For most of NFL history, preseason is when things were settled for teams. Starters played, at least for a few quarters over the first three games. Jobs were won and lost.
Then some teams decided the preseason doesn't matter. With a new wave of coaches, led by Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, teams are rarely, if ever, playing their starters in the preseason anymore. Avoiding injuries has become the goal.
Still, there are some key things we'll see over the next three weeks of the preseason (it was cut from four games to three in 2021).