4 NFL preseason rookie debuts all football fans should be excited for

QB Trevor Lawrence

Opponent: Cleveland Browns, Saturday, August 14th at 7:00 PM ET

According to statements from head coach Urban Myer, there is an open competition this preseason for the starting quarterback job between Trevor Lawrence and Gardner Minshew. I don’t buy it. You probably shouldn’t either.

While Minshew’s story as an undrafted free agent to an NFL starter is inspiring, Jacksonville didn’t spend the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to take one of the highest-graded quarterback prospects of all time to have him sit and watch from the bench.

Still, it’s interesting as to why the Jags would even say this job is up for grabs. In his first NFL preseason action, Lawrence gets a matchup against a young, but talented Cleveland Browns defense. It’s unknown at this time how many starters will be participating in this contest, but the Browns have some stingy pass rushers and should have a much-improved secondary this year.

One thing I want to see from Lawrence is the willingness to consistently look down the field. My biggest knock on his game in college was his average depth of target, and I feel like he was too complacent at times to stick with the short passing game. With all the talent in the world, it will be interesting to see if he can carve up Cleveland’s defense from the gate.