It's full steam ahead for the NFL as it rockets towards the start of the 2026 regular season. Right now, the league is in a bit of purgatory, sitting between the end of the preseason and roster cuts, while still a little more than a week out from the results counting for real. This gives us a chance to catch our breath before the regular season and look in the rearview mirror to assess what transpired over the preseason.
Coming into these exhibitions, there were plenty of storylines to follow, including quarterback battles, veterans adjusting to new environments, and first-year coaches continuing to lay their foundation for the upcoming year. Below, we'll highlight some of those storylines, determine whether or not some of the biggest questions were answered, and deliver our grades for how each team's preseason went. While records in the preseason hardly mean anything, kudos to first-year coach Joe Brady for going a perfect 3-0 over the exhibitions.
Buffalo didn't play its starters a ton throughout the preseason, but the offense did see a brief glimpse of what's to come between Josh Allen and his new wideout DJ Moore. In the opening preseason game of the summer, the duo connected on three of their four targets for 61 yards. Allen led back-to-back scoring drives and looked to be in midseason form.
The defense also saw flashes from veteran pass rusher Mike Dana, who'll be in the rotation along with Bradley Chubb and rookie T.J. New England has a lot of top-end talent, but depth could prove to be its Achilles' heel in the quest to build on its Super Bowl appearance. Mike Vrabel even said the quiet part out loud over the preseason, telling reporters after the Week 2 exhibition against Philadelphia, "I do not think we have a very deep team." That's particularly true on defense and was on display in the loss to Cleveland, when the Dillon Gabriel-led offense posted 17 points in the first quarter.
The Christian Gonzalez contract extension saga also continues to loom over the organization, making it a somewhat turbulent summer in Foxborough. The Dolphins went 0-3 over the preseason, which might be a precursor to how the 2026 regular season will go. Overall, the offense struggled, averaging 7.3 points in their three exhibitions.
In fact, they scored just one touchdown this summer, a 14-play, 93-yard drive led by incoming starter Malik Willis in Week 1 of the preseason. This is a young team that is still trying to find its way, which was evident in them completely revamping their QB room behind Willis, trading away Quinn Ewers and acquiring Kyle McCord. That said, they have started to see flashes from some of those youngsters, including second-round linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
