What we learned during the second full week of NFL preseason games (2024)

Week 2 of the NFL preseason wraps up tonight in Washington and The Athletic has you covered on all the storylines surrounding this weekend's matchups.

Preseason Week 2 schedule

THURSDAY

• Browns 18, Eagles 18 (Final)

FRIDAY

• Giants 21, Panthers 19 (Final)
• Bengals 13, Falcons 13 (Final)

SATURDAY

• Jaguars 25, Lions 7 (Final)
• Dolphins 28, Texans 3 (Final)
• Steelers 27, Bills 15 (Final)
• Colts 24, Bears 17 (Final)
• Buccaneers 13, Jets 6 (Final)
• Patriots at Packers (Suspended)
• Titans 24, Vikings 16 (Final)
• Chiefs 38, Cardinals 10 (Final)
• 49ers 21, Broncos 20 (Final)
• Raiders 34, Rams 17 (Final)
• Seahawks 22, Cowboys 14 (Final)

SUNDAY

• Saints 22, Chargers 17 (Final)

MONDAY

• Commanders 29, Ravens 28

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Commanders scored nine points in the final five minutes -- including a 49-yard field goal by Joey Slye with 0:09 to play -- to beat the Ravens 29-28 on Monday Night Football.

The loss, Baltimore’s first in the preseason since Sept. 3, 2015, against the Falcons, snaps the Ravens’ NFL-record 24-game preseason win streak.

Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin exited Washington’s second preseason game in the second quarter with a right big toe injury. Initial X-rays were negative, allowing the team and fans reason to exhale for now.

Tackled from behind on the 13-yard reception — his third on three targets for 39 yards — with 1:17 remaining before halftime, McLaurin grimaced upon getting up. He lined up for the next play, but after a false start penalty, Washington’s top receiver gingerly walked to the sideline. He then went to the locker room with members of the training staff.

Two questions emerge from this: Any lingering issue with the toe? And why was the league’s seventh-highest-paid receiver still in the game?

Ron Rivera did not offer further updates after the game. Washington returns to practice Wednesday and Thursday ahead of Saturday’s preseason finale in Landover, Md., against the Bengals. No chance he plays, regardless.

As for playing deep into the second quarter, the reasoning is obvious. Quarterback Sam Howell remains a work in progress — though he looked sharp against Baltimore — so keeping starters on the field makes sense. Only left tackle Charles Leno Jr. and tight end Logan Thomas (calf) did not play.

That’s fine. However, the Ravens played, at most, 2-3 of their defensive starters from the jump. They were already incredibly thin at cornerback. Letting McLaurin and other starters like Jahan Dotson play with Howell? All good. But at some point, the risk-reward proposition of McLaurin helping Howell turns negative against Baltimore’s reserves.

Veterans Dyami Brown, Byron Pringle and Marcus Kemp should have been plenty. Plus, Dotson remained in the game, as did running back Antonio Gibson, three offensive line starters, and swing tackle Cornelius Lucas. That’s enough. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy wanted a mostly full complement on the field. (Side note: The defense sat eight starters against a Ravens offense playing without QB Lamar Jackson, among other main contributors.)

Hopefully, this isn’t an issue. McLaurin might be limited all week, considering how the team has treated injuries this summer. That would mean no reps with Howell and McLaurin in team drills. Injuries happen in this rugged sport. One way to limit? Avoid exposing players to contact when unnecessary.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has a toe injury and will not return to Monday's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, the team announced. X-Rays on McLaurin’s toe were negative, a team source confirmed.

McLaurin left the game in the second quarter after being tackled from behind on a 13-yard reception. He had his shoe off and got treatment on the sideline before walking to the locker room. McLaurin didn't come back to the sideline (as other veterans did) after the half. The 27-year-old had three catches for 39 yards before exiting Monday.

Nice 10-play, 85-yard drive, led by Anthony Brown. Hits UDFA TE Travis Vokolek for 17-yard TD.

Brown was 4-for-4 for 28 yards and a TD on the drive.

It came against Ravens backups, but Sam Howell’s performance has to be encouraging for the Commanders. He directed a 10-play, 79-yard drive in 1:22 to close the first half, capped by an 11-yard touchdown to former UNC teammate Dyami Brown. Howell is 19 of 25 for 188 yards and two touchdowns (123.4 passer rating).

The one concern is that Terry McLaurin left after appearing to injure his right foot/ankle on that drive. McLaurin had his shoe off and got treatment on the sideline before walking to the locker room.

That's a 26-yard TD catch for Ravens rookie receiver Zay Flowers, who showed how dangerous he is after the catch.

Baltimore leads 7-0 early in the first quarter.

Ravens starting OL: David Sharpe at LT; John Simpson at LG; Sam Mustipher at C: Ben Cleveland at RG; Daniel Faalele at RT.

Rest of starters: Zay Flowers, Devin Duvernay and James Proche started at WR. Justice Hill at RB. FB Patrick Ricard and QB Josh Johnson.

Coming up next on ESPN, the Commanders host the Ravens on Monday Night Football.

It's the final game of this week's preseason slate and The Athletic has you covered from every angle:

• Live stats and game information
• Complete preseason coverage for both teams: Ravens and Commanders

The Rams held a full, padded practice on Monday, before heading to Denver for joint practices with the Broncos. Here were some of my observations:

• Receiver Cooper Kupp and cornerback Derion Kendrick were back at practice after missing multiple weeks with hamstring injuries. Both players were full and active participants. Offensive lineman Joe Noteboom, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury, did individual drills but worked to the side with the training staff during team periods. Right tackle Rob Havenstein was back after dealing with a neck stinger in joint practices against the Raiders last week. Right tackle Logan Bruss (ankle sprain) did not practice.
• Kendrick, who was an audibly enthusiastic sideline observer of practice through training camp, was even more enthusiastic about being back on the field. His energy contributed to a really high-tempo day, where both sides made their share of plays and coaches instructed in real time (twice pausing the session to run through a concept at a jog again, to get it correct).

