NFL rookie quarterbacks make debuts, Dak Prescott injury and more

Over the weekend, we got our first look at the five rookie quarterbacks picked in April’s first round. Let’s breakdown what their performances mean.

Five quarterbacks. Five stories.

With Mac Jones playing Thursday and the others — Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance — all getting their action on Saturday, we got our first looks at the potential faces of there next generation.

Off the top, a few things:

Anybody making declarative statements based on preseason football is a fool. If someone does that, understand they don’t know the sport. Second, we’re watching games where coaches aren’t game-planning. They aren’t trying to take away the other team’s best player. They don’t care about the score.

Now, with that said, let’s take a look at how each of the five first-round quarterbacks fared, and give some commentary on what can legitimately be taken from their efforts. In order of their draft slots …

Trevor Lawrence

Every Jacksonville Jaguars fans was glued to Lawrence’s every throw, and rightfully so. He’s the franchise, the savior. Right?

It was hard to tell against the Cleveland Browns, with the former Clemson wunderkind getting harassed and sacked almost every other dropback. When he had time, Lawrence was generally very good, showing nice zip on throws outside the numbers.

While most will focus on his 35-yard shot to Marvin Jones in the second quarter, that wasn’t his best moment. No, that came on Jacksonville’s first drive, with Lawrence facing 3rd and 9. Cleveland brought an inside blitz with a defensive back, a rare move during the preseason. Lawrence saw it, made the correct read and fired a first-down throw to Jones.

Few things translate really well from preseason to regular season. There’s an exception.

Zach Wilson

Wilson was solid for the New York Jets against their inter-stadium rivals, the New York Giants. When head coach Robert Saleh had him rolling out, he was perfect. Good footwork, good accuracy. The same was true when the No. 2 overall pick had a clean pocket.

However, the issues arose when Wilson was hurried. The feet were scattershot at times and the ball was forced into some bad spots. During the draft process, one prominent scout told me his biggest concern was how Wilson would handle pressure after playing behind a great line at BYU.

Still, all told, the Jets should feel Wilson is off to a good start.

Trey Lance

Lance’s second throw was an 80-yard, cross-field touchdown strike. After that, he had a few nice throws dropped, but there was some ugliness.

Facing the Kansas City Chiefs, Lance was under duress much of his two quarters, being sacked four times. However, even when he had time, the heir apparent to Jimmy Garoppolo showed sloppy footwork and accompanying inaccuracy. That said, the arm and athleticism are there.

Watching Lance, it’s easy to see the best plan of attack. San Francisco should play Garoppolo and allow the youngster to master his footwork, understand a new playbook and learn from a veteran … much like Patrick Mahomes did as a rookie.

Justin Fields

The Chicago Bears have been looking for a franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman retired … in 1950.

Is Justin Fields the answer? Who knows, but he showed a ton of promise facing the Miami Dolphins. After entering the game in the second quarter, Fields was the picture of jitters. He forced a few throws, fumbled once and almost had an interception. It was ugly.

Yet watching Fields, his poise in the pocket was evident. He was under control, even when the pressure was closing in. Come the third quarter, the Ohio State product threw a touchdown and ran for another while showing off both great speed and a strong arm. It was the total package.

Like every rookie, Fields will go through tough times. But the Bears should be thrilled with his showing over the weekend.

Mac Jones

Jones was fine. Throughout the night, New England Patriots fans got to watch a ton of short passes and quick releases, largely by design. It was evident head coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels wanted to build some confidence. Perhaps Jones’ most impressive throw came in the second quarter on a near touchdown pass deep down the left side.

All told, the Patriots can’t feel they moved much closer to making a decision on their Week 1 starter based off Jones’ performance against the Washington Football Team on Thursday night.

Power rankings

Top 10 currently rostered players who are Hall of Fame locks

1. Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals
3. J.J. Watt, EDGE, Arizona Cardinals
4. Rob Gronkowski, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Aaron Donald, DT, Los Angeles Rams
6. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
7. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks
8. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Von Miller, EDGE, Denver Broncos
10. Julio Jones, WR, Tennessee Titans

Quotable

"“I’m thrilled that both of them played good. I want it to be a hard decision, not an easy one.”"

