Hello football friends, and welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!The second week of the preseason is officially in the books, and I have to say, this might go down as the greatest special teams weekend of preseason football in NFL history. We got a 69-YARD FIELD GOAL from Harrison Butker, the 49ers had an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown and a rookie quarterback had to fill in as the punter. Nothing says preseason football like a rookie signal-caller being forced to punt.
Speaking of preseason, the Browns played over the weekend, and the fans in Cleveland spent half the game booing Deshaun Watson. However, it doesn’t seem like those boos had any impact on the starting QB battle, which we’ll get to below.
As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. Let’s get to the rundown.
1. Deshaun Watson wins Browns QB battle just days after calling out fan base
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The Browns QB battle is officially over, and Cleveland fans are getting exactly what they didn’t want: Deshaun Watson being named the starter over Shedeur Sanders. This means Watson will be the starting quarterback in Week 1 when the Browns travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars, but how much longer will he keep the job after that? Let’s break everything down, starting with the boos from Saturday.
Watson got booed during Cleveland’s preseason loss Saturday
Watson didn’t see any action until the third quarter, and once he stepped on the field, he got booed pretty much every time he touched the ball. To make matters worse, he actually called out the fans for booing him in his postgame press conference.
“I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson mentioned. “It’s a little bit more personal than that. So, I think it’s a disrespectful thing.”
This might be the least self-aware response any NFL player has ever given at a press conference. Before being traded to Cleveland, he was accused of sexual assault by more than two dozen massage therapists.
And on the field, he’s been a total bust in Cleveland: He’s only played in 19 games over four seasons and hasn’t been good. In Saturday’s game, he finished 5 of 12 for 36 yards with an interception.
Monken mentioned Watson’s postgame comments wouldn’t impact his starting QB decision, which ended up being the case.
Although Sanders appeared to have outplayed Watson in Cleveland’s two preseason games, Monken was likely swayed by what he saw in training camp. Monken is implementing a new offense in his first year with the Browns, so he was always going to give the job to the QB who’s been running it better, and he seems to think that’s Watson.
Now let’s take a look at what this means for the Browns.
- Watson will make his first start in nearly two years. When Watson takes the field in Jacksonville on Sept. 13, it will mark his first start since Oct. 20, 2024. Watson tore his Achilles that day and hasn’t played in a regular-season game since. In March 2025, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admitted the Watson trade was a mistake. “We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun,” Haslam mentioned. “We thought we had the quarterback, we didn’t and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole.” After that comment, it seemed likely Watson would never start another game for the Browns, but here we are.
- How long will Watson start? One interesting thing about the Browns’ schedule is that they open with their first two games on the road: at Jacksonville and at Tampa Bay. Watson actually sounds happy about playing away from Cleveland. “I feel like I get more love on road games than I do home games,” Watson mentioned Saturday. “If it is my spot and he does make me the [starter], maybe it’s 17 away games then. I don’t know.” That sets up a situation where if the Browns go 0-2, they could bench Watson and let Sanders start the home opener in Week 3 against the Panthers. On the other hand, if the Browns somehow went 2-0 with Watson, fans would probably be a lot less likely to boo him.
This feels like a situation where the Browns are simply trying to salvage what they can after making the worst trade in NFL history in 2022, when they gave up three first-round picks along with a third-round pick and two fourth-round picks to acquire Watson from Houston.
As part of the deal, the QB landed a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract that expires after this year. The Browns are on the hook to pay Watson $46 million this season whether he plays or not, and that could be why the organization is giving him one more chance.
If you want the full story on the Browns’ QB decision, we’ve got that here.
2. NFL preseason: Winners and losers from Week 2
The second week of the preseason is officially in the books, and like we do every week, we have some winners and losers. Garrett Podell and Zach Pereles teamed up for this week’s list.
Here are two winners and two losers from Week 2:
Winners
- Broncos QB Bo Nix. Before this weekend, the last time Nix was on a football field, he was fresh off breaking his ankle in an overtime victory over the Bills in the AFC divisional round. He returned to action in Week 2 of the preseason and thrived in his two drives, helping generate 10 points in Denver’s 33-13 loss to the Packers. Nix finished with 76 yards and a touchdown on 6 of 9 passing. Not a bad way to shake off the rust after suffering a broken ankle.
- Jets defense. The 2025 New York Jets became the first team in NFL history to finish a season with zero interceptions in a regular season. That dry spell unofficially ended in Week 2 of the preseason when they picked off Will Howard twice while also pitching a shutout in a 17-0 win over the Steelers.
