NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

He may only be a rental – but the Bears have big plans for newly-acquired EDGE MONTEZ SWEAT.  Josh Schrock of YahooSports.com:

A year ago, the departures of linebacker Roquan Smith and edge rusher Robert Quinn at the NFL trade deadline sucked the life out of a Bears’ defense that was already barely treading water.

Three-hundred and sixty-five days later, the Bears went the other way by injecting energy into the locker room by adding star edge rusher Montez Sweat, who general manager Ryan Poles called a “multiplier.”

The Bears’ defense has once again struggled to get to the quarterback in 2023. Through eight games, the Bears rank dead last in sacks (10) and 31st in total pressures, per Pro Football Focus.

Sweat’s arrival gives the Bears the type of game-changing talent that can turn the pass rush around in a hurry. On the season, Sweat has 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 11 quarterback hits. Bears defensive ends have combined for five sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and 13 quarterback hits. Sweat is one of seven players in the NFL with at least five sacks in each of the last five seasons.

Adding Sweat as the lead edge rusher should make life easier for DeMarcus Walker, Yannick Ngakoue, Justin Jones, and the rest of the Bears’ defensive line.

“He brings another dimension of physicality to our line,” Jones told NBC Sports Chicago on Thursday. “He’s a really good run stopper, really good edge rusher. He also is going to free up a lot of guys too because he’s going to demand a double team. If you don’t, you’re an idiot. If you don’t, it’s crazy. It’s going to free up other guys, which allows more guys to showcase their things.”

“They got to turn to somebody. You know what I’m saying?” Walker said. “They’ve got to turn to somebody. It’s like I said, it’s good to have so many guys that can affect the passer. And just let us go, that’s the biggest thing. That’s the biggest challenge to the coaches, just let us go. Let us go and do our thing.”

Bears defensive line coach Travis Smith said letting Sweat, Walker, and Ngakoue “do their thing” is code for trusting them to “get on the edge and get to the quarterback without having to design certain things.”

Adding a player of Sweat’s caliber makes it easier for Smith to let the defensive line go and get after the quarterback. But his job now is to figure out how all the pieces are going to fit together and how to deploy them.

The arrival of Sweat has an improving Bears defense dreaming about what they can be at full strength.

“You can’t have enough weapons, especially at the defensive line position,” Walker said. “I mean, I’m definitely happy to have him come. He’s good talent. He’s been in the NFL. So it’s good to just continue going on and adding another weapon to our roster.”

“I’m excited. Any time you can add playmakers on your roster, it helps everybody out,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said.

Sweat played alongside three star defensive linemen during his four-plus seasons with the Washington Commanders. He now arrives in Chicago as the focal point of a rebuilding defensive line.

He’s the kind of piece that is hard to acquire in the NFL, and one general manager Ryan Poles paid a second-round pick to acquire.

Adding elite talent costs a heavy tax. The Bears were going to have to pay it one way or another.

In Sweat, they believe they acquired a piece that can be an accelerant for their defensive rebuild.

“Those real competitive teams, they usually have two good edge rushers,” Jones told NBC Sports Chicago. “Like one real dominant guy, and another really, really good one too. That’s what I’ve seen coming up in the league. Now I feel like we’ve got our second one and it’s going to start turning a lot of heads now because you can’t just scheme up just for one guy. It’s going to be good. It’s going to be scary.”

The Bears did sign a DL extension, it just wasn’t Sweat.

Defensive tackle Andrew Billings has signed a two-year extension with the Chicago Bears, the team announced Thursday.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Billings’ deal is worth $8.5 million with $6 million guaranteed.

Billings told the team’s website that he wanted to stay in Chicago because “they appreciate me and two, because I see a future here — not only for myself but also for the team.”

Billings, 28, has started all eight games for the Bears, registering 14 tackles (three for loss) after signing a one-year, $2.75 million contract as a free agent.

“We’re extremely excited to be able to keep Andrew in Chicago,” general manager Ryan Poles said. “The professionalism, dependability and toughness he brings to our defense exhibit the type of player we want in our organization.”

The six-year veteran also has played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders in his career and has 134 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 75 games (59 starts).

CB JAYLON JOHNSON, unhappy to start with, wishes he was as beloved by Bears brass as Sweat.  Austin Nivison of CBSSports.com:

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson is in the final year of his rookie contract and is looking for an extension. If the Bears’ big trade deadline acquisition, defensive end Montez Sweat, gets a new deal before Johnson, that would not sit well with the defensive back.

