A good question from Peter King about P MATT ARIAZA, whom the Bills abandoned at the first allegations of impropriety last year:

I think Matt Araiza, cleared of all charges in a college sex-assault case, should have a job in the NFL. If we’re innocent till proven guilty, and he was one of the best punters to come out of college football in recent years, what’s the holdup?

NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

Is QB JUSTIN FIELDS going to be the breakout star of 2023?  Courtney Cronin ofESPN.com says he had a good start against the Titans:

Quarterback Justin Fields orchestrated back-to-back touchdown drives, utilizing the catch-and-run ability of his playmakers. Fields threw a quick screen to wide receiver DJ Moore, who sped past multiple Titans defenders for a 62-yard touchdown. On Chicago’s next offensive series, Fields dumped off a pass to Khalil Herbert in the flat on third-and-long, which the running back took 56 yards down the home team sideline (after stiff-arming a defender) for a touchdown. The Bears ranked dead last in yards after the catch (1,132) and did not have a single play rack up 50 YAC in 2022. The first-team offense had two such plays which resulted in touchdowns on its lone two drives in the preseason opener. The quick game has been an emphasis throughout training camp, and the clean, efficient operation by the offense is an encouraging sign of growth that Bears coaches said they had hoped to see. —

DETROIT

Even though he is going to serve a six-game suspension for betting on college basketball from the wrong geographic location, WR JAMESON WILLIAMS is getting plenty of preseason work.  Eric Woolyard of ESPN.com after the win over the Giants:

All eyes were on wide receiver Jameson Williams during his first preseason game as he experienced a few highs and lows. As promised, Lions head coach Dan Campbell gave the 2021 No. 12 overall pick a ton of reps while he serves a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. He delivered on a one-handed, two-point conversion reception after a 95-yard punt return touchdown by Maurice Alexander in the third quarter. However, on Detroit’s opening possession, backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld was picked off on a deep right pass intended for Williams by Giants safety Jason Pinnock. Sudfeld also tried to find Williams on another deep play in the first quarter, but they were out of sync as Williams cut to the middle of the field as the pass was thrown up the left side. Overall, Williams was targeted seven times, with two catches for 18 yards, including a deep-ball drop at 5:50 in the first quarter that prompted light boos from the stands. After a couple of joint practices with Giants during the week, the Lions rested many of their starters including quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson.

– – –

WR AMON-RA ST.BROWN is still miffed about his draft day.  Or more precisely, the day before he was drafted.  Peter King:

Amon-Ra St. Brown, wide receiver, Detroit

St. Brown leads all wide receivers picked in the 2021 draft with 196 receptions in his first two NFL seasons.

What did you learn from the disappointment of being the 17th receiver picked in the 2021 draft after thinking you’d go much earlier in the draft?

“We set up a party in a restaurant on day two of the draft (rounds two and three), and when I saw I wasn’t going to be drafted, I thanked everyone for coming, but then got in my car to drive back to the AirBnb where I was staying with my two brothers. I was super upset, crying. I didn’t want anyone to see me.

“I think back now, and this was one of the days that I’ll never forget for me as a player, as a person. Just how mad I was, and what I took from it. I got home. I was like, I can go to bed, I can feel sorry for myself. But I was like, Let me get on this Jugs machine. Let me catch my balls like I always do. So I got on my Jugs machine, like 12:30 at night. My brothers were with me. They fed the machine. Caught 202 balls. That’s always been my number, growing up. There was this other kid that we met that had really good hands. He said he catches 200 balls a day. So I gotta be better than him. I gotta catch 202. It’s just a little reminder.

“I’m still pissed off to this day. But I learned something from it. I was going to go hard every day, every play, to prove all those teams made a mistake. That’s why I go so hard.

“The guys they picked before me, I’m watching.”

GREEN BAY

At the moment, it’s a Season of Love in Green Bay.  Peter King:

The hotel bellman talked about it. Packers president Mark Murphy talked about it. The fans from Sarasota who come to Packers camp every year talked about it.

Did you hear that ovation for Jordan Love at Family Night?

The 70,000 fans who paid $10 to come to the annual early-camp Saturday night tradition — practice at Lambeau Field, then fireworks — gave Love a 12-second ovation when he was introduced to the crowd. It was symbolic. Packer fans were ready to move on from Brett Favre in August 2008, paving the way for first-round QB Aaron Rodgers to play. Fifteen years later to the month they’re ready to move on from Rodgers to first-rounder Jordan Love.

“The ovation was awesome, a special moment for me,” Love said. “First time that happened in Lambeau.”

Fans here got tired of Rodgers’ cat-and-mouse games with the front office, particularly after scoring a rich, all-in extension last year, then staying away from the off-season program. The new guy, great or suspect, would logically get a welcome-to-the-big-job ovation in Green Bay. It’s the way of life here. The football team is a continuum. The locals are ridiculously grateful for 30-plus years of Hall of Fame quarterbacking from Favre and Rodgers—no other fan base has been that lucky—but there’s not a lot of pining for the good old days here. Time to go. Time to move on.

On the practice field last week, Love was in command of his offense. Tackle David Bakhtiari said he’s confident and calm in the huddle. But Love has had a shaky summer. The day I saw him, he threw an easy pick to safety Darnell Savage on the first play of team period, and cornerback Jaire Alexander taunted Love after the play. Hard to imagine Rodgers making that throw — and harder to imagine Alexander taunting Rodgers after it. On other days, he’s been superb. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky charted Love as 16-of-22 with four drops or throwaways in competitive periods on day three of camp.

Watching Love, he looks fluid in the pocket. Good arm, not a rocket. Might be too quick to run, but that’s hard to tell until the real games start. I bet he’ll run lots more than Rodgers, who averaged two rushes per game in his last three years.

He had a good start in his preseason opener Friday (7 of 10, 46 yards, one TD, no picks) at Cincinnati. One play bugged me. First series, third-and-10 from the Packer 35, and rookie tight end Luke Musgrave runs a crossing route from the right to left. No one’s within five yards of him when Love releases the ball, but it’s inaccurate. Not close. And Musgrave doesn’t have a defender within six yards. Good for Love — he moved the linebackers with his eyes to get Musgrave that open. Bad for Love — he tried to Mahomes the throw. Tried to no-look-pass the ball to Musgrave and just missed by a lot. He didn’t need to. He could have focused on Musgrave a split-second earlier and still found him open enough.

I expect Love will have a shakier first year than Favre’s in 1992 (8-5, 85.3 rating) or Rodgers’ in 2008 (6-10, 93.8). Outside of the veteran backfield, Love’s skill group is incredibly green. It’s likely that each of Green Bay’s top five pass-catchers will be a product of the last two drafts: wideouts Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs (drafted in 2022) and slot receiver Jayden Reed (’23), with two rookies — Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft — likely to be the top tight ends. (Musgrave has had a monster camp.) Some teams skew young, but imagine Love’s dual challenges: following two Hall-of-Famers at sports’ toughest position to master, and relying on five receivers age 24, 23, 23, 22 and 22.

“We’re very young,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I can feel it. It’s like we’re a ball of clay, and we’re trying to mold it.”

You get the feeling here that GM Brian Gutekunst is more comfortable with this way of doing business, tearing down to the studs and starting over, than his peers would be. Would Jim Irsay let GM Chris Ballard have a no-doubt rebuilding year in Indianapolis? Imagine Robert Kraft saying the same to Bill Belichick in New England?

“You talk about the continuum,” Gutekunst told me. “Going back to [GMs] Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson, I trained under them. There’s some things we believe in here—developing quarterbacks, and drafting quarterbacks to develop. We believe in allowing them to sit and learn a little bit before they have to play. It’s an organization thing. It’s the route. It’s trying to make the best decisions to win today but also understanding that there’s gonna be a tomorrow and not sacrificing that.

