• Justin Shorter could seize a role in the Bills' passing attack: Shorter has room to earn significant snaps after Buffalo's interest waned in now-Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins.
• How will the Broncos use Drew Sanders? The third-round pick is an experienced pass rusher despite his off-ball linebacker label.
• An intriguing backup quarterback battle in Tennessee: Rookie Will Levis is currently No. 3 on the Titans' depth chart but will have an opportunity to win the No. 2 spot from Malik Willis.
Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
Playing time, praise and depth chart positions are up for grabs in NFL training camp. After rookie minicamps, it's the next opportunity for first-year players to prove they belong. Some have more to gain than others, and we highlight those rookies here, starting with the AFC.
*Undrafted free agents were not considered for this exercise, although many will make final rosters based on training camp and preseason performances.
JUMP TO A TEAM:
BLT | BUF | CIN | CLE | DEN | HOU | IND | JAX
KC | LVR | LAC | MIA | NE | NYJ | PIT | TEN
Baltimore Ravens: LB Trenton Simpson
While the Ravens may field a top-three linebacker duo in 2023, at least in PFF analyst Dalton Wasserman's opinion, it's also true that Patrick Queen is in a contract year after the team declined his fifth-year option. Queen earned sub-45.0 grades in his first two NFL seasons before meshing last year with Roquan Smith, who debuted with Baltimore in Week 9. From that point to the end of the regular season, Queen posted a 76.7 overall grade (16th).
That brings us to Trenton Simpson, whose versatility will be an asset in Year 1 before it becomes apparent if Queen has priced himself out of Baltimore, if the Ravens have simply chosen to move on or if it makes sense for the team to re-sign him. Simpson's 2022 positional snap counts at Clemson were as follows:
| Position | 2022 Snaps |
| EDGE | 129 |
| Box LB | 404 |
| Slot CB | 88 |
In coverage last season, Simpson tied for 18th in catch rate allowed among 199 qualifying Power Five linebackers. Training camp will be his first opportunity to show he belongs on the field in a modern linebacker role.
Buffalo Bills: WR Justin Shorter
Much was made of the Bills potentially looking to sign now-Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins this offseason, but a lack of cap space seems to have crushed those aspirations. For now, it's Gabe Davis and Khalil Shakir working behind Stefon Diggs.
Shorter, a fifth-round pick out of Florida, subsequently has a unique opportunity as a Day 3 selection to earn a significant role. He never surpassed 600 receiving yards or three touchdowns in a season with the Gators, but he also never saw a hefty target share. His 19.9 yards per catch in 2022 ranked sixth in the Power Five among 213 qualifying wide receivers, and he didn't drop a single pass. Those are promising numbers for a player with room to move up into a starting spot this season.
Highlights of 1-on-1 drill:
-Khalil Shakir with a nice contested catch against Taron Johnson over the middle
– Justin Shorter with a great deep corner route, big bodying Dane Jackson making a catch to the ground. He let him know it, too.#Bills #BillsMafia— AJ Feldman (@AJFeldmanTV) July 28, 2023
Cincinnati Bengals: CB DJ Turner
Turner may not see starter snaps in 2023, but there truly isn't much in the way of his climbing the depth chart with a strong summer. Chidobe Awuzie, Cam Taylor-Britt and Mike Hilton occupy the starting roles for now, none of whom earned a 70.0-plus grade in 2022.
Turner, a second-rounder out of Michigan, surrendered a catch on just 44.5% of targets into his coverage in college. Among 95 Power Five cornerbacks who faced at least 100 targets over the past three years, Turner's rate ranks second best.
HECK of a play by #Bengals rookie DJ Turner II during Friday’s practice. He’s having a great camp so far. pic.twitter.com/mD3CjaQxRp
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) July 29, 2023
Cleveland Browns: OT Dawand Jones
It was reportedly a tough start to rookie minicamp for Jones, who was seen struggling with conditioning in the heat on his first day.
But this is a player who some thought could sneak into the first round back in April. While Cleveland is set at tackle with Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin, training camp is a chance for Jones to prove that he holds the potential to anchor this offensive line if his number is called. And he gets to do so under lauded offensive line coach Bill Callahan.
Jones didn't allow a sack or a hit across 417 pass-blocking snaps in 2022, and he dominated at the Senior Bowl to boost his draft stock — although he ultimately came off the board in the fourth round.
Denver Broncos: LB Drew Sanders
Sanders was the No. 48 overall player and LB2 on the 2023 PFF big board. Denver managed to scoop him up with the 63rd pick, solidifying an already stout linebacker unit featuring Alex Singleton and Josey Jewell, the latter of whom is in a contract year.
