NFL Preseason Week 3: What to Watch for in Friday's Action

The preseason's Week 3 is the big show before the big show. No games count until after Labor Day, but Week 4 in the preseason generally features backups fighting for their roles and reserves fighting for a spot on the roster. Week 3 is the final time that starting players see extended looks before the regular season.

Despite being pressed by a deadline, each NFL team still has plenty of uncertainties on its roster. For some, it's players coming back from injury or injury-induced replacements. For others, it's rookies just suiting up for their squads or veterans venturing into new responsibilities.

Either way, answers are going to come from this week, which will change the course for 32 franchises' seasons, for better or worse. Looking ahead to Friday's matchups, there are five key situations you should keep an eye on, as they directly influence starting roles for their respective teams.

Jeremiah Poutasi

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In Week 2 of the preseason, the Tennessee Titans offensive line shuffled. Andy Levitre was brought out of the starting lineup, causing the move of Byron Bell from right tackle to left guard, leading to a vacancy at right tackle. Last week's answer to the hole was Jeremiah Poutasi, a third-round rookie from Utah.

Poutasi, despite playing tackle in college, had been thought of as a guard prospect due to his combine weight of 335 pounds. When looking at his athletic measurements, none of his lower body drills go over the 40th percentile for an offensive tackle, according to Mock Draftable.

On the surface, this may seem like a square peg in a round hole, but Poutasi just turned 21 years old this month, a young age for an NFL player due to his early declaration as a true junior. If a player is going to make a transition at the professional level, it's best to do it younger, as he still has plenty of room to grow.

Despite the optimism for the future, the former Ute had the worst Pro Football Focus grade last week from any Tennessee player: -4.0. The rookie is being given an opportunity, but he's not being given the job. Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com caught head coach Ken Whisenhunt giving cautious praise to the offensive line this week.

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They were physical, and we started the game better and I certainly like that. As a unit, I think they did a nice job…I said last week and I stay with this: We are still looking for the best combination. Could this be it? Sure. It could be it. But we are going to continue to look at those guys and hopefully that trend will continue.

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Poutasi is the starting right tackle of the Titans. For now. This week, he's going head-to-head against the Kansas City Chiefs' Justin Houston, who nearly broke the single-season sack record in 2014, right after facing the St. Louis Rams, who might have the best defensive line in professional football. Baptism by fire isn't ideal, but improvement must be shown to guarantee a starting gig.

T.J. Yeldon

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Last season, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Toby Gerhart to a three-year deal worth more than $10 million. In return, he ran for 326 yards in seven starts in 2014. Denard Robinson, a converted quarterback and former fifth-round pick, saw 582 yards off of 135 touches last year.

In Week 1 and Week 2 of the preseason, those two backs have been the top runners on the Jacksonville depth chart. But T.J. Yeldon is finally slated to participate in a game this preseason, just in time for Week 3's dress rehearsal. Yeldon was the team's second-round pick, the 36th overall in 2015, so it's not a stretch to assume he'll see the bulk of the carries in the regular season.

With the additions of Yeldon and offensive tackle Jeremy Parnell this past offseason, Jacksonville should have a better run game to take the weight off the shoulders of its sophomore passer, Blake Bortles. If Yeldon meets expectations, he should be in the running for Rookie of the Year honors.

As Brent Martineau, who covers the Jaguars on multiple platforms, reported from practice, Gerhart will miss the game against the Detroit Lions on Friday. Look for an extended view of what Yeldon can do with the squad this week, which will both impact the future of the NFL and your fantasy league.

Kyle Van Noy's Health

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Heading into his senior season at BYU, Kyle Van Noy looked like a potential first-round pick. Van Noy has the frame of a longer outside linebacker plus athleticism, giving him the option as both an outside linebacker and a pass-rusher. After his sack total dropped from 13 in 2012 to four in 2013, he was drafted 40th overall by the Detroit Lions in the second round.

During his rookie season of 2014, Van Noy was slated to win the starting outside linebacker job opposite of DeAndre Levy, proving the doubters wrong. But just as things started looking up, an abdominal issue led to his placement on the injured reserve list with an option to return. He did come back to the field to finish his rookie year, but he was only credited with 51 snaps on the season by Pro Football Focus.

Heading into his sophomore campaign, Van Noy was once again involved in a battle for the starting strong outside linebacker job, but he missed Week 2 due to what Lions head coach Jim Caldwell told reporters was a lingering injury, according to the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett.

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He's really getting checked out. He's had a bit of an injury that sort of occurred about a week ago or so and is just increasingly getting a little bit worse. So he's getting looked at closely. He's got some issues.

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If the former Cougar doesn't get on the field soon, he could spend his second straight season out of the starting lineup and on the injury list. There's a saying in the NFL that goes, "You can't make the club in the tub." At this point, Detroit should be concerned there's a chance they have wasted a young top-40 pick on an injury-prone athlete.

When Van Noy is at full health, he looks special. That 2012 season seems like a long time ago, though. If he can turn back the clock by Friday's game in Jacksonville, a sigh of relief should overcome Michigan.

Devin McCourty

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Devin McCourty (No. 32)

In Week 2, the New England Patriots' Devin McCourty started at outside cornerback, a move from his usual spot as the team's starting free safety. McCourty came into the league as a corner but was converted to safety, despite the fact that he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie corner. Still, it doesn't sound like playing on the boundary is what McCourty wants for the long term.

Tom E. Curran of Comcast SportsNet New England noted McCourty showing some disdain for the position, a much different tone than the usual coach-speak that comes from New England.

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Devin McCourty wasn't all that enthused about playing cornerback against the Saints on Saturday night. 

"I hope it's not permanent," he said after the Patriots beat New Orleans in their second preseason game, 26-24. "As a player, that's out of your control."

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Since his statement, he's both moved back to safety, per Doug Kyed of NESN, and walked back his stance on playing in the back end of the secondary. According to Adam Kurkjian of the Boston Herald, McCourty has changed his tone.

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“I’ve just got to play,” McCourty said. “As a player, you’ve just got to go play football. Obviously, a new week, you’ve got to prepare and get ready to go for new challenges this week, but that’s all I can do.”

In other words, McCourty is going to try and accept whatever his role is going forward whether he likes it or not.

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It's possible that the Patriots, who lost Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis over the offseason, might need the Rutgers product to move to cornerback for them at some point during the regular season. It almost seems like the coaching staff bent his ear after his comments and told him he needs to do what's best for the team.

While he's practicing at safety, there's no promise that he's going to play there for the majority of his snaps Friday. If he does still get looks on the boundary, it could be telling for what defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is cooking up to open against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Charles Johnson

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The Carolina Panthers need as many breaks as possible. After losing Kelvin Benjamin for the year and still struggling to post up a quality offensive line, Cam Newton and company look to the defense to help carry the team into the playoffs.

While everyone knows the Panthers have one of the league's best linebacking units, one that helps so much in coverage that the team doesn't have to invest heavily in the secondary, pass-rushers are still the premium position on the defensive side of the ball in the NFL. For the duration of the preseason, Charles Johnson has been missing with a calf injury, and it's hard to make the argument that there's another above-average starting pass-rusher on the squad.

Johnson finally returned to practice this week in preparation for the Panthers' Week 3 matchup with the New England Patriots. Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer tweeted that head coach Ron Rivera hoped Johnson would either get playing time this week against the Patriots or in the final preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The sooner Johnson gets back onto the field, the quicker that Carolina is going to get a true feel for what it has in store for 2015, allowing the team to internally adjust and scheme for its strengths and weaknesses. It would be in everyone's best interest, assuming Johnson is healthy enough to go at game time, if he played.