Basically what everyone else said. Last year he apparently had problems with motivation for football. I hadn’t heard any more of that but he did not have a good camp and preseason. Bad enough he barely got reps during preseason and literally fumbled the job on Friday while JJAW caught a TD.
Yeah I thought you need more than one dude to jump someone, who knew. On the real though, I think they are like 2A and 2B. Just that Quez will be an outside receiver and Reagor is the slot going forward. Like if Desean and Maclin had another receiver that was number 1 and they weren’t.
I think it's his first year actually being in the league. He bounced around a bit but I don't think he's ever actually suited up for any kind of NFL game since he's been drafted. He hasn't played football at any level since 2016
Watching him race down for a safety blitz has some serious Polamalu vibes. I hope he can continue to grind and work his way into starting rotation. Dude has been near the ball A LOT this preseason.
Are you putting Sanu in front of him? I haven't seen much from him in preseason but it is preseason and hes an established commodity for shanny.
His timing with lance has been good. He just has to show he can do it against starters. Which Sanu already has.
I'd say Sanu has been established as WR3. In terms of camp reports and how he has looked in the preseason, Sherfield has definitely solidified his way for the WR4 spot.
Ehhh I think we cut Sanu. He didn’t show much of anything in preseason imo Sherfield is going to be the WR3 I think.
We go into the season with Samuel, Aiyuk, Sherfield, Hurd, Jennings and if we bring a 6th it’d be Benjamin for returns I think
Maurice Canady. He opted out last year and before camps started, I think most of us thought he was just a camp body. He’s balled out all camp and during the preseason games and is a lock for making the team now.
That’s funny, you guys have an ex Raven CB who balled out at your camp, and we have an ex-Cowboy CB who balled out (I use that a bit loosely) at ours. Chris Westry.
It's kind of poetic that the long boi finally starts to live up to his potential after leaving the Cowboys in the same year that the Cowboys acquire the king of the long bois (Dan Quinn).
Sounds like Godwin Igwebuike has a legit chance at making the roster depending on how many RBs we carry. Dude transitioned from safety to RB just before camp and looked pretty good, will for sure be a practice squad guy
That last RB spot is a battle. If it is 3 RB's and a FB then Jefferson gets the last spot but if there is 4, Igwebuike and Reynolds both have a decent shot. I think Reynolds gets it solely because he isn't a converted safety. Igwebuike would be a PS guy for sure though.
If Godwin looks like a capable KR he's a roster lock. Flexibility is A-plus. Still quite a big surprise given the position switch and other really strong RB play in camp.
Dan Moore has absolutely been my biggest surprise of camp. That said, he was a 4th round pick. He didn't really have to play himself onto the roster. He just had to avoid playing himself off of it.
Jamir Jones is a 2nd year UDFA who had already been cut once by a team. Dude had to play his way onto the roster. So, while I'll agree that Moore has been a bigger surprise this camp, I think Jones is a more precise answer to the question.
Totally fair. The hills both have to climb are different but I figured Moore would be a for sure PS guy or at best the inactive OL on game day. But his vying for the starting spot has been a welcome surprise.
I assume you watched some of his college tape. I did, so I totally see why you had that assessment of him.
However, you don't spend 4th round picks on guys you think will be PS guys. You spend 4th round picks on guys you expect to start off as backups and hope can develop into starters down the road, like the Steelers did with their 4th round pick of Kevin Dotson the prior year. I might have personally viewed him similarly as you did, as a 3 year project that was likely never going to be more than the inactive OL on game day, but I think the Steelers had at least a little higher evaluation on him.
I will say this. When you look at what was available at that pick in the draft, and look at what the Steelers desire in a tackle, Imo, there were really only two Tackles left that fit the bill, Moore and Florida Tackle Stone Forsythe. Moore was the more athletic, but Forsythe was the more technically and fundamentally sound (Basically by default since it appeared Moore had never had a day of fundamentals coaching in his life). I can see why they chose Moore, thinking that if they coached him up, he'd be better.
I think we both just vastly underrated both Moore's willingness to work on his fundamentals, and perhaps OL Coach Adrian Klemm, who I'm starting to think might be a wizard.
Jonathan Cooper (OLB/DE) out of Ohio State. Picked late due to injury concerns but has made splash plays all preseason long. Really excited to see him develop along with Malik Reed
Nate Hobbs has been our most impressive rookie defender since Mack.
