Around the NFC East: Preseason Week 1 Winners, Losers, and Division News

With preseason in full force across the NFL, there is no shortage of notable developments throughout the NFC East. From emerging players and heated practices to injuries and position battles, each team gave its fans something new to monitor.

Dallas Cowboys News

One-handed TD catch for @CamdenBrown7 🔥

📺: #DALvsSEA on CBS11
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/XM2vIx89QL pic.twitter.com/RMemCAmuLX
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 16, 2026

Camden Brown steals the show during Cowboys preseason opener vs. Seahawks

Have a day, Camden Brown. More accurately, have an entire training camp. The undrafted rookie out of Georgia Southern is officially doing what some have failed to do after making play after play in Oxnard: translate his game to the NFL field.

In the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks, the young wide receiver put on one hell of a show in the first two-plus quarters of football.

With more than seven minutes remaining in the second quarter, Brown led all Cowboys' receivers with 62 receiving yards on three catches (three targets) and two touchdowns — one from Sam Howell and another from Joe Milton, and both were jaw-dropping catches.

"When the ball is in the air, it's mine," Brown said of his big preseason outing and electric camp in Oxnard. "That's always been a mindset, from Georgia Southern and Auburn, and just having that mentality, because I feel like just playing football in general is having the right mentality."
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Caleb Downs makes preseason debut vs. Seahawks: 'It was really fun'

For the first time since getting the call as the 11th-overall pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2026 NFL Draft, Caleb Downs suited up to take the field and put in some work — leading the initial charge in the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

Downs participated in a very limited capacity, as expected, but he was able to get his feet wet at Lumen Field, and that matters as he finds his defensive timing at the pro level.

"Yeah, super excited," he said. "[It was a] really fun experience, and I'm excited to have more opportunities in the future."
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Former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman John Niland dies at 82

John Niland, one of the more decorated Cowboys offensive linemen in franchise history, died in McKinney on Saturday morning, his family confirmed. He was 82.

Niland played nine of his 10 NFL seasons with the Cowboys. He was named to six Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams as a left guard. He played in the fame 1967 Ice Bowl against the Green Bay Packers for the NFL Championship and was the starting left guard for the Cowboys in their first Super Bowl title in the 1971 season.

The Cowboys selected Niland fifth overall in the 1966 NFL draft out of Iowa. The Oakland Raiders also drafted Niland in the 13th round of the AFL draft.
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Cowboys' Christian Parker answers important question in first play-calling experience

“We’ve obviously gotten a lot of reps now through OTAs and training camp, so we all had a pretty good feel for how it was going to go with the flow of games,” Robinson said of communicating with Parker. “It was cool to see him just continue that, playing with live bullets.”

If there’s been one question about Parker, it was that: How would he call games? He reminded people that all great defensive coordinators were first-time defensive play-callers at one point. It’s something they had to do. And though it was only a preseason game, Parker — calling plays from the sideline — had a good first experience. The Cowboys' defense allowed an 80-yard scoring drive on the opening drive, fueled by multiple penalties. The Seahawks didn’t score again, finishing with 156 total yards.
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NFC East news roundup — Aug 15, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III (10) passes the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

10 thoughts on the Cowboys 17-7 preseason win over the Seahawks

The preseason did not start out all that great as the defense allowed the Seahawks’ offense to stroll down the field for an opening drive touchdown. The cornerbacks got tagged not once, not twice, but three times for penalties when Caelen Carson and Twikweze Bridges both were flagged for pass interference. Carson also added a facemask penalty on the same drive.

The Cowboys’ offense did not return the favor as they went three-and-out on their opening drive. It didn’t look good at first.
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New York Giants News

Fields went up and got it 🙌

📺: NBC4 pic.twitter.com/HcZqouzlh5
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 15, 2026

Winners and Losers From the Giants' Preseason Opener: Beckham Flashes, Defense Stumbles

Loser:

CB Deonte Banks

This one has to be getting frustrating for the Giants and their fans to watch, but it was another lackluster performance for Deonte Banks whom the team started alongside rookie second-round pick Colton Hood at the outside corner spots after electing to sit Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome II out of the contest.

