Preseason NFL takeaways: Bo Nix makes statement; Stetson Bennett returns

The first week of the NFL's preseason wrapped up on Sunday with two games.

Here are some quick takeaways from Sunday's action, including a big debut for one of the 2024 rookie class quarterbacks and a big return for a quarterback from the 2023 class.

Bo Nix makes a big statement

Sean Payton has not made an official announcement on who the Denver Broncos' Week 1 quarterback is going to be, but Nix made a pretty strong statement in his first preseason action on Sunday in a 34-30 win against the Indianapolis Colts.

Nix completed 15 of 21 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 17 yards on three carries. In total he led four scoring drives in his four series, including a pair of touchdown drives. That is a pretty strong way to make an argument for the starting job.

Unless Nix really falls apart over the next two weeks or simply looks overmatched in the preseason there is very little reason for the Broncos to not allow him to start. He is the future. Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham are not.

Stetson Bennett returns with a wild game

The Rams raised eyebrows when they used a fourth-round pick on Bennett during the 2023 NFL Draft, and his rookie season turned out to be a completely lost season as he stepped away from the team early in the season and was placed on the non-football injury/illness list.

The Rams have been very supportive of his return to the team this season, and he was finally back on the field for a preseason game on Sunday in a 13-12 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

It just did not go as he planned or hoped for most of the day.

Bennett completed 24 of 38 passes for 224 yards and a game-winning touchdown, but was also intercepted four times.

Despite his success in college in leading Georgia to back-to-back national championships, Bennett always had a long path ahead of him in terms of becoming an NFL quarterback due to his lack of size, questionable arm strength and the fact he was already older than several established veteran quarterbacks in his rookie season.

Even with his struggles on Sunday he still came through at the end with an impressive game-winning touchdown pass in the closing seconds.

This is only one game after a long layoff from actual game action, but it does show just how far away from being a reliable NFL quarterback that he is. Even with that pass at the end.

We will see more guardian caps on game days

The NFL has allowed players to wear guardian caps — the padded helmets that have been used in practice the past two years — in games this season, and so far in the preseason only a couple of players have taken advantage of that opportunity.

Pittsburgh Steelers guard James Daniels did so on Friday night, and on Sunday Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor joined him.

This is the type of thing where a lot of players might want to do it, or are at least open to doing it, but might not want to stand out looking different or weird in a league where appearances can be everything. But if more players, and especially established players like Daniels and Taylor, start wearing them, you might see even more taking advantage of the opportunity for some added protection.

The fact the NFL has developed covers for the caps that really do a good job of hiding the extra padding would only seem to help that. From a distance you can not even really tell there is anything different about them.

It was a mixed bag for Trey Lance

For a variety of reasons, including injury and the lack of a consistent opportunity, Lance has never really played up to his No. 3 overall draft status so far in his career. The Cowboys are hoping there still might be some potential with him, especially with current starter Dak Prescott nearing the end of his contract and no new extension on the immediate horizon.

Sunday did not really do much to show off a lot of that potential.

While Lance did make some plays on the ground (rushing for a team-leading 44 yards on six attempts) he did not have a really effective day with his arm. Lance completed just 25 of 41 passes for 188 yards, an average of just 4.6 yards per attempt. He also did not lead a single touchdown drive.

On one hand, he was doing that without the Cowboys' best supporting cast around him in a preseason game. It also was still really an underwhelming day for a quarterback entering his fourth season in the NFL.