“We went through the Brett Favre thing. Obviously I was a road scout at the time so I wasn’t here making those decisions. I always wondered: If we had a traditional owner, we would’ve been very close to Brett I’m sure, and what would we have done [in 2008]? But I do think this place, because of what we believe in and the stability of it, is a little bit different. This place, I think, is about what’s doing right for the team each and every day. Sometimes those are complicated decisions. But no one’s ever come to me and tried to make me compromise that.”

No one said this to me on my day in camp, but as much trepidation as the team must have entering a clear rebuild, the sense is Murphy, Gutekunst and LaFleur love it. They get to wipe the slate clean and start with all-in players. That is clear. It’s also clear that the road could be potholed. The amount of teaching and learning is massive.

MINNESOTA

The Vikings have done nothing about the contract of QB KIRK COUSINS – and Peter King approves:

I think Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf is handling the Kirk Cousins situation the right way — not committing to moving swiftly to try to re-sign Cousins. Why would the Vikings? Cousins is a tremendous guy, a good leader, an efficient player (153-50 TD-to-pick rate with Minnesota) … who has one playoff victory in five seasons. Do you want to commit a minimum of $50 million a year, for one, two or three years? Or, if Cousins does not lead the Vikes deeper into January this year, do you want to start over in 2024, when Cousins will be 36?

I think I understand if you’d say, “Wait. Lamar Jackson is a 1-3 career playoff quarterback — same as Cousins — and Jackson has missed 10 starts due to injury over the last two seasons, while Cousins has missed one over that period. And you supported the Jackson contract. What’s the difference?” Excellent question. I would answer this way: The Ravens seem more inextricably tied to Jackson and his style of quarterbacking; he was 30-7 as the Ravens’ starter in his first three years, the 2019 MVP, before injuries struck the last two years. There’s also the element of fan bases, I believe, though neither franchise would admit it. Ravens fans would be protesting in a big way if Jackson were not re-signed. I sense Vikings fans want Cousins to be their quarterback, but if he doesn’t advance the team this year, I think many would be ready to move on.

NFC EAST

DALLAS

A big opening night for rookie RB DEUCE VAUGHN.  Charean Williams ofProFootballTalk.com:

Cowboys rookie running back Deuce Vaughn earned back-to-back All-America honors and finished his career at Kansas State with 4,884 yards from scrimmage and 43 touchdowns. If not for his size, Vaughn would have gone much higher in the NFL draft.

But because he’s only 5 foot 5 and 179 pounds, Vaughn remained on the board until the Cowboys selected him in the sixth round.

He showed Saturday afternoon at AT&T Stadium why every other team in the NFL might regret passing on him.

Vaughn had eight carries for 50 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown run, against the Jaguars. He showed off a spin move and his explosiveness in instantly becoming a fan favorite.

Vaughn accomplished what he wanted to accomplish.

“Just that I belong,” Vaughn said when asked what his big night meant, via Todd Archer of ESPN. “That’s the biggest thing for myself – coming in and proving the people that believe in me right. It doesn’t stop now. We go back to work on Monday, and we’re getting ready for the next preseason game.”

Vaughn has made the Cowboys’ roster and could enter the season as Tony Pollard’s primary backup.

“He played very well,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “I thought he had a heck of a night. It was a great, great introduction to the NFL.”

WASHINGTON

Can a QB really fly under the radar in the NFL?  Because QB SAM HOWELL is quietly looking good.  Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post:

The Washington Commanders opened their preseason — and the Josh Harris era — with a rain delay. A thunderstorm set kickoff back 76 minutes, to 8:46 p.m.

No problem for Sam Howell. The second-year quarterback started and played a little more than quarter in Washington’s 17-15 win over the Cleveland Browns on Friday, showing everything his coaches had hoped for and more while the team’s new owner watched from the first row of the stands.

Coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday that he would be watching two aspects of Howell’s performance especially closely against the Browns: his command at the line of scrimmage and his decision-making. The young quarterback had recently shown an improved consistency and grasp of the calls in practice, but the question was whether he could take it to game days.

After a little more than a quarter of play (three drives, 21 snaps), Howell provided a resounding answer in the affirmative.

Howell played with a poise and confidence that belie his game experience. He made quick and sound decisions and used his feet to escape pressure but not as a crutch to avoid moving through his progressions. And when the play wasn’t there, he didn’t hesitate to throw it away.

“Very encouraged. A lot of good things,” Rivera said. “I thought, again, he threw some really good balls. I thought the decision-making was what you want. He looked to have command of things, and it was good to see him get into a rhythm.”

NFC SOUTH

ATLANTA

A starter in 2022, LB MYKAL WALKER is now an ex-Falcon.  Michael Rothstein ofESPN.com:

-The Atlanta Falcons have waived Mykal Walker, one of their starting linebackers from last season.

Walker, 25, started 12 games for Atlanta last season as a linebacker next to Rashaan Evans, making a career-high 107 tackles with four tackles for loss, his first career sack and two interceptions. It had been Walker’s first year as a full-time starter after two seasons as a rotational player who picked up spot starts.

In his Falcons career, Walker played in 49 games for Atlanta with 20 starts, three interceptions and a sack. A fourth-round pick for Atlanta out of Fresno State, he was entering his contract year this season.

Walker thanked the Falcons in an Instagram post and said, “my journey is far from over.”

This preseason, Walker had been working behind free agent signing Kaden Elliss and second-year pro Troy Andersen at inside linebacker. The Falcons had also experimented with Walker as an outside linebacker early in camp, but he had primarily been working with the second unit alongside Nate Landman.

Walker told ESPN in July he was still getting a sense of what position Atlanta might use him in in the fall, similar to his prior three seasons with the Falcons, and they were putting him at all three spots. Walker said he felt the scheme fit what the Falcons were trying to do defensively, too, and he felt the scheme fit him because it would allow him to run freer.

Walker played 24 snaps with four tackles against the Miami Dolphins in the Falcons’ preseason opener, a game in which the Falcons did not play the majority of their starters.

Walker had not been spotted at Atlanta’s practice Sunday, and the team also signed linebacker Frank Ginda, the 2023 USFL Defensive Player of the Year.

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

EDGE NICK BOSA’s holdout has reached a new stage.  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

The Nick Bosa holdout officially becomes considerably more expensive today.

As a player in his fifth-year option, Bosa’s fines include $40,000 for each day of training camp missed. Per Article 7, Section 7(h) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Bosa also can be fined a regular-season game check for each preseason game boycotted.

At a base salary of $17.859 million, Bosa can be fined $992,166 for missing today’s preseason game against the Raiders.

The CBA does not prevent the 49ers from waiving the fines, which they likely will do. If they won’t, it will become even more difficult to get one of the best defensive players in football under contract.

There has been no sense of acrimony regarding Bosa’s absence. Recently, coach Kyle Shanahan shrugged at the fact that Bosa is missing preparation time.

The question becomes identifying an agreed deadline. Presumably, the 49ers want Bosa to be back in the fold in time for the practice week before the team’s Week One game against the Steelers. Just before that, both sides will go to their bottom-line positions — and ideally they will meet in the middle.

– – –

Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com has these thoughts after Sunday’s Niners loss in New Orleans:

Winner: Robbie Gould

The 49ers had few answers for the Raiders in Las Vegas’ Sunday rout, and it didn’t help they couldn’t find relief on special teams. Third-round rookie Jake Moody entered with an apparent edge on trade acquisition Zane Gonzalez, only to miss field goals from both 40 and 57 yards. This occurred just weeks after longtime 49ers leg Robbie Gould said he would’ve liked to return to San Francisco for a 19th NFL season. The 40-year-old Gould is still available, and maybe now the Niners will have reason to call.