– Broncos head coach Vic Fangio on his quarterback battle after a 33-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings

Fangio should be encouraged. The Broncos desperately need to figure out the situation under center, and the arrow is pointing up. After two years of inconsistent play, Drew Lock started the preseason well, going 5-of-7 for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, veteran newcomer Teddy Bridgewater was 7-of-8 for 74 yards and a score.

Until Bridgewater or Lock show a true difference in their play come the regular season, it’s tough to buy in. Still, good showings are exactly that. If Denver gets even decent quarterback play, it’s above-average roster makes for an intriguing team.

Podcast

Random stat

Only four franchises have had four difference quarterbacks start a Super Bowl for them: the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Football Team, New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders.

Info learned this week

1. Cowboys social media gaffe spells concern with Dak Prescott

If you start a conversation with someone by telling them not to worry, something troublesome is about to be said.

The same is true with the Dallas Cowboys, who on Thursday night tweeted out the following:

Yikes. Good intentions aside, this was both a terrible idea and horribly executed. And, for the record, perhaps quarterback Dak Prescott will be fine after his second MRI, but teams don’t put players through medical paces for no reason. Clearly, the shoulder which has bothered Prescott since the beginning of training camp still isn’t right.

As for Cowboys fans, they should be nervous. Again, Prescott could be back in a matter of days and have an MVP-caliber season. Or, he could be hampered by this injury and miss time. Anything is possible, and if there’s a reason for significant alarm, the team isn’t going to blast out the truth.

Frankly, this reminds me of the Andrew Luck situation before the 2019 season, just to a lesser degree. Luck had a shoulder problem, the Indianapolis Colts kept downplaying it, and then Luck was finished. When teams tell you nothing is wrong in such a bizarre, emphatic fashion, it raises red flags.

2. Jordan Love looked good in preseason debut for Packers

We’re entering the second year of Jordan Love with the Green Bay Packers, and on Saturday, we finally got to see him in action.

With COVID-19 forcing the cancellation of preseason games last year, Love never got a chance to play any real snaps. Facing the Houston Texans on Saturday night, Aaron Rodgers’ understudy did exactly that and looked competent. Love went 12-of-17 for 122 yards and a touchdown, making throws with velocity and touch throughout the night.

No serious analyst would suggest Love is anywhere near ready to take over for Rodgers and do a reasonable impression. Considering the latter is the reigning NFL MVP and will eventually be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, don’t expect Love to ever approach Rodgers’ level. Yet general manager Brian Gutekunst has to be more bullish about a long-term future without his disgruntled star after seeing Love’s progression.

Again, it’s preseason football. In this case, against the Texans. Don’t go overboard. But Love looked good, and that’s a big positive for Green Bay.

3. Colts continue preparing for Week 1, but who should start?

After Carson Wentz’s foot injury, it seemed Jacob Eason would be under center for the Indianapolis Colts. Then, with rookie Sam Ehlinger competing, Sunday’s tilt against the Carolina Panthers took on added meaning.

After the Colts’ 21-18 win over Carolina, it appears neither took control of the competition. Head coach Frank Reich said as much postgame, saying Eason will start this week against the Vikings, while Ehlinger will finish the game.

Ultimately, Eason should have the slight upper hand. He’s been in the system for two years and when Wentz initially went down, Reich referenced the former Washington star as the replacement. If Ehlinger somehow wins the job, it says plenty about the rookie, but perhaps plenty about Eason’s development as well.

4. Saints must make things right with Michael Thomas, hope for best

If the New Orleans Saints are to reach the playoffs, they’ll need a huge season from Michael Thomas.

Thomas, 28, who is rehabbing from a June ankle surgery, has been the source of much conversation in New Orleans amidst the back and forth between he and the team this summer. While he’s not expected back for the season opener against the Packers on Sept. 12, even returning around mid-October would be an enormous plus.

Last year, Thomas was limited to nine games in 2020 and caught 40 passes for 438 yards. This after setting the single-season mark with 149 receptions in ’19, being named a First-Team All-Pro. In his five-year career, last season was the first he went for less than 1,100 receiving yards.