Johnson, a second-round pick out of Utah in 2020, is playing out the final season of his rookie deal. With he and the Bears unable to hammer out an extension, Johnson was granted permission to seek a trade ahead of the deadline, but nothing materialized.

Now, Johnson is here, and Chicago added another young player in need of a payday next offseason in the form of Sweat. Johnson said the addition of Sweat didn’t bother him, but he would have been upset if the defensive end got a new contract immediately after arriving.

“Honestly, I didn’t really think too much of it,” Johnson said of the Bears adding Sweat. “It’ll be a different situation … I know he’s up for a contract as well. It would be a different situation if it was a trade then signed. That would be something I would feel more so than just an initial trade. I know the opportunity is there, and somebody has to get paid. I know that”

Johnson was then asked, point blank, whether it would “sit well” with him if Sweat got an extension first.

“No, it wouldn’t,” Johnson replied. “For sure.”

NFC EAST

NEW YORK GIANTS

TE DARREN WALLER and QB TYROD TAYLOR may be heading to IR.  Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com:

Giants tight end Darren Waller told reporters on Wednesday that “it may take a little bit” for him to return from his hamstring injury.

That may be at least four weeks.

Via multiple reporters, head coach Brian Daboll said in his Thursday press conference that Waller and quarterback Tyrod Taylor have both been ruled out for this Sunday’s game against the Raiders. Daboll also said Waller and Taylor are candidates to go on injured reserve.

Waller caught 36 passes for 384 yards with a touchdown so far this year. He was questionable for last week’s loss to the Jets before having to depart the contest.

Taylor is dealing with a ribs injury that sent him to the hospital. Waller and Taylor did not practice on Wednesday.

With Taylor out, Tommy DeVito will once again be the Giants’ backup in Week 9. He threw seven passes in last week’s loss and was also sacked twice.

The good news is that QB DANIEL JONES will be returning from his neck injury against the Raiders in Vegas on Sunday.

– – –

Heck, even the kicker, GRAHAM GANO, could be IR bound.  Jordan Raanan ofESPN.com:

The New York Giants are signing kicker Randy Bullock to the practice squad with Graham Gano set to undergo surgery on his left knee, sources told ESPN.

Gano has been dealing with the problem for several weeks and was trying to kick through it. He missed two field goals in Sunday’s 13-10 overtime loss to the New York Jets, including a 35-yard attempt in the final minute.

“I have no excuses. That’s not who I am,” Gano said afterward. “I’m sure some people want me to sit up here and make excuses. I’ve got none. I’ve got to play better. It’s frustrating, I know the team played well. I just didn’t. I’ve got to play better.”

Coach Brian Daboll said after the game he thought Gano was “all right” and the team felt comfortable with his health.

Gano is expected to land on injured reserve and set to undergo surgery this week. It’s still to be determined whether Gano will miss the entire season, a source told ESPN.

Bullock, 33, kicked for the Tennessee Titans last season. He hit 85% of his field goal attempts.

The Giants (2-6) held a kicker tryout Thursday after practice that included Bullock, former Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby and Robbie Gould, who most recently kicked for the San Francisco 49ers.

Bullock, who spent one game with the Giants in 2016, was signed after the tryout.

Gano, 36, was the Giants’ most reliable player the past few seasons. It earned him a three-year, $16.5 million contract extension this offseason.

Gano hit 92% of his field goal attempts in his first three seasons in New York. But this year he has struggled while making only 64.7%. Most of his misses have come in recent weeks, after he popped up on the injury report with the knee problem.

The 35-yard miss near the end of regulation on Sunday could end up being his final kick of the season. It didn’t come without controversy.

On the play, Jets defensive lineman Will McDonald leaped over the offensive line and was in Gano’s face when he kicked. It may have impacted the crucial miss, which was followed by an unlikely Jets comeback.

Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey called it an “illegal play,” and not because McDonald jumped over the long snapper and lineman to his left.

“It’s just your alignment. You can’t cover the center and he was covering the center,” McGaughey said.

McDonald was lined up inside long snapper Casey Kreiter’s left shoulder. Head coach Brian Daboll was later asked if he heard from the league on the play.

“I’ll keep that private,” Daboll said.

AFC WEST

LAS VEGAS

The new coach of the Raiders is talking the talk.  Vic Tafur of The Athletic on the brighter atmosphere in the Raiders locker room.

