Will Anderson Jr.

"I really like these. I mean, nothing can look bad when you have Will Anderson Jr. modeling them."

"Are we the Will Anderson Jr. fan?"

"Last season was an injury-ravaged calamity for the Cardinals, who finished in a four-way tie for the NFL’s worst record (3-14) but had to settle for the No. 3 pick in the draft. Former franchise quarterback Kyler Murray, among the Cardinals’ many ailing players, appeared in just five games in what turned out to be his last season with the team. The Cardinals divorced themselves from Murray and head coach Jonathan Gannon in the offseason, though general manager Monti Ossenfort survived the ax. Ossenfort hired Gannon, who flopped, but he was not in place when the Cardinals drafted Murray first overall in 2019. Thanks in part to Murray’s injuries and inconsistency, the Cardinals have gone an abysmal 15-36 during the Ossenfort era. With that in mind, owner Michael Bidwill gave Ossenfort the benefit of the doubt and kept him around to select a second head coach. While previewing the Cardinals’ offseason in late February, PFR’s Sam Robinson went into great detail on their drawn-out HC search. In the end, a month and a half after Gannon’s dismissal, Ossenfort landed on former Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. The Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay disciple also has past experience on the 49ers’ coaching staff, giving him plenty of familiarity with the NFC West. McVay’s Rams and Shanahan’s 49ers are perennial contenders, however, while the Cardinals are mired in a four-year playoff drought that is all but guaranteed to reach five in 2026. The 39-year-old LaFleur is tasked with turning the Cardinals around, but it will not happen right away in the NFL’s least forgiving division. The Rams are considered the Lombardi Trophy favorites, the 49ers should be in the mix, and the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks are aiming for a repeat. While expectations are through the roof for those teams, they could not be much lower for the Cardinals. Notable losses: Andre Baccellia, WR (released) Kelvin Beachum, T Aaron Brewer, LS Evan Brown, OL (released) Pharaoh Brown, TE Calais Campbell, DL Michael Carter, RB Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB (released) Josiah Deguara, TE Emari Demercado, RB (non-tendered) Greg Dortch, WR Matt Haack, P Darren Hall, CB Will Hernandez, G Zay Jones, WR Joshua Karty, K (released) Kyler Murray, QB (post-June 1 cut) PJ Mustipher, DT (waived) Bilal Nichols, DT (released) J.J. Russell, ILB Dalvin Tomlinson, DT (released) Jalen Thompson, S Channing Tindall, ILB Jonah Williams, RT Fresh off a Heisman Trophy-winning season at Oklahoma, Murray joined the Cardinals as their second consecutive first-round quarterback. Former GM Steve Keim took Josh Rosen 10th overall in what turned out to be a loaded QB class in 2018, but it quickly became apparent the former UCLA standout was in over his head. Keim flipped Rosen to the Dolphins shortly after he drafted Murray, paving the way for the latter to take the helm without any controversy. The Rosen choice was an obvious whiff, whereas Murray had moments of excellence in the desert. In his first few seasons, Murray won Offensive Rookie of the Year, earned two original-ballot Pro Bowl nods, and led Arizona to 11 wins and a playoff berth in 2021. Arizona was on the wrong end of a 34-11 rout against the Rams in the wild-card round, but there was optimism the Cardinals were just getting started. In handing Murray a five-year, $230.5MM extension in July 2022, the Cardinals made it clear they expected to contend for a while. Murray was going to be at the center of it. That isn’t how it worked out at all. The Cardinals went right back to the league’s basement in 2022, a four-win campaign in which Murray tore his ACL in Week 14. Keim stepped down for health reasons after the season, and Bidwill fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury. The Ossenfort-Gannon reign began without a healthy Murray, who did not make his 2023 debut until Week 10. By then, the Cardinals were 1-8. As Murray knocked off the rust, they closed the year 3-5 to wrap up a second straight four-win season. The 2024 season was more encouraging. With Murray playing his third full season and looking more like the dangerous dual threat he was before the knee injury, the Cardinals improved to 8-9 and scored 21 more points than they allowed. The arrow seemed to be pointing up for Arizona going into last year. The club even came out of the gates at 2-0, but it took three straight losses by a combined five points and never recovered. The last of those defeats, a 22-21 collapse against the lowly Titans on Oct. 5, was the final time Murray took the field as a Cardinal. He suffered a mid-foot sprain and missed the rest of the season, leaving the reins to backup Jacoby Brissett. In early November, when it looked as if Murray had an outside chance to play again, Gannon indicated Brissett would remain the Cardinals’ starter. Rumors regarding a potential Cardinals-Murray offseason split began popping up a few days later. After the speculation persisted for multiple months, it became clear the Cardinals would indeed move on from Murray. One of the Cardinals’ main offseason goals was to find a trade partner for Murray. Accomplishing that would have been much more favorable to their cap outlook than releasing him. However, Ossenfort came up empty when he shopped Murray around at the Combine in February. The exec wound up waving the white flag on a trade when he released Murray at the start of the new league year in March. The 29-year-old quickly accepted a veteran minimum offer from Minnesota, where he will start and shoot for a career renaissance. Designating Murray a post-June 1 cut leveled the Cardinals with $54.3MM in dead money; they are taking on almost all of it ($47.1MM) this year. The remaining $7.2MM in 2027 will be a relatively minor burden in comparison. Perhaps the Cardinals will have a new franchise passer by then, but they are going to ride things out with Brissett in the interim. Cardinals fans may not have an especially fond view of Murray, but the opposite is true of Campbell. The former second-rounder established himself as one of the franchise’s all-time greats from 2008-16, his first nine seasons in the league. He made five Pro Bowls and tallied 56.5 sacks in that stretch, helping him earn a place on the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. Campbell left Arizona in 2017 to sign with Jacksonville, but after dividing eight years between the Jaguars, Ravens, Falcons and Dolphins, he rejoined the Cardinals in 2025. Although it was Campbell’s age-39 season, he still had plenty to offer. While starting all 17 games and playing 45% of defensive snaps, he produced 43 tackles, 16 QB hits, nine TFLs and 6.5 sacks. Along with his prolific counting stats, the 18-year veteran impressed Pro Football Focus, which ranked him as the game’s 23rd-best interior defensive lineman out of 127 qualifiers. Campbell suggested last August that he would hang up his cleats after the season. The