With one week of the NFL preseason concluded we will take a look into the Gridiron Review’s thoughts on how some of the quarterbacks looked. Specifically, young guys and rookies with something to prove.
Jordan Love
We have heard people dragging Love since the game for his performance, citing three interceptions. My question is, did they even watch the game? Love looked good and you can see the progress he has made. Two of the interceptions were perfect throws that he could do nothing more for. Tyler Davis had a ball go right through his hands at helmet level and bounce into the defenders hands, while Romeo Doubs had a pass literally ripped from his hands for another. Aaron Rodgers’s comments on young guys needing to not drop passes and make the same mistakes should only reaffirm that Love did nothing wrong. The third pick was a great play by the defender to undercut the route (although it was a super tight window that maybe should not have been thrown). People constantly forget that Rodgers sat three years and Love is looking like he may be following a similar career path. Will he be as good as Rodgers is what time will have to tell.
Trey Lance
49ers fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Lance was by no means perfect, but he showcased his arm talent on the deep touchdown to Danny Gray, and also his scrambling ability. The offense, at the least, should be much more creative with Lance at the helm. He will not be perfect, as his throwing motion still does not look ironed out, but he will be exciting to say the least.
Jalen Hurts
Yes Hurts looked good, but do not let Eagles’ fans go nuts over this. We at the Gridiron Review have been heavily skeptical of his potential as a thrower in the NFL and we are prepared to admit we are wrong should he prove us so. That being said, the one drive he played was efficient and effective. Counter to this though was just how open his receivers were. If I am the Jets I am extremely concerned with how the defense looked in that one drive alone.
Zach Wilson
Speaking of Jets and concern, how dumb can one person be. While Wilson has the tools to be good, he tore his meniscus on as bonheaded a play as your franchise quarterback could make. He threw an ugly interception on the first drive (on a great bait by Kyzhir White), then finally seemed to settle in on the second drive. Unfortunately he scrambled and instead of running out of bounds during a meaningless preseason game, he tried to cut back in. For what reason? Just a dumb play and he was lucky it was not a worse injury.
Desmond Ridder/Malik Willis
These two are being grouped together because they had very similar days. Both showcased their upside, with crazy throws and scrambling, and both showcased their flaws. Ridder led a game winning drive but also had multiple mistakes called back due to penalties. One particularly ugly interception was bailed out by a debatable roughing the passer call. Willis scrambled for a touchdown and had a wild throw rolling to his left. But, he missed a wide open Treylon Burks down the field. They are both third round rookies with a lot of upside but a lot of room to go. Do not be surprised if they both see action at the end of the season for the upside they both showed in their debuts.
Kellen Mond
Mond was an unknown heading into this season thanks to the previous coaching regime just refusing to acknowledge him. This season, the Vikings did not draft a quarterback or sign one, meaning they must have some type of plan in place. Mond showed what they could be hoping for in the first game this preseason. He showed his scrambling ability early, evading what felt like three or four defenders and then threw it out of the endzone (he got criticized for it but it was also a safe play).He settled in and had a really good game throwing, with a great throw on a fade in the endzone. Mond could be the future for Minnesota (should Cousins be gone in the next season or two).
Kenny Pickett
Pickett debuted and showed why he was the first round quarterback this year. Not that Trubsiky did bad, but Pickett has the upside that he does not. Pickett looked the part, going 13/15 with two touchdowns. He did not throw for a ton of yards, but he was accurate and efficient. He showed his athleticism too on multiple rollouts. Pickett should push for the starting job sooner rather than later, and operate the offense with the efficiency he showed in his first action.
Matt Corral
Well, at least it has to get better from here. Corral went 1/9 in his first preseason action. We were not the biggest fans of his to begin with, but this was not the way you would want to start your career. On the bright side, it seems Baker Mayfield was working with him in practice and has taken to mentoring him.
Sam Howell
Howell showed why he should have been picked way higher right away. His throws were alright, but he added two rushing touchdowns on the ground. Wentz was efficient, so we are not saying Howell is breathing down his neck. However, the Commanders could put some play packages together to feature his dual-threat potential. Howell was our QB1, and we still expect him to be a capable starter when the time comes for him to start.
Tyler Huntley
Is there a more important backup in football? It sure doesn’t feel like it. Lamar Jackson reportedly cut off contract negotiations and will not throughout the season. The Ravens have a big decision to make. Is Lamar worthy of being the highest paid quarterback in the league? We think it is possible, but it is also possible that starting Huntley after he has more time to develop is a much cheaper option. While his upside is way below Lamar’s, he can run the same style of offense. Baltimore may elect to let Lamar walk based on Huntley’s performance this preseason.