Ten biggest winners and losers from NFL preseason

Despite conversations about the worth of the NFL preseason, the exhibition schedule has been invaluable for some players and teams. On the other hand, it’s also been a time of agony and despair for others.

Without the preseason, the Dallas Cowboys would have never known just how ready Dak Prescott is to replace Tony Romo. Then again, America’s team also wouldn’t have lost Romo for half the season.

In any endeavor, you have to take the good with the bad. That’s what we’re going to explore here.

These are the biggest winners and losers from the NFL preseason in 2016.

Winner: Tennessee and the exotic smashmouth

One of the more pleasant developments this summer has been the steamroller of an offense featured by the Tennessee Titans.

Dubbed “exotic smashmouth” by head coach Mike Mularkey, Tennessee employs a run-heavy offense that absolutely dominated opposing defenses this preseason.

The Titans added some key pieces this offseason that fit this scheme perfectly. Center Ben Jones was brought over from Houston, right tackle Jack Conklin was a first-round pick, running back DeMarco Murray was acquired in a trade with Philadelphia and rookie running back Derrick Henry was the team’s second-round selection.

Combined with the likes of Taylor Lewan and Chance Warmack up front, Jones and Conklin have been plowing superhighways through defenses. Henry and Murray have been taking full advantage of those lanes and bring a Mack truck’s worth of fury when they are encountered.

Tennessee finished the preseason with the NFL’s No. 2-ranked rushing attack. Henry and Murray combined to rack up 369 yards and five touchdowns on just 53 carries (6.96 yards per carry).

Look for this power duo to continue piling up yards this season while Marcus Mariota develops in his second year behind center.

Loser: Devastating, season-altering injuries

Injuries are part of the game. We all know and accept this as truth. But when you watch franchise players lose an entire season in a game that has no bearing on the final standings, it’s tough.

Tony Romo is likely out for between eight and 10 weeks after breaking a bone in his back. We all know what happened when he missed most of 2015, but it bears repeating: The Cowboys went 4-12.

The Minnesota Vikings saw their Super Bowl hopes at least temporarily crushed during practice before Week 4. Teddy Bridgewater, who had looked so brilliant during preseason games, suffered as brutal a knee injury as anyone has seen in the NFL and is out for at least the entire 2016 season.

A couple of first-round defensive rookies also were lost for extended periods of time.

The Buffalo Bills lost linebacker Reggie Ragland for the season to an ACL, while the New Orleans Saints lost defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins to a broken leg. Thankfully he’ll likely return this year, but losing him for an extended period of time will significantly impact his team’s ability to defend the run.

Many other players saw their seasons go up in smoke as well. Some of them were long shots to make the roster, while others were expected to be big contributors.

The NFL is reportedly considering some major changes to the preseason schedule that could happen as soon as next year (more on that here). But we’re not holding our breath just yet.

Winner: Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott give Cowboys reason to hope

While Romo recovers from his latest back injury, Dallas might just have a shot to win games in his absence. A couple of rookies, Prescott and Elliott, appear to have what it takes to make a positive impact for the ‘Boys.

They’ll have to, because nobody better count on the team’s defense to hold up its end of the bargain.

Thankfully Elliott looks like the second coming of Emmitt Smith (okay that’s overkill, but he’s darn good). While he only participated in one game, he was so impressive that Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor was taken aback by his power and determination (more on that here).

Prescott, on the other hand, showed off his game, confidence and poise for three games. Putting up stats that ranked tops in the league for all quarterbacks, he handled pressure like a 10-year vet while showing off his natural leadership and outstanding overall game.

Loser: Offensive doldrums in the Windy City

The saddest display of offensive football this preseason was produced by Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears.

Cutler, playing in roughly the equivalent of one game’s worth of action, was about as impressive as our two political choices for president in 2016.

He completed 17-of-31 passes for 146 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He was also sacked five times and fumbled once.

Even worse is the absolute dumpster fire that was the Bears offense in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Cutler passed for 45 yards on 15 attempts, while running backs Ka’Deem Carey and Jeremy Langford combined for 26 yards rushing on 10 carries.

The only slightly positive sign that Chicago has any hope at all of producing on offense this year is Langford’s 55-yard, one touchdown effort in the first half against the New England Patriots in Week 2.

Aside from that touchdown, Chicago’s first-team offense scored just one field goal the entire preseason.

Winner: Revival, RG3 edition

New Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson is known for his offensive mind, and we’re already seeing some exciting results.

In particular, it’s clear the long ball is going to factor heavily in Jackson’s game plan. Robert Griffin III has shown outstanding touch and accuracy on long passes. He’s connected a number of times with Josh Gordon and Terrelle Pryor deep down the right sideline (watch here).

Clearly, Griffin is still a rough product. He only completed 57.9 percent of his passes, and it’s a bit concerning that he was hit so hard, so often this preseason.

But it’s just as clear that he has excellent chemistry with his receivers. Averaging 8.2 yards per attempt, he connected for three touchdown passes with just one interception.

The big concern is obviously whether or not RG3 can stay healthy and avoid taking the big hit. If Cleveland can protect him, however, the sky is the limit for him playing in Jackson’s scheme.