six-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro did mull retirement early in the offseason, but he decided on another go-around with the Ravens during the spring. Campbell may finish his career on a contending team in Baltimore, while Arizona’s already suspect defense took a hit when he exited. The good news for the Cardinals is that young linemen like 2024 first-rounder Darius Robinson and ’25 first-rounder Walter Nolen could not have had a better mentor than Campbell, a revered on- and off-field presence. In addition to waving goodbye to Campbell, the Cardinals’ defense saw another key starter in Thompson depart in free agency. Thompson began in Arizona as a fifth-round pick in the 2019 supplemental draft. The league has not held a supplemental draft since (to the chagrin of Brendan Sorsby, no doubt), but the Cardinals and Thompson benefited from it seven years ago. He eventually climbed to a full-time starting role in Arizona, where he paired with Budda Baker to make up a formidable safety duo. Although Thompson started in all 77 appearances over the past four seasons, the Cardinals allowed him to test the market. He went on to score a three-year, $36MM deal with the Cowboys. As we’ll touch on below, the Cardinals did not commit anywhere near that much money to safeties following Thompson’s exit. Free agency additions: Isaac Seumalo, LG: Three years, $31.5MM ($15MM guaranteed) Tyler Allgeier, RB: Two years, $12.25MM ($8MM guaranteed) Kendrick Bourne, WR: Two years, $10MM ($6.5MM guaranteed) Roy Lopez, DT: Two years, $10.5MM ($6MM guaranteed) Gardner Minshew, QB: One year, $5.75MM ($5.14MM guaranteed) Jack Gibbens, LB: Two years, $7.5MM ($3.75MM guaranteed) Elijah Wilkinson, T: Two years, $6.25MM ($3.08MM guaranteed) Andrew Wingard, S: One year, $3MM ($1.85MM guaranteed) Casey Kreiter, LS: One year, $1.49MM ($1.26MM guaranteed) Andrew Billings, DL: One year, $2.5MM ($700K guaranteed) Devin Duvernay, WR: One year, $1.85MM ($550K guaranteed) Oli Udoh, OL: One year, $1.4MM ($350K guaranteed) Isaiah Oliver, S: One year, $1.49MM ($287,500 guaranteed) Matt Pryor, OL: One year, $1.49MM ($187,500 guaranteed) Jonah Williams, DL: One year, $1.4MM ($187,500 guaranteed) Teagan Quitoriano, TE: One year, $1.24MM After dividing his first 10 years between the league’s two Pennsylvania teams, Seumalo became the Cardinals’ richest free agent signing in the offseason. An Eagle for seven years and a Steeler for three, Seumalo has been a full-time starter since his fourth season. Injuries have dogged the 310-pounder for a large portion of his career, though he has been effective when healthy. Over 14 starts with the Steelers last year, Seumalo played 770 left guard snaps and did not take a single penalty. Seumalo earned strong overall marks from PFF, which ranked him as the league’s 15th-best guard out of 79 qualifiers. The Seumalo pickup immediately made prior LG starter Evan Brown expendable to Arizona, which released him and saved $4.91MM in cap space. Wilkinson, previously a Cardinal from 2023-24, is back to join Seumalo as one of their new starters up front. Also a former Bronco, Bear and Falcon, Wilkinson was primarily a backup over his first eight seasons. That unexpectedly changed last year in Atlanta, where he was pressed into action after right tackle Kaleb McGary and backup Storm Norton went down with severe injuries during the summer. Along with starting every one of the Falcons’ games at right tackle in 2025, Wilkinson played all 1,096 of their offensive snaps. While PFF ranked Wilkinson’s play an underwhelming 53rd among 84 qualified tackles, he could provide some needed RT stability for Arizona if he stays healthy again in 2026. Prior starter Jonah Williams combined for 19 absences from 2024-25. Williams has gone unsigned since he became a free agent five-plus months ago. Wilkinson blocked for the 225-pound Allgeier last year, the running back’s fourth and final season in Atlanta. Allgeier rushed 210 times for 1,035 yards (4.9 per attempt) as a fifth-round rookie in 2022, but then the Falcons selected Bijan Robinson eighth overall in the ensuing draft. While Allgeier still managed 186 carries in Robinson’s rookie year, he averaged just 140 from 2024-25. Likely expecting more action in Arizona, Allgeier parlayed a career 4.3 YPC and 18 TDs into a raise with the Cardinals. He initially looked as if he would start ahead of James Conner and Trey Benson. A lot has changed in the Cardinals’ backfield since then. As we’ll touch on at length later, the Cardinals spent the No. 3 overall pick on Jeremiyah Love several weeks after signing Allgeier. That quickly put Allgeier in an almost identical situation to the one he left in Atlanta. Meanwhile, Conner is still recovering from the season-ending ankle injury he incurred last September, and Benson is in roster limbo. The Cardinals waived him with an injury designation Monday. The Murray-less Cardinals already had a prototypical veteran stopgap QB in Brissett, but they nonetheless sought another on Day 1 of the legal negotiating period. LaFleur initially targeted Jimmy Garoppolo, whom he coached in San Francisco and Los Angeles, but negotiations fell apart. Arizona then made a successful pivot to the 30-year-old Minshew, who has been up and down across a 47-start, five-team career. He is now backing up Brissett, but as we will explore below, the Minshew signing had unexpected consequences for the Cardinals. Brissett has a new target in Bourne, a 2017 UDFA who played his first four seasons in San Francisco. Bourne worked closely during that period with LaFleur, then the 49ers’ pass-game coordinator and WRs coach. With LaFleur’s help, Bourne developed into a useful complementary receiver in the pros. Returning to San Francisco last season after four years in New England, Bourne hauled in 37 passes for 551 yards (14.9) over 16 games and eight starts. Despite failing to find the end zone last season, the 6-1, 205-pounder has averaged three TDs per 17 games during his career. Depending on how often Brissett targets Love, Bourne will be the Cardinals’ fourth option in the passing game at best. All-world tight end Trey McBride and the receiver duo of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson are firmly ahead of Bourne. In need of a nose tackle after releasing Tomlinson in early March, the Cardinals pounced on Lopez when the market opened. The 312-pound Lopez, a Tempe native who played for the Cardinals from 2023-24, started in all 16 of his appearances in Arizona two years ago. Lopez went to Detroit last season for a $4.65MM payday, which ended up a good value signing for the club. He did not make any starts, but he played 17 games and chipped in personal bests in QB hits (five) and sacks (two). PFF liked Lopez’s work, grading him 18th at his position against the run and 33rd overall. If that continues, Lopez should boost a defense that gave up the league’s eighth-most rushing yards last season. Wingard spent his first seven years in Jacksonville, where he mostly worked as a backup. But the 29-year-old enjoyed more responsibilities last season under then-rookie defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, who deployed him as a full-time starter. While playing 16 games and leading Jaguars defensive backs with an 87.68% snap share, Wingard made 84 tackles, set a career high with nine pass breakups and pulled in one INT. He finished far below Thompson in PFF’s positional rankings (69th to 33rd), but Wingard earned the outlet’s 11th-best grade among safeties as a run defender. Notably, no team allowed fewer rushing yards than the Jaguars. In addition to helping limit opposing ground games, Wingard showed versatility in racking up 566 snaps at free safety, 276 as a box safety and 98 in the slot. Thompson spent even more time at all of those spots last season, but the Cardinals may have found a passable replacement at a much cheaper price. They will rely on Wingard and third-year man Dadrion Taylor-Demerson to fill Thompson’s void. Re-signings: Simi Fehoko, WR: One year, $1.4MM ($1.26MM guaranteed) L.J. Collier, DE: One year, $2MM ($750K guaranteed) Chad Ryland, K: One year, $1.85MM ($475K guaranteed) Blake Gillikin, P: One year, $1.91MM ($450K guaranteed) Starling Thomas, CB: One year, $1.48MM ($325K guaranteed) Zonovan Knight, RB: One year, $1.2MM ($25K guaranteed) Extensions and restructures: Revised QB Jacoby Brissett‘s deal, raising his base salary from $4.88MM to $15.5MM Agreed to two-year, $20MM extension with C Hjalte Froholdt RB James Conner, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting accepted pay cuts, freeing up $9.5MM in cap space In a move that created a headache the Cardinals did not foresee, they gave Minshew an almost fully guaranteed one-year contract to back up Brissett. It did not sit well with Brissett, who was owed significantly less guaranteed money ($1.5MM) than his subordinate. Minshew barely played last season in Kansas City, whereas Brissett started in all 12 of the Cardinals’ games after Murray went down. On a mission for a raise after the Minshew signing, Brissett stayed away from the Cardinals throughout the spring. However, during the months-long standoff, the Cardinals made Brissett aware they continued to view him as their starter. That probably gave Brissett leverage in talks, despite the fact that he went 1-11 as a starter last season. In Brissett’s defense, his production (64.9% completion rate, 23 TDs against eight INTs, 94.1 rating, etc.) suggests he deserved better than the awful record his hole-filled team mustered. Around three months into his impasse with the Cardinals, Brissett reported to mandatory minicamp in early June. Doing so prevented the team from fining Brissett, who only participated in individual drills. The two sides remained far apart in negotiations as training camp got underway in late July, but in a clear sign of progress, Brissett chose not to stage a hold-in. A couple days into camp, the Cardinals finally stopped holding out on a raise. They bumped Brissett’s salary by $10.62MM and guaranteed all $15.5MM, making it clear he is above Minshew in their QB hierarchy. Froholdt has now signed three two-year deals with the Cardinals, who added the former Patriot and Brown in 2023. The Danish-born lineman was a 17-game starter in his first season with the Cardinals, and he impressed the team enough to earn a two-year, $12MM extension heading into 2024. He remained a full-time presence at center in 2024-25 for the Cards, who awarded him a raise on Tuesday. PFF has ranked Froholdt anywhere from seventh to 19th among centers in his three years as a Cardinal. The outlet placed him a respectable 14th last year, when he led the Cardinals with a 98.77% offensive snap share. He is now in line to continue as the Cards’ No. 1 center through 2028. Arizona’s Week 1 starting running back in four straight years — after complementing Chase Edmonds to open his first Cardinals campaign — Conner saw the Cards create a deep RB group this spring via the Allgeier and Love additions. Prior to those signings, Conner agreed to stay in Arizona for a sixth season by reducing his 2026 compensation to $3MM ($2.1MM guaranteed). Entering the offseason tied to the two-year, $19MM extension he signed during the 2024 season, Conner saw his 2026 cap number drop from $9.83MM to $4.83MM via the pay cut. This came after he missed 14 games last season. The ex-Steelers third-rounder, however, had eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in 2023 and ’24; he also scored 18 touchdowns in his 2021 Cards debut. This could end up being the 10th-year veteran’s Arizona finale, as the team grabbed the top skill-position prospect available in this year’s draft. Draft: Round 1, No. 3: Jeremiyah Love (RB, Notre Dame) (signed) Round 2, No. 34: Chase Bisontis (G, Texas A&M) (signed) Round 3, No. 65: Carson Beck (QB, Miami) (signed) Round 4, No. 104: Kaleb Proctor (DT, Southeastern Louisiana) (signed) Round 5, No. 143: Reggie Virgil (WR, Texas Tech) (signed) Round 6, No. 183: Karson Sharar (LB, Iowa) (signed) Round 7, No. 217: Jayden Williams (T, Ole Miss) (signed) This class is off to a rough start from an injury standpoint. The Cardinals received terrible news on Bisontis, a premium pick who will miss his rookie season after tearing his MCL in their second preseason game. While Bisontis was behind Isaiah Adams on the Cardinals’ unofficial right guard depth chart, it would not have been a surprise to see the rookie crack the starting lineup at some point. Assuming Bisontis’ rehab goes well, he should be the favorite to start in 2027, but that’s of little solace to the 22-year-old or his team right now. As is the case with Bisontis, Proctor will not factor in this year. The 6-2, 291-pounder tore his meniscus during OTAs. Although LaFleur was not ready to rule him out for 2026 at the time, that changed when the Cardinals put Proctor on IR in July. Proctor may not have played a major role this season, but he at least would have gotten work as a rotational piece. Love and Beck, the highest-profile members of the Cards’ draft haul, also aren’t at full strength. Fortunately for Arizona, neither injury looks like a long-term problem. Love suffered a high ankle sprain in his preseason debut, but the Cardinals are hopeful he will be ready for their season opener against the Chargers on Sept. 13. Beck got off to a promising start in the Cardinals’ Hall of Fame game matchup with the Panthers on Aug. 6, though a rib injury marred his night. After missing the Cardinals’ past two preseason games, he remains limited in practice. Relatively minor injury aside, the much-hyped Love looked the part of a top-five pick in his pro debut versus the Raiders. The former Notre Dame star accounted for 72 total yards, including 58 on the ground, on 14 touches. Love averaged over 5.0 yards per carry, a rate the Cardinals should expect him to consistently approach or reach after they made him the league’s highest-drafted back in eight years. Not only that, but Love became just the fourth RB of the 2000s to go in the top five, joining Ronnie Brown (No. 2 overall, 2005), Reggie Bush (No. 2, 2006) and Saquon Barkley (No. 2, 2018). There is no doubt the Cardinals landed an uber-prospect in Love, who was