Taking stock of the NFL’s rookie quarterbacks after Week 2 of the preseason
The rookie quarterback watch heated up this past weekend, as several young signal-callers showed improvement, while a few others struggled. Here’s a progress report on some of the more interesting players.
JAXSON DART, NYG
Dart is arguably the most impressive of the rookie crop so far. So impressive, in fact, that he stands to threaten Russell Wilson for the starting job in New York sooner than later.
Dart led two touchdown drives in Saturday’s 31-12 victory over the Jets, and looked confident in doing so. He entered the game late in the second quarter, so he operated against mostly backups. Still, he was 14-16 passing for 137 yards and a touchdown, and led back-to-back scoring drives of twelve and nine plays.
The results are one thing. But it was the combination of poise, mastery of the offense and play-making ability that has everyone buzzing. Dart found ways to get the ball to his receivers, whether it was by manipulating the pocket to buy himself an extra second, or like here, dropping a sidearm throw to his tight end to avoid a charging defender. There is an instinct to his game that is hard to quantify, an “it” factor analysts often speak of when evaluating quarterbacks.
Look at the arm angle of this throw by @JaxsonDart 😯
Watch on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Z9ZVZKg6Bb— NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2025
The hype train should remain at the station for now, as Dart is yet to play meaningful reps against a starting defense. But he’s been the best player on the field in the JV portion of New York’s two pre-season games. It will be interesting to see how quickly Brian Daboll puts him in against the big boys.
CAM WARD, TEN
Ward started his night against Atlanta with a splash. He dropped to pass, avoided pressure by moving deftly out of the pocket to his right, then hit a crosser on a catch-and-run for a 35-yard gain:
Can Ward’s first throw of the night vs ATL. Moves out of the pocket to buy time and space, then flips the ball to a crosser for a 35-yard gain. Nice poise from Ward. He looks comfortable. pic.twitter.com/jX1l0HxwML
— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) August 15, 2025
That was the end of the highlights.
For the evening, the top overall pick in the draft finished 2-7 for 42 yards. He led three Tennessee drives, none of which produced points. It wasn’t that Ward was bad. He just didn’t have many opportunities to make plays. He’s not surrounded by much talent, especially at the skill positions, so most of his throws were jammed into tight coverage. The failure of his receivers to separate made Ward’s margin for error very small. And, when they did, they weren’t able to help him out by making plays, like on this beauty of a throw that went through the fingertips of Van Jefferson:
Hell of a throw by Cam Ward. Catch the ball pic.twitter.com/kOm4oggjj3
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 15, 2025
At this point in Ward’s career, it’s tough asking him to make chicken salad out of, well, you know the rest. My suspicion is he will struggle this season, not necessarily because he’s not playing well, but because the team around him simply isn’t very good.
DILLON GABRIEL, CLE
It was a mixed bag for Gabriel in his pro debut. After a solid showing by Shedeur Sanders a week ago, Gabriel had an opportunity against Philadelphia to keep pace as Sanders sat with an injury. There was more good than bad, but the bad was significant.
Gabriel led a great opening drive on which Cleveland marched 63 yards in 12 plays for a touchdown. He converted three third downs through the air, and displayed the accuracy Kevin Stefanski raved about when Cleveland selected him in the third round in April:
One thing Kevin Stefanski loves about rookie QB Dillon Gabriel is his accuracy. Here it is on display as CLE converts a 3rd-and-6 on their opening drive vs PHL. Nice poise in the pocket, and a perfect throw from Gabriel. pic.twitter.com/C0fjN6xn9b
— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) August 16, 2025
The second drive was promising, as Cleveland quickly moved into Philadelphia territory. But it ended in a pick-six on which Gabriel threw between two Cleveland receivers. One thought the other would catch it and pulled up, allowing a defensive back to split them and take it the house:
Tough break here for Gabriel. He goes 8/9 for 72 yds in 1st qtr, but throws this pick-six on the first play of Q2. Looks like his TE pulled off because he thought the WR would catch it, and the DB stepped right between them.
Despite this, Gabriel has been sharp. Let’s see how… pic.twitter.com/uYkoAMriLt
— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) August 16, 2025
Later, after engineering a field goal drive, Gabriel botched an exchange with a running back and put the ball on the ground. Philly recovered, and scored a few plays later.
Two turnovers, two Philadelphia touchdowns.
In all, Gabriel went 13-18 for 143 yards. He was largely accurate and decisive, and he showed good poise in the pocket. But the turnovers were costly mistakes. Gabriel will have to learn to protect the ball better as he gains experience.
OTHER NOTEABLES:
Quinn Ewers (MIA) had a nice bounce-back after a rough opener, going 11-17 with two touchdown passes in Miami’s win over the Lions.
Jalen Milroe (SEA) showed the best and worst of his game against Kansas City. He sailed the ball over the heads of his receivers on two throws that could have been touchdowns. But he also escaped the pocket a few times to run for nice gains. He’s a great athlete still learning how to be a pocket quarterback.
Tyler Shough (NO) completed 75% of his passes against Jacksonville, but tallied just 66 yards on nine completions. The Saints are obviously trying to get the ball out of his hand quickly. Whether that’s a strategic measure or a matter of survival remains to be seen.
Kyle McCord (PHL) started off hot against Cleveland, going 3-3 with a touchdown pass on his opening drive. The rest of his day wasn’t nearly as good (5-13 for 23 yards, with several missed throws). McCord is competing with Dorian Thompson-Robinson to be Philly’s third quarterback, and probably didn’t move the needle much in his direction.
For more of my work, follow me on X @KTSmithFFSN, and tune into my “Call Sheet Daily” podcast every Monday-Friday on most major platforms.