| Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com on QB JALON DANIELS extending a good run by backups this season: Jalon Daniels, the Buccaneers’ undrafted rookie backup quarterback, played surprisingly well on Thursday night in an upset win over the Cowboys. But maybe it shouldn’t have been so surprising. Daniels continued a notable trend of this early NFL season, with teams winning more than they lose when starting a backup quarterback. After Daniels and the Bucs won on Thursday night, NFL teams are now 8-4 in the 12 games started by backup quarterbacks this season. In addition to the Bucs going 1-1 with Daniels, teams that have won games with their backups this year are the Giants (2-0 with Jameis Winston), the Bears (2-0 with Case Keenum), the Vikings (1-0 with Carson Wentz), the Seahawks (1-0 with Drew Lock) and the Commanders (1-1 with Marcus Mariota). The Falcons drag the record down by going 0-2 with their third-string quarterback, Cooper Rush, who looked like a third-string quarterback when Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa were both injured for the first two games of the season. Atlanta is the only team that has started a backup quarterback and failed to win at least one game with him. No team wants to lose its starting quarterback, but the results this season show that losing a starter doesn’t have to be a disaster. Teams can and do win games with backup quarterbacks. This season, they’ve won twice as many games as they’ve lost. We would note that while the NFL gives won-loss records to the player who played the first play it was TYSON BAGENT of the Bears who did all the heavy lifting against the Jets last week after QB CASE KEENUM was given the first play. MIKE DITKA, RIPThe legendary life of Mike Ditka – player, coach, racounteur – has come to an end. ESPN.com: Mike Ditka, the legendary former Chicago Bears coach and first tight end ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 86, his family announced Friday. Ditka rose to national prominence after leading the 1985 Bears, a team that boasted arguably the greatest defense in NFL history, to the franchise’s only Super Bowl title. “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka,” his family said in a statement. “While the world knew Mike as a Hall of Fame football player, legendary coach, and leader of the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX championship team, we knew him as the heart of our family. “Mike will be missed beyond measure and remembered forever.” No cause of death was announced. Known for his fiery temper, Ditka often clashed with members of the 1985 team, including quarterback Jim McMahon and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, but the Bears cruised to a 15-1 regular-season record and easily defeated the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. Hired by his former coach and Bears founder George Halas in 1982, Ditka led the Bears to the playoffs seven times in his 11 seasons and reached the NFC Championship Game on three occasions. The fifth overall pick of the 1961 NFL draft by the Bears, Ditka won Rookie of the Year after becoming the first tight end to surpass 1,000 receiving yards. He played six years for the Bears, two for the Philadelphia Eagles and four for the Dallas Cowboys. Ditka was a member of the Bears’ 1963 NFL championship team and the Cowboys’ squad that won Super Bowl VI. He was the first tight end to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, being inducted in 1988. The Bears retired his No. 89 in 2013, saying it would be the last number retired by the team. The Bears fired Ditka after the 1992 season, but he resurfaced with the Saints in 1997. He was unable to replicate the success he had in Chicago, however, going 15-33 in his three seasons in New Orleans. Ditka’s run in New Orleans is best remembered for the trade that brought running back Ricky Williams to the Saints. New Orleans traded eight draft picks, including two first-round selections, to Washington for the right to move up and draft Williams fifth overall in 1999. Ditka and Williams famously appeared on a 1999 ESPN The Magazine cover. Ditka was in a tuxedo alongside Williams, who wore a wedding gown, to symbolize their football marriage. Ditka’s short stint in New Orleans had no negative impact on his marketability. He became an icon in Chicago, opening several restaurants and endorsing a long list of products, including wine, cigars and sausages. He starred in television commercials and appeared, as himself, in several television shows and in Will Ferrell’s 2005 comedy “Kicking and Screaming.” “Saturday Night Live” even aired an ongoing skit titled “Bill Swerski’s Superfans” that paid tribute to Ditka and “Da Bears.” After his coaching career, Ditka worked as an analyst, first at NBC and then for ESPN. He was a member of ESPN’s “Sunday Morning Countdown” from 2006 to 2015. A native of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, Ditka, born Oct. 18, 1939, was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball and baseball) at Pitt who pursued a career in football after college. As a tight end, Ditka led Pitt in receiving in each of his three seasons on varsity (1958-60) and was a unanimous All-America selection in 1960. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986. Ditka and Baltimore’s John Mackey changed the tight end position and offensive schemes forever. He was a battering ram of a blocker, but Ditka was just as likely to catch a short pass and pinball through a secondary or outrace a lone safety on a deep touchdown throw. After his playing career, Ditka spent nine seasons as an assistant coach for Tom Landry in Dallas before Halas tabbed him to replace Neill Armstrong following the 1981 season. Ditka suffered a pair of heart attacks, including one in 1988 while he was Bears coach, as well as a minor stroke in 2012. |