borderline unstoppable as a two-year college starter. Both Dane Brugler of The Athletic and Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com rated the 6-foot, 212-pound dual threat as the second-best player in the 2026 class. Nevertheless, it is fair to wonder if the Cardinals took the responsible path in the first round. Running back was not a glaring need for the Cardinals, whereas edge defender and right tackle stood out as a couple of obvious question marks (and still do). The Cardinals could have stayed put and drafted ex-Ohio State edge rusher/linebacker Arvell Reese, who was on their pre-draft radar, or perhaps traded down a few spots and come away with O-line help. Former Miami lineman Francis Mauigoa, a popular mock draft target for the Cardinals, probably would have been a plug-and-play RT starter in Arizona. The versatile Mauigoa instead went 10th overall to the Giants, who will use him as a starting right guard. While it is debatable whether Love was a luxury pick, it is inarguable the rebuilding Cardinals put themselves in a less-than-ideal situation with regards to contract value. The rookie wage scale, which dictates draftees’ deals, locked in a guaranteed $53.9MM for the third overall pick. Consequently, Love became the top-paid RB in the league before he ever played a down. Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and De’Von Achane have since signed extensions and gone by Love in total value, but the rookie easily paces the position in guarantees. Conversely, had Reese gone third overall, he would have been far down the pecking order among edge defenders. Reese instead went two picks later to the Giants, who may get more bang for their buck from both he and Mauigoa than the Cardinals will from Love. The hope in Arizona is that Love and the rest of its offensive weapons will eventually team with a franchise signal-caller. The Cardinals were not in position to find one with their first pick this year, as the off-the-board Fernando Mendoza (No. 1 overall, Raiders) was considered the only QB worthy of a top-10 selection in this class. Ty Simpson was the consensus second-ranked player available at the position, but two weeks before the draft, there were questions as to whether he would fall out of the first round. The Cardinals did their due diligence on Simpson in the lead-up to the draft. Vegas even pegged them as the favorites to choose the Alabama QB prospect, but the rival Rams stamped out that possibility when they snagged the one-year Alabama starter at No. 13. The win-now Rams drafting Simpson in the first round, let alone at No. 13, came as a shock. The Rams had an offer to move down to No. 17 in a trade with the Lions, and they still might have gotten Simpson had they accepted it. However, they reportedly rebuffed Detroit amid fears the the Cardinals would trade back into Round 1, leapfrog them and nab Simpson. The Cardinals’ second pick didn’t come until No. 34, meaning they would have had to put together an expensive package to vault into the middle of the first round. Whether or not the Cardinals coveted Simpson, his arrival in the NFC West could have long-term ramifications. If he develops properly as a backup and turns into a legitimate starter in the next couple of years, the post-Matthew Stafford Rams should continue to roll. But if GM Les Snead‘s polarizing Simpson gamble flops, the Rams would finally take steps backward. The Cardinals can only hope. Fifty-two picks after commissioner Roger Goodell called Simpson’s name, the Cardinals tabbed Beck as a worthwhile developmental passer. Beck, part of a shallow QB class, was the first signal-caller taken after Simpson. Beck began his long college career at Georgia and sat behind Stetson Bennett, another of the Rams’ current backups, on two straight national title-winning teams from 2021-22. After Bennett’s exit, Beck took charge and held the job until he suffered a season-ending elbow injury in their SEC championship game win over Texas in 2024. Shortly after undergoing surgery, Beck declared for the draft, but a change of heart and a truckload of NIL money convinced him to stay in school for another year. He transferred from Georgia to Miami, which reportedly paid him upward of $4MM, and started all 16 games in 2025. Beck & Co. made it all the way to the national championship game, but they lost a 27-21 nail-biter to Mendoza-led Indiana. The Hurricanes had a chance to tie or go ahead late, but Beck threw a game-sealing pick with 44 seconds left. All told, the 6-4, 233-pound Beck combined for 43 starts with the Bulldogs and Hurricanes from 2023-25. Even though he entered the league as a battle-tested prospect, the soon-to-be 25-year-old was never going to start for the Cardinals right away. He is unlikely to ever rise above backup or spot starter status in the pros, Brugler contends. That may end up being the case, but it would behoove the Cardinals to get a look at Beck in regular-season games this year. Odds are the team will fall out of the race somewhat early, which could set Beck up to make at least a few starts. Other: Exercised $19.07MM fifth-year option for LT Paris Johnson Jr. Cardinals, WR Michael Wilson have discussed extension; deal not imminent OLB Josh Sweat has drawn trade interest; Cardinals not planning trade Director of college scouting Ryan Gold suspended for violating NFL’s gambling policy G Isaiah Adams arrested on gun charges Signed seven UDFAs Claimed DT Cam Horsley (Titans), RB Evan Hull (Texans) off waivers Ossenfort went into his first draft in 2023 holding the third overall pick. After making two trades — one positioned the Texans to draft Will Anderson Jr.; the other enabled the Lions to grab Gibbs and Sam LaPorta — Ossenfort made his first selection at No. 6. He chose Johnson, who has been a full-time starter from the get-go. Johnson, who spent his rookie year at right tackle, moved to the blind side in 2024. The 6-6, 325-pounder has held his own there, leading the Cardinals to pick up his option for 2027, though injuries limited him to 26 of a possible 34 games over the past two seasons. Johnson suffered what proved to be a season-ending PCL sprain last year in Week 14, at which point he was leading NFC tackles in Pro Bowl fan voting. Had Johnson gotten in on the original ballot, the cost of his option would have climbed over $24MM. Instead, he missed out entirely and may have lost a chance at an extra $5MM. While $5MM is a hefty chunk of change, it is miles from what it will cost to lock up the extension-eligible Johnson on a long-term deal. Johnson raised eyebrows in June when he expressed a desire to earn $40MM per season. Considering the Commanders’ Laremy Tunsil ($30.1MM) is the lone tackle averaging at least $30MM, Johnson is highly unlikely to break into the 40s. He seems to realize as much. When discussing his future in early July, Johnson acknowledged the “tackle market usually goes up by about one million over the next guy, and that’s just what it is … But my mindset is that elite guys who are rushing the quarterback — that’s what the market is for them. And I believe it takes an equivalent-level player