Hello football friends, and welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
The first week of the NFL preseason is officially in the books, and if there's one thing I noticed after watching 16 games over three days, it's that the Browns might want to think about making a switch to the single-wing offense. At this point, I'm starting to feel like running an offense that doesn't throw the ball might be in their best interest.
Anyway, we'll be recapping Week 1 of the preseason in today's newsletter, and yes, that includes taking a look at the Browns' QB battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.
As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. Let's get to the rundown.
1. Ranking the preseason debut of every rookie quarterback who played
The first week of the preseason can sometimes be kind of boring, but it wasn't this year, and that's mostly because we got to see 15 different rookies quarterbacks make their NFL debut over the weekend.
If you didn't get to watch every rookie quarterback play, don't worry, we have you covered. Zach Pereles watched every snap from all 15 quarterbacks and then he ranked each of guy based on how they played.
Let's check out the top three names on his list:
1. Steelers QB Drew Allar (Pittsburgh 28-9 over Green Bay)
Stats: 10 of 13 for 153 yds and two TD; 2 carries for two yards and 1 TD
Zach's breakdown: Did it come against backups? Yes. Was it mainly on quick, open completions? Yes. But the numbers don't lie: Drew Allar balled out in Week 1. Allar displayed the sort of easy arm strength that made him such an intriguing project coming out of Penn State; the zip on several of those intermediate throws was undeniable. The accuracy was impressive, too -- even while on the move.
2. Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza (Arizona 27-14 over Las Vegas)
Stats: 10 of 16 for 97 yds and one TD
Zach's breakdown: Fernando Mendoza's numbers weren't otherworldly, but the throws he did make and against whom he made them deserve praise. Mendoza led four drives (not including a kneel down to end the first half), resulting in two punts, a touchdown and a missed field goal. The touchdown drive, it should be noted, came against the Cardinals' starting defense (or at least several members of it). Mendoza had some misses and moments when he took too long to get the ball out, but he also had moments when he got through his progressions well and connected on second- or third-read options. He also looked comfortable dropping back from under center, a key change from his time in college.
3. Rams QB Ty Simpson (Los Angeles 20-12 over Kansas City)
Stats: 21 of 25 for 190 yards and two TD
Zach's breakdown: No matter how you feel about the Rams selecting Simpson, it was hard not to be impressed by his preseason debut. The Alabama product was one of two rookies to throw multiple touchdown passes this week, with both going to running back Dean Connors. Simpson will be hoping to unseat Stetson Bennett as the QB2 behind Matthew Stafford. He should get plenty more chances in the next two weeks to build upon a nice start.
If you want to check out Zach's full ranking of all 15 rookie QB performances, you can do that here. The list includes Cade Klubnik, who cracked the top five.
The guy who ranked at the bottom of the list actually got cut over the weekend and if you want to know who that is, you'll have to read Zach's full story.
2. NFL preseason: Winners and losers of Week 1
As everyone knows, you can't have a week of NFL action without having winners and losers, so we have some winners and losers from the first week of the preseason. I teamed up with two other writers -- Carter Bahns and Zach Pereles -- and we came up with what might be the comprehensive winners and losers list that you'll ever read after one week of preseason action.
Let's check out two winners and two losers who made the list this week:
Winners
- 49ers WR De'Zhaun Stribling. With the 49ers banged up, they needed some healthy bodies to suit up for their preseason opener against the Titans, which paved the way for Stribling to see plenty of action, and he made the most of it. The rookie receiver might have been the best offensive player on the field for the 49ers in their 19-13 loss to Tennessee. He caught seven passes for 63 yards against and he did all of that damage while playing just the first half.
- Packers kicker Trey Smack. The rookie kicker has struggled at times during training camp, but he seems to have put those struggles behind him. Smack had a huge game against the Steelers, scoring all nine of Green Bay's points in the loss. Smack went 3-for-3 on field goal attempts and that includes hitting a 58-yarder just before halftime. The former Florida star was the ONLY placekicker selected in this year's draft and the Packers' decision to take him is starting to look like it might actually pay off.
Losers
- Patriots kicker Andy Borregales. The second-year kicker had an impressive rookie season in 2025 but he didn't look great in New England's preseason opener against the Colts. The game ended in a 13-13 tie, but the Patriots would have won if Borregales had made his kicks. He missed three field goals in the game -- from 49, 55, and 56 -- and that's something that Mike Vrabel definitely wasn't happy about following the tie. "We're expected to make them. That's pro football," Vrabel said after the game. "They're banging them in from 60 yards. They got two kickers on the roster, so Andy knows that we have to make those field goals." Borregales might already be in the dog house.
