Seventeen rookie quarterbacks threw a pass in the first week of the NFL preseason. Sixteen of them were making their pro debut – the aforementioned Uiagalelei played in his team's Hall of Fame game matchup with the Lions.

The Wilson news sent a message to the locker room that there are no layups, even in the exhibition season, and for a team that struggled early each of the past two seasons, especially last year in a three-win campaign, forcing the issue in order to set a psychological and physical tone was significant, and the reality was rewarding.