Tag: 2023 NFL draft

Former NFL LB makes bold take on C.J. Stroud vs. Jayden Daniels’ rookie seasons

So, who had a better rookie season between Jayden Daniels and C.J. Stroud? One person thinks its clearly the 2024 No. 2 overall pick.

C.J. Stroud’s breakout rookie season for the Houston Texans will go down as one of the greatest seasons in franchise history.

The same must be said for Jayden Daniels as he closes the chapter on Year 1 with the Washington Commanders.

But which former No. 2 overall pick had the better first season when looking back at the year?

If you ask former All-Pro linebacker Teddy Bruschi for an opinion, he’s rocking with the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and face of D.C. Football.

The ESPN analyst claimed that while Stroud’s heroics ended a four-year playoff drought in Houston, Daniels’ overall numbers are more impressive for Washington entering the postseason.

“C.J. Stroud had a great year last year,” Bruschi said on ESPN’s NFL Countdown. “He won Offensive Rookie of the Year last season. This [Jayden Daniels] blows that season away in my mind.”

While Bruschi’s take is bold, it might not be entirely wrong. And it’s not based on records or accolades for either team, but rather on individual stats between the passers and their inconsistencies.

Daniels closed out the 2024 calendar year with a three-touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons, including the game-winning pass in overtime to secure a playoff berth for the first time since 2020.

He also became the second quarterback in NFL history with 5+ passing touchdowns, 250+ passing yards and 75+ rushing yards in a game for his performance in a comeback win against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17.

If that’s not enough, Daniels also became the first rookie in NFL history with multiple game-winning passing touchdowns in the final 30 seconds of a game.

Stroud, who led the NFL with a 23:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2023, only accomplished that feat once, dating back to Week 9’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 16 games, Daniels has completed 69.4% of his passes for 3,530 yards with 25 touchdowns to nine interceptions for a 101.3 passer rating. He also has 864 rushing yards and six scores, thus bringing his total to 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns.

In 15 games, Stroud completed 63.9% of his passes for 4,108 yards with 23 touchdowns to five interceptions and a 110.8 rating. He also became the first quarterback to throw three touchdown passes in the first half of their first playoff game in a win over the Cleveland Browns.

What could separate the two is overall talent. Daniels’ impact has guided a semi-average roster to a potential 12-win season and a five-game winning streak to close out 2024.

Washington’s also missing a secondary receiver, unlike the Texans in 2023 behind Tank Dell and Nico Collins.

“I see Jayden and I’m like, ‘This guy is going to be a problem for the next decade,'” Bruschi said. “I truly believe that because of what the pressure does to him and how tough he is to get to.

“He’s not just a passer. He does so much more.”

Fans on both sides of the fence will complain until they see the two take the field. One can only hope that instance becomes a reality within the next few years.

Perhaps this season in New Orleans?

Bryce Young continuing to perform in overtime win against Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young continues to make strides.

It wasn’t all that long ago that we were talking about Bryce Young’s need for improvement, but all of those conversations definitely seem to be in the rearview mirror at this point.

Young most recently led the Carolina Panthers to a thrilling overtime win against the Arizona Cardinals, coming out on the right end of a 36-30 final score.

He was ace on the field, completing 17 of his 26 passing attempts for 158 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He functioned as something of a dual threat, also rushing for 68 yards with one touchdown on the ground on five carries.

Head coach Dave Canales had a lot of praise for what Young did on the field, in addition to the toughness he showed when he took a shot.

“Yeah, he just played fast again,” Canales said in the postgame press conference. “You saw some of the scrambles early in the first half, where he was able to pick up some critical third downs for us there and run one in for a touchdown. It was about just being decisive, knowing where all the bones are buried, you know, and his concepts and being able to get to the scramble when those windows opened up for him.”

Former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said earlier this season that he felt like Young was really beginning to get it and that what the former Alabama quarterback did while he was benched is really paying dividends.

That much seems clear in the development that the early 2023 NFL Draft selection has shown.

“I thought what coach Dave Canales did was very brave,” Rivera said in an interview with RG. “And inevitably what ends up happening is that Andy Dalton was unfortunately in a car accident. They had to play Bryce and he played very well. What that tells you is, while he was benched, he was paying attention to the little details. He was supporting his teammates, he was around his teammates, now all of a sudden, he got his second opportunity.”

Though the Panthers will miss the playoffs, how Young continues to progress down the final stretch of the regular season will be something to keep an eye on before he and Carolina go back to the drawing board this offseason.

Anthony Richardson becomes 2nd first-round quarterback from 2023 to be benched

Anthony Richardson becomes 2nd first-round quarterback from 2023 to be benched

It’s been a tough go for every quarterback from 2023 not named C.J. Stroud. With Bryce Young being benched after just two games into the 2024 season, the same fate has not befallen former 4th overall pick Anthony Richardson.

