Third-year Eagles defender may not be one of NFL's best-kept secrets much longer
Time flies, whether we're talking about personal experiences or the Philadelphia Eagles team we've loved since we were youngsters. It's year three for Moro Ojomo. Before long, it will be time to begin asking questions about whether Philly should invest time and thought into extending him.
The former seventh-round draft choice signed his rookie deal in 2023. That makes him an unrestricted free agent in 2027, but Philly is loaded along the defensive line's interior. They recently extended 2022 first-rounder Jordan Davis. They drafted Ty Robinson this past April.
Jalen Carter is the star of the bunch. Philadelphia can exercise a fifth-year option on him in two years, but it will be time to consider his extension relatively soon. Where does that leave Ojomo? Four things are certain.
First, at best, he'll be the third or fourth defensive tackle on Philadelphia's depth chart, which certainly limits his opportunities. Second, he'll need to maximize every snap because, fourth, if he does so, that gives the Birds a lot to think about in terms of whether or not he needs to be an important fixture on this Eagles defense as it moves forward.
Moro Ojomo is mentioned as a possible Eagles breakout candidate.
Seeing Milton Williams leave didn't surprise anyone. No one expected Philly to break the bank to keep their third defensive tackle, but there's another side to that coin. Moro Ojomo made that transition an easy decision to make.
Some argue he and Williams had similar skill sets. Others give one the edge over the other. Then, there's another contingent, those excited about what they witnessed from Ojomo last season. Bleacher Report's Matt Holder was Impressed. He mentioned him in his take on every NFL roster's best-kept secret heading into OTAs.
"This one is a projection, as Ojomo hasn't gotten much playing time during his first two NFL seasons. However, per PFF, he was productive on limited opportunities last year, recording 31 total pressures on 268 pass-rush snaps during the regular season.
After The Eagles let Milton Williams walk during free agency, don't be surprised if the Texas product turns heads with an increased role in Philadelphia this fall."
Moro's snaps were limited. He notched roughly 388 on defense and another 71 on special teams, including the aforementioned 268 pass-rush snaps. These equate to 37% and 16% of the overall totals, respectively.
It's hard to argue with the result. He did what is asked of him and every NFL reserve. He made the most of the opportunities given. He put it together during the recent Eagles Super Bowl run: Four games, 102 defensive snaps, seven tackles (including two resulting in a loss of yardage).
He also added one sack and an additional hit on the opposing quarterback to his postseason resume. The light has seemingly come on. Might this be the spark that catapults him to a breakout season? Eagles fans everywhere have their fingers crossed that it does. While he may no longer be a secret, he has the skill set to be an essential cog in Vic Fangio's defensive machine.
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Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How did Commanders running backs perform without Brian Robinson?
The world is always changing, so why should it be any different in the NFL? It certainly isn't. In fact, NFL changes are sometimes so sudden. I still remember that November night of 1985 when Joe Theismann's NFL career abruptly came to an end. Abruptness can also come as a result of a coach's decision. Such is the case for Brian Robinson Jr. Sunday, head coach Dan Quinn and GM Adam Peters met with Robinson, expressing to the No. 1 Washington running back for the last three seasons, that they were moving on from him. Thus, the Commanders are attempting to trade Robinson, if they can find a buyer. It's possible a team in need of an inside running back could offer a seventh-round choice, rather than risk waiting to see whom Robinson signs with after the 53-man rosters are revealed. Most likely, one would think the Commanders will have to cut Robinson, not receiving any draft compensation. Consequently, Robinson and the Commanders came to a mutual decision that he would not play, Monday night. Yes, the more some things change, the more some things stay the same, like the Cincinnati Bengals' defense. They managed to make the Commanders' running backs look like NFL elites, causing fans to forget about Robinson altogether. Head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury have more than a few times since their arrival chosen to mention running game coach Anthony Lynn, crediting him for his work and contribution. I realize it was the Bengals' defense, but my goodness, the Commanders rushed 30 times for 185 yards, including two rushing touchdowns. That is 6.2 yards per rushing attempt. Chris Rodriguez got the start and promptly rushed for 62 yards on six carries. Rodriguez had a 40-yard run, a 9-yard run, and an 8-yard run. