The 2025 NFL preseason kicked off Thursday and continued through Sunday, with several rookies playing their first snaps.
Week 1 of preseason games served as a first look into the new players on each team, whether they were rookies or offseason acquisitions. To keep you updated on how players fared in their first game action, our NFL Nation reporters summarized the top debuts below.
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Sunday
Chargers 27, Saints 13
Chargers: Evaluating the offensive and defensive lines at practice can be challenging, as players look to keep each other healthy without going full speed often, so defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell hasn’t flashed much. But through two preseason games, he has shown why the Chargers selected him in the third round. Caldwell has been consistently active while creating pressure. On Sunday, he sacked Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough and added four tackles.
Eric Rogers, an undrafted free agent cornerback out of Rutgers, also dazzled Sunday. He picked off two passes, including one from Shough that was returned 43 yards for a touchdown. Outside linebacker Caleb Murphy also had a big day with two sacks, including a strip-sack, to continue a surprising camp that has put him in strong contention to make the team. — Kris Rhim
Next game: at Los Angeles Rams (7 p.m. ET, Saturday)
Saints: The Saints started quarterback Spencer Rattler for most of first half before 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough entered before halftime to run the two-minute offense. Shough was able to drive the team down the field for a field goal.
Shough played most of the second half and had his ups and downs, the highlight of which was a 54-yard touchdown pass to Mason Tipton one series after throwing a pick-six. The interception occurred when targeting Dante Pettis, as Chargers cornerback Eric Rogers jumped the route and returned it for a score. Shough finished 15-of-22 for 165 yards with one touchdown, the one pick and a 86.4 passer rating. — Katherine Terrell
Next game: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
Bears 24, Dolphins 24
Bears: The Bears used first-round tight end Colston Loveland on only six offensive snaps but gave their other two drafted skill players ample work, with second-round wide receiver Luther Burden III and seventh-round running back Kyle Monangai on the field for 25 offensive snaps each.
Burden was targeted three times and turned in two catches for 29 yards, including a sideline play where he picked up a first down and quickly got out of bounds to put Cairo Santos in position for a 57-yard field goal before halftime. Monangai displayed his physical rushing style and willingness to power through contact to the tune of five yards per carry (six carries for 30 yards).
With so much veteran receiver depth, UDFA rookie Jahdae Walker will have a steep climb up the depth chart, but he led the team in receiving (three receptions for 41 yards) and caught a 14-yard touchdown from quarterback Case Keenum. — Courtney Cronin
Next game: vs. Buffalo Bills (8 p.m. ET, Sunday)
Dolphins: Sunday saw a shaky debut for rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers, whose first five passes fell incomplete before he found running back Alexander Mattison on a checkdown. The seventh-round pick out of Texas was also strip-sacked at the Dolphins’ 5-yard line on his second drive of the game. Miami’s backup offensive line didn’t help him much, but Ewers looked like a rookie. He had the opportunity to lead the Dolphins on a game-winning drive but was strip-sacked again on fourth-and-long after mostly struggling throughout the drive. He finished 5-of-19 passing for 91 yards and two lost fumbles.
New backup QB Zach Wilson didn’t fare much better, short-arming a pair of attempts to his tight ends in the flat — one of which, to Tanner Conner, would’ve been an easy touchdown but fell incomplete. But Wilson did complete 5-of-9 passes for 96 yards, playing all but one series in the first half. He was pressured constantly, as the struggles of Miami’s depth linemen affected Wilson’s processing speed. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Next game: at Detroit Lions (1 p.m. ET, Saturday)
Saturday
Steelers 31, Jaguars 25
Steelers: With most of Pittsburgh’s starters sitting this one out, new-to-the-Steelers veterans made the biggest impact.
Safety Juan Thornhill popped — literally — on the Jaguars’ first drive with a big hit on WR Brian Thomas Jr. Then, later in the first half, fellow veteran defensive back Brandin Echols, the team’s top reserve corner, made a statement with a big hit and a pass breakup.
The rookies weren’t quite as successful in their first NFL action. Running back Kaleb Johnson got plenty of opportunities with 22 snaps, but he averaged 2.5 yards on eight carries and was stuffed twice. He also had a bad drop on a Mason Rudolph pass, but he bounced back with a 6-yard catch off play-action in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, first-round pick DL Derrick Harmon played 30 snaps, recording one quarterback pressure and zero tackles. — Brooke Pryor
Next game: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7 p.m. ET, Saturday)
Jaguars: Travis Hunter played both ways against Pittsburgh at EverBank Stadium, but other than that, it was a quiet debut for the Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 pick.
Hunter played 10 snaps on offense — all coming with the first team on the opening drive — and had two catches for 9 yards, with another catch nullified by an illegal block penalty on left guard Ezra Cleveland. Hunter also played eight snaps on defense and had one missed tackle.
Receiver Dyami Brown, signed in free agency after a strong playoff run with Washington, played one series and did not have a target. However, he did have a 7-yard carry on a jet sweep on a fourth-and-1 play from the Jaguars’ 42-yard line. Brown will be the Jaguars’ No. 2 or 3 receiver, depending on how much Hunter plays on offense. — Michael DiRocco
Next game: at New Orleans Saints (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
