The start of the 2019 regular season is just around the corner. But before we get there, there's still the final slate of preseason games on the horizon.
Week 4 of the 2019 preseason is filled with games that feature compelling position battles as teams will begin cutting their rosters down to the mandatory 53-man limit shortly after the final exhibition games are played. Thursday night will the final opportunity for many players to either earn a starting job or earn a spot on the 53-man roster before final decisions are made.
Here's everything you need to know heading into Week 4 of the NFL preseason:
How to Watch
TV: Two games will be shown on national TV, and those are listed below. You can check your local listings for local games.
Stream: fuboTV (Try for free), NFL Game Pass (Out of market)
This year, you can watch all out-of-market preseason games live on NFL Game Pass! Just follow the link in order to start your free trial today, and stick around for access to condensed games, coaches' film and more during the regular season.
Note: All times Eastern.
Thursday, August 29
Vikings at Bills, 7 p.m.: Bills' head coach Sean McDermott wasn't coy when asked by the media which of his players are on the bubble to earn a roster spot heading into Thursday's game. "All of them," he joked, via NewYorkUpstate.com. While he was joking, McDermott wasn't far off, with at least 10 Buffalo players (including running back T.J. Yeldon and former Eagles' offensive lineman, Ryan Bates) fighting for a roster spot on Thursday night. Minnesota is hoping for a cornerback (or two) to show out on Thursday. Vikings' head coach Mike Zimmer is hoping that Craig James, Duke Thomas and rookies Kris Boyd and Nate Meadors will each do enough to make their case to be on the final 53.
Colts at Bengals, 7 p.m.: The Colts' first game of the post-Andrew Luck era will take place in Cincinnati. While Jacoby Brissett -- Indianapolis' new QB1 -- most likely won't play, Colts fans can expect to see a steady diet of backup quarterbacks Phillip Walker and Chad Kelly. Cincinnati first year head coach Zac Taylor is looking to solidify his receivers room. Auden Tate, Josh Malone, Cody Core, and Stanley Morgan will compete to win the final two remaining spots on the depth chart.
Eagles at Jets, 7 p.m.: The Eagles have position battles at wide receiver, safety and defensive end that will be on display. The Jets are still working to fill the hole at inside linebacker that was left following Avery Williamson's season-ending knee injury. While Neville Hewitt is the front-runner to replace Williamson in the starting lineup, he will have to hold off teammates Blake Cashman and recent signee Albert McClellan.
Steelers at Panthers, 7 p.m., NFL Network: For the 17th consecutive year, Pittsburgh and Carolina will face off in the final week of the preseason. While the Panthers are still looking to solidify their personnel in the secondary heading into Thursday's game, the Steelers are still looking to determine who will be their No. 2 quarterback. Josh Dobbs, Pittsburgh's QB2 last season, will start against the Panthers as he looks to hold off Mason Rudolph, who will also see plenty of snaps against Carolina's defense.
Falcons at Jaguars, 7 p.m.: All eyes will be on Atlanta's kickers, as Blair Walsh and Giorgio Tavecchio will both look to win the starting job heading into Week 1. Jacksonville has several young players who are looking to strengthen their case to make the final 53, including receivers Tre McBride and C.J. Board, linebacker Joe Giles-Harris, cornerback Breon Borders and running back Devante Mays.
Lions at Browns, 7:30 p.m.: This game got a lot more interesting following the Lions' recent signing of Luis Perez, a former community college and Division II walk-on and AAF quarterback who learned how to play the position by watching YouTube videos. Perez, who will look to make the Lions' 53-man roster with a strong outing Thursday night, nearly became a professional bowler as an adolescent, as he has 12 perfect games under his belt. While Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield won't play on Thursday, Cleveland has three other skill position players -- receiver Braxton Miller, tight end Seth DeValve and running back Dontrell Hilliard -- who will be competing for roster spots in the Browns' final preseason game. Miller, a former college quarterback who has transitioned into a receiver, has impressed Cleveland head coach Freddie Kitchens during his short time in Cleveland. "I think he is picking up the offense," Kitchens said of the recently-signed Miller, via the team's official website. "So that tells you a little bit about his learning ability, and then we will see if we can put him in some positions to make some plays Thursday night."
Giants at Patriots, 7:30 p.m.: Thursday night's game will feature Daniel Jones' first-career start. Jones has had an impressive preseason. In the Giants' first three exhibition games, he has completed 25-of-30 passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns. He has fumbled three times, however, with two of his fumbles resulting in turnovers. The Patriots, meanwhile, are looking to solidify their depth at the receiver, offensive and defensive tackle, cornerback, defensive end and tight end positions.
