The preseason gives young and sometimes lesser known players a time to shine.

Had it not been for the preseason, Victor Cruz might never have become a star for the New York Giants. He made the roster as an undrafted rookie with an impressive preseason, and ended up with 1,536 receiving yards for a Super Bowl championship team in his second season.

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Not everyone breaks out like Cruz did, but we’ll see some players impress their teams and either make the roster or elevate their role with a big preseason. Here are our 10 breakout candidates for the preseason:

Preseason really is for the backups, after all, and there might be no more intriguing QB2 than Caleb Williams’ understudy. Bagent was one of the preseason standouts a year ago, throwing for five TDs and 511 yards in the three outings, which included a standout performance against the Chiefs in the finale. 

There was trade chatter this spring around Bagent, given the intriguing skills the former undrafted free agent had shown, including four emergency regular-season starts as a rookie in 2023. The Bears have balked to this point, reportedly holding out for more in return, perhaps even a Day 2 draft pick.

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If Bagent lights it up again this preseason, could those trade calls return? There’s always at least one team worried about its QB situation every August, so it can’t be dismissed, even with Bagent signing an extension last year through 2027. The Bears still have Case Keenum as a veteran, and offensive coordinator Press Taylor sounded somewhat intrigued with 2026 UDFA Miller Moss. 

Even if the Bears don’t move Bagent, we’ll see him thrive again this preseason. He’s a talented thrower with some decent athleticism. —Edholm

The Jaguars saw Travis Etienne Jr. leave in free agency, and while Chris Rodriguez Jr. got a healthy two-year, $10 million deal to come to Jacksonville, he has 920 rushing yards in three seasons. Everything is lined up for Tuten to have a really nice second season.

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Tuten had just 307 rushing yards as a rookie last season, but has talent and now he should have a great opportunity to be a lead back in a good offense. Tuten’s usage in preseason will be interesting to track. If Tuten looks good in the preseason, he should enter the regular season as at least the leader in a timeshare with Rodriguez. And there’s a chance he’s a preseason star, and that’s a harbinger for a very good second season. —Schwab

Carter had an odd rookie season. He came in with a ton of hype as the third overall pick of last year’s draft, and had only four sacks. But the pressure stats were very good. He had the most quick pressures of any player in the NFL last season.

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The best guess is Carter turns a lot of those pressures into sacks this season. There’s no better way to get off to a good start than having a strong preseason, which would be a good sight for new Giants head coach John Harbaugh. Everyone would be excited to see Carter have a big preseason heading into his second NFL season. —Schwab

On the surface, you might say that Ferguson’s rookie season was a disappointment, given that he caught only 11 passes on 25 targets in 350-plus snaps last season. Even for a slower-developing position such as tight end, the catch total is lean. 

But Ferguson also flashed quite a bit on those 11 catches, averaging 21 yards per grab and catching three TDs. The Rams continued to funnel the ball his way more and more as the season went on, and though it didn’t always result in big plays, it showed how much faith Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford had in the rising prospect.

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Ferguson also showed he could hold his own as a blocker, which was something that wasn’t viewed as a major strength entering the league. Although Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson remain options, it feels like Ferguson will get every opportunity to shine this season, and that will include some preseason flash plays. —Edholm

Everyone has been waiting for the big Downs breakout season. While he has been good, and efficient, he hasn’t passed 70% of the Colts’ offensive snaps in a season yet. With Michael Pittman Jr. off to Pittsburgh in a trade, that could change.

Downs, at 171 pounds, might never be an every-down receiver but this is his opportunity to prove he can do it. Alec Pierce is the Colts’ No. 1 receiver after signing a massive contract, but even he could miss a lot of training camp as he recovers from ankle surgery. Downs still has to show that he can be a staple in two-receiver sets for the Colts, and he might make strides toward that in the preseason. If he can become an unquestioned full-time player, he could have a huge regular season. —Schwab

Jets TE Kenyon Sadiq

There have been some flashy TE rookies in recent years who have parlayed a strong preseason into productive first years in the NFL. Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren both looked good in August a year ago. Sadiq is a clear choice for rookie TE standout of this year’s preseason.

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Sadiq was a surprise pick to the Jets, but it was clear they badly needed to add more firepower to a limited offense. From a physical perspective, Sadiq could be a real ace for the Jets, even if he’s not a complete player nor is he guaranteed a high-volume role as a receiver in the regular season.

But the Jets were awful on third downs and even worse in the red zone. These are two clear areas where the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Sadiq can make his money — and make his impact starting in preseason. Expect a heavy workload this August as a way of determining what Sadiq can do for the Jets’ offense come Week 1. —Edholm

Lions WR Isaac TeSlaa

TeSlaa was a star of last preseason, tying for the NFL lead with three touchdown catches. He made some highlight plays during his rookie regular season too, but he wasn’t a high-volume player in the offense. He caught six touchdowns on only 16 receptions.

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The Lions have a crowded offense, and TeSlaa has to do something special to improve his playing time. He should play plenty in the preseason, and he clearly has the ability to star on that stage. If he has another big preseason, it could force the Lions to find ways to get him on the field more with increased targets. —Schwab

Seahawks DT Rylie Mills

A play you might have forgotten amid the hoopla of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX dominance was a sack from a player with fewer than 40 NFL snaps. When Seattle drafted Mills in Round 5 last year, it was considered a wait-and-see pick while Mills was recovering from a torn ACL. He earned playing time down the stretch and was effective enough to earn Super Bowl snaps.

This was Mills walking Patriots OG Jared Wilson back into Drake Maye for a 10-yard sack, and it was just a snapshot of the player he was at Notre Dame before suffering the injury in the College Football Playoffs against Indiana. Mills had only five Super Bowl snaps, but he made them count.