The future stars of the NFL shone brightly in their preseason debuts this past week, showcasing a promising glimpse of what's to come. A standout performance came from Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears. Williams demonstrated his arm talent early on, converting a third-and-long with a precise 12-yard pass to wide receiver D.J. Moore. He followed this up with a spectacular 42-yard throw to running back D'Andre Swift. Despite their drive stalling in the red zone, Cairo Santos salvaged it with a 30-yard field goal. Williams' debut saw him complete 4 of 7 passes for 95 yards, plus a 13-yard scramble, before exiting the game.
Not far behind in their dazzling debut was Jayden Daniels. His first NFL pass was a bit shaky, lofting over Austin Ekeler's head, but he quickly found his rhythm. Daniels connected with wide receiver Dyami Brown for a striking 42-yard gain. He capped the drive by running into the end zone from three yards out. Daniels ended his inaugural game by completing 2 of 3 passes for 45 yards and securing one touchdown run.
Drake Maye had a quieter yet efficient start to his NFL journey. Completing two of his three attempts for 19 yards, Maye’s highlight came with a third-and-12 conversion to Antonio Gipson, reflecting his composure under pressure.
Another notable rookie quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., played five possessions in the first half against Miami and led the Falcons to two scoring drives. Penix completed 9 of 16 passes for 104 yards, including an impressive 41-yard completion to Chris Blair.
J.J. McCarthy's first foray onto the NFL stage was marked by highs and lows. His first pass attempt resulted in an 18-yard completion to Jalen Nailor, but his next throw was intercepted by Raiders cornerback Jack Jones. McCarthy rebounded well, notably connecting on a 45-yard touchdown pass to Jackson early in the second half. He completed his day with 188 yards on 11 of 17 passing.
Denver Broncos' Bo Nix also left a strong impression, leading his team to score on four out of five drives. Nix finished with 15 of 21 for 125 yards, including a notable 11-yard scramble. He threw his first touchdown pass to Marvin Mims, underscoring his versatility both in the air and on the ground.
Quotes from the Coaches and Teammates
Reflecting on these performances, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell commented on McCarthy's resilience: “Clearly, everybody can see the arm talent. I loved seeing him come right back after the interception and still be aggressive.”
Bo Nix himself reflected on his productive outing: “It was a good day. I thought we ran the ball efficiently. Made some good plays in the pass game. Converted some third downs. Got points when we needed to; it was a good job going into half with points and coming out with points, felt like that was a good point in the game. Overall, thought we did a good job, huge team win.”
Washington Commanders’ offensive lineman Sam Cosmi was notably impressed with his quarterback's cool demeanor: “He made a check mid-play. It turned out to be a big gain. We bunkered down and really went in there. He was calm and collected, which is what you want to see, and it was really impressive. We all sat on the sideline, and we were like, 'Dang, that was really fun.' So, I think everybody should be very excited just from that little sneak peek right there. I know I am. I know the guys are fired up. I think we got a dude back there.”
Meanwhile, Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was pleased with the overall execution: “He wants one of those throws back that he threw on the sideline, but he was able to go through some progression. He was able to progress. We get a little pass happy with him since he's a first-round quarterback. It was fun to see him go out there and execute some of the pass plays, and we were able to get some of the stuff done. ... Pretty much, a really good night for him and I was really pleased with what he was able to do.”
This exhibition of young quarterback talent is a reassuring indication that the NFL's future is in capable hands. As the preseason unfolds, fans and analysts alike will be eager to see how these rookies develop and impact their respective teams.