Which rookie QBs had the best preseason debuts?
With three quarterbacks taken in the first four picks, the 2023 NFL Draft set the bar high in terms of expectations for rookie signal callers.
Thirteen of the 14 QBs drafted in April made their NFL debuts over the weekend (Detroit’s Hendon Hooker did not play as he’s on the non-football injury list) plus one undrafted free agent who’s been making waves since signing his NFL deal.
Below are the three best QB performances from Week 1 of the NFL preseason:
1- Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Cleveland Browns
While technically Thompson-Robinson’s NFL debut was over a week ago in the Hall of Fame Game, in which he completed 8 of 11 passes for 82 yards, a touchdown and 36 rushing yards, his performance against the Washington Commanders on Friday was even more impressive.
He completed 9 of 10 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. He only played two drives, but he got the Browns into scoring chances both times. Thompson-Robinson didn’t turn the ball over, he wasn’t sacked and he drove Cleveland 75 yards on eight plays to pull within one score in the final minute of the third quarter after trailing 17-2. It wouldn’t be surprising if Thompson-Robinson beats out Joshua Dobbs and Kellen Mond for the No. 2 job in Cleveland when it’s all said and done.
2- Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders
Sure, it was against mostly second- and third-stringers, but O’Connell’s performance against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday was near perfect. He completed 10 of his first 13 passes and led the Raiders to a 14-7 halftime lead in his first start while Jimmy Garoppolo sat out.
The fourth-round pick ended his day with 15 completions on 18 attempts for 141 yards, a touchdown, zero interceptions and just one sack. O’Connell showed good command of the Raiders’ offense, spreading the ball around to six different receivers and leading the team on scoring drives on four of their first eight possessions. Though Brian Hoyer is Vegas’ No. 2 QB for now, if O’Connell has more performances like he did Sunday, he could pass Hoyer on the depth chart pretty quickly.
3- Malik Cunningham, New England Patriots
An argument could be made that Stetson Bennett belongs in this spot, but Cunningham had just one drive in New England’s 20-9 loss to the Houston Texans to make an impression, and he did just that. The undrafted rookie out of Louisville completed 3-of-4 passes for 19 yards and ran it five times for 34 yards and a touchdown.
Cunningham came off the bench down 20-3 with 9:52 left to play and led New England on a 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive, accounting for 70 percent of the Pats’ yards on the drive and scoring their only touchdown of the game. While Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe have the No. 1 and 2 jobs locked down, Cunningham could earn himself a roster spot thanks to the NFL’s new three-quarterback rule.
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