NFL Preseason Takeaways: 2022
With initial 53-man rosters being finalized on Tuesday and the season opener less than a week away, organizations are starting to gameplan for the regular season.
While the preseason isn’t the best indication of how the season is going to play out for each franchise, certain teams, whether it be through play designs or player performances, can give a taste of what’s to come.
Rookie Standouts
One of the biggest storylines during the preseason every year is the performance of the rookies, and this year’s crop hasn’t disappointed as many have already earned prominent roles on their respective teams.
On the offensive side of the ball, Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce has already earned himself the starting role in that backfield, beating out Marlon Mack, while Steelers wideout George Pickens has also played his way into a starting role and has already become an early favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Raiders rookie running back Zamir White beat out Kenyan Drake for the number two role behind starter Josh Jacobs, but with Jacobs’s fifth-year option declined and him set to hit free agency after this season, White might be thrust into an even bigger role if he continues to shine.
Defensively, second-overall pick Aidan Hutchinson has looked the part in each of his three games and aims to be a major contributor in year one, while fourth-overall pick Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner hasn’t even been targeted once in 24 coverage snaps, which is nothing new for the lockdown corner out of Cincinnati.
Young Quarterbacks
Due to the nature of the position and the responsibilities that come with it, quarterbacks are constantly under the microscope and plenty of unproven ones are already making headlines.
Trey Lance, the third-overall pick in the 2021 draft is heading into his first season as the starter of the San Francisco 49ers after spending his rookie year serving as the backup to Jimmy Garoppolo. His first offseason in this role has produced mixed results.
With Garoppolo agreeing to stay with the Niners for another season, it’ll be interesting to see if he reclaims the starting role at some point if Lance falters.
Daniel Jones and Tua Tagovailoa are two more quarterbacks in the spotlight but for different reasons, as they are in make or break years.
Both have looked extremely promising, running their new offenses well, but if they can't carry this success into the season, they might be looking at a backup role by this time next season.
Jakob Schnur is a third-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jks6463@psu.edu.
