Category: 2023 NFL preseason

4-Down Territory: Most, least serious wild-card teams, Secret Superstars, new coaches

In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” the guys get into most and least serious wild-card teams, Secret Superstars, and new head coaches they’d like to see.

Now that the 2023 NFL regular season is over, and it’s Super Wild-Card Weekend, it’s time once again for Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, and Kyle Madson of Niners Wire, to come to the table with their own unique brand of analysis in “4-Down Territory.”

This week, the guys have some serious questions to answer:

  1. Which wild-card team should be taken most seriously for a Super Bowl run?
  2. Which wild-card team should be taken least seriously?
  3. Who’s your Secret Superstar for the wild-card round?
  4. Which assistant coach would you most like to get a vacant head coaching job?

You can watch this week’s “4-Down Territory” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “4-Down Territory” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

New England Patriots waive stand out rookie quarterback

The New England Patriots waived standout rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham

In what was a bit of a head-scratching move early this week, the New England Patriots cut both of the backup quarterbacks on their roster. Included in these cuts was exciting rookie signal caller Malik Cunningham, who impressed during his limited playtime during the Patriots preseason opener.

Most notably, Cunningham scored the only points for New England on a touchdown drive where he was surprisingly thrust in at quarterback after spending the majority of training camp at wide receiver. Cunningham capped the drive off with a flashy and explosive nine-yard run into the end zone.

Cunningham saw little action after his impressive debut, not appearing in New England’s second preseason game, and only running once for five yards, and throwing for two incompletions in their finale against Tennessee. It was admittedly disappointing to see so little of the Louisville rookie, who looked like he had a real shot to make the roster and potentially some noise in the regular season. Cunningham should be a priority for quarterback-needy teams or teams looking to develop a potential playmaker.

The Cleveland Browns might have a Dorian Thompson-Robinson problem

Cleveland Browns rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson could start hearing fan calls to start if Deshaun Watson struggles again

It’s not exactly a secret that current Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson had a mixed reception among his own fans given his dubious off-the-field activities. This was made none the better by his frankly abysmal outing in his first year as a starter for the Browns. The excuses about how he was away from football for over a year can work temporarily, but if this stretch of play continues, there is little to stop new fan-favorite quarterback and freshly minted backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson from receiving chants from fans and media alike to be slid in for starting snaps.

While it may come off as a bit of an overreaction to a stellar preseason performance, Thompson-Robinson really did look like the real deal. Combine that with his gritty story of having to grind through multiple college teams, and his most recent blindside block and Cleveland could certainly hear calls for the rookie should the season not kick off as expected.

Thompson-Robinson boasted a 105.5 average quarterback rating, 64% completion percentage, over 400 yards passing, and a pair of touchdowns in his first set of preseason games. Looking prepared, snappy, and with a live arm, Thompson-Robinson could be a diamond in the rough for a Cleveland team that wasn’t even necessarily digging to find it.

Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent wins the Bears backup QB job

Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent from D-II Shepherd wins the Bears backup QB job

It’s been an impressive summer for a lot of the quarterbacks in the NFL draft class of 2023. From Bryce Young in Carolina to Aidan O’Connell in Las Vegas, Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Cleveland and others in between, the QBs selected in April’s draft are off to a strong start in the preseason.

The early success extends beyond the drafted quarterbacks, too. In Chicago, undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent performed well enough throughout training camp and the preseason to win the Bears’ backup QB spot behind Justin Fields. Bagent, from D-II powerhouse Shepherd, beat out veteran P.J. Walker for the No. 2 spot.

It’s an impressive rise for Bagent, who had a mixed bag of a Senior Bowl week that likely kept him from being drafted in the late rounds. He completed 20 of his 29 passes for 156 yards and one INT in Chicago’s three preseason games, also running for two touchdowns.

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Cowboys lose 2 rookies to season-ending injuries

The Dallas Cowboys saw two promising rookies go down for the season with knee injuries in the second preseason game

The Dallas Cowboys took a big hit in their second preseason game, a 22-14 loss in Seattle to the Seahawks. Two promising rookies suffered torn ACLs and will now miss their inaugural NFL seasons.

The bigger loss is linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. The No. 90 overall pick from Texas, Overshown had been playing well throughout training camp, per Cowboys Wire,

The third-round draft pick out of Texas had been “climbing the charts,” according to Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and was expected to be a major contributor to the Dallas defense this year.

Later in the game, the Cowboys lost tight end John Stephens. An undrafted rookie from Louisiana, the 6-5, 215-pound Stephens was converting from being a college wide receiver and was outshining some vets already.

Here’s hoping for a successful surgery and full recovery for Overshown and Stephens. Hopefully we will see them in Dallas in 2024.

Tanner McKee is the latest rookie QB to light up the preseason

Eagles 6th-rounder Tanner McKee is the latest rookie QB to light up the preseason

It’s been an impressive early preseason for the rookie quarterback class. Several rookie QBs have looked very good in the exhibition season, from No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson of the Colts to Raiders fourth-rounder Aidan O’Connell and beyond, a lot of rookie passers have played well in preseason.

