• It’s do-or-die time for Anthony Richardson: The Colts quarterback must flourish in August to beat Daniel Jones for the team’s starting job. His future in Indianapolis may depend on it.

• Darnell Savage needs to return to form: The Jaguars safety is mired in competition only a year after inking a big deal with the franchise.

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Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Jim Harbaugh slapping shoulder pads and PFF grades being unveiled mean only one thing: NFL football is triumphantly back.

The preseason serves as a bit of a bridge in the sport, with scores not holding much gravity and many regular starters sitting out. Even then, the matchups played in August can be heightened for players entering pivotal seasons.

From those in tight competitions to names who need to assert their skills once and for all, below are 10 players who could stand to excel this preseason.

Richardson’s status entering the 2025 NFL season has been one of the top storylines throughout the offseason. With the third-year quarterback seemingly recovered from a nagging shoulder injury, all eyes are now turned to his preseason play.

In his second season with the Colts, the former fourth-overall pick generated only a 62.2 PFF overall grade and a 59.8 PFF passing grade. Richardson’s erratic performance yielded a 6.8% big-time throw rate, which ranked second behind Josh Allen among qualified quarterbacks, but also a 4.7% turnover-worthy play rate (third highest). On top of that, his 60.2% adjusted completion percentage was the league’s lowest.

The former Florida product finds himself entrenched in a competition to be the Colts’ starter with newcomer Daniel Jones, with the team unofficially designating the pair as co-starters on its initial depth chart. As dire as it may sound, this preseason may be Richardson’s final chance to prove himself as an NFL starting quarterback, with his future in Indianapolis hanging in the balance.

The Panthers expected Legette to cultivate instant results when they selected him in the first round last season. Instead, the South Carolina alumnus underwhelmed, prompting questions about his immediate role in Carolina’s upstart offense.

As a rookie, Legette earned only a 59.1 PFF receiving grade, primarily due to his 14% drop rate. The good news is that he separated well — sitting in the 73rd percentile in separation rate against single coverage — but he declined significantly in production after the catch, falling from 6.4 to 2.3 yards after the catch per reception in his first pro campaign.

Lowest-Graded Rookie WRs in 2024

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The Panthers nabbed wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth-overall pick, and quarterback Bryce Young established a strong rapport with second-year wideout Jalen Coker (73.8 PFF receiving grade). Plus, Adam Thielen (76.5 PFF receiving grade) is still on the roster, although he may be expendable. Legette will have to demonstrate improved play in August if he wants to guarantee a top-three slot in the team’s receiver rotation.

In light of Deshaun Watson suffering a setback during his rehab from a torn Achilles, the Browns have assembled one of the more motley quarterback rooms in recent memory. That includes Sanders, who finds himself at the bottom of the barrel after a frenetic offseason.

Despite notching an 89.4-plus PFF passing grade and a 1.3% turnover-worthy play rate in each of his final two college seasons, Sanders — initially a projected first-round pick — slid all the way to Cleveland in the fifth round. Questions about his athleticism, pocket presence and coachability sparked a precipitous freefall, which now has him situated as the Browns’ QB4, per the team’s initial depth chart.

Sanders isn’t just fighting to reclaim narratives about himself in the preseason, but also for his spot on Cleveland’s roster. It’s unlikely that the Browns will retain more than four quarterbacks, and that room includes Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel and newcomer Tyler Huntley. As jarring as it may sound, if Sanders doesn’t play solidly in August, he could already wind up with another franchise.

Like Xavier Legette, Polk is a second-year wideout seeking to rebound from an underachieving first season. However, his circumstances are escalated, given New England’s additions at wide receiver.

After posting a 76.0 PFF receiving grade with Washington in 2023, Polk turned in only a 45.4 PFF receiving grade as a rookie — by far the lowest among any qualified receiver last year. Not only did he drop 14.3% of his targets, but he tallied just 0.35 yards per route run. Even more concerning are his under-the-hood metrics, such as a 4th-percentile separation rate and 0.9 yards after the catch per reception.

Polk is now situated behind additions Stefon Diggs, Kyle Williams and Mack Hollins, not to mention incumbents Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne and Kayshon Boutte. If Polk looks more like the version of himself we saw two years ago en route to a national championship appearance, it would be hard to deny him a spot in Drake Maye’s supporting cast. But if woes ensue, he’ll likely end up either traded or released.

As a second-round pick last season, Suamataia had large shoes to fill along the left side of the Chiefs’ offensive line. Through one season, the chasm between his performance and expectations is still large, with pressure growing in year two.

