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

If Week 3 of the preseason is a dress rehearsal, then Week 2 is the table read.

The intensity is cranked up ever so slightly as starters and important second-tier players stay in the game a little longer. Some key starters will make their preseason debuts, such as Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo against the Miami Dolphins on Friday night.

Broadly, the process remains the same. The preseason is rooted in process that creates progress. Coaches are trying to see who is moving along steadily and who may have plateaued as the August dog days arrive.

For the Washington Redskins, that means sorting through the bottom of their running back depth chart, among other things, and hoping to see life from rookie Keith Marshall. The Dolphins are on a similar search as they look for a heartbeat from tight end Jordan Cameron, and New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty just wants someone to notice him at all.

That's where we begin with the latest night of preseason tune-ups and battles for roster spots.

Bryce Petty's Fight for a Roster Spot Continues

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The label "developmental quarterback" is sort of a draft-ism. It's part of the language we hear often in late April each year, and the term itself glosses over a fact of NFL life at the position: There just aren't many quarterbacks who are groomed and developed slowly and then become starters.

That's why Bryce Petty, who the Jets selected in the fourth round of the 2015 draft, might already be seeing his development clock run out. To avoid that fate, he needs to leave a lasting impression Friday against the Redskins.

The Jets' long-term plan at quarterback has been the same approach as most teams that have a veteran starter. They've kept piling up promising young arms with high talent ceilings, hoping someone eventually matures to their liking. Or put another way: They're buying a whole lot of quarterback lottery tickets.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is their short-term solution under center. He'll turn 34 years old in November and is playing under a one-year contract. A year ago at this time, Petty was viewed as the possible future behind Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith as long as he showed potential in his first year.

He didn't pass that test, evidently, so the Jets fired up their quarterback search again and invested an even higher draft pick in Christian Hackenberg (second round, 51st overall).

Hackenberg will likely see his first preseason action Friday night. He's in no danger of losing a roster spot and, like Petty, will have at least one full year to prove himself. Smith will surely serve as Fitzpatrick's backup, only because game experience is highly valued in that role.

Which leaves Petty grasping for employment.

Petty is only partially competing against his fellow quarterbacks. In truth, he's fighting a larger battle. The 25-year-old needs to convince the Jets' decision-makers that he's worthy of more development time, and therefore, they should take the rare step of keeping four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

Every roster spot is precious, and the one Petty would hypothetically occupy could be better used on a player who has a chance to see the field at some point. But for Petty, this isn't necessarily about 2016.

It's about forcing head coach Todd Bowles' hand with quality play and showing that releasing him is a move the Jets would regret in the future. So far, Petty has failed to do that, with only seven completions on 14 attempts for 93 passing yards during Week 1 of the preseason.

Can Keith Marshall Climb the Redskins' RB Depth Chart?

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There's an indisputable fact about Redskins rookie running back Keith Marshall: He's fast.

He's stupidly fast, actually, and at 4.31 seconds, Marshall posted the best 40-yard dash time at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine. The problem is how that speed shows up against NFL competition. Or, rather, why it doesn't.

In the Redskins' second preseason game, Marshall will continue to go about the business of trying to rearrange his team's running back depth chart. There's an opening if he impresses in game action.

Starter Matt Jones struggled with ball security as a rookie in 2015, fumbling five times on a minimal 163 regular-season touches. Presumed backup Chris Thompson has primarily served as a passing-down specialist with only 38 career carries.

So yes, there's room for someone to rise and be another rushing complement alongside Jones. But serious questions are beginning to surface about whether Marshall can be that someone.

It's not possible to describe Marshall's Week 1 preseason debut in polite terms. He was putrid, and he struggled to get any positive push forward against the Atlanta Falcons. His night ended with minus-1 yards on five carries.

That's why the seventh-round pick from April fell to fourth on the Redskins' running back depth chart. His raw speed means little if he doesn't get a chance to use it, and Marshall burned himself in Week 1 with an indecisive approach. He bounced and looked to take everything outside instead of letting the play develop.

"He was too impatient to the hole, and it prevented him from making better runs," wrote ESPN.com's John Keim.

Now Marshall needs to seize his next opportunity, because he won't get many more.

How Is Jordan Cameron Adapting in the Dolphins' New Offense?

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It seems like a faded memory now, because that happens when you look back on something from three seasons ago in the NFL. Time kicks into another gear in a league and a sport that considers players "old" in their early 30s.

But hop into your NFL time machine for a second and put it to the Jordan Cameron setting. Crank the year to 2013 and blast off.

That was a zany time, and it looked like Cameron could rise fast to occupy a permanent position among the league's top-tier tight ends. He finished the season with 80 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns for the Cleveland Browns. Of those numbers, two put him in the top three at his position (catches and yards).

Then, in 2014, he was limited by concussions. The Dolphins were willing to take a risk when Cameron became a free agent and signed him to a two-year contract.

Now Cameron finds himself in a tight end-friendly offense after the arrival of new Dolphins head coach Adam Gase. At 28 years old, he's still young enough with prime seasons left.

Yet after an offseason of work and half of August to get acclimated, we're still hearing that Cameron is coming along slowly in Gase's offense. Gase said his tight end is experiencing "growing pains," according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

In fairness, there is a process for everyone who's picking up a new offense, and some come along quicker than others. But there may not be as much patience with Cameron after he recorded just 386 receiving yards during his first season in Miami.

"I feel like what's going on with him right now is that there's a little bit of a learning curve for him," Gase told reporters. "We went through some struggles there in the spring and a little bit at the beginning of camp. The thing about the tight end position is that there's a lot of responsibility you have. It's just a lot on his plate."

