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5 players to watch in Saturday's preseason games

Mike DiNovo / USA TODAY Sports

With Week 1 fast approaching, the stakes are being raised as quarterback battles and veterans looking to carve out a role take center stage.

The Denver Broncos and New York Jets have huge decisions to make under center, while newly signed veteran Antonio Cromartie is looking to step into Vontae Davis' role in Indianapolis as the Colts are extremely thin at corner.

Here are five players to watch during Saturday's games:

Kevin White, Bears

White struggled in Week 2 of the preseason, recording only one catch while looking out of sorts within the offense. A bounce-back performance would help cement his No. 2 role behind Alshon Jeffrey as the Bears are counting on him to blossom ahead of Jeffrey's impending free-agent exit next offseason. Staying healthy is his first priority, but looking competent within the offense is equally important.

Trevor Siemian, Broncos

It's Siemian's job to lose in Denver as the countdown to Gary Kubiak's decision looms. Kubiak has said he'll name the starter before Week 4 of the preseason, so whoever shines - or makes the least mistakes - will have a leg up on the Broncos' quarterback competition. It's hard to imagine Siemian losing the job now if he manages to avoid turnovers.

T.Y. McGill, Colts

In a preseason with few positives on the Colts' defensive side of the ball, McGill's standout's play has been a welcome surprise. The second-year defensive tackle has racked up six total tackles and one sack in two games, but his impact doesn't truly appear in the stat line. McGill has lived in opponents' backfields, and the Colts could rely on him early this season as Kendall Langford and Henry Anderson work back from injures, while Arthur Jones is suspended for the first four games.

Victor Cruz, Giants

Cruz has not stepped on an NFL field since 2014 and there's likely to be some rust coming back from a devastating knee injury. Whether or not Cruz can get back to his 2011 form is irrelevant at this point, as the Giants would be happy to settle for a solid possession receiver to play alongside Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard.

Geno Smith, Jets

Smith, who seems to be fighting for either a role as the Jets' backup, or nothing, is on the hot seat as a poor performance last week has observers questioning his place on the roster. The Jets could be showcasing Smith for a trade, so he may get more time than he's deserving of in this game.

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