Preseason Week 3: Risers and Fallers

We’re on the home straight now, football fans. The next official match play we see will be when the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots for a Super Bowl LX rematch on the 10^th of September.

The final week of preseason is always high stakes and contains a number of feel-good stories, with players getting their team’s final roster spot or winning a starting job. But unfortunately, there are always 2 sides to the coin, with some narrowly missing the cut thus far. Head coaches now have all the information they need to set their teams up for successful seasons and we can’t wait for it to all get underway.

Let’s dive into the weekend’s action and see who, either positively or negatively, had a notable performance with an impactful fallout. First up: the risers.


Mike Washington Jr.

Certainly not the most notable running back in Las Vegas, but Washington Jr. ended preseason with a monstrous 7.3 yards per carry on his 23 runs behind the Raiders’ offensive line. While this number won’t be sustainable long term, the 122^nd overall pick of 2026 has shown exactly why Vegas selected him, despite already having a long-term option in Ashton Jeanty. New head coach Klint Kubiak has made it very clear that Washington Jr. will feature heavily throughout the season, and he may even be the team’s opening day starter as Jeanty remains in doubt with an injury.

Odell Beckham Jr.

The greatest feel-good story of the week. OBJ has returned to the New York Giants, who drafted him in 2014, and earnt a spot on the 53-man roster. He had his best preseason showing when it mattered over the weekend, putting up 53 yards on 3 catches. While it remains to be seen what role he actually plays throughout the year, simply making the roster at age 33, having missed the entire 2025 season, is incredibly impressive. Fingers crossed for Giants fans that he has a few more highlight reel plays left in him, while Malik Nabers and Malachi Fields develop under his mentorship.

Zavion Thomas

The best individual performance of the weekend came via the Bears’ 3^rd round pick out of LSU, who posted a whopping 140 yards and a touchdown from just 5 receptions. His touchdown went the length of the field for 97 of those yards, and his big play potential comes as no surprise after what he showcased in college, as well as delivering a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the draft combine. Despite the loss of DJ Moore to Buffalo during the offseason, the wide receiver position in Chicago appears to be in very safe hands with Thomas, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III.

Eddy Pineiro

For the second successive week, a kicker finds his way on to the list – and there was no doubt about this one. Pineiro had easily the best kicking performance of the preseason in the 49ers’ 18-12 win in Las Vegas, scoring all 18 points with a 6-for-6 field goal record (3 from 50+ yards). After a few years with Carolina, Pineiro found his way to San Francisco last season in the wake of Jake Moody’s departure and was very solid, going at 97% on field goals and 90% on extra points. Some long-awaited stability at the position has finally arrived for Kyle Shanahan’s team.

Montorie Foster Jr.

It doesn’t get any more heart-warming than this guy’s journey to the Seahawks’ 53-man roster. Foster Jr. would have begun the preseason as highly unlikely to find his way onto the final roster of the defending champion, but after 3 solid outings – totalling 73 yards and a touchdown on 7 receptions – the former substitute teacher and real-estate agent earnt his way onto the team. In a stacked wide receiver room, it’s hard to imagine he’ll get a heap of on field opportunity as Seattle try to retain their crown, but he looks poised to take what he gets with open arms.

5 big performances and some great storylines, these guys have plenty of momentum heading into the season.

However, it wasn’t all positive around the league. Let’s take a look at who had a poor weekend, with some players having question marks left, right and centre in regards to their future.

Josh Jacobs & Jonathon Cooper

Both players here were placed on the NFL’s commissioner’s exempt list during the week and will be unavailable for their teams for the foreseeable future. The duo are dealing with various legal matters which are ongoing, but for their respective teams, the football consequences are immediate. Jacobs is coming off a 1,000-yard, 13-touchdown campaign and is a crucial piece of Green Bay’s offense, while Cooper recorded eight sacks last season and is an important part of Denver’s pass rush. With both now unavailable indefinitely, the Packers and Broncos will be forced to reshuffle their plans on the eve of the regular season. A thought for those who selected Jacobs in fantasy drafts.

Riley Leonard

Leonard’s nightmare preseason ended the way it began over the weekend. His stat line read 3-for-7 completion rate for 48 passing yards and an interception, as he ended the preseason without a single passing touchdown. A few weeks ago, the backup quarterback job was well and truly up for grabs behind Daniel Jones in Indianapolis, but the verdict is in now. Anthony Richardson put on a solid showing during limited time in the game and will win the role, while Leonard may even consider himself lucky to remain on the roster as the 3^rd stringer.

New England’s defensive depth

Yes, it’s only preseason, but Dillon Gabriel – whose NFL career looked to be at a crossroads prior to this game – had a tremendous outing and had his way with New England’s 2^nd string defense, as the Browns romped to a 37-13 win. The Patriots, as all conference championship-winning teams ought to be, were very fortunate with a lack of injuries in the 2025 season, but this gave us a taste of what things could look like for Mike Vrabel should they be ill-fortuned this season. Warning signs, which may provoke New England’s front office to seek and acquire reinforcements.

Preseason is done and we cannot wait for regular season action! Who was your biggest riser or faller from the final week of the preseason?