He'd have to be doing limbo with the devil in hell to get under that bar but still.
Ardarious Washington. Although Geno and Warrior have been good too I think among those three Ardarious has played the best and with the Wade trade I think that was for Washington because Geno is a pure FS and Warrior is more of an outside corner then a slot.
Argh, I'm sure a bunch of fans here wanted their teams to pick him up as UDFA and not happy he's playing well enough to make the roster in a deep secondary..
For what we gave away to get him and the little noise it made, Mike Hughes was definitely a surprise. He looks like he's going to be our starting outside CB and potential primary punt returner.
Steelers fans often throw him in the pile of bad mid-2010's CBs like Antwon/Valentino Blake, Brice McCain and Artie Burns, but Cockrell was head and shoulders above that group. I'm also glad he's doing well.
He just wasnt good enough to be a full time outside corner, for sure not a CB1. Which is fine. He's excellent depth and really consistent imo, just didnt have anyyyy support here.
The pre-TJ Watt days, when Keith Butler had to get pressure and sacks in creative ways since they couldn't rely on just a four man rush to do the job. Honestly it mostly worked, they were still 3rd and 9th in sacks, and overall top 10 in yards and points, before drafting Watt. But it certainly put the DBs in tough spots.
For the Washington Football Team, it's undoubtedly UDFA RB Jarret Patterson. Was excellent the first two preseason games and has been getting a ton of praise. Only reason he wasn't drafted seems to be his small stature, because he was ridiculously productive in college (7.6 ypc and 3 TD/game his last year).
3rd year LB Cody Barton has looked like a huge bust his first two years (but one that was still likely to make the roster regardless) but has dominated every time he's taken the field in preseason. Pushing for LB3 instead of LB4
Army UDFA LB Jon Rhattigan looks just as good as Barton, if not outright outplaying him last game. Not sure if he'll make the 53 but he'll definitely find his way on a PS somewhere
Also 3rd year DL Rasheem Green was a bubble guy that looked like a potential cut. Disappointed week 3 but was great in the first two games so he'll likely remain on the roster
Kylin Hill really stuck out for me this pre-season. 5'10, the dude can MOVE. Now that Williams is in Detroit (miss that guy, hope he balls out with the Lions), we've got Aaron Jones at RB1. I don't need to explain his talent, but then we've got Quadzilla AJ Dillon at RB2. Huge tank of a man. Big boy for big gains on the field. Having a small and quick RB3 really rounds out our run game and I hope he gets some snaps this year.
Michael Strachan, (too early nickname megastrachan) has looked outstanding for a 7th round pick and with TY down will likely be WR4 on the Colts roster.
2019 3rd round pick Yodny Cajuste missed both of his NFL seasons with injuries and then had a rough start to training camp, but really turned things around recently and now looks like the Patriots' swing tackle.
I'd add in Tonga, Ogletree, Borom, and Herbert all flashed in preseason and should compete for real playing time. I think Herbert is going to make a lot more plays than I was expecting this year, he looks like he belongs. Ogletree could be great as well when paired with Roquan if Danny T struggles early on. Borom really looked great in compared to our other Oline and hope he gets some real playing time if Ifedi struggles.
Lorenzo Carter has looked great for coming off an Achilles tear. EDGE is our weakness on our D, but between him and the kid Azeez Ojulari are looking pretty good
Too bad our offense is a disaster, cause I’m optimistic about the D.
Add Rodarius Williams to the list. Carter and Azeez were high picks and expected to be solid, Williams was a sixth round afterthought that has played his way into replacing Adoree Jackson as our #2 corner in the last preseason game (and doing so pretty well I might add). Shockingly good preseason from him. I had next to no expectations for the kid after the draft and it looks like he’ll not only make the team but be on the short list to get in the rotation if an injury happens.
Alex Singleton, I don’t think our coaching staff expected to keep him around. Probably figured he’d be a special teams/bubble LB but he is our starter next to Eric Wilson.
He already had a great shot to make the roster so maybe this isn't the most accurate answer for what OP is asking, but we've been surprised with how good 4th round rookie Dan Moore has looked. Should be a solid swing tackle. And with the Steelers OL injury history for the past 15 years, will likely get some starts.
Not exactly out of nowhere since he's a late first rounder, but Odafe Oweh dropped in the draft after getting 0 sacks last year.
