NFL Rookies Shine in Preseason Debuts

This year’s rookie quarterbacks finally got to show what they can do on an NFL field. Granted they had limited playing time, but they all used it wisely. 

Caleb Williams

Williams made his NFL debut on Saturday and played the first two drives. He was impressive, both as a passer and a rusher. Completing 4 out of 7 passes for 95 yards, and rushing for 13 yards, both of his drives led to field goals for the Bears en route to a 33-6 win over the Bills. 

This was about as good of a debut as the Bears could hope for. Williams had looked great with some room for improvement moving forward. It’ll be interesting to see how he looks in the coming weeks, but for now, Chicago should be happy with their guy.

Jayden Daniels

The 2nd overall pick only saw the field for one drive in his debut, but he did not disappoint. He had 3 third down conversions and completed 2 out of 3 passes for 45 yards. He capped his lone drive with a read option play and rushed for a 3-yard touchdown. 

Daniels only saw 11 offensive plays on Saturday, but he threw some great passes and showed his ability to utilize a read option. Between himself, Austin Ekeler, and Brian Robinson, the Commanders’ offense can be a lot of fun this year.

JJ McCarthy

McCarthy started cold in his preseason debut. He played six drives for Minnesota and had an early pass intercepted by the Raiders’ starting cornerback Jack Jones. However, he ended the night going 11-18 and throwing 2 touchdown passes.

McCarthy’s debut was exactly what fans should have expected. The lows were shown with his interception under pressure, and the highs were shown with his 2 TDs. He threw the ball very well in this game, and there is a lot of good to build on. If he continues to play like this, he and Jefferson can be a dangerous duo. 

Joe Milton

Yes, that Joe Milton. Drake Maye played a single early drive and completed 2 of his 3 passes for 19 yards. There was nothing to complain about with his game, but unfortunately, not much to go off of. Joe Milton came out in the third quarter and showed some promise.

Milton went 4-6 for 54 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed the ball 5 times for 22 yards. He threw a 28-yard dart to JaQuae Jackson for the 4th quarter TD and dodged multiple sacks on one play to keep it alive. He showed he had a ton of promise. While Drake Maye is likely the future of New England, Joe Milton’s skills might demand some attention as well.

Michael Penix Jr.

Penix started the game for the Falcons, and in 5 drives completed 9 out of 16 passes for 104 yards. He threw a great over-the-shoulder pass to Chris Blair for 41 yards. After the game, Penix said he had “no nerves, no jitters”. It was a good debut with room to grow.

There isn’t much to say about Penix’s debut here. He played a decent game for 5 drives and made minimal mistakes. Kirk Cousins is still the starter heading into the regular season, which should give Penix plenty of time to improve where he feels necessary.

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