NFL Preseason Roundup: Josh Allen Looks More Like Treasure Than 'Trash'

Given that the five quarterbacks selected in Round 1 of the 2018 draft have been one of the most dominant NFL storylines this summer, it's hardly a surprise that the spotlight was again on first-year passers with three of them in action Friday.

Quarterbacks are such glory hogs.

The biggest show was in Cleveland, where two of the top seven picks in the draft squared off. For Baker Mayfield of the Browns, it was a chance to build on an excellent debut. For Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, it was an opportunity to rebound from an up-and-down first outing and silence (at least temporarily) the cacophony of doubters around the league—some of whom got pretty loud in recent days.

One of those young quarterbacks accomplished his goal. The other not so much. And given the night's developments, one of them moved a big step closer to becoming his team's Week 1 starter at the NFL's most important position.

There were plenty of other happenings around the league Friday, but the shores of Lake Erie are where this roundup gets rolling—with a dose of revenge, Wyoming-style.     

Josh Allen Silences the Haters

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

It's been a rough week for Allen.

First came an up-and-down preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers in which both Allen's big right arm and his lack of accuracy were on display.

Then Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey tossed Allen under the bus in an interview with Clay Skipper of GQ.

"I think [Buffalo Bills draft pick Josh] Allen is trash," Ramsey said. "I don't care what nobody say. He's trash. And it's gonna show too. That's a stupid draft pick to me. We play them this year, and I'm excited as hell. I hope he's their starting quarterback."

Geez, Jalen. Tell us what you really think.

Allen got a chance to turn around the week Friday at Cleveland's FirstEnergy Stadium.

And against the Browns, the seventh overall pick was most assuredly not trash.

Allen was better in just about every facet of the game than the week before. He completed almost 70 percent of his pass attempts (9-of-13), and while his yardage (60) wasn't overly impressive, Allen consistently made good decisions with the football.

Allen also added 18 yards on the ground on three carries and bought time with his legs during a number of moments, including a nice touchdown throw over the middle to Rod "Sesame" Streater in the 19-17 victory.

Yes, the performance gets all the usual preseason caveats, but Allen showed significant improvement.

That's the key for young quarterbacks—getting better.

Bills QB AJ McCarron Out Indefinitely After Breaking Collarbone

David Richard/Associated Press

It's good that Allen showed marked improvement against the Browns—because it's looking an awful lot like he's going to be the starter when the Bills travel to M&T Bank Stadium to face the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 9 in Week 1.

As Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News reported, veteran free-agent acquisition AJ McCarron, who drew the start for the Bills, suffered a fractured collarbone against the Browns.

It's not known for certain how long McCarron will be out—it's a hairline fracture, but a broken collarbone usually carries an eight-to-10 week recovery period. But it's more likely McCarron will open the season on injured reserve (designated for return) than be ready to return by Week 1.

That leaves head coach Sean McDermott and the Bills with a binary choice at quarterback. Either it's throw Allen to the wolves or roll out second-year pro Nathan Peterman.

Given that Allen entered for McCarron, the needle appears to be leaning toward the rookie.

Buffalo's third preseason game just got a huge infusion of drama.

Baker Mayfield Backslides...but Not Really

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Earlier in the week, Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson intimated that not only would Baker Mayfield be starting his season as a backup, but he might also be behind Drew Stanton on the depth chart, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

No, really. He said that. Out loud. Wasn't joking or anything.

At first glance, it might look like Mayfield took a step backward after having the best exhibition debut of any of this year's first-round rookies under center. He barely completed over 50 percent of his 13 pass attempts for just 75 yards against Buffalo.

To be fair, it wasn't as good a performance as he posted against the New York Giants. But it also wasn't as bad as that stat line.

Playing with reserve offensive linemen, for the most part, who showed why they aren't starting, Mayfield was consistently harassed by Buffalo pass-rushers. But rather than get happy feet or make a poor decision that resulted in a turnover, Mayfield hung in the pocket and made throws.

There's also the small matter of two touchdowns that weren't—one was called back on a dubious offensive pass-interference call, and the other was overturned on replay.

After Tyrod Taylor drove Cleveland the length of the field on the team's first offensive possession, Mayfield got a sputtering Browns offense back on track, producing 10 points on his last two drives.

Stanton….sheesh.

