NFL Preseason Week 1: What to Watch for in Sunday's Action
Sunday in Santa Clara, California, the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers will be the last teams to open the 2016 NFL preseason.
Both squads are facing myriad questions entering the exhibition season, so there will be plenty to monitor. And they may have a chance to get some real answers, because these cross-conference foes aren't scheduled to meet until 2017.
Here's your primer for Sunday evening.
Blaine Gabbert vs. Colin Kaepernick, Round 1
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If you have two starting quarterbacks, you don't have one. That's what they say, anyway, which is why the 49ers are hoping to gain some clarity at the position.
Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick split the 2015 season, with each starting eight games. Gabbert won three, and Kaepernick just two. Gabbert's rate-based numbers (completion percentage, touchdown-to-interception ratio, yards-per-attempt average and passer rating) were also superior to Kaepernick's.
To boot, Kaepernick has spent much of the spring and summer recovering from multiple surgeries after an injury-hampered season, which has given Gabbert a more thorough test drive in new head coach Chip Kelly's system.
By all indications, we'll see both quarterbacks get plenty of preseason action with the first unit.
"To make a fair evaluation, they both have to get reps with the ones," Kelly said this week, per CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco.
That jibes with how San Francisco has approached the competition in camp, with Gabbert and Kaepernick splitting first-team reps.
Per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, Gabbert will start Sunday, but Kaepernick—who, according to Maiocco, is dealing with "arm fatigue"—will also get playing time.
Brock Osweiler's First Impression
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Brock Osweiler makes more money per year than Matthew Stafford, Andy Dalton and Alex Smith, and as much as Tony Romo, despite the fact the 25-year-old quarterback has just seven career starts under his belt.
So it's safe to assume the new Houston Texans signal-caller will begin to take heat or praise immediately, as the team and its fans hope he can live up to that four-year, $72 million salary and become a franchise cornerstone.
"Brock looks good so far," Texans linebacker Brian Cushing said, per Sporting News' Alex Marvez. "When you say his name, I get excited. He's made some incredible throws."
Osweiler's resume doesn't necessarily support the notion he's a franchise quarterback in the making. The 2012 second-round pick has a career passer rating of 86.0, and he wasn't good enough in relief of Peyton Manning last season to hold the starting spot when Manning returned to health in January. He did have 10 touchdown passes to only six interceptions, but he also averaged just 7.2 yards per attempt.
The sample size is small, though, and the Texans obviously see something in him. He should receive plenty of support from a top-notch defense and strong young receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller, so it's important he makes a half-decent first impression this month—starting Sunday night.
First Look at Chip Kelly's Offense, West Coast Edition
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New 49ers head coach Chip Kelly brings a one-of-a-kind offense from Philadelphia. What should fans expect? An unmatched pace, of course, with few huddles and plenty of option plays from spread formations. He doesn't run an overly complex system, but there'll certainly be an adjustment period for the quarterbacks, receivers, backs and linemen, particularly from a tempo standpoint.
Last season, the Eagles ran an offensive play every 22.2 seconds, which, according to Football Outsiders, was nearly three seconds faster than anyone else in the NFL. They set the leaguewide pace during Kelly's three seasons as head coach.
Both Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert will have to adjust to that pace in what is essentially the first of four dress rehearsals.
It'll also be worth watching whether Kelly has made any changes to his system, which seemed to lose some luster as his tenure with the Eagles wore on. In February, former Philadelphia guard Evan Mathis was highly critical of what he called "a never-evolving, vanilla offense that forced our own defense to play higher than normal play counts," per Mike Klis of 9News Denver (via ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan).
If the 49ers buy in, however, they are likely to benefit. Under head coach Jim Tomsula and offensive coordinator Geep Chryst last year, the San Francisco offense ranked last in the league with 14.9 points per game. During Kelly's three seasons in Philly, his offensive units ranked fourth, third and 13th in terms of points per game.
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Open Competition at Defensive End for the Texans
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Blaine Gabbert vs. Colin Kaepernick won't be the only competition on display when the 49ers possess the ball Sunday. On the other side of the ball, a Texans defensive line that is missing superstar J.J. Watt and lost starting end Jared Crick to the Denver Broncos in the offseason will be holding auditions for two prominent early season roles.
One of those roles might belong to Devon Still, who "drew raves from his coaches" after several consecutive strong practices, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Still's tremendous story has a lot of folks rooting for him, and we'll see what kind of impression he makes in this game.
Also fighting for reps are Christian Covington, who had two sacks in 15 games as a rookie sixth-round pick in 2015, and the beefy Brandon Dunn. And this might be 2014 sixth-round pick Jeoffrey Pagan's final shot.
Against a 49ers offense that surrendered a conference-high 53 sacks last season, there should be plenty of opportunities for all of those guys to make plays.
Who Will Replace Anquan Boldin?