| NFC NORTH |
| CHICAGORB D’ANDRE SWIFT has developed a fumbling problem. Bears running back D’Andre Swift fumbled four times in his first 33 games with the team, but he’s been a little less adept at holding onto the ball in the early stages of this season. Swift has fumbled twice, including one in the third quarter of last Sunday’s win over the Jets. Head coach Ben Johnson called it “egregious” because of the way Swift was holding the ball and Swift was benched in favor of Kyle Monangai for the rest of the game. Swift said there was no big conversation about the benching, but said he understands what happens when you turn the ball over and “I’ll take whatever comes with that.” Swift also vowed to make sure it won’t happen again in the future. “I know that’s not me,” Swift said, via Dan Wiederer of TheAthletic.com. “That’s not a part of my game. It hasn’t been. So I’m not about to make it one. That’s over with now.” The Bears haven’t revealed their running back plans for this Sunday’s game against the Packers, but injury could factor into it. Monangai has not practiced this week due to thumb and toe injuries, so Swift could get the chance to show he’s cleaned things up by default. |
| DETROITHe’s on his second contract, but RB JAHMYR GIBBS has not reached his 25th birthday. This from Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs has scored a touchdown in every game this season. If he scores one on Sunday, he’ll match an accomplishment only achieved by the Lions’ greatest running back. Hall of Famer Barry Sanders scored 57 touchdowns before his 25th birthday, the most in NFL history for a player before reaching age 25. The 24-year-old Gibbs has scored 56 touchdowns in his career, so he’s one away from tying Sanders and two away from breaking his record. Gibbs doesn’t turn 25 until March, so it’s a near certainty that he’ll score two more touchdowns and move ahead of Sanders. Gibbs is currently tied with Todd Gurley, who scored 56 touchdowns before turning 25, for the second-most touchdowns by a player 24 and younger in NFL history. |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLASThe Cowboys were sure they’d made the right hire for DC in energetic Christian Parker. Their defense was fixed! Not so fast. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com: Dan Quinn left as the Cowboys’ defense coordinator after the 2023 season to become the Commanders’ head coach. Mike Zimmer and Matt Eberflus each lasted one season after Quinn’s departure. The Cowboys ranked 31st in points and 28th in yards in 2024 under Zimmer and 32nd in points and 30th in yards in 2025 under Eberflus. They hired Christian Parker, the Eagles’ passing game coordinator and secondary coach, as their defensive coordinator to fix what was broken. The Cowboys, though, entered Thursday night ranked 30th in total defense, including 31st against the run, and 28th in points allowed. The Cowboys allowed 419 yards, including 241 rushing yards, in a 24-16 loss to the previous winless Bucs who were starting an undrafted rookie quarterback. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones conceded it was a missed opportunity. “That’s a question that I think we all, if you’re a Cowboy fan, realize that patience really may not be the proper term here. . . . I like a lot about what we’ve got. We missed a chance here to improve, and we didn’t improve.” That prompted questions about Parker’s job security. “Premature,” Jones said. Jones said he still has confidence in Parker. “I do. Yes, I do,” Jones said. “He’s sitting there taking it on the shoulders, which goes with the territory, but I feel that he’s competent, and the things that he’s trying to do, I’m going to say it one more time: The thing that probably bothers me the most tonight is how they ran between the tackles so to speak and we’re able to have that running game up in there, where we have a lot of strength. That’s something that we’ve got to really look at and will.” Cowboys defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley is the only assistant on staff who has previously served as a defensive coordinator. Ansley was the Chargers’ defensive coordinator in 2023. Thus, the Cowboys likely will ride with Parker until at least the end of the season. |
| NFC WEST |
| ARIZONA |
| LOS ANGELES RAMSThe mystery on a possible return of EDGE MYLES GARRETT grows. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: Rams coach Sean McVay is still not prepared to say how close Myles Garrett is to returning. McVay said on Monday that he expected to have an update about Garrett, who is on injured reserve after knee surgery, by Thursday. But on Thursday McVay told reporters he still had no update. “I really haven’t even had a chance to specifically — I know that the rehab is progressing well, he’s looked good in the meetings,” McVay said of Garrett. “Literally as I was walking up I realized I said I would have more of an update, and I thought to myself, Oh, shit, I don’t have more of an update on Myles. I’m a total idiot. But I haven’t had a chance. Here’s what I’ll tell you, though: I’ll find out so that I can have more of a specific answer for you guys. I feel like Ron Burgundy up here right now.” The much-hyped Rams debut of Garrett became a letdown when he struggled to play through his knee injury in Week 1, and he got surgery after that. He’ll miss at least one more game, on Monday night against the Bills, but we still don’t know how many games he’ll miss after that. |
