2023 NFL Preseason Week 2 Competitions and Quarterbacks

2023 NFL Preseason Week 2 Competitions and Quarterbacks

Who will play in Week 2 of the preseason? Many of the gameplans are out and some coaches won’t. Let’s take a look at the best storylines for Week 2 in preseason along with projected starters at quarterbacks.

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Cleveland at Philadelphia

Deshaun Watson played last week and is expected to play again in Week 3. He played limited last week, but the Browns would like to take a longer look at fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson. DTR gets the start over Joshua Dobbs and Kellen Mond. Thompson-Robinson could win the backup job because he has looked very good in the preseason and training camp.

Philadelphia hasn’t announced a starting quarterback, but most likely will return to Marcus Mariota, who played some last week in Baltimore. They also used Rashaad Penny a lot as he rushed for 34 yards on nine attempts. D’Andre Swift also enters the picture and had two carries last week for 24 yards. There is no need to play Swift an awful lot because he’s a proven back.

Friday, August 18, 2023

Carolina at. NY Giants

Bryce Young will get another look at quarterback for the Panthers. But if the offensive line doesn’t give him enough time, then his stint will be short again. That means Matt Corral should get a lot of time. The good news is that the Giants are limited on the defensive line as several backups are injured including Leonard Williams.

The Giants played backup QB Tyrod Taylor for just two possessions last week, which is fine because they know what he’s capable of. Rookie Tommy DeVito played most of the game and is likely to do the same again.

Cincinnati at Atlanta

The Bengals were bad on both sides of the ball last week in a 36-19 loss to Green Bay. Zac Taylor should stick to the game plan and keep out most of his regulars. Joe Burrow (calf) is certainly not going to play. Jake Browning and Trevor Siemian will now battle it out for the backup job and this is crucial, considering the fact that Burrow could miss the opener.

Falcons’ fans should get a chance to see explosive rookie RB Bijan Robinson this week. QB Desmond Ridder could also play after not playing in the first week. Ridder is one of the few starting quarterbacks who can use the time.

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Ben Hayes

Ben has been a sports writer for over 35 years, dabbling in college and pro basketball, college and pro football, baseball, college lacrosse, minor league baseball and even college gymnastics. He's also been involved in the gaming industry for nearly 30 years and has been looking to beat the books since he was 13! Ben has had great success in handicapping college football, the NFL, college basketball, the NBA and MLB for 27+ years. His Twitter handle is @BenHayesWAW