The NFL has put a bow on the 2026 preseason, and this year's rookie class of signal-callers has put the finishing touches on their first summer in the league. Now, the guillotine that is cut-down day looms.
While the status of players like Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson is rock solid, a large contingent of these young quarterbacks hopes to make their current team's 53-man roster or turn what they put on tape into a shot with another team (whether it be the active roster or practice squad) once the dust settles. And this weekend was the final opportunity for that group of players to make their mark.
How'd they do? Let's collect up all 17 rookie quarterbacks that suited up over the final week of the preseason and hand out our grades.
Cole Payton, Eagles
Draft status: 5th round, No. 178 overall (North Dakota State)
Payton saw the field on the final offensive possession of the night for Philadelphia in its preseason defeat by Cincinnati. The Payton-led offense went three-and-out and went backward by three yards. He missed both of his pass attempts and took a sack that lost three yards.
Grade: F
Garrett Nussmeier, Chiefs
Draft status: 7th round, No. 249 overall (LSU)
Nussmeier got the nod in Kansas City's preseason finale against Seattle and played the entire game. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 198 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. The turnover on his second drive of the game proved costly as the Seahawks turned it into a field goal in a game that proved to be a 9-9 tie. Nussmeier settled down, however, and led scoring drives (all field goals) on his next two possessions. He hopes to make it onto the final 53-man roster and deepen a quarterback room that's headlined by Patrick Mahomes and top backup Justin Fields.
Grade: C
Jalon Daniels, Buccaneers
Draft status: Undrafted (Kansas)
It was a lackluster showing for the Kansas product as he got the start in Tampa Bay's preseason finale against Jacksonville. He completed 8-of-15 for 57 yards and was sacked three times, while adding nine yards on the ground on four carries. Daniels played into the third quarter, and the Bucs punted on six of his seven drives. The lone possession where they didn't boot the ball back to the opposition: Daniels fumbled, and the Jaguars recovered.
Grade: F
Joey Aguilar, Jaguars
Draft status: Undrafted (Tennessee)
Aguilar took over in the fourth quarter of Jacksonville's exhibition with Tampa Bay, but didn't make many waves over his three drives. Over that stretch, the Jaguars punted once and turned the ball over on downs twice, for zero points. Aguilar completed 7-of-9 for 57 yards. He also fumbled but recovered the loose ball.
Grade: C
Cade Klubnik, Jets
Draft status: 4th round, No. 110 overall (Clemson)
Cade Klubnik got the start for the Jets in their preseason finale against the Giants and was on hand for an opening drive touchdown. However, Klubnik was largely a passenger on the possession. After an interception gave the Jets the ball at the Giants' 36-yard line, running back Chip Trayanum did most of the heavy lifting, as he ran the ball nine times over the 10-play drive. The lone touch Klubnik had on the drive was nearly disastrous as he fumbled the ball, but was able to recover. For the day, he completed 6-of-13 for 59 yards and an interception. That pick came on the opening drive of the second quarter, where he couldn't layer the football over a Giants defender and instead threw it directly into his arms. The fourth-rounder flashed some promise this summer, but his final showing was spotty to say the least.
Grade: C-
Jack Strand, Falcons
Draft status: Undrafted (Minnesota State-Moorhead)
Strand was the third quarterback up for Atlanta as they faced the Dolphins, with Tua Tagovailoa and Cooper Rush getting the nod before him. After taking over in the third quarter, Strand played the entire second half, but wasn't able to do similar damage to what he did against Indianapolis the week prior. He completed 6-of-7 for 44 yards, but that lone miss was an interception. He tossed the pick on a third-and-8 play from his own 17-yard line, which resulted in a field goal for Miami on the ensuing possession. The three possessions before the interception all resulted in a punt, and his final drive of the night ended with a kneel-down. Stand endeared himself this summer, but it's unclear if that'll result in the Falcons carrying four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Most likely, Atlanta will try to sneak him onto its practice squad unless more significant moves occur at the QB position that free up a spot.
Grade: D+
Mark Gronowski, Dolphins
Draft status: Undrafted (Iowa)
Gronowski took over in the second and finished his day with 97 yards through the air on 4-of-8 passing. He was sacked three times while adding 28 yards rushing on four attempts. Out of the gate, he orchestrated a scoring drive to begin the second half, traveling 66 yards over 11 plays before settling for a field goal. The most damming part of Gronowski's day, however, came on the following possession. The Dolphins pushed the ball down to Atlanta's 6-yard line, but Gronowski fumbled the snap on second-and-goal, and the Falcons recovered.
Grade: D+
Athan Kaliakmanis, Commanders
Draft status: 7th round, No. 223 overall (Rutgers)
Kaliakmanis' day was turnt sideways from the jump. He got the start in Washington's preseason finale against the Ravens, but found himself in a two-touchdown hole before really even getting his feet wet. That was thanks to running back Kaytron Allen fumbling on the first possession and giving the ball back to Baltimore after they had already scored on their first drive. The Kaliakmanis-led offense then punted on four of his next six possessions of the first half, with the other two consisting of a missed field goal attempt and a lone rush to simply run out the clock to head to the halftime locker room. Kaliakmanis completed 7-of-13 for 45 yards.