Loser: Trey Lance

It’s probably more accurate to say the former first-rounder had mixed results in his first game action since early in the 2022 season. If not for a pair of missed field goals, he might’ve kept the 49ers competitive with the Raiders. But in six series, he led just one score, which came on a near-pick, and took four sacks while improvising behind middling protection. His challenger for the team’s No. 2 job, Sam Darnold, floated some prettier passes on a more balanced script. But the fact both guys paled in comparison to Raiders rookie Aidan O’Connell means there’s still work to be done behind Brock Purdy in the 49ers’ QB room.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

The Rams are finding out what they have in UGA late-round QB STETSON BENNETT.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

With Matthew Stafford now the second-oldest starting quarterback in the NFL, the Rams need to be thinking about the future. The future possibility could be Stetson Bennett.

The rookie from Georgia, who’ll turn 26 in October, handled seven drives on Saturday night, in the Rams’ preseason opener against the Chargers.

“I know it’s a preseason game, but it’s the first NFL game that you’re playing in,” Bennett told reporters You’re going to come in and be a little nervous, try to make a play when sometimes plays aren’t there, but then as [we] started a groove, we started calling plays and you start to settle in once you get hit first, honestly, it’s just like everything I’m taught, almost.”

His first drive (after Brett Rypien handled three of them) lasted 16 plays, covering 75 yards and ending in a touchdown, on an 11-yard throw to fellow rookie Puka Nacua.

For the night, Bennett completed 17 of 29 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. He had no interceptions. He could have had two, but the defenders didn’t make the catch.

“I thought there were some boneheaded plays that I made,” Bennett said. “I thought there were some good plays that I made. I thought we bounced back a few times from some lost yardage plays. I thought we did pretty good on third downs, didn’t turn the ball over, even though I tried to a few times, so got to clean that up a little bit, but I thought it was all right. It’s hard to say without watching the tape.”

He doesn’t need to see the tape to know he nearly had a pair of picks. What does he think after those plays happen?

“I just don’t think about it,” Bennett said. “‘Thank you for not catching that,’ and we’re onto the next one now.”

He praised the offensive line for giving him time to look down the field.

“I remember especially on the touchdown pass, it was like it just all opened up and I could see Puka real good and thought I had time all night,” Bennett said. “Most of the time I got in trouble was on play fakes. They had wide D-ends and they’re coming up and not really respecting the run, which we gashed them a few times there, but overall, I thought we played really well up front.”

It’s encouraging for the Rams to begin developing a player who could eventually become the starter. Whether he does depends on many things, including whether he takes full advantage of opportunities to grow and improve in the preseason.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

Peter King (and Andy Reid) make the comparison between QB PATRICK MAHOMES and Tom Brady:

I haven’t been around Mahomes as much as I was around Brady, but I see these similarities:

They’re not pigs at the trough. Brady famously left lots of money on the table in his career. He always felt—particularly because he could make millions off the field—that if the Patriots spent to the cap to make the team better, he was fine with taking less. Mahomes’ $45-million-a-year average is great, but in the three seasons since signing that deal, he’s fallen to seventh in the QB pay standings. He told me: “You want to keep the quarterback position and the rest of the skill groups, that salary cap moving. But I want to have a great team around me too. I think it’s just about finding that balance throughout your career and knowing when you need to push it and when you need to get those great players around you so you can win those Super Bowls.” Mahomes is still much better off, overall than Brady was. His $45-million average is 20 percent of this year’s KC cap. When Brady and the Pats went 16-0 in 2007, Brady counted for 6.7 percent of the New England cap.

They hear what the outside world is saying, and they make decent players play lots better. Both QBs have been helped by all-time tight ends. But they made the best of average wideouts. In New England, when Brady led that comeback from 28-3 to beat Atlanta in the Super Bowl, his big wideouts late in the game were Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell; Brady knew his team was being doubted, and he talked about his lesser teammates as if they were Pro Bowlers. In KC, the team scored more points and won more games in 2022 without Tyreek Hill than they did with him in 2021. Mahomes at different times highlighted and praised Justin Watson and Skyy Moore, and he made them factors. This spring, Moore was tied to his hip in Texas workouts. “I had all the guys down there in Texas for over a month-and-a-half. Skye was at every single workout. I mean, every single one. Wanted to get extra work after every single practice. He has that drive to be great.” First two throws in Friday team periods: Mahomes to Moore, one go route, one seam.

The will. Brady’s story has been told. Mahomes’ is in process. Watch the NSFW video of the sideline scene after he twisted his ankle. He re-aggravated the ankle near halftime of the Super Bowl, limped off, and proceeded to be better in the second half than the first. For the post-season, playing with a bum ankle for 85 percent of the snaps over three games, Mahomes completed 72 percent of his throws, put up 71 points, went 3-0 and had a rating of 114.7

Reid said: “I haven’t worked with Tom, of course. But I think they both see the big picture — the very big picture. Patrick kind of looks at football with a panoramic shot. He sees the whole thing for everybody. I think that’s unique. He can see where the whole team can go, where he can go, our present, our future. Most people are, when you really cut to the chase, self-centered. Patrick’s team-centered. Listen to him compliment the 12th-string players. That helps a team. And on top of that, he’s a football player.”

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com had this takeaway from the Ravens win over the Eagles in the preseason opener:

Tyler Huntley strengthened his grip on the Ravens’ No. 2 quarterback job with an effective cameo appearance. Huntley produced more passing yards in two drives (88) than Josh Johnson had for the entire first half (45). The Ravens looked more fluid with Huntley’s mobility. He completed 8 of 11 passes and ran for 13 yards. “He goes in and he attacks,” wide receiver Tylan Wallace, who caught a 10-yard TD pass from Huntley. “When he’s in there, the offense is different.” Huntley did head into the locker room with a team doctor at the start of the fourth quarter, but coach John Harbaugh said the team didn’t suffer any major injuries when asked about Huntley. Baltimore was much more inconsistent with Johnson, who was 8-of-12 and didn’t complete a throw beyond 10 yards. This is how the quarterback competition has unfolded three weeks into training camp, where Huntley has outplayed Johnson. Huntley has been Lamar Jackson’s primary backup the past two seasons.

The 20-19 win marked an amazing 24 consescutive preseason wins for Baltimore.

And for what its worth, the DB hears that a prominent NFL head coach thinks the Ravens have the best roster in football.

CLEVELAND

Cody Benjamin evaluated the performance in Preseason Week 1 of 14 rookie QBs.  He says the best was by DTR of the Browns:

1. Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Browns)

Technically the UCLA product has two preseason games under his belt, debuting in the Hall of Fame Game before another appearance against the Commanders. It doesn’t matter which stat line you take; he was impressive in both. After flashing his dual-threat skills in Canton, the fifth-rounder was back it this week, going 9 of 10 for 102 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers. With another strong showing, he could legitimately push Joshua Dobbs as Deshaun Watson’s top backup.

– – –

The Browns are putting on a brave face in the light of continued kicking misfires from PK CADE YORK.  Tom Withers of the Associated Press:

The Browns’ confidence in Cade York could be fluttering — like one of his recent kicks.

Cleveland’s second-year kicker, who struggled for much of his rookie season, missed his second field-goal attempt of the preseason during Friday night’s 17-15 loss to the Washington Commanders.

York pushed a 46-yard attempt in the third quarter to the right, a miss similar to one from 49 yards last week in the Hall of Fame game.

While it would be easy to dismiss the two misfires as a young player working out the kinks in exhibitions, York’s inconsistency last season — 24 of 32 on field-goal tries with some big misses — makes them more notable.

Still, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski offered his public support of York on Saturday.

“It’s a small sample size,” Stefanski said on a Zoom call. “Cade’s working very hard just like the rest of our team is. It’s preseason football for all of us. None of us are ready to play or coach any in that first game just yet. So we’re working through it.”

York did not speak to the media Friday night, leaving before Cleveland’s locker room was opened to reporters.

His body language was strong after his miss. York was visibly frustrated and paced the length of the Browns’ bench area. At one point, veteran snapper Charley Hughlett approached York and appeared to offer him some words of encouragement.

