Efton Chism Iii To Trouble For Russell Wilson: Nfl Preseason Storylines That Actually Matter

Most of nan preseason is noise. Starters sit. Teams don’t crippled plan. Coaches rotation retired bland schemes, evaluating their ain roster alternatively than attacking nan opposition. But location are ever immoderate threads that person a real, existent base connected nan regular season. Here are 5 storylines that look for illustration they will matter successful 2025.

Jaxson Dart

The Giants entered nan twelvemonth pinch a good reasoned backmost plan. They would usage 36-year-old Russell Wilson arsenic a span starter until first-round prime Jaxson Dart was ready, astir apt location astir mid-season. Well, it appears that Dart is fresh now. The rookie completed 14-of-16 passes for 137 yards pinch a passing touchdown and rushing people against nan Jets successful his 2nd preseason game, building connected a coagulated capacity successful his debut.

Brian Daboll has done what bully coaches should do: he has met Dart halfway. Rather than drowning his rookie successful a analyzable system, Daboll has ported complete large chunks of Dart’s assemblage playbook. It’s Ole Miss concepts pinch pro gloss, designed to get Dart comfortable.

The early returns person been promising. Dart does look comfortable successful nan pocket. He has been good pinch nan velocity of nan game. For a rookie starter, those are nan first 2 boxes to cheque off. By making his discourtesy arsenic Dart-friendly arsenic possible, Daboll has fixed nan backmost a level to flash his limb talent. In his 2nd outing, Dart didn’t make arsenic galore “wow” throws, but he showed a stronger grasp of nan Giants’ offense.

Wilson, meanwhile, has been fine. Good successful spurts. But he’s nan aforesaid aged Russ we saw successful Pittsburgh: tin of hitting beautiful strikes down nan field, but constricted successful attacking nan shorter and intermediate parts.

With Dart successful nan lineup, nan Giants tin frighten each area of nan field. He is simply a fearless deep-ball thrower and a genuine rushing threat, moreover if he’s sometimes a threat to himself. The discourtesy has besides taken connected a different hit pinch nan rookie successful nan lineup. With Wilson nether center, nan Giants person looked mechanical and laborious. When Dart has taken over, nan cognition has been slicker, pinch Daboll ratcheting up nan tempo. Running specified a slim, up-tempo strategy won’t beryllium capable to navigate a afloat season, but it’s capable of a starting constituent to chuck nan rookie successful until he tin travel to position pinch a broader playbook.

Daboll insists location is nary competition. “Russ is our starter. We’re going to support processing Jaxson,” Daboll said this week. That’s understandable; Daboll wants to support unit disconnected a first-year subordinate and has a ready-made vet who could compression retired a mates of wins until Dart tin tally a much blase scheme. But Dart has shown capable successful preseason that he should beryllium chucked into nan heavy extremity for Week 1. The only logic to messiness astir pinch Wilson is to effort to eke retired a mates of wins truthful that nan coaching unit and beforehand agency tin support their jobs.

The Patriots’ rookie class

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Yes, nan Patriots person different shifty slot receiver.

Efton Chism III has been a preseason darling. The undrafted rookie retired of Eastern Washington is almost a meme of a New England slot: tough, undersized, a fidget spinner successful and retired of breaks, ever open.

With Josh McDaniels backmost moving nan offense, Chism is simply a fastener to make nan Patriots roster. And New England is sneakily heavy astatine receiver: Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte bring a bully blend of seasoned knowhow, toughness, and explosivity. Third-round prime Kyle Williams will beryllium an contiguous downfield threat, while Chism does harm underneath. It’s a solid, varied postulation of talent.

Chism will astir apt make nan squad up of Ja’Lynn Polk (second round) and Javon Baker (fourth round), 2 draftees from a twelvemonth ago. Baker is simply a imaginable waste and acquisition candidate, while nan Patriots are expected to stash Polk connected injured reserve aft a nightmare first twelvemonth successful nan league.

The injection of weapons is bully news for Drake Maye, who was forced to propulsion to nan weakest harvest of receivers successful nan convention arsenic a rookie.

It’s not conscionable nan receiving corps, either. If we’re handing retired preseason MVP awards, rookie moving backmost TreVeyon Henderson would beryllium adjacent nan apical of nan standings. Henderson was initially tabbed arsenic a third-down specialist. He was a prolific receiver astatine Ohio State and nan champion pass-protecting moving backmost successful nan rookie class. But Henderson has been fixed a afloat tally pinch nan discourtesy successful preseason, showing he tin anchor nan early-down tally game, return kicks and adhd immoderate juice to nan passing attack.

The Patriots needed their draught people to deed aft past season’s debacle, successful which they ended nan play 4-13. So far, truthful bully this clip around.

Sean McDermott has reasons to beryllium concerned astir his secondary coming into nan caller season. Photograph: Erin Hooley/AP

Bills defense

Buffalo spent nan offseason fortifying their protect line. But nan preseason has exposed issues connected nan backmost extremity of nan defense. The Bears roasted nan Bills’ backups successful nan 2nd week of preseason, pinch 3 quarterbacks throwing for a mixed 357 yards and 2 touchdowns. Being lit up by Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson is 1 thing; being shredded by Tyson Bagent and Austin Reed should group disconnected a five-alarm fire.

All complete nan league, teams look short astatine corner. The Eagles, Chiefs and different apical contenders are scratching astir for starters aliases backups successful their secondary. But nan Bills person 3 worries: who will commencement other Christian Benford astatine cornerback? What’s nan perfect information tandem? Do they person capable depth?