| AFC WEST |
| DENVERSean Payton isn’t just going to be “more involved” in Denver’s offensive play-calling. Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com: In nine words Thursday, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton made the biggest move he could to try to kick-start the team’s struggling offense. “We’ll make a change offensively; I’ll call the plays,” Payton said after practice. Faced with an offense that has found little rhythm and mired near the bottom of the league’s rankings in most statistical metrics, Payton said it was his “instincts” that were the root of the change. It ends offensive coordinator Davis Webb’s four-game tenure as the team’s playcaller, after Payton had offered so much optimism in the offseason when he stepped away from those duties. “I’m going to say this first and I said this to Davis the other day talking to him, I’ve done this long enough to know a future head coach, and he’s going to be one,” Payton said. “All the things that are hard to find are going to happen [for him].” Payton said he met with Webb as well as the team’s offensive players and staff Monday before the team began to game-plan for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Payton said Webb has been “fantastic” as the team has gone through its preparations this week. It means Payton had already made the decision before he was asked after Wednesday’s practice if four games constituted a big enough sample size to determine if he might be a better option calling plays to snap out of the early-season struggles. On Wednesday, Payton said: “I think our focus needs to be more on the specific and the detail of each play regardless [of who’s calling the plays]. I think Davis is very fast, very quick and understands what we’re doing. “I think that the most important job I have is really evaluating the whys. I think collectively, we all, after a game, and after a four-game sample size, certainly this isn’t championship football, what we see. How quickly can we correct those things?” Payton has consistently said he has been frustrated with the team’s lack of consistency in the run game as well as its difficulties on first down that have consistently put the offense in difficult down-and-distance situations. The Broncos (2-2) are near the bottom of the league rankings in scoring (27th), total yards per game (27th), rushing yards per game (29th), passing yards per game (20th), QBR (23rd) and Offensive EPA (22nd at -7.48). Only six teams have had more three-and-out possessions than the Broncos this season as 27.5% of their possessions have ended with three downs and a punt. Quarterback Bo Nix’s play has also been a concern. Nix is 22nd in QBR (46.1) and 27th in average air yards per attempt (5.9) as the lack of big plays on offense has become a four-game trend. The Broncos are 29th in the league in plays of 20 or more yards and 30th in explosive plays with 16 (runs of at least 10 yards and pass plays of at least 20 yards). Payton said Thursday he hoped the change would repair some issues, and those fixes would then help Nix. “Bo is the by-product of a lot of things, that position,” Payton said. “Hopefully, that’ll be one of the things that can happen, but there are a lot of other things that I think can allow that to happen first.” Payton recalled Thursday when then-Giants coach Jim Fassell took away playcalling duties from Payton during the 2002 season. He noted that he was hired as the New Orleans Saints head coach in 2006. “It was tough, and [Webb] is going to respond,” Payton said. “… The team did better [in 2002], so man, very quickly it’s still about the team.” Broncos tight end Evan Engram said the onus is on everyone to do their part. “We’re all about the team and about putting a better product on the field,” Engram said. “It’s all a collaborative thing. … It’s a surprise that we’re not playing well. That’s where the surprise is. We have to be better.” The Broncos had faced four teams among the league’s top 10 scoring defenses in its first four games — Jacksonville (No. 2), San Francisco (No. 3), Kansas City (No. 6) and the Los Angeles Rams (No. 9). The Chargers are 24th in the league in scoring defense. “It’s always what’s best for the team; that’s how I have to step away and look at it,” Payton said. “It’s always what’s best for the team.” |
| AFC EAST |
