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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Preseason Week 1 rookie QB rankings as 16 make NFL debuts
The NFL preseason: the best time of the NFL calendar for overreactions. Naturally, quarterbacks – and rookie quarterbacks, specifically – are the best targets for these overreactions. Sixteen rookie quarterbacks made their NFL game debuts in the first week of preseason action over the weekend, and there was plenty of variance in the quality of their performances. There was also plenty of room for questions as they played differing amounts of time against differing levels of opposing defenses. In exhibition action, these young gunslingers play limited snap counts and get in reps against defenders that run the full spectrum of opponents' depth charts. While early projections are possible after preseason action, the best evaluations can't truly start until the "real thing" – when the regular season starts and games matter more. Nevertheless, USA TODAY Sports is here to rank the 17 rookie quarterbacks – including Chargers rookie DJ Uiagalelei, who debuted in the Hall of Fame Game July 31 – to throw a pass in the first week of preseason exhibition games in 2025. Rookie QB rankings after Week 1 of the NFL preseason Seventeen rookie quarterbacks threw a pass in the first week of the NFL preseason. Sixteen of them were making their pro debut – the aforementioned Uiagalelei played in his team's Hall of Fame game matchup with the Lions. Here's how they all rank after the first week with a full slate of preseason action: An NFL debut to forget for the former Florida Gator. One play into Mertz's first NFL appearance, he threw an interception. Rolling out to his left, Mertz appeared to double clutch his first pass attempt before letting it sail over the head of Xavier Johnson an into the arms of a diving Ambry Thomas. Things didn't improve from there as Mertz threw two more interceptions – both to Kahlef Hailassie – to end his outing. Every Texans possession in the fourth quarter featured Mertz under center and all three ended with an interception before the team had advanced the ball 15 yards. From his first snap, Ewers looked out of sorts in his NFL debut. His first pass attempt was air-mailed, intended for a receiver running a quick out to his left. His second pass attempt also ended up too high for his target, who got crunched by a defender on both sides. When Ewers dropped back a third time, his left tackle got pancaked, and the quarterback scrambled out of the pocket as he felt the pressure. The rush eventually got home with a strip sack and another Bears defender recovered to secure the turnover. For the rest of the game, Ewers' poor ball placement on his throws left his receivers largely unable to make plays. When he wasn't throwing too high, defenders were able to break up many of his throws because he'd leave the ball within reach of the defensive back. Even on several of Ewers' completions, his receivers had to stop to make the catch before a swift tackle rather than catching on the run and turning upfield for extra yardage. Much like Ewers, McCord appeared unprepared for NFL action in his first game as a pro. The Eagles' backup only completed one of his five pass attempts, which meant he had as many completions as he had interceptions. McCord never looked comfortable in the pocket. On most of his dropbacks, his feet were chopping at the turf, preventing him from making a good base to get set and make a throw. Whenever his feet stopped moving, it started to telegraph that he intended to throw. McCord's long time in the pocket – his time to throw of 3.24 seconds was second-longest of rookie QBs over the weekend, per PFF – allowed defenders to get pressure as well, which didn't do him any favors. Leonard's outing was less overtly bad compared to those of Mertz, Ewers and McCord. He played the entire second half for the Colts and showed off some of the tools he has as a passer and runner that made him worthy of a late-round flier pick. Leonard ran into trouble a few times because he wasn't able to put enough touch on his passes to avoid getting them batted down – both at the line of scrimmage and downfield. Occasionally, poor ball placement let defenders get in on his receivers and gave them a chance to make a play on the ball. Leonard's worst plays came when he was under pressure. Though he sometimes was able to scramble his way out of it for a gain, there were too many times that he panicked, let his eyes drop and was unable to make any play. The worst two instances of this led to an intentional grounding and his interception. Still, there were a couple of really nice throws, and Leonard made a good showing of what he can do with his legs. Not a ton to take away from Elgersma's quick outing with the Packers. He completed three of his four pass attempts for 24 yards and looked decent enough. One thing that ticks a couple of points off for Elgersma is his tendency to "fade away" on his passes. On a couple of his completions, the Canadian drifted backwards after making a throw, giving the impression that he could add more zip to his throws if he had his momentum driving forward through his passes rather than backward. Bazelak looked really nice in his short outing with Tampa Bay. Similar