In his first campaign, Suamataia compiled a 37.9 PFF overall grade, which tied for third lowest among qualified offensive linemen. That included a 30.5 PFF pass-blocking grade (fifth lowest) and a 25.4% negatively graded run-blocking play rate, good for 77th out of 77 qualifiers.

Lowest-Graded Rookie Ts in 2024

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In light of Suamataia’s play, the Chiefs double-dipped at left tackle this offseason via first-round pick Josh Simmons and free-agent signing Jaylon Moore. That seemingly slides Suamataia inside to left guard, where he’ll be tasked with replacing former All-Pro Joe Thuney. As the frontrunner to start, Suamataia can assuage worries about Patrick Mahomes’ protection with a good preseason. But if he underperforms again, that could open the door for others, such as Mike Caliendo, to secure playing time.

The Chargers took a chance on Johnston in the first round two years ago, and the results have not materialized the way either party would have hoped. With Johnston set to begin his third pro season, his margin for error is that much slimmer.

On the heels of a poor first season, Johnston displayed some growth with a 68.2 PFF receiving grade and 1.63 yards per route run in 2024. Still, he dropped 9.8% of targets — nearly double that of his rookie season — and sits in the 3rd percentile in separation rate since he joined Los Angeles.

The Chargers picked Ole Miss receiver Tre Harris in the second round as they search for viable pass-catchers next to standout Ladd McConkey. The team reunited with Keenan Allen on Tuesday, too. Ultimately, Johnston has the chance to quiet doubters and enter 2025 in pole position if he better resembles the explosive, field-stretching weapon we saw at TCU as soon as this preseason.

Savage inked a three-year, $21.75 million deal to leave the Packers and join the Jaguars last offseason. The initial results were short of the mark, and his seat is growing hotter ahead of a pivotal second season with the organization.

Last year, Savage’s PFF overall grade fell by more than 30 points, all the way to a career-low 46.9 mark. While his run defense was relatively steady, his coverage cratered, evidenced by a 41.5 PFF coverage grade and a 114.6 passer rating when targeted.

As part of a remade secondary under new head coach Liam Coen, Savage is competing to start among four safeties, listed as a co-first-team option with Eric Murray. Savage, although still under contract through 2027, could be on the way out if he can’t turn a corner this preseason.

The Texans remodeled one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines from a season ago, trading away Laremy Tunsil and Kenyon Green. Fisher remains a holdover, but he’ll have to level up to secure a clear-cut role.

A 2024 second-round pick, Fisher amassed only a 44.7 PFF overall grade last year, sitting below 47.0 in both pass blocking and run blocking. While playing 428 snaps across time at right and left tackle, he surrendered seven sacks and was penalized three times.

Houston didn’t shy away from adding to its tackle group this offseason, drafting Aireontae Ersery in the second round in April after signing both Cam Robinson and Trent Brown prior to that. DeMeco Ryans’ offensive line configuration is still in the early phases, but reports indicate that Ersery has supplanted Fisher at right tackle. The Notre Dame product could earn a starting role at either tackle slot if he plays a clean preseason.

The Seahawks find themselves in a similar position to the Texans, trying to rebuild an offensive line that sat 26th in PFF overall grade (64.6) in 2024. Seattle may not field as many new options, but competitions are still underway, with Haynes squarely among the candidates.

Haynes recorded a 48.5 PFF overall grade in his rookie season after being a 2024 third-round pick. While his broader 51.9 PFF pass-blocking grade doesn’t seem noteworthy, he reached a 67.9 mark or better in four of his eight eligible games.

Seattle selected Grey Zabel in the first round this year, and the newcomer projects as the team’s primary left guard. That leaves Haynes, Anthony Bradford and Sataoa Laumea to duke it out at right guard. Haynes played the fewest snaps of the three options but may have the highest ceiling, and if that talent can materialize in August, he should be in line to seize a job protecting Sam Darnold.

Besides quarterback, the Colts have several positions unsettled as they enter a make-or-break 2025 season. Cornerback is one battle, and Brents’ stranglehold on a starting job is starting to slip.

A second-round pick in 2023, Brents was solid in his first year, totaling a 63.2 PFF overall grade with a respectable 64.5 PFF coverage grade. Yet he played only 68 snaps all of last season due to tearing his meniscus and MCL in Week 1.

Indianapolis shored up its secondary in a big way this offseason via free-agent signees Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum, not to mention third-round draft pick Justin Walley. Beyond that, Jaylon Jones (67.9 PFF coverage grade) returns after a season in which he played a career-high 1,146 total snaps. With Ward and Walley penciled in as starters going into the preseason, Brents will likely have to declare himself before the regular season to reclaim his first-team responsibilities.