Tag: rookie

Jayden Daniels’ versatility is a huge challenge for Saints defense

Joe Woods understands Jayden Daniels can hurt you with arm and legs, but the Saints are stressing the need to keep him in the pocket:

Jayden Daniels’ ability to pass and run provides the New Orleans Saints with one of their most difficult challenges of the season.

New Orleans has a poor history of stopping quarterbacks from running the football. It’s been this way for years, and Daniels is the wrong quarterback to face when that’s one of your struggles.

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods recalled when he knew the Washington Commanders quarterback would transition to the league seamlessly. “One game against a really good team he had about 100 yards on three scrambles, so right then I was like this dude is going to be a problem.”

Daniels’ speed gives him the upper hand if he has to get to the edge. Woods told reporters “We’re going to have different ways to control him and keep him in the pocket.”

Woods was sure to highlight Daniels’ ability to throw at a high level, not just run. Woods said: “I think he’s a pocket passer. I think he goes through his progressions. I think he has the arm strength to make all the throws, very accurate on his deep balls.”

His running gets a lot of attention, but Daniels will threaten New Orleans’ defense through the air and on the ground.

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Raiders TE Brock Bowers sets another NFL record

Brock Bowers has broken the record for most receptions by a rookie tight end previously held by Sam LaPorta.

Brock Bowers’s historic season continues. He was already on pace to rival some of the best seasons for a tight end or for a rookie at any position. But today, he officially made history.

The 13th overall pick rookie’s three receptions against the Buccaneers gave him 87 for the season, surpassing Sam LaPorta (86) for the most catches by a rookie tight end in NFL history.

Bowers also has 933 yards receiving, which is already third most for a rookie tight end in NFL history. He is 94 yards from surpassing Kyle Pitts (1026) for number two and 144 yards from breaking Mike Ditka’s record of 1076 yards which is stood for 63 years!

And with four games left in the season, he has a very good chance of getting those records too.

Heck, at this point the Raiders franchise record for receptions is within reach for him. And I mean at any position and not just among rookies.

It’s fun to imagine what Bowers could do — and will do — when the Raiders can get their quarterback situation figured out as well as perhaps having the same offensive staff for at least a full season.

Chiefs newcomer ranks top-five in rookie Pro Bowl voting

The Kansas City #Chiefs have a standout newcomer who is currently in the top-five in Pro Bowl votes among rookies.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a handful of players who could see the Pro Bowl this year, but one unlikely player has found himself among the league leaders in rookie Pro Bowl voting.

Chiefs fullback Carson Steele made a name for himself during the 2024 preseason, where he tallied 149 total yards in three games.

Steele quickly became a fan favorite in Kansas City and found himself on the active roster for the reigning Super Bowl champions as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA.

Though the former Bruin hasn’t seen much playing time this season, fans across the country have taken notice of the up-and-comer in this year’s Pro Bowl voting.

On Friday, the NFL tweeted their list of the top-five rookie vote-getters, with Steele coming in third behind quarterback Jayden Daniels and tight end Brock Bowers.

Chiefs Kingdom can propel Steele to his first Pro Bowl by visiting ProBowl.com/vote or on Twitter with the hashtag #ProBowlVote alongside his official Twitter handle (@CarstonSteele30).

Is Mike Tomlin choosing loyalty over CB Beanie Bishop Jr.?

Cam Sutton’s assumption of the starting slot role in Week 13 could potentially slow down Beanie Bishop Jr.’s impressive rookie campaign.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Pittsburgh Steelers have dealt with a plethora of positional battles in 2024, with several seemingly being decided on a matter of HC Mike Tomlin’s preference rather than skill set. Tomlin’s decision to bring Russell Wilson into the starting conversation a few games too late was an example of this, as was his decision to ‘move on’ from rookie WR Roman Wilson’s participation earlier in the season when he was healthy. Tomlin is once again staring down another opportunity to make amends and choose dynamic play over loyalty, but the head coach seems keen on the latter.

