NFL Preseason Week 3 Takeaways and 53-Man Roster Predictions

Week 3 of the 2024 NFL preseason continued on Saturday as teams began to shift their focus toward the regular season.

The final preseason games will be the last chance for many players to prove themselves before the cut-down deadline on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Therefore, our NFL Nation reporters will break down their roster projections after each game. Here’s the latest on key roster questions ahead of Tuesday, including final roster spots and position battles.

Saturday’s Games

Seattle Seahawks 37, Cleveland Browns 33
Seahawks: Kenny McIntosh almost certainly locked up his roster spot before Saturday’s preseason finale, but the seventh-round pick from last year is fighting for touches as the third running back. After not playing a single offensive snap as a rookie, McIntosh made a strong case for a change-of-pace role with a 56-yard touchdown run on his only carry, closing out a solid preseason. Dee Eskridge, who had been sidelined for much of the summer due to a hamstring injury, returned with a 79-yard punt return touchdown, showcasing the explosiveness that once made him a second-round pick. Could special teams be his ticket to an unexpected roster spot? — Brady Henderson

Season Opener: vs. Denver Broncos (4:05 p.m. ET, September 8)

Browns: Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Tyler Huntley both made strong cases to be the Browns’ No. 3 quarterback. Thompson-Robinson played the majority of the first half, completing 11 of 20 passes for 115 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown. Huntley played the entire second half, throwing three touchdown passes. General Manager Andrew Berry said he prefers to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, as long as all are deserving, and Cleveland has the luxury of doing so. Whoever does not make it as the third quarterback could be a trade candidate before the cut-down deadline. — Daniel Oyefusi

Season Opener: vs. Dallas Cowboys (4:25 p.m. ET, September 8)

New York Jets 10, New York Giants 6

Jets: With quarterback Aaron Rodgers and all other starters sitting out, the Jets used the finale to evaluate players for the final roster spots. Running back Israel Abanikanda, a 2023 fifth-round pick, helped his case with 83 yards on nine carries, including a 45-yard touchdown. Defensive end Takkarist McKinley, a first-round pick from the Falcons in 2017, capped an impressive summer with 2.5 sacks. McKinley likely played his way onto the roster, especially with Haason Reddick still holding out. This preseason was unique in that coach Robert Saleh decided not to play his starters, believed to be a franchise first. (The exception was a cameo by center Joe Tippmann in the first game.) The goal was to avoid key injuries and build depth. — Rich Cimini

Season Opener: at San Francisco 49ers (8:20 p.m. ET, September 9)

Miami Dolphins 14, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24

Dolphins: Once again, the spotlight was on the battle for the second-string quarterback position. Mike White started and completed 5 of 9 passes for just 37 yards. He narrowly avoided a strip sack that was ruled an incomplete pass after the Buccaneers returned it for a touchdown. Skylar Thompson entered midway through the second quarter and immediately led a touchdown drive. Despite a late interception, this was Thompson’s best outing of the preseason after two underwhelming performances over the past two weeks. However, was it enough to earn him a roster spot? If Friday’s game was decisive, Thompson did enough to claim the No. 2 job.

In non-quarterback news, rookies Jaylen Wright and Malik Washington capped their strong preseasons, and both players should have meaningful roles in the regular season — Wright on offense and Washington in return situations. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

Season Opener: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, September 8)

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