Loser: Jets’ long-term quarterback situation

Ryan Fitzpatrick is the only quarterback on New York’s roster who can lead the Jets to the playoffs. At this point, it’s probably wishful thinking to assume he can match or better last year’s numbers, but at least the team has a shot at some success with him.

But when you look at who the Jets have behind Fitzpatrick, it’s hard not to shudder.

Between the trio of Geno Smith, Bryce Petty and rookie Christian Hackenberg, New York’s backup situation is terrifying. They combined for 780 yards on 66-of-135 passing (48.88 percent) this preseason, throwing five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Surprisingly, it’s been Petty that has looked the best of the bunch.

Smith might be on his way out, if another NFL team is desperate enough to trade for him. The Jets have been fielding phone calls about his services (more on that here).

Hackenberg looks like a wasted second-round pick at this point. He was viewed by most so-called draft experts as a late-round pick, which is why it was so shocking the Jets took him at No. 51 overall. We predicted he’d be doomed to fail with New York, and nothing to this point has made us change our mind.

It looks like the Jets will need to go back to the drawing board to find a long-term solution. At this point, it’s clear the quarterback of the future is not on the roster.

Winner: Brock Osweiler looks like the real deal

The Osweiler era got off to a rough start in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. He didn’t push the ball downfield, the offense was stagnant and he finished with just 27 yards on four-of-seven passing.

The next two games gave Houston Texans fans a better idea about what to expect in 2016.

Against the New Orleans Saints (bad defense) and Arizona Cardinals (very good defense), Osweiler combined for 270 yards on 23-of-32 passing (71.9 percent) with two touchdowns and an interception.

Two things should give fans reason for optimism. One, Osweiler improved every week. Two, he was almost perfect against the Cardinals, missing on just two attempts, one of which was a straight drop by rookie receiver Will Fuller.

The one big concern as it relates to Osweiler’s upcoming season is the fact that his offensive line has taken some huge hits due to injuries (more on that here).

But if Lamar Miller lives up to his end of the bargain as the lead back for the Texans and Osweiler doesn’t get banged around too much, this offense has explosive potential.

Loser: Rams, Eagles gave up way too much for rookie quarterbacks

When was the last time you can remember the two top picks in the NFL Draft ending up as third-string quarterbacks in their rookie seasons? We’re pretty sure it’s unprecedented.

Carson Wentz was slated to be the third quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles almost as soon as he was drafted. Then he suffered rib fractures in Week 1 of the preseason, which kept him out the rest of the way. He’s not even going to play in 2016 unless both Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel are injured.

Whereas the Eagles had planned to red shirt Wentz, Jared Goff was expected to compete for a starting job against Case Keenum this year. Sure, head coach Jeff Fisher named Keenum starter heading into training camp, but you know the Rams wanted Goff to beat him out.

Instead, Goff starts the season as the No. 3 quarterback behind Keenum and Sean Mannion (more on that here).

These developments would be alarming enough, even if the Rams and Eagles had been the original owners of the first two picks of the draft. But they weren’t.

Both teams gave up tremendous draft currency — both in this year’s draft and in the future — to acquire these quarterbacks (Rams details here, Eagles details here).

They mortgaged their present and futures on two quarterbacks who didn’t come close to the “sure thing” status allotted to the likes of Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning when they came out.

Even if both young quarterbacks end up as Pro-Bowl passers, the draft currency that was given up to land them will never be gotten back. The entire roster was weakened in the pursuit of landing them.

Let this be a lesson to future NFL general managers of teams desperate for a quarterback: Don’t sell the farm to land an unpolished rock that might one day become a gem.

Winner: Tampa Bay’s offense developing nicely

The NFC South is going to be exciting to watch this year. At this point, with Atlanta (Matt Ryan) and New Orleans (defense) both displaying significant issues, Tampa Bay is primed to take second place in the division behind Carolina and potentially challenge for a wild card spot.

Of course, in order for this to develop, second-year quarterback Jameis Winston must continue to improve.

Aside from a few hiccups in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he looks ready. Winston finished the preseason with 384 yards, four touchdowns and one interception on 26-of-44 passing.

He got his two big-play receivers, Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans, involved in the passing game beautifully and took just one sack all preseason.

Combining the potent passing attack with the duo of Charles Sims and Doug Martin on the ground should yield amazing results throughout the season.

Loser: Carson Palmer looks like a haunted man

The last time we saw Palmer in a meaningful game he had chucked away four interceptions and lost two fumbles for a total of six turnovers against the Carolina Panthers. His performance essentially blew any chance the Arizona Cardinals had of fulfilling their Super Bowl dreams.

Fast forward to this preseason and it seems Palmer is still haunted by that epic failure.

The 36-year-old veteran completed just 12-of-22 passes in three games, which resulted in just 139 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

Worse still, Palmer has looked extremely jittery in the pocket. Chances are, he’ll snap out of this funk. Head coach Bruce Arians is a wizard at getting the most out of his offenses, and he’ll find a way to help Palmer get into a groove.

But make no mistake about it, Palmer must exorcise his playoff demons from last year.