Davante Adams rocked right and then back to his left.

With Ameer Abdullah properly back on his heels in front of him, Adams leaned back and swished an 8-foot jumper on the new mini hoop in the Las Vegas Raiders locker room Thursday afternoon.

To his left, a little while later, the laughing Raiders offensive linemen were busy wrestling each other.

It might have been the happiest locker room ever, and while no one was going to come out and say it, the reason was that the Raiders have a new head coach. Antonio Pierce replaced the fired Josh McDaniels on Tuesday night, and there is definitely a different energy in the air. It’s overstating it to say McDaniels had an oppressive need to control things, but players are looser now and not worried about someone watching their every move and it getting back to the critical boss.

Besides McDaniels, general manager Dave Ziegler and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi were also fired by owner Mark Davis on Tuesday night.

“Don’t get it confused, it’s not a celebration that we have a new coach and that there’s been changes made,” Adams said. “It was time, obviously, one way or the other for some type of change. Just to bring a little juice in and revitalize the team a little bit.

“It’s more of a mindset that we’re trying to … not force, but just have moving forward to be as positive as possible. There is a definitive shift now where we can say things are different and we have an opportunity to change it. Our mindset is to have fun and enjoy our time in this building. It’s been feeling like work too much.”

Defensive end Maxx Crosby, Adams and running back Josh Jacobs all talked to Davis separately after a team meeting with McDaniels last Thursday where players aired grievances.

Crosby thought it was funny when Pierce said at his introductory news conference that he was going to try and match Crosby’s energy.

“AP and I have had a great relationship ever since I’ve been here,” Crosby said. “I have the ultimate respect for him and the guys do as well. That’s all you can ask for, he is a leader of men and the guys are really responding well to the message that he is pushing.

“I just want to win, and that’s all that matters. I want to be in a great environment, and I want to show up for work every day and feel great energy. That’s more important than anything. You have to enjoy this — if you don’t, you are not going to have much success. It’s already hard enough to go out there and do what we do, so if you’re walking into the building not enjoying it, it’s going to be even harder.”

Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow signed a contract extension with Ziegler last season before the brass soured on him and haven’t used him much this season. That was, until Monday night, when he played 60 percent of the snaps in what was a showcase for a trade at the deadline Tuesday. But McDaniels and Ziegler were fired and Renfrow is still here.

He was smiling just as big as everybody else in the happiest locker room ever.

“There is a different energy,” Renfrow said. “I think AP alluded to it, it’s fun when you have nothing to lose. Let’s go out there and have a great time and play hard and play fast.

“We’re not walking on eggshells everywhere.”

Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor is one of the eight former New England Patriots players on the roster built by McDaniels and Ziegler after all their years in Foxboro. And yeah, the Patriot Way fell flat in Las Vegas.

“It wasn’t a good vibe,” Eluemunor said. “A lot of us were trying to create energy on the sideline, and I’m sure fans could see it.”

AFC NORTH

PITTSBURGH

This from ProFootballFocus as the Thursday night game ended:

@PFF

Kenny Pickett has 6 fourth quarter comeback wins in his career.

Second most in the NFL since 2022 😤

And this:

@JoshDubowAP

Most wins for a coach in Super Bowl era when trailing after 3 quarters:

Don Shula 45

Andy Reid 38

Bill Belichick 34

Dan Reeves 34

Marty Schottenheimer 34

Mike Tomlin 33

And this from Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Steelers were outgained by the Titans on Thursday night, but they still found a way to come out of the game as 20-16 winners.

That result is nothing new for the team. Thursday night’s game was the eighth time in eight games that the Steelers gained fewer yards than their opponents this season, but it was also the fifth time that being on the wrong side of that statistic didn’t stop them from winning a game.

Elias Sports Bureau notes that the Steelers are the 34th team in NFL history to be outgained by their opponents in each of their first eight games of the season. They are the first of those 34 teams to have a winning record after eight games.

The Steelers have been outgained by 790 yards in total and they’ve been outscored by 30 points, but neither shortcoming has stopped the team from reaching this point with a winning record. One wouldn’t think that’s a sustainable way to make it to the postseason and that will be put to the test over the final nine weeks of the season.

– – –

One of the oddest streaks in the NFL ended in the fourth quarter Thursday night. Mike DeFabo of The Athletic:

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson was scrolling social media as he prepared for Thursday’s matchup with the Tennessee Titans when he came across an unexpected (and somewhat unpleasant) stat: 655.

