NFL Rookie QB Checkup: League Sources Weigh In on 3 First-Yr Starters

Three rookie quarterbacks have started games this season, and early verdicts are in.

We asked NFL personnel around the league for early reactions on the three first-year QBs: Dillon Gabriel, Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart. And of course, you can’t talk about the Browns without discussing Shedeur Sanders.

Here’s what we learned.

Dillon Gabriel & Shedeur Sanders

Ralph Vacchiano: The Browns saw enough from Dillon Gabriel in his first start that they felt comfortable trading away his backup, veteran quarterback Joe Flacco. 

And that might have been a mistake.

“Flacco is the kind of veteran you’d want behind a kid,” an NFL scout told me. “You want a vet who has experience as a starter, but understands his role. Someone who can be a guide for a young quarterback, who can show him everything from how to study defenses to how to handle himself off the field.

“Who is supposed to do that now?”

With Flacco now in Cincinnati, the Browns have only Gabriel, fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders and Bailey Zappe, a fourth-year pro who has made nine career starts and is now on Cleveland’s practice squad.

“When you have a young quarterback, it’s really important to put a support system around him,” the scout said. “I don’t understand why [the Browns] simply dismantled theirs.”

Shedeur Sanders has made extra headlines for his press conferences than his play to date this season. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Photographs)

Eric D. Williams: After sitting and watching behind Flacco, Gabriel received his first likelihood to begin on Sunday — towards one of many high defensive coordinators within the league in Brian Flores. The rookie QB held his personal with 190 passing yards and two touchdowns in a 21-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Flacco was then traded to the Bengals, so Gabriel will get a chance to earn the beginning job in Cleveland over the lengthy haul.

The play of Gabriel, a third-round choice out of Oregon, didn’t come as a shock to a longtime nationwide scout who evaluated him popping out of faculty.

“He’s received a super-quick launch,” the scout advised me. “Nice work habits that overcome his limitations in size. He’s very cell and has good arm power. He’s left-handed, which doesn’t actually matter, however some coaches don’t prefer it to today.

“He’s a cool buyer. Nothing bothers him.”

NFL groups have at all times eyed quarterbacks popping out of faculty with heavy recreation expertise. And Gabriel’s 63 school begins — at Central Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon — appealed to NFL evaluators.

“A number of school snaps are nonetheless an excellent predictor of NFL success, if all different traits are current,” the scout advised me. “Dillon will just do fantastic going ahead. He simply must play.”

Sanders has an opportunity to maneuver into the backup spot behind Gabriel after serving because the third-string, emergency quarterback to begin the 12 months. Nonetheless, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski advised reporters he’ll let the week play out earlier than making that willpower, with elevating apply squad quarterback Bailey Zappe to the energetic roster additionally a chance.

Projected by some draft analysts as a first-round decide, Sanders slid to Day 3 of the draft however now finds himself a play away from seeing time as a rookie.

“I noticed Shedeur play within the preseason and he seemed good off-schedule and throwing the ball,” a senior personnel govt advised me. “I don’t know for certain how he did pre-snap or with progressions, however he has the bodily expertise.”

READ MORE: Shedeur Sanders Strikes Nearer to Changing into a Beginning QB After Joe Flacco Commerce

A lot of the chatter across the league on Sanders has been targeted on his distinctive, charismatic character. Final week, the Colorado product mimed his solutions in an interview with reporters. Nonetheless, the non-public govt I spoke with didn’t see Sanders’ character as a difficulty.

“We didn’t interview him formally, however our scouts had been fantastic with him,” the non-public govt advised me.

Added a nationwide scout: “Sanders has many of the bodily traits however simply must develop up mentally and emotionally.”

Cam Ward

Ben Arthur: In Week 5, Cam Ward confirmed the Titans, and the remainder of the NFL, that he can ship within the clutch.

The No. 1 total decide accomplished 72.2% of his passes for 193 yards with an interception (which was recovered by Tennessee for a landing) within the fourth quarter of the Titans’ wild comeback victory over the Cardinals, main his first profession game-winning drive.

