The NFL preseason is officially underway, and Thursday night brought plenty of exciting unofficial debuts.
No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza made his debut for the Las Vegas Raiders alongside Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love. Meanwhile, the duo of second-year Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward and rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate also got in on the action.
In non-game action, two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes will sit out the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason opener and could be on the verge of missing preseason action for the first time in his career.
Here’s what you need to know from Thursday around the NFL.
The Fernando Mendoza era has officially begun for the Las Vegas Raiders. Making his debut on Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals, he made his impact known bright and early in Klint Kubiak’s newly revamped offense.
Mendoza entered the game on the second drive after veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was pulled after leading the Raiders to an opening scoring drive.
The No. 1 overall pick out of Indiana didn’t have to wait long to make his impact felt. Mendoza led a scoring drive on just his second possession, connecting with second-year wide receiver Jack Bech over the middle on a 6-yard touchdown slant.
Mendoza finished the game completing 10-of-16 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. While the team remains adamant about redshirting him this season, continuing at this level could spark a real quarterback competition as the year goes on.
Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love made his preseason NFL debut Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders after sitting out the Hall of Fame Game last week.
Love rushed 11 times for 58 yards, splitting work in the backfield with Tyler Allgier in the first half.
The No. 3 overall pick in the draft made some standout plays while contributing to three Cardinals scoring drives.
Love made a pair of Raiders defenders miss on the way to a 9-yard gain to convert on third down.
The rookie running back wasn’t done there, as he hurdled over another Raiders’ defender on a draw later in the half.
Love finished with 14 touches for 73 total yards.
The Drew Allar era in Pittsburgh kicked off late in the third quarter on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers. Coming in as the third quarterback of the night, Allar put together a strong Steelers debut.
Allar led three scoring drives in the second half, completing 10 of 13 passes for 154 yards and two passing touchdowns. His highlight of the night came on his very first throw, which was a 74-yard slant completion to second-year wide receiver Kaden Wetjen.
Allar also scored a rushing touchdown in the Steelers’ 28–9 win over the Packers on Thursday night and put together a complete performance.
Mason Rudolph and Will Howard both took snaps before Allar, but all three are in a battle for the backup job behind Aaron Rodgers. If Allar keeps playing like this for the rest of the preseason, it would certainly help his case for being Pittsburgh’s QB2. And maybe the Steelers already have their heir apparent to Rodgers if Allar keeps flashing like he did on Thursday?
Cam Ward saw plenty of action Thursday night with the Tennessee Titans as the new-look offense under offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was on full display. Ward orchestrated a 95-yard opening drive, capped by a 5-yard touchdown run from Tony Pollard.
Ward had a roller-coaster start to the preseason, overcoming a few early misses to spread the ball around throughout the night. While he couldn’t connect with No. 4 overall pick Carnell Tate on three targets, Wan’Dale Robinson stepped up with two catches for 19 yards.
He played the majority of the first half before being pulled for backup third-year quarterback Will Levis. Ward capped off his night by completing 5-of-12 passes for 57 yards, finishing with a 56.6 QBR.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is not expected to suit up for Saturday’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams, per The Kansas City Star. Instead, Justin Fields, Garrett Nussmeier, and Chris Oladokun are expected to split reps under center.
Mahomes sitting out the entire preseason remains a real possibility as he continues recovering from last season’s torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. However, he’s participated in the majority of training camp so far and has a chance at suiting up for Week 1 against the Denver Broncos.
Outside of 2020, when the preseason was canceled due to COVID-19, this could mark the first preseason Mahomes misses entirely. If so, all eyes shift to his health and whether he’ll be cleared in time for the team’s season opener.
Prior to his Week 15 injury, Mahomes recorded 3,587 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions with a 62.7% completion rate. He also added 422 yards and five scores on the ground.
After working out for multiple teams in recent weeks, cornerback Terrion Arnold is reportedly expected to sign with the Seattle Seahawks.
Arnold was a 2024 first-round pick out of Alabama and was released by the Detroit Lions in June following his arrest on felony kidnapping and armed robbery charges. The NFL has yet to decide whether to place him on the Commissioner’s Exempt List.
Arnold reportedly visited with the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, and New York Giants before signing with the Seahawks. He will now join a cornerback room alongside Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe.
With eight felony charges hanging over him following his June arrest, it remains uncertain whether Arnold will ever play another snap in the NFL.
- Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said WR Puka Nacua left practice with soreness in his psoas, according to ESPN. The team expects Nacua to be back at practice next week “ready to go.”
- The Buffalo Bills are expected to play QB Josh Allen and the rest of their starters in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday.
- Chicago Bears chairman George H. McCaskey said that the organization’s name will remain the same regardless of where the new stadium is built.
- San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling hauled in seven receptions for 67 yards, putting together a strong rookie debut.
- Baltimore Ravens head coach Jessee Minter said that both CB Nate Wiggins and CB Marlon Humphrey are trending well to return to practice at some point next week, per The Athletic.
- Arizona Cardinals rookie QB Carson Beck didn’t play against the Raiders on Thursday due to a rib injury, NFL Network reported. The injury is not considered serious and the team decided to keep him out as a precaution.
- Recently unretired free agent edge rusher Za’Darius Smith worked out for the Cleveland Browns, according to NFL Network.
- DeVonta Smith missed his seventh consecutive Eagles practice as he continues to work through a hamstring injury.