Banks, whose tenure with the organization has been skating on severely thin ice after the Giants elected to not pick up his rookie fifth-year option, appeared to fall victim to some of the same coverage mistakes that haunted him in 2025 when he posted his worst campaign with a 81.3% opponent reception rate.

Minnesota pounded the Giants defense a little more on the ground during their first offensive series before their second turn was limited to a three-and-out possession. On the third drive, they keyed on Banks and made off with two penalties against him, the first for defensive holding on 1st-and-10 from their 41-yard line and the second for illegal contact on 2nd-and-12 in plus territory.

Instant Analysis: Takeaways from preseason opener

John Harbaugh made his Giants debut at MetLife Stadium and quarterback Jaxson Dart started the preseason opener and threw a touchdown to rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields. Linebacker Jack Kelly, another 2026 draft pick, led the team in tackles, but the Giants ultimately fell to the Vikings, 13-10.

"First opportunity to see us in a game as opposed to a practice, it was good to see," Harbaugh said. "Going to be a lot of great things to look at and work on, get better at, a lot of great things that we felt good about in the game. It'll be play-by-play, player-by-player evaluation that we'll take on tomorrow. So, proud of the guys, I thought they played hard, thought they competed and we'll learn a lot from that game."
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12 instant reactions to Giants' preseason loss to Vikings

1. Jaxson Dart's offseason growing pains are real. The second-year quarterback had some nice throws in his limited playing time, but he seemed to panic when his first read wasn't open. More time in Matt Nagy's system should make him more comfortable progressing through his reads.

2. Devin Singletary is one of the biggest winners of the day. He had a solid run up the middle during New York's second offensive drive, then took a screen pass on third down and long for an explosive gain of 40 yards. Singletary is slamming the door shut on the Giants' battle for the third running back spot.
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Giants vs. Vikings: Rookie report — who played well, and who did not

Arvell Reese (LB)

The Giants’ first draft pick started the game and played 16 snaps, notching two total tackles. Reese was largely as advertised in the draft and in practice reports. He plays with an impressive downhill trigger, quickly closing on running plays. Reese plays very fast, with an accurate first move as well as his twitchy athleticism allowing him to fly to the ball. He also arrives with bad intentions and hits like an absolute truck.

We’ve seen the clips of his tackle in the run game, but instead I want to highlight Reese taking on the Vikings’ fullback. He quickly diagnoses the play, knifes into the gap, and blows up the lead blocker, forcing the running back to cut back. The run goes for 4 yards, but that isn’t Reese’s fault.

Giants Preseason Report Card: Grading Every Linebacker, Defensive Back and Key Special Teamer vs. Vikings

Although we weren’t expecting to see much in terms of how New York Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson planned to deploy his bounty of linebackers, we still got a quick look at a few things that were, shall we say, intriguing.

One such thing was a NASCAR-style package. Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter were the edges, and Chauncey Golston was the inside guy while Darius Alexander was the lone defensive lineman.

Obviously, when the regular season begins, factor in Brian Burns into that lineup–Burns got the night off. But it was a glimpse into how creative Wilson is at getting as many weapons onto the field at once.
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Philadelphia Eagles News

Another takeaway! pic.twitter.com/HMecL70reZ
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 16, 2026

Kelee Ringo: 'Short-term memory is a big part of the game'

"The best thing I can do is focus on my next opportunity," Ringo said of the call after the game. "It just so happened to be less than 10 seconds later."

Rolling right, Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano fired towards receiver Xavier Guillory in the back of the end zone with Ringo in man-on-man coverage.

"I wanted to prevent the inside cut. So, when I realized the play, I actually let (the receiver) stay close as well as seeing the quarterback go through his progressions," Ringo said. "Getting between the quarterback and the receiver when the ball came, I made the most of my opportunity."

"Short term memory is a big part of the game, especially as a corner," Ringo said. "Coach (Nick) Sirianni always talks about in big moments, 'You don't rise to the occasion, you fall to the structure of your habits and the things you've been doing (that) everybody else doesn't see.'"
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Eagles snap count vs. Ravens in preseason opener: 5 takeaways

Cornerback Mac McWilliams played 65 defensive snaps, or 81%, the highest total on the Eagles. Ambry Thomas followed with 57 snaps (71%), while Andre' Sam, Smael Mondon Jr., Zion Wilson and Ty Robinson each played 47 snaps.