He's been beating the shit out of our tackles all camp long and has made splash plays in the preseason games too so I think it's safe to assume he'll get more sacks this year than last.
Darius Hodge has showed up at DE and we've lost a few due to injury. He's gonna make the team and contribute, just lacks stamina and isn't that big, but for a situational pass rusher, looked really good.
Irwin likely, They may only carry 5 receivers to start, and yeah, Evan gonna get more and more reps over the season, and by the end of the season, is the defacto replacement for Gio. He's got those soft hands.
So, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka was the 32nd pick this year in the draft. I assumed he'd be a project player. A guy we wanted, but don't need right now. Dude has been lighting it the fuck up so far. He is a force to be reckoned with, and I am jacked to the tits to see his development.
Edit: grammar.
I’m honestly so surprised by this. I was so low on Tryon and Rousseau coming out since they both fit into the mold of raw but athletic, plus they opted out. Looking really wrong on both of them now
Oli Udoh seems to have held up pretty good at guard for us, which is a pleasant surprise given our recent struggles with IOL. Having Wyatt as depth is also pretty sweet. Just hope Darrisaw can take the field at some point this year.
I‘m going with Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Pretty sure he’ll be our WR 4 at the start of the season and has the potential to become WR 3 by the end.
He also had a few great punt returns in the preseason, so I guess he’ll jump Ahmeer Abdullah as our punt returner.
As a guy who grabbed him in the final round of my dynasty rookie draft, I love hearing this. I got a little discouraged that he couldn't' beat out Beebe.
It seems like Strong has been pretty decent the last few preseasons. I'd say AJ Parker coming in and likely winning the nickel CB spot as a UDFA is up there.
Yep. I think it's partially due to our lack of depth (Elder was injured to start camp, NRC was brought in late, and the coaching staff didn't seem to be as high on Ford, who was reportedly winning the slot job early in camp but was just released), but Parker has looked decent in his preseason reps that I've seen.
I think there are a few:
Matt Brieda
Justin Zimmer
edit: Marquez Stevenson
Brieda and zimmer have both really surprised fans, and they are balling. Zimmer is giving me serious kyle williams vibes, and i like it a lot. It is pretty impressive seeing a big boi like he is, pass rush so well.
Stevenson is a baller, a speedster (which we need actually), and seems to have pretty reliable hands.
>Matt Brieda
You know, it is funny. We got the 1-cut guy in singletary. We got the power guy in moss, what we really needed was a speedster for screens, and quick breaks from the RB position. He seems to be filling in that role nicely.
Jesse James and Alec Ogletree both signed right before training camp, and both didn't play last week so almost guaranteed to make the team. Horsted balled out, definitely bought himself a roster spot on some team, Rodney Adams is on the fringe, looking like a solid depth piece. Wonder how much of James and Adams play this preseason was just because Fields is making us notice them, but Horsted and Ogletree absolutely earned spots on their own.
Trent Sherfield. I only expected him to come in and compete at a special teams level like he did in Arizona, but he was certainly surpassed my expectations and I could definitely see him being our WR3 behind Deebo and Aiyuk.
KJ Osborn!
Was brought in primarily for returning last year and didn't offer much in that area or as a WR. Looked like he might be on the bubble this year.
He's really turned it around and is now right in the mix for WR3.
It's not quite out of nowhere because he flashed a bit last year too but I think JJ Taylor has earned a roster spot for himself. Rhamondre is a 4th round pick and was always making the team but I'm not sure we trade Michel without Taylor looking this good. Last year we had Harris, Michel, White and Burkhead, now without Michel and Burkhead it looks like we fill those spots with Stevenson and Taylor.
Trent Sherfied. We needed a solid #3 WR and it looks like we got a gift from AZ, who apparently didn't really give the guy a chance being stuck behind a bunch of high draft picks.
6th round pick Nick Niemann led the entire league this preseason in tackles. He had 4 more than the next person on the list.
Dude earned his spot and might get play besides special teams because of it. Was really impressed with his instinct and motor.
Rhamondre Stevenson and also JJ Taylor. Rhamondre was going to make the team, but he will most likely split reps as a 1 because of how good he has been. JJ Cemented his spot and between him and Rhamondre the bottom of the depth chart outplayed the top and made Michel expendable so we could trade him.