| MIAMIIs this something? And can QB MALIK WILLIS break his habit if it is? Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: NFL players and coaches spend many hours studying film of their upcoming opponents to find tendencies that can give them an advantage on Sunday. Bengals safety Jordan Battle found such a tendency with Sunday’s opponent, Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis. For some reason, Battle decided to tell the press about it before the game, giving Willis and the Dolphins an opportunity to fix it before Sunday. Battle told reporters in the Bengals’ locker room that Willis has a tell that lets the defense know when he’s about to throw the ball, so Battle and his fellow defensive backs can break on the ball a split-second earlier. Or at least they can if Willis doesn’t fix it, now that Battle blabbed. “He has a little slight little tap before every throw though, so I feel like we could use that as a key to break on the ball,” Battle said. “He likes to tap the ball before he throws it, or he takes his hand off, and that that gives the read the break. He’s obviously dangerous with his feet. We know we’ve got to be alert for that. Third and longs, they will run quarterback draws, and in the passing game, he will extend plays. So we’ve got to be good downfield. DBs are plastering, so we got to be alert for that. He will take chances. We just got to be on, be alert on guys where they line up.” Battle and the Bengals made a good observation in their film study. Battle’s coaches and teammates may be asking him why on earth he thought it was a good idea to broadcast that observation to the public before the game. |
| NEW YORK JETSBelatedly we should note that the Jets did have an interception last Sunday. Grant Gordon of NFL.comL In the grasp of Minkah Fitzpatrick, some dubious history came to an end for the New York Jets. Fitzpatrick’s interception of Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent during Sunday’s 23-12 loss at Soldier Field ended the Jets’ 20-game streak without an INT. The pick came with 11:52 left in the second quarter and set up New York at Chicago’s 34-yard line. The Jets turned the interception into a Jason Sanders field goal to cut the Bears’ lead to 7-3. Fitzpatrick’s INT was one of two New York takeaways on the day. During the 2025 campaign, the Jets infamously became the first team to go an entire season without an interception since the statistic has been tracked in 1933. Prior to Sunday, Ashtyn Davis was the last Jets player to record an interception, which came in Week 18 of the 2024 season against the Miami Dolphins — or 637 days ago. Davis is currently with the San Francisco 49ers. Maybe the Jets can make some reverse history in 2026. With GENO SMITH pulling the trigger, the Jets are one of three teams that have yet to THROW an interception in 2026 (also Houston, Detroit). |
| THIS AND THAT |
| RANKING THE BACKUP QUARTERBACKSDaniel Popper of The Athletic ranks the NFL’s backup QBs from 1 (Mac Jones) to 32 (Kyle McCord): Through the first four weeks of the NFL season, backup quarterbacks — and even third-stringers — have seen quite a bit of action. Starter injuries have occurred around the league. The New York Giants’ Jaxson Dart is out for the season with a knee injury. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield dislocated his thumb. The Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams is sidelined with a hamstring injury. The Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels suffered another injury to his non-throwing elbow, though he’s expected back this week. The Minnesota Vikings’ Kyler Murray sustained a concussion 11 snaps into his season. Defending Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold injured his glute five snaps into his season. All but one of these teams — the Bucs — have won games amid these injuries. That got us thinking: How do the backups stack up around the league? Here are the NFL’s backup quarterbacks, ranked 1 through 32. 1. Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ersJones went 5-3 as a starter while filling in for Brock Purdy in 2025. Among 36 quarterbacks with at least 250 dropbacks, Jones ranked 10th in EPA per dropback, according to TruMedia. Kyle Shanahan’s play-calling prowess is surely baked into the numbers. Still, among the veteran quarterbacks on this list, Jones is most deserving of another chance to start in the league. 2. Joe Flacco, Cincinnati BengalsFlacco kept the Bengals competitive last season after landing there via trade ahead of Week 6. Over a six-start stretch playing in place of Joe Burrow, Flacco was fifth in the league in passing yards. I thought he played well enough to earn a bridge job this offseason. He ended up returning to the Bengals to back up Burrow. 3. Marcus Mariota, Washington CommandersMariota is a very reliable backup. He started for the Commanders in Week 3 after Daniels’ injury. Mariota was excellent in an upset win over the Seahawks. Mariota was patient against the Seahawks’ shell coverage. He made tight-window throws when he needed to, and he sealed the game with a third-down designed rush. Mariota suffered a knee injury in Week 4, which forced rookie Athan Kaliakmanis into action. 4. Mitchell Trubisky, Tennessee TitansTrubisky spent two seasons backing up Josh Allen in Buffalo before joining the Titans this offseason. He played close to a full game in Week 18 last season and made a bunch of NFL throws. Trubisky has some accuracy issues and will make ill-advised throws over the middle. But his combination of experience and traits makes him a top backup. 5. Drew Lock, Seattle SeahawksLock was excellent in Weeks 1 and 2 this season after Darnold’s injury. He completed 35 of 48 passes for 422 yards, four touchdowns and no turnovers. The Seahawks won both games, against the Patriots and Cardinals. I do worry about turnovers if Lock is forced to play over a more extended period. He has 35 turnovers in 43 career games. 