The first preseason game of the 2023 NFL season is already in the books, with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns having squared off in the Hall of Fame game. Come this weekend, the 30 other teams will take their turn on the field for the first time.
One of the most important things to watch out for is which teams are allowing their starters to play early on in the preseason — and particularly which teams are giving their starting quarterback a chance to spin it in live game action. Consider this a one-stop shop for information on whether a specific team is expected to use its QB1 in the first game action of the year.
The majority of Buffalo’s starters will play in the team’s preseason opener against the Colts. That will not include, however, quarterback Josh Allen and receiver Stefon Diggs. Both players will take in the action from the sidelines while Kyle Allen and Matt Barkley split the quarterback duties.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Second-year QB Kenny Pickett and the other starters will play in the Steelers’ preseason opener against the Buccaneers, head coach Mike Tomlin announced Wednesday.
“We’ll play it by ear,” Tomlin said when asked how much the starters will play. “That’s always my mentality. I’m open to all that are healthy playing. How much they play will be determined by what it is they need for it to be a productive step in the process for them. And then we’ll deal with next week, next week.”
The Bucs will start Baker Mayfield in their first preseason game against the Steelers and Kyle Trask in the second game versus the Jets, head coach Todd Bowles announced Wednesday.
New York Jets
After not playing in the Hall of Fame Game, Aaron Rodgers will sit out once again for the team’s second preseason game against the Panthers. Zach Wilson and Tim Boyle will handle the quarterback duties, per head coach Robert Saleh. Chris Streveler, who played in the preseason opener, was released Monday.
Panthers coach Frank Reich confirmed that No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young is the team’s starting quarterback. “Yes, he’s QB1,” Reich said after the first day of Panthers training camp.
Reich did not commit to a specific number of players or series that Young will play in the preseason opener. “I do have an idea,” he said, per ESPN. “There is flexibility in the plan. There has to be. That’s just being smart about it. We have a general idea how many plays we want to get through the whole preseason, but that can be adjusted by 10 or 20 percent depending on how things go.”
Bears coach Matt Eberflus said that Justin Fields and some other starters will play in the first preseason game. “It will be some play time — a little bit in there,” Eberflus said, per the Chicago Sun-Times. “But [how much] I’m not sure. We’ll have to continue to discuss that.”
Cleveland Browns
DeShaun Watson will see action when the Browns play their second preseason game as the quarterback confirmed he’ll start on Friday night, via Browns beatwriter Mary Kay Cabot. However, he isn’t sure how long he’ll play against the Commanders.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said it’s likely that the team is not playing Dak Prescott at all during the 2023 preseason. “We talked about it, but I haven’t made a decision,” McCarthy said at Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, California. “I’m leaning toward not. If I had to bet, I’d bet on no. But I don’t bet.”
With Dak out, the majority of the reps would presumably go to backups Cooper Rush and Will Grier.
Head coach Sean Payton stated that Russell Wilson and other starters will get some action in the first preseason game.
“They’re going to play,” Payton said, per the Denver Gazette. “We’ll figure out how many snaps.”
The Packers are still deciding if, and how much, Jordan Love will play during the preseason.
“What Jordan needs affects a lot of the other guys, right?” general manager Brian Gutekunst said, per the team’s official website. “Because if Jordan’s in there, there’s going to be a bunch of other players in there as well that may not play a ton in the preseason. I think Matt will work through that and make good decisions. You guys have heard me say he needs to play, a lot of our guys need to play, that unit needs to play together. That’s a tough call protecting the safety of those guys in these games but also giving them the best chance to grow and be ready for the season.”
Head coach DeMeco Ryans named No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud the team’s starter for the preseason opener, according to NFL Media.
Rookie Anthony Richardson will start the Colts’ preseason opener against the Bills. The first-round pick will start over veteran Gardner Minshew.
“You have to get reps, with any player,” general manager Chris Ballard said when recently asked about Richardson, per the team’s official website. “The more live-bullet reps — like we can go through camp and get every rep we can, but until you’re in a game and you’re actually getting those live-bullet reps, it’s hard to really grow and get better.”
Head coach Doug Pederson said Trevor Lawrence and other starters will play briefly during the team’s first preseason game.
“I’m a big believer in the starters playing,” Pederson told NFL Network. “I really feel like they need to feel that energy that comes with starting a football game. I did it last year with the guys and I anticipate right now him getting maybe a series or two this weekend.”
Head coach Dennis Allen indicated that Derek Carr and other starters will get at least some run during the preseason opener.
“It’s a new season, a new group, and I want to see our guys play,” Allen said, per Nola.com. That may be the last time the starters play during the preseason, though, as Allen said the plan is to play the starters “at least in the first preseason game, and then we’ll see where we’re at.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Brock Purdy, “I doubt he plays,” according to NFL Media. It seems like that’s the plan for most of the team’s starters.
“Very little,” Shanahan said the possibility of them seeing preseason action. “Usually when we go scrimmage a team, I’m much more into the scrimmage than the game. We’ll see how the two practices go, but going off our history, we try to play our starters as much as we can in those two practices and then keep them out of the game.”
There are several other teams that haven’t made official announcements, but it’s widely expected (if not necessarily known for certain) that their starters won’t see action in the first week of the preseason. They include the Baltimore Ravens (Lamar Jackson) and Philadelphia Eagles (Jalen Hurts). Additionally, the Los Angeles Chargers (Justin Herbert has never played in the preseason) and Rams (Sean McVay rarely plays starters in preseason), and the Kansas City Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce haven’t played in recent preseason openers) should be expected to sit their starters.
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Author: Jared Dubin
August 10, 2023 | 3:45 pm
