NFL Preseason Week 1: Takeaways from Saturday's Action

Preseason games are often a detailed, sometimes depressing or desperate search for depth. That is especially true in Week 1 when the starters' time on the field seems shorter than your average commercial break.

Teams want to know where they have depth so when the time arises, they can trust the next man up. They also want to know where depth is lacking so that resources—both the coaching and development kind, and the player-acquisition kind—can be allocated appropriately.

Early answers, or at least strong hints at answers, come quickly when second- and third-team players get extended playing time. There's either confidence about the ability of one of them to play well when a starter goes down, or dread.

There was plenty of both Saturday, particularly at two important positions: quarterback and running back.

The Tennessee Titans showed us that, yes, they would like to bury opposing defenders 10 feet deep in the ground with their new bulldozer backfield tandem. Dak Prescott may have taken care of that pesky backup quarterback job for the Dallas Cowboys. And the same area of the depth chart is still one where the Indianapolis Colts are probably (see: almost definitely) screwed.

Then there's the Buffalo Bills' torn, tattered outside linebacker group. They're likely about to start accepting applications if you're looking for work.

Christine Michael Is Still Having His Awakening

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We have been hearing about an apparent awakening for Christine Michael after years of buzz that only ended in disappointment.

He woke up during his 2016 preseason debut, though, running decisively and with power. His brief time on the field as the Seahawks' lead back Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs with Thomas Rawls still recovering from injury was highlighted by a 16-yard run. Michael finished with 44 yards on seven carries.

The Seahawks need running back depth now more than ever because of Rawls' ankle injury. He was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 7, and all indications are that Rawls will be ready when football matters again. But Seattle will bring him along slowly throughout the preseason.

That fills the Seahawks faithful with rosy, happy thoughts and visions of their bowling-ball runner building on his rookie season when he averaged 5.6 yards per carry. But there's still plenty of reason to be concerned because Rawls wasn't dealing with your garden-variety ankle issue.

For perspective, Rawls needed the same amount of recovery time as tight end Jimmy Graham, who was healing from a torn patellar tendon. So yes, running back depth is critical in 2016 for a Seahawks offense still rooted in having a strong rushing attack.

There's room for someone to grab playing time, and Michael may be facing his last opportunity to do so after Seattle invested three draft picks in the position (C.J. Prosise, Alex Collins and Zac Brooks).

He's raising the right eyebrows so far, with head coach Pete Carroll hinting strongly that Michael will still have a role of some significance even when Rawls returns. The head coach told Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times that the Rawls-Michael tandem is a "little one-two punch that we are really excited about."

The Chiefs' Rushing Offense Keeps on Chugging and Churning

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There is a search for meaning sometimes this early in the preseason when the sample size of snaps for starters—or any player who could make an impact—is so tiny. So often your eye drifts toward the known strengths for each team to make sure they're still, well, strengths.

Early in the Seahawks-Chiefs game, it was hard to resist focusing on both backfields, with two of the top-10 rushing offenses from 2015 pounding away. And as Michael was slashing and cutting, it was business as usual for the Chiefs.

The two-headed rushing hammer of Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West combined for 59 yards in limited time, averaging an explosive 6.6 yards per carry. That included the first-half highlight provided by West when he broke loose for a 25-yard run.

Much like it is for the Seahawks, backfield depth is like oxygen for the Chiefs. And unlike the Seahawks, the Chiefs have a stable of established options.

Kansas City showed both last year and again now this preseason that there are multiple safety nets in place if Jamaal Charles struggles in his comeback from a second ACL injury.

Charles is still among the league's most dynamic running backs when healthy. But he'll turn 30 years old in December and has torn the ACL in both knees. His running back odometer is also climbing high with 1,616 career touches, including the playoffs.

The Chiefs offense uses the run as its engine, which is annually made clear by quarterback Alex Smith's per-attempt passing average (7.4 yards per completion in 2015). They need multiple running backs who can be trusted to keep the line moving if one goes down.

That is exactly what the Chiefs have.

The Colts' Backup Quarterback Situation Still Makes You Hold Your Nose

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Most teams that lose a starting quarterback for a significant chunk of the season will be left drifting downstream and trying to use cinder blocks as paddles. But some teams reach that point much, much faster.

That's what happened to the 2015 Indianapolis Colts when Andrew Luck appeared in just seven games. Then Matt Hasselbeck was adequate for a short time before his body remembered it's 40 years old. After his bones and muscles waved the white flag, a parade of awfulness followed in the form of Charlie Whitehurst, Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley.

