The curtain has come down on the 2024 NFL preseason and the next on-field action will see the Baltimore Ravens take on the Kansas City Chiefs on the opening night of the regular season on Thursday September 5. Between now and then, final roster cuts will be made across the league and depth charts will be finalised ahead of the new campaign.
So, what has this summer taught us as we hurtle towards the season kick-off? It's not always easy to decipher what is truly going on during an NFL preseason or training camp. But I've given it a go here and believe these storylines have been established over the past few weeks.
What we do know is that there will be many more twists and turns and many more stories to come in the coming months. Buckle up and get ride for the ride… the NFL roller coaster is about to get moving again!
Caleb Williams is the real deal
When I was at Bears' training camp in Illinois this summer, Caleb Williams escaped from pressure, stepped forward towards the end zone where I was sitting and then torqued his body just before the line of scrimmage and dropped a 50-yard pass right into the gut of his receiver racing downfield. It was breathtaking. "That's just a practice," I hear you cry. Well, he did something similar in his second preseason outing against the Cincinnati Bengals, connecting in a very special way with rookie wideout Rome Odunze down the left sideline. "That's just a preseason game," I hear you cry. Well, regular season highlights just like that are coming with this Patrick Mahomes-like talent and the Bears could be in for a special few years with Williams at the helm. I'm a believer. Get on the bandwagon, it's going to be a fun ride!
Bo Nix is the guy in Denver
It took just two preseason outings for first-round rookie Bo Nix to secure the starting quarterback job with the Denver Broncos. In those games, Nix led seven drives and produced points on six of them. In the second preseason game against Green Bay, the intelligent and accurate passer who has looked like a veteran at times this summer was almost perfect as he completed eight of nine passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. Nix has also been working with the ones in practice, backing up the praise that has been coming his way from head coach Sean Payton. A new era is about to kick off in Denver and Payton believes he has his Colorado version of Drew Brees at the helm.
The Raiders have a quarterback issue
When I was travelling across the United States at the end of July and the beginning of August, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce spoke on TV about quarterback battlers Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O'Connell. The coach wanted either guy to "take it and say, 'Hey, I'm your guy.'" That was weeks before Minshew was named the starter. The delay suggests that both passers were mired in mediocrity – one could not separate from the other and I doubt it was because the level of play was off-the-charts high. I love me some Minshew Magic, but I have my doubts. This key position has held the Raiders back in recent years and I fear it will do the same again in 2024.
More kick-off returns is not a given in 2024
The new kick-off rules have certainly seen a massive spike in the number of returns in the preseason. That was always going to be the case because head coaches and special teams coordinators are very keen to establish how this voyage into the NFL unknown is going to turn out. There have been some exciting run-backs, for sure, but what will happen once the regular season gets underway? What we have seen so far is definitely vanilla. If you believe you've cracked the special teams code, why show everyone else in the summer? Let's also bear this in mind. If the season opens with a series of big kick returns for touchdowns, we're going to see coaches concede the football at the 30-yard line by booming it out of the end zone. Then we're right back where we started. This situation is a very fluid one.
The Vikings are not giving up on the season
It has been a tough summer for the Minnesota Vikings. Within days of rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy showing real promise with two touchdown passes in a preseason game against the Raiders, the first-rounder was gone for the year with a knee injury. Add in a significant injury to number two wide receiver Jordan Addison and it's been a rough time. But the Vikings would not be signing a proven and capable veteran like cornerback Stephon Gilmore if they were turning it in for 2024. Sam Darnold is in position to surprise a few people at quarterback as he teams with Justin Jefferson. Addison's injury and legal status following an offseason incident cloud his immediate future, but he and Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson should be factors in the second half of 2024. It's miserable in Minneapolis right now. But I think the Vikings will be more competitive than most are predicting.
The heat is on in Miami
I could make some drawn-out pun about the South Florida weather here, but I'm most definitely talking about the team when it comes to the rising temperatures in Miami. The Dolphins have gone all-in for veteran talent over the past two seasons and all it has got them is a pair of first-round playoff exits. Miami last won a postseason game at the end of the 2000 campaign. Last season was particularly disappointing as the Dolphins lost virtually every big game in which they met a quality opponent. With team owner Stephen Ross proclaiming his team a Super Bowl contender, Mike McDaniel will need to show progress at head coach. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa must also do more in high-stakes situations now he is being paid more than $53 million per year. Tyreek Hill has little to prove as one of the NFL's most electrifying players but he himself said the Dolphins would "ship him out" if they didn't start winning following his signing of a $30 million-per-season extension.
Confidence is high with the New York Jets
The New York Jets are currently riding a 13-season playoff drought that is tied for the longest in North American professional sports (along with the NHL's Buffalo Sabres in case you were wondering). And we all know what happened just four plays into last season as future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles and was gone for the year. But hopes are high. Rodgers told me that he believes the Jets are one of eight to 10 teams who can realistically win the Super Bowl this year. He is setting the bar as high as it can be set and is expecting to lead a Super Bowl charge. And running back Breece Hall has a simple goal and it contains no numbers. By the end of the season, the NFL world will look at him and his body of work and believe him to be the best running back in the league. The talk is big coming out of New York. Now, the Jets have to back it up.
A patient approach in Kansas City?
This preseason has shown that former Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit can perform a variety of roles for the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. LRZ can catch passes as a receiver and out of the backfield, he can perform regular running back ball-carrying duties, he can return kicks and cover punts. And I've seen Louis practising his kick-offs at various times this season, so he has that in his locker if needed. That's effectively five players in one! I spent some time with Louis in Missouri this summer and it's clear he is working his tail end off to make KC's final roster and he is beloved by head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the roster. It's hard to tell if Louis will make an immediate impact in 2024. He was already a massive NFL fan who knew the game, but he is trying to play at the highest level with one training camp, three preseason games and 10 weeks of International Player Pathway work under his belt. I have no doubt that Louis is going to make it to the very top of the NFL and play on Sundays in the regular season. I just wonder if the Chiefs might opt for a more patient approach as the former British & Irish Lion continues to master his craft.
Maye era will begin in New England sooner rather than later
The New England Patriots invested heavily in rookie quarterback Drake Maye, selecting the guy they hope will become the face of their franchise for the next 15 years third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. The widespread belief was that Maye would be allowed to develop slowly while veteran Jacoby Brissett took the reins at the start of a new era in Foxboro. But Maye has outplayed Brissett in the preseason, according to head coach Jerod Mayo. And the veteran injured his should in New England's final preseason outing
