Scoop City: Aiyuk, Maye and other players to watch (2024)

By Jacob Robinson and Dianna Russini

Aug 8, 2024

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With Week 1 of the preseason kicking off tonight, let’s hope we see something as entertaining as former Jets QBGreg McElroy’s illegal forward passfrom 2011. Here’s the schedule:

NFL Preseason: Players to watch as Week 1 begins

Tonight, NFL football. Sort of. We’ve got two games at 7 p.m. ET:Lions at Giants(FOX) andPanthers at Patriots(NFL Network). Here’s what I’m watching for:

BothPatriots rookie QBs — No. 3 pick Drake Maye and No. 193 pick Joe Milton — will play tonight.Both are can’t-miss. Maye, a Charlotte, N.C., native, debuts against the franchise he grew up watching.He’ll look to move past early camp struggles.
Admittedly, I’m more interested in watchingMilton, especially after Patriots beat writer Chad Graff wrote thatthe backflipping quarterback has looked better than expected, “his highlight plays are incredible [and] he has one of the strongest arms in the NFL,” but added that the gap between him and Maye remains large.
Other backup quarterbacks:Lions QB Hendon Hooker and Giants QB Drew Lock make their franchise debuts tonight. Hooker, a 2023 third-round pick, will see his first NFL snaps in a Lions uniform after injury rehab cost him last preseason. He’s expected to seethe bulk of reps tonight. Lock could push Daniel Jones for the starting role and should also play a substantial amount tonight.
The in-game matchup ofthe constant brawlthat was this week’s Lions and Giants joint practices. You know it’s bad when kneecap-biting Lions HC Dan Campbell called it “too much” after every play ended in a fight during a kickoff session. Every play!Each team was subsequently fined $200,000by the NFL. We’ll see if cooler heads prevail with jerseys — and cameras — on.
Giants rookie WR Malik Nabers,one of those fight participants. We’ll see if he plays afterspending the past week torching the Lions secondary(and after dominating Giants cornerbacks in training camp). “There’s not a lot that I can’t do,” said Nabers, who turned 21 in late July andwas listed as a starter on the team’s initial preseason depth chart. HC Brian Daboll hasn’t said whether Nabers will play tonight (but Giants starters rested in preseason Week 1 last year, so I’m pessimistic). For more on this year’s No. 6 pick,read his practice diary.

So yes, plenty to look out for, even without mentioning the new kickoff. For more:

Patriots to watch tonight, such as rookie WR Javon Baker, who has made the most explosive plays in New England camp.
Ten Giants with the most to gain against the Lions, a list which includes UDFA RB Dante “Turbo” Miller.
In Carolina, starting QB Bryce Young won’t play tonightand might not play at all this preseason.

Now, Dianna has more on the Brandon Aiyuk situation, which I can’t believe we got this far into the newsletter without exploring.

What Dianna’s Hearing: Steelers’ place in the Aiyuk chase: ‘Stay tuned’

This was a rare moment for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who showed his hand (or, more accurately, his smile) when asked if Pittsburgh was considering adding a pass catcher to its receiver room.“I’ll let you guys speculate on that,” Tomlin said. His words didn’t mean much, but his face said it all.

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There should be no speculation.The Steelers have been in deep conversations with the 49ers, hoping to land receiver Brandon Aiyuk.I’m told there is still more work to be done between both teams for this trade to cross the finish line.

Back in May, the 49ers offered Aiyuk an extension worth about $26 million a year, and their offer hasn’t substantially changed (Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie contract after the organization picked up his fifth-year option last offseason).

Aiyuk is coming off a career season and is currently set to earn $14.1 million on his current deal.He’s looking for an offer closer to the $30 million a year range, especially after seeing the wide receiver market bloat over the last few weeks.

On Wednesday night, a high-ranking Steelers source texted: “Stay tuned.”

NFL’s best preseason breakouts

If the preseason is good for anything, it’s for finding young, talented players primed to breakout. In Week 1 of the 2023 preseason,Puka Nacua impressedwith three catches, five targets and a touchdown. But that was nothing compared to these two:

WR Victor Cruz in 2010.The undrafted receiver from the University of Massachusetts hadarguably the best preseason debutof all time, with six catches, 145 yards and three touchdowns. Most impressive? That production came in little more than a quarter of action. EvenLeBron James tweetedabout Cruz’s debut, which foreshadowed a six-year NFL career with a Pro Bowl nod.
QB Dak Prescott in 2016.Long beforethe debate of a $60 million-per-year extension, Prescott was a fourth-round rookie competing against Kellen Moore to be Tony Romo’s backup. With two touchdowns on Prescott’s first two possessions and a field goal on the third, he finished 10-of-12 for 139 yards, outplaying that year’s No. 1 pick, Jared Goff. Twelve days later, Romo was sidelined by injury, Dak was named the starter and he’s never looked back. Here’severy throw from that debut.

Last preseason began with Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell posting a 90.8 passing grade, by far the highest mark for any rookie quarterback. As for Texans QB C.J. Stroud? He looked like the worst rookie QB, completing just two of four passes with one interception, good for a 31.4 passing grade. Remember folks, grain of salt.

Are joint practices worth it?

With the skirmishes continuing across the NFL, Steve Buckley askswhether the NFL should drop joint practices. He looks at the pros (more reps, better talent evaluation) and cons (injury risks, fights) of joint practices.

Still, these incidents are not limited to joint practices, as DK Metcalf proved yesterday when he was seen swinging a helmet at his teammate’s head.Click here for the video, orhere for more background on the situation in Seattle.

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And as the NFL preseason continues to shrink in length, these joint practices offer a reasonable alternative to game-like reps, helping to avoid slow regular-season starts (something I’m very familiar with, as a Bengals fan). These heated exchanges are proof of their value, evidence that the players care.

Around the NFL

Former BroncosPro Bowl S Justin Simmonsis visiting theSaints,who could pair him with S Tyrann Mathieu to form a strong secondary.

Some chatter surfacing again about tension betweenEagleshead coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts. Here wasour report on that situationfrom a few weeks ago.

CowboysRB Rico Dowdle, 26, “has to be the favorite to lead the team in rushing,” despite the presence of Ezekiel Elliott, perThe Athletic’s Jon Mochata.

The49erssigned S Tracy Walker, 29, a Lions third-round pick in 2018. He started six games last season.

Coltssophom*ore WR Josh Downsis in danger of missing Week 1 after suffering a high ankle sprain in practice yesterday. He will miss the rest of training camp and the entire preseason.

Coltsbackup C Wesley Frenchis out for the season with an ankle injury that will require surgery. Rookie fourth-round pick Tanor Bortolini is expected to become Ryan Kelly’s backup.

Jetsactivated WR Mike Williams(ACL) off the active/PUP list. The 30-year-old should be ready for Week 1.

Jacob’s Picks

📕The NCAA penalized Jim Harbaugh for Michigan recruiting violations.Austin Meek explores what this means. (The Athletic)

🎙Meet the NFL’s top 10 defenses in 2024.Most surprising? When Derrik Klassen convinces Robert Mays that he might have the Jets too high, around the 55-minute mark. (The Athletic Football Show)

The Bounce 🏀 | The Windup ⚾ | Full Time ⚽ | Prime Tire 🏁 | Until Saturday 🏈

(Photo:
Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)