That’s how many days had passed since Johnson last scored a touchdown — a span so long that Ben Roethlisberger was the quarterback and the Steelers were in the AFC playoffs against the Chiefs when the drought began.

“I was like, really?” Johnson said. “It’s been that long?”

Well, really, it goes back even further than that. Counting only regular-season games, it had been 668 days since Johnson scored on Jan. 3, 2022 against the Cleveland Browns. Those numbers almost defy logic for a former Pro Bowl receiver and elite route runner, who set a record (if you can call it that) last season by catching 86 passes without a single touchdown.

After setting a not-so-desirable record, Diontae Johnson’s response speaks to his evolution

In front of a national television audience on “Thursday Night Football,” Johnson picked an opportune time to snap the skid.

The Steelers trailed by three points with just over four minutes remaining when Johnson got free on a rub route and reeled a 3-yard score. The touchdown capped another Kenny Pickett fourth-quarter touchdown drive, as the Steelers once again surged ahead late in a low-scoring, defensive struggle to beat the Titans, 20-16.

“It’s been too long, for sure,” Pickett said. “To see that smile on his face after that was great. I’m sure it felt like the world was off his back. Now, he can go and relax and play and continue to be the guy that he is for us.”

Johnson’s celebration said it all. It wasn’t so much elation as it was relief. The quick-twitch receiver spread his arms aloft and looked to the heavens. Then he spiked the ball emphatically for good measure. Teammates poured off the bench to celebrate what would be the game-winning touchdown.

“I actually didn’t know what I was going to do when I scored,” Johnson said with a laugh. “I was just trying to show love, because everybody put in a lot of work.”

We haven’t seen anyone do the really important math.

Johnson caught 119 passes without a TD in the span of 26+ games.

Johnson had not had trouble reaching the end zone prior to the start of the streak with 20 TD receptions in 247 catches over 46 games

It should be mentioned that he did catch a postseason TD last season at KC.

AFC SOUTH

TENNESSEE

Titans WR TRAYLON BURKS was carted off on a backboard, but walked out of the locker room okay.  Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com:

There’s good news on Titans receiver Treylon Burks, who was transported off the field with a backboard during the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game in Pittsburgh.

Turron Davenport of ESPN reported Burks walked out of the locker room on his own, stopped to talk with one of his coaches, and then walked to one of the team busses after the game.

Head coach Mike Vrabel had said during his postgame press conference that Burks was alert and moving.

“I’ll have more of an update, hopefully, tomorrow,” Vrabel said. “But he’s back there being evaluated and I would say that, the way it looked — I think it’s probably better than how it looked. So, he’s alert and he’s in the training room being evaluated.”

Burks went down hard after attempting to make a catch along the left sideline on fourth down with 2:13 left in the game. Players immediately signaled for medical personnel. Burks had his facemask removed, was strapped to a spine board, and left on a cart as players from both teams wished him well before he departed.

A first-round pick in the 2022 draft, Burks had two catches for 23 yards on Thursday. He’s recorded eight receptions for 122 yards this season.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

Being traded was not on the radar of CB RASUL DOUGLAS.  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

On Tuesday, former Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas was enjoying his day off. And then he found out he had been traded to the Bills.

In his first session with Buffalo reporters on Thursday, he was asked to explain his reaction.

“My initial reaction?” Douglas said. “At first, because [G.M. Brian Gutekunst] called me . . . I thought it was like a joke. . . . [H]e didn’t say too much. He just was like, ‘We’re trading you.’ And then it was over, the conversation was over. I just hung up. And then like [CEO] Mark Murphy called me. And he got a voice that’s like, you know that it’s him. So I’m like, ‘Oh, now, this ain’t no joke.’”

Douglas said Murphy asked him to come to the facility. While there, other players came to the building to say goodbye to him. He specifically said he and running back Aaron Jones shared an “emotional moment.”

“It was tough,” Douglas said.

But there’s a silver lining. The Packers were not doing well. The Bills are.

“We were 2-5, so this definitely was a winning team, so,” Douglas said.

He said he hasn’t been told whether he’ll play on Sunday night at Cincinnati, but that he plans to practice and prepare as if he’s starting.

