Get ready to watch draft pick No. 1 vs. pick No. 2 in a preseason battle
Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley will battle it out (kind of) in a Thursday night preseason showdown.
Thursday night will feature 12 thrilling football games to kick off the official first week of the NFL preseason.
The marquis game of the night pits the Browns against the Giants for some terrible (cough, preseason) football featuring the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft: quarterback Baker Mayfield against the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft: running back Saquon Barkley. They’ll never be on the field at the same time as they both play on offense, but their teams are facing off live on NFL Network at 7 p.m. ET.
If you decide to watch this game, quarterback play will be one of the main storylines. For the Giants, Eli Manning is entrenched as the starter (and he wants to play on Thursday), but is his successor on the current roster? Do any of Davis Webb, Kyle Lauletta or Alex Tanney have what it takes to be a starting NFL quarterback?
I went to Giants training camp last Friday and the backup quarterback play was a scary sight. Lauletta was a fourth round pick this year, so he’ll need time to develop in the NFL. Webb, now in his second NFL season after joining the Giants as a third round pick, was downright bad on Friday at camp. And Tanney is currently with his eighth NFL team since going undrafted out of Monmouth College (Illinois) in 2012. The backup quarterback situation isn’t all that promising in New York so the Giants will be closely watching that throughout the preseason.
As for the Browns, the expectation is Tyrod Taylor will be starting in Week 1 of the regular season and Mayfield will be his backup. But, how close is Mayfield to being ready to start? He is the future in Cleveland -- so they hope -- and he’s expected to play “quite a bit” on Thursday. Behind Taylor and Mayfield on the depth chart are Drew Stanton and Brogan Roback. So we should get a look at all four of them for varying lengths of time on Thursday.
Here’s more of what to watch if you’re interested in the Giants, and a defensive lineman worth keeping an eye on for the Browns.
Featured Stories
Exploring the (weird) story of the first ‘John Madden Football’ game
A game that John Madden influenced heavily has a more interesting story behind it than you’d think.
Ranking the 2018 rookies by position for fantasy football
Looking to capture a strong rookie performance in fantasy football? You’ll be taking a gamble on an unproven pro but we’ve got the advice you need.
Here’s why Kelvin Benjamin trashed Cam Newton
There’s more to this than Cam supposedly being inaccurate.
What Fans are Talking About
The Martavis Bryant to the Raiders experiment isn’t off to a good start
The Patriots are working out former Washington CB Bashaud Breeland
Browns rookie WR Antonio Callaway cited for marijuana possession
Rookie Jaylen Samuels could be the latest ‘Swiss Army Knife’ for the Steelers
Joey Bosa was injured during Chargers training camp as more injuries mount
Here’s how the Falcons have the offensive personnel to match up with any defense
Patrick Mahomes may have some LeBron James to his game. Wait, what?
Mike Zimmer says the Vikings did NOT contact Richie Incognito
Robert Saleh thinks rugby-style tackling technique gives 49ers advantage with new helmet rule
The Tavon Austin hype train is picking up serious steam in Dallas
Tweet of the Day
A 6-year-old cancer survivor torched the Jets for an unforgettable touchdown that’s sure to be the best of the 2018 preseason.
He’s a cancer survivor.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 5, 2018
And now Gio’s going the distance on the field, too.
What a run! #GioStrong pic.twitter.com/ellgkINxDu
Subscribe here to get Rise ‘n Grind delivered straight to your inbox!