Preseason Action from Saturday, August 18
Chicago Bears defeated the Denver Broncos 24-23:
Mitchell Trubisky finished 9-of-14 with 90 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception.- Popular breakout pick Trey Burton looked good in this one; he had four receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. Burton finished last season with five touchdowns despite operating behind Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz .
- Jordan Howard finished with 32 rushing yards on nine carries.
- Broncos QB Chad Kelly strengthened his case for backup duties as he finished 7-for-9 with 90 yards and a touchdown. Despite being Mr. Irrelevant in the 2017 draft, Kelly has worked himself ahead of Paxton Lynch , a first round selection by the team in 2016.
- Rookie running back Royce Freeman scored a touchdown, but finished with only 20 yards on six attempts.
Los Angeles Chargers were winners over the Seattle Seahawks 24-14:
- Philip Rivers was sharp, finishing 6-of-7 with 62 yards.
- Both the Chargers 2nd string QB – Geno Smith – and 3rd string QB – Cardale Jones – played well in this one. Smith finished 6-of-8 with 85 yards and a touchdown, he also added in two carries for 14 yards. Jones completed three passes on four tries for 27 yards and had 41 rushing yards on four tries.
- Melvin Gordon continues to be a back that doesn’t gain many yards despite high volume; he finished with 10 carries for 35 yards, but did find the end zone.
- Mike Williams made his lone catch count, it was a very impressive 25 yard touchdown grab on what turned into a virtual jump ball.
- Russell Wilson played longer than you would have expected for a preseason game; he completed 13-of-21 passes for 193 yards.
- Chris Carson had nine carries for 34 yards and caught one pass for an additional six yards. A bit of a ho-hum game for Carson, but it likely did not hurt his cause towards being the team’s starting running back to open up the year.
Los Angeles Rams took down the Oakland Raiders 19-15:
- Neither team used any of their starters in this game.
- Sean Mannion completed 10 passes for 84 yards on 16 attempts.
- The Rams current 4th string running back, rookie John Kelly , rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown on 18 attempts. He could potential vault himself up to third on the depth chart, but don’t expect much more than that before the season starts.
- EJ Manuel was 10-of-16 for 89 yards and a touchdown, outplaying his competition for backup QB duties.
Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Dallas Cowboys 21-13:
- Andy Dalton only played briefly, but was an efficient 5-of-7 for 41 yards.
- Joe Mixon only had four carries and he didn’t much with them, producing just eight yards on the ground. His lone reception didn’t go very far either, a one yard gain.
- John Ross had one catch for 29 yards and also caught a two-point conversion pass from Jeff Driskel . While not an explosive game, he likely helped his cause for WR2 duties, as Tyler Boyd had two catches for only two yards.
- Dak Prescott completed 10-of-15 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown.
- Rookie receiver Michael Gallup had two receptions for 16 yards.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers were victorious over the Tennessee Titans 30-14:
- The Bucs passing attack was explosive in this one, especially the starters.
- Jameis Winston finished with 226 passing yards and two touchdowns on 13-of-18 passing. He is suspended for the first three games of the regular season, but he has looked really good through two preseason games. He is a combined 24-for-31 with 328 passing yards and those two touchdowns.
- DeSean Jackson grabbed two balls for 73 yards with a long of 54.
- Mike Evans had two receptions for 54 yards.
- While the passing game was lighting it up, rookie back Ronald Jones looked lost; he finished with four carries for two yards and had zero receptions. Peyton Barber will be the lead back for the Bucs to begin the year.
- Marcus Mariota wasn’t asked to do much, but he finished 4-of-7 for 80 yards and a score.
- Taywan Taylor had a huge game, catching four balls for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Houston Texans picked up a win over the San Francisco 49ers 16-13:
- Deshaun Watson finished with five completions on eight tries with 73 yards and a touchdown.
- Bruce Ellington slightly separated himself from Braxton Miller to be the third option for targets. He had four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, while Miller had three catches for 40 yards. Both players will have a role in the offense, but it will take an injury to either Hopkins or Fuller for them to see more than a handful of targets each week.
