Winners and Losers from the NFL Preseason

The preseason is over.

After a full slate of games featuring a menagerie of players we'll probably never hear from again, the 2015 exhibition season is in the books. In less than one week, the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots will square off in a game that counts, and the 2015 NFL campaign will be underway.

It can be dangerous to read too much into the preseason. The fact that the Washington Redskins went 3-1 in the preseason probably doesn't mean a whole lot. The fact the Dallas Cowboys went 1-3 just might.

However, this isn't to say there's nothing that can be gleaned from the past month in the NFL. So let's make with the gleaning by taking a look back at the biggest winners and losers from the 2015 preseason.

Loser: Robert Griffin, QB, Washington Redskins

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Generally these sorts of articles don't begin with a "loser."

Of course, generally a player who looks ready to take the world by storm as a rookie hasn't fallen completely off the face of the Earth by the beginning of his fourth NFL season.

Welcome to Robert Griffin's nightmare.

The Washington quarterback's make-or-break season didn't take long to get broken. A nightmarish preseason featured a concussion that may or may not have been a concussion. Things went from bad to worse Monday, when the Redskins announced that Kirk Cousins would start for the team in Week 1.

In fact, not only has Griffin lost his starting job, but as Dianna Russini and Adam Schefter of ESPN reported, his roster spot may be next:

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High-ranking Washington Redskins front-office officials and coaches want to part ways with quarterback Robert Griffin III, but are meeting resistance from team ownership, according to team and league sources.

The Redskins even have had trade conversations about Griffin with a handful of NFL teams, but have found no interest, and it remains unclear whether ownership would allow Washington to trade him, sources said.

"

And ESPN colleague John Keim doesn't seem to think that's necessarily a bad thing:

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His game hasn't changed and any hope that Griffin might have developed as a passer is gone. The fact that the Redskins now are exploring all options when it comes to him? No surprise. Unlike last season, this really could be coming to its conclusion.

Owner Dan Snyder now has to listen to his football people. Good organizations trust those they hire. If they're all telling him something, personal feelings must be set aside -- hard as it may be for him.

"

Hard though it may be to admit about the 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Keim's right. Griffin's development has flatlined. His mobility has been sapped by injuries. And the ongoing soap opera surrounding his status in D.C. has shredded his confidence as a player.

If Griffin is ever going to recapture past form, it's going to have to be somewhere else.

And that's probably best for everyone concerned at this point.

Winner: Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo Bills

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

The preseason may have been a nightmare for Griffin, but things have been going just dreamy for Tyrod Taylor up the way in Buffalo.

After four seasons holding a clipboard for Joe Flacco in Baltimore, Taylor joined the Bills in free agency. It wasn't exactly a "splash" signing, but since arriving in Western New York Taylor has done nothing but make waves.

A strong showing in training camp carried over into the preseason. And after Taylor completed 12 of 13 passes in the team's dress-rehearsal game with the Pittsburgh Steelers, new Bills head coach Rex Ryan had seen all he needed to see.

The player no one thought had a shot to win the Bills' starting job did just that.

And teammate Percy Harvin told Chris Brown of the team's website that the rest of the NFL better watch out:

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He’s going to be tremendous for this team. With the weapons that we already have I think teams have to worry about that, but now they have to worry about his legs too with the 4.4 speed he puts on the field I think is going to be tremendously dangerous for opponents to prepare for us.

"

Mind you, this isn't to say Taylor is the franchise quarterback the team has seemingly been searching for since Jim Kelly called it a career.

But in addition to being a danger with his legs, Taylor has demonstrated the ability to hurt opponents throwing the ball.

And it would be an interesting change of pace to see a Bills signal-caller do some damage to the other team for once.

Loser: Geno Smith, QB, New York Jets

Al Pereira/Getty Images

This was going to be Geno Smith's year.

After a pair of up-and-down (mostly down) seasons in the NFL, Smith was going to get a second chance under new Jets head coach Todd Bowles. Earlier in the offseason Bowles removed the potential for a quarterback controversy by naming Smith his starter.

Then life punched the former West Virginia star in the face.

Well, actually, it was a teammate who punched Smith in the face. Literally. In the locker room. Really, really hard. Like broken jaw in two places and sidelined indefinitely hard.