6. Davis Mills, Houston TexansI’ll admit I’m higher on Mills than most, but he checks a lot of boxes as a backup. He’s made 29 career starts, including three straight wins for the Texans last season while C.J. Stroud was out. Mills is one of the best pure passers among the league’s veteran backups. He has the arm talent around which you can really build a passing game plan. He is in the final year of his deal, and I think he could get a bridge chance in 2027. 7. Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas RaidersMendoza showed some promising signs in the preseason. The No. 1 pick is now in a perfect situation. Kirk Cousins is playing well, and the Raiders are 3-1. Mendoza can sit, watch and learn. He needs to see some actual regular-season action before moving up this list, though. 8. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans SaintsRattler went 1-7 as the Saints’ starter in 2025 before being benched for Tyler Shough. The 2024 fifth-round pick ranked 29th in EPA per dropback among 33 passer-rating-qualified quarterbacks, according to TruMedia. Rattler is a very talented thrower, and he is still young. He would give the Saints a chance if forced into action. 9. Tyson Bagent, Chicago BearsBagent led the Bears to a 23-12 win over the Jets in Week 4 while Williams remained sidelined. Bagent throws with great touch over the intermediate area of the field. He looked comfortable within Ben Johnson’s offensive scheme. Bagent is ultimately limited by his arm strength, which showed up on an interception in the Jets game. He made the right decision but did not have the juice on the throw. 10. Jarrett Stidham, Denver BroncosStidham started the AFC Championship Game last season after Bo Nix suffered an ankle injury in the divisional round. He was actually playing pretty well before it started dumping snow in the third quarter in Denver. The Patriots and Broncos combined for 3 points in the second half. An unfortunate circumstance for Stidham, who was making his first start since 2023. In the first half, he showed he is capable. 11. Stetson Bennett IV, Los Angeles RamsBennett, a fourth-round pick in 2023, has not yet played in a regular-season NFL game. But he looked solid in the preseason this year. Bennett is a polished timing and rhythm passer, which makes him a good fit in Sean McVay’s offense. Bennett is the Rams’ backup despite the team’s drafting Ty Simpson in the first round. 12. Kyle Allen, Buffalo BillsAllen has bounced around as a reserve in recent seasons. Houston in 2022. Buffalo in 2023. Pittsburgh in 2023. Detroit in 2025. He returned to the Bills for 2026. Allen looked very sharp in the preseason, completing nearly 86 percent of his passes. 13. Tyrod Taylor, Green Bay PackersWith 62 career starts, Taylor is one of the most experienced backups in the league. He started four games for the Jets in 2025. He gives his team a chance because of his athleticism and scrambling ability. Durability is always a concern. Taylor suffered a groin injury in Week 14 last year. He can attack as a passer outside the numbers. 14. Tommy DeVito, New England PatriotsDeVito had a very solid preseason for the Patriots, and his playmaking makes him a quality backup. DeVito produced 10 explosive plays over three preseason games this summer, including a 36-yard scramble and a 69-yard passing touchdown against the Eagles. 15. Gardner Minshew II, Arizona CardinalsMinshew has made 47 career NFL starts. He is backing up Jacoby Brissett in Arizona. Minshew will put the ball in harm’s way. Minshew had 19 interceptions in 22 starts with the Colts and Raiders in 2023 and 2024. Minshew can be a roller-coaster experience, but he is entertaining. 16. Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh SteelersRudolph started one game for the Steelers in 2025 in place of Aaron Rodgers. He completed 24 of 31 passes for 177 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Rudolph is very much a middle-of-the-pack backup. You can do better. You can also do worse. 17. Carson Wentz, Minnesota VikingsWentz was forced into action early in Week 1 after Murray suffered the concussion. The Vikings won that game against the Packers. They won the next week, 9-3 over the Bears, in another Wentz start. Wentz is just a very chaotic player. He is jumpy in the pocket. He can spray throws. But he is very tough, and he did throw three touchdowns in that win over the Packers. 18. Joshua Dobbs, Detroit LionsDobbs signed with the Lions in August after backup Teddy Bridgewater retired. He found a rhythm late in the preseason. Against the Colts, Dobbs completed 15 of 19 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. He was quite accurate in that game to all three levels of the field. 19. Justin Fields, Kansas City ChiefsWhat kind of game plan would Andy Reid concoct if Fields were forced into action with the Chiefs? It’s a fascinating hypothetical. Probably some version of the triple option. Fields is an elite runner and scrambler. He is limited as a passer. 20. Tyler Huntley, Baltimore RavensHuntley replaced Lamar Jackson for the second half of the Ravens’ win over the Titans in Week 4. Jackson is dealing with an ankle issue. Huntley can keep an offense alive with his legs. But he brings very little upside in the passing game. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano was one of the stars of the preseason. He looks like the Ravens’ backup option of the future over Huntley. 21. Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland BrownsSanders lost the starting quarterback battle to Deshaun Watson in the preseason. The Browns are off to a surprising 3-1 start. Sanders went 3-4 in seven starts in 2025. He turns the ball over way too much. Among 36 quarterbacks with at least 250 dropbacks, Sanders ranked last in EPA per dropback, according to TruMedia. He was also pressured on 51.4 percent of those dropbacks, the highest rate in the league. 22. Sam Howell, Dallas CowboysHowell has plenty of arm talent. He showed that in 2023 when he threw for nearly 4,000 yards with the Commanders. Howell also threw 21 picks that season. He played well for the Cowboys in the preseason, averaging close to 8 yards per attempt. 23. Trey Lance, Los Angeles ChargersLance, the 2021 No. 3 pick, backed up Justin Herbert last year in Los Angeles after beating out Taylor Heinicke in the preseason. This preseason, Lance struggled with poor decision-making, to the point where second-year quarterback DJ Uiagalelei pushed him for the backup job. Lance can make plays with his legs. He has yet to harness the talent in his arm. 24. Jalon Daniels, Tampa Bay BuccaneersDaniels, an undrafted rookie out of Kansas, started in place of Mayfield in Week 4. He threw two interceptions as the Bucs lost 17-14 to a struggling Packers team. Daniels finished with 55 yards rushing. He has upside as a scrambler, but the picks were costly. 25. Jameis Winston, New York GiantsWinston is 2-0 as a starter in the past two weeks. The record does not tell the story of how Winston is playing. He is struggling mightily with his accuracy and arm strength. There were several face-palm throws in Sunday’s win over the Cardinals. This could get ugly over the long term. 26. Andy Dalton, Philadelphia EaglesDalton has thrown one pass this season. It was an interception. He replaced starter Jalen Hurts for four snaps in a blowout loss to the Bears in Week 3. Dalton turns 39 later this month. It does not appear as though he has much left in the tank. 27. Anthony Richardson Sr., Indianapolis ColtsRichardson’s athleticism is off the charts, and he can create with his legs. But he is far from being a capable passer in the NFL. His processing and accuracy are lacking. 28. Tua Tagovailoa, Atlanta FalconsTagovailoa was dreadful in 14 starts for the Miami Dolphins last year. He signed a one-year deal with the Falcons this offseason. He was in line to start in Week 1 in place of Michael Penix, who was still recovering from knee surgery. But Tagovailoa suffered a practice injury. Cooper Rush started instead. We never got a look at Tagovailoa in a Falcons uniform. I can’t imagine it would have gone well. 29. Kenny Pickett, Carolina PanthersI see very little upside in Pickett’s game outside of his 27 games of starting experience. He played very poorly in two starts for the Raiders in 2025. 30. Cade Klubnik, New York JetsThe Jets drafted Klubnik in the fourth round in the spring. He has some intriguing traits, and there were some positive moments from him during the preseason. But the inexperience is concerning for Klubnik, who is backing up Geno Smith. 31. Quinn Ewers, Jacksonville JaguarsThe Jaguars traded for Ewers in late August to back up Trevor Lawrence. A seventh-round pick in 2025, Ewers got his first starting experience over the final three games for the Dolphins last season. He completed 66.7 percent of his passes. He averaged 189.7 passing yards per game and had three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also fumbled once. 32. Kyle McCord, Miami DolphinsThe Eagles drafted McCord in the sixth round in 2025. They cut him, and he spent the year on the Philly practice squad. He signed with the Packers for 2026. Green Bay traded McCord to the Dolphins. McCord has not yet played in an NFL regular-season game. |
| FIRST TIME PLAY CALLERS REVIEWEDTed Ngyuen of The Athletic takes a look at the six first-time playcallers: Play calling in the NFL is hard. Last year, none of the league’s four first-time offensive play callers fared well. Tanner Engstrand (New York Jets), Josh Grizzard (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Kevin Patullo (Philadelphia Eagles) were fired, while Nick Caley’s Houston Texans offense struggled to find consistency. Six first-time offensive coordinators are in the league this season. Their failure could lead to a fast firing, while a successful one could get a head-coaching opportunity. Let’s rank these play callers and check in on how they’re doing through the first four weeks. 1. Declan Doyle, Baltimore RavensPoints per drive: 2.58 (8th)EPA per play: 0.11 (7th)Explosive play rate: 15.1 percent (2nd) The youngest play caller in the league has been one of the best this season. At first glance, Doyle appears to have an embarrassment of riches to work with compared to the other first-year play callers — having a two-time MVP at quarterback helps. The Ravens do have offensive issues, though. There is a serious lack of receiving weapons after Zay Flowers and the offensive line has had injury issues. Their first- and second-string centers went down with injuries, and they were forced to move standout rookie guard Olaivavega Ioane to center. Despite all that, we will not shed a tear for Doyle, who still has a loaded deck. The Ravens have the league’s second-most explosive offense, and a big reason is the schematic stamp Doyle has imprinted. Offensive