to shut that guy down. So I’m not going out there thinking, ‘Pay me $28MM or $28.5MM.’” The option gives the Cardinals extra time to work something out with Johnson, but they do not have the same luxury with Wilson. Another member of Ossenfort’s first draft class, the former third-rounder is now in a contract year after an eye-opening 2025 effort. Wilson combined for 75 catches, 1,113 yards and seven TDs over 29 games from 2023-24 but went off for 78 receptions, 1,006 yards and seven scores last year. The quarterback switch did wonders for Wilson. In Murray’s five starts, Wilson caught just eight of 18 targets for 82 yards. A drastic turnaround ensued under Brissett, who targeted Wilson between 10 and 18 times in five games. Wilson thrice recorded double-digit catches and 100-plus yards, including a 15-reception, 185-yard extravaganza in a Week 11 loss to the 49ers. Suffice to say, he is likely pleased Brissett settled his contract dispute with the team. Wilson’s breakout came under a different offensive staff — 2025 OC Drew Petzing and receivers coach Drew Terrell are gone — but the wideout said during the spring that he is “excited every day to come to work” with LaFleur. He later expressed interest in playing his entire career with the Cardinals, while Ossenfort said “there’s no question” he wants Wilson around for the long haul. An extension still has not materialized. Perhaps the Cardinals and Wilson will find common ground, though it is possible the team is hesitant to hand out a substantial payday to someone who may only be the third option in its passing game. The well-compensated McBride is the lead dog, and the Cardinals continue to hold out hope Harrison will turn into the superstar he was billed as coming out of Ohio State. Ossenfort used the 2024 fourth overall pick on Harrison, then regarded as a can’t-miss prospect. Harrison put up a solid 62 catches, 885 yards and eight TDs during a 17-game rookie campaign, but appendicitis, a concussion and foot/heel injuries held him to 12 games in 2025. A hobbled Harrison was unable to make a Year 2 leap. Wilson’s most productive showings happened to come when Harrison was unable to play. If Harrison stays healthy this season, and if Love contributes as a receiving back to a notable degree, Wilson may not approach the 126 targets he got last year. Those are factors Ossenfort is surely considering as he weighs an extension for Wilson. He also has to think about a potential extension for Harrison, who will be eligible next offseason. On the other side of the ball, Ossenfort has to figure out what (if anything) to do with Sweat. Gannon was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator from 2021-22, Sweat’s first two seasons as a full-time starter. Sweat earned his sole Pro Bowl nod in that span and collected 36 QB hits, 22 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks over 32 games. Gannon then left to take the Cardinals’ HC job, but Sweat reunited with him and former Eagles LBs coach/current Cardinals DC Nick Rallis a couple years later. A few weeks after Sweat’s 2.5-sack performance in a blowout of the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, he left the Eagles for the Cardinals’ four-year, $76MM offer. Although Arizona was a bottom-feeding team in Year 1 of Sweat’s contract, he was a rare bright spot. Sweat played a full season and registered career highs in sacks (12) and forced fumbles (four), also adding 13 tackles for loss. He finished in the top 15 in the league in those departments and 30th in pressures (47), per PFF. With the price tag for high-end pass rushers continuing to increase, Sweat’s deal looks more reasonable by the day. He will play this year on an affordable base salary of $9.78MM, all of which is guaranteed, but there are no guarantees remaining after the season. While there is an argument the Cardinals should sell high on the 29-year-old, Ossenfort has turned away suitors in recent months. If Sweat is healthy in advance of the Nov. 10 trade deadline, Ossenfort will likely continue to receive phone calls from contenders in need of a pass-rushing boost. We’ll see if he is more open-minded toward moving Sweat then. Sweat has mostly lurked in the background as trade rumors have swirled around him. He skipped voluntary OTAs and did not participate in on-field work in mandatory minicamp, leading to speculation that he wanted out. When the Cardinals reported to training camp on July 22, they placed Sweat on the active/PUP list because of a knee injury. They finally activated Sweat on Monday, which should give him ample time to gear up for Week 1. Turning to troubling off-field matters, Gold’s long-running Cardinals tenure and career in the NFL may be over. In mid-July, the league hit the 13th-year Cardinals employee with an indefinite suspension for violating its gambling policy. At the time, he was just two-plus months removed from his first draft as the Cardinals’ director of college scouting. Gold has been accused of of leaking inside info regarding the Cardinals’ draft picks and making parlay wagers on NFL and college games. He has vehemently denied wrongdoing and is appealing the suspension. Updating the situation on Aug. 21, ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss reported the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has launched an investigation into Gold’s alleged gambling activity. The Arizona Department of Gaming’s investigation is also still in progress. Gold’s appeal hearing with the league is scheduled for Sept. 23. Adams was arrested in his native Canada in July on four weapons charges. The 26-year-old is facing charges of possession of a firearm obtained by crime, possession of a restricted/prohibited firearm without a license, possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a prohibited device. The league could discipline Adams at some point, but he otherwise appears to have a firm hold on the starting RG job in the wake of Bisontis’ injury. Adams, a 2024 third-rounder, started five of 15 games as a rookie and 11 of 17 last season. Top 10 cap charges for 2026: Budda Baker, S: $19.22MM Josh Sweat, OLB: $16.39MM Jacoby Brissett, QB: $10.37MM Marvin Harrison Jr., WR: $9.65MM Jeremiyah Love, RB: $9.64MM Baron Browning, LB: $9.42MM Paris Johnson Jr., LT: $8.93MM Trey McBride, TE: $8.7MM Hjalte Froholdt, C: $6.96MM Isaac Seumalo, LG: $6.85MM Adding Love to an offense that already included McBride, Harrison and Wilson should make the Cardinals more fun to watch, but this remains a deeply flawed team that will struggle to win games. Having to face the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers six times further stacks the deck against the Cardinals, whose over/under win total (3.5) is tied with the talent-deprived Dolphins for the lowest in football. The Cardinals may be in position to pick a potential franchise QB if they end up near the top of the 2027 draft, but it is fair to wonder if Ossenfort will still be in place then. He has already overseen two seasons of at least 13 losses. Bidwill’s patience could run out if the Cardinals are similarly noncompetitive this year."

