There’s been plenty of attention this preseason on how the Bears’ offense has progressed under new coach Ben Johnson, perhaps even as much as the Browns’ overly dramatic QB2 and QB3 competitions.
But now that the preseason has officially concluded and the regular season is only two weeks away, I’m ready to focus on the storylines that will actually make an impact when it comes to the road to Santa Clara for Super Bowl LX.
Sure, the Bears’ revamped offense warrants attention, certainly a lot more than the half dozen quarterbacks who may or may not back up Joe Flacco in Cleveland. There’s a good chance that Caleb Williams & Co. will be a dangerous offense in the regular season, but I’m tired of hearing about all their disorganized practices and that one impressive opening touchdown drive against the Bills during Week 2 of the preseason.
Let’s just wait until the regular season to see what the Bears are truly about instead of dissecting Williams’s mannerism in a warm-up throwing drill. Last summer, many were quick to crown the Bears. Now, the football public is quick to call them a disaster after every negative play, including in the preseason finale against the Chiefs, which led to Johnson calling out his starting offense publicly for the sloppy performance. What a surprise, a team that won five games last year is struggling to get on the same page with a new coaching staff and several player additions from the offseason.
Again, the Bears’ new-look offense should get less attention until Sept. 8 when they open the season against the Vikings during Monday Night Football. The spotlight won’t leave this unproven unit in Chicago, but hey, at least we’ll now get fewer hot takes about the QB3 battle between Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders for a while, depending on how the Browns do in the first month of the season. Let’s not forget that Kenny Pickett might be first in line to potentially replace Flacco, because the Browns keep telling everyone that they’re seriously considering keeping all four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster.
The first-year quarterback who should have our attention is Jaxson Dart, because he was clearly the best performer among the rookie signal-callers this preseason. He’ll just have to wait his turn because Giants coach Brian Daboll remains committed to Russell Wilson.
For now, goodbye to Dart, Sanders, Gabriel, Jalen Milroe and maybe Tyler Shough, who’s still battling with Spencer Rattler for the Saints’ quarterback competition. Cam Ward, this year’s No. 1 pick, will finally get his turn under the spotlight as possibly the lone rookie quarterback to start Week 1. Though it might be a short time under the spotlight, because Ward could go back to being ignored, depending on how the Titans fare against the ferocious Broncos’ defense in the season opener.
Alright, let’s get to the final takeaways of the preseason—storylines that haven’t lost my interest.
Don’t expect any drastic Chiefs regression
While many were focused on the Bears’ sloppy offense, I paid attention to how efficiently the Chiefs’ offense played with wide receiver Rashee Rice on the field.
Rice’s health and potential suspension could dictate whether the Chiefs’ offense will return to dominance after a few down seasons for their lofty standards. Not that we needed to see anything from Patrick Mahomes in a preseason game, but he was in top form vs. the Bears, completing 8-of-13 passes for 143 yards and one four-yard touchdown pass to Rice.
Strangely, there’s this notion out there that the Chiefs are bound for a drastic regression partly because of their Super Bowl blowout loss against the Eagles. That line of thinking isn’t too surprising, however, considering how many have been waiting for their downfall. Even though I too have some Chiefs fatigue, I just don’t see a drastic regression occurring in Kansas City, especially not if Rice is on the field most of the season. His presence will open up the field for Mahomes to get Xavier Worthy and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown more involved in the offense.
Also, Kansas City addressed the offensive line questions with the first-round selection of Josh Simmons, who has impressed in training camp and is now in line to start at left tackle. There is concern over the left guard competition with Mike Caliendo and Kingsley Suamataia, but this offensive line gained depth in the offseason to allow the coaching staff to tinker with starting combinations.
I will agree that it’s not a lock that the Chiefs cruise to another AFC West title, residing in a competitive division with the Broncos and Chargers. Regardless of what occurs in that three-way battle, the Chiefs appear to be contenders again, and that to me, isn’t a sign of regression.