Sean McDermott is 1 of nan league’s champion coaches erstwhile it comes to moving pinch nan secondary. He tin find no-names and move them into impactful starters. When McDermott starts grousing astir a group, you cognize you’re successful trouble. And nan coach has taken sporadic shots astatine his information room passim nan preseason. That includes 2024 second-round prime Cole Bishop, who was slated to beryllium a starter this season. “Cole has missed rather a spot of clip … It remains to beryllium seen what he is genuinely capable to do for us,” McDermott said aft nan Bears’ trouncing. “We’re getting short connected time.”

There are concerns astatine cornerback, too. Rookie first-round prime Maxwell Hairston is dealing pinch an injury, pushing nan returning Tre’Davious White into nan starting lineup. Behind White, it’s slim pickings. And astatine nan information spots, nan Bills are relying connected Bishop aliases Damar Hamlin to go accordant starters.

For astir teams, a secondary shortage would beryllium a concern. For nan Bills, it’s borderline existential.

Depth matters. The Bills played nan fewest snaps successful guidelines defense past play (three linebackers) and led successful their usage of dime defense (six protect backs). That’s McDermott’s imagination for nan defense. To deed those rates, nan Bills request 7 aliases 8 reliable players successful nan secondary, fixed nan imaginable for injuries and suspensions. Right now, they person one: Benford.

Few teams are operating pinch arsenic overmuch urgency arsenic Buffalo. Every twelvemonth pinch Josh Allen successful his premier is Super Bowl aliases bust. Last season, they were undone by a misfiring walk rush. They tried to reside that successful nan offseason, but now look woefully short successful nan secondary.

Isaac TeSlaa’s breakout

Lions wide head Brad Holmes has done it again. The Lions traded up to drawback Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa successful nan 3rd information of nan draft, taking him 98 spots earlier nan statement large committee – a reliable parameter of draught value.

Holmes and nan Lions do things their ain way, routinely selecting players a information aliases 2 earlier nan statement committee has them slotted. On galore of those picks, Holmes has been proven correct. But location was a twinge of being precocious connected his ain proviso successful nan astir caller draft, giving up 2 early third-round picks to move up 32 spots to prime TeSlaa.

It’s conscionable preseason, but nan early signals propose Holmes was correct again.

It’s difficult not to get caught up successful nan TeSlaa hype. The long, rangy receiver is simply a scatter play waiting to happen. There is almost a languid consciousness to really he cuts crossed nan field. But erstwhile he explodes, he’s gone. TeSlaa offers a large target to Jared Goff, and he tin play supra nan rim, leaping and plucking balls retired of nan clouds. TeSlaa’s traits person translated into preseason production. He has grabbed 8 of his 11 targets, scoring 2 touchdowns and averaging 13.1 yards a catch.

In college, TeSlaa was not a go-to target. He is still earthy and inconsistent. But nan Lions don’t request him to beryllium a measurement player. With Amon-Ra St Brown, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta, Detroit person plentifulness of dependable weapons. TeSlaa will adhd other popular to an already explosive unit. At this point, it’s almost unfair.

Indy’s backmost competition

Nothing tin sap nan power retired of a fanbase for illustration a backmost title featuring Daniel Jones. The only point less inspiring whitethorn beryllium Jones winning one.

Jones has been named nan Colts’ starter complete Anthony Richardson contempt a blah preseason showing. The Colts opened nan preseason pinch a scheme to springiness nan 2 QBs an adjacent number of drives and reps to determine who would beryllium nan team’s starter. The scheme was for Richardson to return nan bulk of snaps successful nan first week, pinch Jones getting nan mostly successful nan 2nd week. That thought dissolved erstwhile Richardson went down pinch a manus wounded connected nan first thrust of nan preseason and Jones entered nan lineup.

Shane Steichen reset successful Week 2, flipping his attack and giving Richardson nan crippled clip he was intended to person successful nan opening week. But it was telling that Jones, who took less snaps, still received much reps pinch nan Colts’ starting offense.

Snap by snap, location was small to divided nan two. Richardson remains each upside and volatility, while Jones was steadier. Does thing shriek Daniel Jones louder than an 11-play, 77-yard thrust that ends successful a section goal? Does thing opportunity Anthony Richardson for illustration producing nan propulsion of nan preseason (called backmost for a flag) aft butchering a threat and blowing 2 pre-snap protection checks?

It’s funny, successful a sense, that Jones is nan backmost painted arsenic nan stabilizing force. He vanished pinch 42 interceptions and 50 fumbles successful 69 starts pinch nan Giants, producing 1 of nan highest turnover rates successful nan league. Like Richardson, Jones is simply a volatile quarterback, albeit 1 successful dink-and-dunk clothing. Picking betwixt nan 2 came down to trust.

“It’s everything,” Steichen said astir choosing a starter. “It’s nan operation, nan connection successful nan huddle, nan checks, nan consistency.”

Richardson’s inability to coordinate nan crippled pre-snap and instrumentality to nan hit of nan strategy continues to ding his advancement – and his supplier said connected Tuesday that he is unsure of his client’s semipermanent early pinch nan team. For each nan sizzle he tin supply an offense, Richardson – who nan Colts took pinch nan No 4 wide prime conscionable 2 years agone – still struggles pinch nan basal mechanics of operating and processing a pro offense, and he has yet to beryllium he tin enactment healthy. There wasn’t a correct telephone for Steichen to make; some quarterbacks will astir apt spot playing clip this season. In a fewer drives pinch nan Colts, Jones still looked for illustration a liability, but nan discourtesy was much polished pinch him nether center. For that alone, he’s been fixed nan first crack.