NFL Preseason: One player to watch for each team
Football is back! (For real this time.) The NFL Preseason schedule finally beings this evening, with six games on the schedule.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia Eagles (7:00 PM)
Washington vs. Atlanta Falcons (7:00 PM)
Carolina Panthers vs. Baltimore Ravens (7:30 PM)
New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots (7:30 PM)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. N.Y. Jets (7:30 PM)
Denver Broncos vs. Chicago Bears (8:00 PM)
Here’s who we will be keeping our eye on for each team this evening.
Tampa Bay: CB Vernon Hargreaves
Hargreaves may forever be linked to Jalen Ramsey, who was the only DB selected ahead of him in this year’s NFL draft. Hargreaves has many of the same tools in his belt and has the potential to be an all-time great corner. He should be playing with the new-look first team Tampa defense, opposite Brent Grimes.
Philadelphia: QB Carson Wentz
Once the regular season begins, Wentz gets to patiently wait for the Sam Bradford experiment to implode. For now, these next four games may be our best chance to see him on the field until 2017.
Washington: CB Josh Norman
This will be our first opportunity to see Norman wearing red and gold. He may only play a few series, but it will be worth it to see how he can handle Atlanta’s extremely fast wide receiver corps.
Atlanta: TE Austin Hooper
Julio Jones needs help. Roddy White is gone. That means somebody has to step up for the Falcons offense. Enter rookie tight end Austin Hooper, who may be the receiving weapon that Atlanta has been missing since the retirement of Tony Gonzalez.
Carolina: DT Vernon Butler
Carolina GM Dave Gettlemen loves his linemen, which is why he keeps using first-round picks on them. Given Gettleman’s amazing track record in finding front four talent, Vernon Butler might very well be the next Kawann Short.
Baltimore: LB Kamalei Correa
If there’s one thing these Ravens do right, it’s linebackers. Kamalei Correa joins a proud tradition, following Terrelle Suggs and Ray Lewis at the team’s deepest position. Carolina’s tight ends should provide a solid challenge in his first NFL action.
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New Orleans: WR Brandin Cooks
Earlier this week in their joint practices, Brandin Cooks reportedly burnt Malcolm Butler on several different occasions in one-on-ones and and team drills. Cooks does it to a lot of good corners, but it will be interesting to see if he can do it again.
New England: CB Malcolm Butler
How will Butler respond to those bad beats? He’s one of the better coverage corners in the NFL today, so we’re willing to bet that he will bounce back working against one of the most athletic players in football.
Jacksonville: DE Dante Fowler Jr.
Last year Fowler was struck down on the practice field and we never got to see him play. Now he’s joining a defense with potential superstars at all three levels. So far, he’s been mauling Jaguars linemen at training camp. Let’s see how he does against the real thing.
New York Jets: QB Christian Hackenberg
If you’re one of those people who can’t resist watching a good trainwreck, tune into the second half of the Jets and Jaguars. Hackenberg may be the least NFL ready quarterback to come along in years. It won’t be pretty, but it will be entertaining.
Denver: QB Paxton Lynch
Mark Sanchez will get the start at Soldier Field, but first-round pick Paxton Lynch is slated to play the entire second half. How Lynch handles a Bears pass rush that’s gotten a lot better this year will be an early clue about where he is in his development.
Chicago: WR Kevin White
Alshon Jeffery is always sure to draw a lot of attention from opposing defenses. That means Kevin White should see plenty of single coverage and open opportunities for the Bears. He may have a shot at offensive rookie of the year.
You can catch all of the preseason games live on NFL Gamepass.
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