The Browns chose not to bring a second kicker into training camp to compete with York, and even if the front office is contemplating that going forward, Stefanski said following the game that the plan is unchanged.

However, with York under the microscope, his performances will be scrutinized more than ever in Cleveland’s next two preseason games — at Philadelphia on Aug. 17, and at Kansas City on Aug. 26.

The 22-year-old York has admitted he put too much pressure on himself last season, which began with him kicking a 58-yard game-winner in the season opener at Carolina before things started to unravel.

With a powerful right leg, York has the necessary physical tools. Stefanski said the team believes York can handle the important mental side of the game.

“Cade’s got the makeup for that role,” he said. “As you know, he works very hard at his craft. It’s also part of being a player in the NFL and certainly part of being a kicker in the NFL is you got to bounce back from a miss.

“He did that in the game last night. So really that’s what I expect from all of our guys.”

Following his missed field-goal try, York did drill an extra point. Following their final touchdown in the last two minutes, the Browns chose to go for a tying 2-point conversion that failed.

The Browns made a major investment in York, selecting the former LSU standout in the fourth round of last year’s draft.

With every miss, that pick wanders further off the mark as well.

Meanwhile, Peter King has this on the atmosphere around QB DESHAUN WATSON:

There’s this feeling here that Watson can pick up where he left off in his huge 2020 season, when he completed 70 percent of his throws for a league-best 4,823 yards and a 112.4 rating. That last full season, Watson was a confident player, at ease with his game, knowing when to abandon the pocket, when to hang in. Now it’s 32 months since he played like he owned the place. Can he do it again? Part of the answer has to be about Watson the person. Two civil lawsuits against Watson remain open, so the legal process could still be a factor this year. I hear his sessions with a league-assigned counselor to address his sexual and mental issues have been valuable, and the organization thinks Watson has made progress in eliminating the other life that marred so many lives and disrupted his career. Time will tell if that’s true.

This offseason, he maxxed out his time with a new set of receivers. The skill group had three off-campus sessions, including one in Puerto Rico to build chemistry and comfort. He and his girlfriend got tight with Amari Cooper and his girlfriend. The receiver group was helped by the addition of Elijah Moore from the Jets, so on and off the field, Watson should have a better chance than last year.

“The biggest distinction, I think, is that he has a clear head,” Cooper said. “He’s very intentional about the camaraderie, very intentional about getting guys together in the offseason and during the season so we can build that bond so that we can play for each other on Sundays.”

At one practice jammed with fans last week, Watson was greeted warmly, and for the first hour I heard not one boo. That’s in keeping with the warmer reception locally he’s gotten in 2023.

In addition, Watson’s support system has been everything a troubled player could hope for. The counseling and the intense planning and ignominy for signing a player seen as a predator is in the rear-view, for now. Now it’s up to Watson to hold up his end of the $230-million deal of desperation made by the Browns. We’re about to find out if this franchise-tarnishing gamble will give the team the franchise quarterback it’s lacked for generations.

AFC SOUTH

JACKSONVILLE

From a Fantasy perspective, Matthew Berry ponders the value of RB TRAVIS ETIENNE:

Travis Etienne (ADP: 41)

Etienne has been one of the trickier evals for 2023 fantasy drafts.

On the one hand, Etienne has an explosive RB profile on an ascending offense.

On the other hand, the team bizarrely didn’t use him in the passing game last year and then added Tank Bigsby in the NFL draft.

The good news for Etienne is that he played 10 of the 13 snaps with the starters in their first preseason game against the Cowboys.

Here’s the bad news:

@dwainmcfarland

It’s just one preseason game BUT Travis Etienne gave way to Tank Bigsby on the first drive in short yardage and left the field for JaMycal Hasty on 3rd and long.

Not ideal, y’all.

Might just be a between the 20s back.

 😰 Should you panic?

While not a “quintessential” Dead Zone back because of his explosive profile (this isn’t Mike Davis), Etienne faces the high-value touch concerns outlined by Dwain above.

His price in the mid-fourth round of best ball drafts remains fair because of his raw talent and potential for big plays, but this is a reminder that we need to be realistic with expectations and extra cautious in managed leagues.

TENNESSEE

Joe Rexrode of The Athletic looks at the battle for back-up QB for the Titans:

The Tennessee Titans have a chance to be OK at backup quarterback this season. This is news.

They were pretty far from OK a year ago, as their 1-4 record without Ryan Tannehill would suggest, and watching Malik Willis play as a rookie was even more suggestive than 1-4. For Titans fans who have been hearing all spring and summer of the strides Willis has made, now you’ve seen it. He’s starting to look like an NFL quarterback.

Willis and rookie Will Levis, the competition and the competence, made Saturday’s preseason-opening 23-17 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field worth watching. All three (otherwise mostly ghastly) hours. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t great. Both of those guys are well behind Tannehill and neither is a challenger for his job.

But if either had to play in a real game, projecting continued growth, the Titans should be able to run their offense and might be able to cobble together some success. For this season, that’s significant. That’s a win.

For next season, I’m not ruling out that the competition we’re watching unfold happens again, this time for the right to be QB1. I would still at this point guess Levis eventually overtakes Willis. I would still at this point guess 2023 as Tannehill’s last season in a Titans uniform and 2024 as Levis’ first as the Titans starter.

But guessing is a downgrade from essentially knowing the moment the Titans moved up to take Levis at No. 33. That downgrade is a credit to Willis and the upgrades he has made as a player, in an offseason he badly needed. The 2022 third-round pick can’t be ruled out, considering we don’t know how much better he will get. And until Levis makes a big move.

Some may take the fact that Levis is still squarely this team’s No. 3 quarterback as of mid-August as a problem. I would not take it that way. He looks like a talented rookie quarterback learning a new offense and having typical ups and downs. Is some acceleration needed at some point? Sure. Nothing that has happened so far makes that unlikely.

And nothing guarantees it. These are different players with different strengths and weaknesses. On a day that delivered a few other items of interest — Mike Vrabel giving defensive line/assistant head coach Terrell Williams the opportunity to serve as head coach for a game, the starting offensive line looking solid in its lone series, kicker Caleb Shudak making from 41 while Trey Wolff pushed wide right from 48 — they were both put on display.

Willis started the game and led the Titans on seven series as the quarterbacks rotated throughout the game. He was 16 for 25 for 189 yards and an interception, a pass that was too hot and too high to rookie tight end Josh Whyle, though Whyle got both hands on it. Willis also ran for 22 yards and a touchdown and led the two-minute drill that resulted in Shudak’s field goal to end the first half.

Levis got six series and was 9 for 14 for 85 yards, with an interception on the Titans’ final offensive play of the game. It was third-and-3 from the Chicago 36 with 19 seconds left and no timeouts left, so some desperation was at hand. And Levis said afterward there was a miscommunication on the play — undrafted rookie Kearis Jackson took his route upfield and ended up nowhere near Levis’ pass, which settled into the arms of Chicago’s Bralen Trahan.

Levis was thinking more about the play that directly preceded that as he analyzed his first professional football game experience. It was a glimpse at potential and also at how much precision is required in this job. Levis did a good job of sensing and stepping up and away from pressure — on a day he and Willis each got sacked four times and didn’t always have enough feel — and flipped a pass toward Gavin Holmes crossing in the middle of the field.

It was a few inches past Holmes, or that’s probably a catch and run into the end zone for the winning score.

“I’m throwing off-platform there, but it’s a throw I can make,” Levis said. “I know I can make that throw. (If I do) it’s a different ballgame and I’m feeling a lot better about myself right now.”

Not that he felt bad. Not that he should feel bad. His overall command of the offense was strong, certainly for a rookie. He had a lot of quick, correct decisions, two of which resulted in 21-yard gains to Mason Kinsey and Racey McMath.