Grade: C-
Joe Fagnano, Ravens
Draft status: Undrafted (UConn)
Fagnano didn't start in the preseason finale, but saw action early as he was in on Baltimore's second possession of the day following a fumble by the Commanders offense. The UConn product took advantage of the short field, leading a 30-yard touchdown drive that ended with him sneaking in for the goal-line score. Fagnano played into the third quarter and put Baltimore in scoring position on six of his seven drives. The Ravens scored three touchdowns with Fagnano in the driver's seat, but Tyler Loop missed two field goal attempts while he was under center. He finished his day 19-of-27 passing for 162 yards and two total touchdowns (one passing and one rushing).
Grade: A
Ty Simpson, Rams
Draft status: 1st round, No. 13 overall (Alabama)
Every Rams fan hopes this will be the last they see of Simpson in 2026, but the first-rounder did leave them with hope for the future beyond Matthew Stafford. Simpson impressed in a win over the Chargers in the preseason finale, completing 18-of-23 for 119 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 10 yards on three attempts. Maybe the highlight of Simpson's preseason came on a third-and-3 pass against the Chargers, where he rolled out to his left and delivered a strike to Brennan Presley for an 11-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. Selecting Simpson was polarizing in the moment, but it's hard not to think Les Snead made a wise, forward-thinking decision after seeing him this summer.
Grade: A
Fernando Mendoza, Raiders
Draft status: 1st round, No. 1 overall (Indiana)
Mendoza will begin his rookie season as the backup to Kirk Cousins, and it comes after a preseason in which he showed there's still room for him to develop before rising to the top of the depth chart. In the preseason finale against San Francisco, Mendoza completed 7-of-14 for 57 yards and an interception. The pick came on Mendoza's first possession of the night after Cousins led scoring drives on his first two drives before heading to the bench. Similar to his pick-six against Houston, Mendoza's interception came on a play-action play where he was under center. The ball was too high for his intended target, was tipped, and hauled in by the Niners. Given that Mendoza had little experience working under center in college, it's not surprising to see those growing pains.
Grade: D
Jacob Clark, Raiders
Draft status: Undrafted (Missouri State)
It's hard to evaluate Clark in this spot, so we're giving him an incomplete. The undrafted Raiders rookie entered the exhibition with eight seconds left in regulation and completed one of his two passes for 18 yards before time expired. Clark will most likely be eyeing a possible practice squad spot after cuts.
Grade: Incomplete
Drew Allar, Steelers
Draft status: 3rd round, No. 76 overall (Penn State)
Allar started the second half of Pittsburgh's preseason finale against Buffalo after Will Howard got the start. The Penn State product helped lead an 11-play, 68-yard touchdown drive to begin the third quarter, but was mostly quiet after that. The offense punted on its next two possessions and turned the ball over on downs on the final two, so there weren't as many fireworks from Allar as there were earlier this summer. He completed half of his throws (9-of-18) for 88 yards.
Grade: C-
Taylen Green, Browns
Draft status: 6th round, No. 182 overall (Arkansas)
Green came in after Dillon Gabriel started the first half and built up a 27-13 lead for Cleveland. The Arkansas product carried the baton well and flashed his off-the-charts athleticism over the course of the second half. On his second possession, he led a 98-yard touchdown drive that included a 30-yard scramble. He also led a field goal drive on his final possession. Green completed 5-of-7 for 27 yards while notching 66 yards on the ground on eight carries.
Grade: B
Behren Morton, Patriots
Draft status: 7th round, No. 234 overall (Texas Tech)
Tommy DeVito started and played New England's first two possessions before giving way to Morton. The rookie instantly struggled, throwing the first of two interceptions on his very first throw of the night. He rebounded with back-to-back field goal drives after the pick, but put the ball in Cleveland's hands once again on the Patriots' second-to-last possession. He finished completing 18 of his 28 throws for 12 yards and two interceptions.
Grade: F
Luke Altmyer, Lions
Draft status: Undrafted (Illinois))
Altmyer entered the final week of the preseason in a legitimate competition with Joshua Dobbs for the top backup job behind Jared Goff. Coming into the contest, Dan Campbell noted that the Illinois rookie needed to stay out of harm's way, but he was unable to keep a clean sheet on Saturday. Altmyer completed 7-of-11 for 55 yards along with an interception on his first drive of the day after getting the start. He did respond by leading a touchdown drive on the next possession, but then gave way to Dobbs, who had a more polished day with 128 yards and two passing touchdowns. That might have clinched his fate as QB3.
Grade: D+
Miller Moss, Bears
Draft status: Undrafted (Louisville)
Moss was the third quarterback up for Chicago after Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum in the final exhibition. A sack and back-to-back penalties along the offense stalled Moss' opening possession, and the Bears punted after six plays. On his second possession, Moss pulled off a nice 15-yard scramble on third-and-9 to move the chains, but mostly handed the ball off as Chicago burned time off the clock. He completed one of his two throws on the night for 12 yards.
Grade: C-
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