Not all of the six quarterbacks selected in the top 12 of the last NFL Draft are going to succeed. There will be failures. It’s inevitable.
However, there was nothing to worry about after a week of preseason.
The story of the preseason was going to be the rookie quarterbacks, and the story of Week 1 was how good they all looked. Caleb Williams was probably the best of the bunch. Drake Maye was the laggard, throwing just three passes. JJ McCarthy and Bo Nix took steps toward starting jobs. Preseason debuts aren’t always pretty, but it was a pretty clean week for the rookie quarterbacks selected high in the draft.
A look at all the quarterbacks begins with our takeaways from some notable teams in Week 1 of the preseason:
Caleb Williams looked like a real player. It doesn’t mean he’s going to be a Hall of Famer, but every bit of his skill set was on display. In Saturday’s games, Williams was not only the most efficient quarterback in the first week of the preseason in EPA (expected points added) passing, but he wasn’t particularly close.
Williams was everything the Bears wanted him to be, albeit only on a couple of possessions. That should get everyone excited for what’s to come.
“He did well,” catcher DJ Moore said. via the team’s site“The first two series were amazing. He came out with a lot of confidence and did well… He was strong and precise with his decisions, and everything was great.”
The Commanders were safe with Jayden Daniels, and they handed him the ball often. They’re short on offensive line because of injuries at the tackle position and didn’t want to put him in jeopardy, but they also wanted him to get some live reps. He played an 11-play series and threw the ball just three times. But he did have a beautiful deep pass to Dyami Brown and ran it in for a touchdown, something we’ll see a lot of this season.
The Commanders haven’t named Daniels their QB1 for Week 1, which is silly, but it will happen soon.
It was disappointing to see Drake Maye get just one series and three downs. But Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said the plan was for Maye and starter Jacoby Brissett to get just one series each. Mayo said that when Maye does play more (Mayo said he anticipates it will be in Week 2 of the preseason), he wanted it to be with the starting offensive line.
“If he’s there, you want him there with the starting offensive line,” Mayo said. via NESN“We have to protect the kid. I’m not saying we don’t have to protect the other kids, but that was absolutely important.”
Michael Penix Jr. was the starter and will be a big story in the Falcons’ preseason while Kirk Cousins is on the bench.
Penix was composed, completing 9 of 16 passes for 104 yards. He had a few rushed throws and a couple of inaccurate ones, but overall it was a good debut.
“It was fun to watch him go out and run some of the passing plays and we were able to accomplish some of the things,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. via NFL.com“It was a very good night for him and I’m very pleased with what he was able to do.”
The fifth and sixth quarterbacks selected in April put on a great show. They got a chance to play longer than the others and against backups. But JJ McCarthy and Bo Nix made the most of their opportunities.
McCarthy came in after a Sam Darnold drive, and he was solid. McCarthy completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He started off poorly with a bad interception, but was excellent for most of the rest of the day.
“Clearly, everyone can see the arm talent,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. via Minneapolis Star Tribune“I love watching him come back right after the interception, still be aggressive and stay true to his footwork, his timing, his rhythm, where his eyes need to be.”
The Vikings appear committed to starting Darnold in Week 1, but McCarthy’s exciting skill set will continue to weigh on the Vikings’ season until he gets the job.
There’s not much reason for the Broncos to start Jarrett Stidham in Week 1. He was fine as a starter in the preseason opener, but the pace of the offense picked up when Bo Nix entered the game. Nix wasn’t perfect, but he made some nice plays and led the Broncos to scores on four of their five drives.
Nix has more college football starts than any other quarterback in NCAA history and is 24 years old. Part of the appeal of selecting him 12th overall is that he should have been NFL-ready. He looked pretty good in his first preseason workout.
The Dolphins could be the next branch of Shanahan’s tree as he looks to turn every running back into a productive back. Rookie Jaylen Wright looked good in his preseason debut.
Wright had 55 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. He was explosive. The Dolphins already had De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert, but Mostert is 32 and Achane has to prove he can stay healthy for a full season. Wright could end up carving out a role for himself. The Dolphins moved up in the draft to get Wright in the fourth round, and it seems like he could be a good investment.
Kickoff returns are back in the works. Last week we saw seven kickoff returns of at least 40 yards, including two by the Jaguars. Parker Washington had the longest return of preseason Week 1 with a 74-yarder that set up a short touchdown.
The strategy will change in the regular season. Teams don’t want to show off too much in the preseason, especially with a new rule that everyone wants to take advantage of. But during the first set of games, the NFL’s desire to reimplement kickoff returns as part of the game was a success.
Sean McVay started the trend of not playing any standouts in the preseason, and many coaches followed suit. One of those who didn’t play was Chiefs coach Andy Reid. Reid plays starters in the preseason, and who can argue with one of the all-time greats?
This preseason backfired. Receiver Marquise Brown suffered a dislocated sternoclavicular joint and that injury could cause him to miss the start of the season. Brown was signed in the offseason and was expected to help the receiving group right away. The good news for the Chiefs is that Rashee Rice hasn’t heard anything about an NFL suspension. The injury means rookie Xavier Worthy could be forced to take on a big role early on. Hopefully, there won’t be any more major injuries for the Chiefs this preseason.
The Raiders likely didn’t expect to draft Brock Bowers in April, considering they already had 2023 second-round pick Michael Mayer at tight end. But Bowers was the best player available at No. 13 overall, and the Raiders are going to get creative with him.
Bowers played 11 snaps and was all over the place. He lined up at a normal tight end position four times, twice on the sideline (and caught a pass on a nice diagonal route from there), once as an H-back, once in the slot and then, as the Raiders approached the goal line, he lined up three times as a fullback. On one of those plays, he got open and caught a pass on third-and-1 just before quarterback Aidan O’Connell was hit.
The Raiders showed right away that they’re going to run a lot of two-tight end formations, and Bowers will line up virtually anywhere.