Between the Snaps - Newbies, Glow-ups & Projections

Originally recorded & published: 8/6/2025

New player additions 

2025 Glow-ups 

Player projections

Backup quarterbacks - who's gonna be the guy if your #1 gets injured?

Transcript

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I love the game of the I am literally just giving my opinion. George Kittle, Caleb Williams, Jonathan Taylor, Jared Goff, Tyler Walk, Max Crosby, Brussel Wilson, Will Howard, Sam Laporta, McCaffrey, Mike Evans, Jaden Daniels, Tyrone Tracy, Ashton Genty, Fred Warner, Jackson Dart, Marvin Mann, Brock Bowers, Bucky Irving, Najee Harris, Cooper Cub, Gibson Montgomery, Clay Walker. This is what let's get into it. Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Girl Meets Gridiron Between the Snaps. Let's get into it. I'm just gonna go over a little bit of news that just came out recently. I'm starting with Teddy Bridgewater, is now a buck. He has been a journeyman for quite some time, part of the 2014 NFL draft, which is the same draft as Mike Evans, ironically. And he's back with his high school teammate, Levante David. They were high school teammates, so that's pretty cool. He's there backing up Baker Mayfield. He's gonna be a veteran that can definitely help out with, you know, the rookies or backup quarterbacks, pretty much anything. That's gonna be pretty cool to see. But Trey Hendrickson, I don't know what the hell is going on with this, but he did end his holdout and he's back at training camp, but there's rumors going around everywhere talking about the Bengals trading him to the Lions. I don't know what's going on with him. That's just totally up in the air. So keep your eyes on Trey Hendrickson because something might happen in the next couple days. I don't know. Also, a shocking turn of events. Now that Mike Williams has retired, if you remember, he was with the Steelers last season and then he went to the Chargers, which was his first team, and just retired maybe like a month ago, I think. And now the Chargers have signed Keenan Allen, who has spent his entire career there since he was drafted in 2013 up until last year, where he spent one year with the Bears. Now he's going back for a one-year deal. We'll see how he does there. Again, I think this is a great opportunity for a veteran and younger wide receiver, Lad McConkie, to learn from him. That'll be great to see, if anything. And then the last one is Kyron Williams from Notre Dame. He just signed his three-year extension with the Rams for 33 mil. Pretty awesome. He's a great running back. He has done absolutely phenomenal in the league. So that's really awesome to see. He explained too that during this whole contract extension, Sean McVay had been right by his side the entire time, which I think is awesome. And so it's definitely great to see that. All right, moving on. I'm gonna talk about some of the players who I think are gonna glow up for this year. I've got at least one for every position, except for I don't, I'm not really gonna talk about offensive line, honestly. So let's just start it off with quarterbacks I'm looking to glow up. And mind you, I know there's a ton of rookies that are gonna be bombed this year, but these are guys that have been in the league for at least a year. Okay, so Drake May. I think he is going to be an amazing quarterback under this Mike Vrabel team. He did pretty good last year, but I think that he's got a lot more in him. I think he's underrated. I'm not a Patriots fan, but I do really like Drake May. Another one, this might not be necessarily a glow-up, but Justin Herbert, the past like few years, he's been in the top like 10 for passing yards. Last year he did okay, but he wasn't really talked about that much. And on top of that, his interceptions are miraculous. Like his first year in the league, he threw 10 interceptions, which I think is pretty awesome. I mean, he only played 15 games, but that's pretty damn good. Second year did a little bit worse through 15, but then 2022 went back to 10, and he's playing in all of these games. 2023, he only played in 13 games, seven interceptions. But last year, he played in all 17 games and threw three interceptions, and they were all at the end of the season. So that needs to be talked about a shit ton more, I think, because that's pretty damn phenomenal. Moving on to running backs, I'm a little bit iffy on this, but I'm still gonna say it because I like him. Kenneth Walker for the Seattle Seahawks, Michigan State boy, he's been around since 2022. His first year in the league, he rushed for over a thousand yards. He had nine touchdowns. He was killing it. And second year, almost hit 1,905 yards, eight touchdowns. Last year he got hurt. Zach Charbonnet had to go in, which he killed it. I really think that there's a potential for them to be a great running back duo there in Seattle. But I'm really hoping that he comes back full throttle this year and shows up just like he did in his first year. But we'll see. Also, I'm a little iffy on Jerome Ford. I don't really