For a 2nd Straight Week, the Browns' 1st-Team Defense Was No Joke

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

The quarterback situation and wide receiver drama have hogged all the headlines this summer, but through two exhibition games, at least something is becoming apparent regarding Browns.

The defense isn't awful.

One week after stifling the New York Giants' starters, the Browns put the clamps on McCarron and the Bills on Friday night. Buffalo's four first-quarter drives were all similar.

One, two, three, kick!

Not only did the Browns hold the Buffalo first team without a first down in the quarter, but the Bills' first nine plays also netted only nine yards. They had just 17 yards of offense in the first 15 minutes.

A Cleveland front seven anchored by defensive end Myles Garrett and a loaded cadre of linebackers held LeSean McCoy to less than three yards per carry. McCarron wasn't that much better, completing three of six passes for 12 yards and facing consistent pressure from Garrett and the rest of the front four.

The Cleveland defense was OK last year in terms of yardage allowed (14th), but the offense constantly put it in untenable situations. Only the Houston Texans allowed more points per game.

It's been a different story so far this year. With Tyrod Taylor and the first-team offense clicking, the Browns aren't constantly on their heels. The defense can pin its ears back and just get after it instead of trying to hold on for dear life.

And getting after it is what that defense is doing.

Maybe now defensive coordinator Gregg Williams can smile or something.

The Kansas City Defense Is....Not Good

John Bazemore/Associated Press

The Kansas City Chiefs were champions of the AFC West in 2017 not because of the team's defense but in spite of it. They were 28th in total defense and 29th against the pass.

If Friday night's tilt with the Atlanta Falcons was any indication, those struggles are going to look like the good old days by October.

On the Falcons' first drive of the game, Kansas City's first-team defense offered approximately zero resistance to Matt Ryan and Atlanta's starters. No. 2 tailback Tevin Coleman gashed the Chiefs on the ground, and Ryan torched them through the air. It culminated in a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Austin Hooper.

Frankly, none of this is that surprising. Kansas City wasn't good defensively last year (especially against the pass), and that was with Marcus Peters. Now Peters is with the Los Angeles Rams, and the Chiefs will open the season without starting strong safety Daniel Sorensen, who suffered a tibial plateau fracture that will sideline him into October at least.

The hope in K.C. is that Patrick Mahomes will take a big leap forward in his second year and guide an offense loaded with playmakers to scoring drives galore.

He'd better. If the Chiefs are going to repeat as division champions, it's going to take a lot of shootout victories.

Because that defense doesn't look capable of stopping anyone.

Is It Too Early to Start Calling Long TD Passes in KC 'Mahomes Runs'?

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Don't look at me like that. His nickname is a work in progress.

There's more than a little pressure on Patrick Mahomes in 2018. He was handed the keys to a Chiefs team that won the division last year. Expectations are that Kansas City will contend for another AFC West crown this season.

And given the aforementioned leaky Chiefs defense, if that's going to come to pass, Mahomes is going to have to light it up.

The second-year signal-caller from Texas Tech offered a tease of sorts against the Falcons. Trailing 14-3 in the second quarter, Mahomes dropped back and uncorked a 69-yard seed to wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a score.

Mahomes finished the 28-14 victory 8-of-12 for 138 yards, a touchdown and an interception. His passer rating was a neither feverish nor chilly 98.6.

In Hill and Sammy Watkins, Mahomes has arguably the NFL's most potent deep-threat duo at wide receiver. He also has one of the best tight ends in football (Travis Kelce) and the reigning rushing champion (Kareem Hunt).

The weapons are there. If Mahomes keeps launching bombs like that one, the Chiefs are going to score a whole bunch of points.

And fantasy football enthusiasts will rejoice.   

Up-and-Down Night for Jarrad Davis in the Middle of the Detroit Defense

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

"Uneven" would be an accurate way to describe the 2017 rookie season of Detroit Lions middle linebacker Jarrad Davis. At times, the range and athleticism of the former Florida standout was evident. But Davis also took bad angles and struggled in coverage—so much so that the Lions scaled back his role as the season wore on.

The more times change, the more they stay the same.

If Davis' performance Friday against the Giants was any indication, Year 2 could be the same roller coaster. Davis piled up three tackles (two solo) and was solid against the run, adding a tackle for loss.