Here’s what RB AARON JONES had to say:

Cornerback Rasul Douglas was traded to the Bills earlier this week, and Green Bay running back Aaron Jones’s reaction is a good reminder of just how tough the business side of the NFL can be.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Jones expressed that he was pretty upset that Douglas, one of his best friends, was moved at the deadline.

“It was a moment I’ve never had,” Jones said. “I’ve never had somebody that close to me get traded…We both started talking and shed a few tears. It’s been a long journey for both of us. …When you got somebody on the other side of the ball who is a mirror of you, who believes in the same things, same work ethic, you know what you’re gonna get out of them. It’s tough losing a brother like that.”

NEW YORK JETS

Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post on the continuing shuffles in the Jets offensive line:

Just about the last thing you would expect when the Jets are relying on a fourth-string center and an out-of-position right guard is a forced change at left tackle.

But Mekhi Becton’s days of protecting Zach Wilson’s blindside could be numbered: Left tackle Duane Brown (hip) is expected to return to practice Thursday, which likely is a precursor to Becton moving back to right tackle in the name of helping an injury-decimated offensive line survive the rest of the season.

“Mehki is a freakish athlete,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “I think as he continues to evolve his career, obviously you’d love for him to be a left tackle, but where we are at right now we just have to make sure the best-five are on the field somehow, some way to protect the quarterback and give him some time.”

In other words, whatever makeshift combination starts Monday against the Chargers better not get too comfortable together because more machinations are coming.

“I’ll have to put extra work in to get back to the muscle memory of being on the other side. It’s two totally different positions,” said Becton, who has played 410 of a possible 417 offensive snaps after missing most of the past two seasons due to knee injuries. “I just want to play football. I haven’t played in two years, so I don’t really give a damn where I’m at.”

Becton, who ranks No. 53 among NFL tackles by Pro Football Focus, is coming off an admittedly season-worst game against the Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux.

“I feel like I’ve been getting better every week except for last week,” Becton said. “I’m taking this week as a bounce-back week. I want to be better than what I did last week. It was everything I did wrong. It had nothing to do with the person I was going against.”

There are easier ways to bounce back than against the edge-rusher combination of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.

Becton allowed zero pressures on 31 pass-blocking snaps during a 2020 game against the Chargers — before Mack’s arrival.

“I’m expecting to be matched up with both of them,” Becton said. “I have to make my keys. I’m ready to go.”

With Alijah Vera-Tucker, Connor McGovern and Wes Schweitzer on injured reserve, the Jets hoped rookie Joe Tippman would return to play either guard or center, but Saleh downplayed the likelihood of immediate help on the way.

So, the Jets could start the next game the same way that they finished the last: Becton, Laken Tomlinson, practice-squad elevation Xavier Newman snapping to Wilson, converted-tackle Billy Turner and Max Mitchell (left to right).

If that situation sounds like reason for Brown to rush back, he is not going to make that mistake again after he cut corners in his offseason shoulder surgery rehab to be a Week 1 starter and save the Jets from blocking problems — only to injure his hip in Week 2.

Brown missed the cut block on the play that led to Aaron Rodgers’ torn Achilles.

“Coming back and having a few days of practice and going into a game, I don’t think I was quite ready yet,” Brown said. “It was mostly me wanting to play as much as possible. I don’t think it was me trying to come back to save anything.”

The Jets have 21 days to activate Brown from injured reserve or shut him down for the season.

“My upper-body strength has been a big part of my success throughout my career, so not having that initially was not ideal,” Brown said. “Now I feel a lot stronger than I did before. It will definitely benefit me going forward. Once I’m able to be comfortable, I’ll be where I need to be and play how I need to play.”

Saleh reiterated that Brown, 38, is one of the team’s “best-five” linemen, which means musical chairs for all the others.

THIS AND THAT

BROADCAST NEWS

This from Andrew Brandt:

@AndrewBrandt

The World Series just averaged 9 million viewers.

Roger Goodell reading names (the NFL Draft) draws 12 million viewers.

And we wondered – only 12 million watch the draft?

MLB used to get roughly 25 million up to 40 million in the 7^th game for a good series (such as Diamondbacks-Yankees in 2001) or Cubs-Cleveland in 2016.

Back in the 80s – it was more like 35 million to 50 million.

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

The best performers from the 2023 Draft Class per Chris Trapasso of CBSSports.com:

The midway point of the 2023 NFL regular season is here. Actually, to be technical, it’s halftime of Week 9, so feel free to read this article then. Of course, the selections won’t change based on first-half play Sunday.