line coach and run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford also deserves his flowers. He’s brought over some of the interesting tight end motion usage on outside zone that he used in Atlanta, and the Ravens have built an entire package out of it, where they can run multiple actions. Lamar Jackson has responded well to Doyle cranking up under-center play actions. He’s second in the league in EPA per drop back on play action. Additionally, Doyle passes the “find ways to get your best player the ball” test with flying colors. Flowers leads the league in target rate (39 percent) and has blossomed into a true No. 1 receiver, but he could be without Jackson this week because of an ankle injury. Doyle looks well on his way to becoming a sought-after head coach candidate, but if Jackson signs a long-term extension in part because he’s happy in this offense, Doyle could follow the Ben Johnson path and wait a few years before seriously considering another job. 2. Brad Idzik, Carolina Panthers Points per drive: 2.49 (9th)EPA per play: 0.07 (9th)Explosive play rate: 13.1 percent (6th) Head coach Dave Canales handed off play-calling duties to Idzik this season, and so far, so good. The Panthers look like a much more buttoned-up operation. Play calls are coming in faster, Bryce Young looks like he’s more settled pre-snap and that has led to Young looking as comfortable as he’s ever been. In 2023, The Athletic’s Joe Person and I wrote about how Young could benefit from an offense that emulates some of the plays Mike McDaniel called for Tua Tagovailoa because of their quick releases and anticipation. Three years later, Idzik did just that, installing Tagovailoa’s favorite run/pass option (RPO) as one of their bread-and-butter concepts. The concept requires a quarterback to make lightning-quick decisions because he has to determine instantly whether to hand off or throw to one of three options. Second-year receiver McMillan has been explosive playing in the slot and he does a great job of finding voids in the coverage on plays like this. Running the play the way they do with McMillan in the slot shows Idzik understands his players’ strengths and knows how to incorporate them in his play designs. The Panthers have a well-designed, balanced offense that can run the ball with physicality from under center, throw deep, feast on the quick game and play from shotgun spread as well. 3. Brian Fleury, Seattle SeahawksPoints per drive: 2.23 (14th)EPA per play: -0.05 (18th)Explosive play rate: 11.8 percent (10th) Taking over play-calling duties for the defending champions comes with a lot of pressure. There’s even more pressure when you lose your starting quarterback on the opening drive of the season. However, it gave Fleury the opportunity to pass one of the most important tests for an OC: the backup quarterback test. How do you adjust to having to call plays for your backup quarterback, and can you come up with enough creative solutions to make up for some of what you lose without your starter? Drew Lock ranks second in EPA per dropback (0.39) behind only Brock Purdy, who many have as the MVP leader. Fleury has also maintained the Seahawks’ explosive play rate from last season, which was a huge key as they struggled to run consistently. He’s also continued the trend of moving Jaxon Smith-Njigba around to make him hard for defenses to double him — third in the league in targets. It’s pretty remarkable how similar the Seahawks’ offense is to last season, and that’s a compliment to Fleury, considering that Klint Kubiak has established himself as one of the league’s best play callers. Fleury also has dealt with more injury issues than Kubiak did last year. 4. Davis Webb, Denver BroncosPoints per drive: 1.78 (22nd)EPA per play: -0.09 (23rd)Explosive play rate: 9.6 percent (20th) The Broncos offense was mostly below average last year but found ways to score points in the fourth quarter. That trend has carried into this season. They average 1.17 points per drive in the first to third quarter and 3.20 in the fourth quarter. However, the defense hasn’t been as dominant. Webb had a rough start to his play-calling career as the Broncos only scored 10 points in a loss to the Chiefs in Week 1. But since then, he’s diversified his offense with better personnel packages and nearly doubled his rate of motion. Webb looked like he was learning and trending up, but his offense only scored 14 in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. However, it’s hard to blame Webb for this game. The 49ers loaded up against the run, and Webb dialed up several plays with receivers downfield, but quarterback Bo Nix opted for check downs. The offense’s structure looks similar to last year with much more motion. The offense was supposed to take a significant step in development in Nix’s third year and with the addition of Jaylen Waddle, but Nix has regressed. Perhaps he’s still feeling the effects of the ankle injury he suffered in the playoffs, but Sean Payton announced Thursday he was taking back play-calling. 