NFL Week 1 2026 Debuts to Watch: A.J. Brown, Myles Garrett and More Stars in New Uniforms
Training camps are opening across the league, which means the wait for meaningful football is almost over. When the 2026 NFL season kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 9, a handful of new faces will take the field in uniforms fans still aren’t quite used to seeing them in.
The headliner is receiver A.J. Brown, whose move from the Philadelphia Eagles to the New England Patriots this offseason reshaped New England’s passing game and will get its first real test in prime time. But Brown’s debut is just one of sixteen worth circling on the calendar. Rookies, free-agent imports and traded veterans are scattered across every window of Week 1, and several of them could set the tone for how their new teams’ seasons unfold.
Here’s a game-by-game look at the NFL Week 1 2026 debuts that matter most, based on the schedule the league released in May and the trades and signings completed since March.
Wednesday, Sept. 9: Patriots at Seahawks — A.J. Brown’s Patriots Premiere
The season opens with a rematch nobody had to manufacture. Seattle beat New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX last February, and the Seahawks will host the Patriots at Lumen Field to open the defense of their title — the first Week 1 Super Bowl rematch since the Broncos hosted the Panthers in 2016.
New England spent the months since that loss retooling around quarterback Drake Maye. After releasing longtime top receiver Stefon Diggs in free agency and signing Green Bay’s Romeo Doubs to a four-year deal, the Patriots made their biggest move on June 1, acquiring Brown from the Eagles for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. The trade reunited Brown with head coach Mike Vrabel, who coached him as a rookie in Tennessee.
“There’s a force to the way he plays the game,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said of Brown. “Maybe the closest thing I’ve seen is Gronk.”
— Josh McDaniels, via The Boston Globe
Brown, a three-time Pro Bowler who helped Philadelphia win Super Bowl LIX two seasons ago, is walking into a crowded but talented receiver room alongside Doubs, Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. According to Eagles beat reporters, Brown’s 2025 season in Philadelphia was statistically his least efficient as a pro — 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns, with public friction over his role in the offense. New England is betting that pairing him with Maye’s downfield arm reverses that trend immediately.
It’s worth noting Brown carries a chronic right knee condition that Patriots medical staff reviewed and signed off on before the trade, according to reporting from the Boston Globe — a detail worth watching as camp progresses, though there’s no indication so far that it will affect his availability for the opener.
Thursday, Sept. 10: 49ers vs. Rams in Melbourne — Myles Garrett’s Rams Debut
Week 1’s second game travels further than any in NFL history: the 49ers and Rams meet at the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia, streaming on Netflix. It also doubles as the first look at one of the offseason’s most stunning trades.
On June 2, the Cleveland Browns sent reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Rams. The full return going back to Cleveland was pass rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder — a package that ranks among the largest ever surrendered for a defensive player. Garrett had just broken the NFL’s single-season sack record and posted his second Defensive Player of the Year award in three years before the deal.
The move stacks a Rams defense that already added cornerback Trent McDuffie via trade and free-agent signee Jaylen Watson onto a roster that finished the 2025 season neck-and-neck with Seattle for the league’s best overall DVOA. Whether Garrett lines up alongside a healthy Aaron Donald or not, this will be the first real look at a defense that entered the offseason as arguably the NFL’s most complete roster on paper getting even more talented.
Sunday, Sept. 13: A Loaded Afternoon Slate
Nine of Week 1’s sixteen games kick off in the Sunday afternoon windows, and several carry debuts with real stakes attached.
Bears at Panthers
Carolina’s pass rush was a glaring need all offseason, and the Panthers addressed it early in free agency by signing former Dolphins and Eagles edge rusher Jaelan Phillips. Per Next Gen Stats, Phillips generated 63 total pressures in 2025, including 21 that arrived within 2.5 seconds of the snap — exactly the kind of interior push Carolina’s defense had been missing. His first assignment: getting after Bears quarterback and Madden NFL 27 cover athlete Caleb Williams.
Buccaneers at Bengals
Overshadowed by the Brown and Garrett deals, Cincinnati’s April trade for three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence — sending the 10th overall pick to the Giants — may end up being one of the offseason’s most impactful moves for a Bengals defense that has struggled in recent years. Lawrence’s debut against Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay will offer an early gauge of how far that unit has actually come.
Saints at Lions
New Orleans used the No. 8 overall pick on Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson, pairing him with Chris Olave to support second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. Tyson arrives with an injury history that made him a boom-or-bust selection, but if he’s productive early, it would be a meaningful sign for Kellen Moore’s rebuilding offense.