Richardson has struggled all season, both with staying healthy and playing at an acceptable level when he has been on the field. On the year Richardson has just 4 passing touchdowns to 7 interceptions, awarding him an abysmal quarterback rating of 57.2 on the season. The boiling point for Richardson came last week when he took himself out of the game on a 3rd and goal play because he was “tired”. While he clearly was exhausted given the previous few plays, many circles will not look kindly on any quarterback taking themselves out of the game at any level of football.

All this being said, it is not the end of Richardson’s story. The Indianapolis Colts knew they were taking a bit of a project when they drafted Richardson given he had not played very much at the collegiate level and missed most of last year. This will be a chance for Richardson to reset, learn, and come back likely later into this season and show the rewards of patience. Only time will tell if Richardson can put it all together, but it is certainly not a good start for the quarterbacks of the 2023 draft class.

The 2023 Quarterback draft class is a mess

The 2023 Quarterback draft class is a mess aside from Texans star C.J. Stroud

Thinking about the 2023 quarterback NFL Draft class, the first name that comes to your mind is C.J. Stroud, and rightly so, given his performance in his first two seasons in the league. Undersold in the class is just how bad the other draft picks around Stroud have been.

Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis are all teetering on disaster for their respective franchises, and it’s starting to look like a botched class if things continue to play out poorly.

 

Young is the most obviously culprit out of the group, but it is hard to evaluate whether he is truly a “bust” or a product of the joke of a product that the Carolina Panthers have become. Young showed flashes in his rookie season but ultimately looked out of place, and in his second year was promptly benched after just two games which were blowout losses. Whether Young makes a rebound or not remains to be seen, and if he does it will likely be on a different team.

As for Richardson and Levis, both have looked subpar when on the field, and while both show flashes of serious physical talent, the end product has left much to be desired. Richardson missed most of his rookie season with injury, and now in his second year has both missed games and looks underdeveloped when healthy. Levis has had a cornucopia of mistakes that have put games out of reach and really put to question his decision-making as a quarterback.

 

Only time will tell how these three quarterbacks play out, but if things remain the same as they are right now, it’s unlikely any of these quarterbacks will be the starting going into the 2025 NFL season.

Sean Payton speaks on the decision to sign another ex-Saints wide receiver

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton spoke on the decision to sign another ex-Saints wide receiver. He views A.T. Perry as someone worth developing:

Sean Payton earned some more ire from New Orleans Saints fans last week when his Denver Broncos signed another ex-Saints player — former 2023 draft pick A.T. Perry, the wide receiver from Wake Forest. Perry showed up on game days but his poor day-to-day performance at practice didn’t help his case for a roster spot, and the team chose to waive him.

Now he’s on the Broncos practice squad. Payton spoke about the decision to add Perry, who he sees as a player with impressive physical gifts and plenty of skills to develop further.

“We had some exposure with him,” Payton said Friday. “I obviously wasn’t there, but Pete Carmichael (was). We noticed him in his rookie year last year on film… We weren’t going to claim him, but we sure would like to recruit him to come to the practice squad. He’s long with good hands.”

It should also be noted that former Saints assistant college scouting director Cody Rager was hired into Denver’s front office this offseason, and he was part of the decision to draft Perry a year ago.

Payton emphasized that they view Perry as a stash-and-develop signing, not someone likely to get thrown into  a game right away. He’s  a longshot to p lay against the Saints next Thursday night, but never say never. He learned Carmichael’s playbook as a rookie which is derived from Payton’s system. Perry may not need as much time to get up to speed as other players in his  position.

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Sean Payton’s Broncos poached another Saints player, and he didn’t even draft them

Sean Payton’s Broncos poached another former Saints player, and he didn’t even draft this one. A.T. Perry is going to Denver:

This is getting silly. Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos signed another former New Orleans Saints player, but he didn’t even draft this one. Wide receiver A.T. Perry signed with the Broncos practice squad on Tuesday, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill.

Perry had been waived after being a healthy scratch for each of the Saints’  first four games in 2024; they drafted him in the sixth round of the 2023  NFL draft, and he made some nice plays in spot duty during the second half of the season.

But he appeared to be a poor fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense and the Saints chose to let him go, though head coach Dennis Allen emphasized that the door was open for him to stick around. The Saints even opened a spot on their practice squad by promoting rookie guard Kyle Hergel to the 53-man roster on Monday.

But now Perry will be picking up a new playbook, or at least one similar to what he learned as a rookie. His former play caller Pete Carmichael is on staff with Payton in Denver as are some other familiar faces. And Saints fans  could see him as soon as next Thursday when Payton and the Broncos visit New Orleans for a prime-time game.

