The final week of the NFL preseason is always a peculiar blend of boredom and desperation. Teams have already made most of their roster decisions, coaches are terrified of losing key starters to meaningless injuries, and yet for a handful of players, these last snaps under the lights are the most important football they will ever play. That was certainly true on Thursday night, when the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers met in a preseason finale that carried real weight for a few individuals. Rams quarterback Ty Simpson made the most of his opportunity, leading the team to three scoring drives with a composed, efficient performance that has to be turning heads inside the building. Simpson completed 18 of 23 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, adding 11 yards on the ground, and gave head coach Sean McVay a genuine dilemma. For weeks, the assumption has been that Stetson Bennett, the veteran backup who knows McVay’s system, would be the No. 2 quarterback behind MVP Matthew Stafford. But Simpson, drafted at No. 13 with all the controversy that comes with a quarterback picked that high, has spent the entire preseason making plays. Thursday was just the latest evidence. He did not try to do too much. He managed the pocket, found the open man, and protected the football. In a backup quarterback, that is often exactly what you want. McVay has not said anything official, but the quiet confidence Simpson is playing with suggests the Rams may have a genuine quarterback controversy for the backup role—the kind that makes preseason games feel strangely meaningful. For a young player who has heard nothing but criticism since his name was called, nights like this are a reminder that what matters is not the noise, but the work.
The Las Vegas Raiders, meanwhile, had a completely different kind of quarterback story unfolding in their matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. Kirk Cousins started the game and looked like exactly the kind of steady veteran presence the Raiders hoped for when they brought him in. He moved the offense efficiently, made smart throws, and reminded everyone why Las Vegas felt comfortable entering the season with a proven commodity under center. The problem is what came after. Rookie Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, a Heisman Trophy winner from Indiana, has had a rough introduction to the NFL. For the second straight week, he threw an interception. Thursday was not much better: 7 of 14 passes for just 57 yards and a pick. The turnovers are not the only concern. Mendoza has looked tentative at times, holding the ball a beat too long, pressing when plays break down, and making decisions that cost his team. The honest truth is that this is probably exactly why coach Klint Kubiak has spent the entire offseason talking about a redshirt year. The idea would be to let Mendoza sit, watch, learn, and absorb the pro game from Cousins before being thrown into the fire. Thursday’s performance did nothing to change that plan. It is easy to forget that no quarterback, no matter how talented, is ready for everything the NFL throws at them without experience. Mendoza has all the physical tools, and the Raiders clearly believe in his future. But right now, the gap between his college highlights and the pro game is as visible as it has been all preseason. The important thing, as Kubiak and his staff know, is not to panic. The Raiders are not asking Mendoza to win games in September. They are asking him to grow into the franchise quarterback they hope he becomes. If Thursday is any indication, he still has a long way to go—but the path, likely, runs through the bench. It is a humbling position for a young man who has spent his whole life being the best player on every field he stepped on, but it is also an opportunity to learn without the weight of the world on his shoulders.
In Cleveland, a quarterback who does not get a lot of national attention made a strong case that he deserves at least a roster spot, and possibly more. The Browns have already named Deshaun Watson their Week 1 starter, with Shedeur Sanders earning the backup job after a competitive summer. That left former third-round pick Dillon Gabriel as the odd man out in the quarterback room, at least in terms of the pecking order. Gabriel used the preseason finale against the New England Patriots to remind everyone that he is more than a forgotten name. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns, looking sharp, confident, and in complete control of the offense. It was the kind of performance that makes a coach’s decision genuinely difficult. Does Cleveland keep three quarterbacks? That is not a question Todd Monken has answered publicly, and Gabriel’s performance only makes it more complicated. There is also the future of Arkansas rookie Taylen Green to consider, which means the Browns have real decisions to make in their quarterback room. For Gabriel, though, Thursday was about more than a roster spot. It was about showing the entire league what he can do. Even if Cleveland decides to go in a different direction, there are 31 other teams that watched that tape. Preseason performances are easy to dismiss, but a third-string quarterback throwing three touchdowns in the preseason finale is exactly the kind of thing that gets someone a job somewhere. Gabriel has now made sure that if he ends up on the street, his phone will ring. He has made himself a compelling story—the underdog who refuses to fade quietly, the reliable arm who can step in when needed. In a league where quarterback depth is always valuable, that is a rare and precious thing. He may not be the starter in Cleveland, and he may not even be the backup, but he has proven he belongs. That kind of resilience is the heart of every training camp story, and Gabriel’s night was a reminder that every snap is a chance to change your life.
