Vaunted Rookie QB Class Struggles in their NFL Debuts
There were three rookie quarterbacks starting and all of them lost. For the first two picks in this year’s draft, the result was kind of expected. Trevor Lawrence, the former Clemson QB who is the new face of the franchise for the Jaguars, threw for 28/51, 332 yards, 3 touchdowns but three interceptions in a game against a Houston Texans team that I don't think anyone expects much from this year.
It was not only a rough debut for Lawrence but for new head coach Urban Meyer as well. His team had 10 penalties, 3 turnovers, and could not get the Texans off the field on 3rd down. There's a lot of work for them to do and it doesn't look like this first year is going to be anything special. Lawrence is still adjusting to the NFL, which is a major step up from ACC competition.
He’s doing this with a new NFL coach and has to play behind a shaky offensive line, so he should be extended a brief honeymoon period is as expectations in Jacksonville are low. I think once they can build that offensive line around him getting a few more weapons, they can become a problem one day, but there are going to be some growing pains in Duval.
The Jets also have a new quarterback in Zack Wilson, but he was outshined by the former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold in a 19-14 loss down in Charlotte. Wilson struggled at times against a Panthers team that isn’t great and probably will not make the playoffs.
He did show flashes of how dangerous he could be in the future, throwing for 20-37 for 258 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT. His touchdown passes to Corey Davis were nice and the two seem to have developed some chemistry early on, but it is going to take some time for the Jets to enter the playoff picture again. The injury to starting tackle Mekhi Becton will not help things and will make next week’s matchup against the Patriots potentially unpleasant for the new kid on the block.
Speaking of the Patriots, they also rolled out their own rookie QB in Mac Jones. The former Alabama standout played well, going 29-39 for 281 yards and a touchdown, but it was not enough for the Patriots to overcome their own mistakes in a 1-point loss to the Miami Dolphins.
His first drop back resulted in a fumble that lost 13 yards, but after that Jones seemed to handle the constant barrage of pressure well, evading the rush, extending plays with his legs, and taking care of the football. Patriots’ fans can only hope that Josh McDaniels opens the playbook up more.
More pressing might be the Pats’ inability to hold onto the ball (2 costly fumbles) as well as the penalties that negated big plays on offense. That said, the Patriots should be happy that QB should not be an issue going forward.
The other two rookie quarterbacks who were also drafted in the first round but did not play were Trey Lance, who did see the field in the 49ers win against the Detroit Lions, and Justin fields, who was one of the few bright spots in the Chicago Bears’ loss to the Rams.
Now Lance will get his opportunity to play as soon as Jimmy G gets hurt or proves to be unreliable in the long run for Kyle Shannahan. More interesting is what is happening with Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears. Quite frankly, the Bears are wasting everyone's time by starting Andy Dalton over their rookie.
Dalton did not play last year despite the bevy of weapons the Dallas Cowboys had at his disposal, so why would he be any better in Chicago? He’s a solid backup option and consummate game manager, but he’s not winning you games. If the Bears wanted to protect Fields from Aaron Donald, then fine I get it, but if Dalton is still starting at the end of the month, the Bears should fire Matt Nagy because of his complete lack of interest in winning.