know what to think so far, especially because the Browns have Quenchon Judkins. And I do really like Quenchon. Jerome Ford didn't do bad last year, but he didn't do great. So when I hear the name Jerome Ford, I'm thinking of a backup running back, definitely not a starter, but that's pretty much all they got to work with right now. So another one that I really like was a rookie last year, Tyrone Tracy, Purdue boy, and he's for the Giants. If you didn't know, he was amazing last year. He definitely wasn't a top five, top ten running back in the league. But if you watch him, he did pretty damn great. And he outran Devin Singletary, who's a vet like a champ. So I definitely think he's one to keep on your watch list. Keep him as a backup in your fantasy because he's gonna be consistent for you. That's for damn sure. All right, let's move on to wide receivers. My favorite is Keon Coleman. I am a Bills fan, but I really think he has the potential to be one of the best wide receivers in the league in the coming years. He was a rookie last year, but he has Josh Allen throwing to him, okay? He only played in 13 games last year, four touchdowns, 556 yards, but you gotta think about it too. Like, Josh Allen is one of those guys that has so many different people to throw to. Like last year, he had Khalil Shakir, Amari Cooper, he had Dawson Knox, he had Dalton Kincaid, he had all of these guys to throw to, and he throws it around. He's not a one-dude passer, he is going all around the rainbow. So I definitely think Keon is somebody to watch for the upcoming years. Another one I really like is Andre Yosevas. Now, this is weird to say because the other two wide receivers above him are Jamar Chase and T. Higgins. But Andre is doing work this offseason. I don't know if anybody's seen him, but he has literally lost every single percent of fat in his body. He looks amazing. His endurance, his training, his speed, his focus. They have an A plus triple wide receiver core there in Cincinnati. Plus Mike Gasicki, who I love too. Moving on, Josh Downs. I think he's gonna end up doing great. I'm not sure if this is gonna be his year, but he's on the up. He's moving in the right direction. We'll see where that lands for Indy. Marvin Mims. I absolutely love this kid. Denver is starting to get back a great wide receiver core there with Cortland Sutton, Devon Vayle, and obviously Marvin Mims. So he was a return specialist last year and did phenomenal. I'm excited to see him play. I think Bo Nix will do awesome with him and Cortland Sutton and Vayle, obviously. Wandale Robinson is one that I don't think anybody really thinks about because it's the Giants, and because obviously last year they got Malik neighbors. But at the same time, Wandale Robinson is coming. He's not a wide receiver one, that's for sure. But he is progressing in the past three years. His first year, he only played in six games, 227 yards. Second year, played in 15 games, 525 yards. And last year, he played in all 17 games. He was targeted 140 times and had a little shy of 700 yards with three touchdowns. So he's definitely moving in the right direction, just like I said, Josh Downs is. But obviously, Malik Neighbors is always going to be that number one. But Wandale is somebody to look at and maybe keep on your sleeper list for fantasy because he can be consistent. See, and my last one is Xavier Leggett for Carolina. He was a rookie last year. The reason I say him is because he has to step up his game. He didn't do awful last year by any means, but the Panthers also have Adam Thielen, who is one of the best veteran wide receivers. Obviously, he's gonna be the go-to for Bryce Young. But Xavier Leggett needs to step it up because he's gonna be that number one guy, okay? Like Adam Thielen ain't gonna be around for much longer. He's old. So I'm excited to see what he's gonna do and learn from Adam Thielen. Uh moving on to tight ends. So I was watching the NFL network the other day, training camps, obviously, and it was on the Raiders. They were talking to Gino Smith, and he mentioned that, you know, obviously they have Brock Bowers, rookie last year, led all tight ends and receiving yards, but also we're forgetting my boy Michael Mayer, who is the second string tight end for the Raiders out of Notre Dame. And Gino had some great things to say about him. Said that he's progressing and he's excited to throw to him and see what he can do, which I think is awesome. So, plus Michael Mayer is big, he can block. So, if anything, you know, use Brock Bowers for some passing, use Michael Mayer for blocking, man. There's so many different things that Pete Carroll can do with that offense. I'm excited to see it. A few others, Dalton Kincaid for the Bills. Let's go. Dalton Kincaid's just getting better. He has learned so much from Dawson Knox. They have a great relationship, friendship, whatever. It's really cool to see, and I'm excited to see what he's gonna do this season. Evan Ingram is another vet tight end that went to the Broncos. Like I said, I'm excited for Marvin