Away from the quarterback storyline, the Seattle Seahawks made a major financial commitment to one of the most important pieces of their defense. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams agreed to a three-year, $90 million contract extension on Thursday, a deal that keeps the 32-year-old in Seattle and solidifies the heart of the defensive line. The average annual value of $30 million ties Williams with Tampa Bay Buccaneers nose tackle Vita Vea for the fifth-highest among interior defensive linemen, which is a testament to how highly the Seahawks value him. Williams was entering the final year of his previous contract, a three-year, $64.5 million deal, and had made it clear he wanted to finish his career at a high level. He has earned the payday. In 2025, he earned second-team All-Pro honors, recording seven sacks, 62 combined tackles, and 58 quarterback pressures. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider the constant double teams and attention he draws from opposing offensive lines. Williams was originally selected sixth overall by the New York Jets in the 2015 NFL Draft, and after stints in New York and with the Giants, he has found a true home in Seattle. The Seahawks acquired him during the 2023 season, and he has been a force ever since. The extension is also part of a larger pattern for Seattle, which has made aggressive moves this offseason to lock up its young core. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon both received major extensions, and now Williams joins them in the same group. For a team looking to compete in a loaded NFC West, keeping a disruptive interior defender like Williams is a message that the Seahawks are serious about contending. It is also a human story: a veteran player, nearing the twilight of his career, who has found a place that appreciates him and is being rewarded for his loyalty with a deal that secures his family’s future. Williams has spent more than a decade in the league, and he could have chased the biggest offer somewhere else. Instead, he chose stability and familiarity. In a business that is cold and transactional, that kind of mutual commitment deserves notice and respect.
The trade market also came alive on Thursday in a transaction that feels like a homecoming. The Miami Dolphins agreed to trade wide receiver Tutu Atwell back to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for running back Jarquez Hunter. The move reunites Atwell with the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, just five months after he left Los Angeles in free agency to sign a one-year contract with Miami in March. Atwell spent four seasons with the Rams, appearing in 64 games, and he knows the offense well. Now he returns to join a receiving corps that includes Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, and while he may not be the first or second option, his speed and familiarity with the scheme make him a valuable depth piece. For Atwell, this is more than just a professional transaction. It is a chance to come back to a place where he already knows the playbook, the coaching staff, and the quarterback. That kind of comfort can make a huge difference for a player trying to find his footing. On the other side, the Dolphins are getting a young running back in Jarquez Hunter, a fourth-round pick out of Auburn in 2025 who appeared in five games as a rookie. Hunter may not be a household name, but he provides depth in the backfield behind Miami’s established starters. Deals like this are often dismissed as minor roster moves, but for the players involved, they represent new opportunities, new challenges, and a fresh start. Atwell is back home. Hunter is getting a chance to carve out a bigger role. And both teams are making the kind of small adjustments that can pay dividends over the course of a long season. It is also a reminder that the NFL never really sleeps. Even as the preseason winds down, front offices are still working, still searching for that edge. The Rams will open their regular season against San Francisco on Sept. 10, while Miami faces Las Vegas on Sept. 13—and both teams will be better prepared because of this deal. Every trade has a human element behind the paperwork, and this one is no different.
Finally, the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are both dealing with serious situations involving their young star cornerbacks. According to ESPN, the Patriots and Christian Gonzalez remain far apart in contract negotiations, despite early optimism that a deal could be reached. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has said the team offered a contract that would make Gonzalez the highest-paid cornerback in franchise history, but the market changed when Devon Witherspoon signed his four-year, $132 million extension with Seattle. That deal raised the bar for every young cornerback in the league, and Gonzalez is understandably looking at it as the benchmark. He admitted this week that the process has been “frustrating,” which is a human reaction to a business that can feel cold and impersonal. Gonzalez still has two years left on his rookie deal, so there is no immediate crisis, but these standoffs can linger and affect morale. Meanwhile, the Steelers and cornerback Joey Porter are not close to an extension either, according to ESPN. Porter remains on the physically unable to perform list with a back injury as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. That combination of injury uncertainty and contract ambiguity is never a good sign, and it leaves Pittsburgh in a tricky spot. Both situations are reminders that the NFL is not all touchdowns and highlight catches. It is also a grind of negotiations, medical evaluations, and tough decisions. There is some positive injury news, though. Tennessee Titans wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson is being evaluated for a concussion after a “cheap” hit during a joint practice with the Chicago Bears, according to head coach Robert Saleh. Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert looked sharp in his preseason cameo, completing a 65-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston. Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen said wide receiver Keenan Allen and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner will play in Saturday’s preseason game, and the Colts are activating wide receiver Alec Pierce from the PUP list. As the regular season approaches, every team has questions, every roster has flaws, and every player has a story. The preseason might not count in the standings, but for the men fighting for jobs, it counts for everything. That is the beauty of this league: hope springs eternal, and Thursday night gave plenty of players reason to believe.