to with Elgersma, it was hard to take too much away from just nine pass attempts – though completing six of them for a 67% completion rate is always a good touch. There weren't any deep bombs or highlight-reel plays, but he showed off his quick release on short throws, nice touch on some medium throws to beat zone coverage and some good zip against man coverage to find his open receivers. Shough had a couple of "welcome to the NFL" moments but also had some really notable parts of his Sunday performance that indicated he is worthy of being an NFL quarterback. The Saints and head coach Kellen Moore threw their rookie second-rounder right into the fire with a two-minute drill to close the first half. Shough managed to string together a 10-play, 52-yard drive – with some help on 10 yards of defensive penalties – in just over a minute and a half to get New Orleans into the red zone and in field goal range. Shough's performance coming out of the half is best described as "up-and-down." The Saints' second half-opening possession was a 3-and-out that ended with a sack. Their second possession, Shough threw a pick-6 after staring down his receiver from the moment he took the snap. On the following drive, Shough completed an impressive, 54-yard touchdown pass. After that, another sack, this one on a play he should have just thrown the ball away on second down. Shough didn't quite crack the top 10, but his two-minute drive to end the first half and long touchdown pass were good signs in his debut. The best word to describe Cook in his debut outing with the Jets is comfortable. The moment didn't seem too big for the undrafted free agent, who looked poised in the pocket throughout his outing after coming in on the Jets' second drive of the game and playing until halftime. He made easy throws with zip on quick passes, made on nice throw on the move to hit a receiver on the boundary despite a bad snap and showed off some nice touch on deeper passes downfield. His best throw given the situation was a third-down play where he hit a receiver over the middle as the pocket collapsed toward him. Cook got hit shortly after throwing and it would have been a first down if his receiver had gotten enough depth. Cook also showed off some of his ability with different arm angles on a couple of plays to avoid getting his pass batted at the line of scrimmage. Uiagalelei threw one pass and completed it for a 51-yard gain. It was slightly underthrown and maybe could have been a touchdown, but it's hard to knock him too much given the result of the play. Brosmer didn't play too many snaps for the Vikings in his first preseason game, but there was a lot to love about the plays he made late. Of his eight attempts, Brosmer had five completions, a few of which showcased excellent anticipation and picture-perfect ball placement to get the ball to his receiver in tight coverage. He gets knocked down a spot because of his fumbled snap, but it was an overall impressive day for the UDFA out of Minnesota. Milroe's legs were the true star of his debut outing with Seattle, but he made several good plays with his arm too. Milroe was second on the team with his 38 rushing yards on three attempts and had slightly better marks in his completion rate and passer rating than fellow Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock on Thursday night. The two best throws Milroe made were his zone-beater pass that he got to Ricky White over the hand of a linebacker and just in front of the cornerback, as well as his play-action bootleg throw to Tyrone Broden Jr to get Seattle in the red zone. Milroe could still learn to trust his arm a bit more than his legs, as there were a few scrambles that felt preemptive and unnecessary, but there's clear dual-threat potential in his game that the Seahawks may be looking to exploit down the road. Not a whole lot to say on Miller either, given he only attempted seven passes. But he completed six of them, including a really nice touchdown throw off of a pump fake. He also got the Raiders into Daniel Carlson's field goal range after starting at Las Vegas' own 32 with 25 seconds left. Carlson's 55-yard attempt got blocked, which soured the conclusion of an otherwise great drive for Miller. The Titans didn't give fans a long look at Ward, the No. 1 pick who is expected to be the team's Week 1 starter. But there were flashes of excellence to go with some mistakes in his debut. The biggest takeaways on Ward's outing is that he's already got a great connection with lead receiver Calvin Ridley, but he just needs to polish up some parts of his game. His drifting from empty pockets without pressure got him into trouble on his first drive, and rushing a throw with poor footwork led to a near-interception on his second drive. The anticipation and good ball placement that made Ward so highly touted were also on display though and should give Tennessee fans a reason to be excited. Sanders was the only rookie quarterback to throw two touchdown passes in his debut, both of which were really nice passes placed where only his receivers could get them. He also showed off some skill as a scrambler when he got into trouble, picking up a couple of first downs with his legs when things got dicey. But Sanders also had more than a few missed opportunities with poor throws