- Colts QB Riley Leonard. With Daniel Jones coming off a torn Achilles, the backup QB job is an important one in Indianapolis this year, and if Thursday night was any indication, Leonard might have just fallen behind Anthony Richardson. Leonard played the entire second half and he wasn't overly impressive, despite the fact that he got to go against the Patriots' defensive backups. He completed less than 50% of his passes (10 of 21) and he threw an ugly interception in the third quarter on a badly underthrown pass.
If you want to see our full list of winners and losers, be sure to click here.
3. NFL preseason overreactions: Do the Titans have a Cam Ward problem?
Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that's especially true when we're talking about the the NFL. With that in mind, Tyler Sullivan decided to take a look at several things that happened during the first week of the preseason to decide if we're all overreacting.
Statement: There will be no real winner in the Falcons' and Browns' QB battles.
Overreaction or reality: Reality. With Kyler Murray declared the Vikings' starter, the only true QB battles left are in Atlanta and Cleveland. Of course, someone will have to win these jobs. That said, judging by what we saw in the preseason opener, the word "winner" is used very loosely. Yes, someone will have their name listed atop the depth chart when the dust settles on the preseason, but will they play well enough to move the needle and swing losses into wins? As things stand, it's hard to feel optimistic that either of these QB questions will be truly answered.
Statement: DJ Moore will super charge the Bills' offense.
Overreaction or reality: Reality. The Bills got a glimpse of what their new No. 1 wideout looks like in the offense during the preseason opener against Carolina. Moore hauled in three of his four targets for 61 yards, while flashing a blossoming rapport with Josh Allen. The Bills have been starved for a top receiver ever since trading away Stefon Diggs. Judging from what we saw in Moore's brief debut, his arrival could help swing the balance of power in the conference.
Statement: The Titans have a Cam Ward problem.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. Against the 49ers, Ward completed just 5 of 12 for 57 yards over the course of three possessions. Accuracy issues reared their head in this matchup, which probably has people in Nashville a bit tense as they move forward with the preseason. While Ward didn't have the most encouraging night, we're still a ways away from pressing the panic button. If Ward doesn't make the necessary corrections and these struggles bleed into the regular season, then serious conversations will need to be had. Until then, however, this is just a second-year quarterback going through the lumps of learning a new offense in August.
There are plenty more overreactions from the first week of the preseason, and if you want to check those out, you can do that here.
4. Browns QB battle: Who has the edge after one preseason game?
The most intriguing QB competition in the NFL is happening in Cleveland, where Deshaun Watson is in a battle with Shedeur Sanders to win the starting job. Both quarterbacks were on the field over the weekend during Cleveland's 34-10 preseason loss to the Bears and Jordan Dajani is here to break down how everything went.
Deshaun Watson
- Stats: 11 of 15 for 126 yards, 0 TD passes, 0 INT
- Dajani breakdown: Todd Monken didn't allow Watson to throw the ball on Cleveland's first possession, but Watson led a field goal drive on Cleveland's second possession. He hit Jerry Jeudy on a 14-yard in-breaking route, then followed up his first big play with a 15-yard completion to rookie Denzel Boston on third-and-5. The possession only ended because Harold Fannin Jr. dropped an easy conversion on third down. Watson then led a 10-play, 81-yard drive. Dylan Sampson sparked the drive, turning a short reception into a 43-yard gain to the other side of the field. In all, Watson looked OK through three possessions. Then things went downhill. On Cleveland's next possession, Bears pass rusher Jamree Kromah got to Watson during his throwing motion, knocked the ball loose and then recovered the fumble.
Shedeur Sanders
- Stats: 6 of 11 for 79 yards, 0 TD passes, 1 INT
- Dajani breakdown: Sanders came out firing to begin the third quarter. On the first play from scrimmage, he found Gage Larvadain off play action for a gain of 24 yards. Sanders fumbled the snap on his second play. The miscue appeared to be on him, but Cleveland recovered the loose ball. A couple of plays later on third-and-13, Sanders stood tall in the pocket against heavy pressure and found Kent State legend Luke Floriea for a 35-yard gain. Sanders went 3 of 4 for 63 yards on his first drive and things went way downhill from there. The Browns went three-and-out on their next possession, and then Sanders' brief outing ended after an abysmal interception on his third drive.