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, aka "Bill," was called upon to carry the ball 11 times and contributed 46 yards. In his first series, he contributed a 5-yard run and a 27-yard touchdown run. Consequently, in the first quarter alone, Rodriguez and Bill contributed 40 and 27-yard runs. Not to be overlooked are Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols. Ekeler is a very effective third-down receiver out of the backfield. It seems the coaching staff might have determined to remove Ekeler from kickoff returns this season, due to Ekeler suffering two concussions in 2024. Every Commanders' game will also require players to get down the field and tackle in kickoff coverage and punt coverage. Both Rodriguez and McNichols have proven themselves in this area at the NFL level. The move from Robinson is nothing personal. Quinn and Peters simply believe they now have four running backs other than Robinson that fit their multiple needs. Even the NFL rushing success rate in 2024 shows this to be true, where Rodriguez graded at 74.3 percent, McNichols at 58.2, Ekeler at 51.9, and Brian Robinson at 48.7. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' running backs justify team's decision on Brian Robinson
NBC News
4 minutes ago
- NBC News
How the NBA got rid of microbets — and why it could be a blueprint for MLB
Sixteen months after a landmark decision opened the door for legal sports gambling in the United States, a high-ranking NFL executive sat before a House committee in the fall of 2019 to ask for help banishing a particular type of bet that has drawn the ire of sports leagues across the country. Proposition bets, better known as 'prop bets,' allow wagers not on the outcomes of games but on occurrences during them. A wager could be on the result the first play of a game, the first pitch of an inning or whether a player will compile over or under a certain number of rebounds, strikeouts or rushing yards. Leagues, as the NFL indicated that day in front of lawmakers, consider such props troublesome and more easily manipulated because many hinge on the actions of just one player. 'These types of bets are significantly more susceptible to match-fixing efforts and are therefore a source of concern to sports leagues, individual teams and the athletes who compete,' NFL Executive Vice President Jocelyn Moore testified in 2019. (Moore, who has served on the board of directors of DraftKings since 2020, declined to comment.) Had you placed a bet then that prop bets would go away, you would have ended up a loser. When the NFL staged the Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots five months after the NFL's testimony, bettors could still choose among hundreds of prop bets. And six years later, they are still a source of headlines, concern for leagues and income for sportsbooks. In 2024, the NBA banned the Toronto Raptors' Jontay Porter for life for sports betting after an investigation found he had, among other findings, 'limited his own participation to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance in at least one Raptors game.' In June, reports surfaced that a federal investigation into longtime NBA guard Malik Beasley was related to activity around prop bets. 'I do think some of the bets are problematic," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in July, the month Major League Baseball placed a Cleveland Guardians pitcher on paid leave while it investigated unusually high wagers on the first pitches of innings on June 15 and June 27, ESPN reported. Weeks later, after MLB placed a second Guardians pitcher on leave as part of a sports gambling investigation, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told a group of baseball writers that there were 'certain types of bets that strike me as unnecessary and particularly vulnerable, things where it's one single act [and] doesn't affect the outcome, necessarily.' Whether MLB considers prop bets 'unnecessary' enough to try to have its gambling partners restrict the kinds that are offered is unclear. But if MLB does, it might look to the NBA for a possible blueprint. During the 2024-25 NBA season, the league's gambling partners including FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and several others who make up upward of 95% of the legal U.S. sportsbooks agreed to no longer offer 'under' prop bets on players either on 10-day or two-way contracts. (Porter had been on a two-way contract.) Fans could still bet on the sport's big names, like Stephen Curry's 3-pointers or LeBron James' rebounds — but legal sports betting operators in the United States were no longer offering action on the NBA's lowest-paid players. The decision wasn't a mandate handed down solely by the NBA. 