With the NFL moving to a three-game preseason and with Week 2 behind us, the regular season is right around the corner.
It will be telling as to how NFL teams handle Week 3 of the preseason.
In most years, Week 3 would be the time to get your starters some reps.
But with it being the final preseason game, maybe teams rest their starters.
As for Week 2, NFL fans got a glimpse of where their teams stand heading into the season.
For better or for worse, these three players really stood out and gave both their NFL franchises and fans something to think about.
3. Jameis Winston
New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston has been in a battle with Taysom Hill all offseason for the right to replace Drew Brees.
Winston made his claim in Week 2 and could have potentially locked the job up.
In a 23-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Winston completed nine-of-10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
He averaged 12.3 yards per throw and had a quarterback rating of 157.5.
Both of his touchdown passes went to sophomore receiver Marquez Callaway.
The first came when Winston split two defenders and put the ball perfectly in Callaway’s hands.
JAMEIS WITH A DOT TO MARQUEZ CALLAWAY 🎯
(via @Saints) pic.twitter.com/BeYIaxvuFk
— ESPN (@espn) August 24, 2021
The second came when Winston lifted the ball over a defender and again placed the ball where only Callaway could grab it.
He did it again: Marquez Callaway and Jameis Winston is a 🔥🔥🔥 connection.
Callaway was an undrafted free agent in 2020. He's going off tonight. pic.twitter.com/aOPXq1caUD
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 24, 2021
Following the contest, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Winston is the leader for the Saints starting quarterback job.
From @NFLTotalAccess: #Saints QB Jameis Winston has emerged as the favorite to start in New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/8CrM8qwey2
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 24, 2021
Winston has been sporadic during his time as a starting quarterback.
In 2019, his final season starting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Winston led the league with 5,109 passing yards.
He also led the league in interceptions with 30.
Now, it appears he will have another shot at being a starting quarterback with New Orleans.
Currently on a one-year deal, Winston will have an opportunity to set himself up for a big payday next offseason.
2. Mitchell Trubisky
In Week 2, Mitchell Trubisky and the Buffalo Bills took on the Chicago Bears.
Of course, Trubisky spent the first four years of his career with the Bears after being the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Things soured as Chicago declined Trubisky’s fifth-year option.
The quarterback opted to sign a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Bills.
In his first game back at Soldier Field, Trubisky got the start for Buffalo.
He went on to complete 20-of-28 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown.
Trubisky averaged 7.9 yards per completion and had a 106.4 quarterback rating as the Bills won 41-15.
Mitch Trubisky’s first four drives vs. Bears
🔸 Touchdown (72 Yards)
🔸 Touchdown (64 Yards)
🔸 Touchdown (53 Yards)
🔸 Touchdown (34 Yards) pic.twitter.com/qaF3lC4ko9— PFF (@PFF) August 21, 2021
For now, Trubisky will be Josh Allen‘s backup in Buffalo.
But performances like these show why he was selected so high in 2017.
Time will tell if Trubisky ever gets an opportunity to be a starting quarterback in the NFL again.
His performance against Chicago proves he has more than a little gas left in the tank.
1. Ja’Marr Chase
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Ja’Marr Chase with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
He is expected to enter a wide receiver room that already featured Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins, elevating the Bengals to one of the best passing offenses in the NFL.
Chase shined during his two seasons at LSU.
In 2019, playing alongside Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Chase caught 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns as the Tigers won the National Championship.
But Chase didn’t play like a national champion in Cincinnati’s Week 2 loss against the Washington Football Team.
Chase saw three targets and dropped all three of them.
Bengals rookie WR Ja'Marr Chase (fifth overall pick) with three targets, three drops in his second preseason game. 🏈 pic.twitter.com/hQw1Ak2y0U
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) August 21, 2021
All three drops came on third down.
Following the contest, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told ESPN’s Ben Baby that they aren’t concerned about Chase’s performance:
“By no means are we down on Ja’Marr,” Taylor said before Sunday’s practice. “He’s just going through some of the things rookies go through in training camp, and we expect him to improve over the course of this week.”
It’s still just one preseason game and Chase has time to turn it around, but his performance against Washington was shocking.
Despite having glaring holes on the offensive line, the Bengals opted to use a top-five pick on Chase.
They’ll need him to turn his play around in a hurry before Chase becomes a real concern for Cincinnati.
NEXT: 3 Most Devastating Injuries In 2021 NFL Preseason