Croskey-Merritt played 17 of Washington’s 30 running-back snaps in the loss to Philadelphia and handled 16 of the team’s 27 carries. He scored from one yard out in the second quarter. A late fourth-quarter fumble was followed by rookie Kaytron Allen taking over for the final seven plays, leaving Croskey-Merritt’s workload worth watching against Dallas. The Cowboys allowed 165 rushing yards to the Giants in their opener.
Williams, Washington’s rookie third-round receiver, caught all four passes thrown his way by Jayden Daniels for a team-high 64 yards. His one-yard touchdown came late in the fourth quarter; he had also been stopped a yard short of the end zone in the second quarter. He produced those four catches on only 11 routes.
Veteran Dyami Brown ran 23 routes, third-most among Washington receivers, but did not catch either of his two targets. Brown returned on a one-year contract after leaving in 2025. The contrast in production gives Williams a case for a larger role, although one game does not establish how the playing time will develop.
Keaton Mitchell’s Chargers debut against Arizona was less productive. He played 16 snaps, carried four times for nine yards and ran 11 receiving routes. Expectations for a passing-game role had reflected both his college experience and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s history: running backs had received 245 targets in McDaniel’s offenses since 2024, second-most in the league over that span.
Indianapolis receiver Josh Downs caught two passes for 37 yards on three targets during the opening drive against Baltimore, then received no further targets. He still led Colts receivers with 47 offensive snaps and 32 routes. PFF recorded 78.8% of his passing-play snaps in the slot, close to his 81.5% career rate from 2023 through 2025, despite offseason expectations of more outside work.
Downs’ average target depth was 7.0 yards, compared with 7.4 over his career and a season-high 8.4 last year. Keenan Allen’s arrival late in training camp adds another consideration for his role as Indianapolis prepares to visit Kansas City.
Mayer led the Raiders with seven targets while filling in for Bowers, catching six passes for 32 yards against Miami. His 24 routes trailed only receiver Tre Tucker’s 27. Among 24 tight ends who ran at least 20 routes, Mayer ranked third in targets per route at 0.292, behind Trey McBride’s 0.382 and Isaiah Likely’s 0.348.
Bowers had missed Wednesday and Thursday practices when the update was published, leaving his availability for the next game unresolved. If he remains out, Mayer could again have a prominent role against the Chargers. McBride recorded nine catches for 95 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets against that defense in Week 1.
Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts received only one target against Pittsburgh and ran 21 routes, ranking 24th among tight ends. The Falcons started Cooper Rush after Michael Penix was ruled out with a knee injury and Tua Tagovailoa with a back injury. Atlanta posted the league’s third-lowest neutral-situation passing rate.
The Falcons next face Carolina, which allowed 552 total yards and 59 points in its opener. Whether Pitts gains more opportunities will depend in part on how Atlanta approaches the passing game after its conservative first week.