And he missed some. And he held the ball too long on a couple of those sacks. And though quick decisions have been a strength for him, you don’t want to be quick and wrong — as he was on his first throw, a pass intended for rookie Colton Dowell and nearly turned into a pick six by Chicago’s Tyrique Stevenson.

There’s much work ahead. But Williams, whose final duty in place of Vrabel was doing the postgame presser, liked the situations the Titans got for the quarterbacks and the way they reacted to many of them.

“I think both of them did a good job,” Williams said. “Both of them have some things — just like everybody — to clean up. … We didn’t make some plays we should have, but there wasn’t an issue with composure at all.”

Willis had a lot of it on the two-minute drive at the end of the half. He felt pressure on one play, gave himself space with a little push off the back of a lineman, then used that space to start accelerating to his right. He spotted McMath and ripped one to him for a gain of 13. This was a plus play, a starting quarterback kind of play.

“It’s what you would hope to expect from a second-year quarterback,” Williams said of Willis on that drive, which saw him go 4-for-5 for 42 yards and run for another 13 yards.

“It definitely feels different than last year,” Willis said, and that’s not to say he had a spectacular day.

Willis still struggles to get quickly enough to his next reads if the first one is taken away, and a couple of sacks can be traced to that — while keeping in mind that the Titans’ reserve offensive linemen lost too often against the Bears reserves. The pick was more on Willis than Whyle. He had a potential big play to Kinsey that didn’t happen because his throw was late and errant.

But it was more good than bad. Such as the first play of the game. New offensive coordinator Tim Kelly gave Willis a play-action bootleg to get an easy completion to tight end Thomas Odukoya. The Bears were on it and the prescribed flip would have gone nowhere. So Willis adjusted, peered downfield and got one to wide-open Chris Moore for 30. That’s probably not a play he makes last year.

Saturday saw enough dynamic football from Willis to imagine the kinds of plays he could make next year. The Titans need him to get through progressions and get the ball out more often than he runs, but when he runs it can be a real problem for a defense.

His touchdown was a read-option keeper, faking to rookie Tyjae Spears — who looks explosive, by the way — and taking it in around left end. There are things you can do with Willis that won’t work as well with Levis. These are things defensive coordinators don’t enjoy.

Willis is the backup quarterback right now. Levis is still the favorite to be the starting quarterback in a year. It’s going to be very interesting from here to there.

And if that’s how it turns out, and what we’re seeing now is simply Willis establishing himself as a guy good enough to be a quality backup in this league, the Titans will take it. Those are hard to find. Have you seen some of the backup quarterbacking that goes on in this league? Do you remember what it looked like for the Titans last year? I’d almost rather watch preseason football.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

S DEMAR HAMLIN has officially returned to game action.  Katherine Fitzgerald of the Buffalo News:

Sean McDermott knows that there were other preseason games this weekend. He’s sure there were other important moments, critical tackles. He just doesn’t think there’s a chance that any of those can compare to what he saw at Highmark Stadium.

“What we just witnessed, to me, is remarkable,” the Buffalo Bills coach said Saturday. “It really is.”

The stats from what McDermott witnessed don’t tell the full story. Three tackles. Two phases played – defense and special teams. One game.

But behind those are so much more.

On Saturday, Bills safety Damar Hamlin took the field in a game for the first time since he went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field Jan. 2 in Cincinnati.

“I was feeling everything all at once,” Hamlin said afterward. “It was super fun. It was a great experience, just another milestone.”

About 35 minutes later, Hamlin’s first action came with 11:38 left to go in the first quarter, when he took the field for a kickoff, after the Bills scored on their opening drive for a 7-0 lead.

The Bills touchdown came from capitalizing off a turnover. On the Colts’ first drive, Hamlin’s “big brother,” cornerback Dane Jackson, intercepted rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, and ran it back 20 yards.

“That was good for me,” Hamlin said of the pick. “That kind of like loosened me up a little bit, just having him get that interception so early.”

Observations: Kyle Allen shaky, Matt Barkley shines in Bills’ preseason opener against Colts

Observations: Kyle Allen shaky, Matt Barkley shines in Bills’ preseason opener against Colts

Bills fans stressed about what might happen if Allen were to suffer an injury when the games start to count likely don’t feel better after Saturday’s 23-19 victory.

Then, partway through the ensuing drive, the Bills swapped starting safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer for Hamlin and Taylor Rapp.

“It was great just to see him back out there,” said Jackson, who laughed throughout his postgame media scrum, which Hamlin crashed. “Getting all the jitters out – I know sometimes he’d be a little nervous… But it was good to see him back out there.”

Hamlin’s presence wasn’t just perfunctory. Shortly after Hamlin took the field, the Colts faced fourth-and-1. Hamlin made the tackle. Hamlin ended the drive.

He acknowledged he “was feeling everything all at once” Saturday. But as that play unfolded, he was thinking more about the game situation than his own.

“My first few plays in there (were) two blitzes. I love the way my coaches coach up,” Hamlin said. “Just my first few plays in being pressures, and there’s my number being called. So, all of the jitters, all the nerves, that was like out the window right there – like right then and there. … That fourth-and-1, it was just a blitz, I think I set the edge, and the D-line really did all the grunt work.”

The day were a little different. Before the game, he checked in with Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who rushed to the hospital that night in Cincinnati, and assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington, who performed CPR on Hamlin. Those check-ins reminded Hamlin of all he has traversed in the last seven months.

“Just having that moment with (Diggs), having that moment with Denny – it’s just like that moment of serendipity where like, everything just kind of happens for the right reason and at the right time,” Hamlin said.

He checked in with his mom, Nina, a few times during the game. Mostly, it was to scoreboard watch: Hamlin’s younger brother, Damir, had a game back home in Pittsburgh, coached by father, Mario. The youth football kickoff couldn’t be changed, but the Hamlins wouldn’t trade the game’s outcome: Damir and the Sto-Rox Little Vikings won as well, to start the season 1-0.

Postgame, he went to Nina again, presenting her with his jersey.

“My mom was my backbone my entire life,” Hamlin said. “So, I had to take that jersey off, sign it and give it to her while I could.”

Hamlin said he had open communication with the Bills staff all throughout the days leading up to the game. That level of communication isn’t unusual, but this week, it once again involved actual game planning.

“We obviously mapped it out throughout the week, as far as game planning – who’s going to play this much and who is going to be down after this rep, who’s going to be up at this certain rep,” Hamlin said. “My coaches gave us that formula, and I kind of had my mindset prepared for my workload today.”

– – –

Two well-traveled veterans are battling for the No. 2 QB role.  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

The Bills have a franchise quarterback atop the depth chart. Beyond that, they don’t know what they have.

Coach Sean McDermott said after Buffalo’s preseason opener that there is an open competition for the No. 2 quarterback job.

Newcomer Kyle Allen got the start against the Colts. He led five drives. The last one ended with a pick six.

Allen completed eight of 15 passes for 122 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Barkley completed 14 of 15 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns, in four drives.

They’re both on one-year deals. Barkley is getting $1.25 million, and Allen is making $1.232 million. Barkley has $235,000 guaranteed; Allen gets $350,000 guaranteed.

Skip

There’s a chance both will stay on the 53-man roster, behind Allen. The Bills also could decide to go with neither, signing or trading for someone else to be the understudy to Allen.

Either way, they clearly need Allen to stay healthy. Like most teams that have true franchise quarterbacks, losing the player likely would mean the cause is lost.