'We do not have control over the specific bets that are made on our game,' Silver said in July. Years earlier, the league had sought just that type of power, but it was unsuccessful in persuading state lawmakers to pass legislation that would have given the NBA the right to approve what types of bets could be offered on the league. It also doesn't hold veto rights over what its gambling partners can and cannot offer, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Instead, much like the NFL's attempt in its congressional testimony six years earlier, the NBA had to ask for help. Representatives for DraftKings and FanDuel didn't respond to requests for comment on their back-and-forth with the league that led to the decisions to restrict certain prop bets. Multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly on sensitive discussions said the league had to rely on making the case to its partners that prop bets on 10-day and two-way players weren't worth the relatively small amount of business they brought in. 'It's a small part of the marketplace,' a person involved in the process said, 'but had outsized integrity risks.' Such dialogue between a league and a sportsbook would have been unthinkable before the Supreme Court's 2018 decision to overturn a federal prohibition on sports gambling freed states to decide whether to permit legal sports betting. (Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia allow sports gambling, and Missouri is set to launch its own operation in December.) Almost overnight, leagues and sportsbooks that once steered clear of one another were now in business together. Sometimes, the back-and-forth between a league and its sportsbook partners has stopped bets from appearing before they are even listed. In 2020, with leagues still months away from making a pandemic comeback, ESPN scrambled to fill programming that included NBA players' competing against one another in video games and even HORSE. As those competitions were announced, the NBA was contacted by betting operators and regulators who wanted to know whether betting odds should be offered on the unusual action, according to the sources with knowledge of the situation. The NBA strongly advised against it because the tournaments had been tape-delayed, meaning a handful of people already knew the outcomes and could benefit from that information if bets were offered. Sportsbooks agreed. The NFL recently has also found success restricting certain types of prop bets, this time through legislation. The Illinois Gaming Board in February approved the NFL's request to prohibit 10 types of what it classified as 'objectionable wagers,' including whether a kicker would miss a field goal or an extra point and whether quarterback's first pass of a game would be incomplete — the same type of 'single-actor' bets that leagues have come out against and that have reportedly sparked investigations into multiple athletes. By seeking to influence which bets are offered, leagues and their gambling partners are attempting a delicate balance of limiting bets they consider risks to the integrity of their games while still ensuring that enough betting options are offered to keep fans wagering their dollars in legal markets, rather than through offshore sportsbooks where tracking suspicious activity is much more opaque. Proponents of sports betting suggest that although the headlines about players or league staffers being investigated, or caught, for betting manipulation isn't good public relations for the sports, they're a sign that a 'complex system that detects aberrational behavior,' as Silver said in July, is working as intended. As part of their partnership agreements, leagues, betting operators and so-called integrity firms have data-sharing agreements that allow them to communicate with one another to monitor suspicious activity. "The transparency inherent with legalized sports betting has become a significant asset in protecting the integrity of athletic competition," DraftKings said in a statement. "Unlike the pre-legalization era, when threats were far more difficult to detect, the regulated industry now provides increased oversight and accountability that helps to identify potentially suspicious activity.' In the case of the pair of Cleveland Guardian pitchers, the Ohio Casino Control Commission was notified June 30 by a licensed Ohio sportsbook about suspicious wagering on Guardians games and 'was also promptly contacted by Major League Baseball regarding the events,' a commission spokesperson said in a statement. 