NFL Players Who Need to Rebound in Preseason Week 2

While some NFL fans may not place a lot of importance on preseason games, these contests are vitally important for the players fighting for playing time and for roster spots.

In most cases, a player who shines throughout the preseason will have a better chance of earning a roster spot or earning a significant role heading into the regular season. Conversely, players who continuously struggle can find themselves falling down the depth chart or off a team entirely.

Today, we're going to take a look at 10 players who disappointed in the first week of the 2015 NFL preseason and who need to turn things around immediately.

Whether it's a guy vying for playing time, like Cleveland Browns cornerback Justin Gilbert, or a player just fighting to make a team, like Miami Dolphins quarterback Josh Freeman, these are players who absolutely must rebound in Week 2. 

Just to be clear, these are players who have something at stake in the 2015 preseason. Guys who performed poorly but who have a secure job—Like New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, for example—won't be included on our list. 

Titans Guard Andy Levitre

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Tennessee Titans guard Andy Levitre has started every possible regular-season game during his six years in the NFL. Still, he hasn't exactly lived up to the six-year, $46.8 million deal the Titans gave him back in 2013.

Levitre was rated just 103rd overall among guards by Pro Football Focus in 2014. Now it appears he could be losing his starting job in Tennessee.

According to David Boclair of the Nashville Post, the Titans began experimenting with a starting offensive line that doesn't include Levitre one day after the team's preseason loss to the Atlanta Falcons:

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Halfway through each of the first-team reps, right tackle Byron Bell moved to left guard and replaced Andy Levitre. Jamon Meredith took Bell’s spot at right tackle. Afterward, coach Ken Whisenhunt attempted to downplay the moves but it looks certain that—between now and the start of the regular season—the team at least will consider doing something different on the offensive line than what was expected.

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Levitre wasn't the only member of the starting offensive line to struggle on Saturday against the Falcons, of course. Rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota faced immense pressure early in the game, which led to a pair of turnovers.

However, it is worth noting that Levitre was rated by Pro Football Focus as only the third-best guard to play for the Titans in Week 1. Considering Levitre is set to earn $6.5 million in base salary in each of the next three seasons, it might make sense for the Titans to try moving him if the team feels he doesn't fit into the starting lineup. 

Dolphins Quarterback Josh Freeman

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Miami Dolphins quarterback Josh Freeman once looked like a future franchise quarterback with another Florida team, but now he is battling just to hang on to an NFL job.

Freeman originally entered the league as a first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has also played with the Minnesota Vikings. In his second season with the Buccaneers, the Kansas State product passed for 3,451 yards with 25 touchdowns and a rating of 95.9. Unfortunately, he couldn't sustain that success. 

"Freeman was a disaster after that breakout season," Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com recently wrote. "And his career now appears to be on its last legs. If Freeman doesn’t improve in a hurry, he may get cut by the Dolphins—and that may be his last shot in the NFL."

Freeman wasn't on a regular-season roster in 2014 and was released by the Dolphins earlier in the offseason, though the team re-signed him days later. 

The Dolphins were rewarded with a calamitous preseason debut. Against the Chicago Bears, Freeman completed just five of 16 pass attempts for 76 yards and an interception. He was wildly inaccurate on many of his throws and looked no more efficient than former arena football and UFL quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. 

If Freeman doesn't find a way to put forth a better performance in Week 2, the chances of him being with the Dolphins—or any other NFL team—when the regular season opens will pretty much be nonexistent. 

Vikings Running Back Joe Banyard

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Because the Minnesota Vikings played in the Hall of Fame Game, running back Joe Banyard has already appeared in two preseason contests. Unfortunately, his performances in the two games have him looking like a potential cut casualty. 

Banyard did rush for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he averaged only 3.1 yards per carry in that game. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, he gained just two yards on four carries and lost a fumble.

He returned one kickoff for 22 yards against the Buccaneers.

Now that Adrian Peterson is back with the Vikings, Banyard faces an uphill battle to make the final roster. Both Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon established themselves in 2014, and the Vikings don't need three backups for Peterson.

Mark Craig of the Star Tribune recently predicted that Banyard won't make the regular-season roster. Though Banyard has been with the Vikings for two years, he probably won't be in Minnesota for a third unless he really shines over the next few weeks or can prove he has tremendous special-teams value. 