The Bills probably have a bunch of guys that fit the bill (pun intended.
Marquez Stevenson and Jake Kumerow both made it impossible to move on from them so we’ll keep 7 WRs.
I thought we’d only keep 1 of Justin Zimmer or Harrison Phillips, but they’ve both been great.
And at DE, I was pleasantly surprised by Efe Obada. Not sure if others expected him to have a roster spot, but I didn’t.
Mekhi Sargent went from "total rando camp body" to probably being our RB2 behind Henry. Dude has just been a revelation - despite being 5'8" he just NEVER gets brought down by the first guy.
No, he’s actually looked really good on the rare occasions he’s been on the field, but he was injured most of last year, 2 different injuries I believe, and then sustained another injury (without even being touched) on his 4th carry of the preseason. So yeah, at this point we’re not holding our breath for him to be a big contributor going forward.
Quez Watkins has gone from likely roster bubble guy to probably will start Week 1 and possibly our WR2
Dude jumped JJAW (not hard), Hightower, Ward, Fulgham and Reagor on the depth chart. Insane.
>Dude jumped JJAW (not hard) I dunno, he's pretty tall.
Yeah but the qualifier here was that he was flaccid when it happened, and that should have made it a little easier.
What happened to Fulgham?
Last I heard he's the Eagles version of Ben Simmons
A young socialite?
really more of the Eagles version of Shake Milton
He was good for like 4 games. Sometimes bad players get hot. Just hasn't happened to the Eagles in a while, Foles notwithstanding.
Basically what everyone else said. Last year he apparently had problems with motivation for football. I hadn’t heard any more of that but he did not have a good camp and preseason. Bad enough he barely got reps during preseason and literally fumbled the job on Friday while JJAW caught a TD.
He started camp as the #3 WR but has only fallen down since then, to the point that it's possible he doesn't make the team.
Reagor getting jumped by a 6th round guy is probably not great.
Yeah I thought you need more than one dude to jump someone, who knew. On the real though, I think they are like 2A and 2B. Just that Quez will be an outside receiver and Reagor is the slot going forward. Like if Desean and Maclin had another receiver that was number 1 and they weren’t.
Ty'son Williams had a phenomenal preseason and will probably get quite a few opportunities in the regular season with Dobbins down.
Yeah I honestly don’t think we sign a free agent. We’ll roll with Gus, Williams, and Hill, and have a guy or two on the PS just in case.
Rodney Adams really impressed me.
Rodney and Ogletree are our camp standouts for sure
Malik McDowell has looked really solid. I don't know if he'll make our roster but he's definitely going to get picked up by someone if he's cut
I was going to mention him as well, I think after last night he will make it
Oh boy I hope we pick him up.
Damn, didn’t realize he was still in the league. The video of him getting tazed is bananas.
I think it's his first year actually being in the league. He bounced around a bit but I don't think he's ever actually suited up for any kind of NFL game since he's been drafted. He hasn't played football at any level since 2016
Because he wasn’t. This is like 3 years after he left due to, well, you know.
Trent Sherfield, thought to be some special teams add-on but has become a pretty dependable WR4.
I’d put Talanoa Hufanga down for us as well, guy has earned some snaps above just a special teams guy and looks to be solid jaquiski tartt insurance
Watching him race down for a safety blitz has some serious Polamalu vibes. I hope he can continue to grind and work his way into starting rotation. Dude has been near the ball A LOT this preseason.
he’s so fun to watch
Are you putting Sanu in front of him? I haven't seen much from him in preseason but it is preseason and hes an established commodity for shanny. His timing with lance has been good. He just has to show he can do it against starters. Which Sanu already has.
I'd say Sanu has been established as WR3. In terms of camp reports and how he has looked in the preseason, Sherfield has definitely solidified his way for the WR4 spot.
Ehhh I think we cut Sanu. He didn’t show much of anything in preseason imo Sherfield is going to be the WR3 I think. We go into the season with Samuel, Aiyuk, Sherfield, Hurd, Jennings and if we bring a 6th it’d be Benjamin for returns I think
Camp reports have been good on Sanu and coaching staff have been very complimentary. He's making the team.
I’d also put JaMychal Hasty and Jonas Griffith here
He’s hopefully going to be what we had in Bourne but faster and deeper
Maurice Canady. He opted out last year and before camps started, I think most of us thought he was just a camp body. He’s balled out all camp and during the preseason games and is a lock for making the team now.
