All NFL teams have finally played their first preseason, so it’s time to overreact and fuel some of our rookie hype! But on a serious note, the preseason isn’t the end-all, be-all for rookie production prospects but is a good indicator of how the team views them. Similar to last week, I put together a list of six rookies who are worth watching during the week two preseason games.
1. Michael Penix Jr
(QB - Atlanta Falcons)
Vs Baltimore Ravens on 8/17 at 12 PM EST
With the Atlanta Falcons taking Michael Penix Jr. in the 2024 NFL Draft with a likely plan to develop him behind Kirk Cousins for at least the next two seasons, these preseason games will likely be all we will have to go off of until Penix Jr. is hopefully a starter down the road. In his first preseason game, Penix Jr. passed the eye test.
I mentioned it on Twitter/X, but he struggled with ball placement. However, he showed great composure in the pocket and did a great job reading the defense pre- and post-snap. While a stat line of completing nine passes on 16 attempts and 104 yards with no touchdowns doesn’t sound great, it’s a starting point for a rookie who was throwing to lower-depth chart receivers.
Also, the ball placement issues were something that appeared in college for Michael Penix Jr. but could have been more due to timing and chemistry issues with his receivers. With more time to develop that timing and chemistry, hopefully, Penix Jr. can stack good performances and have a good week two performance against a strong Baltimore Ravens defense. As I mentioned, Penix Jr. will likely be sitting behind Kirk Cousins for the next few seasons. So, it’s important for him to have good performances in the preseason to maintain his hype and value until he can become a starter.
2. Braelon Allen
(RB - New York Jets)
Vs Carolina Panthers on 8/17 at 7 PM EST
I’m a biased Wisconsin Badgers fan, but I was very high on Braelon Allen in my summer scouting before last season but ended up having him as my RB8 for my final 2024 draft rankings due to concerns I had of him fitting into zone schemes. The NFL may have had similar concerns as he was the eleventh running back taken in the draft, but the praise Allen received during training camp and his performance on Saturday gives hope that he could be an impactful player.
Allen rushed for 54 yards on six rush attempts, held up well in pass protection, and would have had a reception for 12 yards that he had to adjust to and catch away from his frame, but had this taken away by a penalty.
All in all, it was a great debut for Braelon Allen, and it’s very early, but he seems on track to be the RB2 behind Breece Hall. With Allen’s size, he could provide a good complimentary back to Hall, especially around the goal line, and could handle the bulk of the workload if Hall were to ever miss time.
The biggest thing I still want to see throughout the preseason is how Allen does in-zone runs since offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett tends to run more zone runs than gap runs, and the offensive line cleared a lot of space for Allen last Saturday, making things easier for him. However, if Allen continues to run well, I think he could really surprise people if the New York Jets want to give Hall a lighter workload.
3. Xavier Worthy
(WR - Kansas City Chiefs)
Vs Detroit Lions on 8/17 at 4 PM EST
With Marquise Brown set to miss some time due to a shoulder injury and his status for week one up in the air, Xavier Worthy now has a chance to make a run at some early playing time. Last week, Worthy had a minimal impact while playing for just the first series and the first snap of the second series. It might be overly optimistic, but Worthy not playing more in the game despite minimal impact may actually bode well for how the team views him.
Based on players that either started to get snaps or continued to get snaps after Xavier Worthy stopped playing, it seems Worthy may already be ahead of Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore, and Justyn Ross on the depth chart. This, at worst, signals that Worthy is already viewed as the WR4 for the team and likely will be the WR2 to WR3, depending on Marquise Brown’s recovery and how the team plans to use Worthy and Justin Watson.
With Brown out for the rest of the preseason and the second preseason game often being a dress rehearsal for teams for the regular season, I’ll be watching Worthy to see if he can start to make an impact when the team needs to count on him more.
4. Jermaine Burton
(WR - Cincinnati Bengals)
Vs Chicago Bears 8/17 at 1 PM EST
I saw a lot of hype around Jermaine Burton’s preseason debut, and while he was very productive, I don’t think it should be ignored that he didn’t get any snaps with Joe Burrow and the rest of the starters and didn’t first play until the first possession of the second half. Instead, it was Andrei Iosivas and Trenton Irwin getting snaps with the starters.
Irwin is more of a WR5 for the team since he has safe hands but isn’t an overly remarkable athlete or receiver. However, Iosivas could be a bit more of a thorn in Burton’s production since Iosivas has great athleticism, solid size, and looked really impressive as a blocker which likely was part of what got him his early opportunities with the starters.
That being said, the team used a third-round pick on Jermaine Burton in the 2024 NFL Draft. So, I don’t think it’s a lock that Andrei Iosivas has beat Burton out, but it will be interesting to monitor when Burton gets his playing time this coming week. At the very least, his play at the end of the game could push for earlier opportunities.
5. Troy Franklin
(WR - Denver Broncos)
Vs Green Bay Packers on 8/18 at 8 PM EST
As one of the leaders of the Troy Franklin fan club, I can’t lie that the recent reports of his shaky training camp aren’t making me nervous. The Denver Broncos first preseason game only made my worries worse as Troy Franklin seemingly played as the WR7 based on the number of receivers who played before him and even played behind seventh-round rookie receiver Devaughn Vele.
Franklin didn’t get his first snap until the final minute and 40 seconds of the second quarter, while Bo Nix was still in and then played only a single drive in the second half near the start of the fourth quarter. In his one drive in the second half, he did receive an off-target pass from Zach Wilson but had trouble finding the ball and making the necessary adjustment to the throw.
All in all, it hasn’t been the most encouraging start, but I don’t think it’s time to hit the panic button yet. As I mentioned, Troy Franklin hasn’t had a great camp, but he has had some good practices leading up to the game. Also, he had very little opportunity to play with Bo Nix, his college quarterback, in this last game due to the team turning to Nix early in the game.
With Sean Payton already stating that Nix will be starting for the team in week 2, it will be interesting to see if Franklin comes out swinging next weekend and if he will get more of an opportunity to play with Nix to show the chemistry that they had throughout their time at Oregon.
6. Ben Sinnott
(TE - Washington Commanders)
Vs. Miami Dolphins on 8/17 at 7 PM EST
There weren’t a lot of notable tight-end performances, but I have to give credit to Ben Sinnott. Sinnott made appearances on some peoples’ timelines due to a highlight play he had near the end of the first half when he showed that his strength from college can translate to the NFL by pushing a pile of defenders to pick up extra yards on his 44-yard reception. He also showed he can do the dirty work by playing all over the field and holding up well as a blocker.
From what I saw, Ben Sinnott didn’t get any snaps with Jayden Daniels and I think Zach Ertz will likely stand in his way of meaningful production this year. However, Ertz hasn’t been a strong blocker the past few years and really struggled in his blocking against the New York Jets. Also, John Bates is the team’s primary blocking tight end, but if Sinnott continues to show flashes as a receiver and block well, he could push for more consistent playing time as the season goes on and prove he is capable of being the starter next year.