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Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick will have to work without the 49ers offense's most-targeted receiver from 2015, as veteran Anquan Boldin has moved on to Detroit. That leaves a huge gap below Torrey Smith on the depth chart for a team that hasn't used an early round pick on a receiver since 2012 and didn't sign any wideouts in free agency.
For what it's worth, the team's first unofficial depth chart lists both Quinton Patton and Bruce Ellington as starters. Patton started four games and was the team's third most-targeted receiver last year, while the 24-year-old Ellington has shined in past preseasons and has experience in the slot.
Then there's 2015 fourth-rounder DeAndre Smelter, who missed his rookie season with a torn ACL. Smelter looks the part physically and has put in some work with the first-team offense this summer. Veteran Jerome Simpson and second-year undrafted free agent DeAndrew White are listed on the depth chart as second-teamers.
Oh, I'm not done. Don't forget about undrafted rookie Bryce Treggs, who has been making a statement in camp, per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.
"I like their energy," Kelly said of his receiving corps in May, per CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco. "I think there's a group that brings a lot of juice every single day we are out there. There's a lot of athleticism out there, and [they] will continue to gain experience as we get moving forward with them."
Who will emerge from that crowd? We'll begin to get a feel Sunday evening.
Will Will Fuller and Nick Martin Debut?
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From a personnel standpoint, the Texans offense has a completely new look this year. Not only was Brock Osweiler brought in to become the savior under center, but Houston also used each of its top four picks on offensive players.
Those first two selections were wide receiver Will Fuller, who many expect to start opposite DeAndre Hopkins, and center Nick Martin, who is also supposed to start from the get-go. But Fuller was listed as a third-stringer on the team's first unofficial depth chart (along with third-round receiver Braxton Miller), and Martin is listed as a starter but has missed several recent practices with an undisclosed injury.
Martin won't play, but how much will we see of Fuller? What about Miller, a former quarterback who said he can fit in out wide, in the slot or even as a running back? The Texans might not want to push Martin, and they certainly won't want to reveal any tricks up their sleeve with Miller, but it is important that Osweiler establishes some chemistry with all three as soon as possible.
Throw in fourth-round running back Tyler Ervin, who will get his first chance to win the kick returner job, and speedy undrafted receiver Wendall Williams, who unofficially ran 4.19 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, and there'll be plenty of Houston rookies to watch Sunday night.
What Will Jim O'Neil Bring to the 49ers Defense?
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While Chip Kelly tries to breathe new life into the 49ers offense, Jim O'Neil will attempt to do the same thing to the defense.
San Francisco's new defensive coordinator joined the Niners after serving two years in the same role with the Cleveland Browns. He was also on the New York Jets staff for four years and coached linebackers for the Buffalo Bills in 2013. That year, Buffalo set a franchise record with 57 sacks. And in his first year with the Browns, Cleveland's scoring defense improved from 24th the season prior to ninth.
What should 49ers fans (and players, for that matter) expect from O'Neil? That's up in the air, mainly because O'Neil has typically utilized multiple looks and is likely installing an aggressive, hybrid 3-4 defense with elements of surprise. He'll look for his more versatile players (Aaron Lynch, DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, Antoine Bethea) to fill a variety of roles from play to play.
We won't get a complete look at that until September, but we should get at least a taste Sunday.
Can Someone Distract from Jadeveon Clowney's Latest Injury?
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After he recorded just 4.5 sacks in only 17 games during his first two NFL seasons, a lot of folks in Houston have been hoping that oft-injured 2014 No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney will break out in 2016.
But Clowney is again dealing with what the team is calling minor knee soreness and will miss Sunday night's preseason opener, which has to be a bummer with J.J. Watt already sidelined.
This does, however, give several lesser-known players a chance to make a statement. The Texans need a reliable third pass-rushing option behind Clowney and Whitney Mercilus in the linebacker corps, but John Simon, who played all 16 games, made seven starts and registered five sacks last year, is the only other outside linebacker with even a little starting experience. Beyond that there are a bunch of guys most fans have never heard of (Tony Washington Jr., Carlos Thompson, Gerald Rivers, Eric Lee).
Can any of them emerge to become preseason sensations? Tune in Sunday night.
DeForest Buckner's First Impression Up Front
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The San Francisco defense has spent well over a year trying to recover from what felt like a mass exodus after the 2014 season. A shell of its former self, the unit dropped from fifth in yards allowed in 2014 to 29th in 2015. But the 49ers have been rebuilding, and the face of that process is DeForest Buckner.
The Oregon product is a versatile lineman who can dominate against the run and work as a dangerous pass-rusher, which is why the Niners selected him seventh overall in the 2016 draft.
It's also why Buckner has already been promoted into a starting role, per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
"We didn't give him anything," defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil said, according to Branch. "He had to earn it. He earned our respect. He earned the players' respect. I think all of our guys know we don't care where you were drafted. You're going to have to earn it."
The team's initial unofficial depth chart listed Buckner as a second-teamer, but expect to see him working against Texans starters Sunday.
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