"Brian BurkeCloseBrian BurkeESPN Analytics Senior Analytics Specialist at ESPN Former consultant to NFL teams Pioneer of football analytics and Seth WalderCloseSeth WalderESPN AnalyticsSeth Walder is an analytics writer at ESPN, specializing in quantitative analysis. He is also a regular on "ESPN Bet Live" and helps cover sports betting. Seth has been at ESPN since 2017. He previously worked at the New York Daily News covering the Jets and Giants. You can follow Seth on X via @SethWalder.Multiple AuthorsAug 22, 2026, 06:30 AM ETEight years after ESPN first launched its pass block and pass rush win rate statistics, they are both getting an upgrade.Win rates held up well considering they were the first NFL player-tracking metrics that ESPN created. But we've learned a lot -- and watched a ton of Micah Parsons pass-rush wins -- in the interim and have now implemented a bit of a facelift entering the 2026 NFL season. The result? Significant improvement in stability and reliability.ESPN sports data scientist Brian Burke explained the changes that we've made below, and analytics writer Seth Walder outlined five storylines that have surfaced with the tweaks.Jump to: Changes | StorylinesBurke: What's different?The metrics generally work the same as they always have. They treat the pass rush and protection with a weak-link survival systems approach. The survival aspect means time is an essential factor -- winning a block at 2.0 seconds is very different than at 4.0 seconds. The "weak-link" aspect applies to the team/unit level, meaning any single pass-block loss on a play triggers a loss for the entire unit. After all, it really doesn't matter if there are four solid blocks and one failed block -- it only takes a single successful pass rusher to dramatically affect a play.A rusher generally triggers a win when his tracking chips are closer to the QB than those of his blocker(s). Win rates track the blocks throughout the duration of the play, creating a survival curve for any player or unit. For simplicity, we made 2.5 seconds after the snap the baseline for win rates, a reasonably representative single number that's easier to communicate than full curves at each time step. Think of win rates as a batting average for linemen.The most notable addition this season is the inclusion of a "bull rush win," when a defender pushes his blocker close enough to the QB to affect his vision or ability to step up, or forces him out of the pocket. The pass rusher might not get his tracking chips past his blocker's chips, but he successfully disrupted the play. We are confident that our definition of a bull rush win is useful. Just like for the legacy "chips past your blockers by 2.5 seconds" rule, plays with a bull win have a dramatically lower completion percentage, yards per attempt and EPA per play.In addition to bull rushes, we've made other improvements, such as fixing false positives from outside speed rushes when the rusher is never really a threat to the pocket, therefore refining the way blocks are defined and identified. These improvements have resulted in solid increases in year-over-year reliability. To the degree any metric measures personal skill, you would expect it to correlate with any single player from one year to the next. Reliability correlations increased from 0.53 for the legacy metrics to 0.59 for the new formulation. These are solid numbers as far as sports metrics go -- for context, MLB batting averages have between 0.4 to 0.5 year-to-year reliability.The legacy win rates correlated with EPA per play at 0.24, meaning that the metrics could account for about a quarter of the outcome of any play. The new version correlates at 0.34, accounting for about a third of the play outcome. This is a substantial amount, given everything else that affects a pass play -- including the QB, receivers and pass coverage, not to mention old-fashioned sample error.Win rate correlation with EPA also compares favorably to competing benchmark metrics. It's important to note that win rates do not see the outcome of the play by design. They can't cheat and know whether there was a sack or if the QB escaped pressure to throw a heroic touchdown. They're intended to isolate individual line play from everything else that's happening.The new formulation also addresses some past criticisms of win rates. They now identify chip blocks, both in terms of which pass rushers get chipped the most and which tackles get the most chip help. They also classify defensive stunts such as twists and simulated pressure. While we don't adjust the core win rate metrics for these factors, we will report them alongside the metrics the same way we've done with double-teams.Walder: Five win rate storylines to watch1. Nick Herbig is still good in PRWR ... but no longer eliteHerbig has fascinated me for years because of his pass rush win rate prowess (26.3% in 2025, No. 1 in the NFL) combined with the Steelers' apparent hesitation to play him more. Part of the disconnect is that Herbig perhaps benefited disproportionately from the weak points of the old pass rush win rates metric -- high outside speed rushes when a defender gets too vertical to the point where he's not a threat to the quarterback even if he passes his blocker.The removal of these wins dropped Herbig's pass rush win rate at edge more than any other player. In the updated metric, Herbig's pass rush win rate at edge is 14.3% -- 14th best at the position. That's above average and well worth the big contract the Steelers gave him this offseason. But it is not elite territory; he's no longer competing with Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons at the top of the board. Broncos edge Nik Bonitto, meanwhile, dropped from third (23.5%) to 10th (15.4%) at the position in the new version.What about in the other direction? Some big gainers included free agent Joey Bosa, the Lions' Aidan Hutchinson and the Commanders' Odafe Oweh -- who each ranked in the top five in pass rush win rate at edge last season. The most surprising is Bosa, a 31-year-old former star. What changed for him? More than anything else, the metric's improved requirements about proximity to the quarterback shifted several of his previously designated losses into wins. Check out the top 10 at both edge and defensive tackle:2. Who won the most with bull rushes?Bull rush wins were undercounted before, which has been corrected in the updated version. So, we can now see the value of power rushing more clearly.Bull rush wins are much more rare than traditional get-past-your-blocker pass-rush wins, and they're actually more valuable. The chance of a sack on a play featuring a bull rush win increases by eight percentage points (compared to six for all pass-rush wins). Even when the defense doesn't get home, the effect is large. Offenses average 6.3 yards per pass attempt on plays without a bull rush win to 5.0 with one.So, which players stand out for their bull-rushing ability? No one had more bull rush wins than Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams' 18 last season, followed by Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons' 16. Both players' overall pass rush win rate at defensive tackle increased with the change in the formula.Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill recorded the highest bull rush win rate -- as in, bull rush wins per pass rush -- among players with at least 200 pass rushes.3. Who was chipped the most?No player was chipped more often last season than Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt, who was chipped on 24.2% of his pass rushes -- well ahead of the Rams' Myles Garrett, who finished second at 21.9%. They were followed by Browns edge Alex Wright (21.4%), Texans edge Will Anderson Jr. (20.9%) and Cowboys edge Rashan Gary (20.2%).But does that explain Watt's down 2025, when his 10.1% pass rush win rate at edge ranked only 33rd? Not quite. Because when we look at percentage of plays when edge rushers were chipped or double-teamed, Watt no longer stands out, finishing 12th among edges (36.6%). Parsons easily commanded the most attention when combining the two, getting chipped or doubled on 54.0% of pass rushes, with Garrett finishing second at 46.1%. Parsons and Garrett ended up finishing first and fifth, respectively, in pass rush win rate at edge, well ahead of Watt.4. Which offensive linemen get the most chip help? And which blockers moved the most in the rankings?The chip rankings are pretty telling in terms of what NFL teams think of their tackles. The players who received the least amount of chip blocking help last season were Taylor Moton (Panthers), Dion Dawkins (Bills), Jordan Mailata (Eagles), Tristan Wirfs (Buccaneers) and Jermaine Eluemunor (Giants). The first four are high-caliber tackles, and Eluemunor landed a decent payday to remain with New York this offseason.The bottom of the rankings tells a different story. Justin Skule (Buccaneers), Charlie Heck (Dolphins), Ozzy Trapilo (Bears), Vederian Lowe (49ers) and Olisaemeka Udoh (Cardinals) received help at the highest rate among tackles. Of that group, only Trapilo managed a 90% pass block win rate or better, but he was also a rookie, which might explain the increased help.As for big movers in the rankings, Abraham Lucas (Seahawks) and Trey Pipkins III (Chargers) are both viewed much more favorably now, while Darnell Wright (Bears) and Spencer Brown (Bills) dropped substantially. Check out the top 10 at offensive tackle, guard and center:5. Which team ran twists and stunts the most?The Rams -- by a lot. Los Angeles ran twists or stunts on 47% of opponent pass plays, while no other team cleared 38%. But did it work for Los Angeles? It doesn't really look like it.The Rams sacked their opponents substantially less often while running a stunt or twist (5.8% vs. 8.6%), and they allowed virtually identical yards per pass attempt when opponents did get the ball out. They did force interceptions at a much higher rate (3.7% vs. 2.1%), though that could possibly be noise.The Jaguars, who ran stunts and twists at the second-highest rate, had a 3.3% sack rate without twists or stunts but 6.3% with them."

"Rookie wideout De'Zhaun Stribling continues his historic preseason run for San Francisco, while Geno Smith shines in his return to New York Aug 21, 2026 at 11:44 pm ET • 9 min read The second week of the NFL preseason is underway with five games in the books entering the weekend. Preseason football is like a box of chocolates as Forrest Gump would say, "You never know what you're going to get." That's because some squads have their starters chained to the bench, some play minimal snaps and some could receive as much of a half of work. Observing who could emerge as a real contributor from the chaos that is preseason football is tricky given the varying degrees of skill levels on the field all at the same time, but it's possible to identify who maximized their opportunity and who would like a do-over. Let's kick off the weekend by identifying the winners and losers of Week 2 of the 2026 preseason.Winners De'Zaun Stribling San Francisco 49ers 2026 second-round pick wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling, the rookie 33rd overall pick out of Ole Miss, is THE breakout star of the preseason this year. After catching four of his five targets for 46 yards receiving on Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers, Stribling is now up to 11 catches for 109 yards receiving on 13 targets. That makes Stribling the first player since at least 2017 to produce at least 11 catches combined within the first 20 minutes of two consecutive preseason games, per CBS Sports Research. Many preseason All-Stars don't end up contributing much outside of special teams for their respective squads, but it's safe to say Stribling will have a place on head coach Kyle Shanahan's play call sheet early this regular season. That's especially true when factoring in how snake-bitten by injury San Francisco is at the position. The Houston Texans defenseNo, Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Derek Stingley Jr. and the rest of the starters from the NFL's No. 1 total defense (277.2 total yards per game allowed) in 2025 weren't on the field Thursday night, but the Houston Texans' ferocious tenacity on defense certainly was. They bullied Las Vegas Raiders first overall pick rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the first half, generating an 80-yard pick-six by fourth-round rookie linebacker Wade Woodaz and an 11-yard sack by second-round rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald. Seeing McDonald flash pass rush chops like this should send shivers down the spines of offensive coordinators all around the league. If there was an area Houston needed to shore up on their defense, it was defensive tackle, and they were able to do so by drafting McDonald, the 2026 NFL Draft's top defensive tackle prospect in the eyes of many, including yours truly. McDonald, who is listed at 6-foot-3-inches tall while weighing 326 pounds, was more of a run stuffer than a pass rusher in college at Ohio State, but if he can find his groove early on when tasked to get after the quarterback, Houston's defense could be a much greater problem for the rest of the league. Jermod McCoy Tennessee All-SEC cornerback Jermod McCoy profiled as a likely first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft until the medicals surrounding his knee scared teams away. McCoy did suffer a torn ACL in January of 2025, but fears about inflammation and arthritis in his knee caused him to tumble all the way down to being the 101st overall pick and a fourth-round draft choice. In the Raiders' 22-20 preseason victory over the Texans on Thursday, McCoy appeared to be moving well and in phase with opposing wide receivers when tasked with dropping back into man coverage. Perhaps he can end up becoming the best value pick of the 2026 rookie draft class if given the opportunity to receive snaps with Las Vegas' starting defense. Geno SmithOutside of Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, perhaps no other quarterback had a more depressing 2025 season than Geno Smith. The two-time Pro Bowler led the NFL in both sacks taken (55) and interceptions thrown (17) last season while attempting to pilot then-offensive coordinator Chip Kelly's scheme with the Las Vegas Raiders. Those statistics made Smith just the sixth quarterback since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to lead the NFL in both sacks and interceptions in the same season. Kelly had to trudge back down to the college ranks, where he is now Northwestern's offensive