'Under the Commission's statutory responsibilities, an independent investigation commenced.' It's why leagues and sportsbook operators consider restricting bets a fine line. 'If you have sweeping prohibitions on that type of a bet, you're taking away the ability for your league to ensure the integrity of that activity,' said Joe Maloney, a senior vice president for strategic communications at the American Gaming Association. 'You will not have the ability to work with an integrity monitor to identify any irregular betting activity on such a legal market. You will not have the collaboration of a legal operator who will share that information. You will not have the collaboration of a legal operator to say to them, 'Here's the do-not-fly list for betting activity for our league: employees, club employees, trainers, athletic officials, referees,' etc. ... 'Betting engagement on prop bets is largely a reflection of fandom. And so, by pushing that away, I think you absolutely lose the ability to properly oversee it and to root out the bad actors that would seem to exploit it. Because it will still take place.' In 2022, legal sports betting accounted for $6.8 billion in legal revenue, while illegal sports betting accounted for about $3.8 billion, according to research from the American Gaming Association, a trade association. Last year, it estimated that revenue from legal sports betting rose to $16 billion, while the illegal market grew to about $5 billion. A 2024 analysis by the International Betting Integrity Association, a nonprofit integrity firm made up of licensed gambling operators, questioned the efficacy of restricting prop bets. The IBIA reported that 59 out of 360,000 basketball games that had been offered for betting from 2017 to 2023 were 'the subject of suspicious betting.' 'There was no suspicious betting activity linked to match manipulation identified on player prop markets,' the IBIA report said. 'There is no meaningful integrity benefit from excluding such markets, which are widely available globally. Prohibiting those products will make offshore operators more attractive.' By persuading its partners to keep some prop bets off the books, the NBA nonetheless provided a precedent for how to remove bets leagues have considered, to use Manfred's term, 'unnecessary.' Would MLB, amid an ongoing investigation into two pitchers, follow? Unlike the NBA, MLB doesn't have easily defined classifications of contracts such as 10-day and two-way players. One method could instead be to target so-called first-pitch microbets. MLB is having 'ongoing conversations' related to gambling, according to a person with knowledge of the league's thinking. If baseball were to make such a push against microbets, its reasoning might mirror the NBA's last year, said Gill Alexander, a longtime sports betting commentator for VSiN. 'I think basically baseball's point would be, you know, this is the type of prop that is just begging for trouble, right?' Alexander said. Ohio, for one, would most likely agree. Last month, Gov. Mike DeWine asked the Ohio Casino Control Commission to ban prop bets on 'highly specific events within games that are completely controlled by one player," he said in a news release, while asking the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, WNBA and MLS commissioners to support his stance. 'The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly,' DeWine said. Alexander said: 'I do think that we're in the era now where these leagues can exert some influence on these sports books, as long as it is of no financial pain to the sports books. This is one of these instances where, really, I don't agree with Rob Manfred every day, but I actually think he's probably going to get what he wants here.'
New York Times
37 minutes ago
- New York Times
Ranking the NFL's 25 best rookie QB seasons of the past 25 years
Playing quarterback in the National Football League is not just one of the hardest jobs in sports — it's one of the hardest anywhere. And playing quarterback as a rookie is even harder. The pressure, the expectations, the degree of difficulty and the absence of any margin for error can confound even the most seasoned veterans. Plenty of rookie quarterbacks — some of the best we've ever seen — weren't ready to start a game during their first year, let alone to lead a team through an entire season. And though plenty have also come out firing, it's important to note that how a quarterback performs during his first season in the NFL is not always an exact harbinger of what's to come. Advertisement With all that in mind, as we prepare for the NFL season, let's look back at the 25 best rookie quarterback performances of the past 25 years: Stats: 331-of-480 passing (69.0 percent) for 