Let’s get to some notable moments in 11-on-11s:

• The team period started with a deep shot by quarterback Matthew Stafford, intended for receiver Tutu Atwell in the end zone. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon broke up the pass. Atwell caught the same ball in a later series with Robert Rochell and Jordan Fuller in coverage.
• Still in the first series, Fuller picked off a mid-range ball on the next play, helped along in part because Witherspoon cut off the long concept and drew praise from defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant for doing so.
• Stafford got the defense back with a slick mid-range ball to Van Jefferson. He placed the pass in a way that Jefferson could adjust to it while also shielding the ball from the player in coverage, an advanced connection between the quarterback and receiver.
• The opening series ended when a Stafford pass tipped off receiver Puka Nacua’s hands and Kendrick scooped it out of the air for an interception. Nacua had another tipped pass that was not picked later in the practice, but then caught a tough crosser from Stafford.
• Tre Tomlinson had two pass breakups throughout the day, but was schemed into coverage on a touchdown pass from Stafford to much-larger tight end Tyler Higbee that led to a coaching moment by Pleasant. Safety Quentin Lake had a pass breakup thrown by backup quarterback Stetson Bennett, while cornerback Shaun Jolly jumped a route and sat down on a pass intended for tight end Brycen Hopkins – but it bounced off Jolly’s hands, and Kendrick let him know it, too.
• Running back Cam Akers drew a lot of praise from head coach Sean McVay for separate outside runs, while running back Kyren Williams caught a touchdown from Stafford that ended the day’s practice.
• Stafford joked last week about not ever running far downfield, but in a light moment on Monday he did just that – on a keeper after his receivers were covered up. The longer he ran, the louder both sidelines got.
• Kupp made one of the plays of the day near the end of practice. He broke outward on a route and Stafford hit him where only Kupp would be able to grab it – outstretched and toe-dragging right at the sideline. Not much the covering Cobie Durant (or really anybody) could do about that one.

Bears returner/receiver Velus Jones Jr. was back at practice Monday after an injury in Indianapolis last week, and he still has the confidence of his special teams coordinator Richard Hightower. Jones fumbled a punt in the preseason opener and let the first punt bounce ahead of him. Hightower said the first one was rare in having a hang time of only 3.88 seconds and going as far as it did. The second one, though?

“The second one comes down to fundamentals just trying to get underneath it,” he said. “If you can’t get underneath it, then at all costs, you get away from it. He knows that and I think he’s discussed that with you guys. Just got to keep working. Keep working, keep growing. You can never – he has a competitive streak in him. He wants to make a play and he just got to know when to say when.”

One thing to remember about Jones while projecting 53-man rosters is that the Bears absolutely value the threat he brings on kickoffs. He ceded return opportunities to other players in the preseason, in part because the Bears know what they have in him. Said Hightower, “He's one of the best kickoff returners in the league, I think, everybody knows that. His stats say that as well. … I think Velus has shown how potent he can be.”

I can’t tell you I’ve always been right when doling out fantasy football advice or that my home office is full of trophies from brilliant prognostications of the past.

But I can tell you I’ve been watching Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku for his entire career, and I’ve never seen a better or more confident version of Njoku than what I’ve witnessed in this year’s training camp.

Like the ice cream stand down the street from the Browns’ training facility, Njoku has been open all summer. He’s caught almost everything that’s come his way, too.

The Browns are all in on this season. Deshaun Watson is fully eligible, the roster has been constructed with the help of more than $300 million in cash spending — the most of any team in the league — and all involved think the biggest problems of the last two seasons were quarterback-related and have been fixed. Watson clearly trusts Njoku, and Njoku’s situation fits the Browns’ urgency and all-in thinking. The team has made multiple commitments to Njoku since drafting him 29th overall in 2017, and he got a multiyear deal in 2022 after being franchise tagged because Cleveland believes Watson will help Njoku reach the level the team has continued to bet Njoku would eventually reach.

“Do I feel like I have another level? Yes, I do,” Njoku said last month. “God willing, we find out (what that looks like) this year (and) I stay healthy. So we’ll see. Working hard every day and praying for good things.”

Read more here.

Unlike previous preseasons when it was split into two waves, NFL roster cuts will come in one fell swoop this year. Teams must get from 90 players to 53 by Aug. 29, and coach Frank Reich anticipates the Carolina Panthers carrying their full complement until the deadline.

“There could be an exception or two to that,” Reich said Sunday. “But it just makes sense to have all those bodies right to the deadline.”

Perhaps owing to the coaching change and the different personnel needs for the offensive and defensive systems, it feels like there are more guys on the roster bubble this summer. Reich and general manager Scott Fitterer have several practices and one more exhibition — Friday against the Detroit Lions — to figure out how the various position groups will shake out. Injuries will play a factor and Reich hasn’t revealed much about specific timelines, presumably to protect the Panthers’ leverage if they look for external help at a position or two.

With a little more than a week before cutdown day, The Athletic examines how many spots are up for grabs and which players have the inside track to fill them. We’ll start with the guys who appear to be — if not locks, then at least those who look to be fairly safe bets to make the team.