Tag: NFL Rookies

Kyle Shanahan raves about Chicago Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan raved about Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

The 2024 season certainly hasn’t gone how Chicago Bears fans were hoping it might with rookie quarterback and recent No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams taking over.

Chicago enters its Week 14 date at San Francisco sporting a disappointing 4-8 record and riding a six-game losing streak.

The stretch of futility and the embarrassing finish to its 23-20 Thanksgiving Day loss at the Detroit Lions resulted in the Bears firing head coach Matt Eberflus. It probably didn’t help matters that a record-setting 37.5 million viewers tuned in to watch Eberflus and the Bears bungle those final seconds.

As Williams and the Bears navigate early turbulence in his career, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan had plenty of good things to say about the young Chicago signal-caller.

“As talented as there is. The stuff that you saw in college, you can see in the NFL. As good of a thrower as there is, born to play the position, got the athletic ability to do whatever, he’s got the speed to do whatever.

“He’s gotten a lot of playing time, he’s getting better as this year goes, I think he’s getting a lot more consistent. I think he’s been playing his best ball probably here the last few weeks. He’s put them in a chance to win here in these last few games there,” Shanahan said of Williams.

Williams is completing 61.6% of his passes and has thrown for 2,612 yards and 14 touchdowns against five interceptions. Each of Chicago’s past three defeats have come against NFC North divisional foes and each have been determined by one score.

For Williams’ part, he says the early adversity in his career will help he and the Bears longterm.

“I think this is a stepping-stone of development, to be able to have all of this in my first year. I wouldn’t say that I’m happy for it. Having these moments is definitely something that will help me in the future.

“Having these situational moments that it’s hard to rep in practice, having some of these moments, having your coach fired or coaches fired, and people being promoted. You know, things like that all happening within a couple weeks of each other, you know I think it would help me in the long run being able to handle all of this, handle this first year and being able to grow from it,” Williams said.

Thomas Brown is serving as the Chicago Bears’ interim head coach.

As Williams and Co. stroll into town, San Francisco (5-7) is looking to snap its own three-game skid when the Bears come calling to Levi’s Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:25 p.m. PT and the game will be televised on Fox.

The Rams collected an absolute star defensive lineman in the draft

The Rams collected an absolute star defensive lineman in the draft in Jared Verse

It was a bit of a surprise during the 2024 NFL Draft that star edge rusher Jared Verse was still on the board in the late teens when the Los Angeles Rams picked him up. Verse had proven to be one of the more physically gifted and violent edge defenders in a class that was lacking top end talent at that position. Now with the regular season entering it’s final weeks, it’s clear Verse was an absolute steal at where he was drafted.

 

While the numbers don’t necessarily jump off the page for Verse with only 4.5 sacks on the season, his constant pressure in both run defense and pass rush has made the Rams’ defense take a huge leap from the season prior. Verse rates as the top rookie lineman with 45 pressures and has been one of the most effective lineman in the league with a 20.5% pressure rate according to PFF.

Verse and his college teammate, whom the Rams also drafted in second-rounder Braden Fiske, have brought new life to a Rams team that was seriously lacking in defensive talent after the departure of Aaron Donald. Verse is one of the clear front runners in the ‘Defensive Rookie of the Year’ chase and should he continue to play at this high of the level, could help punch a ticket to the playoffs thanks in part to his efforts.

Rookie Ladd McConkey proving to be the top receiver for Chargers

Rookie Ladd McConkey proving to be the top receiver for the resurgent Los Angeles Chargers

There was a lot of flack that came from the new regime of Jim Harbaugh for the Los Angeles Chargers when he opted to forego one of the elite pass-catching options in the 2024 NFL Draft and instead went with an offensive lineman. To offset their losses at the receiver position, the Chargers instead decided to invest in the position at the top of the second round with the selection of former Georgia Bulldog Ladd McConkey, and that investment is paying off in a big way.

McConkey had himself a day in an offensive shootout against the Cincinnati Bengals, hauling in 6 catches for 123 yards and being the most consistent explosive threat within the Chargers’ passing game. McConkey looked every bit the explosive route technician we saw in college, and as he starts to connect with quarterback Justin Herbert he will become that much more productive.

