Preseason overreactions from Week 2: Shedeur Sanders to end up as Browns backup QB? Breece Hall to the bench?
Which of these overreactions hold merit?
By
Jeff Kerr
•
5 min read
The preseason is starting to hit its lull around the NFL, which is telling given there are only three weeks of the exhibition slate. Joint practices have taken over the preseason games, as teams find getting work in a controlled environment more fitting than a preseason game where too many injuries can happen.
Thus, Week 2 of the preseason wasn't as enticing as Week 1. And now there's only one more week of exhibition football, yet plenty of storylines are still going on around the league. The Cleveland Browns' quarterback battle is over with Joe Flacco winning the starting job, but what about the New Orleans Saints? The New York Giants may also have Jaxson Dart starting much sooner than expected, too.
Which overreactions from the Week 2 preseason slate are overstated? Which ones hold some weight?
Spencer Rattler should be Saints' Week 1 starter
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Saints head coach Kellen Moore may have to name a starting quarterback by this week, and Rattler may be the leader in the clubhouse over Tyler Shough. Rattler played the entire second half with backups, yet still went 18 of 24 for 199 yards with a touchdown and an interception, leading the Saints to three scoring drives on his five possessions. This included a touchdown pass to Dante Pettis with 21 seconds left and a two-point conversion attempt that Rattler ran in himself to force the 17-17 tie.
Shough was with the first team but didn't look good. The Saints gained just 70 yards in the first half on four possessions and had only 21 in the first quarter. He finished 9 of 12 for 66 yards, but the performance was underwhelming.
Rattler should get a look with the first team and likely start Week 1. There will be time for Shough this season to show what he can do as a starter. After all, the Saints have the worst quarterback room in the NFL.
Predicting the winner of each NFL quarterback battle, plus winners and losers from Week 2 of preseason
John Breech
Braelon Allen will have the most touches on the Jets this season
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Lost in the Jaxson Dart hype during the Jets-Giants preseason game was the performance of Allen, who is making his case for an expanded role in the Jets backfield. Allen split the backfield work with Breece Hall during the Jets' first two drives, and he ended up with seven carries for 34 yards (4.6 yards per carry). Hall, meanwhile, had seven carries for 26 yards.
Hall is coming off a disappointing 2024 campaign in which he averaged just 4.2 yards per carry while has targets out of the backfield diminished. While Hall should benefit with Justin Fields at quarterback, Allen has had the better training camp and looks to be a potential breakout player in the Jets offense.
The Jets have shown that they will go with a running back-by-committee approach, which means they'll ride with the hot hand. If that's the case, they'll ride with Allen if the second-year back keeps running the ball well. This doesn't mean Hall is out of the plans, but Allen may get more usage in the offense.
It wouldn't be surprising if Allen is the RB1 later in the year.
Trey Lance is the backup QB for the Chargers
Overreaction or reality: Reality
When Lance signed with the Chargers this offseason, this wasn't viewed as a reclamation project. The Chargers gave him $6.2 million to compete for the QB2 job, but Taylor Heinicke seemed to be the favorite for the role because of his experience and ability to win a game if he had to fill in for Justin Herbert.
This preseason, Lance has outperformed Heinicke. Saturday's preseason game against the Rams was the telltale sign, as Lance completed 7 of his 15 for 121 yards -- the highlight being a 34-yard strike to Tre Harris on the opening drive of the third quarter. Lance added another 25 yards rushing for Los Angeles, as his confidence looks significantly better than at any point in Dallas.
This is Lance's job to lose. Heck, he might have won the job already.
Shedeur Sanders can be the No. 2 QB for the Browns by Week 1
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Sanders had an opportunity to challenge Joe Flacco for the starting job last week, but unfortunately suffered an oblique injury in the individual period of joint practice with the Eagles that kept him out of both sessions. He threw in Saturday's preseason game in warmups, a good sign he may be back for the Browns this week.
Joe Flacco is the starting quarterback, winning the four-horse race for the job. Next up is QB2, but there already may be a frontrunner for that role. Kenny Pickett has been limited with a hamstring injury, but he seems ready to take over those snaps on the second team upon his return. Dillon Gabriel also played well enough Saturday to be ahead of Sanders, although he did have an interception returned for a touchdown and a fumble.
Where Sanders fits into the equation is intriguing, and he'll have to get healthy first. Time may have run out for Sanders to be QB2 by Week 1, as the Browns can be patient and develop him for the potential QB1 role later in the season (if their season goes south).
Zach Charbonnet will lead the Seahawks in rushing yards
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The Seahawks played their starters in Friday's preseason game against the Chiefs, and the offense looked fluid with Sam Darnold at quarterback. The star was Charbonnet, who had five carries for 45 yards and a touchdown in place of Kenneth Walker -- who was out with a foot injury.
While Charbonnet went essentially untouched on a 15-yard touchdown run, he has also outplayed Walker throughout training camp. Charbonnet is more consistent and has some explosiveness out of the backfield. More importantly, he hasn't showed any signs of decline.
This should be the year Charbonnet gets more touches than Walker. Even if he doesn't, he'll be a 20 to 25 carry back if Walker has to miss time. Charbonnet may have a big year if the Seahawks get him the ball consistently.
