• Bo Nix claims the Broncos' starting quarterback gig: The rookie was expected to take over at some point regardless, but now he gets a chance to shine from Week 1.
• Mekhi Becton may have locked up a starting guard job: Eagles offensive line mastermind Jeff Stoutland seemed to have found an opportunity for Becton to save his career at guard after a disappointing start to his career in New York.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
One of the main purposes of NFL training camp and the preseason is for teams to evaluate who will start at various positions. Although we still do not know some of the answers to those key decisions, here is an analysis of who won the key positional battles around the league.
Denver Broncos: Quarterback
Winner: Bo Nix over Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson
It was expected that Nix would eventually be the Broncos' starting quarterback, regardless of this battle's outcome. It was not a given that it would happen ahead in Week 1 of the 2024 regular season with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson also on Denver’s roster — both of whom have starting experience in the NFL.
Nix won the competition easily and put on a show across 59 snaps in his two preseason outings. He finished with the ninth-highest PFF overall grade (80.4) among 88 quarterbacks who played at least 25 snaps this preseason. He also did not make a single turnover-worthy play on his 32 attempts.
Las Vegas Raiders: Quarterback
Winner: Gardner Minshew over Aidan O’Connell
O’Connell was the Raiders' incumbent signal-caller after starting the last nine games of 2023 for Las Vegas, and he earned a 65.9 PFF overall grade, which ranked 28th among 38 qualifying quarterbacks. While that is not an elite grade, it can be considered somewhat promising for a fourth-round rookie — a performance that the Raiders could build on in 2024.
But based on training camp and the preseason, the Las Vegas coaching staff went in a different direction. The two quarterbacks played almost an identical number of snaps, with Minshew logging 48 to O’Connell’s 46. While both had one turnover-worthy pass each, Minshew made three big-time throws to O’Connell’s zero, which presumably sealed the deal for the former Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks. Minshew ended the preseason with a 63.5 PFF overall, while O’Connell earned a 56.9 mark.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Wide Receiver
Winner: Jalen McMillan over Sterling Shepard and Trey Palmer
While it was guaranteed that Mike Evans would start on the outside and Chris Godwin would play in the slot, training camp and the preseason decided Tampa Bay's starting wide receiver on the other side of the field.
Veteran Sterling Shepard, who the Buccaneers signed earlier in the offseason, did not play during the preseason and was released earlier this week with plans to bring him back to the practice squad. McMillan outplayed returning wide receiver Trey Palmer during the preseason, as he was Tampa Bay’s highest-graded wide receiver in August. The rookie's 82.5 PFF overall grade ranked eighth among 248 wide receivers who played at least 25 snaps throughout the preseason.
New York Giants: Right Tackle
Winner: Jermaine Eluemunor over Evan Neal
Neal’s ankle injury made this less of a competition between the former first-round pick and the veteran Eluemunor. The third-year right tackle got his first preseason action in the third week of the preseason and played more than a quarter with the backups, which was not a good sign for him, considering he needed some playing time after his injury.
While Eluemunor earned a 68.7 PFF overall grade last year with the Raiders, which ranked 35th among offensive tackles, Neal ranked just 80th out of 81 qualifying tackles (39.8).
Philadelphia Eagles: Right Guard
Winner: Mekhi Becton over Tyler Steen
After future Hall-of-Fame center Jason Kelce‘s retirement, it was never in question who would replace him. The Eagles drafted his would-be successor in Cam Jurgens two years ago. However, with Jurgens sliding over to center from right guard, it was uncertain who would fill his shoes next to Lane Johnson.
Not many would have assumed that former first-round pick Mekhi Becton, who had not played a single snap at guard before joining the Eagles, would win this job. However, offensive line mastermind Jeff Stoutland seemed to have found an opportunity for Becton to save his career at guard after a disappointing start to his career in New York. He seems to have won the positional battle against 2023 third-round pick Tyler Steen, who did not excel when called into action last season.
Los Angeles Chargers: Linebacker
Winner: Daiyan Henley over Junior Colson
The Chargers drafted Colson out of Michigan in the third round in April, but he suffered a setback in the summer when he had to miss some time after recovering from appendix surgery. This opened the door for second-year linebacker Daiyan Henley to impress, and he did not look back.
Henley played 45 snaps compared to Colson’s 21 in the preseason. More telling is that Colson played in only the third preseason game, when starters usually don't take the field. Henley was especially impressive in coverage, picking up a 90.7 PFF coverage grade against the Rams after breaking up a pass on the lone target sent his way.
Houston Texans: Cornerback
Winner: Kamari Lassiter over Jeff Okudah
Former first-round pick Jeff Okudah, who the Texans signed earlier in the offseason, went into training camp as the projected starter opposite of Derek Stingley at cornerback. However, he did not play a single snap throughout the preseason, which gave rookie second-round pick Kamari Lassiter a chance to overtake him and earn the starting position, according to reports.
The Georgia product mainly earned this role in practice, as he saw only 14 snaps worth of preseason action against the Giants in Week 2. Lassiter played exclusively at right cornerback and was on the field with the starters, logging eight coverage snaps on which he allowed one reception for 14 yards.
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