Ravens at Redskins, 8 p.m.: Trace McSorley, playing against his childhood team on Thursday night, will look to earn a spot on Baltimore's 53 with a solid outing against the Redskins. McSorely, who quarterbacked Penn State to a Big Ten title in 2016, is currently No. 3 on the Ravens' depth chart. "Trace has definitely, definitely earned the right to be in our plans one way or another, and we'll see how it shakes out," Harbaugh said of McSorley, per the team's official website. "We don't know. It's a decision that still has to be made. But I think he's done everything he can do, for sure." Washington's biggest position battle was officially settled this week, when head coach Jay Gruden named Case Keenum his starting quarterback for the Redskins' regular season opener against the Eagles.
Titans at Bears, 8 p.m.: Right guard remains the biggest question facing the Titans entering the final week of the preseason. Head coach Mike Vrabel is certainly hoping that either Kevin Pamphile or rookie Nate Davis can win the job Thursday night. Chicago's biggest position battle also rests on the offensive line, with Alex Bars and Rashaad Coward still competing to be team's swing tackle entering Week 1.
Buccaneers at Cowboys, 8 p.m.: The Bucs still have several position battles that includes the receiver, tight end, inside linebacker, kicker as well as on the offensive line. While the Cowboys have several lingering questions on their offensive line, who will be the team's primary backup is still wide open. Cooper Rush and Mike White will get extensive snaps, but fans also shouldn't count out Taryn Christion -- who will also get snaps -- pulling off the upset.
Chiefs at Packers, 8 p.m.: With Chad Henne's recent injury, Kansas City's biggest position battle entering Thursday will be at QB2. While recently signed Matt Moore won't play, fellow backups Kyle Shurmur and Chase Litton will get a chance to compete for the job against the Packers. Green Bay's biggest position battle is at the running back position between Tra Carson and rookie Dexter Williams.
Dolphins at Saints, 8 p.m.: Josh Rosen will likely start Miami's final preseason game. Rosen, who has had a solid albeit unspectacular preseason to this point, is looking to make his final case to head coach Brian Flores to name him the Week 1 starter. New Orleans still has two interesting position battles at the backup quarterback and running back positions entering Thursday night's game. New Orleans' QB2 battle features Teddy Bridgewater, a former starter in Minnesota, who is looking to hold off Taysom Hill as Drew Brees' primary backup.
Rams at Texans, 8 p.m.: While Los Angeles has two open position battles at inside linebacker and at the edge position, Houston is still trying to figure out who will replace running Lamar Miller, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last week. Houston has a slew of options when it comes to filling out their depth chart at that position that includes newcomer Duke Johnson, Taiwan Jones, Buddy Howell and rookies Damarea Crockett, fellow undrafted free agent Karan Higdon and seventh-round fullback Cullen Gillaspia.
Cardinals at Broncos, 9 p.m.: The job as the Cardinals' starting center is still up for grabs, with veteran A.Q. Shipley hoping to hold off challenger Mason Cole. Denver's primary backup quarterback position is also up for grabs Thursday night in Denver, with Kevin Hogan and Brett Rypien, the nephew of Super Bowl XXVI MVP Mark Rypien, getting a chance to make their collective cases against Arizona.
Chargers at 49ers, 10 p.m., NFL Network: A rematch of Super Bowl XXIX, there are several "super" position battles Chargers fans will be monitoring Thursday night. Cardale Jones will look to solidify his place as L.A.'s primary backup quarterback, while Detrez Newsome and Troymaine Pope will continue to compete to be the team's primary backup running back. The 49ers' biggest position battle entering Thursday night's game is between Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman to be San Fran's starting running back.
Raiders at Seattle: The battle to be the Raiders' No. 2 quarterback is still wide open heading into Thursday night's game. Nathan Peterman completed 23 of his 37 passes for 210 yards with two touchdowns and no picks in Oakland's Week 3 preseason victory over Oakland. Mike Glennon, who threw just nine passes against the Packers, was 11 of 14 for 175 yards and two scores with no picks in Oakland's second preseason game against the Cardinals. While Glennon is the favorite to win the job, a strong game by Peterson could keep this position battle open entering the Raiders' final week of the preseason. Paxton Lynch, assuming that he will be cleared to play after sustaining a concussion earlier this preseason, will get one last chance to try to win the job as Seattle's No. 2 quarterback ahead of Geno Smith.