After a second-down conversion to tight finish Chig Okonkwo with 52 seconds left, Ward delivered an exquisite deep ball to receiver Calvin Ridley down the fitting sideline to arrange the go-ahead discipline purpose as time expired.

“Like I advised him, ‘That’s why we drafted you with the No. 1 total decide,’” Titans star defensive sort out Jeffery Simmons mentioned. “His calmness, his poise within the pocket like that. I don’t know what number of rookie quarterbacks can have that kind of poise when the sport [is on the line]. It got here all the way down to him, and he knew it. The ball was in his hand and he did a helluva job of controlling that offense and getting us down to have the ability to hit that discipline purpose on the finish.”

Titans head coach Brian Callahan and his offensive employees at the moment are in search of extra constant play from Ward. Earlier than the ultimate quarter, significantly within the first half, Ward’s play was consultant of the struggles which have outlined most of his rookie season so far. He missed some throws due to poor accuracy. Different occasions, he appeared to place an excessive amount of mustard on the ball. He additionally must shore up his footwork.

However Callahan sees the top of the Arizona recreation as a “nice step” ahead. 

“I feel it exhibits what he is able to,” Callahan mentioned. “That is an enormous second, I feel, for his improvement as a younger participant. And now, the secret’s … how can we do this from the beginning of the sport? How can we play with that kind of effectivity and that kind of precision from the primary quarter to the fourth quarter and see what we appear like then?

“There’s nonetheless issues that had been corrected in teaching,” he added, “however I feel it clicked for him a bit bit the second half. … Hopefully, that results in beginning off the sport with that kind of similar mentality and with the ability to discover these issues and transfer the staff down the sphere a bit extra constantly than now we have over the primary month of the season. So, hopefully the development is speedy.”

Jaxson Dart

Ralph Vacchiano: Within the aftermath of the Giants’ inexcusable loss to the Saints final Sunday, rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart went across the locker room and personally apologized to his teammates. He took the blame and promised he’d do higher — precisely what a very good chief ought to do.

The Giants are going to wish extra out of their franchise quarterback than that, although. He is placing on a courageous face within the face of his first adversity, however Dart’s play must rapidly enhance. And it received’t be simple, with No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers out for the season and No. 3 receiver Darius Slayton battling accidents.

“[Nabers] was the whole lot to that offense,” an NFC scout advised me. “He doesn’t have quite a lot of harmful weapons with out him. Dart actually has to hold them now.”

Jaxson Dart dealt together with his first setback because the Giants’ beginning quarterback final week. (Logan Bowles/Getty Photographs)

Clearly, that received’t be simple. In his first recreation with out Nabers, Dart was 26-of-40 for 202 yards and two touchdowns towards the Saints, however he additionally threw two interceptions and fumbled as soon as. The Giants blew that recreation towards a beforehand winless staff by turning the ball over 5 occasions.

Dart wasn’t solely accountable, however he was proper to take the blame for lots of it. It took a few of the luster off his profitable first begin — an upset win over the Chargers.

Nonetheless, two begins in, and heading right into a Thursday night time house recreation towards the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants appear thrilled with what they’ve gotten from the 22-year-old quarterback. From the skin, it is likely to be too quickly to inform.

“They didn’t ask him to do so much in his first recreation (11-of-20, 111 yards), after which he tried to do an excessive amount of in his second recreation,” the scout mentioned. “Look, clearly he thinks he could make issues occur. He’s not afraid to run proper into the protection (19 carries, 109 yards). He’s not afraid to throw into protection. He’s not afraid to vary issues on the fly and direct his receivers if he thinks he could make a play.

“All that’s good, however the draw back is the turnovers you noticed in New Orleans. When younger quarterbacks begin feeling themselves and achieve their confidence, they will get reckless. That’s common. However the important thing for the Giants is to steadiness that: How do they rein him in with out fully reining him in, you already know?”

Now, after all, there may very well be much more strain on Dart to “do an excessive amount of” together with his No. 1 receiver out for the season.

“It’s a heck of a problem for [Giants coach Brian Daboll],” the scout mentioned. “[Nabers] is a tricky man for a younger quarterback to lose.”

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