What to watch in NFL preseason Week 1; top 10 NFL players at each offensive position
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π Good morning to all but especially to ...NFL FANS
Even if the preseason is just an appetizer for the regular season -- making the Hall of Fame Game ... uh ... amuse-bouche? -- I'm ready to dig in. Week 1 of the preseason begins tonight with Colts-Ravens (I was there for their joint practice) as well as Bengals-Eagles and Raiders-Seahawks.
Many starters won't see much if any action this preseason, but notable exceptions come from Indianapolis, where there's a quarterback competition between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. And Cincinnati, which will play Joe Burrow in an effort to help avoid slow starts. Both quarterback situations are among Tyler Sullivan's top 10 preseason storylines.
- Sullivan: "In 2024, the Bengals lost their first three games of the season and were 1-4 through Week 5, which directly contributed to them missing the playoffs. In 2023, they were 1-3 over the first month and 2-2 to begin the 2022 season. With those issues in mind, using the preseason to whip themselves up into shape could prove to be one of the bigger developments of the 2025 season if Cincinnati can come out of the gate firing on all cylinders."
Most of the action, though, will belong to backups and rookies. Josh Edwards has the 10 first-year players he's most excited to watch, including two playing tonight.
Tyler's top two storylines belong to Micah Parsons' and Terry McLaurin's contentious contract situations. Jerry Jones says he hasn't spoken to Parsons since his trade request and isn't sure he'll even be ready for Week 1. Yikes! At least Dak Prescott has Parsons' back.
π Honorable mentions π€ And not such a good morning for ...MATTHEW STAFFORD AND THE LOS ANGELES RAMS
Matthew Stafford is dealing with back pain.
"So what?" you may say. "I have back pain, too!"
But you're not going to be lining up across from some of the world's best athletes exactly one month from now, hoping to help fulfill the hopes of one of the NFL's most hyped teams. Stafford, the Rams hope, will be.
News emerged Wednesday that Stafford, 37, has an aggravated disk in his back and received an epidural over the weekend to help with the pain. Sean McVay described his signal caller as "week-to-week."
Well, the Rams face the Texans -- and their fearsome pass rush duo of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. -- in four weeks and three days. Stafford still hasn't participated in training camp. Jimmy Garoppolo is the backup and one of the best backups in the NFL, but it's a less-than-ideal spot for Los Angeles, which is expected to contend at the highest level.
Even if Stafford is available for Week 1, back injuries are nerve-wracking, and Stafford's history with them won't ease any Rams' fans' fears, either.
For now, Garoppolo will keep getting first-team reps, and Los Angeles will keep hoping Stafford makes progress. But if the team looks for outside help, Cody Benjamin has some potential emergency options.
Not so honorable mentions π Top 10 NFL players at each offensive positionTuesday, we released our top 10 NFL players at each defensive position. Wednesday, we flipped in over to the offensive side of the ball, where Patrick Mahomes remains No. 1 at quarterback -- though it wasn't unanimous. Here's the top five:
- Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
- Lamar Jackson, Ravens
- Josh Allen, Bills
- Joe Burrow, Bengals
- Jayden Daniels, Commanders
I think we can all agree about the top four in some order; Daniels earning the No. 5 spot is a major testament to his excellent rookie year.
Wide receiver has a new No. 1, though:
- Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals
- Justin Jefferson, Vikings
- CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys
- A.J. Brown, Eagles
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions
Roman Anthony signed an eight-year, $130 million extension with the Red Sox, the latest long-term extension Boston has handed out to its young talent.
- Anthony, 21, was CBS Sports' top prospect entering the year and got called up June 9. He has posted a .276/.392/.417 slash line with strong underlying numbers as the Red Sox have surged into second in the AL East (four games behind the Blue Jays) and the first AL wild-card spot.
- The deal could surge to $230 million in value based on certain accolades, like awards voting and All-Star selections.
- Now signed through 2034, Anthony joins Ceddanne Rafaela (24 years old), Kristian Campbell (23) and Garrett Crochet (26) as young Boston building blocks signed through at least 2031.
These super early extensions can end up looking prescient -- getting a player way under the value he'd eventually get in free agency if he keeps progressing -- or really bad if the development halts. But Anthony has given Boston every reason to believe he'll be a franchise cornerstone, Julian McWilliams writes.
- McWilliams: "Most rookies need time before they're thrown into the spotlight. Batting them near the bottom of the order usually feels like the safe move. But Anthony's a different cat. So Alex Cora has him hitting at or near the top of the lineup in front of a packed Fenway crowd that can feel a playoff berth singing its way up Jersey Street. ... Anthony doesn't try to impress. Every hello seems genuine. Purposeful. Just like his at-bats. He's not trying to fit in, either. He just does, even with his locker nestled between All-Stars like Alex Bregman and Jarren Duran, Anthony leaves enough elbow room for himself without taking up space."
βΎ Athletics at Nationals, 12:05 p.m. on MLB Network βΎ White Sox at Mariners, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network βΎ Reds at Pirates, 6:40 p.m. on MLB Network π Colts at Ravens, 7 p.m. on NFL Network π Dream at Sky, 8 p.m. on Prime Video βΎ Marlins at Braves, 7:15 p.m. on MLB Network π Raiders at Seahawks, 10 p.m. on NFL Network π Fever at Mercury, 10 p.m. on Prime Video
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