This is your first half of 2023 All-Rookie team. This year, we’re running “12 personnel” on offense — one back, two tight ends and two receivers — and a nickel look on defense — two linebackers and five defensive backs.

C.J. Stroud

HOU • QB • #7

Nice little half-speed layup to start here. Stroud has, rather easily, outplayed the quarterback who was selected one pick in front of him, Bryce Young, to date to this season. Now, he hasn’t been unbelievable. But he has mostly operated Houston’s offense like it’s been his offense for years. His Big-Time Throw Rate (2.8%) exceeds his Turnover-Worthy Play Rate (2.2%). That dynamic is always a positive for a quarterback, and it’s especially encouraging for a first-year passer.

De’Von Achane

MIA • RB • #28

Achane getting selected by the Dolphins was a match made by the Football Gods, and before Achane’s injury a few weeks ago, we saw that the Football Gods do no wrong with these type of pairings. Now, Achane was running in probably the most complex, hard-to-decipher offense in the NFL with the Dolphins — hat tip to Mike McDaniel — but this is not a “product of the environment” situation. Achane is averaging 12.1 yards per carry! That’s the same amount of yards Christian Kirk averages per catch entering Week 9. My word. Achane, too, has forced 15 missed tackles on his 38 attempts. Preposterous! I’m not doing honorable mentions here, but I have to give a shout to Broncos undrafted rookie runner Jaleel McLaughlin, who’s been a dynamic weapon in Denver’s offense.

Puka Nacua

LAR • WR • #17

Nacua did his best Cooper Kupp impression during the All-Pro’s injury absence to start the season, running as the true No. 1 in Sean McVay’s offense and making play after play after play. Now some of his productivity has come from the high-volume role he found himself in to begin his NFL career, yet in the four games since Kupp’s return, the former BYU star has 22 receptions for 294 yards with a touchdown.

Jordan Addison

MIN • WR • #3

Addison has done a marvelous job stepping into the No. 1 wideout role in Minnesota after the serious hamstring injury Justin Jefferson suffered weeks ago. He has seven touchdowns on the season and has worked diligently to improve his separation ability against press coverage that hampered his productivity in September. Addison also has not dropped a pass entering Week 9.

Sam LaPorta

DET • TE • #87

I’ll admit I dislike pace statistics. Once you’re at the halfway point of a season, they have some credence. Keith Jackson currently holds the all-time rookie tight end record with 81 catches for the Eagles in 1988. LaPorta’s on pace for 91 grabs. Mike Ditka’s 1,076 yards has long been the rookie tight end receiving-yard record. LaPorta’s on pace for 922 yards. He’s been a focal point of Detroit’s springy offense and rocked individually, winning on 7-of-10 contested-catch opportunities and forcing five missed tackles. The George Kittle comparisons look legit.

Dalton Kincaid

BUF • TE • #86

Kincaid’s forced seven missed tackles on his 30 receptions, a spectacular rate for a tight end. He missed a game with a concussion but upon returning has 13 snags for 140 yards and his first professional score in Buffalo’s past two contests. Kincaid, who was blessed with massive mitts, hasn’t dropped a pass from Josh Allen either. He’s been as fluid with the Bills as he was at Utah.

Dawand Jones

CLE • OT • #79

Jones has played much like he did at Ohio State. He’s an entire mountain range of a man who’s simply impossible to get around — or through — before the quarterback releases the football. At his size, with his natural strength, and stunning balance, Jones looks like Trent Brown 2.0, and he’s bigger. Jones has only surrendered 12 pressures on 261 pass-blocking snaps in Cleveland to date.

O’Cyrus Torrence

BUF • OG • #64

Torrence has been a steady, smooth operator at right guard in Buffalo. He’s transitioned to the pro game as seamlessly as he did going from Louisiana to Florida in 2022. Blessed with long levers, a wide and powerful frame, along with impressive feet for his size, Torrence has allowed 14 pressures on 341 pass-blocking snaps and has been an assignment-sound run-blocker, helping Buffalo to clearly improve on the ground from where its rushing attack was a season ago.

Peter Skoronski

TEN • OG • #77

I wasn’t sure if Skoronski was going to be able to handle the power he’d immediately see inside at guard when moving there from tackle at Northwestern. And through the first half of his debut NFL season, Skoronski has held up relatively well against NFL-strong bull rushes at guard on the Titans offensive line. He’s given up nine pressures on 152 pass-blocking snaps. Solid start for the first-rounder.

