The penultimate week of the NFL preseason has usually been the “dress rehearsal” for NFL teams, but joint practices have changed that line of thinking in recent years. Regardless of how teams handle their preseason affairs, rookie quarterbacks — draft picks or not — have plenty of opportunities to leave a mark as their organization looks to the future.
Kenny Pickett has explained why he should be the No. 1 quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 of the preseason, while Desmond Ridder looks set to start for the Atlanta Falcons at some point and Malik Willis explained why he should leave for the Tennessee Titans on the road.
How did each of those quarterbacks — and the other rookie signal callers — fare in Week 2? We’ll take a look.
Kenny Pickett, Steelers
Pickett argued he was the starting quarterback for the Steelers after a strong follow-up to his impressive debut. He went 6 of 7 for 76 yards and a touchdown, finishing with a passer rating of 151.5. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin called on Pickett to lead a non-huddle offense, finding Benny Snell for the score to cap a five-play, 63-yard drive in just 42 seconds.
Pickett is 19 or 22 for 171 yards with three touchdowns and a 138.6 passer rating in two games. He looks like the Steelers’ best quarterback, although Pittsburgh can go with Mitchell Trubisky to start the year.
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Malik Willis, Titans
Willis looked impressive in his second game for the Titans, although he still needs work getting the ball rolling. He went 7-for-17 for 80 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions (75.6 rating) while being sacked three times. Willis also led the Titans with 42 yards on five carries.
Accuracy issues remain a concern for Willis, but he will learn behind Ryan Tannehill to start the year. Willis completed just 48.4 percent of his passes in the two games he played, but has 10 carries for 80 yards and a score.
Desmond Ridder, Falcons
In the preseason opener, Ridder showed his composure under pressure by throwing the game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes left against the Lions. In Week 2 against the Jets, his efficiency was on point, completing 10 of 13 passes for 143 yards in just three offensive series. (Atlanta scored a pair of field goals during those practices, but could have scored more if not for multiple penalties.) Ridder finished with a 112.0 passer rating after only managing one 89.8 in his NFL debut.
Veteran Marcus Mariota, himself keen in New York, will start the season under center, but Ridder looks set to take over at some point if he continues to progress.
Howell’s second outing didn’t go as well as his debut, going 10 of 18 for 122 yards without a touchdown and one interception (53.5 rating). He also has two carries for 13 yards, including a long rush of 11 yards. Howell had good throws against Dax Milne and Eli Wolf, but lost his interception three times with Commanders in the final minutes.
Howell completed 55.9% of his passes with one interception and a 69.1 odds. He has five carries for 32 yards and two scores, learning as the No. 3 quarterback behind Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke.
Corral’s season is likely over after suffering an injury from LisFranc in the Panthers’ second preseason game. Slated to be the No. 3 quarterback of his rookie year, Corral went just 9 of 15 for 58 yards before quitting Friday’s game in the second half.
The Panthers can place Corral in the casualty pool.
Zappe was the third quarterback to enter the game for the Patriots and played the rest of the game, going 16 of 25 for 173 yards and one interception — which was returned for a touchdown — for a 67.6 rating. The fourth-round pick is in line for the No. 3 spot in New England, though he could out-compete Brian Hoyer for the No. 2 role.
Purdy completed 14 of 23 passes for 128 yards without a touchdown or interception, entering the game in the second quarter and playing the rest of the way. The seventh-round pick has earned his fair share of snaps this preseason, going 17 of 29 for 164 yards with a touchdown (86.0 rating).
Purdy is in line for the No. 3 job in San Francisco.
Crum entered the game late in the fourth quarter, completing all three of his passes for 27 yards while playing the final three possessions for Kansas City. The former Kent State quarterback was an undrafted free agent signed by the Chiefs, but he’s a long way off the roster right now as the No. 4 quarterback.
Coan earned an extended look with the starters resting in Saturday’s game, going 7 of 11 for 83 yards and a touchdown (116.9 rating). The undrafted free agent from Wisconsin and Notre Dame is the fourth quarterback on the depth chart, behind Matt Ryan, Nick Foles and Sam Ehlinger for the No. 3 spot.
Thompson continues to impress in Miami, going 9 of 10 for 129 yards and a touchdown after entering the game late in the third quarter. His touchdown pass to ZaQuandre White was Miami’s only touchdown of the game.
Thompson is the No. 3 quarterback in Miami and the seventh-round pick has been more than impressive this preseason. He’s 29 of 38 for 347 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions (121.3 rating).
Strong made his debut after being knocked out healthy last week, as the undrafted free agent threw just one pass on Sunday. The throw on third down should have extended the drive for pass interference, but the penalty was not called without a flag thrown.
Strong — an undrafted free agent — won’t make the 53-man roster, but is a practice squad candidate.