3,568 yards, 25 TDs, nine INTs; 891 yards rushing, six TDs Team result: 12-5 (second place, NFC East), lost NFC title game A few first-year quarterbacks have thrown for more yards and touchdowns or had better EPA numbers. But no one on this list was able to enter a rocky situation and completely change the math overnight the way Daniels did last season in Washington — he nearly became the first rookie QB to start a Super Bowl. One of the league's brightest young stars, Daniels set NFL rookie QB records for rushing yards, fourth-quarter/overtime TDs and overall completion percentage. Stats: 319-of-499 passing (63.9 percent) for 4,108 yards, 23 TDs, five INTs; 167 yards rushing, three TDs Team result: 10-7 (first place, AFC South), lost in divisional round Purely from a big-money passing standpoint, Stroud would be No. 1 on this list. His 2023 season was a revelation and immediately silenced draft scouts who questioned whether Stroud was smart enough to handle an NFL offense. At 22 years, three months and 10 days, he became the youngest NFL starting QB to win a playoff game when Houston knocked off Cleveland in the wild-card round. Stroud also set rookie records for passing yards (470) and TDs (5) in a game, as well as most attempts without a pick to start a career (191) and number of games with at least 350 passing yards (3). Stats: 311-of-459 passing (67.8 percent) for 3,667 yards, 23 TDs, four INTs; 282 yards rushing, six rush TDs Team result: 13-3 (first place, NFC East), lost in divisional round Advertisement The 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Prescott notched a sizzling rookie-record 104.9 QB rating. And though it would take him eight years to top that number, the season was an indicator of Prescott's efficiency (66.8 percent for his career) — his rookie completion percentage (67.8) was the NFL record until Daniels broke it. One could even argue the 2016 season was the most accurate of Prescott's career, as his completion rate above expected was a whopping 7.3, easily a career best. Now 32, Prescott hasn't quite lived up to the crazy bar he set as a rookie — he's never topped the .23 EPA/dropback number he notched that year. He has, however, spent the bulk of his run near the top of the league's second QB tier. Stats: 258-of-393 passing (65.6 percent) for 3,200 yards, 20 TDs, five INTs; 815 yards rushing, seven TDs Team result: 10-6 (first place NFC East), lost in wild-card round It's possible this is too low, as RGIII (the NFL's first starting QB born in the 1990s) tore through the league as a dynamic, big-play, dual-threat passer and finished with more than 4,000 total yards. His EPA/dropback of .22 is second only to Prescott's (.23) among rookies this century. Griffin required major knee surgery following the 2012 season and was never the same. He ultimately lost his starting job to Kirk Cousins by 2015. Stats: 196-of-295 passing (66.4 percent) for 2,621 yards, 17 TDs, 11 INTs; 144 yards rushing, one TD Team result: 15-1 (first place, AFC North), lost AFC title game Context is required to understand how big a deal Roethlisberger's rookie year was at the time. He began the year as Pittsburgh's No. 3 but found himself on the field in Week 2 after an injury to starter Tommy Maddox. Roethlisberger would go on to start — and win — his next 13 games, helping Pittsburgh to the league's best record. Advertisement In his second season, he became the youngest Super Bowl-winning QB, posting a scorching .21 EPA/dropback and proving to be the missing piece Pittsburgh needed for an elite run. Stats: 252-of-393 passing (64.1 percent) for 3,118 yards, 26 TDs, 10 INTs; 489 yards rushing, four TDs Team result: 11-5 (second place, NFC West), lost in divisional round I've long considered Russell Wilson the originator of the transfer portal, as his graduate move to — and subsequent performance at — Wisconsin in 2011 popularized the movement. He showed an ability to immediately fit within a talented roster as a Badger, then was able to do it again as a rookie in Seattle. Wilson and Bobby Wagner were exactly what Seattle needed. The young QB pushed the offense into uncharted waters, posting a .19 EPA/dropback number with a rate of 9.9 air yards per attempt. Stats: 339-of-627 passing (54.1 percent) for 4,374 yards, 23 TDs, 18 INTs; 255 yards rushing, five TDs Team result: 11-5 (second place, AFC South), lost in wild-card round One of the most fearless NFL quarterbacks we've ever seen, Luck averaged better than 10 air yards per attempt as a rookie while showing zero hesitation into tight windows or over the middle of the field. His interception total was high, but his work bouncing back after mistakes was very impressive from a young player. Luck was sacked a career-high 41 times as a rookie (fourth highest