to open receivers that hold him back from a higher rank on this list. In addition, he took too much time in the pocket – a rookie quarterback-leading 3.48 seconds to throw, per PFF – which invited pressure and got him into those "dicey" situations. That spin move he loved using to evade pressure at Colorado ended in a near-sack on one fourth down play. Yet the two touchdown throws really stand out as the type of plays that show Sanders' high ceiling as a passer with the anticipation he had and placements he made between defenders. Wooldridge, an undrafted free agent, completed nine of his 12 passes for the Patriots on Friday and was the team's leading passer with 132 yards. His three incompletions: a drop and two batted balls. Unless things go very wrong for New England, Wooldridge won't have much of a chance to play since he's firmly behind Drake Maye on the depth chart. But the zip on his throws and poise in the pocket against Washington will definitely make him a consideration to make the roster out of training camp if he keeps his arrow trending up. Henigan had the best PFF grade of any rookie passer in the first week of the preseason. He completed 11 of his 14 passes for 78 yards and managed to complete a crazy pass to avoid taking a sack with the help of running back LeQuint Allen. PFF also listed two of Henigan's plays as big-time throws, which were tied with Sanders for the lead among all rookie quarterbacks in Week 1 of the preseason. Dart was the rookie quarterback of the week to start the preseason. He was far from perfect, but he did a ton to show why he was worth the Giants' trade up into the first round to draft him. The most notable play of Dart's day was easily his 28-yard touchdown pass to Lil'Jordan Humphrey, executed with perfect touch to hit the receiver on the run despite having a defender crashing down on him. The rookie took a big hit after the throw but was fired up seeing the completion and touchdown. Dart's ability to avoid pressure despite occasional chaos in the pocket was what won him the weekend. The touches he added as a scrambler – his 24 rushing yards led the team – only added to his strong performance. If he hadn't missed a couple of third-down chances – one of which PFF called a drop – his spot at the top of this list would be even less of a question. As it stands though, Dart's poise and execution on Saturday made him the rookie QB king of preseason Week 1.
Fox Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 Texas Football Predictions: Longhorns Ranked 1st in RJ Young's Ultimate 136
College Football 2025 Texas Football Predictions: Longhorns Ranked 1st in RJ Young's Ultimate 136 Published Aug. 10, 2025 7:39 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link This isn't your average college football ranking. My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list: Who do I think is good? Why do I think they're good? What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations? Here is a look at where Texas lands in my Ultimate 136. Texas Longhorns ranking: 1 Last year's ranking: 3 Top player: QB Arch Manning: Only FBS or NFL QB in the last 25 years to record a 75+ yard TD pass, a 65+ yard TD run and another 50+ yard TD pass in the same game. Went 2-0 as a starter last year, throwing for 583 yards and totaling 5 TDs (4 pass, 1 rush) in those two games. [Texas' 2025 schedule] RJ's take: After being selected by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Quinn Ewers has become a symbol of what might have been holding Texas back rather than quite actually the man who made "Texas is BACK!" a true statement. ADVERTISEMENT The year before Ewers arrived, Texas went 5-7 with Steve Sarkisian as head coach and offensive playcaller and Pete Kwiatkowski as defensive coordinator. The next year, Ewers took a five-win team and made it an eight-win team. The next year, Ewers led Texas to a 10-point win against Nick Saban's Alabama team in Tuscaloosa, a Big 12 title and its first appearance in the CFP. With the daunting move to the SEC, he didn't flinch. He led Texas to the SEC title game and a consecutive College Football Playoff semifinal appearance in the 12-team format. He passed for at least 3,400 yards and 20 touchdowns in each of his final two years on the Forty Acres. It's fair to say without his performances, Texas might not have landed No. 1 overall 2023 recruit and 2025 starter Arch Manning. If Texas wins the national title for the first time in two decades, it's because Ewers helped set the table to enjoy the meal; that's Ewers' legacy. But this guy, Arch, glory be, he's the best QB the Longhorns have had since almighty Vince Young. He was limited last year, but that didn't stop him from throwing for 939 yards — including 300-plus against SEC foe Mississippi State — and rushing for 108 yards in relief of Ewers. He ain't beat anybody yet, but he's got a scarlet and gray opportunity coming his way in Week 1. We'll draw a lot of conclusions from how he plays against defending national champion Ohio State on the road. The running back room will be stout with CJ Baxter returning from injury and Quintrevion Wisner rushing for over 1,000 yards last year. Wideout Ryan Wingo figures to blossom alongside DeAndre Moore and linebacker Anthony Hill ought to be an absolute terror on defense. There's