Five things to watch in Week 2 of 2025 NFL preseason: Caleb Williams' debut, next chapter of Browns' QB battle
These are the players and situations we'll be monitoring
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3 min read
The 2025 NFL preseason is rolling on, with another full week of exhibition action set to kick off Friday. The first round of preseason games brought plenty of storylines, from Shedeur Sanders briefly shaking up the Cleveland Browns' quarterback competition to Jaxson Dart launching his first (unofficial) touchdown with the New York Giants. Now all eyes are on the next wave of matchups.
Plenty of fans are eager to get an extended -- or first -- glimpse at top newcomers, including other big-name rookies like Dillon Gabriel, who's trying to make his own statement in Cleveland. But there are just as many veterans also battling for key jobs.
So which players and situations are we specifically set to monitor in the next full weekend of preseason action? Which teams and roster battles warrant extra attention as games run through Monday night?
Here are five things we're most excited to watch during Week 2 of the 2025 preseason, including a trio of crowded quarterback rotations that could determine which signal-callers hold starting jobs come September:
Check out the full NFL preseason schedule, including this week's games, right here.
5. Dillon Gabriel's counterpunch
Week 1 of the preseason belonged to Sanders, who wasn't perfect but was noticeably composed as the Browns' trial-run starter. Now Sanders is hurt, so Gabriel, the quarterback Cleveland drafted ahead of Sanders in April, is poised to get his shot at making a dent in a crowded competition. That's provided his own ailing hamstring is strong enough to stay on the field. Joe Flacco, the presumptive regular-season starter, will once again rest, leaving camp arm Tyler Huntley as the only healthy alternative to Gabriel under center. That's unless Kenny Pickett's hamstring also heals up in time to suit up for meaningful snaps.
4. Jaxson Dart's home debut
New York Giants fans got a taste of the first-round quarterback's arm in Week 1, when the Ole Miss product launched a perfect bomb of a touchdown to Lil'Jordan Humphrey. Now Dart is set to get another crack at running Brian Daboll's offense in front of the East Rutherford, New Jersey, crowd. Russell Wilson is still tabbed to get the starting nod for at least one series, but Dart was the first up after the veteran in Week 1; he figures to remain the No. 2, ahead of journeyman Jameis Winston. Another strong showing from the rookie may well convince Daboll to entrench the first-year signal-caller as Wilson's top backup for 2025.
3. Saints' QB competition
The New Orleans Saints' new regime invested an early draft pick in Tyler Shough, which is why most experts expected the Louisville product to open 2025 as the club's new starter. But Shough's preseason debut was scattershot, including both a pick six and deep score. Rattler, the 2024 fifth-rounder, remains in the mix for the starting gig under new coach Kellen Moore. What he does against Jacksonville could determine just how much longer the battle goes on. That's assuming Moore has always been telling the truth when suggesting the Saints have no interest in bolstering the competition with an outside veteran.
2. Colts' QB competition
Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones have been neck and neck for the Indianapolis Colts' top quarterback job all offseason, and coach Shane Steichen can't seem to get one of the embattled signal-callers to make a sustainable leap. Richardson's main issue, besides glaring inaccuracies as a passer, has been staying on the field. That continued in Week 1 of the preseason, when an unblocked pass rusher forced him out of action with a dislocated finger. Richardson quickly returned to the practice field, but he still needs to translate his supersized gifts to a game-day rhythm to keep Jones from claiming the No. 1 spot by default.
1. Caleb Williams' debut under Ben Johnson
A week after Trevor Lawrence made his debut operating under new coach Liam Coen in Jacksonville, another former No. 1 overall draft pick is primed to show his stuff inside a brand-new offense, with Caleb Williams tabbed for his first game-day action at the direction of coach Ben Johnson. That may only mean a series or three of work, but it's something. Williams is notorious for his backyard-style playmaking, whereas Johnson was a calculated strategist with the rival Detroit Lions. How they mesh in live action is one of the top storylines of the competitive NFC North, along with Williams' improved supporting cast.
