The first full weekend of the 2026 NFL preseason wrapped up on Saturday night, with all 32 teams having played in at least one exhibition game while two (Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals) have suited up for two. While it’s important to never react to NFL preseason action, we can still do a bit of a stock report for players and coaches who impressed or raised concerns.
Let’s dive into our winners and losers from NFL Preseason Week 1.
Winner: Trey Smack, Kicker, Green Bay Packers
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Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
What does it take for a kicker to make the list of winners from the first week of the NFL preseason? For most of the summer, it seemed like Green Bay Packers rookie placekicker Trey Smack was giving away a competition that was effectively handed to him. He flipped a switch in his NFL debut. Smack made four field goals in the preseason opener, including a pair from 58 yards out, and all of them made it with ease. Kicking in the NFL is a lot about confidence, and a performance like this can really carry over for Smack into his first full NFL season.
Related: Green Bay Packers 53-Man Roster Prediction After Preseason Week 1
Loser; Sean Mannion, Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator
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Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Should there be panic around the city over the preseason debut of Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion? Certainly not. After all, not a single one of the Eagles’ starters took the field against the Baltimore Ravens. However, Philadelphia did get to face the Ravens’ backup defense, and all they could manage through four quarters is 83 net passing yards (3.7 net yards per attempt), while going 0-for-9 on third down and finishing with just 159 total yards on 40 plays across 10 drives. For a preseason game, those are some alarming numbers.
Winner: Ty Simpson, QB, Los Angeles Rams
NFL Preseason Week 1, Los Angeles Rams, Ty Simpson9
Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Rams raised eyebrows around the league when they used their first-round pick on quarterback Ty Simpson. A franchise that is all-in on competing for the Lombardi Trophy probably shouldn’t use a premium pick on a backup signal-caller. However, Simpson certainly showcased in NFL Preseason Week 1 why Les Snead and Sean McVay were so high on him. The Rams’ rookie quarterback didn’t have a single negative play on Saturday on the road versus the Kansas City Chiefs, completing 21-of-25 pass attempts with a pair of touchdowns, 190 passing yards (7.6 yards per attempt) and a 125.0 passer rating. At a minimum, he’s stolen the No. 2 quarterback job from Stetson Bennett and we’re excited to see what else Simpson can show during the preseason.
Read More: NFL Players Who Could Be Suspended including 2 Rams
Loser: Jalen Milroe, Quarterback, Seattle Seahawks
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Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The good news for the Seattle Seahawks is that they are the reigning Super Bowl champions and it only cost the 92nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to land Jalen Milroe. He was a risk-reward pick at the time who needed to be brought along slowly, so anything that happened in his rookie season didn’t really matter. Our issue is that the second-year quarterback had nearly as many passing yards (36) as he did yards lost on sacks (27), resulting in 9 net passing yards on 11 dropbacks. Milroe still isn’t ready to see the field entering his second full season in the NFL, and we can’t help but wonder, what if the Seahawks had instead used that pick on Cam Skattebo, Deone Walker, or Jared Wilson?
Winner: De’Zhaun Stribling, Wide Receiver, San Francisco Giants
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Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
There is always NFL training camp hype surrounding a few rookies every summer. What matters is that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling carried that over into preseason action against a team with something to play for. What’s particularly impressive about the second-round pick leading the team in receiving (7-63) is that he did it while catching passes from the 49ers’ third-string quarterback. We’re fully on board the Stribling train.
Related: Rookies Who Stood Out in Thursday’s NFL Preseason Week 1 Action
Loser: Shedeur Sanders, Quarterback, Cleveland Browns
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Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
There are now circulating rumors that Todd Monken could name the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback for Week 1 after next weekend’s game. If that isn’t a sign that Shedeur Sanders is losing this competition to Deshaun Watson, probably decisively, we don’t know what is. Sanders doesn’t have the draft pedigree to warrant the Browns’ front office forcing him into a starting role for a long-term evaluation. He also doesn’t have the elite physical skills that could elevate an offense. So, Monken is tasked with choosing the quarterback who can avoid making the simplest mistakes and simply execute what he’s asked to do. That’s Watson, which is more of an indictment on Sanders than it is a complement to anything Watson brings to the table on his own.
Winner: Ja’Kobi Lane, Wide Receiver, Baltimore Ravens
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Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
When a beat reporter who has covered the team states unequivocally that what a rookie is doing this summer is one of the most impressive things he has seen in decades around that franchise, believe it. In case you needed visual proof from Baltimore Ravens rookie wideout Ja’Kobi Lane, outside of his daily highlight-reel catches on the practice field, he delivered in his first preseason game with 38 yards and a touchdown on 3 targets. Lane is going to be Baltimore’s No. 2 receiver this season, and it shouldn’t be long before he’s a go-to target for Lamar Jackson during the regular season.
Loser: J.J. McCarthy, Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings
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Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
After predictably losing the Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback job to Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy got the chance to regain some confidence in the preseason opener. These are the kind of moments when a coaching staff gets to see a young quarterback’s mental fortitude and how they respond on the field to failure. McCarthy finished with 30 net passing yards on 8 dropbacks, averaging just 4.3 yards per attempt with a 69.9 passer rating. Quite frankly, we believe Minnesota would be better off with Carson Wentz as the backup quarterback, and we feel extremely confident saying that Kevin O’Connell trusts Wentz more to run his offense than he does McCarthy.That’s probably breaking news and heartbreaking information for Adam Schefter.
Winner: Ahmed Hassanein, Edge Rusher, Detroit Lions
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Detroit Lions edge Ahmed Hassanein(99) during OTAs at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Friday, May 29, 2026.
We wanted to work in one underdog story into our list of winners from NFL Preseason Week 1. Ahmed Hassanein, the 196th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, spent last season on the Detroit Lions practice squad and didn’t play a single snap in his rookie season. He might now have a shot at making the Lions’ 53-man roster this season. Hassanein was already a standout in Detroit this summer on the practice field, and that carried over into the preseason opener with 2 sacks, including a takedown of Joe Burrow. Let’s hope that Hassanein becomes the latest feel-good story for the Lions.