in the NFL that year) and kept getting up, willing a group that went 2-14 in 2011 to 11 wins one year later. Stats: 396-of-595 passing (67.6 percent) for 4,336 yards, 31 TDs, 10 INTs; 234 yards rushing, five TDs Team result: 7-9 (third place, AFC West) The NFL record-holder for most passing yards through the first two, three, four and five seasons of a career, Herbert didn't even open his rookie year as the Chargers' starter — he took over in Week 2 for an injured Tyrod Taylor before exploding for one of the most productive opening seasons ever. Advertisement Herbert was the ninth-best NFL starter that year against two-high coverage and ranked among the top 10 in completion percentage above expected (102.4), making it one of the most accurate years of his career to date. Stats: 310-of-517 passing (60.0 percent) for 4,051 yards, 21 TDs, 17 TDs; 706 yards rushing, 14 TDs Team result: 6-10 (third place, NFC South) Newton set the NFL record for total touchdowns by a rookie QB (35) in 2011 (Herbert broke it in 2020 with 36). The former No. 1 pick still holds the league record for total yards by a rookie quarterback (4,784, including a 27-yard reception) and was the league's first 4,000-yard rookie passer. In his first NFL game, Newton threw for 422 yards and had three total touchdowns. He never won a title, but when he was physically right, he was one of the most unique quarterbacks we've ever seen and helped set the table for future dual-threat players. Stats: 376-of-567 passing (66.3 percent) for 3,775 yards, 29 TDs, 12 INTs; 430 yards rushing, four TDs Team result: 10-7 (third place, AFC West), lost in wild-card round A rookie quarterback surviving the experience that is Sean Payton's complex offense is enough to earn a spot somewhere on this list. But Nix did more than survive. There are limitations to Nix's game, but he rarely tries to work outside his capabilities — nor does Payton ask him to. Nix was very efficient for a rookie, piling up 12.5 first downs per game, not far behind Daniels' number of 13.2 (which tied with Josh Allen). Stats: 349-of-542 passing (64.4 percent) for 3,722 yards, 20 TDs, 12 INTs; 544 yards rushing, four TDs Team result: 5-10-1 (fourth place, NFC West) Despite being sacked a league-high 48 times in 2019, the diminutive Murray still hit nearly 65 percent of his throws while maintaining his presence as a dual-threat player. He showed better arm strength as a rookie than some expected, was confident in all areas of the field and emerged as a perfect fit in Kliff Kingsbury's offense (which is a good one for young QBs). Advertisement Stats: 351-of-562 passing (62.5 percent) for 3,541 yards, 20 TDs, six INTs; 489 yards rushing Team result: 5-12 (fourth place, NFC North) Daniels' historic season certainly stole some thunder from Williams, the No. 1 pick in 2024. However, it's not fair to suggest Williams had a 'bad' or 'disappointing' season. Williams had a stretch of 354 throws without a pick last year, an NFL rookie record. And in similar fashion to Murray, he did this while being sacked more times (68) than anyone in the NFL — even if plenty of those were his own fault. Stats: 265-of-434 passing (61.1 percent) for 3,440 yards, 16 TDs, 11 INTs; 104 yards rushing, one TD Team result: 11-5 (second place, NFC South), lost in wild-card round The Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2008, Ryan became the NFC's first rookie quarterback to start every game and take a team into the playoffs. Ryan's performance was critical in helping revive an Atlanta franchise that had lost Michael Vick and dealt with Bobby Petrino just one year prior. Stats: 126-of-204 passing (61.7 percent) for 1,699 yards, 19 TDs, eight INTs; 269 yards rushing, two TDs Team result: 4-12 (fourth place, AFC South) Watson made just six starts in 2017 (Weeks 2-7) before going down with an ACL injury in early November, but he was on pace for a potentially historic run — his numbers stretched over the full season would've given him a shot at 4,000 yards passing and 50 touchdowns. Stats: 310-of-486 passing (63.8 percent) for 3,725 yards, 27 TDs, 14 INTs; 131 yards rushing Team result: 7-8-1 (third place, AFC North) Let the record show that Mayfield's run in Cleveland didn't end because he never made plays. Consistency was certainly an issue, but he also had some great days — such as throwing for more than 500 yards combined with seven touchdowns (and zero interceptions) in two wins over the Bengals or his near 400-yard passing performance in a two-point loss at Baltimore to close the season. Stats: 114-of-170 passing (67.1 percent) for 1,374 yards, 13 TDs, four INTs; 13 yards rushing, one TD Team result: 13-4 (first place, NFC West), lost NFC title game Purdy's rookie year was sort of the opposite of Watson's, in