coordinator. Smith, a second-round pick of the New York Jets in the 2013 NFL Draft, returned to New York after the Jets acquired him and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Raiders in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. He kicked off his second stint with the Jets with a perfect drive while leading the Jets' starting lineup on the opening possession against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday before head coach Aaron Glenn decided he'd seen enough from the 35-year-old veteran quarterback to end his night. Smith completed all seven of his throws on New York's opening drive, including the 13-yard scoring strike to tight end Jelani Woods. He also connected with both of the Jets' top wide receivers, Garrett Wilson (one catch on one target for 10 yards) and Adonai Mitchell (two catches on two targets for 29 yards), to finish the night with 65 yards passing. Perhaps Smith's 2025 season was more a product of the overall ineptitude of Kelly's and Pete Caroll's offensive coaching staff. Carroll was given the boot after just one season in Las Vegas, after all. New York Jets defenseThe 2025 New York Jets became the first team in NFL history to finish a season with zero interceptions in a regular season. That dry spell unofficially ended in Week 2 of the preseason. Safety Andre Cisco jumped Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard's throw to wide receiver Roman Wilson for the takeaway. Jets cornerback Samuel Womack III, a 27-year-old journeyman, generated New York's second takeaway of the night on another interception of Howard. Safe to say New York is an exponentially better ball-hawking group than their 2025 squad. Bo NixThe last time Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was on a football field, he was fresh off breaking his ankle in an overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC divisional round. He returned to action in Week 2 of the preseason and thrived in his two drives, helping generate 10 points for Denver. Nix connected with new No. 1 target Jaylen Waddle up the seam, and the former Miami Dolphins speedster blew by Green Bay Packers All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney for a gain of 35 yards. That's the big play threat Denver sorely lacked in 2025. He then capped the drive by lofting a pinpoint pass to running back RJ Harvey on a wheel route down the right sideline for the 21-yard touchdown toss. Denver head coach Sean Payton ended Nix's night after the Broncos drilled a 53-yard field goal at the conclusion of his second drive, so he finished with 76 yards passing and a touchdown on 6 of 9 passing. Not a bad way to shake the rust off after suffering a broken ankle. Packers special teamsSpecial teams have been a bugaboo for Green Bay for the last several seasons since the Packers' all-time scoring leader, Mason Crosby, took over as the team's kicker following the conclusion of the 2022 season. The dark days at Green Bay's kicker position might be over thanks to sixth-round rookie Trey Smack. He drilled two 58-yard field goals in the first week of the preseason, one of which didn't count because of a defensive penalty. In Week 2 in Denver, he smacked, pun intended, a 51-yard kick, a 59-yard kick and a 43-yard kick through the uprights, the latter of which occurred as time expired in the first half. Green Bay All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, who is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Denver last season, is fired up about Smack's performance from the couch. It wasn't just Smack showing out for the Packers' special teams unit. Veteran wide receiver Skyy Moore took the game's opening kickoff for 30 yards out to the Green Bay 37, and veteran running back Pierre Strong Jr. ripped off a 68-yard kickoff return down to Denver's 32. Looks like Packers new special teams coordinator Cam Achord has found an early groove in Green Bay. Jonathan BrooksBrooks, who was the first running back drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft with the 46th overall pick in the second round by the Carolina Panthers, finally found the end zone in the NFL for the first time. Brooks tore his ACL in his final season at the University of Texas, and he missed the entire 2025 NFL season with another ACL tear he suffered in 2024. He is back in action this preseason, and Brooks was able to shimmy his way into the end zone from a yard out at the Jacksonville Jaguars. Losers Fernando MendozaFirst overall pick, rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza had a couple of "Welcome to the NFL" moments on Thursday night against the smashmouth Houston Texans defense, tossing an 80-yard pick-six and taking an 11-yard sack. He finished his night with just 86 yards, and the interception return touchdown thrown while completing 8 of his 15 passes. "It was a play action play, went through my progression, probably should've checked it down to the flat. I saw the flat player get over late to him," Mendoza told reporters when asked about his interception return touchdown thrown. "At that point, I started backing up and threw the check down to Mike Washington. It was not a good throw, we weren't on the same page and it was an interception." Mendoza did have some nice moments, like a 22-yard dart to Raiders wide receiver Jalen Nailor in the middle of the field and just in between the Texans' zone defense. He wasn't asked to make a ton of those high-difficulty throws over the middle in college, but they are a staple of head coach Klint Kubiak's Shanahan-tree offense. Overall, Mendoza had a tough night at the office despite the occasional flash here and there. Punter JK ScottSurrendering a punt return touchdown as a punter is never fun, but Los Angeles Chargers punter JK Scott earns a spot on this list for how he allowed San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jacob Cowing to take his punt back 83 yards for the score. Scott had a chance to make a tackle on Cowing near the 49ers' 45-yard line, but instead of feigning any interest in bringing down San Francisco's return man, he sidesteps out of the way, almost appearing to hold the door open for him. When factoring in Scott will turn 31 years old on Oct. 30 during his ninth NFL season, it's understandable that he made a business decision in the preseason. However, he could have made it just a smidge less obvious, and in doing so, helped prevent a touchdown on special teams. Will HowardThe 2025 New York Jets became the first squad in NFL history to finish a season with zero interceptions in a regular season. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard, the starter for the home team on Friday, acted as New York's slump buster, tossing not one but two picks the Jets' away on throws intended for wide receiver Roman Wilson over the middle of the field. Not a great way to stay ahead of third-round rookie Drew Allar on the depth chart. Liam CoenCarolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales gave the NFL world a glimpse of his starters, giving quarterback Bryce Young and his starters two drives on Friday night. Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen didn't meet the moment, keeping quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the rest of his starters in street clothes on the sidelines. Boring."