Losers
- Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy got beat up playing behind Minnesota’s backup offensive line, and that’s a significant part of the rocky performance that he had during the Vikings’ 13-3 loss to Baltimore. The numbers on the surface aren’t awful: 5-for-10 for 81 yards and one sack. But fifty of those 81 yards came on a deep jump ball that Tai Felton happened to win. What happened thereafter gave us the full picture of where McCarthy is. On second-and-goal, he fired a ball too high for Felton in the back of the end zone. On fourth-and-goal, he missed a wide-open Myles Price — again, way, way too high — in the front of the end zone. They’re both throws that have to be made; the second one should be completed with his eyes closed. There were at least two other instances of McCarthy missing open guys, either high or wide (or both).
- Chargers punter JK Scott. Scott earns a spot on this list for how he allowed San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jacob Cowing to take his punt back 83 yards for the score. Scott had a chance to make a tackle on Cowing near the 49ers’ 45-yard line, but instead of feigning any interest in bringing down San Francisco’s return man, he sidestepped out of the way, almost appearing to hold the door open for him. (If you want to see just how ugly Scott’s effort was, be sure to watch the play here.)
If you want to see our full list of winners and losers, be sure to click here.
3. NFL preseason overreactions: Should Tua Tagovailoa be worried about losing Falcons QB battle?
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Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that’s especially true when we’re talking about the NFL. With that in mind, Carter Bahns decided to take a look at several things that happened during the second week of the preseason to decide if we’re all overreacting.
Statement: De’Zhaun Stribling will win Offensive Rookie of the Year
- Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
A week after he racked up seven catches for 63 yards in San Francisco’s preseason opener, Stribling tied with KhaDarel Hodge for the most catches (four) and yards (46) of any 49er in Week 2.
Importantly, three of those catches came on connections with starting quarterback Brock Purdy. The two were on the same page from the get-go in the rout of the Chargers and strung together three completions on the opening drive. Stribling then hauled in a 21-yard grab from Mac Jones on the team’s second possession.
Stribling, the No. 33 overall pick in April’s draft, saw his Rookie of the Year odds spike. Per DraftKings, his +1100 odds are the fifth-shortest behind only Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Fernando Mendoza and Carnell Tate.
Statement: Packers have solved their kicking woes
- Overreaction or reality: Reality
The Packers’ search to find a successor to Mason Crosby since his departure in 2022 has been anything but smooth. It appears that they finally have an answer, however.
They were the only team to use a draft pick on a kicker in 2026, and it looks like an astute move. Sixth-rounder Trey Smack has been a preseason standout. In Week 1, Smack drilled a 58-yard field goal and matched that distance on a kick that was ultimately waved off for a defensive penalty. He went 3-for-3 in his professional debut.
That was just the start of it. He was even better this week by making all four of his field goal attempts, with two coming from more than 50 yards out. His longest was a 59-yard blast.
Statement: Tua Tagovailoa should watch his back
- Overreaction or reality: Reality
Tagovailoa’s grasp on the starting QB role is tenuous. The threat to Tagovailoa is twofold. First, he has been underwhelming in camp. Second, Michael Penix Jr. has been cleared for 11-on-11 work and figures to make a run at the job. This always figured to be a two-man battle, and now that Penix is healthy, he has about three weeks to make up ground and potentially leap past his fellow southpaw.
There are plenty more overreactions from the second week of the preseason, and if you want to check those out, you can do that here.
4. Grading every rookie QB based on how they played during preseason Week 2
For the second straight week, we’re breaking down how each rookie quarterback looked during the preseason.
Carter Bahns was in charge of handing out these grades, so let’s check out one good grade, one bad grade and one ugly grade.
Patriots’ Behren Morton: A
Breakdown: After Tommy DeVito played the first half, Morton took all the second-half snaps in the Patriots’ 24-21 win over the Eagles. That timeshare gave him the opportunity to flex his clutch gene. The second of his two touchdown drives decided the game. Trailing 21-17 with about a minute to play, Morton unleashed a 37-yard strike to Nick DeGennaro, who beat his defender to get into the end zone for the game-winner. It put the final touches on a splendid 13-for-17 day for Morton in which he accumulated 129 yards through the air.
NOTE: Morton also served as the team’s PUNTER after Patriots starter Bryce Baringer had to leave the game because he wasn’t feeling good.
Steelers’ Drew Allar: C
Breakdown: It was always going to be a massive ask for Drew Allar to replicate the kind of magic he displayed in Week 1. He did not come particularly close to repeating that three-touchdown effort. The most positive takeaway from Week 2 was that he was turnover-free; Will Howard, in comparison, threw two interceptions before giving way to his backup. Still, Allar took three sacks and completed fewer than 50% of his 23 throws, and the Steelers gained just six first downs with him under center in the second half.
Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza: D
Breakdown: The No. 1 overall pick threw an 80-yard pick-six on the Raiders’ opening possession, and he finished his first start 8-for-15 for 86 yards. He also took a sack for an 11-yard loss in the Raiders’ 22-20 win over the Texans.
Bahns graded 15 rookie quarterbacks, and if you want to see his full list of grades, we’ve got those here.
