Week 1 of the 2025 NFL preseason has come and gone, with teams getting a first look at the rosters they’ve built over the offseason. While most of the attention will be placed on those who stood out, there’s quite a few players who didn’t exactly take advantage of their opportunities. No need to panic just yet, as there’s still two weeks in the preseason for depth/bubble players to prove their worth.
However, these players didn’t have the best outings in Week 1.
QB Quinn Ewers (Miami Dolphins)
Before the beginning of the 2024 college football season, Ewers was expected to be amongst the top quarterbacks in the ensuing NFL Draft. After a season filled with injuries and being overshadowed by Arch Manning noise from the media, Ewers fell. Drastically. The Dolphins’ seventh-round rookie threw for 91 yards and completed just 27.8% of his passes against the Bears.
RB Ashton Jeanty (Las Vegas Raiders)
Social media went ablaze when Jeanty rushed for -1 yards on three carries in his Raiders debut. Jeanty, the No.6 overall pick, should bounce back relatively quickly. Still, not a very promising first performance for the Heisman runner-up.
RB Breece Hall (New York Jets)
Hall has been the subject of trade rumors once again, as the Jets seem to be content on rolling with a running back room of Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. Hall didn’t help quiet those rumors after his outing against the Packers over the weekend, rushing for just nine yards on three carries. The former 2022 second-round pick could be a surprise trade/cut candidate by the end of training camp.
WR Jalin Hyatt (New York Giants)
Hyatt didn’t play in Week 1 due to injury, but that’s a major issue for a player that’s certainly losing favor with the coaching staff. Hyatt, the Giants’ third-round pick from 2023, had just 62 yards last season despite appearing in 16 games. The Giants have a solid group of UDFA receivers and bubble veterans such as Montrell Washington and Lil’Jordan Humphrey making an impact, which is bad news for Hyatt.
OG Evan Neal (New York Giants)
Sticking with the Giants here, Neal made the switch to guard over the offseason. During training camp, he certainly looked better than when he was at tackle. Still work to do, but the signs were encouraging. Neal would then go down with an injury before their game against the Bills, which was extremely valuable game time lost. This should be Neal’s showcase to show if he can make the transition to guard. It doesn’t look like he’ll play in Week 2 against the Jets either.
LB Isaiah Simmons (Green Bay Packers)
Simmons has struggled to find a full-time role in the NFL. After spending the last two seasons with the Giants, Simmons landed in Green Bay but looked completely lost on the field in their loss to the Jets. He ended the game with five total tackles, but it wasn’t a pretty performance for the former first-rounder.
QB Hendon Hooker (Detroit Lions)
Hooker completed 70% of his passes against the Falcons for just 38 yards. It was ball security issues that landed him on this list, as Hooker lost two fumbles on the day. Kyle Allen is clearly winning this battle so far, as he threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns in the same game.
DE Landon Jackson (Buffalo Bills)
Jackson, the Bills’ third-round rookie, recorded no stats in his NFL debut. He was called for a penalty that took a Buffalo interception off the board and was routinely put on the ground by Giants’ tackle and fellow rookie Marcus Mbow.
WR Elijah Moore (Buffalo Bills)
Moore is genuinely fighting for a roster spot in Buffalo after failing to stand out so far during the summer. The Bills had Tyrell Shavers catch two passes for 70 yards on Saturday, which doesn’t bode well for Moore’s job security.
QB Bailey Zappe (Kansas City Chiefs)
Being Patrick Mahomes’ backup is certainly a premier role. Zappe threw for 70 yards in the Chiefs’ 20-17 loss to the Cardinals, but also tossed two costly interceptions. Gardner Minshew is looking to lock up the QB2 spot with Zappe’s struggles.
OG Kenyon Green (Philadelphia Eagles)
The Eagles acquired the former first-rounder from the Houston Texans when they shipped away CJ Gardner-Johnson. Green played with the third-team offensive line, committing a hold and then later appeared to hurt his wrist. It doesn’t look promising for Green to hold down a roster spot with the reigning Super Bowl champions.
There’s still time for these players to turn their fortunes around, but it wasn’t a great start over the weekend.