Samaje Perine, Jonathan Allen, and Zach Brown among players to watch in Redskins pre-season debut.

Finally, football is officially back. If you are a diehard fan of the sport, you’ll likely take in every snap you can of the exhibition games, up until the last snap of the Super Bowl in February. It doesn’t matter to you, football is football. If you’re not really into the pre-season, you’re likely watching the team you like or are an actual fan of. The fans of the Washington Redskins have been itching for the team to step back on the field for well over 5 months now, and that time has come.

Here’s what you should be looking for against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday.

The Redskins key players likely will not get much playing time this week. At most, you get two drives out of the first string players, traditionally only one drive and done. With that being said, you still want to see fluidity from the offense.

• How confident does Cousins look in general, with a revamped receiving corps?
• How does the chemistry of Terrelle Pryor Sr. and Kirk Cousins look?
• Can the offense move the ball effectively in their short time on the field?
• How does Rob Kelley look in his first look of 2017 as the Redskins starting running back?

On defense you’d to see players playing fast and physical. The defense showed flaws very early in preseason a year ago, with the front 7 as a whole was getting gashed on occasions that made some conclude they were in for a long season defensively. Especially without a nose tackle. So defensively you want to see how the pre-season starters look.

• How does the free agent addition of Stacy McGee affect the run game in his few reps come Thursday?
• After missing the past 2 seasons, does Phil Taylor look like a possible solution at nose tackle for the Redskins?
• When it comes to Su’a Cravens although he played safety in college, he is new to the position in the pros. So how comfortable does he look in live game situations? Cravens’ instincts have been on display in camp, but will it look different in any way come game day.

The reserves in the first, second, and fourth game is what is most important to pay attention to. Last year’s preseason is the reason UDFA Robert Kelley made the 53 man roster, and why Matt Ioannidis, the 2016 5th round draft pick, was demoted to the practice squad. So this is your time as a viewer, to make your predictions on who will be a key contributor to the Redskins during the regular season.

• How do the ‘Bama rookies look in their first pro game? Jonathan Allen has improved each day of camp, while Ryan Anderson has shown the ability to win with leverage and strength at times.
• Junior Galette has been a standout at camp, for the third straight year. The injuries the past two seasons has not been a concern to him, the explosion has been on display, and he’s a full go to this point. How many reps does he get, and how does he look going up against tackles that are not near the level of Trent Williams?
• Free agent addition Zach Brown will get his first look as a Redskin, how does Brown look in coverage during his reps, and will his speed standout on this defense?
• Can Samaje Perine prove to be the real deal? How does his strength standout against professional NFL athletes?
• Offensively, there’s a position battle taking place at tight end and wide receiver. Where does Robert Davis, Zach Pascal, Brian Quick, and Matt Hazel stand after their first game as a Redskin?
• Who inches closer to earning the third tight end spot? Niles Paul, Derek Carrier, or rookie tight end Jeremy Sprinkle? Sprinkle has had a solid camp to date, he may surprise some people this pre-season.

Plenty of questions, what are your answers? Vote to share your thoughts on the player you’re most looking forward to watching this week against Baltimore, and share your thoughts in the comments below.