THIS AND THAT

NEWS

ESPN.com’s collection of experts/writers voted for the top 10 QBs in various QB traits:

Arm strength

This category is all about the biggest arms in the NFL. Pass velocity and the amount of zip a QB can put on a throw were factors in the ranking, as was the ability to hit the deep ball. Who are the best quarterbacks throwing the ball vertically and driving it into tight windows with authority? Here’s how we voted …

1. Josh Allen, Bills

2. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

3. Justin Herbert, Chargers

4. Aaron Rodgers, Jets

5. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

6. Anthony Richardson, Colts

7. Jalen Hurts, Eagles

8. Matthew Stafford, Rams

9. Lamar Jackson, Ravens

10. Kyler Murray, Cardinals

Best of the best: Allen’s arm strength became a big talking point after his pro day back in 2018, and he certainly has the power and velocity to air it out. But what makes that arm strength even more impressive is how he pairs it with exceptional accuracy down the field. No offense likes to find itself playing behind the sticks, but Allen’s powerful right arm leaves a defense feeling vulnerable on any down, including third-and-long situations. — Yates

Biggest surprise: I’m a little surprised Russell Wilson didn’t crack the top 10. Even after a down season, he still has an absolute cannon to hit the deep balls. His 30 completions thrown at least 20 yards downfield last season tied with Allen for No. 1 in the NFL. Strength-wise, his arm is still very much top-10-caliber, and I’m expecting to see deep shots in Denver’s game plan more often this year. — Orlovsky

Stat to know: There were only six passes that averaged 50 mph while the ball was in the air last season, per NFL Next Gen Stats — and three of them were thrown by Herbert. (All three went incomplete, but just being able to throw that hard is impressive.) — Walder

Riser to watch: Justin Fields generates a lot of velocity behind his throws and can fit them into tight windows, and his downfield accuracy could increase significantly this season with improved personnel around him. With a few deep-ball completions to DJ Moore in his third pro season, he could be on this list by next summer. — Jordan Reid

Snubbed: Leaving Derek Carr out of the top 10 is extremely questionable. He’s a high RPM thrower who can attack all three levels of the field thanks to his arm strength, and the ball still explodes out of his hand. I’m also surprised Fields or Geno Smith weren’t on here — they both have a case. — Bowen

Others who received at least one vote: Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, Derek Carr, Deshaun Watson, Justin Fields, Will Levis, Russell Wilson, Trey Lance, Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins, Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, Tua Tagovailoa

Accuracy

Arm strength doesn’t mean much if you can’t place the ball where it needs to go. Who can hit the tightest windows? Who locates their passes in the perfect spots? And who is never off target with their throws, displaying pinpoint precision?

1. Joe Burrow, Bengals

2. Aaron Rodgers, Jets

3. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

4. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

T-5. Justin Herbert, Chargers

T-5. Geno Smith, Seahawks

7. Kirk Cousins, Vikings

8. Matthew Stafford, Rams

9. Dak Prescott, Cowboys

10. Jalen Hurts, Eagles

Best of the best: Speak with NFL defensive coaches about Burrow, and the first thing they mention is his ball placement. What jumps off the game tape, they say, is that Burrow not only invariably places the ball in good windows for receivers to attempt to make a play on it, but he also has a knack of delivering passes with ideal touch on every throw in the route tree. That combination regularly leaves defenses frustrated. And Rodgers — entering his 19th season — is No. 2 behind Burrow because, more often than not, he still puts receivers in a great position to succeed. — Jason Reid

Biggest surprise: I’m pretty shocked that Josh Allen isn’t on this list. You don’t throw the ball with success as much as he does without accuracy. I would have guessed there would be more appreciation for how hard it is to be an accurate passer — which he is at this stage of his career — when you run the ball as much as he does (100-plus carries in four straight seasons). He now has three straight seasons with 35 or more TD throws, and he was only off target on 14.7% of his throws in 2022. — Hasselbeck

Stat to know: Over the past two seasons, only two quarterbacks with at least 300 attempts have recorded a completion percentage over expectation (CPOE) of plus-3% or higher, per NFL Next Gen Stats. One is Burrow (plus-4.1%), who ranked No. 1 on our list. The other? Fifth-ranked Smith, all the way up at plus-4.8%. — Walder

Riser to watch: Combine the talent of Lawrence as a thrower and another year of coaching from quarterback guru Doug Pederson, and it’s natural to think T-Law is in for a huge step up in his development in 2023. We saw glimpses last year, as Lawrence led the Jaguars to the divisional round of the playoffs while completing 66.3% of his passes for 25 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. With a better supporting cast and more experience, he should soon be recognized as one of the league’s most accurate throwers. — Miller

Snubbed: The biggest snub was Lawrence. He was greatly improved last year, going from a 59.6% completion percentage as a rookie to 66.3% in his second year. With Calvin Ridley reemerging after his suspension and Evan Engram signed to a long-term contract, Lawrence and this entire Jacksonville passing offense should take a major stride forward in 2023. — Tannenbaum

Others who received at least one vote: Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, Derek Carr

Touch

It’s not only about pass velocity or placement. How the ball gets there is also key. Successful quarterbacks need to master trajectory, whether it’s fitting the ball in a tight spot with zip or softly dropping it in over a receiver’s shoulder. They also need to throw with anticipation, leading a receiver into the catch and navigating defensive coverages.

1. Joe Burrow, Bengals

2. Aaron Rodgers, Jets

3. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

4. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

T-5. Justin Herbert, Chargers

T-5. Jalen Hurts, Eagles

7. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

T-8. Dak Prescott, Cowboys

T-8. Kirk Cousins, Vikings

10. Jared Goff, Lions

Best of the best: There are ways to generally quantify touch, as Burrow’s career completion percentage of 68.2% tells part of the story. But touch is about more than that, as Burrow has an uncanny ability to blend accuracy, velocity, trajectory and feel that leads to making throws into tight windows look far easier than they actually are to complete. — Yates

Biggest surprise: Geno Smith should be in the top 10. I’ve made the case that no quarterback in the NFL threw more perfect passes last season than Smith, and many of those throws were downfield with perfect trajectory and pace on the football. He actually belongs in the top eight here. — Orlovsky

Stat to know: Over the past two seasons, Rodgers leads quarterbacks in CPOE when targeting corner routes (plus-13%), and that’s a pass that often requires excellent touch. — Walder

Riser to watch: He’s only a redshirt sophomore and hasn’t been drafted yet, but North Carolina’s Drake Maye is someone to watch in this category in the future. He has an especially great feel for deep throws to targets along the sideline, and it helped him hit 63 completions on passes of 20-plus air yards last season, the fifth-best mark in the country. — Jordan Reid

Snubbed: I was shocked to see Matthew Stafford missing here. Yes, he can throw absolute lasers, but let’s not forgot about his ability to deliver the ball with both touch and pace. It allows Stafford to layer throws over the second level of the defense or drop the ball into a bucket downfield. Other notable omissions that stood out were Josh Allen and Russell Wilson. — Bowen

Others who received at least one vote: Deshaun Watson, Derek Carr, Geno Smith, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Ryan Tannehill, Daniel Jones, Jacoby Brissett, Lamar Jackson

Mechanics

In today’s NFL, quarterbacks have so many different throwing motions. But mechanics are still a big part of success. That includes a QB’s throwing motion, arm slot, release, follow-through and footwork, among other traits. Who are the most technically sound signal-callers in the league?