no more Kelvin Banks to hold down the left side of the offensive line, but at 6-foot-7, 314 pounds and two starts, Trevor Goosby ought to have it handled. But the schedule ain't doing Texas any favors with just three SEC games at Darrell K Royal and the Longhorns face Georgia on the road this year. Still, it's the most talented team Sarkisian has had at Texas, and, for UT fans, it's the one that is supposed to win the national title right here, right now. [Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here] Texas Win Total Odds: Over 9.5 (-194) Under 9.5 (+156) Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young , and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article. RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young. FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience College Football Texas Longhorns share
USA Today
26-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Longhorn Quinn Ewers turning heads at Miami Dolphins camp
Quinn Ewers has already lived a lifetime with high expectations. He was the best quarterback in his hometown of Southlake. He was the best in the state. He was the best in the nation according to most recruiting services. He was the prize recruit at Ohio State and the savior at Texas. But after falling to the seventh round of the NFL Draft, for the first time in his life, the expectations for Ewers are low. But Ewers is smashing expectations so far in Miami Dolphins camp. Daily reports out of Miami have praised Ewers so far. Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel called Ewers "the star" of Miami's third day of practice. The Southlake native is reminding everyone how he got Texas to the semifinals of the college football playoff two years in a row. "Quarterback Quinn Ewers had a nice sideline throw to wide receiver Andrew Armstrong. Ewers later had a nice throw to wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. Later Ewers stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure and completed a pass to tight end Tanner Conner. Through OTAs, minicamp and training camp, Ewers has seemed to learn quickly and not make the same mistake twice." - Chis Perkins of South Florida Sun Sentinel A lot of the media covering the Dolphins questioned the selection of Ewers as a throwaway pick or a flyer to see if he would stick. Now he's being compared to Brock Purdy, who was the last pick in the NFL Draft and went on to lead the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @LonghornsWire.
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Miami Dolphins Fins Up/Fins Down: Day 3 training camp
MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins had their third training camp practice of the 2025 season on Friday, July 25, at Baptist Health Training Complex. It was closed to public. Fans with tickets will be in attendance on Saturday, July 26. As for practice, here are some stocks that went up and down on Day 3. Miami Dolphins training camp Day 3 stock up/stock down Stock Up QB — Ewers, a rookie, has understandably had some practices where he's seemed uncertain and indecisive. In training camp practice three, Ewers showed improvement. He had one notable connection with Dee Eskridge over the middle on a third and long. This was a good performance. WR ― NWI has openly said he's eager to find out how he fits into this Dolphins offense. At times, Westbrook-Ikhine has been quiet. But he had a big gainer from Tua Tagovailoa on Day 3. He should be an ideal complement to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Stock Down ― The one thing that will keep rookie running backs on the bench is fumbling and Gordon lost one on this day. It's one play. One fumble. But ball protection is a non-negotiable for running backs coach Eric Studesville. Rookie masher: Dolphins says guard Jonah Savaiianea 'made of the right stuff' Zero? Dolphins' Zach Wilson explains why he chose jersey number Discipline: Miami players are running post-practice training camp sprints. Here's why. Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@ and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins stock up/stock down at training camp, Day 3
Fox Sports
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
The Biggest 'What Ifs' That Could Define the 2025 College Football Season
The 2025 college football season will come with plenty of changes, including new Division I teams (welcome, Delaware and Missouri State), direct seeding in the College Football Playoff and fresh faces set to take the field for the first time. With so much change in place, chaos feels inevitable. We asked our college football writers to answer one simple question as the 2025 college football season approaches: What single "what if" could define this year's college football season? Laken Litman: What if Arch Manning doesn't live up to the hype? For as often as Arch Manning's name has dominated college football headlines, there hasn't been much discussion about who his backup will be this season. Manning, a former No. 1 overall recruit, has waited patiently for his turn to be the Texas starting quarterback. Before joining the team in 2023, Manning had never been a backup in his life. But Quinn Ewers had already solidified his place on Steve Sarkisian's roster, and so for the past two seasons, Manning was used