Darnell Wright

CHI • OL • #58

Anton Harrison

JAC • OT • #77

Wright started slowly — particularly in pass pro, where he excelled at Tennessee — and has slowly but surely come into his own getting downhill as a lane-paver for the run game. Harrison’s had the opposite experience. He started outstandingly in pass pro and has fallen on some hard times of late. But his “wins” protecting Trevor Lawrence have been very encouraging. Balanced and powerful.

DEFENSE

Will Anderson Jr.

HOU • DE • #51

Stroud and Anderson, have at least momentarily, made Texans fans forget about the massive price Houston paid to be able to draft the two marquee prospects in April. Has Anderson had a Micah Parsons or Nick Bosa impact as a rookie? No. He’s been damn good, though, with 25 pressures on 202 pass-rush snaps and plenty of splash plays against the run.

Tuli Tuipulotu

LAC • LB • #45

Tuipulotu has taken full advantage of rushing on the same defensive front as Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. A relatively small percentage of his 22 pressures have come on stunts or been due to tight coverage downfield. But every pressure counts the same in the stat book. And at 6-3 and 265 pounds, Tuipulotu has been a rock on running downs for the Chargers.

Jalen Carter

PHI • DT • #98

Carter has cooled off lately after a Hall of Fame start yet he is still tracking toward a second-team All-Pro distinction as a rookie with his 28 pressures on 164 pass-rush snaps — that 16.9% pressure-generation rate is massive for any defensive tackle, much less a rookie. It’s almost as if Carter was the best prospect in the 2023 class and slipped in the draft due to off-field concerns.

Bryan Bresee

NO • DT • #90

The No. 1 overall recruit flashes have been bright for Bresee early in his Saints career. He’s a tall, thick, powerful game-wrecker when attacking up the field, and he tracks laterally like an experienced defensive tackle when getting to outside runs. He’s second among all rookies with 17 quarter pressures and already has knocked down four passes to go along with three tackles for loss

Ivan Pace Jr.

MIN • LB • #40

The rookie class of linebackers doesn’t have a true stud halfway through 2023 — except a second-level defender who wasn’t drafted at all in Pace. The blitzing extraordinaire has been too good for Minnesota to keep him off the field to begin his NFL career. He’s logged the third-most snaps among rookie linebackers and has easily been the most consistent in all phases of playing the position. Pace has registered nine pressures on 55 pass-rush snaps and has only missed two tackles. So much for being too small. 

Jack Campbell

DET • LB • #46

The Lions have brought Campbell along slowly — which, frankly, has been rather weird — and although the former Iowa star hasn’t been tremendous in coverage, he’s yet to miss a tackle in the NFL and has accumulated 34 tackles on just 266 snaps through eight games.

Devon Witherspoon

SEA • CB • #21

An early-season injury delayed the Witherspoon breakout. Since he’s been on the field, he’s been an instant star in Seattle, with eight pass breakups, a 97-yard house call on an interception against the Giants and 33 tackles. He has missed four tackles but many of his takedowns have been of the highlight-reel variety, just like they were at Illinois.

Joey Porter Jr.

PIT • CB • #24

Another rookie cornerback who was slowly brought along in September, Porter Jr. has now finally settled in a full-time role and has played like he should’ve been there all along — three pass breakups and a pick along with just three catches allowed on 14 targets in his coverage area. Receivers haven’t been able to shake Porter Jr. early in his NFL career in Pittsburgh.

Brian Branch

DET • CB • #32

A safety by title during draft time, Branch has manned the increasingly important slot defender role in Detroit like he’s playing the “star” position at Alabama. He’s been ubiquitous for the Lions, with 33 tackles, four of them going for a loss, an interception, and four pass breakups as the marquee playmaker on the backend.

Jordan Howden

NO • SAF • #31

The safety class has yet to have a real emergent star, but Howden’s been the steadiest of the bunch in New Orleans, playing next to Tyrann Mathieu. Only one missed tackle and three pass breakups entering Week 9.

Sydney Brown

PHI • SAF • #21

It’s been a roller-coaster start for Brown, who’s recently been inserted into the full-time lineup in Philadelphia. He was awesome against Tampa Bay, when he logged his lone pass breakup to date, but otherwise has been relatively inconsistent in coverage and as a tackler.