The latest to join the list is Philadelphia’s Tanner McKee. The Eagles sixth-round pick from Stanford looked great in Thursday night’s 18-18 tie with the Cleveland Browns. McKee was poised and accurate in completing 10 of his 18 passes, netting 147 yards and a touchdown. He led the Eagles on both their scoring drives and (largely) successfully avoided an impactful Browns pass rush throughout the second half of the game.

McKee had some positive moments in the Eagles’ exhibition opener, too. On Thursday night, he definitively outplayed Marcus Mariota, who started the game for Philadelphia.

McKee’s rookie counterpart on the Browns, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, also had a nice night to keep his own impressive preseason progressing.

Malik Cunningham showed flashes in limited action with Patriots

Rookie QB Malik Cunningham showed flashes in limited preseason action with Patriots

While there have been questions about the quarterback position all offseason, it has mostly been between former first round pick and presumed started Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe who went 2-0 as a starter for New England last season. After an impressive preseason performance, rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham has officially thrown his hat into the ring, not only to make the roster as a quarterback, but to perhaps earn some snaps should things go downhill at the position.

After spending the majority of training camp out at wide receiver, Cunningham made the most of his opportunity at quarterback in his first preseason game, where he was inserted into the fourth quarter completing 3 of 4 passes for 19 yards. He also led the team in rushing in his small stint, with five carries for an impressive 34 yards and the only Patriots touchdown on the night.

Cunningham has the experience and athleticism to make a splash in the league, and though his size and arm strength likely limited his draft stock, his four years as a starter for Louisville has earned him enough experience to make a splash right away. A dynamic threat in college, it would be difficult for Cunningham to suddenly transform into a rhythm passer like the other quarterbacks on the roster, though given the flashes he showed in his limited time under center for the Pats, perhaps he can develop into something more for the team.

Only time will tell how this all plays out, but one thing is for certain, Malik Willis has earned the eyes of the fans and more snaps during preseason. He will have to beat out veteran Trace McSorley to make the roster, and in a wild NFL world who knows what will happen after that. Preseason hype be damned, Cunningham is fun to watch and has a shot in this league.

Colts name 1st-rounder Anthony Richardson as their starting QB

The Indianapolis Colts name 1st-rounder Anthony Richardson as their starting QB for the regular season

The Indianapolis Colts selected Florida QB Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft with hopes that the athletically gifted Gator will be the future franchise quarterback.

Richardson reported for duty in a competition with veteran Gardner Minsshew for the starting gig in Indianapolis. That competition is now over.

Rookie head coach Shane Steichen ended any drama by naming Richardson the starter for the regular season. It comes on the heels of Minshew completing all six of his pass attempts in the Colts’ preseason opener, while Richardson logged an interception amongst his 7-for-12 performance in Indianapolis’ loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Richardson has impressed the Colts with his grasp of the offense and his ability to make plays early on. Committing to Richardson already shows the organizational confidence in the precocious young passer.

Raiders 4th-rounder Aidan O’Connell was the top rookie QB in preseason Week 1

Raiders 4th-rounder Aidan O’Connell was the top rookie QB in preseason Week 1 in Las Vegas’ win over the 49ers

The first week of preseason football showed off the debut of the rookie class around the NFL. Preseason games are huge for rookies, but especially for the quarterback class. All eyes tend to get focused on the most important position in professional sports.

The draft class of 2023 saw several QBs take the field in preseason Week 1. While C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson all had notable (good and bad) performances, it was a Day 3 passer who turned in the best opening weekend.

Raiders fourth-rounder Aidan O’Connell turned in an outstanding game in Las Vegas’ 34-6 rout of the San Francisco 49ers. O’Connell got the start and played deep into the game in part because there was no reason to pull the Purdue product.

O’Connell lit up the Niners defense, completing 15 of his 18 pass attempts for 141 yards and a touchdown. Arguably his best throw of the night, a deep shot to WR Tre Tucker, clanked to the ground as a drop, too. He was poised, efficient and even flashed some pocket mobility.

After the game, former NFL coach Steve Mariuccui couldn’t contain his excitement for O’Connell, who led Purdue to the Big Ten championship game in 2022.

O’Connell has the advantage of already being 25 and comes from a pro-friendly offense in college. For the Raiders, getting a ready-to-roll backup behind oft-injured starter Jimmy Garoppolo was a prerogative. The first look at Aidan O’Connell has to be encouraging for head coach Josh McDaniels.

Texans rookie WR Tank Dell shines in NFL debut

Houston’s top rookie on Thursday night was Tank Dell.

The Houston Texans kicked off their preseason on Thursday night with a 20-9 win over the New England Patriots. Unfortunately, the team’s top two draft picks, quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson didn’t give the Texans fans a lot to be excited about.

However, one Houston rookie who did play very well was wide receiver Tank Dell. The Texans selected Dell, a speedster out of the University of Houston in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft at the insistence of Stroud.

Thursday night, Dell caught five passes for 65 yards and hauled in a receiving touchdown. Dell led the Texans in all categories. On the night, Dell looked quick, agile and poised. He displayed excellent body control going after the football and that trademark explosiveness.

The next best rookie on the night for the Texans was linebacker Henry To’oTo’o who led Houston with five total tackles.

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