The NFL preseason is about to open, and for a handful of players, these next few weeks are about more than getting in shape and shaking off rust. This is their chance to change the conversation.
That starts Thursday in Canton, Ohio, when the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers meet in the Hall of Fame Game. A full slate follows next week, and before the first snaps arrive, there are five players who arguably have the most to prove.
For Arizona edge-rusher BJ Ojulari, the issue is simple: stay healthy and show he can finally become what the Cardinals drafted him to be. Injuries have stalled the second-round pick from 2023 at every turn.
He had four sacks in 409 defensive snaps over 17 games as a rookie, then a torn ACL wiped out all of 2024 and left him limited to eight games and one sack last season. With Josh Sweat on one side, AZCardinals.com senior writer Darren Urban pointed to edge-rusher as a major question mark and wrote, "It is crucial either ...
Ojulari or 2025 third-round pick Jordan Burch .... take a step forward," Urban wrote. Ojulari has opened camp with momentum, and he said health has changed the way he approaches things: "Previously, I had to think about it and worry about how I feel," Ojulari told reporters.
"Now I can just go, warm up and let it rip." He’s headed for unrestricted free agency next offseason, so this preseason matters for both his future in Arizona and his value elsewhere.
Anthony Richardson’s situation in Indianapolis is a different kind of pressure. After losing the 2025 quarterback battle to Daniel Jones, Richardson requested a trade following the season.
He barely played last year, throwing only two passes, and his 2024 numbers explain why teams would be cautious: 11 starts, a 47.7 percent completion rate, eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Still, one strong month can change how people look at a player, and that’s the lane Richardson needs to find.
In New England, Kayshon Boutte is stuck in a crowded receiver room and trying to force his way into the mix. The Patriots added A.J.
Brown and Romeo Doubs, which leaves plenty of bodies fighting for snaps. Boutte, 24, turned in a solid 2025 regular season with 33 catches, 551 yards and six touchdowns, then averaged 18.7 yards per reception in the playoffs.
He’s expected to battle fellow 2023 draft pick Demario Douglas for a spot in three-wide sets. A strong preseason could win him that role; otherwise, he may become a trade name once rosters tighten up.
And with free agency looming, New England may not be in position to keep him long term anyway.
Tyree Wilson has a similar proving-ground feel in New Orleans, where the Saints picked him up from the Raiders for a 2026 fifth-round pick, No. 150 overall, while also getting a 2026 seventh, No. 219.
Wilson was a former first-round pick, but his production hasn’t matched that billing. He has 12 career sacks and logged a career-low 463 defensive snaps last season while still appearing in all 17 games.
The Saints already have Chase Young, Carl Granderson and Cam Jordan at edge, and offseason addition Anfernee Jennings brings a different skill set as a stout run defender. Wilson has to carve out a real role in a crowded group.
Then there’s Will Levis, who might have said the loudest thing of the bunch. The Tennessee quarterback recently claimed, "There are not 32 quarterbacks in this league better than me."
Levis is back after missing all of 2025 while recovering from shoulder surgery, and he’s competing with veteran Mitchell Trubisky to back up second-year quarterback Cam Ward. His career line says plenty: 61 percent completions, 3,899 passing yards, seven yards per attempt, 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 21 starts.
He has looked a long way from starter level so far, which is exactly why this preseason is so important for him.
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