While the first week of preseason games gets underway this week and the weekend, here are ten players to watch.
NFL Preseason Games: Week 1 Players to Watch
10. WR Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Egbuka has been getting rave reviews out of Tampa Bay from his own quarterback, Baker Mayfield, who has complemented every aspect of the rookie wide receiver’s game. Tampa Bay has big plans for Egbuka, who will line up in every single receiver role for the Bucs offense in 2025.
9. OT Josh Simmons, Kansas City Chiefs
Simmons might be one of the most important linemen of any contender in the 2025 season because he will be protecting Patrick Mahomes‘ blindside. After falling in the 2025 draft due to injury, Simmons has already been labeled a steal for the Chiefs.
8. EDGE Abdul Carter, New York Giants
Carter might not play much in the preseason, depending on how he looks in week one. Selected third overall in 20025, Carter was touted as a can’t-miss pass rushing prospect due to his physical capabilities.
7. QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Richardson, the fourth overall selection in 2023, will get the first crack at starting in preseason in the midst of a current quarterback battle with Daniel Jones, a former first-round pick in 2019. If Richardson wants to put some distance between himself and Jones, his first real opportunity to do so will be in the first preseason game.
6. QB Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
The number one overall pick of the 2025 draft will be a player to watch as the Titans take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week one of the preseason. In recent memory, Ward has been regarded as one of the quietest first overall picks, especially for a quarterback. Ward went number overall, and it seems like the typical hype of a top pick quarterback hasn’t followed Ward like many others. However, he can get plenty of people talking with a solid outing in his first preseason game.
5. QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are switching up their approach to the preseason, having slow starts the last couple of years. Most of the Bengals’ top players sat out of preseason; however, Zac Taylor will have his starters playing in the preseason to get off to a faster start when the regular season begins. Burrow is coming off the best statistical season of his career in 2024, and though he won’t be in for long, he can build on his season in week one of the preseason.
4. QB J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
The second-year quarterback is relatively a rookie after missing his actual rookie season last year after hurting his knee in the preseason. Expectations are different now than they were last year when McCarthy first took the field. The Vikings are projected to be one of the better teams in the league this season, and that will depend on what McCarthy does this season. McCarthy’s first action in NFL football since his injury last season will be something to watch.
3. QB Justin Fields, New York Jets
Fields is the new kid on the block in New York after the Jets got rid of Aaron Rodgers to give head coach Aaron Glenn a fresh start with his new quarterback. After starting a few games in Pittsburgh last year and being benched for Russell Wilson, Fields will have his chance to prove he is a starting quarterback in the NFL. Fields is entering his fifth NFL season and is only just 26 years old. The Jets believe that Fields’ best football is ahead of him.
2. RB Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders
Jeanty was one of the best players in the 2025 draft, regardless of position. The playmaking running back will have fantasy football fans glued to their TVs to see how Jeanty looks in his first piece of live NFL action.
1. QB Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns
Sanders and his slide to the fifth round were the biggest talk of the draft, and now the reps he gets during training camp have also been a big deal. Sanders has often gotten reps as a fourth quarterback on the depth chart; however, with quarterbacks in front of him dealing with injuries, Sanders will get the start at quarterback in week one of the preseason. If Sanders wants to make up ground on the depth chart, he will need a big outing.
Main Image: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