As Brian Costello of the New York Post reported, Jets quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo wasn't in much of a mood to talk about Smith's jaw recently, grumbling that, "That situation is what it is." He did, however, say Smith had shown substantial improvement this summer before the fracas:

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He was doing well. He was really coming along. He came a long way from Day 1 to training camp. Just overall from the time he called his first play in the huddle in the indoor in a walk-through to his last play. He really came a long way, his whole mechanics, coming to the line, knowing who to ID, all of that stuff.

"

Of course, had Smith been able to ID the looping fist that was about to wreck his season (and perhaps his career, at least with the Jets) this all might have been avoided.

Next time, Geno, just pay for the plane ticket.

Winner: Sam Bradford, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

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Yes, we'll get to some winners and losers who aren't quarterbacks eventually.

But it's a fact of life in the NFL: It's a quarterback-driven league. If you don't have a viable one, the odds of making any sort of real postseason noise are slim to none.

And in Sam Bradford, it appears Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly may have found just what he was looking for—a conductor to run his frenetic offensive symphony.

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft—who hasn't played in a game that counts since the midway point of the 2013 campaign thanks to two ACL tears—was on the field for four offensive possessions in the preseason.

Every one of those possessions ended in an Eagles touchdown. Bradford misfired on all of two pass attempts. In the third preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, Bradford threw three scoring passes in three drives and posted a passer rating of 156.7.

For his part, Bradford told Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News that there's still room to improve—and he's eager to get on the field in a game that matters:

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It's nothing but excitement for me. I've been excited this whole preseason. Excited just to get back on the field. I was excited for Baltimore and I was even more excited to be out there for Green Bay for three series. I'm just looking forward to it, to be honest.

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He's right, of course.

After all, a perfect passer rating is 158.3.

Loser: Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

When you're the first overall pick in the NFL draft, under the microscope you go.

And after Jameis Winston struggled mightily in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' third preseason game against Cleveland, Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter allowed to Eric Adelson of Yahoo Sports that early examination of the QB has exposed more than a few blemishes.

"Bottom line, we stunk," Koetter said. "There were so many issues. So many breakdowns across the board."

It wasn't just the Cleveland game, either. For the preseason, Winston completed less than 50 percent of his passes. He failed to throw a touchdown pass while tossing a pair of interceptions.

Of course, as Adelson pointed out, Winston didn't get much help from his "protection" against the Browns:

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According to Pro Football Focus, Winston was pressured on 40 percent of his drop-backs, and had a quarterback rating of 0.0 when pressured. Now Koetter and head coach Lovie Smith have to decide whether to risk hurting Winston's ankle further in a meaningless fourth preseason game against Miami this week or risk sending him out against the Tennessee Titans in the season opener with no further experience in game situations.

"

Granted, poor pass protection doesn't excuse the inaccurate throws or poor decisions Winston has made with the football over the past several weeks.

But the cold, hard truth is this—Joe Montana would be toast behind the sieve that is Tampa's offensive line so far this season.

And if that continues, it's going to be a long first year in the NFL for Winston.

Winner: Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, another quarterback. I don't make the rules, pal—I just play by them.

Back in April, there was no question who the top two quarterback prospects in the 2015 NFL draft were. There also wasn't much question as to which of those players the Buccaneers were going to select No. 1 overall.

Um, oops?

While Winston has struggled in the preseason, former Oregon Duck Marcus Mariota has steadily improved. So much so, in fact, that ESPN analyst Jon Gruden recently tabbed Mariota as his Offensive Rookie of the Year, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online:

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I have seen him, and I think his mental toughness has been on display, No.1. You saw him turn the ball over against Atlanta, a couple times I think, in the first 10-15 plays. And then you saw him string together some really good football. I saw him fall way behind on the road at Kansas City, then he hung in there and engineered a couple of really good drives. I like the way he is playing under center. Ken Whisenhunt has put him under the center a lot. It looks like he is in rhythm, he is doing some really good things and I think he has impressed a lot of people with the way he has thrown the football.