Bills at Texans
Buffalo hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Stefon Diggs left the team, a gap Josh Allen and the front office moved to close by trading a second-round pick to Chicago for DJ Moore, who has cleared that mark four times in his career. His first test comes against a Houston defense that ranked among the league’s stingiest last season.
Ravens at Colts
After a trade for Maxx Crosby fell apart in March, Baltimore pivoted to sign pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. He’s coming off core muscle surgery and an injury-shortened 2025, but Hendrickson recorded at least 13.5 sacks in four of his previous five healthy seasons and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024. He’ll debut under new head coach Jesse Minter and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver in Indianapolis.
Browns at Jaguars
With Cleveland’s quarterback situation still unresolved between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, the more relevant Week 1 storyline may be the offensive line. Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano, whom the Browns drafted for his positional versatility, has spent much of camp working at left tackle — a spot the team badly needs stabilized against a Jacksonville team that won 13 games a year ago.
Falcons at Steelers
Pittsburgh’s offseason additions on both sides of the ball debut together against Atlanta: receiver Michael Pittman, signed to a three-year, $59 million extension after a modest trade price, and cornerback Jamel Dean, inked for three years and $36.75 million after a strong, under-the-radar 2025 season.
Jets at Titans
New York used the No. 2 overall pick on Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey after months of speculation the team might go a different direction. He’ll immediately be tested against Titans quarterback Cam Ward, who was pressured or sacked at a league-high rate as a rookie in 2025.
Cardinals at Chargers
Arizona surprised much of the league by taking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love third overall, and new coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is expected to lean on him heavily given the uncertainty at quarterback. For reference, the last top-three running back pick, Saquon Barkley, opened his career with 20 touches for 128 yards and a touchdown.
| Player | New Team | Path There | Week 1 Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Brown | Patriots | Trade (Eagles) | at Seahawks |
| Myles Garrett | Rams | Trade (Browns) | vs. 49ers |
| Jaelan Phillips | Panthers | Free agency | vs. Bears |
| Dexter Lawrence | Bengals | Trade (Giants) | vs. Buccaneers |
| DJ Moore | Bills | Trade (Bears) | at Texans |
| Trey Hendrickson | Ravens | Free agency | at Colts |
| David Bailey | Jets | Draft (No. 2) | at Titans |
| Jeremiyah Love | Cardinals | Draft (No. 3) | at Chargers |
The Rest of Sunday: Willis in Vegas, a QB Battle in Minnesota, and a Changing of the Guard in Philly
Miami signed Malik Willis in free agency and released Tua Tagovailoa, absorbing a record dead-cap charge in the process. Willis, on a three-year, $67.5 million deal, gets his first start as a season-opening starter against Las Vegas, sharing the day’s spotlight with No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza’s own debut across the league.
In Minnesota, it’s not yet confirmed that Kyler Murray will be the Week 1 starter — he’s currently in an open competition with J.J. McCarthy — but the former No. 1 overall pick appears to have the edge heading into a divisional opener against Green Bay.
Philadelphia’s Sunday night window closes out the day with a symbolic changing of the guard: rookie receiver Makai Lemon, the USC product Philadelphia traded up to draft 20th overall before dealing Brown away, gets his first NFL game opposite DeVonta Smith against Washington. And earlier that evening, Dallas rookie defensive back Caleb Downs — the Cowboys’ No. 11 overall pick out of Ohio State — steps in as an immediate starter against a Giants offense that put up 71 combined points on Dallas in two meetings last season.
Monday, Sept. 14: Kenneth Walker Returns to Face His Old Team’s Rival
Week 1 closes with Kenneth Walker III, last season’s Super Bowl MVP with Seattle, making his Kansas City debut after signing a three-year, $43 million deal in free agency. The Chiefs haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Kareem Hunt’s rookie year in 2017, and with Patrick Mahomes still working back from a knee injury that may keep him out through the opener, Walker is set up to carry an outsized share of the offense from the jump at Arrowhead Stadium.
Why These Debuts Matter
What stands out across this list isn’t just star power — it’s how many of these moves were built around specific scheme fits rather than name recognition. Brown gives Maye a receiver who wins on the outside in exactly the way New England’s passing game lacked in the Super Bowl. Garrett slots into a Rams front that was already elite against the run, adding a true point-of-attack disruptor rather than just another body. Lawrence does the same thing for a Bengals defense that has needed size on the interior for years.
None of it guarantees results. Injury risk, contract restructuring and simple chemistry all remain open questions heading into camp. But Week 1 will offer the first real evidence of whether this offseason’s biggest swings were worth the price teams paid.