The first full week of the 2026 NFL preseason is officially in the books, and if these early games are any indication, we’re in for a wild regular season. From first-round quarterbacks silencing their doubters to undrafted free agents making highlight-reel cases for roster spots, Week 1 delivered plenty of surprises.
Here’s a look at the biggest storylines that have everyone talking.
The Ty Simpson Show
Let’s start with the most eyebrow-raising performance of the weekend. When the Los Angeles Rams selected Ty Simpson out of Alabama with the No. 13 overall pick in April, plenty of analysts scratched their heads. It felt like a reach for a Super Bowl contender.
Maybe those analysts owe the Rams an apology.
In his preseason debut against the Kansas City Chiefs, Simpson was nothing short of sensational. He completed 21 of 25 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns — no interceptions — posting a crisp 125.0 passer rating. He led the Rams to a 20-12 comeback victory, doing most of his damage against the Chiefs’ reserves but showing the kind of poise and command that made him the second quarterback taken in the draft.
“I definitely felt more comfortable than I ever had coming into a game, but I also didn’t know what to expect,” Simpson said afterward.
Rams coach Sean McVay was equally impressed: “I thought he took what the defense gave him. I thought he read the plays out, read with his feet. I thought he did a really good job overall” .
Simpson is currently the No. 3 quarterback behind Matthew Stafford and Stetson Bennett. But if he keeps performing like this, that depth chart might need some rearranging sooner rather than later.
The Undrafted Sensation: Camden Brown
If Simpson was the headliner, Camden Brown was the show-stealer.
The undrafted rookie wide receiver out of Georgia Southern didn’t just have a good game for the Dallas Cowboys — he had a spectacular one. Against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, Brown caught all three of his targets for 62 yards and two touchdowns, including a jaw-dropping one-handed grab that will be on highlight reels all season.
“When the ball is in the air, it’s mine,” Brown said after the game. “That’s always been the mindset… I feel like I get to prove people wrong again. That’s just who I am. That’s been my whole life story.”
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer praised the rookie’s consistency: “The game is not too big for him. He does that every day in practice” .
With CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin locking up the top four receiver spots, Brown is now firmly in the mix for the No. 5 role — and it’s hard to imagine the Cowboys letting him go anywhere else.
More Rookies Who Turned Heads
Simpson and Brown weren’t the only first-year players making noise.
Cade Klubnik, QB, Jets: The fourth-round pick got a surprise start after Geno Smith was scratched with a sore ankle. Klubnik led the starting offense to a field goal and a touchdown in his only two series, strengthening his case for the No. 2 job.
Emmett Johnson, RB, Chiefs: The fifth-round pick was “the biggest bright spot” for Kansas City’s offense, rushing 12 times for 59 yards. Andy Reid called him a “major bright spot” despite the loss.
Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, Ravens: The rookie caught three passes for 38 yards and a touchdown, including a 16-yard score that showcased his physicality.
Ahmed Hassanein, DE, Lions: The second-year edge rusher (a 2025 sixth-round pick) was dominant against the Bengals, recording two sacks, five quarterback pressures, and an 89.9 PFF grade — the highest for either team.
Drew Allar, QB, Steelers: The third-round pick was ranked by CBS Sports as the No. 1 rookie quarterback performance of Week 1.
The Injury Scare: Jeremiyah Love
Not every preseason surprise was a happy one.
Jeremiyah Love, the Cardinals’ No. 3 overall pick, looked every bit the game-breaker Arizona hoped for — rushing for 58 yards and adding 14 receiving yards before leaving with an injury.
The concern? Love suffered a high ankle sprain and is unlikely to play again this preseason. The bigger controversy came from his workload: 14 touches in one half of an exhibition game.
Former NFL scout John Middlekauff didn’t hold back: “14 touches in a preseason game for Love, were the coaches drunk?”
Even Love admitted the workload caught him off guard. The Cardinals are hopeful he’ll be ready for the regular-season opener on Sept. 13, but the incident has already sparked a debate about how much teams should risk their top investments in meaningless games.
Elsewhere on the injury front:
Veteran defender Jamal Adams suffered a season-ending knee injury in his Vikings debut and was carted off the field
Cardinals rookie OG Chase Bisontis may miss the entire year with a torn MCL
Jets QB Geno Smith sat out with ankle soreness — a “day-to-day” situation that has some calling for the team to add veteran insurance
Veteran Notes: Justin Fields Debuts
On a more positive note, Justin Fields made his preseason debut for the Chiefs, completing all four of his passes in his lone quarter of action.
Fields was signed as insurance while Patrick Mahomes recovers from knee surgery, but the two-time MVP is reportedly ahead of schedule and expected to be ready for Week 1 against Denver. Mahomes’ only appearance on Saturday? The coin toss.
The Preseason
football is rarely about the final score. It’s about the stories that emerge — the rookies who announce their arrival, the underdogs who refuse to fade, and the injuries that remind us how fragile this sport can be.
Week 1 gave us all three in abundance. Ty Simpson looks like the real deal. Camden Brown might have just played his way onto a roster. Jeremiyah Love’s injury has sparked a necessary conversation about player safety. And somewhere out there, a dozen more undrafted free agents are waiting for their chance to make a name for themselves.
The regular season is still a few weeks away. But if the preseason is any preview, 2026 is going to be unforgettable.
