RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The NFL has put a bow on the 2026 preseason, and this year's rookie class of signal-callers has put the finishing touches on their first summer in the league. Now, the guillotine that is cut-down day looms.
While the status of players like Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson is rock solid, a large contingent of these young quarterbacks hopes to make their current team's 53-man roster or turn what they put on tape into a shot with another team (whether it be the active roster or practice squad) once the dust settles. And this weekend was the final opportunity for that group of players to make their mark.
How'd they do? Let's collect up all 17 rookie quarterbacks that suited up over the final week of the preseason and hand out our grades.
Draft status : 5th round, No. 178 overall (North Dakota State)
Payton saw the field on the final offensive possession of the night for Philadelphia in its preseason defeat by Cincinnati. The Payton-led offense went three-and-out and went backward by three yards. He missed both of his pass attempts and took a sack that lost three yards.
Draft status : 7th round, No. 249 overall (LSU)
Nussmeier got the nod in Kansas City's preseason finale against Seattle and played the entire game. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 198 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. The turnover on his second drive of the game proved costly as the Seahawks turned it into a field goal in a game that proved to be a 9-9 tie. Nussmeier settled down, however, and led scoring drives (all field goals) on his next two possessions. He hopes to make it onto the final 53-man roster and deepen a quarterback room that's headlined by Patrick Mahomes and top backup Justin Fields .
It was a lackluster showing for the Kansas product as he got the start in Tampa Bay's preseason finale against Jacksonville. He completed 8-of-15 for 57 yards and was sacked three times, while adding nine yards on the ground on four carries. Daniels played into the third quarter, and the Bucs punted on six of his seven drives. The lone possession where they didn't boot the ball back to the opposition: Daniels fumbled, and the Jaguars recovered.
Aguilar took over in the fourth quarter of Jacksonville's exhibition with Tampa Bay, but didn't make many waves over his three drives. Over that stretch, the Jaguars punted once and turned the ball over on downs twice, for zero points. Aguilar completed 7-of-9 for 57 yards. He also fumbled but recovered the loose ball.
Draft status : 4th round, No. 110 overall (Clemson)
Cade Klubnik got the start for the Jets in their preseason finale against the Giants and was on hand for an opening drive touchdown. However, Klubnik was largely a passenger on the possession. After an interception gave the Jets the ball at the Giants' 36-yard line, running back Chip Trayanum did most of the heavy lifting, as he ran the ball nine times over the 10-play drive. The lone touch Klubnik had on the drive was nearly disastrous as he fumbled the ball, but was able to recover. For the day, he completed 6-of-13 for 59 yards and an interception. That pick came on the opening drive of the second quarter, where he couldn't layer the football over a Giants defender and instead threw it directly into his arms. The fourth-rounder flashed some promise this summer, but his final showing was spotty to say the least.
Draft status : Undrafted (Minnesota State-Moorhead)
Strand was the third quarterback up for Atlanta as they faced the Dolphins , with Tua Tagovailoa and Cooper Rush getting the nod before him. After taking over in the third quarter, Strand played the entire second half, but wasn't able to do similar damage to what he did against Indianapolis the week prior. He completed 6-of-7 for 44 yards, but that lone miss was an interception. He tossed the pick on a third-and-8 play from his own 17-yard line, which resulted in a field goal for Miami on the ensuing possession. The three possessions before the interception all resulted in a punt, and his final drive of the night ended with a kneel-down. Stand endeared himself this summer, but it's unclear if that'll result in the Falcons carrying four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Most likely, Atlanta will try to sneak him onto its practice squad unless more significant moves occur at the QB position that free up a spot.
Gronowski took over in the second and finished his day with 97 yards through the air on 4-of-8 passing. He was sacked three times while adding 28 yards rushing on four attempts. Out of the gate, he orchestrated a scoring drive to begin the second half, traveling 66 yards over 11 plays before settling for a field goal. The most damming part of Gronowski's day, however, came on the following possession. The Dolphins pushed the ball down to Atlanta's 6-yard line, but Gronowski fumbled the snap on second-and-goal, and the Falcons recovered.
Draft status : 7th round, No. 223 overall (Rutgers)
Kaliakmanis' day was turnt sideways from the jump. He got the start in Washington's preseason finale against the Ravens , but found himself in a two-touchdown hole before really even getting his feet wet. That was thanks to running back Kaytron Allen fumbling on the first possession and giving the ball back to Baltimore after they had already scored on their first drive. The Kaliakmanis-led offense then punted on four of his next six possessions of the first half, with the other two consisting of a missed field goal attempt and a lone rush to simply run out the clock to head to the halftime locker room. Kaliakmanis completed 7-of-13 for 45 yards.
Fagnano didn't start in the preseason finale, but saw action early as he was in on Baltimore's second possession of the day following a fumble by the Commanders offense. The UConn product took advantage of the short field, leading a 30-yard touchdown drive that ended with him sneaking in for the goal-line score. Fagnano played into the third quarter and put Baltimore in scoring position on six of his seve...
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