1. Joe Burrow, Bengals

2. Aaron Rodgers, Jets

3. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

4. Justin Herbert, Chargers

T-5. Dak Prescott, Cowboys

T-5. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

T-7. Josh Allen, Bills

T-7. Kirk Cousins, Vikings

9. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

T-10. Matthew Stafford, Rams

T-10. Jared Goff, Lions

Best of the best: Burrow’s completion percentages in each of his first three NFL seasons speak for themselves: 65.3%, 70.4% and 68.3%. But the foundation of those sparkling numbers is Burrow’s nearly flawless mechanics. His footwork on drops, his arm angles on throws, his throwing delivery — Burrow is a model of efficiency at all of it. And although Rodgers comes in at No. 2 on the list, he might be the greatest of all time in this area and remains masterful. — Jason Reid

Biggest surprise: It sure seems like we have come a long way with what is considered sound mechanics. The top four QBs on this list all have an ability to change arm angles and find ways to get the ball out quickly. And with this new appreciation for different ways to be “sound” throwing the football, it’s hard to shake guys like Lawrence, Cousins and Tagovailoa off the list. — Hasselbeck

Riser to watch: We’ve heard a lot about the work ethic of Jalen Hurts, and that has helped him rework his mechanics since his Alabama days. He now has a looser throwing motion, crisper footwork and less wasted motion in his delivery. NFL analysts will soon be calling Hurts’ mechanics some of the finest in football. — Miller

Snubbed: To echo Matt Miller, Hurts is probably already the biggest snub here. We saw some real improvement from him all of last season, but I think his flawless mechanics stood out most in the Super Bowl, when he completed 71.1% of his passes. — Tannenbaum

Others who received at least one vote: Jalen Hurts, Geno Smith, Derek Carr, Deshaun Watson, Ryan Tannehill, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray

Field vision

Here we’re looking at the ability to read the field. Included in that are awareness and recognition when it comes to seeing defensive schemes or coverages, along with the fast eyes to identify blitzers, breaking defensive backs and open targets. Will a QB audible out when he needs to, diagnosing and understanding different defensive looks? And how quickly can he get through his progressions? Does he get stuck on his first read too often and stare down receivers, making it easy for the defense? Or can he scan the field, make the defense bite with his eyes and then find the open receiver?

1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

2. Joe Burrow, Bengals

3. Aaron Rodgers, Jets

4. Josh Allen, Bills

5. Justin Herbert, Chargers

6. Jalen Hurts, Eagles

7. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

8. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

9. Dak Prescott, Cowboys

10. Matthew Stafford, Rams

Best of the best: There are so many things that make defending Mahomes a near-impossible task, but near the top of the list is that no play is ever over. That’s because Mahomes seemingly has a 360-degree view of every play, tracking both what is taking place right around him and what is happening down the field. His instincts and vision — combined with his ability to elude pressure — form a dangerous skill set. — Yates

Biggest surprise: Kirk Cousins should be in the top 10. The Minnesota offense asks a lot of him when it comes to seeing the field and reading it out, often with multiple layers of progressions. He does it at a very high level. — Orlovsky

Stat to know: Over the past three seasons, Mahomes has recorded the lowest rate of tight-window throws (10%), and his targets have had the most separation on average (3.8), per NFL Next Gen Stats. I often caution against using those metrics without further context, but I will say I think those numbers have a lot more to do with Mahomes and the Chiefs’ scheme than the team’s receivers. Since those stats are generated only on targets, it shows Mahomes is throwing to receivers who have separated, a credit to his ability to read the field. — Walder

Riser to watch: Lawrence took a huge leap during his second season under coach Doug Pederson, but he could make an even bigger one this year. He looked more poised and in control in 2022, and with 20 of his 25 touchdown passes coming against man coverage, Lawrence thrived when teams attempted to play his receivers with one-on-one looks. If we see a jump in production against zone coverage, he will likely be in the top five of this category next summer. I’ll also quickly mention USC’s Caleb Williams; the potential No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft has an innate feel for the entire field. — Jordan Reid

Snubbed: Jared Goff sees it fast on both play-action and drop-back concepts, and he can hit defined windows or take the throws that are available. And in Detroit’s heavily schemed pass game, he can set his throwing window to quickly deliver the ball. I’d also like to see Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr on this list. — Bowen

Others who received at least one vote: Deshaun Watson, Derek Carr, Lamar Jackson, Geno Smith, Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, Mac Jones, Ryan Tannehill, Jared Goff, Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones

Decision-making with the football

This one is pretty straightforward. Avoiding turnovers, protecting the football, not taking unnecessary risks and keeping an offense out of harm’s way lead to better efficiency. Forcing a pass into double-coverage or attempting too many low-percentage plays can get you into trouble in a hurry. Strong decision-making means fewer opportunities for the other team — and likely more points for yours.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

2. Joe Burrow, Bengals

3. Aaron Rodgers, Jets

4. Jalen Hurts, Eagles

5. Justin Herbert, Chargers

6. Jared Goff, Lions

7. Geno Smith, Seahawks

8. Kirk Cousins, Vikings

9. Josh Allen, Bills

10. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

Best of the best: It’s easy to focus on the fact that Mahomes dazzles with no-look and behind-the-back passes, but most importantly, he keeps the Chiefs moving down the field by taking care of the football. As defenses adjusted after Mahomes’ spectacular start to his career, regularly playing deep coverages designed to prevent his signature big plays, he, too, changed his approach. Instead of forcing balls into double coverage, which often results in turnovers, Mahomes became a tactician on short- and medium-range passes. And obviously, the results have been spectacular for the Chiefs. — Jason Reid

Biggest surprise: I am really surprised Rodgers wasn’t at the top of this list. Sure, 2022 was an ugly season for him, but we know he was dealing with a thumb injury. His track record of being aggressive with the football but also not turning it over is second to none. Before throwing 12 interceptions last year, he went four straight years with five or fewer and hadn’t been in the double digits since 2010. — Hasselbeck

Stat to know: Trevor Lawrence didn’t crack our collective top 10, but the Jaguars passer had a 1.3% interception rate (sixth best) and 4.3% sack rate (fourth best) last season, all while playing behind an offensive line that ranked 31st in pass block win rate. — Walder

Riser to watch: In two seasons as Ohio State’s starter, C.J. Stroud had 85 touchdown passes and just 12 interceptions. He established himself as an elite decision-maker, and not just in limiting turnovers. He always knows where to go with the football, how to attack a defense and how to set his playmakers up for success. That’ll carry over to the pros as soon as he acclimates to the speed of the NFL game with the Texans. — Miller

Snubbed: Daniel Jones! No quarterback improved more in this area in 2022 than Jones, who had only five interceptions and six fumbles last season under the guidance of coach Brian Daboll. With pass-catcher Darren Waller added to the mix in New York, I expect a similar season out of Jones in 2023. — Tannenbaum

Others who received at least one vote: Trevor Lawrence, Matthew Stafford, Daniel Jones, Derek Carr, Brock Purdy, Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson, Jacoby Brissett, Deshaun Watson

Compete level and toughness

Who has the most desire to win? Toughness rolls into it, and our analysts looked at each quarterback’s bounce-back ability and resilience here, along with how well they can take a hit. Physicality is a big trait in this section, too. Compete level also speaks to a quarterback’s command of his offense, leadership qualities and ability to deliver in the clutch. Simply put, you can never count out the players who made this top 10.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

2. Josh Allen, Bills

3. Joe Burrow, Bengals

4. Jalen Hurts, Eagles

5. Justin Herbert, Chargers

6. Matthew Stafford, Rams

7. Dak Prescott, Cowboys

8. Aaron Rodgers, Jets

9. Justin Fields, Bears

T-10. Lamar Jackson, Ravens

T-10. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

Best of the best: There are intangible traits that you just know when you see them. The Chiefs have found themselves in precarious situations often — even in the playoffs — and perpetually overcome them. A double-digit lead is far from safe against Kansas City, and that starts with Mahomes’ unflappable nature. He believes his team will always win, and more often than not, he’s very right. — Yates

Biggest surprise: I would probably have Hurts even higher when it comes to toughness. Cracking the top three is tough given the names occupying those spots, but it’s also pretty hard to envision a guy who might be the best leader in football not appearing in that elite group at the top of the list. — Orlovsky

Stat to know: Fields was contacted on 42% of action plays last season, by far the highest among quarterbacks in the league. Consider that Marcus Mariota ranked second … at 32%. — Walder

Riser to watch: Kenny Pickett could rise quickly in this category. He isn’t afraid to take off and use his legs, and he has already displayed a high level of toughness and grit. Pickett had back-to-back fourth-quarter comebacks in Weeks 16 and 17 for the Steelers last season, making him the first rookie passer in NFL history to accomplish that in consecutive games. — Jordan Reid

