Takkarist McKinley is one of the star defenders of preseason, per Pro Football Focus

Look, we know preseason doesn’t matter all that much, but we still get excited about it at times. This is one of those times, and it’s all thanks to Takk McKinley.

Takk, you’ll recall, was no definitive lock to play in the preseason as recently as June. He has worked his way back, however, and has been perhaps the most impressive defensive end in the NFL in two preseason games. I mean, look at the numbers below, courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

This is no surprise if you’ve seen Takk play, as he’s looked fast and lethal in his limited action thus far, even against starters on opposing offenses. That kind of disruptive play has shown up on the stat sheet and in film early, and combined with the strong play of Grady Jarrett, Jack Crawford, and the linebackers, has given us even more reasons to feel optimistic about this defense. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If Takk can be a useful pass rusher off the bat, this defense could be insanely good, and he’s already been healthier and better than we had any right to expect*.

We’ve seen too little of Takk to say how good he’ll be in 2017, but the early returns are extremely promising. Now let’s just get him to the regular season healthy and hope for havoc.

*Insert preseason disclaimers here. Batteries not included.