Grading every rookie QB's NFL preseason debut: Ty Simpson sets the standard

The first week of NFL preseason action is behind us now and while it's always tough to really draw any conclusions from the preseason, we can at least talk a little bit about how first-year quarterbacks fared in their first NFL action.

From No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza to late-round picks like Behren Morton and Garrett Nussmeier, here's how each rookie quarterback graded out in this week of preseason play.

Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders

Did Las Vegas Raiders rookie Fernando Mendoza have the best rookie preseason debut this week? No. But he did what he ultimately needed to do, going 10-for-16 for 97 yards and a touchdown in a 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Is he any closer to unseating Kirk Cousins for the starting role? Probably not, as Cousins showed on the opening drive that he's still the best option right now, going 5-for-6 for 50 yards.

But Mendoza's performance was encouraging. Part of the concern coming in was that while Mendoza was very clearly the best quarterback prospect in this class, he wasn't quite ready to be thrown into the fire, which is why the Raiders brought Cousins in to be that bridge until Mendoza is ready to go.

Thursday's game saw Mendoza struggle a bit on his first drive before settling in nicely, and the Raiders offensive line did a great job preventing pressure, allowing him to work methodically from a clean pocket. The times he did face pressure, his efficiency took a steep drop, but that's to be expected from a guy seeing his first NFL action. This game proved he can pick apart the defense when he has the time to do so; now, he needs to work on stepping up against pressure in his subsequent preseason games.

Ty Simpson, Los Angeles Rams

Now THAT is how you make a preseason debut. First-round pick Ty Simpson is technically still third on the Los Angeles Rams depth chart, but he's almost certainly going to spring past Stetson Bennett after a strong showing on Saturday, as he threw a pair of touchdown passes while going 21-for-25 for 190 yards.

Now, is Simpson ready to be an NFL starter? Not quite. As Arif Hasan pointed out on over X, Simpson played it super safe, with an average depth of target of just 4.72, which would have ranked last among NFL quarterbacks last season. That's not the way you win actual games.

Still, he did what he needed to do here. Short-yardage accuracy is important, and Simpson was really good at short-yardage accuracy on Saturday. He did everything he was asked to do; does it matter, then, that we didn't see him throwing the deep ball, considering that wasn't what Sean McVay was asking Simpson to do? Not really.

Carson Beck, Arizona Cardinals*

Alright, so Carson Beck didn't play for the Arizona Cardinals this week against the Las Vegas Raiders, but he did play in the Hall of Fame Game last week against Carolina, so let's talk about his performance in that one.

He was pretty good! Beck went 15-for-19 for 188 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked once. Like the other rookies who played well in their preseason debuts, Beck focused on taking what the defense gave him. Maybe that meant he didn't have the flashy plays that undrafted rookie Haynes King had for the Panthers on the other side of the field, but Beck did what he was asked to do.

On a more "big picture" note here, it's fascinating that the top quarterbacks from this class all had similar debuts in this way. The first four quarterbacks drafted all showcased their ability to play in the context of their team's offensive system. This isn't a star-studded quarterback class and I don't think there's a lot of high-end starters from it — I'd be mildly surprised if anyone other than Mendoza ever makes a Pro Bowl, for example — but it's a class that feels perfectly ripe for generating long-term backup quarterbacks who can step in when needed without making too many mistakes.

Drew Allar, Pittsburgh Steelers

Very strong showing for Drew Allar in his quest to unseat Will Howard for the role of "young quarterback who hopes to replace Aaron Rodgers in 2027." He already should be in the lead simply because of draft capital, but his performance against the Packers on Thursday was a big feather in his cap as he went 10-for-13 for 153 yards and two touchdowns while also adding a rushing score as well.

Allar was the only Steelers quarterback to throw a touchdown, as well as the only one to not be sacked. He personally accounted for 75 percent of the team's touchdowns in the 28-9 victory.

Howard wasn't bad — 7-for-9 for 86 yards — but this was a huge moment in Allar's quest to make the Steelers final roster. His 154.8 passer rating was the best of any rookie quarterback this week and while it doesn't guarantee him a roster spot, it does put him in very, very good shape going forward.

Cade Klubnik, New York Jets

It's a little harder to grade Cade Klubnik than it was to grade the previous four players, seeing as he only threw seven passes against the Buccaneers on Friday. He completed five of those for 56 yards, though, and ended the night with a better quarterback rating than the other two New York Jets quarterbacks who played, Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe.

One thing to note here: Geno Smith missed this game with an ankle injury and the Jets turned to Klubnik as their starter. He showed an immediate rapport with wide receiver Garrett Wilson, and Klubnik showed he was capable of making positive plays with the first-team offense.

The former Clemson quarterback might not have been able to showcase his arm strength and he might not have finished the game with a touchdown pass, but he did everything he was asked to do by this coaching staff and has put himself in a very, very good spot in the battle for the QB2 role in New York.

Cole Payton, Philadelphia Eagles

Cole Payton is a raw prospect, which we saw from the fact that he completed under half of his pass attempts in Saturday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. However, there were definitely strong flashes from the new Philadelphia Eagle.

What felt most notable, when looking back at his performance, was the way Payton used his legs. He finished with 45 rushing yards, though one of the best examples of Payton moving came on his touchdown pass.

Payton ducks out of a collapsed pocket and is able to buy his receivers more time as he rolls to the right, allowing Erik Ezukanma to come open for an easy touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. Is there plenty still to work on for Payton, including accuracy and his ability to throw from the pocket? Sure, but his athleticism was on display here and the Eagles have to feel better about him as their potential QB2 in 2027, as both Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee are set to be free agents following this season.

Athan Kaliakmanis, Washington Commanders

Solid. That's about the only way to describe Athan Kaliakmanis against the Miami Dolphins, as he went 6-for-10 for 87 yards and was sacked twice in the 20-7 victory.

He made one big-time throw to Jacoby Jones in the third quarter and showed he could push the ball down the field. At the same time, he also struggled with pocket awareness, hence the two sacks.

There's definitely something to work with here, though. The rookie out of Rutgers looked significantly better than Sam Hartman did as the two battle for the QB3 role, but he needs to work on escaping pressure before we can talk about him as more than just someone battling for a fringe roster spot.

Behren Morton, New England Patriots

Former Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton didn't have the greatest debut for the New England Patriots, but he didn't have the worst one either, completing slightly over half of his pass attempts for 66 yards. Notably, he made one really impressive throw:

Was he a little inconsistent outside of that highlight? Sure, and at one point we saw a drive killed because Morton seemed to lock in on the wrong receiver, ignoring open guys to instead fire an incompletion at Kobe Prentice. These things happen, though. Overall, a solid debut for Morton that

Garrett Nussmeier, Kansas City Chiefs

Another solid preseason debut here. (It really was a strong week for rookie quarterbacks, wasn't it?) Kansas City Chiefs rookie Garrett Nussmeier got a chance to play extended snaps on Saturday, going 13-for-19 for 98 yards.

Was he overshadowed by how well Ty Simpson did for the Rams in the same game? Sure. He missed on a few throws that could have kept drives going and the Chiefs never managed to find the end zone, with all 12 points coming off of Harrison Butker field goals. Largely, though, Nussmeier was solid and poised, and he was clearly better than the player he's battling for the QB3 role, Chris Oladokun. That's about all you can ask.

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