A bigger issue for Banyard is the fact that he hasn't proven much during his three NFL seasons, and he may have a difficult time finding a job with another team if he continues to perform like he did this past week.

Cardinals Cornerback Jimmy Legree

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Before the start of the regular season, the Arizona Cardinals are hoping to find a cornerback worthy of starting across from Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson. Former practice-squad member Jimmy Legree is hoping to at least be part of the secondary equation. 

“That’s what everybody’s fighting for right now,” Legree said of making the roster, per Kyle Odegard of the team's official website. “To even be considered to be in that rotation is a great thing, so whatever I’m doing, I’m doing right.”

Unfortunately, Legree did plenty of wrong in the Cardinals preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

According to Pro Football Focus, Legree was targeted 10 times by Chiefs quarterbacks and allowed nine receptions for 99 yards. Three of the nine receptions Legree allowed went for touchdowns.

Legree was listed as a backup on Arizona's first depth chart of the preseason. If he doesn't quickly rebound from Saturday's putrid performance, however, he will likely find himself sliding down the depth chart or off it altogether. 

Chargers Running Back Melvin Gordon

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The San Diego Chargers spent a first-round draft pick on running back Melvin Gordon earlier this offseason, so it's not as if the former Wisconsin star is in danger of losing a roster spot in 2015.

After a disappointing six-carry, 11-yard performance in his NFL debut against the Dallas Cowboys, however, Gordon may need to turn things around if he wants to see a significant role as a rookie. 

"For Gordon's rushing performance, the grade is either a C or an I, for incomplete," Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote after the game. "He made no special runs, ran over no tacklers."

Gordon was rated just 127th overall among running backs in the first week of the preseason by Pro Football Focus.

The problem for Gordon is that he is looking up at a crowded San Diego backfield. Branden Oliver, Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown are also on the roster, and at least two of the three will likely be on it once the regular season starts.

Oliver and Woodhead each rushed for a touchdown against the Cowboys.

Earlier in the offseason, Ricky Henne of Chargers.com explained why there may not be one featured back in San Diego in 2015:

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Many are left to wonder once again how the Chargers will use each player. Head Coach Mike McCoy believes in maximizing players’ talents by allowing them to do what they do best.  As such, the Chargers have mainly employed a running back by committee approach, divvying up the carries based on numerous factors including down, distance, situations, the opposition and so on. 

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In reality, there's nothing wrong with Gordon being a role player as a rookie (outside of fantasy, of course). If Gordon wants to rise to the top of the depth chart, however, he is going to have to do better than 1.83 yards per carry. 

Jets Running Back Daryl Richardson

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New York Jets running back Daryl Richardson is trying to earn a spot in a backfield that currently also contains Chris Ivory, Bilal Powell, Zac Stacy and Stevan Ridley (currently on PUP).

Against the Detroit Lions on Thursday, Richardson looked like a player with no urgency to make the final roster. He carried the football four times for a grand total of negative-one yards and lost a fumble.

Pro Football Focus has rated Richardson as the eighth-worst player of the preseason among 149 running backs.

This obviously isn't the impression Richardson would like as he tries to return to regular-season football. Though he spent last season on New York's practice squad, he was a serviceable running back in two seasons with the St. Louis Rams. 

Between 2012 and 2013, Richardson averaged a solid 4.1 yards per carry.

Darryl Slater of NJ.com recently predicted that Ivory and Powell will be the top two backs on the Jets' final depth chart.

"At this point, it looks like Ridley will begin the season on the physically unable to perform list as he recovers from ACL and MCL tears," Slater also wrote. "That means Stacy will be the No. 3 back, at least until Ridley returns. Players who start the season on the PUP list must sit out at least the first six games."

Unless another running back gets injured or Richardson really turns things around in preseason action, it's difficult to see him making the regular-season roster ahead of Ivory, Powell or Stacy. 

Browns Cornerback Justin Gilbert

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Former eighth-overall draft pick Justin Gilbert is quickly looking like a bust for the Cleveland Browns. He struggled mightily to even see the field as a rookie in 2014 and is off to a dismal start in 2015.

Against the Washington Redskins on Thursday, Gilbert was beaten badly on two different plays—one of which would have been a long 61-yard touchdown pass had Pierre Garcon not dropped a perfectly placed ball. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Gilbert was ranked 231st among all cornerbacks in Week 1, and he allowed completions on four of the eight passes thrown his way. 

