Winners and losers of preseason: All aboard the hype train for the Cowboys and a 49ers rookie. Meanwhile, be concerned about the Falcons and Packers

The initial 53-man rosters are set as preseason has concluded.

So, who emerged from this summer's worth of work looking better entering Week 1? Who isn't inspiring confidence?

Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab, Eric Edholm and Jori Epstein each pick one top winner and one top loser of the preseason.

Edholm's winner: I'll go with the Dallas Cowboys.

Although you could argue nothing dramatic has happened since the start of training camp, perhaps that's part of the reason why. The Cowboys have begun folding in their new defensive talent, and the early returns have been promising. The offense has picked up where it left off last season, and getting George Pickens' contract situation relatively settled has helped make that happen. Even Joe Milton has had some eye-opening moments in his bid to be Dak Prescott's backup. They've also had zero major injuries, which is always a win. The Cowboys look like a playoff team, even if feel-good camps and preseasons can sometimes be fool's gold.

Schwab's winner: After a truly bizarre 49ers offseason — the never-ending Brandon Aiyuk drama, head coach Kyle Shanahan being in a bad car accident , team owner Jed York getting arrested , even a 35-year-old allegedly impersonating a 49ers receiver to scam women out of money — it's nice to have a positive headline going into the season.

Sometimes, preseason is a harbinger. That happened when an unknown undrafted rookie named Victor Cruz had a monster preseason for the Giants. There are similar vibes with 49ers rookie receiver De'Zhaun Stribling.

Stribling isn't an unknown — he was the 33rd pick of the NFL Draft, and it was debated heavily as a reach — but no single player has seen his stock rise as much in August. Stribling has been targeted often and aside from one bad drop on what would have been a touchdown, he has caught everything. This seems like a star turn in preseason that will translate to the regular season, and maybe many seasons to come.

Epstein's winner: I'm taking creative license here in naming the Las Vegas Raiders the biggest winner of the preseason. But this isn't about their stockpiling of talent in spring (this is preseason winners, not offseason winners). This is about how their quarterback room unfolded through the preseason.

I believe in rookie quarterbacks receiving time to develop as well as the opportunities to develop. Fernando Mendoza's preseason accomplished both, while lending credence to the Raiders' decision to sign veteran Kirk Cousins as a bridge quarterback. Mendoza showed flashes of decisive throws and clean mechanics in the preseason while also gathering tape to improve as he completed 25 of 45 attempts for 240 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He looked like a rookie quarterback with upside who needs time — and he has time, thanks to Cousins.

Sure, a world in which Mendoza balled out in the preseason may have felt like a bigger reason to win in the short term. But in the medium- to long-term, which is more key to why the Raiders spent the first overall draft pick on Mendoza, showing enough promise to excite fans without quite enough polish to create a distracting quarterback controversy could be exactly what the Raiders' long-term plan at their most influential position needs. Add in Cousins taking the initial snaps while new pieces on the offensive line and along the offense get settled, and if Mendoza starts later in the year, he should arrive to a stabler operation.

Edholm's loser: I was tempted to say Deshaun Watson, given all the vitriol being spit his way. But the Falcons have endured a tough camp, taking big hits from injuries, discipline and ineffectiveness. Not the way head coach Kevin Stefanski wanted to start things out in Atlanta. Jalon Walker suffered a torn ACL and James Pearce Jr. was suspended nearly half the season, rendering the pass rush a big concern. On top of everything else, there's a suddenly murky QB situation — something Stefanski was hoping to avoid leaving Cleveland — with Tua Tagovailoa struggling in camp.

Schwab's loser: Some mediocre preseason snaps might not mean anything when the regular season starts. But it was hard to ignore Cam Ward's struggles in August. Ward completed 13 of 24 passes for 126 yards, and he wasn't as good as the numbers indicate. He had no success throwing downfield. Ward was 0-for-6 passing on attempts more than 7 yards downfield, according to analyst Warren Sharp . He looked uncomfortable in both of his games, and that was despite the Titans using starters and both opponents giving their starting defense a rest.

Ward, last year's No. 1 overall draft pick, was supposed to improve with a new coaching staff and upgraded cast around him. And there's a chance he will, and the preseason woes are merely Ward getting used to a new scheme. There's also more to Ward's development than a limited sample of preseason snaps. Some reporters have said he has looked good in practices. But Ward's preseason issues are concerning.

Epstein's loser: Perhaps the allegedly limitation-free reintegration of tight end Tucker Kraft should assuage me that the Green Bay Packers will be just fine. But the unavailability of multiple key players makes me wonder whether a talented Packers team can weather the early part of their season well enough to round into form come edge rusher Micah Parsons' return.

Parsons was always unlikely to play Week 1 after tearing his ACL in December. The Packers placing him on the physically unable to perform list at Sunday's cutdown deadline means he'll miss at least the Packers' first four games agains the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Then came the other news Sunday: Running back Josh Jacobs was placed on the commissioner's exempt list, which makes him indefinitely sidelined . Jacobs' suspension comes in the wake of his charges for misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property in a May incident. It's unclear when or if he'll return this season, but the Packers' top running back is now Marshawn Lloyd, whose first two seasons featured a combined six carries and one game played amid injuries. Even with Packers colleagues high on Lloyd, this Green Bay roster is concerningly susceptible to any health setbacks.

Perhaps quarterback Jordan Love and his deep receiver room will be so prolific that teams will lighten the box against runners, and perhaps defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will scheme the Parsons-less unit well enough early to weather the absence. In a competitive NFC North, the Packers will need to find answers early to stay afloat.