5. David Blough, Washington CommandersPoints per drive: 1.78 (22nd)EPA per play: -0.11 (26th)Explosive play rate: 8.1 percent (27th) Blough has certainly been tested this season. The Commanders oddly released center Tyler Biadasz in the offseason and Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil tore his triceps in camp. Losing two offensive linemen of that caliber is especially hard on a team that wants to play under center more. Jayden Daniels also went down with an elbow injury in Week 2 and his backup, Marcus Mariota, hurt his knee last week. Offensively, the Commanders went from playing under center on just 11.3 percent (last in the league) last season to 31 percent (27th) this season. The Commanders have run the ball with average efficiency from under center (15th in rushing success rate) but they’re much more explosive in shotgun when the quarterback is a threat to keep the ball (ninth in explosive run rate from shotgun). Daniels and Mariota have been awful passing the ball from under center. On under-center dropbacks, Daniels EPA per dropback is -0.13 (30th) and Mariota’s is -0.73 (38th). Blough will be tested even if Daniels comes back this week because his mobility will be limited. However, the Commanders parted ways with Kliff Kingsbury and went to Blough because they want Daniels to play from under center and become more of a pocket passer. The next few weeks will be a big test for Blough to show signs that he can help Daniels reach that goal and be productive doing just that. He’s shown some creative play designs, but I hated his decision on his highest-stakes play call to date. In Week 1 against the Eagles, Blough called a shovel option on the two-point play that decided the game. The play counts as a pass, but it only gives Daniels two choices: shovel the ball or throw to the slot running the shoot route. Daniels made the right choice based on his read, but the Eagles defended the play well. It’s a fine two-point play, but not when the game is on the line. I’d rather give the ball to Daniels and allow him to pass or make a second-reaction play, which he’s been awesome at in the clutch. The best play callers think about the situation and players over plays. 6. Sean Mannion, Eagles Points per drive: 1.79 (21st)EPA per play: -0.14 (31st)Explosive play rate: 10 percent (17th) It’s not exactly Mannion’s fault, but the first sign of the Eagles’ offensive apocalypse was offensive line coach and run game coordinator Jeff Stoutland vacating his role shortly after Mannion was hired. The Eagles reportedly already shrank his role as run game coordinator the year before, and Mannion deserves the freedom to design the run game the way he wants. However, losing the arguably best offensive line coach in the league hurts. The attempt to turn Jalen Hurts into an under-center, play-action quarterback is not going well. From under center, the Eagles rank 17th in rushing success rate and 3.8 percent explosive rush rate. Even with the lack of a running game, Hurts isn’t seeing open receivers in the middle of the field. He ranks 37th out of 38 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per dropback from under center. The Eagles can’t go back to playing from the shotgun because Hurts isn’t the running threat he once was, and defenses know how to defend the option better. Losing Lane Johnson to retirement is another huge blow to this offense. Historically, the Eagles go from performing like an elite offense with him on the field (0.05 EPA per play) to one of the worst without him (-0.05). Unfortunately, for Mannion, much of what is sinking this offense is out of his control, and there aren’t many answers. It will be a minor miracle if he can get this offense playing at an average level. |
| THE RETURN OF RUSSINI?Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: In the days before the 2026 regular season began, a report indicated that Dianna Russini “absolutely” plans to return to sports media, with her next move coming “sooner than later.” More than five weeks later, nothing has happened. Enter the New York Post, which published the first set of photos that turned the NFL offseason upside down. Via Lucas Widman of the Post, Russini has hired crisis publicist Melissa Nathan in order “to navigate past the Mike Vrabel scandal.” Widman also explains that the move comes as Russini “prepares to return to work,” and that Russini believes she needs “some outside help to revamp her career.” The report, coupled with the reporting from early September, suggests that Russini had a job offer in hand but that she’s not yet ready to resurface. It’s also possible, frankly, that there is no viable offer to date and that Nathan’s efforts will be aimed at helping find one. Either way, there was a clear sense as of September 3 that Russini would be back in the fray in a matter of weeks, if not days. Maybe she’s hoping to get a better offer than the best one she has. Or maybe, just maybe, there has yet to be an offer that she deems to be acceptable. That would be a surprise. Although the damage to her credibility (both from her reaction to the Vrabel scandal and the bizarre story about calling a coach on FaceTime to get out of a ticket for texting while driving, which apparently was not true) will make it very difficult to return to reporting, she could launch a podcast, somewhere. And the first episode — in which she’d reportedly tell her story about the Vrabel situation — would do very well. The question will be whether and to what extent the audience can be sustained beyond the first episode. Whatever the context or the platform, Russini’s biggest challenge will be to get people to believe what she says. And that will hinge in large part on what she says and how she says it the next time she talks about Vrabel. |