Gilbert tried to claim that his play against Washington was "flawless" outside of the pass Garcon dropped. However, both the stats and Browns head coach Mike Pettine say otherwise.

"He made that statement without having seen the film,'' Pettine said of Gilbert, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. 

Unfortunately, Gilbert followed up Thursday's performance with an even worse one during a joint practice with the Buffalo Bills on Monday. 

According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Gilbert allowed 11 receptions during a "nightmare of a practice" that didn't involve Bills receivers Percy Harvin or Sammy Watkins.

Cleveland has its starting corners in Tramon Williams and Joe Haden, but Gilbert could still have a chance to earn playing time over second-year cornerbacks K'Waun Williams and Pierre Desir. However, Gilbert is going to have to show some major improvements over the next three weeks for that to happen. 

Patriots Receiver Josh Boyce

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The New England Patriots selected wide receiver Josh Boyce in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, but they haven't gotten very much from the TCU product in return.

Boyce appeared in nine games as a rookie, producing just nine receptions for 121 yards. He was released before the start of the 2014 season, but Boyce found his way onto the Patriots practice squad after no other team claimed him.

Though he received a big opportunity to make a new impression in the first week of the preseason, Boyce didn't take advantage of it. According to Pro Football Focus, Boyce saw 44 snaps and was thrown at 11 times during Thursday's game against the Green Bay Packers. 

He finished with just two receptions for 19 yards, and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw his only interception of the game while targeting Boyce.

“He is experienced. He’s been in the system for a while now,” Garoppolo said of Boyce, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. “I haven’t really looked at the numbers of who I targeted and all that stuff, but he was running good routes tonight,” 

Unfortunately, good routes didn't result in a good night for Boyce.

Tom Curran of CSN New England recently explained why this could be Boyce's last opportunity with the Patriots:

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Boyce has been decent – not brilliant – in training camp practices. He seems to be where he’s supposed to be, catches most of the stuff he should. But at this point, the former fourth-rounder should be at a higher level. He didn’t make the team coming out of camp last year and was re-signed to the practice squad. The clock is ticking on him.

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If Boyce cannot find a fast way to show he can be more efficient and more productive, he may not get another look from the Patriots or any other NFL team. 

Buccaneers Guard/Center Garrett Gilkey

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers lineman Garrett Gilkey is trying to make the final roster as starting guard or as a depth player who can also perform at center. 

Last season, he got opportunities but struggled on the field—most notably in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals when a botched snap derailed a goal-to-go opportunity. The Buccaneers ended up settling for a field goal and losing to Cincinnati by one point.

Gilkey's performance against the Vikings in Saturday's preseason game wasn't any better. He started the game at right guard and was rated as the second-worst overall guard of the week, among 176 of them, by Pro Football Focus.

He also botched two snaps in nine plays at center.

"We have to protect the football a lot better than we did," Tampa Bay coach Lovie Smith said of Gilkey's snaps, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. "High, low. We weren't pleased with that at all."

Gilkey was listed ahead of rookie second-round pick Ali Marpet at right guard on the Buccaneers' first depth chart of the preseason. If he continues to struggle, however, it shouldn't be surprising if Marpet gets a crack at the starting gig or even if Gilkey loses a spot on the final roster.

Steelers Linebacker Ryan Shazier

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Inside linebacker Ryan Shazier, a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014, has drawn quite a bit of praise for his aggressive and physical play this preseason.

In fact, he was named the Steelers Digest Player of the Week for his eight-tackle performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday. 

Here's the thing, though. Shazier's aggressiveness is causing him to make mistakes, especially in the passing game.

According to Pro Football Focus, Shazier is actually rated 109th overall this preseason among inside linebackers and second-to-last in pass coverage. Against the Jaguars, Shazier allowed nine pass completions and missed two tackles. In two games this preseason, he has been targeted 14 times and has allowed 14 completions for 124 yards and a touchdown.

This is significant because it will be difficult for Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler to trust Shazier in passing situations if the Ohio State product continues to be a liability in coverage. 

This doesn't mean Shazier cannot earn a significant role and be a good player for the Steelers in 2015. However, he is going to have to start showing he can properly read and react to pass plays if he wants to have any shot at being an every-down linebacker.