Who has the edge? If you had to pick a winner from today, it's Watson. Since he received the start, he had to play against the Bears' starting defense. Watson's offense scored all 10 of the Browns' points, and he was the only quarterback who didn't throw an interception. Sanders had more explosive plays in the passing game, but it's hard to ignore his throw to the wrong team.
If you want all the details on the Browns' QB battle, Dajani has that here.
5. NFL's most valuable teams revealed: Cowboys on top, Bengals on the bottom
Jerry Jones hasn't been able to figure out how to win a Super Bowl over the past 30 years, but he has figured out how to turn the Cowboys into the most valuable franchise in the NFL. According to the latest numbers from Sportico, Jones is basically printing money out in Dallas with the Cowboys worth an estimated $15.5 billion, which is the highest number in the NFL.
Owning an NFL team is a profitable business if you can get into it. The least valuable team -- the Cincinnati Bengals -- was still worth $7.4 billion. To put that in perspective, as recently as 10 years ago, there were eight teams in the NFL that weren't even worth $2 billion.
Let's take a look at the five most valuable and five least valuable franchises:
MOST VALUABLE
1. Cowboys: $15.5 billion
2. Rams: $12.7 billion
3. Giants: $12 billion
4. Patriots: $10.4 billion
5. Jets: $10.35 billion
Jones bought the franchise for $140 million in 1989, so if he ever decides to sell the team, he's going to get a nice return on his investment.
LEAST VALUABLE
28. Cardinals: $8 billion
29. Jaguars: $7.91 billion
30. Colts: $7.77 billion
31. Saints: $7.59 billion
32. Bengals: $7.4 billion
If I gave you five guesses to name the five least valuable teams, you probably could have done it one try.
Anyway, if you want to see the full ranking of each team's valuation, you can do that here.
6. Extra points: Von Miller set to sign with the Cowboys
It's been a busy few days around the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything, I put together a quick roundup for you.
- Former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller to sign with Dallas. Von Miller is 37 years old, but he's not quite ready to retire. The former Super Bowl MVP announced on Sunday night that he's going to sign with the Cowboys. Last year, Miller proved that he can still play: He racked up 9 sacks while playing in a rotational role for the Commanders. If he can hit that sack number in Dallas, the Cowboys will likely be thrilled. It's a return home for Miller, who went to high school and college in Texas. If you want more details on the signing, we've got the full story here.
- Aaron Donald just had ANOTHER workout with the Rams. For the second time this month, Donald was at the Rams' facility for a formal workout that the team had to report to the NFL. Donald's first workout came on Aug. 5, and his second one came on Sunday. At this point, it seems like Donald is getting closer to making a decision about a possible return, but the Rams aren't going to give him any sort of deadline. "I don't want to say too much or put some sort of invisible deadline on something that doesn't exist in my mind for him," Sean McVay said over the weekend, via ESPN. The Rams coach did say that he'd like to see a decision made "sooner rather than later." With cut day coming on Aug. 30, that feels like a soft deadline, because you have to think the Rams would like to have their roster finalized before they head to Australia for their opener against the 49ers.
- Devon Witherspoon lands record-setting extension from the Seahawks. Devon Witherspoon is now the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history after agreeing to a four-year, $132 million extension over the weekend. At $33 million per year, Witherspoon moves past Denzel Ward ($31.1 million) as the highest-paid corner. The biggest winner here is probably Christian Gonzalez. The Patriots corner is currently seeking an extension and there's a good chance he'll be looking to top Witherspoon's number. Witherspoon was the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and he's played a huge part in the Seahawks' defensive success over the past three seasons.
- Cardinals top four rookies all banged up. Playing your starters in the preseason always comes with a risk and the Cardinals found that out the hard way over the past few days. Running back Jeremiyah Love, the third overall pick in the draft this year, suffered a high ankle sprain against the Raiders and there's a chance he might not be back on the field in time for Week 1. The Cards are hopeful he can return for their opener against the Chargers, but it will depend on how quickly he heals. The Cards rookie class also took another hit with the loss of Chase Bisontis, who could end up missing the entire 2026 season after tearing his MCL against the Raiders. Bisontis was taken just one round after Love with the Cardinals using the 34th overall pick on him. The Cardinals third-round pick, Carson Beck, is also dealing with an injury. Beck didn't play against the Raiders due to a rib injury. Beck is day to day, according to coach Mike LaFleur, so he could return to the field soon. The Cardinals fourth-round pick is also banged up, but that happened back in earlier this year: DL Kalen Procter is likely going to miss the season after tearing his meniscus at OTAs.
