The NFL preseason has always been full of mirages, but with the NFL regular-season schedule being lengthened to 17 games (and the preseason being shortened to three), the stat sheet is more misleading than ever.
Starters are getting less and less time on the field, not only because in-game reps seem to be less valuable but also because any action could result in injury with a shorter recovery timeline.
Common practice in the NFL had been to give the starters up to a half during the third preseason game when the format was four games. But teams are still trying to figure out which conventions will work with the new schedule.
“I think it’s kind of a no-win situation to the outside of the building,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after preseason Week 2 of finding a balance. “If somebody gets hurt, (it’s) ‘I can’t believe they played our guys.’ But if we go out and have a stinker, (it’s) ‘I can’t believe they didn’t play them.'”
Rodgers didn’t play at all in the preseason, with backup Jordan Love getting most of the reps for Green Bay and a sprinkling of Danny Etling. On the other hand, Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes saw extended action in each of the first two weeks, throwing 26 passes combined (18 completions).
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To get an idea of how utterly meaningless preseason stats are in the current format, one need look no further than the 2021 stat leaders.
2021 preseason leaders
Nathan Peterman led all passers in the 2021 preseason, and he took every snap under center save for one for the Raiders. He completed 68.5 of his attempts for 593 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. (Case Cookus took the other snap for Vegas as starter Derek Carr sat out the preseason.)
Rhamondre Stevenson of the Patriots led all rushers with 216 yards; he would go on to rush for 206 yards on the season. Green Bay’s Malik Taylor led receivers with 185 yards.
The Marquez Callaway hype train pulled out of the station after an outstanding touchdown catch by the Saints receiver against the Dolphins.
Here’s another look at the second Jameis Winston to Marquez Callaway touchdown of the night: pic.twitter.com/dep87qwtsS
— Amie Just (@Amie_Just) August 24, 2021
2021 NFL preseason passing leaders
| Player | COMP/ATT | YDS | TDs | INTs | RTG |
| Nathan Peterman | 63/92 | 593 | 2 | 4 | 75.1 |
| Tyler Huntley | 60/83 | 551 | 4 | 1 | 101.0 |
| Kyle Lauletta | 44/72 | 514 | 3 | 2 | 85.1 |
| Bryce Perkins | 56/91 | 451 | 3 | 1 | 80.4 |
| Joe Flacco | 33/50 | 449 | 3 | 1 | 106.2 |
2021 NFL preseason rushing leaders
| Player | ATT | YDS | TDs | FUM | YPC |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | 30 | 216 | 5 | 1 | 7.2 |
| Mekhi Sargent | 49 | 187 | 1 | 0 | 3.8 |
| J.J. Taylor | 23 | 179 | 1 | 0 | 7.8 |
| JaMycal Hasty | 35 | 176 | 3 | 1 | 5.0 |
| Nate McCrary | 42 | 163 | 1 | 0 | 3.9 |
2021 NFL preseason receiving leaders
| Player | REC | YDS | TDs | DROP | TGTS |
| Malik Taylor | 14 | 185 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Terrace Marshall Jr. | 9 | 181 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Dezmon Patmon | 11 | 173 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Marquez Callaway | 8 | 165 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Rodney Adams | 10 | 161 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
Mileage on the question “How many of these names do you recognize?” will vary, but at first blush the most recognizable names from this list are Peterman, Huntley (who started four games in the regular season when Lamar Jackson was hurt), Flacco (of course), Stevenson, Marshall and Callaway.
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2022 preseason leaders
In 2022, Sam Howell led all passers while DeeJay Dallas was the rushing leader. Lance McCutcheon led all wide receivers. Could any of these players make waves in the regular season?
2022 NFL preseason passing leaders
| Player | COM/ATT | YDS | TDs | INTs | RTG |
| Sam Howell | 43/69 | 547 | 1 | 1 | 85.8 |
| Trace McSorley | 46/85 | 536 | 1 | 2 | 67.6 |
| Anthony Brown | 35/47 | 464 | 3 | 1 | 117.7 |
| Bailey Zappe | 45/71 | 462 | 1 | 3 | 69.1 |
| Kyle Trask | 43/67 | 457 | 1 | 2 | 76.5 |
2022 NFL preseason rushing leaders
| Player | ATT | YDS | TDs | FUM | YPC |
| DeeJay Dallas | 28 | 163 | 1 | 0 | 5.8 |
| Jason Huntley | 35 | 163 | 2 | 1 | 4.7 |
| Malik Willis | 14 | 159 | 1 | 0 | 11.4 |
| Brittain Brown | 34 | 152 | 2 | 1 | 4.5 |
| Caleb Huntley | 38 | 138 | 1 | 0 | 3.6 |
2022 NFL preseason receiving leaders
| Player | REC | YDS | TDs | DROPs | TARGETS |
| Lance McCutcheon | 15 | 259 | 2 | 0 | 21 |
| Andy Isabella | 14 | 226 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Tim Jones | 14 | 219 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Kendric Pryor | 13 | 182 | 1 | 0 | 19 |
| Jalen Virgil | 9 | 180 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
The Seahawks’ rushing leaders in the 2022 preseason were Dallas and Travis Homer. While their performances landed them both a roster spot, the battle for RB1 is still between Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Walker III when they’re both healthy.
All in all, the teams that are fielded in the preseason are less indicative of the regular season than ever, so there’s no need to overreact to the stats that are produced. With a longer season, less time to prepare for it, and joint practices leading up to the preseason, coaches are being conservative about who sees game action.
That will continue to be the case until a new preseason normal is established. Perhaps not playing starters at all will become the new normal. That seems to be the direction it’s moving as coaches and general managers have less time to make more roster decisions. Why waste reps on players they know will be making the team?
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