 

Given McConkey’s production as of late it’s possible he could leap frog all the other rookie receivers and be the league’s top rookie pass catcher should he keep up his current pace. McConkey has quickly transitioned into the NFL game and given what he is showing in just his first season, McConkey is going to be a force for a long time.

Caleb Williams rookie season is quickly turning into a nightmare

Meet the new Chicago QB, same as the last Chicago QB…

It wasn’t that long ago that the number one overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams, was being picked across the board as a potential winner of the “Offensive Rookie of the Year” award and being touted as the next rookie phenom in the league. Over the last few weeks as the starter for the Chicago Bears, Williams has come way back down to Earth as his rookie season has hit a major wall.

 

While there are certainly multiple factors going into the lack of success for Williams and the Bears as of late, the rookie has not been playing up to the level we saw at USC that made him such a highly touted prospect. Over the last three starts, Williams and the Bears have not scored a single touchdown despite boasting one of the best receiver groups in the entire league. In a head-to-head with fellow rookie Drake Maye this past Sunday, Williams looked far behind Maye, who has a much worse supporting cast.

 

Of course this isn’t to say this lays completely at the shoulders of Williams or that this is going to cement his future in the league. Williams is behind one of the least consistent group of offensive linemen in the league, and with his tendency to hold onto the ball and locate the big play, it has been a disaster when it comes to his sack numbers.

We have seen high levels of play from Williams in a few games this season, and no one questions the talent level that exists for him. If Chicago wants to stop the bleeding and help salvage the rookie season of Williams, they must adapt better on offense and lean into his skillset more. If the protection can start holding up and Williams is able to get more comfortable with better play calling, this offense still has a shot to emerge in the near future.

Bo Nix looks shaky despite big win on Thursday Night Football

Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix looks shaky despite big win on Thursday Night Football

It was a battle of rookies to kick off the week on Thursday Night Football as the Denver Broncos and Bo Nix took on the New Orleans Saints and Spencer Rattler in just his second start of the season. Denver ultimately came away with a blowout win, but the play of the quarterbacks on both sides of the field was concerning all night long.

 

Denver did a good job controlling the time of possession and really limiting Rattler, but the Broncos found little success with their own rookie quarterback. Nix was erratic as a passer for most of the game, sometimes hitting a nice play and other times missing wide-open throws that could have made this an even bigger lead. On the night, Nix finished with 16 completions on 26 attempts, for 164 passing yards, and no touchdowns. Nix did look explosive on the ground once again, however, racking up 75 rush yards in a dominant run game effort.

It’s a concerning trend that we have seen so far out of Nix and the Broncos and it is going to be hard to continue to put up wins in spite of your own quarterback’s arm talent. Nix does show some encouraging signs especially when extending the play and finding an outlet, but that too remains inconsistent in his ability to hit his target outside the pocket with messy footwork. If anyone can quickly fix up a rookie quarterback, it’s Sean Payton, but he will need to figure out a way to do that fast if they want to keep up with the Chargers and Chiefs in the same division.

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Spencer Rattler shows promise in first NFL start against Buccaneers

Saints rookie QB Spencer Rattler shows promise in first NFL start against Buccaneers

The New Orleans Saints started the season off red hot but have seemingly cooled way off in the past few weeks now dropping their fourth loss in a row to the divisional rival Buccaneers. However, the franchise has found some hope in their maybe not-so-temporary rookie starter in Spencer Rattler, who showed some serious promise in his first NFL start in relief of the injured Derek Carr.

 

Despite what eventually ended up as a blowout loss, the game between the Saints and Buccaneers was a fireworks show early in part due to the big-time plays by each side’s starting quarterback. Rattler looked impressive in completing 22 of 40 passes for 243 yards, and tossing a touchdown to receiver Bub Means. Rattler made plenty of chunk plays happen and helped guide New Orleans to their best offensive performance since their Week 2 blowout of the Dallas Cowboys.

With their offense firing on all cylinders and a rookie quarterback looking to show off the talent that made him such an intriguing draft prospect, it wouldn’t take much for Rattler to establish himself as a potential threat to the starting quarterback position in the Big Easy. Look for Rattler to get the nod once again going into week 7 against a strong Denver Broncos defense that will be sure to test the rookie signal caller.