Snubbed: Ryan Tannehill displays a physical element at the position. He’s competitive and tough — both as a ball carrier and pocket thrower — and I’m really surprised he didn’t get more votes. — Bowen

Others who received at least one vote: Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, Tua Tagovailoa, Russell Wilson, Kenny Pickett, Deshaun Watson, Daniel Jones

Pocket presence

Pocket presence refers to how a quarterback operates in the pocket. Some things our analysts looked at here include: ability to sense and avoid pressure; command and mobility within the pocket; calmness under duress; and how a QB gets it done from both under center and shotgun formations.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

T-2. Joe Burrow, Bengals

T-2. Aaron Rodgers, Jets

4. Justin Herbert, Chargers

5. Josh Allen, Bills

6. Jalen Hurts, Eagles

7. Dak Prescott, Cowboys

8. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

T-9. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

T-9. Lamar Jackson, Ravens

Best of the best: Mahomes is at No. 1 yet again. He has total command of the pocket and displays an uncanny ability to sense edge rushers closing from his blind side. Mahomes climbs the pocket deftly, spins to open areas smoothly or extends plays when necessary. His knack for eluding the rush while remaining in the pocket infuriates defensive players. While Burrow and Rodgers don’t quite match Mahomes’ moves in the pocket, they are darn good in this spot, too. — Jason Reid

Biggest surprise: I didn’t think Hurts would end up this high on the list. The subtle pocket movement that we witnessed Tom Brady do so well shows up with guys like Burrow, Rodgers and Mahomes, but it’s harder to find in many quarterbacks. I wasn’t expecting to see Hurts at No. 6. — Hasselbeck

Stat to know: Mahomes had a 0.11 sack-to-pressure ratio last season, best in the NFL (Herbert was second at 0.15). And it was no fluke. Mahomes has led the NFL in that category in three of the past five years, and he finished second in the other two. — Walder

Riser to watch: Let’s go back to September 2022, when Alabama was trailing Texas by two points with 27 seconds left. That’s when Bryce Young made a play that sums up his high-level pocket presence. A Texas cornerback executed a perfectly timed blitz and made contact with Young in the backfield, but he shrugged off the would-be tackler, broke the pocket while keeping his eyes scanning the field and eventually ran for a first down in a game-changing play that led to an Alabama victory. That’s what the Panthers’ No. 1 overall pick is bringing to the pros and why he already received votes here before even strapping on pads in an NFL game. — Miller

Snubbed: Matthew Stafford’s movement traits and instincts in the pocket have allowed him to play at a high level for a long time, so I would have expected him to make the top 10. But Brock Purdy is a close second for me as the biggest snub. He showed tremendous poise and instincts in the pocket as a rookie, and his 48 games of experience at Iowa State showed up in his play last season with the Niners. — Tannenbaum

Others who received at least one vote: Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Bryce Young, Justin Fields, Geno Smith, Deshaun Watson, Ryan Tannehill, Derek Carr, Brock Purdy, Kyler Murray

Rushing ability

Many modern NFL quarterbacks have the ability to contribute in the run game, and offensive coordinators are not only looking to their QBs for designed runs and option reads more often but also unscripted scramble runs. So whose speed, instincts, vision, elusiveness and physicality as a runner are the most impressive?

1. Lamar Jackson, Ravens

2. Jalen Hurts, Eagles

3. Justin Fields, Bears

4. Josh Allen, Bills

5. Kyler Murray, Cardinals

6. Anthony Richardson, Colts

7. Daniel Jones, Giants

8. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

9. Justin Herbert, Chargers

10. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

Best of the best: The conversation surrounding Jackson’s rushing should not be centered around whether he’s the best in the NFL today — it should be about whether he is the best rushing quarterback to ever play the game. I’d argue yes, as his combination of speed and agility completely changes the equation for the Ravens’ offense every single play. He’s unstoppable as a runner, averaging 6.1 yards per carry over five seasons and posting two campaigns with 1,000-plus yards on the ground. — Yates

Biggest surprise: I’d personally have Joe Burrow in the top 10, and I’d probably drop Herbert out. Herbert barely runs (14th in QB rushes last season at 54), whereas Burrow scrambles a ton (75 carries in 2022, seventh most). Burrow is very much like Mahomes in the sense he can situationally break your back with a timely run. I’ll also be interested to see if Richardson can get into the top three by next season. — Orlovsky

Stat to know: We’re combining designed runs and scrambles here, but I like to think of those as separate skills. In terms of designed runs, Hurts was the clear No. 1 in expected points added last season (48.2, almost double every other QB). But he ranked only sixth in EPA on scrambles, with Fields (45.8) and Allen (43.3) leading the way there. — Walder

Riser to watch: Young quarterbacks can rely on their mobility as they adjust to the pro game. Orlovsky mentioned Richardson, but Bryce Young is also more than capable as a runner. He won’t rip off a ton of straight-ahead chunk plays, but I see some similarity to Murray in how he stretches defenses with slippery playmaking ability outside the structure of the offense. — Jordan Reid

Snubbed: With an ability to produce on both designed carries and scramble attempts, Deshaun Watson has the dual-threat traits to create conflict for opposing defenses as a runner. It’s the speed that stands out most, but solid ball carrier vision and open-field instincts allow Watson to produce on the ground. Ryan Tannehill, Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson all could have made the list, too. — Bowen

Others who received at least one vote: Ryan Tannehill, Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott, Trey Lance, Russell Wilson, Joe Burrow, Sam Darnold, Sam Howell

Second-reaction ability

To close, we looked at a trait that leads to so many highlights throughout an NFL season. Quarterbacks won’t always be able to sit in the pocket and throw darts. With pressure coming off the edge or up the middle, getting outside the pocket and making off-schedule throws on the run is important in today’s game. Those are the off-platform passes from different arm angles and body positions — often on the move — and can be the difference between eventual points and a stalled drive.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

2. Josh Allen, Bills

3. Aaron Rodgers, Jets

4. Lamar Jackson, Ravens

T-5. Justin Herbert, Chargers

T-5. Joe Burrow, Bengals

7. Jalen Hurts, Eagles

8. Kyler Murray, Cardinals

9. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

10. Justin Fields, Bears

Best of the best: Mahomes is so far ahead of the pack in this area that he’s really in a category of one. Coaches say NFL quarterbacks make their money on third down and off-schedule plays, and Mahomes is simply dominant in both areas. As great as he is in the pocket, he’s even more dangerous when forced from it. He’s comfortable delivering passes from myriad arm angles while on the run, keeping would-be tacklers off balance. It’s the best part of his game, and that’s saying something. — Jason Reid

Biggest surprise: Deshaun Watson was very good at creating offense with second-reaction plays in Houston. It seemed like the Texans lived in empty looks, and he was able to extend plays to find something better. But after nearly two full seasons off the field — including an 11-game suspension — and a disappointing return to it late last season, there seems to be a big departure from where his off-schedule playmaking was in 2020. — Hasselbeck

Stat to know: Herbert led the league last season in number of throws while moving at least 8 mph, per NFL Next Gen Stats, with 120. While Burrow trailed way behind in quantity (47), he made up for it with incredible efficiency, generating 0.53 EPA per play on those throws. No other QB was higher than 0.32. — Walder

Riser to watch: Rookie Anthony Richardson can quickly climb the ranks in the second-reaction category, but we have to mention USC superstar and likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft Caleb Williams. His ability to make plays happen and create from off-platform throws already has scouts comparing him to Mahomes. And Williams still has a full season of college football and almost a full year of learning under Trojans coach Lincoln Riley before he’s hitting an NFL field. He should make this top 10 next year before even playing a pro game. — Miller

Snubbed: While not necessarily known for this trait, Dak Prescott does a really good job of extending plays and keeping his eye level down the field. Daniel Jones also greatly improved in this area last season, ranking sixth in QBR outside the pocket (65.6). — Tannenbaum