that he started the season's final five games (and attempted 37 passes in relief the game before that stretch), leading the 49ers into the playoffs with an incredibly accurate showing. Purdy was fearless over the middle that season, earning a .47 EPA number on attempts between the numbers. Advertisement Stats: 285-of-470 passing (60.6 percent) for 3,271 yards, 21 TDs, six INTs; 344 yards rushing Team result: 6-10 (fourth place, AFC South) It's fair to wonder what might have been for Minshew had the Jaguars not landed the No. 1 pick and the right to draft Trevor Lawrence in 2021. Minshew was very good as a rookie and played well early in 2020, despite the talent around him. He hasn't earned a full-time role since, but Minshew remains an accurate, confident passer — one who has outperformed his sixth-round draft slot. Stats: 312-of-535 passing (58.3 percent) for 4,042 yards, 22 TDs, 15 INTs; 213 yards rushing, six TDs Team result: 6-10 (fourth place, NFC South) Turnovers have always been a problem for Winston, and his rookie year was no exception. But Winston never let a mistake throttle back his aggression. He became the youngest player in NFL history (21 years, 363 days) to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. Stats: 352-of-521 passing (67.6 percent) for 3,801 yards, 22 TDs, 13 INTs; 129 yards rushing Team result: 10-7 (second place, AFC East), lost in wild-card round To date, 2021 remains the best year of Mac Jones' career — and by a good amount. However, the Patriots did him zero favors. Jones' rookie year was the last in New England for Josh McDaniels. Matt Patricia was Jones' OC for Year 2 and his play has dwindled ever since. Stats: 225-of-338 passing (66.6 percent) for 2,276 yards, 15 TDs, 10 INTs; 421 yards rushing, two TDs Team result: 4-13 (fourth place, AFC East) Maye got off to a bit of an awkward start, as he began the year as the backup despite looking ready to hold the No. 1 job post-training camp. He finally got the nod in Week 6 and kept his head above water the rest of the way, all while guiding one of the least talented rosters in football. DRAKE MAYE! RHAMONDRE STEVENSON! @PATRIOTS TIE IT UP! — NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024 Stats: 257-of-428 passing (60.0 percent) for 2,971 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs; 180 yards rushing, two TDs Team result: 11-5 (second place, AFC North), lost AFC title game One of four quarterbacks on our list to lead his rookie squad to a conference title game, Flacco was the only rookie starter on a talented, veteran roster in Baltimore. He played with enough maturity, however, to support an always-productive Ravens defense in John Harbaugh's debut season. Advertisement Stats: 259-of-402 passing (64.4 percent) for 2,919 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs; 209 yards rushing, one TD Team result: 7-9 (third place, NFC North) Younger fans of today's game need to know that Bridgewater was on his way to potential stardom before suffering a devastating and career-altering knee injury in 2016. Early in his rookie campaign, Bridgewater replaced Matt Cassel and played his best football down the stretch before taking the Vikings to the playoffs in his second season (and earning a Pro Bowl nod). Stats: 230-of-370 passing (62.2 percent) for 2,818 yards, 19 TDs, 10 INTs; 252 yards rushing, two TDs Team result: 3-13 (fourth place, AFC South) Mariota threw four touchdown passes in the first half of his first NFL game and eventually tied Mark Rypien for most touchdowns by a rookie through three starts (8). The former No. 2 pick posted a combined 45 touchdowns over his first two seasons before injuries and inconsistency caught up with him. Stats: 379-of-607 passing (62.4 percent) for 3,782 yards, 16 TDs, 14 INTs; 150 yards rushing, two TDs Team result: 7-9 (fourth place, NFC East) Wentz's 379 completions set an NFL rookie record — that number stands now as the second highest of his career. His mark of 3,782 pass yards is also the second best of his career, as Wentz's boom-or-bust debut season paved the way a stellar 13-game run to open 2017. Wentz suffered a knee injury in Year 2, but the Eagles still captured a Super Bowl title. Stats: 284-of-459 passing (61.9 percent) for 3,027 yards, 24 TDs, 12 INTs; 279 yards rushing, two TDs Team result: 4-12 (third place, NFC East) Jones' rookie year was the best of his career to date — and it's probably the chief reason Saquon Barkley is no longer in New York. Jones threw nine more TD passes as a rookie than in any season since, and his performance served as catalyst for the eventual extension the Giants would come to regret. (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Andy Lyons, Tom Pennington, Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
