Rams' Simpson Selection and Browns QB Battle: A Preseason Showdown
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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.
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Fox SportsEric D. Williams: Simpson got the call for the Los Angeles Rams after Stetson Bennett started the first quarter in Saturday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs and didn't disappoint in three quarters of action, playing the rest of the game against back end of the roster players. Simpson continued to show command and comfort with Sean McVay’s offensive system. I watched him earlier in the week against the Dallas Cowboys in a joint practice, and Simpson showed well in the limited reps he got. He built on that performance against the Chiefs.
SB NationThe young passer saw the field well, responded appropriately to pressure, went through his progressions correctly, and found an array of receivers. It’s pretty much the best start to an NFL career you could possibly imagine, and while we can pump the brakes when it comes to “Stafford heir apparent,” there’s a lot to like about what we saw from Simpson this week.
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Yes, we know — there are myriad reasons nobody should get over-excited about preseason performances in the NFL. The vast majority of the league run vanilla defensive schemes, trying to ensure they don’t give anything away before the real football begins, and teams have so many rotating pieces on both sides of the ball that the teams we’re seeing right now end up being nothing like their counterparts a month from now.
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CBS SportsPlus, no one ever wants to look bad on a football field, preseason or not. That's especially true for those in a battle for a job or for playing time. And several players who fall into those categories failed to impress in preseason Week 1.
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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.
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Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Yahoo Sports The Dallas Cowboys' preseason opener created major movement in three important roster battles. Camden Brown made a strong case for the final wide receiver spot, while Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, and Phil Mafah remain in a tight running back competition. The Cowboys' cornerback depth is also a growing concern after a difficult outing from Caelen Carson.
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02 Fox Sports Finally, after six months of no football, nearly all 32 teams got their first taste of game action this weekend, and while several stars and starters didn't play, many rookies made their unofficial NFL debuts.
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03 CBS Sports But there's also an idea that while the games don't count, they do matter. They once even mattered for Rodgers, back when he was a young backup and starter. He's obviously long removed from those days, which may contribute to his disdain for the preseason now. But for those looking to make a roster, the preseason is one of their best chances to impress.
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04 SB Nation Need more convincing? The Giants and Browns were the most dominant teams in preseason a year ago, while the Seahawks and Packers both looked like they were struggling. From a top-down view it’s critical not to get carried away with full-team performances, but we can start to see trends emerge in the preseason when it comes to individual players, particularly young guys who already appear as if they’re adjusting to the NFL and ready to surprise. These are the biggest standout performers now that every team has played at least one game.
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