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

NFL preseason Week 2: This is the (sort of) real deal. They were just feeling things out last week, but the second full week of preseason games gives us a much better feel for what's happening throughout the NFL. 

On Saturday, 14 teams are in action. Here's what you should be watching for in Tennessee, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Houston, Denver and Los Angeles. 

Mark Sanchez vs. Trevor Siemian, Episode II

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Quarterback competitions that remain open in Week 1 of the preseason rarely close in Week 2. But on Saturday, we should get a better feel for the state of the battle between Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian when the Denver Broncos host the San Francisco 49ers. 

Sanchez started Denver's preseason opener, with the former No. 5 overall pick completing 10 of 13 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. However, one of his incomplete passes was intercepted. Siemian, meanwhile, was 7-of-12 for 88 yards.

On paper, both were outplayed by third-stringer/franchise quarterback of the future Paxton Lynch, who may be too raw to start from the get-go. The rookie No. 26 overall pick completed six of his seven attempts for 74 yards last week, albeit against Chicago Bears reserves. 

Both Sanchez and Siemian have taken plenty of first-team reps at camp, and both drew positive reviews this week, according to ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold. Sanchez started last week; Siemian will start this week. Who will earn the start for next week? Stay tuned. 

Another Look at Jared Goff

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It's only a matter of time before No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff becomes the starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams. The question is if that'll happen before the regular season starts. 

Goff did not start the Rams' preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys, and even when he did relieve starter Case Keenum, he struggled with four completions on nine attempts for 38 yards and an interception. Small sample size, and not a full summary of how he performed (two of his passes were dropped), but that's still not enough to inspire confidence in the coaching staff. 

Goff did, however, earn extra first-team practice reps this week, so don't be surprised if he earns early snaps when the Rams host the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. In fact, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said last weekend that the Cal product will likely work a little with the starters against Kansas City. However, Fisher also made it clear to reporters this week that Keenum "is still clearly ahead" of the rookie.  

Blaine Gabbert vs., um, Christian Ponder?

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It'll be a battle of quarterback battles when the San Francisco 49ers take on the Denver Broncos on Saturday night. Not only are the defending Super Bowl champions trying to decide between Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian, but San Francisco continues to let Blaine Gabbert jockey for positioning with...well, it's complicated. 

For much of the offseason, the 49ers' quarterback competition has been all about Gabbert and the team's former franchise quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. But Kap was limited throughout the spring as he recovered from multiple surgeries and has now been missing time due to arm fatigue. 

Another wrench came this week, with third-stringer Thad Lewis suffering a torn ACL. His replacement? Christian Ponder, which means the Niners now have three of the six quarterbacks who were taken in the first two rounds of the 2011 draft. 

Unless Kaepernick makes a sudden comeback or Ponder does something incredible, this might be Gabbert's job by default. But he completed only four of 10 passes in San Francisco's preseason opener against Houston, so I'm sure 49ers fans would appreciate a little more from him in Denver. 

Can the Houston Texans Get More from Their Young Newbies?

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The Houston Texans made major changes on the offensive side of the ball this offseason, signing 25-year-old quarterback Brock Osweiler before using their first four draft picks on offensive players. But we didn't see much from any of those guys in Houston's preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers. 

Osweiler completed just four of seven pass attempts for 27 yards and took a seven-yard sack. First-round wide receiver Will Fuller caught just a single four-yard pass, second-round offensive lineman Nick Martin sat out with a back injury, and fourth-round running back Tyler Ervin had just one rushing yard on four carries. 

Third-round wide receiver Braxton Miller made some nice plays, catching four passes for 34 yards, and Ervin also had a 28-yard kick return. But it's safe to say Texans fans would like to see more from their big-money quarterback and top two picks. 

Unfortunately, Martin now has an ankle injury and has been ruled out. While we won't see Martin and Osweiler together, we'll see if Osweiler gets some more attempts this time around and if the team does more to include Fuller.

Andrew Luck's First Appearance Since November?

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By now, many expected Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck would have played parts of two preseason games in his official return from the lacerated kidney that ended his 2015 season in Week 9. But the Hall of Fame Game was canceled, and he was held out of last week's exhibition tilt with the Buffalo Bills. Mike Wells of ESPN.com speculated that was possibly because the team didn't want to have him face Rex Ryan's aggressive defense in the preseason. 

And so now we're expecting Luck to finally take some live snaps when the Colts host the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night. 

Now, the Colts offense hasn't changed much, and Luck is unlikely to play a lot, so this isn't likely to be a revelatory experience. That said, it should be interesting to see Luck get some work in with his new center, Ryan Kelly. 

Kansas City Chiefs Backs Continue to Fight for Carries

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After missing the majority of the 2015 season due to a torn ACL, Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles has finally returned to action. 

But with Charles down last year, the Chiefs got a lot of production out of Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware. Both ran well in the team's preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

And then there's the veteran Knile Davis, who had 30 yards on seven carries against Seattle, and the 23-year-old Darrin Reaves, who had a team-high 42 yards on 11 carries. 

Point being, the Chiefs have a crowded backfield. They'll likely ease the 29-year-old Charles back in, which means he's unlikely to see any preseason action. That should give West, Ware and even Davis and Reaves another chance to make a statement when Kansas City takes on the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday. 

Fantasy drafters should keep a close eye on all of them. 

DeMarco Murray vs. Derrick Henry in Tennessee

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We live in an age of franchise quarterbacks and platooning running backs, which means there just aren't as many backfield battles these days. And so while the implications might not be as large, it's cool to see two power backs competing for reps within the Tennessee Titans offense.