"

Mariota hasn't been particularly impressive from a statistical perspective (21-of-30, 326 yards, 102.9 passer rating), and he hasn't done a lot with his legs (17 yards on five carries).

However, Gruden thinks the Titans may be playing a bit of possum with the youngster:

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A lot of people are shocked that he hasn’t taken off and run yet. I think that is when you are going to see the greatness of Marcus Mariota. He’s a double-edged sword, he’s a great competitor, and I like the way they are bringing him along. I just think Mariota and his skill set, the deception that he’ll bring with the zone read and the scrambling ability will be a real tool for him. If I was a Tennessee Titans fan, I’d be really, really happy.

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What Mariota has looked is in command. Of the huddle. Of the offense. It may not be quantifiable on a stat sheet, but Mariota has appeared much more ready for Week 1 than the quarterback everyone thought was going to be more NFL-ready.

Loser: Johnny Manziel, QB, Cleveland Browns

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Just when things were starting to go well.

After Johnny Manziel posted a 94.2 passer rating in the second preseason game of 2015, there were rumblings that maybe the second-year Cleveland Browns quarterback should get the start in the team's dress rehearsal. 

The polarizing second-year pro appeared to have made great strides in the pocket. Maybe, just maybe, some wondered, Manziel might not be a first-round bust after all.

Then the former Heisman Trophy winner was suddenly shut down for the remainder of the preseason with tendinitis in his elbow, a condition that reportedly dates back years.

Not only did Manziel lose his chance to challenge Josh McCown for the Browns' starting job, but he also missed out on preseason reps that hold a lot more value for him than most other players.

Still, Johnny Football didn't sound concerned about his long-term prospects while speaking with ESPN.com:

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Throwing during the year is nothing like it is during camp, so I'm very confident it's not going to creep back and there won't be other problems. I think it's just mixed with camp and the amount of days we were going out, and I think that was the main focus of it. So I don't expect it to go away completely, because this is kind of an injury that I'll feel a little bit of tightness. Your elbow will get sore just from being a QB and throwing, but that's not anything out of the ordinary."

"

See? Nothing to worry about.

Well, except Manziel's disastrous rookie year. And the very real questions about his viability as a pro quarterback. And the fact that it's Cleveland, so Manziel's arm will probably be chewed off by a landshark.

Other than that, though, nothing to worry about.

Winner: Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Another quarterback. But this one isn't my fault.

There hasn't been a player in the NFL, at any position, in the news more often over the past several months than New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

First it was the joy of winning his fourth Super Bowl. Then the hushed whispers and raised eyebrows over his potential involvement in Deflategate. Then gasps as the Golden Boy himself was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season for said involvement.

Brady maintained his innocence all along, and as we readied for the last games of the preseason on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman issued his ruling on Brady's appeal.

It was a ruling that did not go over well at the league's offices.

As Conor Orr of NFL.com reported, Berman tossed the suspension, ruling that the league acted improperly in a number of areas. Like arbitrarily choosing a punishment:

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The Court finds that no player alleged or found to have had a general awareness of the inappropriate ball deflation activities of others or who allegedly schemed with others to let air out of footballs in a championship game and also had not cooperated in an ensuing investigation, reasonably could be on notice that their discipline would (or should) be the same as applied to a player who violated the NFL Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances.

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And refusing to allow Brady to confront his accusers:

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In his 40-page decision, Berman mentioned the league's improper denial of Brady's right to cross-examine NFL general council Jeff Pash, who was a co-lead investigator along with Wells. Because Pash was able to "review a draft of the Wells Report" and provide written comments and edits, it would have been in Brady's best interest to question him. The NFL opted not to on the grounds that Pash provided no substantive role in the Wells Report findings and that any edits or comments he made had no impact on the final result.

Per Berman: "It is logical that he would have valuable insight into the course and outcome of the Investigation and into the drafting and content of the Wells Report. It is also problematic to the Court that there was no specification by Goodell as to the ways Pash's testimony would have been 'cumulative.'"

"

The NFL will appeal (because of course it will), but that appeal isn't expected to be heard with anything close to the expedience that Brady's was.

This isn't to say that the NFL can't still win. After all, in 2011, the league finally declared victory in the  StarCaps saga after a lengthy court fight.