Mims, Cortland Sutton, Devon Vale, but now they add in Evan Ingram. And they have Adam Troutman, who's the second string, who has been first string the past couple of years for them. So that's gotta feel pretty secure for Denver. Will Disley is another one that I don't think is talked about enough. He was drafted in 2018, but has not been talked about enough. He played for Seattle up until 2023 and then went to the Chargers. So it's funny because between 2018 and 2023, the most he was targeted between those years for Seattle was 38 times. And he had the most receiving yards, obviously, too, 349. Last year for the Chargers, he was targeted 64 times and had 481 yards, two touchdowns. So I think he's found his team. I hope that he ends his career out with a bang. And I think he will with this Chargers team because Justin Herbert seems to really like throwing to him. Moving on to defense, guys. Defensive tackles, like I said, I'm not a Colts fan, but I am gonna talk about a couple Colts, guys, okay? Grover Stewart, defensive tackle for the Colts. I think he's gonna step it up. Obviously, he's been around for a little while, but this Colts defense, you guys, it is underrated this year. I think that they're gonna do one hell of a job. It's not talked about enough. Another guy is Mozzie Smith for Dallas. Now that Micah Parsons has blown shit up, Mozzie's gonna have to step his game up. And he's done okay the past year or two, but I think he has a lot more to give in this league. Defensive end-wise, another Indianapolis Colt, Quiddy Pay, he is a very, very, very underrated defensive end. Look at his stats, look at his numbers. I'm not gonna go through them, but just look at him. He's gonna kill it. Another one for the Jets, Will McDonald. He is going to blow your hat off this season. I promise you that. He is one of those guys that came into the league as an underdog. I believe he was cut from the Jets a couple of years ago and put on the practice squad. And then he came back with a bang and showed them that he deserves to be on that team. And he's just gonna continue to do that for years to come. Uh, linebackers, Terrell Bernard for Buffalo. You gotta love Buffalo, guys. Their defense is gonna kill it. Another one that I don't think it's talked about enough is Devin Lloyd for Jacksonville. Loved this guy, went and saw him at the combine. He's from Utah. He spent five years at Utah, so he could take them to the championship. Unbelievable guy. And his first couple of years at Jacksonville, he wasn't that great, to be honest. But last year he stepped up. Cornerbacks Tradavius White is back with the Bills and he is thriving, let me tell you. Watch him, okay? Another one I'm looking at is Max Melton for Arizona. Him in the backfield with safety, Buda Baker. They're gonna be a duo that you're gonna want to watch. Safeties. Jeremy Chin for Las Vegas. He just came there from Washington. He had previously been with the Panthers, I think maybe like another team or two. So he's been a little bit sporadic, but I think that he's gonna find his team here with the Raiders and kill it. Also, Nick Cross, I don't think is talked about enough. In tackles last year, Nick Cross was ninth, okay? And that's out of all defenders, right? This isn't just safeties because in safeties, he's second behind Buda Baker. He had 146 tackles last year, six tackles for loss, three interceptions, one force fumble. Guys, this backfield for Indy is disgusting. You're gonna be like, what the hell? How did this defense just pop off? They got Cam Bynum, Sharvarius Ward, Kenny Moore, Cross, Zaire Franklin. Okay, it's gonna be sick, trust me. All right, couple of others on defense. Taryn Johnson, always one to watch with Buffalo. He's doing absolutely phenomenal, very consistent. And Devin Weatherspoon. He's been in the shadows. So I'm really hoping that he gets back on his game. We shall see though. Let's move on and talk about some of the best backup quarterbacks. I was a little bit surprised to see some of these, you guys. This is pretty crazy. Usually, you know, backup quarterbacks, it's like, who the hell is that? Not this year, you guys. Not this year. For Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes backups, Gardner Minshew and Bailey Zappi, both have been QB1s. And same for Buffalo. Behind Josh Allen, we got Mitch Trubisky and Mike White, both have been QB1s. Pittsburgh is another one I'm looking at. Mason Rudolph, super underrated uh backup quarterback. Okay, he was QB1 for Pittsburgh, and then he was QB1 for Tennessee last year. Now he's back with Pittsburgh, QB two. That's a great backup to have. Uh also Will Howard took his team to the NCAA championship last year. I think he should be QB two, but we'll see. In Indianapolis, obviously, Anthony Richardson right now is sitting at QB1. You got Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard, who, again, just like Will Howard, took his team to the NCAA championship. Those are some great backups. Another one is Washington behind Jaden Daniels. You got Marcus Mariota from