Gase spent the past three seasons as an offensive coordinator, first with the Denver Broncos for two years before moving on to the Chicago Bears. His scheming led to consistently high production from his tight ends.

Bears tight ends Martellus Bennett and Zach Miller combined for 878 receiving yards and eight touchdowns under Gase's watch. Broncos tight end Julius Thomas caught 24 touchdown passes with 1,277 yards in 2013 and 2014.

In the not-so-distant past, Cameron displayed the talent and athleticism to succeed in Gase's system. Now he has to catch up mentally, and that battle will continue Friday against the Cowboys.

Tony Romo's First Preseason Appearance

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In Week 1 of the preseason, we saw what life might be like for the Cowboys offense without quarterback Tony Romo. It was surprisingly the opposite of awful, as rookie passer Dak Prescott averaged 11.6 yards on his 12 pass attempts and threw two touchdowns.

But at best, Prescott is still only a fine safety net, or more optimistically, he might be the future under center after Romo's body can't take more punishment. Right now, Romo is still the main battery that gives the Cowboys offense its juice, and he'll make his preseason debut Friday night against the Dolphins.

Exactly how much he'll play remains to be seen. But whatever number of snaps you're thinking, it's probably wise to go lower than that. The best guess is the Cowboys will treat Week 2 of the preseason like Week 1 as far as Romo is concerned, and he'll play only a series or two.

Friday's game will still be an important hurdle even if his appearance is that brief. It will be Romo's first game action and, more importantly, his first opportunity to face real contact—possibly from hungry defenders clawing for a roster spot—since November 2015.

Romo appeared in only four 2015 games, including the Thanksgiving Day tilt when his season ended. That tiny number tells just a half-truth about his injury-riddled season. Romo may have trotted onto the field in four games, but he left at the end of the fourth quarter in just two of them.

He's still one of the NFL's most impressive improvisers when healthy, and he is only one season removed from averaging a league-high 8.5 yards per pass attempt. But Romo's also a walking bundle of Band-Aids with a wonky back after two surgeries, and he has suffered three collarbone breaks.

The Cowboys have won only six games since 2010 without Romo as their starting quarterback. The fate of every season rests with his presence and health, which is a scary thought.

Is Brandon Williams Making Any Progress?

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Learning can be an unpleasant experience for any NFL rookie in training camp. But if you're a rookie cornerback set to start opposite Patrick Peterson, the burn will be deep and real.

Arizona Cardinals third-round rookie Brandon Williams found that out during Week 1 of the preseason. Williams is brimming with potential, and he could evolve into a quality cover corner before long. But for now, the NFL adjustment is a struggle, and he's especially lagging behind in press coverage.

The Cardinals are hoping to see at least an incremental improvement Friday night, because anything positive will be a step forward after Week 1. Williams was scorched repeatedly against the Oakland Raiders, and on only eight targets, he gave up 35 yards in coverage and a touchdown, according to Pro Football Focus. Even worse, he finished with a passer rating in coverage of 91.1.

None of that is a reason for panic. Instead, it was nice to see, in an odd way. Williams was only going to grow at his position by being exposed to speed and a higher caliber of competition. Now he can look at that Week 1 tape and learn from his mistakes.

The hope, however, is that as Williams keeps going up against tough competition, some hint of progress seeps through. That hasn't happened yet, as he kept getting roasted throughout the week by San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen during joint practices.

Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune watched practice and said it wasn't close between the two, with Allen easily winning.

"Brandon Williams [has a] ton of upside, but he needs to get much better in press coverage," tweeted Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.

Williams will face Allen again in real game action Friday. The targets will come in buckets again, too, and he'll have to respond better.

Will Melvin Gordon Keep the Good Vibes Going?

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Since football is cruel, and the sport can have a twisted, evil humor, the first touchdown scored by Chargers running back Melvin Gordon won't actually be his first NFL touchdown.

That's because it happened in a preseason game, and the scoreboard during preseason games is meaningless.

But he still crossed the goal line, and he did it in spectacular fashion while accelerating in the open field for a 44-yard touchdown reception. It was a fine start in Gordon's quest to avoid being a draft bust in his second season, and it's one he'll look to build on Friday night against the Cardinals.

Gordon averaged a mere 3.5 yards per carry in 2015. As a rookie, he didn't remotely resemble the guy who led the nation in rushing during his final season at Wisconsin with an astounding 2,587 yards.

An offensive line decimated by injuries was partly to blame. But Gordon uncharacteristically became a hesitant, indecisive runner while struggling with the speed adjustment at the next level.

"I remember the first play I ran," he told Andie Hagemann of NFL.com. "In my head I was thinking about how fast the linemen were, I didn't even look at my read."

But in Week 1 of the preseason, his mental outlook was different after one year in the league.

"I was just like 'Wow these guys' the whole time while I'm running the play," Gordon continued. "This time I was comfortable and stuck to my reads. … I was obviously nervous the whole trip there, but I told myself 'you go against a lot of great players in practice and you had a whole season, so just be calm and read the reads and follow your linemen.'"

Be calm. Read the reads. Follow your linemen.

It all sounds so simple, as if ripped straight from an NFL running back instruction manual. The reality, however, is that for some, it can take time to grow and adapt, especially when a running back like Gordon has 24 different offensive line combinations in front of him as a rookie, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

He's been a training-camp darling so far while generating plenty of buzz. Now the Chargers hope that maturation continues and Gordon becomes the foundation of their offense as planned.