Veteran DeMarco Murray (six carries, 93 yards and a touchdown) and rookie Derrick Henry (10 carries, 74 yards and a touchdown) were both superb in Tennessee's preseason opener against the San Diego Chargers, so a lot of folks in Nashville are excited to see what each will do for an encore Saturday against the Carolina Panthers. 

It's possible nobody will win or lose this battle and that both will work together for as long as Tennessee can pull that off. But it's also possible these two grinders are driving each other, and it's been fun to watch the exhibition of hard-nosed, throwback football the two have put on. 

How Will the New Orleans Saints Absorb the Loss of Sheldon Rankins?

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After surrendering a ridiculous 29.8 points per game last season, the New Orleans Saints began to retool their defense by using the No. 12 overall pick on highly touted defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. 

But after putting together a solid performance as a starter in his preseason debut last weekend, the former Louisville star went down with a fractured fibula in practice. 

That puts a lot of pressure on the rest of a defense that surrendered 34 points to New England in the preseason opener, with veteran Nick Fairley and 2015 fifth-round selection Tyeler Davison facing the tall task of replacing Rankins up front. 

A lot of eyes will be on Fairley and the young Davison on Saturday night when the Saints take on the Houston Texans. 

This is a defense that is banged up beyond the loss of Rankins—one which is in desperate need of a savior. Who might emerge this preseason? And might we get our first major glimpse of him on Saturday? Could it be Davison? Or defensive end Kasim Edebali, who had two sacks in the opener? What about rookie fourth-round defensive tackle David Onyemata? 

Somebody. Anybody. Give this poor defense some hope. 

What's Next at the Buffalo Circus?

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Is this what happens when you take a team in a 16-year playoff drought and add Rex and Rob Ryan? Because between all of the injuries and now the suspensions, the Buffalo Bills have been a mess this offseason. 

They continue to be without their top two draft picks, front-seven defenders Shaq Lawson and Reggie Ragland. Pro Bowl defensive lineman Marcell Dareus is out to start the season due to a four-game drug suspension. He announced Saturday that he is entering a rehabilitation facility. 

Per Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News, linebacker Manny Lawson might also be facing a suspension, and on the offensive side, the Bills announced they released the suspended Karlos Williams on Saturday. Throw in a season-ending injury for IK Enemkpali and less serious injuries suffered this offseason by Sammy Watkins, Kyle Williams, Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito, and it's safe to say Murphy's law is going to town on the poor Bills. 

So they, like the New Orleans Saints, will be hoping and praying for lesser-known players to emerge as soon as possible in camp and the preseason. So that's something to watch for when the Bills host the New York Giants on Saturday.

Even if nothing transpires on that front, you have to know Rex and Rob will find a way to add spice to this thing. 

Roberto Aguayo Tries to Redeem Himself

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This spring, Roberto Aguayo became the first kicker in over a decade to be selected in the second round of the NFL draft. Considering that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren't flush with talent elsewhere, a lot of eyebrows were raised when the team made that selection. 

The heat was turned up immediately last week when Aguayo—who made all 247 of his field goals and extra points inside 40 yards in college—missed the first PAT attempt of his NFL career, hitting the left upright after a first-quarter touchdown. 

The 22-year-old did make a 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but he didn't get another chance at an extra point.

He'll likely have another shot when the Bucs take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night. If he comes through, he'll breathe a sigh of relief, and few outside of Florida will notice. But if by chance he misses again, be prepared for NFL Twitter to explode. 

Will Jalen Ramsey Debut for the Jacksonville Jaguars' Revamped Defense?

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There's plenty of hype surrounding Jacksonville Jaguars No. 5 overall pick Jalen Ramsey, but there's also plenty of mystery. That's because the cornerback has the ability to become a superstar, but he's been limited for much of his short NFL career by the same balky knee that became a red flag ahead of the draft. 

That knee was was operated on soon after the draft, causing the 21-year-old to miss all of organized team activities and minicamp. Doctors cleared him in time for training camp, but the Jaguars kept him out of their preseason opener against the New York Jets, and he didn't practice each of the next three days. 

According to Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com, the Jaguars say Ramsey is fine, they're taking a cautious approach, and that he would have played last week had it been a regular-season game. But if they want him to be ready to play regular-season games in September, they'll have to eventually give him some consistent preseason action in August. 

Might we finally get to see Ramsey in a game situation when the Bucs take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday? 

Who Will Replace Dorial Green-Beckham in the Titans' Receiving Corps?

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Hardly a year after drafting him in the second round, the Tennessee Titans abruptly traded wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham to the Philadelphia Eagles this week, making their second preseason game a little more interesting. 

It'll be interesting to see what they do with Dennis Kelly, the guard they got in exchange for Green-Beckham. But they also have to replace Green-Beckham, who started five games last season and played 26 snaps in Tennessee's preseason opener, according to Pro Football Focus. 

A lot could fall on rookie fifth-round pick Tajae Sharpe, who was already working with the first team and was Tennessee's most productive receiver with 35 yards on two catches despite playing only five snaps in the opener. The trade might be an indication that general manager Jon Robinson buys that Sharpe can start alongside veteran Rishard Matthews, and let's keep in mind that the roster also contains Andre Johnson, Harry Douglas, Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter. 

When they take on the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, we'll get a feel for what the Titans' receiving pecking order looks like in a post-DGB world.