NFL Preseason Week 2: What to Watch for in Sunday's Action

As the first few preseason weeks go by, NFL teams gradually play their starters more every weekend. The first unit typically gets a drive or two in Week 1, while Week 3 is the dress rehearsal for the regular season. Week 4 almost exclusively features players who are battling for roster spots and deeper roles on the squad.

Week 2's role is a bit of a transitional one. Teams may opt to play starters for a quarter or more, but some still pull their valuable quarterbacks after a couple of drives, which has generally been the case so far. There are only three matchups to finish the weekend before the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off on Monday Night Football.

If starters and hopeful first-unit players do get extended time, though, there are five keys to look at from Sunday's action. Based on immediate impact and exposure, we'll break down those subjects here.

Green Bay's Cornerbacks

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Quinten Rollins

In 2014, Sam Shields signed a four-year, $39 million contract with the Green Bay Packers, entrenching his future with the team as a starting outside cornerback. Last year, the pair starting opposite him consisted of Tramon Williams and Davon House. Williams started in base but kicked inside into a slot role in nickel, while House became the outside nickel option.

Over this past offseason, Williams left for the Cleveland Browns, and House signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Left with few veteran options at the outside cornerback position, the Packers have tried some slot corners as boundary converts, most notably Casey Hayward and Micah Hyde, as well as three rookies in Damarious Randall, Quinten Rollins and Ladarius Gunter.

Randall, the team's first-round pick, has yet to see time in the preseason due to a groin injury. But Rollins, a second-round selection, and Gunter, an undrafted free agent, had the two highest Pro Football Focus grades at the cornerback position for preseason Week 1. Rollins earned the best coverage mark, plus-3.0, while Gunter had the second-best run grade, plus-1.1.

There's a tight five-man race with one job to win in Green Bay. Per the team's Twitter account, head coach Mike McCarthy had plenty of praise for Rollins last week, which may give the indication that he's in the lead: "Thought he played well, played with lot of confidence. He was definitely poised. That's what you look for in a rookie."

Who will shine in Week 2 vs. the Steelers? Will it be a veteran? Will the 30th overall pick, Randall, return to the field? Sunday's action will be crucial in determining who will man the Packers' secondary.

Bud Dupree's Pass-Rushing Attempts

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Bud Dupree

At the University of Kentucky, Bud Dupree was an all-around player for the Wildcats. He rushed the passer, dropped into coverage and had solid run fits. The problem is, the Pittsburgh Steelers don't need an all-around player at 3-4 outside linebacker. They need a pass-rusher.

Pittsburgh's top three outside linebackers, aside from Dupree, currently on the roster posted 11.5 total sacks in 2014. James Harrison garnered 5.5, four came from Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones notched two. Jones is a former first-round pick who hasn't panned out heading into his third year as a professional.

Dupree has the potential to be a Cameron Wake type of pressure player; his combine numbers reflect so. His broad jump, vertical jump and 40-yard dash—the three drills that reflect lower-body explosion—all ranked in the top third for the defensive end position, according to Mock Draftable. Among his athletic comparisons is Jadeveon Clowney, the 2014 first overall pick.

If you list him as an outside linebacker instead of a defensive end in the database, though, his top result is Jamie Collins, who was a relatively similar player coming out of the University of Southern Mississippi in 2013. Collins never became that elite edge defender; instead, he moved into a true linebacker role, where he broke out in 2014.

Dupree has the explosion and speed to beat offensive tackles, but, through two preseason games, he's made only two solo tackles and hasn't been able to get to the quarterback. He needs to learn to disengage at the line of scrimmage, and proving that ability against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday will be his best option for earning more playing time with the starting unit.

Colin Kaepernick

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Colin Kaepernick

The offensive identity of the San Francisco 49ers during the Colin Kaepernick era was fairly consistent before 2015. They always had a great offensive line for Frank Gore to run behind, which allowed them to gamble on Kaepernick's high-variance passing and option plays.

The well-aged Gore, 32, has since signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Mike Iupati, a former first-round pick who's made three straight Pro Bowls as a guard, signed with the Arizona Cardinals. Anthony Davis, the offensive tackle picked 11th in 2010, retired this past offseason. This isn't the same team that made Super Bowl XLVII.

Kaepernick will now need to refine himself as a passer, becoming as intimate as possible with new faces such as Torrey Smith, Jerome Simpson and DeAndrew White in the receiving corps. He can't simply count on Anquan Boldin, who will turn 35 years old this October.

Last week vs. Houston, Kaepernick only threw three passes, completing one for a 14-yard gain. Against Dallas on Sunday, 49ers fans should hope for a longer, more efficient look from the Nevada product.

Tennessee's Running Back Situation

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David Cobb

Last season, running back Bishop Sankey was the Tennessee Titans' second-round pick. He led the team in rushing attempts (152), yards (569) and touchdowns, despite scoring only twice on the ground in his rookie year. After releasing Shonn Greene, the club's No. 2 option in 2014, the Titans' top ball-carrier gig looked like it was Sankey's.

In Week 1, though, fifth-round pick David Cobb, by way of the University of Minnesota, touched the ball the most, carrying it 11 times for 53 yards. He also had the longest carry of the night against the Atlanta Falcons, a gain of 10 yards.

Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com got head coach Ken Whisenhunt to comment on the rookie back:

"

Based on what you saw Friday night, I certainly think Cobb deserves that, we’ll work him in. The young man had to get in shape first. That’s been a process just because of the [offseason] quad injury.

But he did a really nice job and we’ll move him up in the rotation as the weeks progress.

"

Whisenhunt left the door open for Cobb to make an impact his rookie year, if he earns it. Should Cobb once again look like the top runner of the unit in Week 2 against the St. Louis Rams, his impact on the Titans' regular season, and your fantasy league, could be much greater than previously expected.

La'el Collins

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La'el Collins

In the spring, most draft pundits projected La'el Collins as a first-round pick. The LSU offensive tackle had improved during his senior year, vaulting his stock among the best offensive linemen in the country.

Just before the draft, however, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that police from Baton Rouge, where LSU is located, wished to get in touch with him regarding the shooting of the person who was thought to be his former girlfriend. He was not a suspect in the case and was eventually cleared.

The narratives buzzing around him did lead to his falling out of the draft completely, though. As an undrafted free agent, he signed on with the Dallas Cowboys, who have the most talented offensive line in the league.

After his performance against the San Diego Chargers, Collins was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the fourth-best offensive guard during preseason Week 1's action. He did allow two quarterback hurries, but his ground-and-pound style of play makes him a force in the running game.

Deryk Gilmore, an NFL agent, was even able to capture him grinding down a Chargers linebacker nearly 10 yards downfield.

Collins is currently running with the second team, but considering the Cowboys' poor running back rotation, there's an outside shot that the staff might think he'd be the best guard to play opposite of Zack Martin by the start of the regular season. Another strong game against San Francisco will help him greatly.