Why to watch the NFL preseason, plus Jeff Bezos’ first pro sports deal

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Why We Watch: How to approach NFL preseason games

The start of football season can bring frenzy, much of it unwarranted. There is novelty in having football back on our screens, even if it’s a fancy practice that won’t count toward anyone’s records or career stats. But doesn’t mean the NFL preseason is a useless endeavor. Far from it.

We’re gonna excerpt from Jacob Robinson’s excellent NFL Newsletter yesterday, which touched on how to actually watch the preseason. Here’s Jacob:

There’s a term for people who religiously watch preseason football: sickos.

If that’s you, you’re in good company. If not, and you’re open to a lifestyle change, I spoke with three experts to put together this brief guide on how to watch preseason football.

How to watch like a scout, via Ted Nguyen:

“You’re seeing the most vanilla schemes on both sides of the ball, so look for transferable skills and growth. For young quarterbacks, you want them to handle the pre-snap operation, make throws in rhythm and not rely on second-reaction play. These games are parts of a larger arc of development, and it’s easy to lose sight of that at times. Carson Beck looked great in the Hall of Fame game, but Beck’s been inconsistent at practice, based on beat reports.”

How to scout for your fantasy team, by Jake Ciely:

“I’m more interested in snap counts in different formations and with starting units, especially if there has been an offensive coordinator or scheme change.”

Before your next appearance on “The Athletic Football Show,” by co-host Dave Helman:

“The most useful tip I can give for watching preseason football is simple: Look for the rookies. It’s hard to gauge preseason playing time for almost anyone else on an NFL roster, but rookies will play a lot of snaps these next two weeks, and some of them will be stars in short order.”

I’ll add a final note: Consistency. Check if the performance matches what you’ve heard from the camp. Few players check those boxes like 49ers receiver De’Zhaun Stribling. Drafted with the No. 33 pick in April, the 6-foot-2, 207-pound receiver (with 4.36 speed) was a star in training camp. He had a sterling preseason debut Thursday night, catching seven of eight targets for 63 yards against the Titans’ starting cornerbacks.

The high target count in limited playing time, flashes of playmaking and a strong offseason make Stribling one of the obvious preseason risers, per the above metrics. Fantasy drafters take note.

We have live preseason updates for you here, and you can see the full preseason schedule here. 

Shout-out to Jacob, shout-out to sickos. Let’s keep moving:

News to Know

Jamie Schwaberow / NCAA Photos via Getty Images

RIP to a college sports visionary

Baseball coach Skip Bertman transformed not only LSU’s baseball program but college baseball itself, ushering the sport into an era of greater prominence while coaching 41 players who later made the bigs. Bertman, who died yesterday at age 88, led LSU to five national baseball titles before becoming LSU’s AD for an era that included two BCS football titles under Nick Saban and Les Miles. Read more about Bertman here (and be sure to watch the amazing bent-nickel speech).

More News

  • The NFL suspended Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. for eight games following his February arrest on felony charges. Full story here.
  • The surging Fever beat the Wings as two of the WNBA’s most recognizable stars — Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers — each scored 29. Always love a good point guard showdown.
  • The Nationals are moving All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams to second base — which makes sense, even if Abrams doesn’t sound overly enthusiastic about it.
  • Two-way Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hasn’t pitched in a game since July 3 but could take the mound again this regular season, GM Brandon Gomes said after Ohtani’s Friday bullpen session.
  • Scottie Scheffler fired a 61 — including six birdies in his first seven holes — for a three-shot lead at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
  • Ohio State will hold its Senior Day in Week 1, not during the season-ending rivalry game with Michigan. Interesting.
  • Liverpool confirmed its sale of a minority stake to a consortium including one Jeff Bezos. More here on what Bezos’ first pro sports investment means for all involved.
  • The U.S. flag football team’s 14-year undefeated streak at world championships is no more after a group stage loss to American Samoa (led by QB Taulia Tagovailoa, younger brother of the NFL’s Tua).
  • Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald spoke about why the team agreed to sign cornerback Terrion Arnold, who was released by Detroit after his arrest on kidnapping and robbery charges. His explanation here.
  • Dennis Schröder is headed to his 12th team in what will be his 14th season (😵‍💫) following a Cavs-Hornets deal that sets up Cleveland for its pursuit of Nuggets restricted free agent Peyton Watson.

📰 Find more news here 24/7.

Watch Guide

Aug 9, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Michael McLoone / Imagn Images

📺 “Fever Pitch: The Rise of the Premier League”
Streaming on Paramount+ and more
Via Hannah Vanbiber: Calling all soccer fans! The Premier League starts next weekend. The perfect educational aperitivo? This 2021 docuseries tracks how soccer in the UK went from “a slum sport played in slum stadiums and increasingly watched by slum people” (yikes, British papers in the 80s!?) to the cultural juggernaut it is today. (There’s also a book if that’s your speed.)

📺 MLB: Brewers at Dodgers
7:15 p.m. ET on Fox
Jacob Misiorowski, always a must-watch, takes the mound for Milwaukee, which is holding off the surging Cubs in the NL Central. Los Angeles is having bullpen problems that are worth monitoring.

📺 WNBA: Lynx at Aces
8 p.m. ET on CBS
The W’s title favorites, in primetime on a Saturday night. Say no more.

Get tickets to games like this here.

Pulse Picks

Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Luiza Moraes, Scott Taetsch / Getty Images

Want to be a great leader? We asked 11 pro athletes to share the trait that matters most.

Test your knowledge of this week’s sports news with our quiz.

I recently learned about filmmaker Les Blank from this Eric André Criterion Closet appearance and became completely consumed by “Always for Pleasure,” a 1978 hourlong documentary about New Orleans tradition, music and culture. Immediately after it ended, I raced to place a hold on this five-disc set of Blank’s films at my library. — Alex Iniguez

ICYMI earlier this week: Catch up on this wild investigation into a former NFL super agent accused of orchestrating the murder of an associate decades ago.

Calling all local Knicks fans! The Larry O’Brien trophy is on display at NYC’s American Museum of Natural History, and it’s free to see. (It made me quite happy.) — Lauren Merola

We never skip a kit ranking around here. Our reviewers tackled the latest MLS Archive Collection and … justice for Austin FC?

Four words: New Phoebe Bridgers album. — Levi Weaver

Ira Gorawara answered all your FAQs on the Jayden Daniels-LSU mess. Useful.

I recently spent three days scampering around America’s biggest gaming convention, GenCon. It was impossible to see everything, but I did find five board games I’m most excited to test for Wirecutter — including a mini version of a beloved classic. — James Austin

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The Field of Dreams game. 🌽

📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, and check out our other newsletters.