The Colts discovered that when you replace your 26-year-old three-time Pro Bowl quarterback with a bunch of guys who are regularly on the Tuesday tryout circuit, winning goes from difficult to impossible.

So what's their solution to keep hope alive in 2016 should Luck suffer another injury after signing a massive contract extension? Scott Tolzien, whose primary problem is he's still Scott Tolzien.

The Colts protected their investment and kept Luck on the sideline Saturday night against the Buffalo Bills. So we were treated to an extended look at Tolzien, which wasn't intended as some form of punishment. But it played out that way.

Tolzien was wildly inaccurate, repeatedly missed on routine throws and failed to connect with wide-open receivers. He scattered disastrous underthrows and overthrows evenly, so at least he was fair and balanced in that sense.

The stat line beside Tolzien's name from Saturday is deceiving. Of the 140 passing yards he finished with, 42 yards came on a play where the ball traveled zero yards past the line of scrimmage (running back Jordan Todman broke free for a long touchdown after a screen pass).

If we remove that play, Tolzien averaged 4.5 yards per attempt on 22 throws, completing just 11 of them. So please stay in one piece, Andrew.

Jared Goff Might Not Be Ready Quite Yet

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If Los Angeles Rams quarterback and first overall pick Jared Goff isn't ready to start immediately, that doesn't mean he's a failure. It means he's normal.

Even the most skilled quarterbacks can struggle with adjusting to the speed of NFL football and the increased urgency needed to work through reads and be successful as a pocket passer. Making that mental process happen quickly is incredibly hard.

However, it's still a little jarring to see a first overall pick look as uncomfortable as Goff did Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys.

He didn't recognize or manage pressure well, and he held on to the ball too long before getting whacked on his second throw. The ball then popped up for an easy interception and an inauspicious start to Goff's NFL career. He also took a third-down sack just shy of the Cowboys' red zone that resulted in losing both nine yards and, more importantly, a touchdown opportunity.

Of course, there are no definitive statements to be made from nine pass attempts. It was a stumbling start for Goff, but still just a start.

He may indeed have a "long ways to go," as CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora reported. But he also has plenty of time to get there.

And as they move into a new city to start the latest era of football in Los Angeles, no team is relying more on the successful development of a young quarterback than the Rams.

Dak Prescott Has Answered the Cowboys' Backup Quarterback Question

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There was a lot of confusion when Kellen Moore broke his ankle and the Dallas Cowboys didn't do everything in their power to secure Nick Foles. Here's a team that arguably needs the league's best backup quarterback because Tony Romo is a walking trainer's table, and Foles slipped through their fingers.

It seems there may have been an easy answer all along. The name of that answer is Dak Prescott.

There was a common assumption that Prescott is a little too raw to be one ankle twist away from meaningful NFL snaps, and that he still needs time to develop. But that was furthest from the truth Saturday against the Rams.

Prescott seemed at ease in the pocket, with quality ball placement throughout the night. He was more than accurate. He was accurate with specific purpose and able to complete a variety of throws to different areas of the field. A back-shoulder throw well away from the defender's reach to wide receiver Dez Bryant wasn't a problem. Neither was a perfectly lobbed rainbow to wideout Terrance Williams for a 32-yard touchdown.

Romo didn't play, which allowed Prescott an opportunity to start and get the extended action he needs. He capitalized with 139 yards and two passing touchdowns while averaging an absurd 11.6 yards per throw.

The same brake pumping we need to do with Goff applies here, too. One game in August doesn't erase all concerns or create a bunch more, either. But in this case, it made the Cowboys breathe easier when looking at their quarterback depth chart.

Lucky Whitehead Shows His Game-Breaking Speed

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The fight for field position can be won and lost in the return game if the right person has the ball in his hands, as the field suddenly flips when a returner goes streaking downfield. The Cowboys know that feeling well because of the tremendously nicknamed Lucky Whitehead.

Whitehead showed Saturday that he'll happily keep supplying that favorable field position and is more than capable of making defenders read the name on his back as it gets smaller and smaller.

Whitehead ran for a 101-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff against the Rams. It was the worst possible way for the Rams to begin their relocated existence. And it was the best way for Whitehead to remind us that during his second season, he can grow into a feared return weapon.

He was already well on his way to that status as an undrafted rookie in 2015. That's when Whitehead averaged 28.3 yards per kickoff return, which tied him for the league's 11th-highest average. Whitehead also pushed the Cowboys to an overall kick-return average of 25.1 yards (eighth).

