Ryan Tannehill will start the Dolphins' second preseason game Friday against Carolina. Clearly, the rookie's performance will be the most important factor in the competition for Week 1 starter, but the momentum seems to be moving in Tannehill's direction. The rookie has been impressive in camp, and looked good in his first preseason action. With the knee injury to David Garrard and the fact that the Dolphins new OC, Mike Sherman, coached Tannehill in college, its looking more and more like the Dolphins will open the season with their 1st round pick under center.
Brian Quick is expected to get first team reps Saturday when the Rams take on Kansas City in their second preseason game. Quick, the rookie wideout, reportedly had a sparkling day of practice on Thursday and consistently displayed his playmaking ability. The Rams aren't loaded at receiver, so if Quick makes an impact Saturday, he has a great chance to make an impact for Sam Bradford when the season begins.
Josh Gordon is becoming a deep threat for Brandon Weeden and the Browns' offense. Gordon had two catches, each for 19 yards, in Thursday's preseason game, and looks like he has playmaking ability. The young Browns offense has a long way to go in the next three weeks, as they've looked shaky in preseason, but don't count at Gordon as a sleeper. As long as OC Brad Childress allows Weeden to air it out a little (not a certainty with a rookie), he will be looking Gordon's direction.
Jermaine Gresham (knee) "will be fine" after leaving Thurday's game with a minor injury, according to Marvin Lewis. Gresham walked off the field, and the team doesn't seem overly concerned about their starting tight end's long term status. Gresham might be held out for the next preseason game, but that would simply be a precautionary decision. Gresham is still a great bet to be a really productive target for Andy Dalton.
Alex Smith continues to look great in training camp, and the coaching staff is expecting a big year from him in San Francisco. His accuracy has been stellar all camp, including going 14-15 in 7-on-7 drills Thursday. This is the first season in Smith's career in which he has had a stable organization around him and the first time he has played with this strong of a receiving corps, so maybe there isn't any reason to believe Smith won't have an excellent season.