NFL Week 1 roundtable: Patriots starting QB, Dak Prescott’s contract and Aaron Rodgers returning
Week 1 in the NFL is already shaping up to be an exciting one, featuring a shoe that’s a size too big and the league’s latest international foray.
Now it’s Sunday, when rookie quarterbacks make their debuts, as do head coaches and other new faces in new places. Dak Prescott’s contract is still hanging over the Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is returning to Detroit.
What else could happen this week? The AthleticsNFL writers Mike Sando, Zak Keefer and Jeff Howe analyze the most interesting storylines.
Which non-Caleb Williams rookie QB debut are you most looking forward to on Sunday? Are the Patriots making the right decision by starting Jacoby Brissett over Drake Maye?
Zando: Jayden Daniels because he’s a dynamic dual-threat quarterback and the ceiling is higher than Bo Nix’s ceiling. When Nix plays well, the Denver offense can run efficiently. When Daniels plays well, there can be highlights.
How: Daniels is electric and I expect him to make some big improvisational plays because I’m not sure how much help he has around him. I’m not sure about Maye’s decision. I’d start him because I think he would have shown he was ready for the opportunity eventually. But if the offensive line is as concerning as we all believe, there’s value in the longer lead-up time for Maye. At this point, the decision has been made, so now it’s time for the Patriots coaching staff to figure out how to get Maye — and the players around him — ready for his debut as quickly as possible.
Custodian: Sean Payton’s bet on Nix intrigues me — he clearly saw something in the rookie that gave him the confidence to use him early, which runs counter to the league’s thinking, at least before this season, that Payton strongly favored a veteran quarterback. But if I’m being completely honest, I can’t wait to see what Williams does in Chicago, especially with a relatively light schedule to start the season. The Bears will only see two playoff teams in their first nine games in 2023. In New England, I like the approach of benching Maye early in the season. That roster isn’t good, especially on offense, and bringing in a rookie quarterback would put him in trouble.
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Which head coaching debut interests you most on Sunday and why?
Zando: Jim Harbaugh’s return to the NFL sideline is the most intriguing. I’m curious to see what the Chargers offense looks like and what Harbaugh’s message is after the game. This is a guy whose Michigan teams have lost three games in the last three seasons. The Chargers could lose three games in September.
How: I’m split between Raheem Morris and Mike Macdonald, but I’m going with Morris because the Falcons host the Steelers with a chance to make a real statement. There could be a very good NFC South race between the Falcons and the Buccaneers, so if the Falcons prove that things are as different this season as they feel by knocking off a good opponent, get ready to ride the hype train.
Custodian: Let’s take Dave Canales to Carolina, not because I expect the Panthers to be contenders this season, but because the sentiment around the team is that Bryce Young looks markedly different this preseason. If Canales, who has built his reputation on reviving quarterback careers, can lift Young out of his terrible rookie season — and get him playing like a No. 1 pick — an organization that has been mired in disappointment the past few seasons will finally have some hope.
Cowboys-Browns is a big game on Sunday. How do you think Dak Prescott’s contract negotiations will go? What would you like to see from Deshaun Watson in his first game since Week 10 of last season?
Zando: It really depends on what Prescott wants, because he has control. The Cowboys can’t franchise tag him. While recent reports suggest a deal could be close, I feel like there’s a good chance he’ll play it out and reassess once he sees where the Cowboys are headed, including coaching-wise. For Watson, getting through Week 1 healthy seems like a good goal.
How: The Cowboys realize there’s real danger in letting Prescott play on the open market, so they’re trying to avoid that scenario. But financially, carrying that $26 million in dead money from the last restructuring into another contract cycle is such a challenge. It’s not an impossible hurdle by any means, but it’s made this negotiation as complicated as it’s been in recent memory. While logic dictates that Prescott will hit free agency, I can’t shake the idea that the Cowboys almost always take good care of their stars. For Watson, the Browns have to hope he quickly looks like Joe Flacco at the end of the road. Yes, Flacco may have caught lightning in a bottle, but it shouldn’t be a stretch to expect the quarterback with the most guaranteed money in history to play at a top-five level at the position. The problem is, Watson hasn’t played anywhere near that level since 2020, which is an eternity in QB years.
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Custodian: I highly doubt the Cowboys will sign Prescott before the season starts, partly for the reasons Jeff outlined above, but I’m also skeptical that he’ll hit the open market in the spring as one of the most coveted free agents the league has had in recent memory. Dallas will do so much, much later than it should have, if only because Jerry Jones doesn’t want to let his team become irrelevant. As for Watson, it feels like this is the season that will define what the rest of his career looks like. The bar isn’t set that high — matching Flacco’s late-season play last year — but he’s failed to consistently reach that level thus far in Cleveland. Don’t underestimate him facing a hungry Dallas defense that was utterly embarrassed the last time they took the field in that playoff loss to the Packers.
Lions-Rams is the “Sunday Night Football” matchup in what could be a fully open NFC in 2024. Who’s your favorite to win the conference and why?
Zando: I went with chalking on the AFC side (Kansas City) and kind of took a chance on Green Bay’s young talent on the NFC side. The Packers have questions to answer on defense and we haven’t even seen Jordan Love play consistently well for a full season, so this is a reach. I do like where the team seems to be going and the vibe I’m getting from Love.
How: I’ll take the Lions. They’ve been building up to this and took a necessary step last season by winning the conference championship, which is proof enough for me to believe they’ve learned how to win big games. This rise is no accident. That said, I’m excited about the NFC this season. The conference is significantly better than it was a year ago.
Custodian: I wouldn’t have picked the 49ers until Monday, but with Trent Williams back in the fold, this is still a tough team to bet against. Maybe the fatigue of three straight NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance is catching up to them, but remember: This is the best roster in the league, led by the second-best coach in the league (behind Andy Reid). Brock Purdy is only going to get better, and he’s surrounded by the best arsenal of weapons in the game. Until someone dethrones them, San Francisco remains the team to beat in the NFC.
Matthew Stafford (9) leads the Los Angeles Rams against Jared Goff (16) and the Detroit Lions on Sunday night. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
After an Achilles injury cost him his 2023 season, we get our first real look at Aaron Rodgers as a Jet on Monday night. Meanwhile, the 49ers have had a tumultuous summer with holdouts Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams and the shooting of rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall during an attempted robbery. What to watch for in a Jets-49ers game?
Zando: I’m looking forward to seeing how well Rodgers moves, how well he makes contact, how well his protection holds up, what his body language tells us, what kind of rapport he has with his receivers, how he interacts with coaches — all of those things and more.
How: Injuries aside, there’s nothing that worries me about the 49ers on Monday. They should be fine no matter what. So I’m curious to see how the Jets approach this stretch. They have a lot going for them on paper, but they didn’t handle adversity well at all last season. Are they ready, from the top of the organization to the bottom of the roster, to win consistently at this point? If they can overcome adversity in the game — a slow start, a second-half comeback, whatever — and beat one of the best rosters in the league, that should say a lot about the Jets’ ability to compete.
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Custodian: For me, it’s Rodgers, period. This game feels like it’s been two years in the making. Rodgers’ off-field experience has become tiresome — the darkness receding, the conspiracy theories, the chaos at Jets headquarters, Rodgers missing minicamp so he could go on vacation. And finally, football. I wouldn’t be surprised if he reminds everyone why he’s a future Hall of Famer and one of the purest pitchers the game of football has ever seen. But I still don’t believe the Jets are ready to climb into the Super Bowl conversation. Maybe that will change on Monday night.
(Top photo of Dak Prescott: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