- Jimmy Garoppolo threw an interception, but looked good outside of that, finishing 10-of-12 for 136 yards and a touchdown.
- Marquise Goodwin has shown a very strong chemistry with Jimmy G and it continued in this one as he caught three balls for 61 yards. If he can stay healthy, he could be in for a big breakout year.
News
Chargers safety Jaylen Watkins suffered a torn ACL and will miss the 2018 season.
George Iloka was released by the Bengals ending a six year run with the team.
The Redskins are bringing in Adrian Peterson , Jamaal Charles , and Orleans Darkwa for workouts.
The Seahawks reportedly offered the Colts a 2nd round draft pick for QB Jacoby Brissett , but were turned down.
Demaryius Thomas was held out of yesterday’s preseason game due to a wrist injury.
Browns rookie receiver Antonio Callaway is dealing with a tight groin, he was unable to participate in team drills today.
Carlos Hyde left today’s practice early with an apparent shoulder injury.
Player News
Seahawks exercised the fifth-year option on OT Charles Cross.
Cross now remains tied to the organization through the 2026 season. PFF gave the towering 24-year-old tackle exemplary marks in 2024, ranking him 10th of 140 qualified tackles, including 15th in pass protection and 16th in run blocking. The Seahawks extend the negotiating window on one of the key pieces of their offensive front.
Browns signed WR Diontae Johnson to a one-year contract.
The former Steeler wasn’t able to carve out a significant role with the Panthers, Ravens, or Texans in 2024 after seemingly breaking out in Pittsburgh. The Browns apparently saw enough during his visit with the team Monday to sign him to a one-year contract, the details of which have yet to be released. Expect Johnson to start opposite Cedric Tillman on the perimeter while Jerry Jeudy works the slot.
ESPN’s Field Yates reports Browns placed the unrestricted free agent tender on WR Elijah Moore.
Moore visited the Bills on Monday and then saw the Browns place the unrestricted free agent tender on him. Per Field Yates, this means that Moore will count against the compensatory free agent formula should he sign with another team. He’ll play on the tender if he returns to the Browns, which carries a value of $3.428 million for wide receivers in 2025.
Fox Sports’ Jordan Szhultz reports Packers signed LB/S Isaiah Simmons, formerly of the Giants.
The former first-round hybrid linebacker and safety has yet to live up to his No. 8 overall selection in the 2020 draft, but brings the unique ability to fill multiple positions over the middle of the field to a Packers defense that prefers to play a more inside-out style. There is upside in his athletic profile and versatility - perhaps another change of scenery will serve to unlock some of that potential.
Steelers signed WR Robert Woods, formerly of the Texans, to a one-year, $2 million contract.
The 33-year-old wide receiver has long since seen his days of 100-target seasons fall by the wayside, but he still adds a veteran presence to a relatively young wide receiver room in Pittsburgh. Woods played over 60% of the offensive snaps for the Texans just twice in 2024 after doing so 13 times in 2023, indicating a high likelihood he was brought in for his locker room presence and veteran savvy rather than as a consistent contributor to the offense. The low risk signing makes sense for both parties considering Woods’ age and the state of the Pittsburgh pass-catching corps.
KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports the Browns met with free agent WR Diontae Johnson.
Johnson had a forgettable 2024, to put it mildly. The former Steelers receiver saw himself traded to the Panthers last offseason only to later be traded to the Ravens, where his lack of playing time eventually led to his release. He then found his way to the wide receiver-needy Texans, who rostered him for just over three weeks. He was then claimed off waivers by the Ravens but was not eligible to play during the postseason. Now a free agent, Johnson, 28, has not enjoyed the market many expected him to see this time last year. He’s a productive receiver who has amassed 424 catches for 4,738 yards and 28 touchdowns in his six-year career, but it goes without saying that he’s likely in brand rebuilding mode as far as this offseason is concerned. It’s hard to imagine any team giving him a lucrative contract after last year’s disastrous campaign. That said, Johnson could still still provide help to plenty of needy teams and could prove to be a valuable contributor at a cost-efficient price. This is the first visit we’ve heard of for Johnson, who may meet with other teams before signing.