NFL preseason Week 1 takeaways: How did Michael Penix Jr. fare in his debut with the Falcons?

NFL Nation, ESPNAug 9, 2024, 10:38 PM ET

The 2024 NFL preseason kicked off Thursday, and it continued Friday with the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons in action. The rest of the league continues with games on Saturday and Sunday (full schedule below).

Week 1 of preseason games serves as a first look into the new players on each team, whether they are rookies or offseason acquisitions. To keep you updated on how players all fared in their first game action, our NFL Nation reporters summarize the top debuts below.

Friday’s games

Texans: The Texans’ big free agent acquisition, defensive end Danielle Hunter, had a sack and a quarterback pressure Friday night. The Texans’ other defensive free agent addition was linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who had a couple of tackles and helped limit the Steelers’ running game, as Najee Harris averaged three yards per attempt.

All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs, acquired from Buffalo via an offseason trade, had a quiet game with zero targets. However, he and the rest of the Texans’ starting offense had only two possessions. Even though Diggs was quiet, the offense wasn’t, as quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a touchdown to wide receiver Tank Dell on their second outing after going three-and-out on the initial drive.

For the rookies, the one standout was Calen Bullock. The third-round safety showed his range with a near interception as he flew from the middle of the field to the sideline and caught a deep pass from Steelers quarterback Kyle Allen, but his foot was out of bounds. — DJ Bien-Aime

Next game: vs. Giants (1 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 17)

Steelers: If Friday night’s game was an audition — as coach Mike Tomlin said Wednesday the entire preseason is — it’s clear the Steelers aren’t quite ready for the main stage. In a game that lacked execution in every phase, Justin Fields and the first-team unit — sans a couple of veteran linemen — didn’t score any points in three drives. While Fields was 5-of-6 for 67 yards, he was sacked twice and had two fumbles on snaps from center Nate Herbig. The next drive was smoother with rookie center Zach Frazier in at center.

But even amid the miscues, Fields had a handful of dazzling plays, including a pair of throws to offseason addition WR Van Jefferson on the sideline. The first went for 20 yards, but the second one was ruled out of bounds.

Rookie tackle Troy Fautanu also had an up-and-down first outing, helping spring RB Jaylen Warren for a nine-yard run, before giving up two sacks. Defensively, rookie inside linebacker Payton Wilson was active in his Steelers debut, recording a tackle for loss on the Texans’ first play and finishing with six combined tackles and a special teams tackle. Rookie cornerback-turned-safety Ryan Watts also flashed with a near interception and a third-quarter tackle at the line of scrimmage. — Brooke Pryor

Next game: vs. Bills (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 17)

Eagles: Rookie linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. had the kind of debut Philadelphia fans were looking for. Wearing the same No. 54 his father donned while roaming the middle of the Eagles’ defense for eight seasons, Trotter Jr. conjured up memories of the “Axe Man” with his team-leading six tackles and a sack. A fifth-round pick out of Clemson, Trotter continued what has been a strong summer to date. He is making a case for why he should have a role in Vic Fangio’s defense.

He wasn’t the only rookie to stand out. First-round corner Quinyon Mitchell nearly came up with an interception on the first series of the game. Running back Will Shipley found the end zone on a touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett. And edge rusher Jalyx Hunt (4 tackles) looked comfortable both rushing the passer and playing in space. — Tim McManus

Next game: at Patriots (7 p.m. ET, Thursday)

Ravens: Ravens first-round pick Nate Wiggins‘ impressive debut ended with him leaving the field with a team doctor. Wiggins, who started at corner, exited after one series in the second half with a right shoulder injury after making a drive-ending tackle on third down.

The 30th overall pick in this year’s draft, Wiggins began the game by breaking up three passes on his first drive. He had great coverage on Eagles wide receiver Joseph Ngata on fourth down to end Philadelphia’s opening drive.

Wiggins’ biggest mistake was not closing on uncovered Eagles running back Will Shipley, who caught a short pass and ran untouched for a seven-yard touchdown. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Wiggins allowed two completions on six targeted passes for 16 yards and a touchdown.

Wiggins is projected as Baltimore’s third corner behind starters Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens. Later in the third quarter, another rookie defensive back was injured when seventh-round safety Sanoussi Kane left the game with a stinger. — Jamison Hensley

Next game: vs. Falcons (12 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 17)

Dolphins: First-round linebacker Chop Robinson and fifth-round linebacker Mohamed Kamara were both inactive, but the Dolphins’ other rookies got plenty of run in Friday’s preseason opener. Second-round pick Patrick Paul started at left tackle and flashed his potential as both a pass protector and a impactful run blocker.

Seventh-round safety Patrick McMorris led all players in tackles, but running back Jaylen Wright stole the show. The fourth-rounder’s patient running style churned out 40 rushing yards and a touchdown in the first half alone. He finished with 55 yards on 10 carries, leaving Dolphins fans feeling like their team found another De’Von Achane.

Finally, veteran free agent signee Siran Neal made an impact with two tackles on special teams. He also started at cornerback and forced a fumble, which he recovered. Miami’s big-name players were inactive but should see action in the team’s final two preseason games.

