The 2025 NFL preseason is officially in the books, offering a glimpse at rookies ready to contribute, veterans sharpening their form, and teams sorting out depth chart battles. While the games don’t count in the standings, they do shape narratives heading into Week 1. Here are the biggest winners and losers from this year’s preseason.
Winners
Jaxson Dart (New York Giants, QB)
The rookie from Ole Miss made the most of his first NFL preseason. Dart threw for 372 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions with a 68.1% completion rate. He led multiple touchdown drives and displayed poise beyond his years, potentially locking down the QB2 role behind Russell Wilson. For a Giants team with the NFL’s toughest schedule, having a reliable young arm waiting in the wings is no small comfort.
TreVeyon Henderson (New England Patriots, RB)
Henderson wasted no time showing why New England spent a high draft pick on him. He scored a touchdown on his very first NFL, averaged 7.1 yards per carry (best among rookies), added multiple receivers, and even returned a kickoff for a score. Limited snaps, but will have a big time impact in 2025 and beyond.
Kansas City Chiefs offense
Patrick Mahomes needed just 22 preseason plays to remind everyone why Kansas City remains the league’s most feared offense. He threw three touchdowns, connected on chunk plays downfield, and showed the Chiefs high-octane track is primed to return to form.
Kelvin Banks, OT, New Orleans Saints
Banks was outstanding in protection this preseason — he did not allow a pressure in 54 snaps as a starting left tackle. He’s been guiltily of lunging a few times in the run game, but he’s been very smooth on the blindside. That’s opened the door for former first-round pick Trevor Penning to move inside at left guard, which is a win-win for the Saints.
Losers
Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts, QB)
A rough preseason dropped Richardson out of the starting QB position, with Daniel Jones winning the competition at QB. The former 4th overall pick struggled with accuracy and turnovers, leaving his future in Indy unclear — thoguh his physical tools may earn him a chance elsewhere.
Jerry Jones & the Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys preseason was defined less by football and more by distractions by the so called “America’s Team." Contract disputes, including Micah Parsons situation, were spotlighted in a Netflix documentary, and questions linger over defensive consistency despite Parsons dominance on the field. Off-field noise continues to overshadow on-field preparation.
Las Vegas Raiders depth
Backups faltered, the offensive line appeared to have struggled— especially OT Thayer Munford Jr., who surrendered pressures and a sack— a thin secondary failed to contain receivers. The Raiders enter Week 1 with more questions than answers.
Final snap
The preseason spotlighted fresh faces ready to make an impact— Jaxson Dart and TreVeyon Henderson in particular— The preseason is all about evaluating beyond your starters and giving other players an opportunity to showcase themselves. With the regular season just a week and a half away, the winners looked poised to carry momentum forward, while the losers face urgent fixes before Week 1 kicks off.