Week 1 NFL Preseason Takeaways: QB Questions, Defensive Standouts, Rookie Breakouts

What can we glean from games no one wants to play? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

Here are the takeaways from our team after reviewing the first week of NFL exhibition games.

Colts’ QB Quandary Still Stands

If — and until — Anthony Richardson proves capable of staying on the field, the Colts have an unclear picture at quarterback.

Richardson dislocated his pinky, gave way to Daniel Jones, and opened the door for a flood of concern about what the Colts might have at the position. Richardson is beyond talented but needs reps now to be comfortable when the curtain rises next month on the regular season.

Jones is capable and makes quicker decisions than he was criticized for with the Giants.

Bears’ Defense Could Be the Real Monster

Celebrate the arrival of Ben Johnson, offensive mastermind plucked from the Detroit Lions, and there is massive potential in his pairing with quarterback Caleb Williams.

But the attention-grabber on Sunday when the Bears hosted the Dolphins was Dennis Allen’s defense. It was an all-out barrage on Miami quarterbacks and a breakout performance for Austin Booker (three sacks, forced fumble). In what is equally a frightening sign for the Dolphins’ offensive line depth, there are telling signs from Chicago’s defensive unit of big things ahead in getting after the passer.

When it comes to stellar defensive showings, the only team that put as much panic in a quarterback as the Bears during the first week of the preseason was the New York Giants. Brian Burns and rookie Abdul Carter on the outside and Dexter Lawrence up the middle is a combination not many teams can handle. Buffalo’s offensive line certainly didn’t look ready for it.

Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell Is Back

There were times in 2023 when Mitchell appeared on his way to grabbing a larger share of the running back workload because of his speed and ability after the catch, but all that went up in flames with a season-ending knee injury.

Mitchell had a 22-yard run among nine carries against the Colts and finished with 68 yards. He won’t be pushing Derrick Henry out of work anytime soon, but Mitchell as an RB2 appears to be a tantalizing potential reality for the Ravens.

Can Rookies Lead the Browns?

Act I of the Shedeur Sanders Show garnered enough headlines to last the month, and Cleveland might just be celebrating his two-touchdown performance against a vanilla defense from the Panthers on Friday more than the front office would like you to know.

But it was the depth of the contributions from the 2025 rookie class of the Browns that drew our eyes.

Second-round pick Carson Schwesinger was as advertised — a tackle machine with elite instincts and range. The linebacker’s performance eases some of the concerns general manager Andrew Berry had about impact and depth at that position. He already looks like a star at middle linebacker, and no team can commit to keeping a body on him with Myles Garrett ripping off the edge when the games are for real.

Vikings Get First Look at J.J. McCarthy

It was a brief appearance in Week 1 of the preseason and the Houston Texans didn’t unleash their top-line pass rushers, but J.J. McCarthy’s debut under center for the Vikings receives a passing grade.

He was calm and confident, showed flashes of the mobility that stood out more than his passing touch at Michigan, and his varied release point brought to mind a throwback Rich Gannon.