DEEPER Steelers' RT Broderick Jones is Pittsburgh's future LT. But is it time to pick a side? The Steelers finished 27th in expected points added (EPA) per play last season. They’ll be a much better team if they can finish in the 15-20 range.
I think they can do it and I think Fields should be the starter because he gives them the threat of the QB run game but it will be ugly — no matter who is the starter — early in the season. 6. Calls for Spencer Rattler will be loud Derek Carr ’s efficiency dips when pressured.
The Saints might have the worst offensive line in football. So unless Carr can improve his ability to mitigate pressure and play in tight pockets, he could struggle this season. If Carr looks rattled, the calls for rookie Spencer Rattler will grow loud.
Advertisement Rattler was drafted in the fourth round but he has early-round talent. He needed to mature in college, he got beaten out by Caleb Williams at Oklahoma, and he landed in a tough situation in South Carolina but displayed the intriguing traits that made him such a highly recruited prospect. He has an efficient throwing motion, throws a beautiful deep ball, and most importantly, he can manipulate the pocket.
All those traits were on display this preseason. His final numbers were affected by drops but his tape was impressive. The Saints hope Carr starts every game because that would mean they are having success but realistically, Rattler might see the field this season.
Absolute teardrop from @SpencerRattler . Textbook route from Equanimeous St. Brown.
📺: #TENvsNO on @NFLNetwork 📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/kqNqhPVc46 — NFL (@NFL) August 25, 2024 7.
Nabers looks like he’ll make an instant impact The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has written that some teams had Malik Nabers as their top receiver in the draft over Marvin Harrison Jr. After watching both players, I thought Harrison was clearly the better prospect. After the preseason, I now can see what those who had Nabers over Harrison saw.
I’m not changing my mind yet but I see their vision. Nabers’ elite speed is his trump card but we’ve seen speedy receivers fail before because of their lack of physicality or inconsistency in catching the ball. I never thought it was a weak point for Nabers, but he’s been viscerally tenacious in every clip I’ve seen of him going after a contested catch.
And it’s translated to the preseason games. Oh my, Malik Nabers 😳 📱: Stream #NYGvsHOU on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.
com/DtWCdOb7Sd — NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2024 He still needs to sharpen up his route running but he moves differently on the football field and the way he attacks the ball will make him a menace to defend. The Giants offense lacks playmakers but they might have one who can tilt the field early. GO DEEPER 'Just throw it up': Why Giants need Daniel Jones to dial up the deep ball this season 8.
Texans will be Super Bowl contenders Proclamations about a team being a Super Bowl contender based on the offseason shouldn’t be made but I won’t heed my own warning because of the Texans’ progression as a team since DeMeco Ryans was hired as head coach. We know Houston’s offense will be good. In C.
J. Stroud’s rookie season, the Texans finished 14th in offensive DVOA but continued to make strides en route to an AFC divisional-round appearance. With a year of experience under Stroud’s belt, a healthy offensive line and one of the best receiver corps in the league, this offense should be elite.
The defense finished 16th in DVOA but steadily improved as the season progressed. What’s the secret to the Seattle Cover 3 system that Ryans runs? A strong four-man pass rush. The Texans added impact players to their line this offseason.
Danielle Hunter had 16.5 sacks last season and Denico Autry will be suspended for the first six games of the season but he’ll be a force multiplier when he returns with his ability to rush inside or outside. They’ll join last year’s first-round pick Will Anderson Jr.
to form one of the best four-man rushes in the AFC. Advertisement It was a limited sample, but the Texans starting defense didn’t allow a point and was dominant against the lowly Giants and Steelers starting offenses. But forget the numbers.
On film, they played with great technique, speed and violence. If this defense finishes as a fringe top-10 unit, Houston could be a Super Bowl contender. 9.
Richardson must improve footwork Anthony Richardson needed to improve his accuracy coming out of Florida but he was much more advanced in processing and pocket management than he was given credit for. He looked like he was hitting his stride before he was knocked out for the season. The injury cost him valuable developmental snaps.
Week 1 will be only his 18th start since high school. GO DEEPER Colts QB Anthony Richardson's roller-coaster night in Cincinnati a preview of what's to come? He looked phenomenal against the Bengals in the Colts’ first drive, making throws under pressure, sniffing out pressures and making an incredible jumping pass for his lone touchdown toss. Then midnight struck and he looked bad for the rest of the game, sailing passes over open receivers’ heads.
One technical flaw he’s had since college reared its ugly head. He doesn’t consistently marry his feet with his eyes, which causes him to throw with all arm because his body doesn’t align with his target. 2:12 remaining in the first quarter, third-and-8 On his widely discussed miss to Adonai Mitchell , his back foot and hip aligned down the middle of the field when he needed to open up more to his left to get the ball where he needed to go.
This caused him to overcompensate and sail the ball. He’s talented enough to make off-platform throws but his consistency would greatly improve if he cleaned up his footwork, which has proven to be correctable. I think part of the problem is he’s feeling rushed and not moving his feet because of it.
This problem will show up early in the season but he’ll need to be purposeful in continuing to work on it. Advertisement 10. Raiders will use 12 personnel at historic rate The Raiders are the first team to take two tight ends with their top 40 picks two years in a row since 1974.
After drafting Michael Mayer in the second round last year, they took Brock Bowers with the 13th pick in this year’s draft. It’s especially surprising in this day and age because it’s an 11-personnel world (one back, one tight end, three receivers). Teams live out of 11 personnel and it’s become harder to justify keeping two tights on the field for most snaps with the emphasis on passing.
GO DEEPER After drafting TEs Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, can Raiders succeed in 12 personnel? The Atlanta Falcons used the most 12 personnel (one back, two tight ends, two receivers) last season, lining up in 12 on 41.4 percent of their snaps. The Raiders should surpass that and challenge historical rates because Bowers is a unique chess piece who could get moved all over their field.
In his only preseason appearance, he was on the field 11 of 12 snaps with Mayer. On those snaps, he lined up as an in-line tight end, slot receiver, outside receiver and even fullback. If the Raiders can threaten teams with the run and force them to play base defense against their 12 personnel, it’ll create numerous advantages for All-Pro receiver Davante Adams .
With their murky quarterback situation, they’ll need any edge they can get. Bowers and Mayer can give them a very unique one. (Top photo of Malik Nabers: Perry Knotts / Getty Images).