Of course, the NFL levied those suspensions in December—of 2008.

So, um, don't hold your breath.

Loser: Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Matt Hazlett/Getty Images

Just one more. I promise.

No, really. I mean it this time.

It's also worth pointing out that by including Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco here, I am not indicting the player himself, per se.

Flacco has his detractors, sure. They call him a good player who has played like a great one. However, Andy Benoit of the MMQB isn't buying that line of thinking:

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Joe Flacco is the most underappreciated quarterback in football—by far. He’s an elite superstar blessed with all the physical traits you look for: size, arm strength, precision accuracy, and even mobility. Though he’s not “off the charts” in the latter category, he’s much better at moving than his gangly frame suggests. These characteristics enable the eighth-year veteran to fit the ball into the tight windows, a requirement for beating man coverage in the NFL. Flacco is also cerebral, which shows in the way he identifies and picks apart defensive zones.

"

However, Flacco and the Baltimore passing game struggled a bit in the preseason. The numbers (16-of-26, 193 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions) aren't necessarily horrible, but they aren't great by any stretch either.

The problem may well not even be Flacco. Outside of veteran wideout Steve Smith, Flacco is pretty hard-up for weapons after the departures of wideout Torrey Smith and tight end Owen Daniels. Rookie wide receiver Breshad Perriman, who was drafted in the first round in an effort to pick up some of that slack, has been plagued by injuries and the dropsies.

A quarterback is only as good as the players around him allow him to be—and it appears Flacco will be rowing against the current in that regard this season.

Winner: Minnesota Vikings

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

You know, I could keep right on doing it.

After all, as ESPN.com's Ben Goessling pointed out, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has certainly looked like a winner so far this preseason:

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If Teddy Bridgewater is done for the preseason -- and it's quite possible he is -- the Minnesota Vikings couldn't have asked for much more from their second-year quarterback.

Bridgewater hit all seven of the passes he attempted on Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys, connecting on the deep ball to Mike Wallace that fans had been clamoring to see after he checked into a different play at the line of scrimmage. Bridgewater saw a blitz coming, realized he had single coverage outside on Wallace and lofted a picturesque throw down the right sideline, just beyond the reach of Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr.

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Bridgewater's strong play in Dallas was just a continuation of a solid second half of his rookie season, of great performances at the helm of the Minnesota offense in the preseason. Only five incompletions in 29 attempts (not including the Hall of Fame game). A passer rating of over 110 in all three preseason starts.

But the Vikings' success in the preseason has gone well beyond Bridgewater. The offense as a whole has looked crisp and efficient, even without running back Adrian Peterson on the field.

Mike Zimmer's defense has been impressive as well. Only three teams allowed fewer yards over the first three weeks of the preseason. The team ranked sixth in sacks over that span with 10.

Entering the exhibition season, the Vikings were a trendy pick in many circles as a dark-horse playoff contender in 2015.

So far, they've done nothing to dissuade those thoughts.

Loser: Green Bay Packers

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The preseason may have been kind to the Vikings, but not so much for the reigning NFC North champions.

The Green Bay Packers entered the preseason with thoughts of much more than just winning the division, especially after last year's gut-wrenching collapse in the NFC Championship Game.

However, it's been bad luck since then—or no luck at all.

First, the team lost wide receiver Jordy Nelson to a season-ending ACL tear. It's a big blow, even to a team as deep at wide receiver as the Packers.

Head coach Mike McCarthy told Genaro Armas of the Associated Press (via the Denver Post) that it will take a team effort to replace Nelson: "I think it's very important for everybody—Randall (Cobb), the coaches—just to stay focused on what we need to do, and that's not try to ask or put pressure on any individual to try to do more."

Of course, that's only if Cobb's on the field. That's no sure bet after he injured his shoulder in the team's third preseason game, although the fifth-year veteran told Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette that he plans to be on the field when Green Bay faces the Chicago Bears in Week 1.

"I don't plan on missing a game. I'm doing everything in my power to get back before then, but we still don't know severity," Cobb said. "We've still got to get a lot of the swelling out. It definitely is a lot better then what we all thought it was in the beginning.

Granted, even with Nelson's loss, odds are the Packers will be fine. They remain the favorites in the division and a legitimate title contender in the NFC.

