10) It’s good to see Titans 2021 first-round pick Caleb Farley healthy and playing football again. The amount of football he’s played in the preseason indicates he’s behind rookie Roger McCreary, making Farley fourth on the depth chart. He looks a little stiff. The Titans’ young corners — their top four players at the position were all drafted in the first three rounds since 2020 — could make or break their defense.
11) Former Eagle Matt Pryor is set to take over the Colts’ starting left tackle job. Along with questions at right guard and an overall lack of depth, this group is clearly inferior to the one that Philip Rivers got to play behind two years ago.
12) I will admit to being unfamiliar with undrafted Steelers rookie running back Jaylen Warren a month ago. Now he appears to be the favorite for the backup job behind Najee Harris, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. The man is 5-foot-8 and the cousin of “Fast” Willie Parker. What’s not to love?
13) Mack Hollins has emerged as the Raiders’ No. 3 receivers. He’s not quite a fantasy sleeper, but it’s impressive how Hollins took hold of a job in a deep group.
14) Antonio Gibson did not have a special teams role in Ron Rivera’s first two seasons as Washington coach. Gibson returned the opening kickoff Saturday, moments before rookie Brian Robinson started the game at running back. Gibson had two carries and three catches in the game, mostly playing with backups. While I don’t think the two runners have flipped roles, Rivera flatly said last week he is going to go with the hot hand at running back and that Gibson needs to “run harder.” After Gibson received 206 touches as a rookie and 300 last season, it’s safe to expect a reduced workload from the 24-year-old.
15) Before Malcolm Rodriguez stole America’s heart on Hard Knocks, he got a crucial stamp of approval in this column two weeks ago. This is not a manufactured storyline, but a surprise position battle result being documented in real time. Rodrigo’s rise could also say a lot about the Lions’ still-lacking linebacker depth chart, where Derrick Barnes and Jarrad Davis are also vying for snaps. I love the Lions’ defensive coaching staff, but there are a lot of questions for this group at linebacker and cornerback.
16) In a modest surprise, 2020 No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah is trending toward winning a starting job opposite Amani Oruwariye, per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. While this is at least partially based on the up-and-down play of Will Harris, it should be a welcome development for the Lions.
17) It’s cool to see a young player realize a lifelong dream in real time. USFL MVP KaVontae Turpin returned a punt and kickoff for touchdowns during the Cowboys’ win Saturday night. By the second half of the game, he was asked to take his shoulder pads off, and Dallas coach Mike McCarthy confirmed Turpin will be their returner to start the season. Considering how thin the Cowboys are at wideout, don’t be surprised to see Turpin worked into the mix as a gadget player.
(The Chargers special teams, meanwhile, is clearly in midseason form giving up two touchdowns in one half.)
18) According to Nick Eastman at the Cowboys’ team website, 2021 second-round pick Kelvin Joseph is not a lock to make the final roster. That would be a surprise, but he clearly hasn’t cracked the top rotation of Cowboys corners: Trevon Diggs, Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis. With Lewis (hamstring) possibly out for Week 1, fifth-round rookie DaRon Bland may be next in line after getting love throughout camp.
19) A Sunday headline from the OG site Pewter Report: “Bucs’ (Kyle) Trask Experiment Is All But Over.” While that feels harsh, Trask likely sunk his chance to be the Bucs’ backup QB this season with a rough outing against the Titans. Tom Brady, who returned to practice on Monday, should be backed up by Blaine Gabbert again.