While rookie slot cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. has been electric to start the 2024 season, the return of veteran slot cornerback Cam Sutton from suspension complicated the situation. It had appeared that Bishop had locked up the starting slot cornerback role, regardless of Sutton’s return. However, Week 13 saw the rookie see the field for only 9.7% of the defensive snaps, while Sutton took over the slot cornerback duties, playing over 70% of the snaps on defense. Sutton would give up two touchdowns in the contest, while Bishop hasn’t given up a touchdown since Week 6.

Tomlin tried to clarify that it was a matchup issue, but previous roster decisions he’s made may tell a different story.

Will Bishop be given his chance to earn back the starting job he should have never lost? Or is this another circumstance with Tomlin choosing loyalty over talent?

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Rookies on both sides proved their potential in Saints vs. Rams

Jared Verse registered six pressures and the game winning play, but Taliese Fuaga allowed 0 pressures all game. The future’s bright for both:

Jared Verse absolutely wrecked the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. It was the rookie edge rusher who hit Derek Carr’s arm as he was throwing to win the game for the Los Angeles Rams.

One person he didn’t run through was fellow rookie Taliese Fuaga. Ironically, on that game winning play Fuaga was right there, but Verse rushed against tight end Foster Moreau. Credit to Los Angeles for how they schemed that pressure.

The Fuaga versus Verse was the battle we wanted to see, and both rookies lived up to the billing. Verse registered six pressures on the day but Fuaga didn’t allow a pressure the entire game.

Fuaga continues to be the bright spot of the offensive line. Sometimes an unit gets beat so bad everyone shares the blame, but Fuaga handled himself great in pass protection.

On 41 pass blocking snaps, Fuaga allowed pressure zero percent of the time. There were snaps he lined up in front of Verse, but it wasn’t the main event we were hoping for.

Instead, Verse wrecked the game by rushing from different places and Fuaga walked away with another clean game. Both teams feel more than satisfied with their first-round pick.

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Surprising Saints rookie leads his position group in NFC Pro Bowl votes

After the first week of Pro Bowl voting, it’s New Orleans Saints rookie punter Matthew Hayball ahead of his peers in the NFC:

With the start of the 2025 Pro Bowl voting starting officially just week ago, we have received our first update on the current leaders of each position group in the league. You can cast your vote here.

As the New Orleans Saints have fallen apart with many injuries sustained over the course of the year, it was highly unlikely that they’d have any Pro Bowl players let alone a top vote-getter.

Turns out, that just might not be the case. Undrafted rookie punter Matthew Hayball currently leads the NFC in Pro Bowl votes at his position. Quite a pleasant surprise, isn’t it?

For those who may not know, Hayball is currently first in the NFC with 29 punts pinned inside the 20. That’s eight more than the next-closest player.

Diving a little bit deeper into the statistics, one may say that Hayball has punted 50 times this season tying him for third most the conference. However, in comparison to the punters’ ahead of him in this category, Hayball has been far more efficient in terms of forcing opponents into poor field position.

Hayball also ranks in the top five in total punt yardage and touchbacks but for the most part is somewhere between average and the bottom of the conference elsewhere. This is likely indicative of Hayball not having the biggest leg but makes up for it with his ability to accurately place his kicks.

Credit to special teams guru, now head coach Darren Rizzi, as well as the teams scouting department for locating Hayball this offseason. The Saints potentially have their long term solution at the punter position, after years of searching for Thomas Morstead replacement, a former franchise hero and Super Bowl XLIV champion.

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Week 3’s Saints-Rams game puts two rookies into a pivotal matchup

Not many could have predicted how immediately productive Taliese Fuaga and Jared Verse would be, and now the two rookies face off in Week 13:

Last time we saw Taliese Fuaga, he was busy keeping the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, off the stat sheet. After the bye week, Fuaga gets to face fellow rookie Jared Verse. Verse isn’t anywhere near the household name Garrett is, but he’s played well

We previewed the matchup going into the season, but we couldn’t have predicted how well these players would have performed in their first season in NFL.

