Jason La Canfora: NFL Preseason Week 3 Diary

The NFL may have unintentionally created a “soft” roster deadline this season, with teams setting their initial 53-man rosters almost two weeks before Week 1 and using the extra time to continue reshaping their squads, particularly at quarterback.

Five NFL teams are carrying four quarterbacks into Week 1, with the Eagles, Steelers, Falcons, Browns and Vikings taking the unusual step of retaining extra depth at the position.

The decision reflects both the value teams place on developing young quarterbacks, the unusually long gap between final roster cuts and the start of the regular season.

“No one wants to give away a kid with upside,” one team official said. “You hate to lose them on waivers.”

The timing of this year’s roster deadline has also given teams greater flexibility before Week 1, with another executive acknowledging just how unusual the situation has become.

“It’s a little different. If you have a few young ones and older ones you like, that can be a good mix. But it’s definitely crazy that so many teams kept four.”

That situation may not last much longer, however, with potential trades already emerging as teams consider which quarterbacks they are willing to move.

Main Trades Ahead of Week 1

NFL executives have stated that the Steelers are very open to trading veteran Mason Rudolph. However, the one thing stopping this is not Pittsburgh’s willingness to sell, it’s the number of quarterbacks potentially available across the league which could make finding a deal more difficult.

Minnesota is another team to watch ahead of week 1, as executives around the NFL have informed me for weeks that former first-round pick JJ McCarthy is unlikely to remain with the Vikings long-term.

Despite McCarthy’s current trade value being considered low as he deals with an ankle injury, a move away from Minnesota could still come ahead of Week 1.

As part of any finalised deal, the Vikings are also expected to seek a conditional element in any deal that would increase their compensation, should McCarthy go on to play for his new team.

Over in Baltimore, expect the Ravens to audition some veteran kickers this week as a direct result of Tyler Loop’s consistent poor form. 

Loop, who was drafted to replace Justin Tucker, yet missed a 44-yard field goal in Week 17 that knocked Baltimore out of the playoffs, before then missing three times across two home preseason games. 

Despite being solid overall as a rookie, Loop has struggled from distance, and the Ravens opted not to bring in any competition for him this offseason. Baltimore’s front office can be stubborn when it comes to its draft picks, but that patience appears to be wearing thin, with veteran kickers expected to be brought in for auditions this week.

Rams Expected to Ease In Aaron Donald

Aaron Donald has reportedly “blown away” those inside the Rams organization following his return from retirement, but Los Angeles appears prepared to carefully manage the three-time Defensive Player of the Year this season.

Whether Donald plays against the 49ers in Week 1 is less important to the Rams than having him back in peak football shape by midseason and ready for another potential Super Bowl run.

His return had been viewed as increasingly likely for months before a new contract was finalized on Sunday, with the deal including lucrative bonuses that Donald will have the opportunity to meet throughout the season.

But there is a bigger picture here. If the Rams make another deep postseason run, Donald could be looking at roughly 21 games including the playoffs, so managing his workload early could give both Donald and the Rams the best chance of having him at his best when it matters most.

The Rams also face a difficult travel schedule over the opening six weeks, beginning with their trip to Australia, and the sense I got from speaking with head coach Sean Payton this summer was that the priority is having Donald peaking for the stretch drive rather than pushing him early in the season.

Those inside the organization have been hugely impressed by what they have seen since his return, and the Rams always figured that if Donald came back, he would do so on a mission.

This isn’t going to be some experiment. Donald is going to dominate again, even if that initially comes on a slight pitch count.

Around the League Notebook

The Eagles are another team with an interesting situation developing at quarterback, with Philadelphia believing it may have found a steal in late-round pick Cole Payton. One longtime scout not with the Eagles was even more bullish, vowing to me that Payton “is going to be a starter in this league.”

Tanner McKee has also been very good in exhibition games, raising questions about where veteran Andy Dalton fits into Philadelphia’s plans, with one GM asking the question “Are they really going to keep Dalton?”.

And there is a longer-term element to all of this. With Jalen Hurts entering the final year of his deal, it shouldn’t be surprising that Philadelphia is collecting developmental options and already looking closely at the next quarterback class, with another GM telling me the Eagles “are all over these [2027 draft] quarterbacks.”

For the Falcons, they could soon have a decision of their own to make if Michael Penix is able to return from injury and start in the coming weeks, potentially leaving one of Atlanta’s veteran quarterbacks expendable.

One NFL general manager was particularly dismissive of Tua Tagovailoa’s prospects when discussing the quarterback earlier this summer.

“Tua can’t play,” the GM said. “That’s over.”

Despite the unusually crowded quarterback rooms across the NFL, the current situation is unlikely to last. As injuries and other roster needs emerge, teams will need those roster spots elsewhere, potentially setting up a busy period of quarterback movement around the league.

As far as medical concerns go, there were teams with strong track records of drafting wide receivers that had real reservations about Jordyn Tyson heading into the draft.

His propensity for soft-tissue problems bothered some evaluators, and the hamstring injury that has put him on IR to open the season will only reinforce those concerns. The Saints can say this injury is different from his previous issues, but it remains a red flag.

Meanwhile, the Commanders are a team that really needs to get off to a fast start. Insiders continue to share information that head coach Dan Quinn could be on shaky ground in Washington.That pressure could intensify with evaluators and scouts recently confirming that we are expected to see a much stronger NFC East this season.

Finally, inside information at the Browns suggests that Deshaun Watson’s time as the starting quarterback is under serious pressure, with news stating that he has only four-to-six weeks to impress, before Shedeur Sanders gets his opportunity, with plenty of interceptions expected in Watson’s immediate future.