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Recently-cut Saints WR is now a free agent after clearing waivers

A.T. Perry cleared waivers, and the Saints have an open spot on their practice squad. But what happens next might be up to him:

Now this is interesting. The New Orleans Saints waived wide receiver A.T. Perry last Friday, and when the waiver wire updated on Monday no team chose to pick him up, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. Now Perry is a free agent, but what happens next may be up to him.

Saints coach Dennis Allen has already expressed an openness to keeping Perry around on the practice squad, and wouldn’t you know it but the team has a spot open after promoting rookie offensive lineman Kyle Hergel to the 53-man roster. But that’s not to say Perry doesn’t have options. He could choose to sign with another team’s practice squad and see if he has more success, depending on whether he’s received any offers.

You just have to wonder what’s out there. 32 teams saw his name on the waiver wire and decided they had better players on their rosters already; had someone claimed him, that team would’ve had to let another player go to make room. Swapping out rostered players with those on practice squads is a much lower-stakes affair.

Perry fell to the sixth round in last year’s draft for unquantifiable “character concerns,” and that may have played a part in the decision to not claim him. And his problems in New Orleans have been with picking up the playbook and executing his role on offense. Maybe that’s what scared off those teams in the first place. There’s a good chance Perry remains with the Saints on their practiice squad, but that’s no sure thing. Otherwise they wouldn’t have risked losing him on waivers at all.

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Saints cut second-year draft pick in surprise roster move

The New Orleans Saints cut A.T. Perry in a surprise roster move. The second-year draft pick never did climb the depth chart this season:

This is a bit of a shock. The New Orleans Saints waived wide receiver A.T. Perry on Friday, as first reported by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill and confirmed by other local outlets. Perry was only in his second year with the team after the Saints traded up to draft him in 2023 out of Wake Forest, sending tight end Adam Trautman to the Denver Broncos in the process.

The timing is odd — because the Saints are playing on “Monday Night Football” this week, they’re only in the second day of practice — so you have to wonder if there’s an injury involved. Perry was limited on Thursday with a hamstring issue, so maybe they waived him with the goal of putting him on injured reserve. It’s also possible they want to keep him on the practice squad. It’s just too soon to say for sure.

Either way, it’s a disappointing turn for his career. Perry struggled to get in the lineup last season due to injuries and finished his rookie year with  a dozen catches for 246 yards, scoring 4 touchdown receptions. But he never did meet expectations over the summer and was surpassed on the depth chart  by other players. Minor injuries and inconsistent performance on the practice  field have kept him out of each of the first four games this season, and it might be the end of the raod for him in New Orleans.

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Raiders to deploy couple former 1st round EDGE in place of injured Maxx Crosby

Raiders to deploy couple former 1st round EDGE in place of injured Maxx Crosby

Let’s be honest, there’s no replacing what Maxx Crosby brings to the Raiders defense. But the Raiders have to try because Crosby is not expected to play Sunday when the Browns come to town. He is listed as Doubtful for the game and head coach Antonio Pierce said Friday that Crosby would be OUT.

It will be a group project trying to replace Crosby. And that group will include two former first round picks.

Saturday the team activated K’Lavon Chaisson from the practice squad. Chaisson was the 20th overall pick by the Jaguars in 2020 and was signed to the Raiders practice squad a couple weeks ago, following the loss of Malcolm Koonce to a knee injury.

Chaisson will join Raiders another former first round pick in Tyree Wilson who was the Raiders pick at seventh overall in the 2023 draft.

Others who will try and pick up the slack will be Janarius Robinson and Charles Snowden.

Raiders sign former 1st round EDGE to replace injured former 1st round EDGE

How do you replace a former top pick edge rusher? Why, with another former top pick edge rusher, of course.

Last Thursday, the Raiders lost starting edge rusher Malcolm Koonce to a knee injury. Six snaps into the game on Sunday, they lost former seventh overall pick Tyree Wilson to a knee injury. Thus leaving the position not only weaker, but lacking depth.

The Koonce injury was a huge blow. But they were hoping for the depth to step up and lessen that blow until Koonce could return. The Wilson injury meant something needed to happen.

“It got thin real quick,” Pierce said of the defensive end depth. “Telesco’s working on that as we speak.”

Well, Telesco’s work has yielded a result as the Raiders have signed former first round pick (20th overall) K’Lavon Chaissan to their practice squad.

Chaisson was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 20th overall pick in the 2020 draft out of LSU.

Over four season in Jacksonville, he had just five career sacks. They didn’t pick up his fifth year option and he left as a free agent. He signed with the Panthers this offseason and was released last week, ahead of the season opener.

Along with the Chaisson addition, the Raiders have also added CB Kyu Blu Kelly to the practice squad. Kelly was a 5th round pick by the Ravens in the 2023 draft out of Stanford. He didn’t make the roster out of camp and spent time on three different teams last season — the Packers, Seahawks, and Commanders.