Micah Morris and Jake Majors each played 34 offensive snaps, leading the Eagles at 77%. Darius Cooper followed with 29 snaps (66%). The Eagles rotated heavily along the offensive line, with Cameron Williams, Will Lampkin and Joshua Ojukwu each playing 23 snaps. That type of distribution reflects the evaluation process taking place throughout the preseason.
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Roster Move: Eagles sign LB Brandon George

The 25-year-old George is 6-foot-3, 240 pounds. He was signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburgh in 2025. George had seven tackles and a quarterback hit in the 2025 preseason before landing on Injured Reserve with an undisclosed injury. The Chiefs released George in May.

A team captain in his final year at Pittsburgh, George set the school record for most games played with 65. He started all 13 games in 2024 at middle linebacker, registering 80 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovery.

Hayes participated in the team's Rookie Camp on a tryout basis after not being selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. He was signed to the active roster on May 27 before being released on June 5. He returned on August 5.
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Eagles vs. Ravens Preseason: The good, the bad, and the ugly

So, let’s take look. The Eagles were outgained 440 yards to 159, outperformed by surrendering 31 first downs to 6, and what was highly irritable—even for a game that does not count—is 10 penalties for 96 yards. It is preseason, though getting flagged 10 times for nearly 100 yards has more to do with discipline than is does strategy.

The defense was so horrid it made future accountant Joe Fagnano into Joe Montana, completing 22 of 28 for 224 yards and a touchdown. Preseason or no preseason, it was difficult to watch this mess.
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Eagles stock up, stock down after preseason game at Ravens

Stock up

LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr.: Young Trot started the game next to Jihaad Campbell. Both of them played well in this game, but Campbell is the starter so it's expected. Trotter represents a high-level backup. Trotter had a sack on a blitz and had a run stop in the first quarter. He ended up with a sack, 2 QB hits and 5 tackles.

DT Ty Robinson: The 2025 fourth-round pick out of Nebraska got off to a slow start in training camp but has been gaining steam over the last week or so and kept it going against the Ravens with a sack in the first quarter. He beat 2025 third-round pick Emery Jones Jr. on the play. He also had a tackle in pursuit.
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Washington Commanders News

Look good, feel good, play good pic.twitter.com/cT4PaUr4SF
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 17, 2026

Marcus Mariota Injury Raises Stakes of Commanders' Backup QB Battle

With backup quarterback Marcus Mariota out for the remaining preseason games, Sam Hartman and rookie Athan Kaliakmanis will now get a lot more field time to hash out their roster battle of developmental prospects. Washington's first unofficial depth chart listed Hartman third and Kaliakmanis fourth in the pecking order entering the preseason. While Quinn said the team is optimistic Mariota will be ready for Week 1, the next two games will let Washington have a chance to gauge what it has behind him.
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5 Winners, 2 Losers From Commanders' Preseason Win Over Dolphins

For the players currently fighting for roles on the Washington Commanders, Friday night's 20-7 preseason win over Miami mattered. Several of those players were able to turn their first live-game opportunities of the season into real momentum in ongoing roster battles. Injuries, while deflating and definitely not good, are excluded from the loser category — this is strictly about what each player did with the opportunities they actually received.
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Commanders vs. Dolphins preseason: Mark Tyler’s Studs and Duds

The Commanders 2026 preseason opener against the Dolphins went pretty much as planned. Washington gave up an opening drive score, mainly with the second-team defense against Miami’s starters. They locked in after that and didn’t allow any more points for the rest of the game in a 20-7 victory at Northwest Stadium.
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Commanders roll with Kaliakmanis, Hartman as backups with Mariota out for preseason

Mariota left the exhibition after just four snaps. The 2014 Heisman Trophy winner was not hit on the final play — a handoff to rookie running back Kaytron Allen. But after the snap, he immediately sat down on the field and was escorted to the locker room by athletic trainers.

Third-year passer Sam Hartman, 27, took the field after Mariota. He struggled, as he has throughout his brief NFL career. The Notre Dame product completed eight of his 15 passes for 80 yards and an interception. A second would-be interception by Hartman was dropped by Dolphins rookie cornerback Chris Johnson.
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