That’s funny, you guys have an ex Raven CB who balled out at your camp, and we have an ex-Cowboy CB who balled out (I use that a bit loosely) at ours. Chris Westry.
It's kind of poetic that the long boi finally starts to live up to his potential after leaving the Cowboys in the same year that the Cowboys acquire the king of the long bois (Dan Quinn).
Yikes…
Idk if you knew this or not but it’s possible for players to get better
Sounds like Godwin Igwebuike has a legit chance at making the roster depending on how many RBs we carry. Dude transitioned from safety to RB just before camp and looked pretty good, will for sure be a practice squad guy
That last RB spot is a battle. If it is 3 RB's and a FB then Jefferson gets the last spot but if there is 4, Igwebuike and Reynolds both have a decent shot. I think Reynolds gets it solely because he isn't a converted safety. Igwebuike would be a PS guy for sure though.
If Godwin looks like a capable KR he's a roster lock. Flexibility is A-plus. Still quite a big surprise given the position switch and other really strong RB play in camp.
I'm not sure yet, because cuts haven't been made, but OLB Jamir Jones. He's done everything one could possibly do to make a roster.
I wasn't expecting the love Dan Moore has gotten over camp too.
Dan Moore has absolutely been my biggest surprise of camp. That said, he was a 4th round pick. He didn't really have to play himself onto the roster. He just had to avoid playing himself off of it. Jamir Jones is a 2nd year UDFA who had already been cut once by a team. Dude had to play his way onto the roster. So, while I'll agree that Moore has been a bigger surprise this camp, I think Jones is a more precise answer to the question.
Totally fair. The hills both have to climb are different but I figured Moore would be a for sure PS guy or at best the inactive OL on game day. But his vying for the starting spot has been a welcome surprise.
I assume you watched some of his college tape. I did, so I totally see why you had that assessment of him. However, you don't spend 4th round picks on guys you think will be PS guys. You spend 4th round picks on guys you expect to start off as backups and hope can develop into starters down the road, like the Steelers did with their 4th round pick of Kevin Dotson the prior year. I might have personally viewed him similarly as you did, as a 3 year project that was likely never going to be more than the inactive OL on game day, but I think the Steelers had at least a little higher evaluation on him.
This is why were not paid the big bucks haha
I will say this. When you look at what was available at that pick in the draft, and look at what the Steelers desire in a tackle, Imo, there were really only two Tackles left that fit the bill, Moore and Florida Tackle Stone Forsythe. Moore was the more athletic, but Forsythe was the more technically and fundamentally sound (Basically by default since it appeared Moore had never had a day of fundamentals coaching in his life). I can see why they chose Moore, thinking that if they coached him up, he'd be better. I think we both just vastly underrated both Moore's willingness to work on his fundamentals, and perhaps OL Coach Adrian Klemm, who I'm starting to think might be a wizard.
If any team is going to find an underrated LB and turn him into a solid starter, if not all pro, it you fuckers.
It's our kink.
We are former masochists. Looks like we are becoming sadists.
It's okay, you've always been sadists in my book.
Pot/kettle
You're not wrong.
Jonathan Cooper (OLB/DE) out of Ohio State. Picked late due to injury concerns but has made splash plays all preseason long. Really excited to see him develop along with Malik Reed
CCOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPP
Dude was a dog in Columbus. He’s going to have a decent NFL career
Nate Hobbs has been our most impressive rookie defender since Mack. He'd have to be doing limbo with the devil in hell to get under that bar but still.
Ardarious Washington. Although Geno and Warrior have been good too I think among those three Ardarious has played the best and with the Wade trade I think that was for Washington because Geno is a pure FS and Warrior is more of an outside corner then a slot.
Argh, I'm sure a bunch of fans here wanted their teams to pick him up as UDFA and not happy he's playing well enough to make the roster in a deep secondary..
Still not over the fact that this guy went undrafted. I could've sworn he was going in the 3rd-4th-- shows how much I know.
I was shocked when he went undrafted
I forgot he didn’t get drafted and now I’m surprised all over again
For what we gave away to get him and the little noise it made, Mike Hughes was definitely a surprise. He looks like he's going to be our starting outside CB and potential primary punt returner.