— Marcel Louis-Jacques

Next game: vs. Commanders (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 17)

Falcons: Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. performed just about exactly as he has so far in practice during training camp: wowing with some big plays, but also missing open targets with overthrows. That’s completely fine for the Atlanta Falcons, since Penix won’t be starting this year behind veteran offseason addition Kirk Cousins.

Penix was 9-of-16 for 104 yards without a touchdown or an interception, playing for the majority of the first quarter. Coach Raheem Morris said at halftime he felt “great” about Penix’s play in his first NFL game. Penix’s best pass was a beautiful floater on a go route down the sideline to WR Chris Blair for 41 yards.

Rookie OLB Bralen Trice sustained a leg injury and came out of the game in the second quarter. That was bad news for the Falcons, since the third-round pick is one of the players the team is expecting to be able to get to the quarterback. Pass rush has been one of the franchise’s weak points for nearly a decade. — Marc Raimondi

Next game: at Ravens (12 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 17)

Thursday’s games

Rookie Joe Milton finds JaQuae Jackson for a Patriots’ TD

Patriots find the end zone for the second time as Joe Milton III rips a pass to JaQuae Jackson for a 38-yard touchdown.

Patriots: The 2024 No. 3 pick, Drake Maye, entered the game on the second series, following veteran starter Jacoby Brissett. In all, he played seven snaps, which broke down this way: three runs, three passes, one false-start penalty. Two of the passes were screens — the first a 13-yarder to RB Antonio Gibson on third-and-12. Maye finished 2-of-3 for 19 yards. Head coach Jerod Mayo said postgame that the limited playing time for Maye was tied to wanting him to play behind the top offensive line.

Some fans in attendance booed when Maye wasn’t sent out for a third series, with Bailey Zappe taking over until late in the third quarter when rookie Joe Milton III capped off the four-man QB rotation. Milton brought some excitement to the lackluster game with a 12-yard run that covered a lot of ground as he scrambled backwards initially, and later with a 13-yard run and a 38-yard TD pass to WR JaQuae Jackson. Undrafted free agent punt returner David Wallis of Division III Randolph-Macon was also one of the night’s big winners with a 23-yard effort to set up the first TD. — Mike Reiss

Next game: vs. Eagles (7 p.m. ET, Thursday)

Panthers: Thirty-three players were inactive, including the entire starting defense — except cornerback Dane Jackson. GM Dan Morgan fought to draft Jackson at Buffalo in 2020 and brought him to Carolina on a two-year deal that could pay up to $14.5 million. The thought was Jackson could start opposite injury-plagued Jaycee Horn. That he played could be an indication he’s still in prove-it mode. It also could mean Morgan still is in the market for veteran corner Stephon Gilmore. Jackson had three tackles against the Patriots, but that he was on the field might be telling.

It was also apparent that undrafted rookie quarterback Jack Plummer is no threat to beat out veteran Andy Dalton (hamstring) for the backup job. To be fair, he played behind the second-team line that hasn’t performed well during the preseason. He also had consecutive passes dropped by wide receivers Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall Jr., which is concerning since both have looked good in camp. Mingo is listed as a starter ahead of first-round pick Xavier Legette (foot). — David Newton

Next game: vs. Jets (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 17)

Eric Gray scores on 48-yard rushing TD

Eric Gray runs for a 48-yard touchdown to put the Giants up 7-3.

Giants: The Giants got all their rookies into NFL game action, including first-round pick Malik Nabers. The young wide receiver, who has been dominant throughout training camp and joint practices, played 12 snaps on Thursday night against the Lions, mostly with the second-team offense. He ran eight routes and wasn’t targeted by backup quarterback Drew Lock, despite being open on multiple occasions.

Quarterback Daniel Jones and the starting offensive line did not play in the contest. Mostly, it was an uneventful evening for Nabers at MetLife Stadium, aside from being the last player introduced for the home fans during pregame warmups. While Nabers, the No. 6 pick earlier this year, escaped unscathed physically, the same couldn’t be said for Lock. He left the game late in the first quarter with a hip injury and did not return. It did not appear serious as he remained on the sideline, but it’s something worth monitoring with the Giants having only three quarterbacks (Jones, Lock and Tommy DeVito) on their roster. The Giants seemed confident afterwards that Lock would be fine, even if he was “sore,” according to coach Brian Daboll. — Jordan Raanan

Next game: at Texans (1 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 17)

Lions: After an intense week of joint practices against the New York Giants, where multiple fights occurred, most of the Lions’ starters didn’t suit up in the first preseason game. Rookie cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. looked good in their debuts despite limited action. Arnold, the No. 24 pick, would end his day after three series. Rakestraw, a second-round pick, registered two tackles while making some solid defensive plays.

Second-year signal-caller Hendon Hooker saw his first game action since college after recovering from a torn ACL. Entering the game after halftime, Hooker ended up finding a groove, going 5-for-9 with 36 passing yards and a team-high 34 rushing yards — including a 16-yard gain where he lowered his shoulder to get the first down near the end of the third quarter. Hooker’s night would end early as he entered the locker room and wouldn’t return at the start of the fourth with a concussion. — Eric Woodyard

Next game: at Chiefs (4 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 17)