Let’s look at each rookie’s first game of their NFL careers and see what they may be able to achieve in Week 1
The hopes are high for Mansoor Delane to command this DB room right away and stand out as a franchise CB, but he has a tall task ahead of him in Week 1. To open up the season, the Kansas City Chiefs will be facing off against the Sean Payton- and Bo Nix-led Denver Broncos.
Although the Broncos’ defense is their strenght, the offense is still very good, and the addition of Jaylen Waddle in the offseason made it even better. Delane proved he can cover any person lined up against him last year in Baton Rouge, but it’s going to be difficult to do that in Week 1.
For the past two weeks, rookie A.J. Haulcy has been dealing with an ankle injury, and his status for Week 1 is unknown. At the time of writing this, he has not been ruled out, which is a good sign, but there’s a chance he doesn’t play.
If he does, he will have to deal with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. In coverage, Haulcy eliminating the deep ball is very important against the Ravens, but because of their elite rushing attack, that’s a difficult job to do. The Colts will have to focus heavily on stopping the run, and if Haulcy plays, that’ll be his primary job.
Zavion Thomas’ performance in the last preseason game of the season was exceptional, but he’s likely not going to do that again. Thomas was injured for most of training camp, so it will take time for him to catch up to the other WRs on the roster, and the Chicago Bears WR room is deep already. Thomas’ impact will likely not occur on offense, but as a kick returner, that’s where he can make a difference.
After proving himself all training camp, Bauer Sharp was selected for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 53-man roster. He is listed last in the TE room, which is never a great sign of playing time. Sharp won’t have a massive role in the offense, but he can still make an impact. The Bucs haven’t heavily utilized the TE position, but this season should be a bit different. They have talent they can’t overlook, so we may see Sharp used in the offense throughout games.
We have a string of rookies who may not see much playing time in Week 1, but that changes with Barion Brown. After an extremely impressive training camp and preseason, Brown is set to be WR 3 for the New Orleans Saints. The Jordyn Tyson injury definitely opened up the possibility of that happening, but Brown could have easily been named WR4 or 5 if his training camp went another way. He proved to the coaching staff how dangerous he can be, and in Kellen Moore’s offense, Brown could be a big play waiting to happen, especially against an injured Detroit Lions secondary
As of now, Harold Perkins’ role or potential impact on the Atlanta Falcons is unclear. It’s not that the Falcons do not have a plan for him, because they clearly do like the rookie, but he is listed as a backup linebacker as of now. That doesn’t mean Perkins won’t play, and it would be shocking for him not to have a significant role on defense.
Perkins is likely to sub in at LB and in the pass rush. He has a path in front of him to earn a larger role, and we will get more clarity in Week 1 regarding how much the Falcons truly like the rookie.
Nussmeier likely won’t play, so until that happens, he will be removed from the NFLSU rookie check-in moving forward.
Another player we don’t even know if he’s going to play is Jack Pyburn. His future in the NFL is unknown because he could return to college football, but he could be a strong depth option for the Chiefs if he does play.
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