2024 NFL preseason, Week 1: What We Learned from Thursday's doubleheader

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READ: No. 3 pick Drake Maye's preseason debut lasts one series

READ: Mayo: Milton's debut 'a step forward' for Pats rookie

READ: Panthers' chartered flight gets stuck in mud after safe landing

-- Grant Gordon's takeaways

1. Pats’ 2023 first-rounder makes long-awaited comeback. There was much ado regarding Drake Maye making his preseason debut, right along with head coach Jerod Mayo manning the sidelines as the Patriots head coach for the first time. Perhaps overlooked was the return of the team’s 2023 first-round pick, cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Gonzalez only played six snaps and didn’t record any statistics, but he looked solid and perhaps most importantly was aggressive. Despite the 2023 Patriots’ struggles, Gonzalez was turning in a stellar rookie campaign through four starts before his shoulder injury. Thursday’s albeit-brief showing was evidence he’s on his way to returning to form. 
2. Dave Canales’ offense gets off to inauspicious start. It was arduous not to feel bad for Jack Plummer on Thursday. With Bryce Young not playing and backup Andy Dalton injured, the undrafted free-agent quarterback saw his first NFL action and was pummeled by the Patriots. It’s the preseason. It’s the first game of the preseason. And there’s no reason to panic, but still, the optics for first-year Panthers head coach Dave Canales were bad. Carolina struggled to a 2-15 showing last season in large part due to a hapless offense operating with a porous offensive line. That’s what Thursday looked like. New England had some defensive starters feasting against Carolina understudies, but Plummer was sacked four times in the first half (and five times in the game as he played into the second half) nonetheless. Played in a gloomy setting, Thursday’s offering from the Panthers was an illustration of the hard road ahead for Canales and Co. 

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READ: Lions QB Hooker flashes before suffering concussion

Coral Smith's takeaways:

1. Giants RB shines early. The story of the offseason might have been the running back the Giants recently lost in Saquon Barkley , but their first preseason game was headlined by another RB looking to earn an increased role in Year 2. Eric Gray had 46 receiving yards and 52 rushing yards while scoring both of his team's touchdowns, highlighted by a 48-yard rushing TD in the second quarter. When he was subbed out at halftime, Gray’s 98 all-purpose yards were more than Detroit’s net yards as a team to that point. Listed as RB2 behind Devin Singletary (who did not play Thursday) on the unofficial depth chart, Gray made his case for snaps on Thursday night.
2. Hooker’s debut ended by injury. Hendon Hooker ’s long-awaited NFL (preseason) debut arrived Thursday night -- 21 months after tearing his ACL in his final college year -- but it ended with a concussion. Hooker entered in the third quarter and tested his knee early, including on a 16-yard run where he easily juked defenders and broke tackles. Hooker exited the game after that drive due to a concussion, head coach Dan Campbell announced after the game. With the preseason serving as the battlefield for Hooker and Nate Sudfeld's fight to be QB2, missing more time to injury has to be frustrating, especially considering the promise he showed in his limited time compared to Sudfeld’s struggles.