That is, if they quit hemorrhaging wide receivers. 

They're deep. But not that deep.

Winner: NaVorro Bowman, ILB, San Francisco 49ers

Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

In the San Francisco 49ers' dress rehearsal against the Denver Broncos, fans of the team were treated to something they haven't seen in quite some time: NaVorro Bowman wreaking havoc on the football field.

Playing in his most extensive action since suffering a nasty knee injury in the 2013 NFC Championship Game, Bowman was a force of nature against the Broncos. A team-leading nine tackles. Two sacks.

And one very happy head coach in Jim Tomsula, according to the San Francisco Examiner's Christian Gin.

"He was just having a blast and it was right," Tomsula said. "He would have played all night if we had let him. He had a great look in his eye. It was great for him."

It's a great look for the 49ers too. After losing both Patrick Willis and Chris Borland to surprise retirements in the offseason, the Niners need all the help at inside linebacker they can get.

For his part, Bowman told Peter King of the MMQB he's eager to show that his year off wasn't spent chilling by the pool:

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You just try to better yourself. I think that’s what the greats do. They find ways to learn in different ways, not just as a player. That’s what the year off gave me. I just want to show that I’m a student of game and not just player.

"

It's apt to be a long season in San Francisco given all the turmoil of the past year, but a healthy Bowman should offer fans of the team something to cheer about.

Loser: Pittsburgh Steelers

Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

Much like the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2015 preseason with aspirations of much more than a return trip to the playoffs.

No, the Steelers have their sights set higher—to Santa Clara and Super Bowl 50.

And much like the Packers, the preseason has not been kind in Pittsburgh.

First, the team lost Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey to a fractured fibula, an injury that will likely keep him on the sidelines for most of the 2015 season. Offensive line coach Mike Munchak told Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that Pouncey's loss is a blow, but one the team can absorb.

“Not much will change," Munchak said. "We will see as the games develop. There were things that we would put in because he could do something more, but it won't limit us in any way.”

But wait, there's more. Not long after Pouncey went down word came out that second-year wide receiver Martavis Bryant will miss the first four games of the 2015 season thanks to a league-imposed vacation for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

The suspension disappointed head coach Mike Tomlin, but he told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Steelers remain committed to the young speedster: "He’s got issues he’s dealing with that are bigger than football, and we’re committed to assisting the man in that. We are disappointed that it has come to this, but, while we’re disappointed, we’re going to remain supportive."

Add in the two-game suspension tailback Le'Veon Bell will serve as the result of a 2014 marijuana arrest, and when the Steelers face the New England Patriots next week it will be without the services of three key offensive players.

Against the defending world champs, in an AFC North that's shaping up to be a dogfight again in 2015, that is, how you say, ungood.

Winner: Khalil Mack, DE/OLB, Oakland Raiders

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

We'll close this look at preseason winners and losers with something that's been a relative rarity in recent years.

Good news from Oakland.

The 2015 preseason began with a change in role for Khalil Mack. After Mack rushed the passer standing up last year as a rookie, new Raiders defensive coordinator Ken Norton has been moving Mack around, including playing the second-year pro more at defensive end.

So much so, in fact, that Mack is now listed as the team's starter opposite Justin Tuck at the position.

If Oakland's preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals was any indication, it doesn't really matter where Mack lines up.

The quarterback is toast.

Mack racked up two sacks, forced a fumble and was in the backfield all night against the Redbirds in a nationally televised game that opened a lot of eyes across the country.

Tuck said it didn't take long for his peepers to pop where Mack is concerned, according to Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

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I've watched a lot of film on guys like Derrick Thomas, Lawrence Taylor ... I'm not saying that he will be that player, I'm saying he's capable of being that player. Believe me, I know what praise I just gave him. I know what category I just potentially put him into.

The thing I love about him that people don't get to see every day is not the fact that he's an absolute physical specimen. It's not that. It's that he's smart, he understands the game, but he also understands that he doesn't know it all.

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If the immensely talented Mack continues to grow and learn, the sky's the limit.

Who knows, the 2015 NFL Defensive Player of the Year race might even involve a player not named J.J. Watt.