With quarterback Drew Brees retired and either Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston taking his job, the Saints desperately need Thomas to bounce back. He’s the only receiver of note on the team, with running back Alvin Kamara being the chief compliment in the passing game. Besides them, it’s Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harris and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.

Relations are apparently improving between Thomas and the Saints. Good news for a player trying to regain elite status. Better news for the team which needs him to.

5. NFL’s Top 100 list remains entertainment, but not accurate

Each year, NFL Network puts out the NFL’s Top 100 for a given year. This time around, we’re more than halfway through the list, which the players vote on.

If anything, this show proves why players should never, ever, be in charge of voting on the Hall of Fame, All-Pro or All-Decade Teams, and so forth. After all, no serious list would have J.J. Watt included after a five-sack season, or place Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White in the 95th spot. Go ahead, name 94 players who are better.

Yes, the NFL Network show is exactly that. It’s a show. It’s entertainment. Have some fun with it, and enjoy the videos made about some of the players on your favorite team. But don’t take it seriously.

Across social media and on television, the list will get play and people will lose their minds arguing. Don’t get sucked in to the obnoxious, irrational discourse. Have a good laugh and watch the highlights package.

Two cents

Don’t lose your minds, good or bad, based off preseason play.

Veteran fans know this, and yet a bad result or an ugly series still lingers in the mind. Why? Because recency bias is real, and because a new season brings new thoughts. Essentially, temper those emotions if you don’t want an August rollercoaster.

The next few weeks are going to be littered by third-stringers looking great and putting up huge stat lines. Very rarely does it translate. Sure, you’ll get the occasional Victor Cruz, but the vast majority of these moments are the proverbial blip on radar.

The same holds true the other direction. If a team with a long track record of success looks miserable, forget it. Don’t waste your time. Nobody is game-planning, and if coaches were forced into honesty, they don’t care about the final score. At all. It’s about getting reps, trying new things and working out the occasional kink.

Enjoy August, don’t fret.

Inside the league

Last week, I wrote an in-depth feature on the Kansas City Chiefs and their exhaustive offseason. I hope you’ll take a few minutes, follow the link and enjoy. Even if you’re not a Chiefs fan, it’s a detailed, inside look into how an NFL team goes through the winter and spring months.

History lesson

The Los Angeles Chargers are seen as a star-crossed franchise, but that wasn’t always true.

During their decade in the American Football League, the Chargers were one of the dominant teams. Led by head coach Sid Gillman, running back Paul Lowe and receiver Lance Alworth, the team reached five of the first six AFL title games.

While then-San Diego only won it all once, it did so with arguably the best squad the AFL ever produced. In 1963, the Chargers went 11-3 before pummeling the Boston Patriots, 51-10, to capture the championship. It was the third time that season San Diego eclipsed 50 points.

How good were those Chargers? Some believe they would’ve beaten the NFL-champion Bears if given the chance, but Chicago declined the invitation.

Parting shot

The Texans are a complete disaster. A total, robust mess.

Throughout the offseason, the front office kept busy by sparing with quarterback Deshaun Watson. Of course, Watson’s legal troubles then followed. At the outset of camp, the team had Watson playing scout-team safety while occasionally catching swing passes out of the backfield. Why he hasn’t been sent home with pay to avoid all the awkwardness, beyond me.

Now, they’re onto another badly-handled situation.

Last week, the Texans tried to hastily announce they were finished with training camp, thus barring the media from covering the practices. The notion was ridiculous considering where the calendar sits, and the NFL immediately shut it down. Houston will remain open for the media through Aug. 26, like every other club.

All this speaks to the core problem in Houston: the lack of experience and leadership in the building.

The head coach has never been a head coach at any level, and while David Culley is universally respected in league circles, the 65-year-old appears woefully out of his depth. Then there’s general manager Nick Caserio and executive vice president Jack Easterby, both of whom came from New England. Caserio is a football man, but again, with no experience outside of Belichick’s cocoon. Easterby is not a football man, at all.

If you’re waiting for the Texans to figure things out, may I suggest a long nap?