We circled the matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams rookies because it’s the only game Fuaga has against a first round edge rusher. Toss the rookie statuses out the window, and the game should still be anticipated.

Fuaga has the lowest pressure rate allowed by a rookie. In comparison, Verse has more pressures than any rookie. Let’s dive deeper. He is already warranting double teams. That hasn’t stopped Verse, however. His six pressures while being doubled are third highest among all pass rushers.

In this matchup, Fuaga will have to make sure his base is strong. Verse is a powerful rusher who does a good job converting speed to power in his pass rushes. Verse does a good job of knocking linemen backwards. A strong anchor and good hands will be imperative to Fuaga winning this powerful rookie showdown.

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Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy reacts to college teammate playing in Week 12: ‘I’m happy for him’

Kansas City #Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy reacts to Jonathon Brooks playing in Week 12: ‘I’m happy for him’ | @EdEastonJr

The Carolina Panthers welcome the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday, along with the debut of their rookie running back, Jonathon Brooks. Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy, a college teammate with Brooks, shared his thoughts on the anticipated debut during Friday’s press conference.

“Yeah, that’s my guy, man,” said Worthy. “He had a hell of a college career; he just got, unfortunately, hurt, so I feel like we had him on our run in college with probably a bit different but just to see him back out there and do the things he is doing, I’m happy for him.”

The Panthers are in rebuild mode for their franchise, featuring younger talent on the field. Carolina drafted Brooks in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft out of Texas as part of the young nucleus to lead the franchise offensively alongside Bryce Young. Brooks has been recovering from a torn ACL he suffered while playing with the Longhorns last year. He rushed for 1,139 yards and ten touchdowns, teaming with Worthy during his final college season.

Saints rookie’s performance gets more impressive even on bye week

Taliese Fuaga’s performance versus Myles Garrett gets more impressive after Garrett’s monster game on ‘Thursday Night Football’

Cleveland Browns edge rusher, Myles Garrett, has recorded six sacks in the past three weeks, three sacks in Week 12 and three sacks in Week 10. When the Browns came to New Orleans in Week 11, however, New Orleans Saints rookie left tackle, Taliese Fuaga, kept Garrett off the stat sheet completely.

That performance was impressive even if you isolate it to one game. A rookie tackle going against a star pass rusher and winning the battle is a positive sign for Fuaga’s ceiling. Then, when you expand your view to multiple games, what he did becomes more impressive.

Russell Wilson couldn’t get away from Garrett in the first half of the Browns and Steelers matchup on Thursday night. Garrett had three sacks and a forced fumble against the Steelers. After the game, he proclaimed himself the best edge rusher and best defensive player in the league.

With two monster performances in recent weeks, his bravado is earned. That just makes Taliese Fuaga’s Week 11 performance more impressive.

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Taliese Fuaga kept Browns’ star pass rusher off the stat sheet

Taliese Fuaga walked into the biggest challenge of his rookie season, and walked away with an impressive win against Myles Garrett:


Taliese Fuaga stepped into the biggest challenge of his career against Myles Garrett, and the rookie passed with flying colors. Garrett didn’t register a single snap against the New Orleans Saints. Not a sack, not a quarterback hit, not even a tackle.

It may make you wonder if Garrett is injured. He’s dealt with injuries, but Garrett said earlier last week he felt like he was at an 8, on a scale of 1 to 10. He’s also coming off of a 3-sack performance against the Chargers.

This is a huge win for Fuaga. He took one of the best pass rushers and made him a non-factor in the game. Garrett had just 2 pressures and a 8% pressure percentage, both are the lowest of the season for the defensive end.

Fuaga has been excellent in pass protection this year. He entered the week eighth in pressure rate allowed. His ranking may go up after a performance like this. It’s just further proof the Saints got a cornerstone piece in the first round this year.

This is the second time the Saints have erased a star pass rusher from the game. They did the same thing with Micah Parsons earlier this season. It isn’t over yet. The next standout rusher on the schedule is Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby.

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