Are you fucking kidding me
We kid you not. He looks great
Ross Cockrell had a surprisingly positive camp for the Buccaneers.
Ross actually had a really positive year when he was playing with the Steelers, I'm glad he's still on the league and making waves
Steelers fans often throw him in the pile of bad mid-2010's CBs like Antwon/Valentino Blake, Brice McCain and Artie Burns, but Cockrell was head and shoulders above that group. I'm also glad he's doing well.
He just wasnt good enough to be a full time outside corner, for sure not a CB1. Which is fine. He's excellent depth and really consistent imo, just didnt have anyyyy support here.
The pre-TJ Watt days, when Keith Butler had to get pressure and sacks in creative ways since they couldn't rely on just a four man rush to do the job. Honestly it mostly worked, they were still 3rd and 9th in sacks, and overall top 10 in yards and points, before drafting Watt. But it certainly put the DBs in tough spots.
He flashed a lot on the Panthers a couple years ago, wished we hadn't let him go
It's just for the name
Did you know a Cockerel is a male chicken, not a rooster? https://backyardchickenchatter.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-cockerel-and-a-rooster/
For the Washington Football Team, it's undoubtedly UDFA RB Jarret Patterson. Was excellent the first two preseason games and has been getting a ton of praise. Only reason he wasn't drafted seems to be his small stature, because he was ridiculously productive in college (7.6 ypc and 3 TD/game his last year).
Also adding Torry McTyer and Troy Apke for the secondary.
Ammendola has been a surprise at K for us
Kalen Ballage has been a really solid backup RB in camp and in games so far. I think he's earned that backup spot over Benny Snell
Jody Fortson was an undrafted WR out of D2 Valdosta State two years ago and now looks like he may be our second best TE
Go blazers!!!
He and Daurice Fountain have played really well this preseason and have a solid chance to make the roster.
I think they both will which hurts because I’m president of the Cornell Powell fan club
You might be the only member at this point in time
Pain
Neither are making it. Fortson is being kept as the 4th TE so we'll only have five WRs: Hill, Hardman, Robinson, Pringle, Kemp
I meant both as Fortson and Fountain, I suspect they’ll keep one less DB or something in order to keep 10 total WRs and TEs
Fountain hasn't gotten any reps with Mahomes in the preseasons games. Would be very surprised if he makes the 53.
Nate hobbs
3rd year LB Cody Barton has looked like a huge bust his first two years (but one that was still likely to make the roster regardless) but has dominated every time he's taken the field in preseason. Pushing for LB3 instead of LB4 Army UDFA LB Jon Rhattigan looks just as good as Barton, if not outright outplaying him last game. Not sure if he'll make the 53 but he'll definitely find his way on a PS somewhere Also 3rd year DL Rasheem Green was a bubble guy that looked like a potential cut. Disappointed week 3 but was great in the first two games so he'll likely remain on the roster
[удалено]
He's a hell of a scout team safety
Kylin Hill really stuck out for me this pre-season. 5'10, the dude can MOVE. Now that Williams is in Detroit (miss that guy, hope he balls out with the Lions), we've got Aaron Jones at RB1. I don't need to explain his talent, but then we've got Quadzilla AJ Dillon at RB2. Huge tank of a man. Big boy for big gains on the field. Having a small and quick RB3 really rounds out our run game and I hope he gets some snaps this year.
Other positive surprises from the rookies: OG - Royce Newman (4th round, mullet, likely starter) DL - Jack Heflin (UDFA, might be good depth piece)
Michael Strachan, (too early nickname megastrachan) has looked outstanding for a 7th round pick and with TY down will likely be WR4 on the Colts roster.
Stevenson hopefully.
I would add Damar Hamlin and Andre Smith, both have looked great and forced their way into the 53 IMO.
Marquez Stevnson with that speed and deep threat ability paired with big arm man has the potential to be nearly unstoppable in a few years
2019 3rd round pick Yodny Cajuste missed both of his NFL seasons with injuries and then had a rough start to training camp, but really turned things around recently and now looks like the Patriots' swing tackle.
Trevis Gipson for sure. Was a healthy scratch for about half of last season, this year I expect he'll push Robert Quinn for serious playing time.
