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Rookie QBs steal the show — more takeaways from NFL Preseason Week 1

Rookie quarterbacks were the center of attention during Week 1 of the NFL preseason. Many made the most of their opportunity, giving some hope to the future of their respective franchises. Here’s what we learned about a few of them from this past weekend.

Cam Ward shows resilience: Ward’s first drive didn’t unfold very smoothly, as he threw two incompletions during a three-and-out series from the Titans’ offense. However, he bounced back nicely in the next drive, completing five of six passes for 67 yards en route to a rushing touchdown by running back Tony Pollard. Ward was pulled from the game following those two possessions.

Our Easton Freeze had this to say about Ward’s preseason debut: “We got 14 whole snaps from the new Titans starter, and they were mostly fun! After going 3-and-out on the opening drive, Ward and company marched 65 yards down the field on 11 plays for a touchdown. Ward was 5/8 for 67 yards, and his offensive line kept him clean both times he took the field. He didn’t set the world on fire, but it was exactly the kind of debut his coaches wanted to see from him. After a cold start, he bounced back and led a strong drive. Made a couple really nice throws, got away with one bad decision, and lived to fight another day.”

Tyler Shough outplays Spencer Rattler: The second-year QB Rattler got the start, but went a mediocre 7-11 passing for 53 yards in four possessions. Shough entered the game late in the first half and led the Saints to a field goal. His black eye on the day was a pick-six that he threw during the third quarter, which was a result of a poor decision. However, Shough came back on the ensuing drive and threw a 54-yard TD to wide receiver Mason Tipton. Shough finished the day 15-22 for 165 yards with one TD and one interception.

Our Adam Holt had this to say about Shough’s performance: “Shough’s first NFL outing got off to a bit of a rocky start. He threw a pick-six on a third down. It was a major mistake, and fans quickly took notice. The rookie didn’t let the turnover cloud his future decisions, though. Instead, Shough looked fairly decisive for most of his performance. There’s plenty of timer left ahead of Week 1 for New Orleans. I don’t think this quarterback competition is finished, one way or another. That being said, Shough performed better than some expected based on previous training camp reports.”

Jaxson Dart looked like the real deal: Dart was second off the bench at QB for the Giants, behind Russell Wilson and ahead of Jameis Winston. The rookie Dart looked more like a seasoned veteran, completing 12-19 passes for 159 yards and one TD, while also adding 24 yards rushing. He appears to have the jump on Winston for the No. 2 QB job, and Wilson could be on a short leash if Dart has another impressive showing next week.

Our Joe DeLeone had this to say about Dart: “My point of emphasis all week was that Dart just needed to create one to two splash plays that he could build upon for his progression. He completely blew that expectation out of the water. Overall, Dart looked the part. He remained poised in the face of pressure and flashed great accuracy and decisiveness. We shouldn’t completely overreact to one preseason game against mostly backups, but establishing confidence as a rookie is a very underrated layer of a young quarterback’s development. Hopefully, we get to see him face a team’s starter later in the preseason.”

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