The 2025 NFL preseason is officially over.
Teams now have until Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 4 p.m. ET to cut down their rosters to 53 players. Many already made moves a day after their preseason finale. Cleveland was one of those teams and waived quarterback Tyler Huntley in another move in a crowded quarterback room. Minnesota made quarterback moves as well by trading Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles and signing former Eagles starter Caron Wentz.
More changes are coming Monday and into Tuesday. Though those early moves involved some veterans, rookies will be affected by roster moves in the coming days.
Some rookies stood out with more playing time or better opportunity in the final week of the preseason. Others didn’t play as well as in prior weeks.
Here are five rookies whose stock is up after the preseason finale – and five whose stock is down.
Stock up
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Tez Johnson
Johnson is an outlier when it comes to size at the NFL level. At 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, he’s one of the lightest wide receivers in NFL history. His lackluster performance at the scouting combine saw him drop to the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
He had one more opportunity to show out in the preseason and did against the Buffalo Bills. He had a near-even split of snaps at the slot and wide positions. He caught all eight of his targets for 58 yards and a touchdown. Forty-seven of those yards came after the catch.
He had one of the best celebrations of the weekend as well.
Washington Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt
The Commanders took Croskey-Merritt in the seventh round, No. 247 overall and he’s made the most of his opportunity. He had 11 carries for 46 yards and a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in his final preseason appearance.
This stock up has less to do with recent on-field production and more to do with what’s happened around him on the roster. Washington traded away Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers and that clears the way for Croskey-Merritt to get a bigger share of the carries out of the backfield.
Chicago Bears WR Jahdae Walker
Walker went undrafted out of Texas A&M and he’s fighting for a chance to make it as an outside receiver in a Bears offense flush with talent at the position. He certainly made a good push for the final roster in the preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Walker caught three of his four targets and the final one, a six yard touchdown catch from quarterback Tyson Bagent, came in the closing seconds of the game to get the Bears the win.
Walker’s played well enough this preseason to earn a spot on an NFL roster. He’s caught 8 of 11 targets this preseason for 98 yards and two touchdowns. If the Bears decide to waive him, there’s little doubt another team will come calling for his services after this latest performance against a well-coached defense.
Pittsburgh Steelers DT Yahya Black
The Steelers had an injury scare with their top rookie, defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, in their preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers. Harmon left the game with a knee injury and will miss the next month or so. The team’s other draft pick on the defensive line put on a show throughout the rest of the game.
Black, the Steelers’ fifth-round pick, notched two sacks on just 18 snaps. Even when he wasn’t directly making a play on the ball-carrier, Black took up double-teams to spring other defenders free to make a play. Per Pro Football Focus (PFF), Black made four defensive ‘stops’ (defined as ‘tackles that constitute a ‘failure’ for the offense’) on his 18 snaps against the Panthers.
Arizona Cardinals OLB Jordan Burch
Arizona invested much of their resources this offseason into the defense, Burch included. He was the team’s third of six draft picks on that side of the ball. Burch played just 15 total snaps in the Cardinals’ finale against the Las Vegas Raiders but had a huge swing play in the first quarter.
Burch got a strip sack on Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell to give the Cardinals’ offense the ball in the red zone. Arizona scored a game-tying touchdown four plays later.
That performance means Burch should get more opportunities off the edge as the season goes on.
Stock down
Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders
Sanders started the preseason with a great showing against the Carolina Panthers. He ended it with a much worse performance.
Sanders took more sacks (five) than completions (three) against the Los Angeles Rams. Huntley came in for the final drive of the game for the Browns to lead them on a scoring drive to get the win and seal an undefeated preseason.
It’d be a surprise for Sanders to get cut this week but this game showed how he needs to improve to make it as a starter in the NFL.
San Francisco 49ers RB Jordan James
San Francisco selected James in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. A power back out of Oregon, he impressed early on in camp even with Christian McCaffrey a full-go in practice for the first time since 2023.
Unfortunately, James suffered a broken finger which will require surgery. He’s expected to miss the start of the regular season.
His outlook took another hit with the 49ers trading for Robinson. That veteran addition means another player James will have to share carries with behind McCaffrey once he returns from injury.
Green Bay Packers OL Anthony Belton
Green Bay made Belton their second selection in the 2025 NFL Draft and the North Carolina State product has had a mixed preseason so far. He started off well in the opener against the New York Jets with zero pressures allowed with 42 snaps at left tackle, per PFF.
Things got worse in his first start a week later against the Indianapolis Colts. He was called for five penalties in the first half alone and gave up five pressures on 33 pass block snaps at right tackle, per PFF. His final action of the preseason came at left tackle again versus the Seattle Seahawks and he gave up two pressures on 17 pass block snaps.
As a prospect, Belton was viewed as a much better run blocker than pass blocker and that’s bearing out so far. He’ll need time to develop and the tools are there despite the rough start.
San Francisco 49ers DT Alfred Collins
Collins is one of multiple high-end draft picks San Francisco used on defense this year. The Texas product is expected to play a prominent role as a rookie.
He played 25 snaps against Denver in the preseason opener. In his first start, he played 19 snaps against the Las Vegas Raiders on the road.
San Francisco rounded out the preseason at home against the Los Angeles Chargers. Collins got the start again and played 27 snaps in the win. He missed two tackles on the day, per PFF, and managed just one pressure on 17 pass rush snaps. Not the best finish for a player with high expectations on a revamped defense.
Arizona Cardinals LB Cody Simon
Simon played well in the Cardinals’ preseason opener against Kansas City, specifically in coverage. A week later, he struggled more in his first start against Denver. Things continued in a downward trend for his final showing against the Raiders.
Simon had more snaps in run defense (21) against Las Vegas than in his first two games combined. He missed a tackle and allowed two catches on his two targets in pass defense according to PFF metrics.
Simon won’t need to fill in as a starter save for injury but didn’t play as well as hoped to close the preseason. The fourth-round pick will likely need more time to develop before becoming a regular starter.