Oregon back in the day. Played QB1 at Tennessee. He's been a little bit of a journeyman too, but great player. He's consistent. If Jaden goes out, that's your guy for sure. Also, Josh Johnson, who's been a Ryan Fitzpatrick and he's been in the league for quite some time. Came to Washington this year after Baltimore. Probably learned some great things from Lamar. So we'll see how he does there. Atlanta, obviously, QB2 is Kirk Cousins. That's all you need to say. For the Rams, Stafford's got Garoppolo, has been a QB1. San Francisco, Brock Purdy has Mac Jones been a QB1 at two different places. And Seattle, Drew Locke and Jalen Milrow, backups for Sam Darnold. Those are my good ones. Let's talk a little bit about some of the bad ones. I've got five different teams here with some pretty shitty backups. So if these QB1s go out, I think these guys are fucked. Denver, if Bo Nicks goes out, they're either gonna put in Jared Stidham or Sam Ellinger, who just went to Denver this year from Indianapolis, and his ass has been sitting and warming the Indianapolis bench for God knows how long. I don't even know if he's played a snap for Indy, honestly. Maybe one. I don't know. Jacksonville. Alright, if Trevor Lawrence goes out, Nick Mullins came over from Minnesota. And if he goes out, then you got John Wolford, whoever the fuck that is. Tennessee, dear God. You have a rookie QB with Cam Ward. If he goes out, you get Brandon Allen or Tim Fucking Boyle. Pick one. Dallas. Now Dallas. Why the fuck did you get rid of Cooper Rush? Cooper Rush, who went in for Dak Prescott when he got injured last year and did what he had to do. I mean, Dallas fucking sucked. But Cooper Rush, bro, you did all you could. Props to you last year. But then they get rid of him and give him to Baltimore. So now we got Joe Milton, the third from New England, or Will Greer, who has just been chilling for a couple of years doing whatever. Last one, guys, the Saints. This isn't just worst backup QBs. This is worst QBs, okay? How do you even fucking pick? You got Desmond Ritter, Tyler Shaw, rookie, and Jay Kahner. I was okay with Jay Kahner last year. I thought it was pretty cool that he was the backup for Derek Carr. They both went to Fresno State. Thought they might be like, you know, on the same page or whatever. Derek Carr went out last year. Jay Kahner came in and got hurt in like two plays. Went out, out for the rest of the season. You definitely cannot count on his ass. And then the other, like, come on. Oh my god. Poor Kellen Moore. I feel so fucking bad for him. Like, why did you even take this fucking coaching position? You are in deep shit, my bro. And it's not, I don't think it's gonna get any better. I don't know how you're gonna glow up from here, but you deserve a trophy if you can make that team go more than like five and twelve. All right, guys. One last thing I just want to mention is I have never even heard NFL Network, ESPN, any of the media say anything about this. But if you guys look at the New York Jets depth chart, their third string quarterback, his name is Adrian Martinez, and he was in the UFL. That's one thing I think all teams really need to look into the UFL so much more than they do because these players in the UFL, they're either have been in the NFL and they're playing for the fun of it now, but a majority of these guys are playing to prove themselves to get to the NFL. Either they didn't go to the draft or they weren't good enough or undrafted, anything like that. They're trying to get there. These are the guys that are pouring their hearts out on that field. These are the guys that you want to see on your team. These are the guys that are gonna step up and be leaders and put their heart and soul into that game and produce. If anything, that's where these fucking teams need to be looking. And I don't think they look there hard enough because they're some great ass dudes in the UFO. And I was even shocked to see that Adrian Martinez was on an NFL team as a third string quarterback, to be honest. Is there going to be a comeback for Legarius Sneed? Is it gonna happen? I know you guys remember two years ago he was baller at Kansas City. Then after that, whole trade deal and what's gonna happen with Sneed. Man, that was crazy. Tennessee got him though. Then he got hurt last year. So, what's he gonna do? I have no idea where to even put him on the totem pole. It's gonna be interesting to watch. Keep an eye out for him. We'll see how he does. Also, one other thing to mention, you guys, if you look at all of the RB1s this year, it is fucking elite. Like, there's only a couple on there that I'm like, eh, they're okay. The rest is like, holy shit, is this the best running back like year that we've seen coming up? Or RB1s, okay, RB1s. I'm not gonna read them all off. But go look, go to R Lad's depth charts by position and just take a look at all the RB1s. You're gonna be like, holy shit, it's gonna be crazy. I'm excited. Anyways, that's all I got for this episode, you guys. So tune in next time. Thanks for listening.