dp3) Fernando Mendoza, fellow rookie QBs take the big stage. We’ve been projecting how these newbies will perform in the pros for months. Finally, we have our first chance to see them in NFL game action, even if it’s only the preseason.
All signs point toward Kirk Cousins starting for the Raiders come Week 1 of the regular season, but Mendoza could at least make things more interesting if the first overall pick shakes off some training camp struggles and lights up the Cardinals’ defense on Thursday. And hey, the Arizona-Las Vegas tilt will serve as a rematch of sorts between the two QBs who went head to head in last season’s national championship game. Can Carson Beck stay hot after a sensational showing in last week’s Hall of Fame Game? Like Mendoza, he’s not in line to start from the jump, but he has the opportunity to put pressure on incumbent Jacoby Brissett earlier than expected.
Given the shockwaves the Rams sent around the league by drafting Ty Simpson in the first round this year, there will be plenty of eyes on the Alabama product when he takes the field against the Chiefs on Saturday. It would take an injury to Matthew Stafford for the 13th overall pick to see any meaningful regular-season snaps in 2026, but Simpson has been running with the third-team offense in camp, behind backup Stetson Bennett IV. It would at least be reassuring to Rams fans if Simpson were to put on a good show versus Kansas City.
4) Will Mike McCarthy play Aaron Rodgers versus the Packers? It appears we have our first public disagreement of the McCarthy-Rodgers reunion tour. Rodgers told The Athletic McCarthy wants him to play in the preseason, but the 42-year-old quarterback has said that he sees no advantage to taking any exhibition snaps. To top it all off, the Steelers are hosting Green Bay — the team McCarthy and Rodgers won a Super Bowl with before their messy divorce several years later — on Thursday night.
Is this a power struggle and a sign of things to come in Pittsburgh? Or should we all just R-E-L-A-X? Deep sigh.
5) How do Commanders regroup? The new Washington offensive line — sans five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil — could be tested right off the bat. The Dolphins are visiting the Commanders this week, with a joint practice on Wednesday before Friday’s preseason opener, and new Miami head coach Jeff Hafley has said all of his players should be prepared to play in the game. That doesn’t mean all starters will see time, of course, but unlike a lot of teams, he’s not ruling it out.
Losing Tunsil for the foreseeable future due to a triceps injury during Saturday’s practice is a massive blow, one that puts immense pressure on third-year pro Brandon Coleman to protect Jayden Daniels’ blind side. The good news is Coleman has started 18 games at left tackle, including the playoffs, with some success. The bad news: Coleman was benched at guard last season and has durability concerns of his own.
Head coach Dan Quinn has said the team does not intend to look outside the franchise for a left tackle. However, as we all know, plans can change quickly in the NFL, and keeping Daniels upright has to be the ultimate priority for the Commanders.