All of this would be more meaningful if touchbacks weren't placed at the 25-yard line and the league wasn't annually taking steps to make kick returners extinct. The Whiteheads of the league were once valued weapons; now they're just a nice afterthought.

IK Enemkpali's Injury Gives the Bills' Linebacker Depth Another Early Blow

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The Bills never wanted to be in a position to count on a major contribution from IK Enemkpali, but that's where they found themselves in mid-August after rookie first-round pick Shaq Lawson needed shoulder surgery (out until at least Week 6) and Manny Lawson's Week 1 availability is in question as he recovers from a partially torn pectoral muscle.

Then Saturday, the standard next-man-up approach became the next, next man up when Enemkpali needed the worst form of football transportation to leave the field: an injury cart.

Enemkpali's knee bent in a direction that goes against its intended design when he was engaged with a blocker. He collapsed to the ground in clear pain, and during a halftime interview, Bills head coach Rex Ryan said the third-year linebacker suffered a "major knee injury," per ESPN.com's Mike Rodak.

It's another crushing blow for a defense that thought it would have a versatile defender and menacing pass-rusher starting immediately in Shaq Lawson. Now the Bills are already on their fourth attempt at filling the outside linebacker slot opposite Jerry Hughes. For now, they'll rely on journeyman Lorenzo Alexander to do it.

This is what a decimated depth chart looks like.

The Return of Power Running in Tennessee

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There was a time when the Tennessee Titans offense would take great joy in leaning on its bulldozing rushing attack to pummel defenders into submission. That approach faded long ago when the Eddie George era ended.

Battering-ram football is back in Tennessee, and the Titans will deploy two workhorses in equal measure.

A return to jamming footballs down throats was easy to see coming when Tennessee traded for DeMarco Murray and drafted Derrick Henry, a breathing armored vehicle.

Henry picked up where his 2015 Heisman Trophy season ended. He chugged in the open field and repeatedly cut and changed direction with ease to create missed tackles. The 22-year-old executes moves that seem to break the laws of physics when you remember how much girth he's carrying around (Henry is 6'3" and weighs 247 pounds).

He ran for 74 yards with a touchdown, while Murray supplied the highlight of Saturday night with his 71-yard touchdown run. They combined for 167 rushing yards at a pace of 10.4 per carry.

The Titans are about to make life painful for defenses around the NFL with Murray and Henry running behind an offensive line that features multiple first-round picks. 

Benny Cunningham Can Be More Than Just a Passing-Down Specialist

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For fans, much of the preseason is spent finding fill-ins who show that if a vitally important starter goes down, the next guy won't make you watch the game through your fingers.

In that sense, Rams running back Benny Cunningham brought smiles to faces among his new friends in Los Angeles.

Let's be clear: The downgrade from Todd Gurley to Cunningham is steep. But Gurley already has one major injury on his medical history (an ACL tear during his final year of college), so a reliable option behind him is that much more important.

Cunningham has never been given much of an extended opportunity to show his talent, with only 150 carries spread out over three seasons while primarily being used as a passing-down specialist. However, against the Cowboys, Cunningham showed he's capable of excelling in a larger role if needed.

He was shifty and slippery on a 14-yard touchdown run, breaking multiple tackles as his legs kept churning through contact. Cunningham accounted for 43 yards on just five touches, which included a 20-yard catch.

Depth was the theme around offensive backfields Saturday night, and Cunningham provides plenty of it. 

Cardale Jones Is Starting to Look Comfortable

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Heading into training camp, the word out of Buffalo was that Cardale Jones wouldn't be able to push EJ Manuel for the Bills' backup quarterback job. In July, WKBW's Joe Buscaglia wrote that Jones posed "no immediate threat" to Manuel.

It's still likely Manuel is the first guy off the bench, with the Bills opting for experience and familiarity behind starter Tyrod Taylor. But Jones has at least earned a nice, long look.

Jones displayed his bazooka arm while throwing for 162 yards and a touchdown Saturday. That included two 20-plus-yard completions, and he ran four times for 34 yards.

Yes, all of that came in the late second-half stages of a preseason game against Indianapolis defenders who will be looking for work in a few weeks. And yes, Jones still has accuracy issues and completed only 52.3 percent of his passes. And yes, Manuel had a fine night, too (91 yards and a touchdown on 55.6 percent passing).

But the Bills know what they have in Manuel: a quarterback who reached his talent ceiling. Now Jones may be preparing to show enough in August to make a believable case that he has the talent to fly past Manuel, and do it quickly.