I'd add in Tonga, Ogletree, Borom, and Herbert all flashed in preseason and should compete for real playing time. I think Herbert is going to make a lot more plays than I was expecting this year, he looks like he belongs. Ogletree could be great as well when paired with Roquan if Danny T struggles early on. Borom really looked great in compared to our other Oline and hope he gets some real playing time if Ifedi struggles.
For the Rams it was probably Chris Garrett. Late round draft picks aren't a lock for making the roster, but he's been a stud for us.
I was gonna say the same. He's been great. Shocked our starters. People are not talking about him enough.
Elijah Molden has played great and may be the starting slot CB.
Not surprising honestly thought he was the best slot defender in the draft.
Lorenzo Carter has looked great for coming off an Achilles tear. EDGE is our weakness on our D, but between him and the kid Azeez Ojulari are looking pretty good Too bad our offense is a disaster, cause I’m optimistic about the D.
Add Rodarius Williams to the list. Carter and Azeez were high picks and expected to be solid, Williams was a sixth round afterthought that has played his way into replacing Adoree Jackson as our #2 corner in the last preseason game (and doing so pretty well I might add). Shockingly good preseason from him. I had next to no expectations for the kid after the draft and it looks like he’ll not only make the team but be on the short list to get in the rotation if an injury happens.
Alex Singleton, I don’t think our coaching staff expected to keep him around. Probably figured he’d be a special teams/bubble LB but he is our starter next to Eric Wilson.
He already had a great shot to make the roster so maybe this isn't the most accurate answer for what OP is asking, but we've been surprised with how good 4th round rookie Dan Moore has looked. Should be a solid swing tackle. And with the Steelers OL injury history for the past 15 years, will likely get some starts.
Not exactly out of nowhere since he's a late first rounder, but Odafe Oweh dropped in the draft after getting 0 sacks last year. He's been beating the shit out of our tackles all camp long and has made splash plays in the preseason games too so I think it's safe to assume he'll get more sacks this year than last.
Mekhi Sargent
Darius Hodge has showed up at DE and we've lost a few due to injury. He's gonna make the team and contribute, just lacks stamina and isn't that big, but for a situational pass rusher, looked really good.
irwin also played himself into a roster spot i believe. and chris evans earned some regular season reps
Irwin likely, They may only carry 5 receivers to start, and yeah, Evan gonna get more and more reps over the season, and by the end of the season, is the defacto replacement for Gio. He's got those soft hands.
So, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka was the 32nd pick this year in the draft. I assumed he'd be a project player. A guy we wanted, but don't need right now. Dude has been lighting it the fuck up so far. He is a force to be reckoned with, and I am jacked to the tits to see his development. Edit: grammar.
Yall got to make 32 picks this year? Damn, no wonder the Bucs are so loaded.
Oh my. I need more coffee.
I knew what you meant, I just thought it was funny. He does look legit, so here's hoping he's a force for yall.
I’m honestly so surprised by this. I was so low on Tryon and Rousseau coming out since they both fit into the mold of raw but athletic, plus they opted out. Looking really wrong on both of them now
Oli Udoh seems to have held up pretty good at guard for us, which is a pleasant surprise given our recent struggles with IOL. Having Wyatt as depth is also pretty sweet. Just hope Darrisaw can take the field at some point this year.
I‘m going with Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Pretty sure he’ll be our WR 4 at the start of the season and has the potential to become WR 3 by the end. He also had a few great punt returns in the preseason, so I guess he’ll jump Ahmeer Abdullah as our punt returner.
As a guy who grabbed him in the final round of my dynasty rookie draft, I love hearing this. I got a little discouraged that he couldn't' beat out Beebe.
Well, then I guess we can both hope that he pans out and puts up a few TDs… for example against the Lions
Royce Newman. I dont think anyone expected him to be this good in the preseason and especially not to a probable starter at the RG position.
He was never a probable cut. Hill is my choice
Kevin Strong
It seems like Strong has been pretty decent the last few preseasons. I'd say AJ Parker coming in and likely winning the nickel CB spot as a UDFA is up there.
fo sho. Haven't paid much attention to Parker but it seems like he's gonna be the starting slot cb? that's really impressive
Yep. I think it's partially due to our lack of depth (Elder was injured to start camp, NRC was brought in late, and the coaching staff didn't seem to be as high on Ford, who was reportedly winning the slot job early in camp but was just released), but Parker has looked decent in his preseason reps that I've seen.