Drake Maye explosive in his first start against Texans

Patriots rookie Drake Maye explosive in his first start against Texans

Despite how electric the 2024 quarterback class has been, at the start of the NFL season it took a whole three weeks for one of those NFL rookie starters to throw for their first touchdown. In the first start for New England Patriots rookie Drake Maye, he found the end zone three different times. An explosive and hopeful start in New England.

 

Despite the Patriots being thoroughly dominated on the scoreboard, you would be hard pressed to find a fan who would call the day a failure as the future of the franchise looked bright behind the arm of their new quarterback. On the afternoon, Maye finished with 20 of 33 completions, for 243 passing yards, and 3 passing touchdowns. Maye did also turn the ball over twice but bounced back in a big way to help make this New England offense look the best it has all year.

 

While New England is still very clearly in the early steps of a rebuild, to have a quarterback come out like this in his first game and light it up is something to root for in the building. Maye immediately makes the team at the very least competitive and fun to watch, and should he continue with what he showed against a very good Texans defense, this team could get very scary very fast. Next team up on the schedule for Maye and the Patriots is the very beatable Jacksonville Jaguars.

Rookie QB Jayden Daniels wins NFC Offensive Player of the Week

Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels wins NFC Offensive Player of the Week, not limited to rookies!

Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is off to a sizzling start. The No. 2 overall pick and reigning Heisman Trophy winner led Washington to a primetime victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3.

For his precise, dynamic effort, Daniels earned the NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Not rookie of the week, but overall player. And Daniels definitely earned it.

The rookie from LSU completed 21 of his 23 passes, netting 254 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels also led the Commanders in rushing with 39 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Washington did not punt once in the Monday Night Football win.

 

Bo Nix finds his first career win against Buccaneers

Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix finds his first career win against Buccaneers

It’s hard to imagine a bigger upset going into last weekend than what happened when the then-winless Denver Broncos went into Tampa Bay against the then 2-0 Buccaneers and snatched victory in convincing fashion. One of the key factors in the big upset win was the play of Denver’s first-round quarterback, Bo Nix.

Nix looked like all his starting experience in college had paid off in this matchup, as he was calm and in control of an offense that was on cruise control thanks to a stifling Denver defense. Nix helped the Broncos control the tempo of the game by remaining on time in his passes, creating when the play broke down, and avoiding any costly turnovers.

Completing 25 of 36 completions for 216 yards and finding 47 yards and a touchdown on the ground, Nix did enough offensively to take over the game and keep the Buccaneers firmly out of the contest. Nix looked every bit the commander of the offense that he was in Oregon and really came away looking like the best quarterback Denver has had since Peyton Manning left the building. Of course, this is only one game, but Nix has the chance to put this all together and be everything Sean Payton wants from his quarterback moving forward.

If the defense can keep playing the way it did, and Nix can continue to play clean football on offense, this Denver team may just have a shot at a playoff spot in the coming months.

The struggles of Caleb Williams are starting to boil over

The struggles of Caleb Williams are starting to boil over after the No. 1 overall pick’s first two rookie games

While it is a bit of a fool’s errand to heap a ton of expectations on a rookie quarterback that was done in spades for this years No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. There was much speculation that Williams was sent to the best situation a top draft pick has ever landed in and that his immense talent was going to transform the Bears offense to make them immediate playoff contenders. To this point, the Chicago offense and Williams as a whole have looked dysfunctional, to say the least.

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Williams has been dealing with a bit of an offensive line issue, so it is fair to leave a little bit of a gap in his evaluation thus far, but even with that being the case it has still been an underwhelming start to his career. Through two games with the Bears, Williams has just 267 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, with a quarterback rating of 53.0. Particularly in his last game against the Houston Texans, Williams looked uncomfortable and frazzled, a far cry from the cool and collected player we saw at USC.

This by no means we haven’t seen some of the flashes that made Williams the first overall pick as he puts a play on tape here and there that really dazzles you, but the consistency is seriously lacking. It’s far too early to put any sort of label on Williams, but with Justin Fields performing above and beyond for the 2-0 Pittsburgh Steelers, fans are starting to chatter about their new quarterback.