Superstars are not made in the preseason, but eyebrows can certainly be raised and a spotlight can be shown on players who dominate in the exhibition games.
2016 NFL preseason schedule: Arian Foster’s Dolphins debut vs. Cowboys highlights Friday’s games
All eyes will be on Arian Foster and Dak Prescott on Friday night.
In 2010, undrafted rookie Victor Cruz caught three touchdowns and racked up 145 receiving yards in a preseason game for the New York Giants, and while he spent most of the year on injured reserve, it turned out to be a sign of things to come for the receiver.
If there was a star in the first week of preseason, it was Dallas Cowboys fourth-round pick Dak Prescott, who finished his debut against the Los Angeles Rams 8-of-9 passing for 122 yards and two touchdowns, completely outshining No. 1 pick Jared Goff.
Jerry Jones was impressed enough to call off the search for a veteran backup for Tony Romo, but that means the pressure is on Prescott to continue his strong play against the Miami Dolphins.
Miami will also have a new face to watch on Friday night, barring a change of mind from head coach Adam Gase, who told reporters that Arian Foster will make his debut for the team. The longtime Houston Texans running back has suffered through a litany of injuries, but if he has returned to form it would be a welcomed addition for an offense that finished No. 23 in rushing yards in 2015.
Foster’s debut with the Dolphins and the return of Prescott will be nationally broadcast on NFL Network, but full listings for local coverage can be found on 506Sports.com. Here’s the three-game slate for Friday, along with our watchability ranking for each matchup:
New York Jets at Washington
7:30 p.m. ET
Away: WCBS-CBS 2, Home: WRC-Cozi 4.2, CSN Mid-Atlantic
The quarterback situation for the Jets has been under the microscope, but it didn’t get too many people excited in the first week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw just four passes, while Geno Smith and Bryce Petty each completed about half of their passes. None had a bad night, but none showed much either, and rookie Christian Hackenberg never even saw the field. The Washington defense gave Matt Ryan a rough night last week, so it’ll be the Jets quarterbacks that again are most worth watching.
Watchability: 2 out of 5
Miami Dolphins at Dallas Cowboys
8 p.m. ET
National: NFL Network, Away: WFOR-CBS 4, Home: KTVT-CBS 11
There’s just no doubt which two players will draw the most eyes on Friday night. Prescott’s spectacular debut has Cowboys fans excited and Dolphins fans are surely interested to see what kind of gas Foster still has in the tank. But aside from that, an interesting matchup will be the anemic Cowboys pass rush against the struggling Dolphins offensive line. The losing positional group in that battle can be pushed to DEFCON 4 at the minimum.
Watchability: 4 out of 5
Arizona Cardinals at San Diego Chargers
9 p.m. ET
Away: KNXV-ABC 15, Home: KFMB-CBS 8
Joey Bosa is grabbing all the headlines for the Chargers with his holdout, and it didn’t help that last week DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry blew through the San Diego defensive line with ease. Keeping David Johnson in check would allow for a huge sigh of relief for the Chargers, but that’s a tall task, especially after the second-year running back looked tremendous last week. The Cardinals have Super Bowl hopes, so they rarely take their high-powered offense out of first gear in the preseason and it’ll likely be the same on Friday night.
Watchability: 2 out of 5
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