Broncos will be fine without Vele
Speaking of the Broncos, they made the right move trading Devaughn Vele to the Saints for a 2026 fourth-round pick and a ’27 seventh-round selection.
There weren't enough snaps to go around, especially because coach Sean Payton has been high all summer on rookie Pat Bryant and second-year player Troy Franklin. Also, Courtland Sutton recently signed a four-year, $92 million contract extension and Marvin Mims Jr.’s versatile skill set is viewed as an asset for Payton’s playbook. And let’s not overlook the arrival of tight end Evan Engram, who could see plenty of targets from Bo Nix.
Nix & Co. had a rough preseason finale against the Saints, but ended on a good note after the second-year quarterback found Sutton for a 19-yard touchdown to cap a six-play, 77-yard drive.
As for the 6' 5" Vele, his size and skill set should complement the Saints’ receiving corps of Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Brandin Cooks. Still, New Orleans probably should prioritize keeping draft picks with a roster that needs a lot more help at other positions.
Packers could finally have a WR1 in Golden
The teams that lack a superstar No. 1 wide receiver tend to prioritize depth at the position.
This is the case with Nix and the Broncos, Josh Allen and the Bills, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, and many other teams across the league. Hopefully this doesn’t come off as a knock to Sutton, Khalil Shakir and Zay Flowers, but they’re not Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb.
Anyway, the Packers are also in the wide receiver depth category, but at the moment, they’re lacking a pass catcher in the class of Sutton, Shakir and Flowers. Christian Watson is inconsistent and often injured. Jayden Reed regressed last year and might be more of a versatile playmaker than a true wideout. Dontayvion Wicks has flashed as a potential reliable playmaker, but didn’t crack 40 receptions nor 600 yards in his first two seasons.
As for Matthew Golden, there appears to be real upside for the first-round rookie receiver to develop into the category of Flowers, Sutton and Shakir. And that might just be the floor because Golden flashed his high potential for being a legitimate No. 1 option in the near future with his acrobatic 39-yard reception against the Seahawks on Saturday.
It’s strange seeing a player wearing No. 22 with that kind of vision for tracking the ball. That number is usually reserved for a running back or cornerback, but perhaps soon No. 22 will be for the Packers’ No. 1 receiver.
Panthers shouldn’t trade Thielen
Unless the Panthers get a hard-to-refuse offer, they should hold on to veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen, who has been instrumental in Bryce Young’s development.
It’s not a given that Young will take off in his third season with an impressive young group of receivers. Xavier Legette and rookie Tetairoa McMillan are more downfield options and might not be friendly targets around the line of scrimmage, an area Thielen has thrived in for years.
Perhaps Jalen Coker can be the go-to target on third down, but the Panthers should wait to find out. If all goes well, then they can trade Thielen closer to the league’s trade deadline in November for possibly the same price.
Rams could rely heavily on multiple tight ends
It’s no secret that coach Sean McVay prefers to operate under the 11-personnel, meaning three receivers on the field. But this might be the year the Rams seriously consider using more of a 12-personnel with two tight ends.
That thought became more real after the impressive preseason debut of rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson, who had two catches for 48 yards vs. the Browns.
According to reports, the Rams have tried to draft a talented pass-catching tight end in the first round. They were in the mix for trading up for Brock Bowers in 2024, and there were rumors about Los Angeles moving up in the top 10 for this year’s draft.
Instead of losing draft capital to land their coveted tight end, the Rams traded out of the first round—and gained a 2026 first-round pick from Atlanta in the process—before zeroing in on Ferguson in the second round. Still, it’s not a given the Rams go away from 11-personnel. Veteran tight end Tyler Higbee is 32 and has battled significant injuries over the years. Free-agent addition Colby Parkinson could be used primarily for blocking purposes.
How quickly Ferguson develops could go a long way toward determining how the Rams’ offense will operate in 2025. If the rookie can catch and block, there might be no need to go away from the 11-personnel McVay staple.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Preseason Week 3 Takeaways: Chiefs Are Showing No Signs of Regression.