It’s not easy to filter out the noise in the preseason. What with between vanilla concepts, limited playing time, and so forth. But let’s all take our requisite grains of salt and see how stocks look in the first game of the preseason, and who is and isn’t worthy of the post-game buzz.
WINNERS:
Kyler Murray
He completed 6 out of 7 passes, but 7 for 7 in all of our hearts - the #1 overall pick showcased some of his familiarity with the system, easy velocity, and scrambling ability that made him so valuable to the organization. Yeah, he may not have tested the defense deep, but he didn’t look like a rookie in his first action either.
Trent Sherfield
The WR3 battle has been among the talk of the offseason. Will it be camp standout KeeSean Johnson? Andy Isabella? Hakeem Butler?
Turns out he might have been on the roster all along, as Sherfield netted 4 receptions on 5 targets for a team high 44 yards and the lone receiving touchdown. To add to his night, #16 also showed his case for the roster on special teams coverage.
Brett Hundley
10 of 14, and 1 passing touchdown. The backup did well! Especially when you consider the offensive line play of the second unit did him no favors. We’ll see if he can continue to keep it up down the preseason stretch, but being able to manage with a backup QB is always a nice luxury to ease the mind.
Honorable Mention: Zane Gonzalez drilled a 55 yard field goal with some to spare. Here’s to hoping for a drama-free special teams unit.
LOSERS:
The Defense
No Phillip Rivers, no Keenan Allen, and no Melvin Gordon... no problem. For the Chargers’ offense anyway. Things weren’t looking good for the first team unit as they were slowly but surely marched down the field by Tyrod Taylor and Austin Ekeler. A goal line fumble saved the drive, but if you had lingering concerns about the run defense or the new defensive coordinator/system, nothing was done to assuage those fears.
The Offensive Line
I’d like to give the benefit of the doubt here. New system, new OL coach, new faces... Chemistry and time to gel might be more important to the OL than any other unit, but like the defense, if you had any fears about this unit’s performance, last night didn’t change any of that. On more than one occasion the tackles looked like they weren’t ready for the snap as defenders breezed past them, one such occasion leading to the sack that ended a promising drive that winded up being the only glimpse of the first team offense.
Kevin White
After not being able to practice Tuesday, White was in sweats watching from the sideline. He has all the athletic potential in the world and familiarity with the system, but he’s on the outside looking in if he can’t manage to be available.
Honorable Mention: The fans. No Andy Isabella, no Byron Murphy, and one drive from the much hyped offense that was ended prematurely. Boo.