But Davis scuffled again in pass coverage, getting beaten badly by tailback Wayne Gallman on an eight-yard touchdown.

Gallman is not generally regarded as a back who is going to juke defenders out of their shoes.

With veteran Tahir Whitehead no longer in the Motor City, the Lions are counting on Davis to assume a leadership role in head coach Matt Patricia's new defense.

Expect some growing pains along the way.

Christian McCaffrey's Fantasy Draft Stock Just Went BANG! POW! ZOOM!

Nell Redmond/Associated Press

In July, Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera told David Newton of ESPN.com that he wanted to get second-year tailback Christian McCaffrey 200-plus carries in 2018.

If McCaffrey keeps playing like he did in a 27-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Friday, that number's going to be revised—to, say, 315 or so.

Just like in his rookie season, McCaffrey showed off his pass-catching chops, hauling in four of five targets for 28 yards. But he really shone on the ground.

McCaffrey carried the ball just five times, but those rushes accounted for 92 yards. The first attempt was the best. On 2nd-and-1 on Carolina's first series, McCaffrey squirted through the middle of line, raced to the right sideline, kicked on the jets and was gones-ville.

Seventy-one yards. Six points. See ya.

The Panthers have long been a team that likes to run the ball. But the Panthers brought in C.J. Anderson in free agency in part because of concerns about McCaffrey's ability to pick up yardage between the tackles.

He picked up a whole bunch of that Friday.

And if you're drafting your fantasy football team this weekend, be prepared for McCaffrey's price tag to reflect that.

Arizona's Pitch-and-Catch Duo of the Future Had It Working Against the Saints

Butch Dill/Associated Press

No, I haven't forgotten about Josh Rosen, the last of the four quarterbacks who were taken inside the top 10 in April.

The Cardinals got a double-dip of good rookie news in Friday's 20-15 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Not only did Rosen look much better in his second preseason game, but also, the receiver the Redbirds hope will emerge as Rosen's top target down the road had himself a game.

After scuffling a bit against the Los Angeles Chargers, Rosen was sharp against the Saints, connecting on 10 of 16 passes for 107 yards and a score with a passer rating of 102.9.

Rosen's favorite target on the evening was second-round pick Christian Kirk. Not only did Kirk haul in Rosen's touchdown throw, but he also connected with the signal-caller for four receptions for 49 yards and a nice diving grab across the middle that was good for 21 yards.

Rosen's performance isn't going to create a quarterback controversy in the desert (Sam Bradford hit all six of his passes for 61 yards before exiting), but it was a sign of steady improvement in comparison to how Rosen looked against the Chargers.

It's amazing what can happen when a quarterback has half a second to throw the ball before getting creamed.

Injury Updates on Isaiah Wynn, Nick Foles and Other Banged-Up Stars

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Thursday's slate of preseason games featured plenty of action (that B/R's Brent Sobleski broke down), but unfortunately, the contests also featured more than a few injuries to prominent players.

Here's the latest from the trainer's table.

Isaiah Wynn, OT, New England Patriots (Achilles)

Wynn, who was one of New England's two first-round picks in April, was expected to at least be the team's top reserve lineman as a rookie. Those plans went up in smoke Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Per ESPN.com's Mike Reiss, Wynn's 2018 season is over before it started, compliments of a torn Achilles.

Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (Shoulder)

With Carson Wentz's Week 1 availability up in the air, the last thing the Eagles needed was for Foles to get nicked up in a meaningless game. So, of course, that's what happened. However, the Eagles got good news Friday. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, tests revealed that the Super Bowl LII MVP's shoulder sprain suffered against New England is minor, and he should be fine for the start of the regular season.

Samaje Perine, RB, Washington Redskins (Ankle)

The Redskins already lost rookie Derrius Guice to an ACL tear, and now two more Washington tailbacks are banged up. Second-year pro Samaje Perine will be sidelined at least a week after twisting his ankle against the New York Jets, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, while Byron Marshall could be out a month with his ankle injury, per Garafolo's colleague Tom Pelissero.

Jamaal Williams, RB, Green Bay Packers (Ankle)

The Redskins aren't the only team with questions surrounding the running game. Jamaal Williams of the Green Bay Packers suffered a similar fate in the Pack's 51-34 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday. According to Pelissero, Green Bay's leading rusher in 2017 indicated the injury is minor and that he's "fine."