5. CBS Sports NFL All-Breakout team: Three Bears players crack list on offense
CBS Sports Design
Over the next two weeks, we’ll be making a lot of predictions and unveiling a lot of lists here at CBS Sports, and that starts today with our annual All-Breakout team. We rounded up 13 NFL experts here at CBS Sports, and we all voted on the top breakout candidates for the 2026 season.
We have an All-Breakout team for offense and a separate one for defense, but today, we’re only going to unveil who made the list on the offensive side of the ball.
ALL-BREAKOUT TEAM
QB: Caleb Williams (Bears)
RB: Bhayshul Tuten (Jaguars)
WR: Luther Burden III (Bears)
WR: De’Zhaun Stribling (49ers)
WR: Josh Downs (Colts)
TE: Colston Loveland (Bears)
TE: Tucker Kraft (Packers)
And now, this is the part where I tell you that I voted for Jaxson Dart as my breakout QB. As far as I’m concerned, Williams had his breakout year last season — he ranked in the top-7 in both passing yards and TD passes — so I didn’t view him as a breakout option this year, but clearly, everyone disagreed with me.
Either way, the Bears have three players on this team and if they all have a breakout season, Chicago’s offense is going to be unstoppable. If you want to see everyone who made the cut on our offensive All-Breakout team, including the O-linemen who cracked the list, we’ve got that here.
6. Extra points: 49ers owner arrested in Ohio
It’s been a busy few days around the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything, I put together a quick roundup for you.
- Jed York arrested in Ohio. The 49ers owner was arrested on suspicion of engaging in prostitution on Sunday in East Palestine, Ohio, according to court documents obtained by KRON4 in San Francisco. York eventually pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools, WKBN-TV in Ohio stated. York was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, which is about 20 miles away from East Palestine and likely explains why he was in Ohio at all over the weekend.
- Ashton Jeanty dealing with sprained ankle. The Raiders running back could miss some time after going down with an injury during practice Sunday. Jeanty is believed to have sprained his ankle, per ESPN, but it’s not clear if it’s a low sprain or a high sprain. If it’s the latter, Jeanty could be out for several weeks. CBS Sports NFL fantasy writer Dave Richard was actually at Raiders practice on Sunday when the injury happened, and you can read his dispatch from Las Vegas here.
- Saints and 49ers make a trade. The two teams pulled off a player-for-player trade on Sunday night: The Saints will be sending linebacker Deion Jones to the 49ers in exchange for running back Zamir White. Jones, who has been in the NFL since 2016, will reunite with 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. The two spent five seasons together in Atlanta (2016-20) after the Falcons selected Jones in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. As for White, he gives the Saints some depth at running back, which the team was in need of after losing Alvin Kamara to injury for at least a month. We graded the trade, and you can see what we handed out here.
- An NFL player is actually heading back to college. Last week, we mentioned there were four NFL players who might end up going back to college, and it looks like that’s actually going to happen. The Browns released Dae’Quan Wright on Sunday, and as long as he doesn’t get claimed on waivers today, the tight end is planning to play for LSU in 2026. Browns head coach Todd Monken was asked about the situation over the weekend and revealed an interesting nugget. “Man, ain’t that shit crazy?” Monken mentioned of Wright likely going back to college. “I wondered why [LSU coach] Lane Kiffin reached out a week ago. Now I know.”
- Saints add a third kicker. The Saints have been holding a kicking battle between Tanner Brown and Charlie Smyth, but it looks like both guys might end up losing. According to ESPN, the team added Daniel Carlson on Monday. The former All-Pro kicker instantly becomes the favorite to win the job, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be the winner. Last year, Carlson was a perfect 16 of 16 from 45 yards and in, but he was just 6 of 11 (54.5%) from outside 45 yards. If he can’t improve on that number, the Saints might have to go with Brown or Smyth.
- Michael Penix Jr. has been cleared for all football activities. The Falcons QB battle can officially start. Although Penix has been on the field at training camp, he only participated in 7-on-7 drills. But the former first-round pick can now take part in 11-on-11 drills, which could change things in Atlanta. If Penix looks sharp over the next week or two, the Falcons could make the decision to start him over Tua Tagovailoa. CBS Sports insider Matt Zenitz stated that Penix has been impressing the Falcons behind the scenes over the past few weeks, so things are certainly going to get interesting. You can read Zenitz’s full take on the Tua-Penix situation here.
- Nick Chubb retires. The four-time Pro Bowler has decided to call it quits after eight NFL seasons. When Chubb was in his prime, he was one of the top running backs in the NFL. After the Browns made him a second-round pick in 2018, he went out and averaged 1,268.2 rushing yards per year in his first five seasons with the team, including a career-high 1,525 in 2022. However, Chubb suffered a devastating knee injury during Week 2 of the 2023 season and was never the same after that. He’ll now retire as one of just four players in NFL history to total at least 1,000 carries in his career and average at least 5 yards per carry (5.03). You can read more about his retirement here.