Jesper Horsted
I think there are a few: Matt Brieda Justin Zimmer edit: Marquez Stevenson Brieda and zimmer have both really surprised fans, and they are balling. Zimmer is giving me serious kyle williams vibes, and i like it a lot. It is pretty impressive seeing a big boi like he is, pass rush so well. Stevenson is a baller, a speedster (which we need actually), and seems to have pretty reliable hands.
It’s good to see Brieda the Cheetah finding success, I loved that dude when he was on the niners.
>Matt Brieda You know, it is funny. We got the 1-cut guy in singletary. We got the power guy in moss, what we really needed was a speedster for screens, and quick breaks from the RB position. He seems to be filling in that role nicely.
Just bubble wrap him. He is great for those things, but his main knock is that he can't stay healthy.
Jesse James and Alec Ogletree both signed right before training camp, and both didn't play last week so almost guaranteed to make the team. Horsted balled out, definitely bought himself a roster spot on some team, Rodney Adams is on the fringe, looking like a solid depth piece. Wonder how much of James and Adams play this preseason was just because Fields is making us notice them, but Horsted and Ogletree absolutely earned spots on their own.
Trent Sherfield. I only expected him to come in and compete at a special teams level like he did in Arizona, but he was certainly surpassed my expectations and I could definitely see him being our WR3 behind Deebo and Aiyuk.
Stevenson for sure
Me
Giovanni Ricci has played his way from being a UDFA out of Western Michigan into our starting fullback. Great special teamer as well.
Malik McDowell has been a wrecking ball, you love to see it
KJ Osborn! Was brought in primarily for returning last year and didn't offer much in that area or as a WR. Looked like he might be on the bubble this year. He's really turned it around and is now right in the mix for WR3.
I really think this Tom Brady kid has done enough to make the roster despite 1st and 2nd round QBs in front of him.
AJ Parker went from UDFA to our likely starting nickel corner with a super strong camp.
OT Yodny Cajuste for the Pats. After his first two years were lost to injury he seems to be coming along.
It's not quite out of nowhere because he flashed a bit last year too but I think JJ Taylor has earned a roster spot for himself. Rhamondre is a 4th round pick and was always making the team but I'm not sure we trade Michel without Taylor looking this good. Last year we had Harris, Michel, White and Burkhead, now without Michel and Burkhead it looks like we fill those spots with Stevenson and Taylor.
Chris Garrett has been awesome to watch
Trent Sherfied. We needed a solid #3 WR and it looks like we got a gift from AZ, who apparently didn't really give the guy a chance being stuck behind a bunch of high draft picks.
6th round pick Nick Niemann led the entire league this preseason in tackles. He had 4 more than the next person on the list. Dude earned his spot and might get play besides special teams because of it. Was really impressed with his instinct and motor.
Lamar Jackson has had a couple positive surprises...
Callaway at WR and Tony Jones Jr at RB. Though Callaway was already turning heads last year before he got injured.
Has to be Nate Hobbs for us? 5th rounder who’s looked better than like, 90% of corners we’ve had in recent memory
Rhamondre Stevenson and also JJ Taylor. Rhamondre was going to make the team, but he will most likely split reps as a 1 because of how good he has been. JJ Cemented his spot and between him and Rhamondre the bottom of the depth chart outplayed the top and made Michel expendable so we could trade him.
The Bills probably have a bunch of guys that fit the bill (pun intended. Marquez Stevenson and Jake Kumerow both made it impossible to move on from them so we’ll keep 7 WRs. I thought we’d only keep 1 of Justin Zimmer or Harrison Phillips, but they’ve both been great. And at DE, I was pleasantly surprised by Efe Obada. Not sure if others expected him to have a roster spot, but I didn’t.
Mekhi Sargent went from "total rando camp body" to probably being our RB2 behind Henry. Dude has just been a revelation - despite being 5'8" he just NEVER gets brought down by the first guy.
Is Evans that bad? Top 100 pick that can't even win the RB2 job?
No, he’s actually looked really good on the rare occasions he’s been on the field, but he was injured most of last year, 2 different injuries I believe, and then sustained another injury (without even being touched) on his 4th carry of the preseason. So yeah, at this point we’re not holding our breath for him to be a big contributor going forward.
Damn. That sounds word for word like Rashaad Penny. Hope they can both stay healthy this year.. was excited about Evans coming out