when needed. That ended up being more than some backups because Ewers suffered injuries the last two seasons, allowing Manning the opportunity to play and gain experience ahead of this monumental year. The Longhorns were fortunate to have a backup like Manning when Ewers was unable to play. But what if Manning gets injured or isn't the elite talent he's expected to be this fall? Who will come in and lead the team? Expectations are astronomical this year. After going to back-to-back College Football Playoff semifinals, Texas is a favorite to win the national championship. Manning doesn't have the same caliber of backup that Ewers could lean on, but there are a few options: Troy transfer Matthew Caldwell (ranked No. 123 among all transfer QBs per 247Sports), redshirt freshman Trey Owens (former No. 16 overall QB in the 2024 class) and true freshman Karle Lacey Jr. (former four-star prospect). While everyone is all in on Manning, it would be out of character for Sarkisian to not be properly developing the guys behind him. And most teams aren't usually as lucky as Texas was the past two years having someone like Manning on call. But if QB1 is unable to play for whatever reason, the Horns could be in some trouble. RJ Young: What if Penn State fails to beat Ohio State (again)? James Franklin will have the core of his 2024 team ready and willing in 2025. Quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen and linebacker Dani Dennis-Sutton hope to lead the Nittany Lions back to the CFP after falling just seconds short of earning the chance to play for the national title. A total of 15 starters return to Happy Valley with the help of a little NIL money, a change to the best defensive coordinator in the country in 2024 in Jim Knowles, and Andy Kotelnicki entering the year with talented wideouts on the perimeter. That's fine. I can't really take this team seriously to win a national title, though. Franklin is 0-7 against Ohio State and Michigan over the last four years and 1-15 against AP top-five opponents. You'll see Penn State ranked No. 1 in plenty of preseason polls, but you won't see an argument for this team being there outside of "they're due." So is the rent. One is getting paid this January come hell or high water. And unlike Penn State, my checks don't bounce. Michael Cohen: What if the SEC fails to produce a national champion for the third straight year? For most of the 21st century, the SEC has reigned supreme as the preeminent conference in college football. The league has produced 14 national champions over the last 25 years, including a remarkable run of seven straight from 2006-12 when Alabama (3x), Florida (2x), LSU and Auburn all finished atop the sport. It should be no surprise that the only back-to-back winners during this stretch — Alabama in 2011 and 2012; Georgia in 2021 and 2022 — both came from the SEC as well. And in the 10-year history of the College Football Playoff, which began with a four-team field in 2014 and expanded to 12 last fall, the SEC has nearly as many playoff victories (18) as the rest of the conferences combined (20). There's a reason the league's slogan is "It Just Means More," especially when it comes to football. But consecutive national championships for Michigan (2023) and Ohio State (2024), coupled with a changing landscape that legalized both revenue sharing and the weaponization of wealthy donors eager to assist with player compensation, has begun to level the playing field — at least for the time being. It's a shift that has been reflected in the College Football Playoff, where the SEC was a bystander during the last two national championship games as Michigan (Big Ten) toppled Washington (Pac-12) and Ohio State (Big Ten) bested Notre Dame (Independent), and in the high school recruiting rankings, where only three of the top 10 classes in the 2026 cycle currently belong to SEC programs (Georgia at No. 2, Texas A&M at No. 3, Alabama at No. 5). By comparison, the SEC laid claim to seven of the top-10 classes in 2025 and six of the top-10 classes in 2024, though there's still plenty of time for this year's rankings to change between now and the early signing period in December. Still, it's fair to wonder how the perception of the league might begin to change if another non-SEC school lifts the national championship trophy come January. A three-year title drought would match the league's longest dry spell since the turn of the century, when Oklahoma (2000), Miami (2001) and Ohio State (2002) boxed out the conference until Nick Saban won his first national title at LSU in 2003, igniting arguably the greatest coaching career the sport has ever seen. But Saban and his seven rings are no longer part of the equation following his shocking retirement in early 2024, which tossed another wrench into the league's battle to maintain supremacy. One can only imagine what the discourse will be like if a third straight national title eludes the SEC. Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman . RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The Number One College Football Show." Follow him at @RJ_Young . Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13 . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience College Football recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