Other Broncos rookies likely have just as much to gain from training camp, particularly Riley Moss and Marvin Mims Jr., but Sanders is unique in that he was a full-on edge defender in 2021 at Alabama and a pass-rushing menace in 2022 at Arkansas. Could Denver opt to take advantage of that skill set amid weak edge depth? Sanders' 39 quarterback pressures ranked second among Power Five off-ball linebackers last year, and his 18.0% pass-rush win rate placed 13th among 102 qualifiers.
Drew Sanders | 2022 regular season
| Pass-Rush Grade | Pressures | Sacks |
| 75.3 (31st/102) | 39 (2nd) | 11 (T-1st) |
*Ranks among qualifying Power Five off-ball linebackers
Houston Texans: WR Tank Dell
Houston's roster is young and flying under the radar, with Dell set to be a big part of that. While Nico Collins, Robert Woods and John Metchie III are the projected starting wide receivers, Dell still has the inside track to significant snaps.
Nearly 70% of Dell's snaps in 2022 came in the slot, where the Texans lack proven talent. The third-round pick could form an early connection with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, convincing new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik that it's a pairing he can't afford to leave off the field. Dell certainly has the college production to suggest such a thing is possible, ranking first in the FBS in receiving yards (1,355) and tied for first in receiving touchdowns (15) last year.
Xavier Hutchinson is another rookie wideout who could earn snaps this summer.
Indianapolis Colts: EDGE Adetomiwa Adebawore
Considered a first-round pick by some during the pre-draft process, Adebawore ultimately slid to the fourth round. He now has something to prove, and training camp is the time to do it.
PFF lead draft analyst Trevor Sikkema called Adebawore the biggest steal of the fourth round this year:
With a 97th percentile 40-yard dash, 88th percentile vertical and 90th percentile broad (and that’s compared to edge rushers — he ranked in the 99th percentile across the board versus interior defenders) — Adebawore is an explosive player on the line of scrimmage. It will take some creativity to make him a high-impact player, but the mold is there.
Jacksonville Jaguars: OT Anton Harrison
This one isn't about soaring up the depth chart; Harrison is already entrenched as the starting right tackle. It's about building rapport with the rest of the offensive line and becoming a much-needed stalwart of the unit.
Harrison played almost exclusively left tackle at Oklahoma, with 1,807 of his 1,866 college snaps coming at the position, but slides over to the right side for Jacksonville. He allowed one sack across 447 pass-blocking snaps in 2022, and just four overall in his college career.
Kansas City Chiefs: EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah
The Chiefs' edge defender room has been a revolving door of veterans as of late, featuring Frank Clark, Carlos Dunlap, Melvin Ingram III, Emmanuel Ogbah, Alex Okafor and Terrell Suggs, among others. Now it's a unit headlined by youth — George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
The No. 31 overall pick this year, Anudike-Uzomah racked up 82 combined regular-season pressures in his last two seasons at Kansas State, ranking fourth among Power Five edge defenders. 2023 is his chance to make the Chiefs' pass rush one of the most promising, and dangerous, units in the NFL.
Las Vegas Raiders: CB Jakorian Bennett
Things could get ugly on the back end for Las Vegas this season if the secondary doesn't exceed expectations. The team added Duke Shelley (86.4 coverage grade) — and recently Marcus Peters (69.5) — this offseason to a unit with no returning player who earned a grade above 61.3 in coverage last year.
That leaves room for rookies to earn snaps, perhaps both fourth-round cornerback Jakorian Bennett and fifth-round safety Christopher Smith. Bennett was one of 35 Power Five cornerbacks in 2022 to allow a sub-60.0 passer rating into his coverage (265 qualifiers), and he didn't surrender a single touchdown on 49 targets.
Los Angeles Chargers: EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu
An elite Chargers edge rushing duo of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack has little proven depth behind it, pushing Tuipulotu into the spotlight as the potential third player in the rotation. Training camp and the preseason are where he can show he belongs in that role.
If Tuipulotu's 2022 numbers are any indication, he can be a plus run defender and pass rusher for Los Angeles. His average tackle in the run game came just 0.6 yards downfield last year, the seventh-best mark among qualifying Power Five edge defenders.
Miami Dolphins: RB Devon Achane
Achane has his work cut out for him in a veteran-heavy Dolphins backfield consisting of Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Myles Gaskin and
Salvon Ahmed. One can comfortably assume the third-round pick is at least third in that pecking order, but he will still have to earn his role.
Miami won't hesitate to incorporate more speed into what is already, likely, the NFL's fastest offense. Achane brings plenty of that, running a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. His shiftiness allowed him to break 53 tackles on 196 carries in 2022, plus another seven as a receiver.
New England Patriots: EDGE Keion White
Murmurs of White going off the board on Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft fizzled out, but the Patriots still made him an early Day 2 selection.
New England's defense is all of a sudden filled with young talent, and White is yet another piece for Bill Belichick to work with. He won't be unseating the starters ahead of him, Matthew Judon and Josh Uche among them, but keep an eye on the role he ends up in.
PFF's 2023 NFL Draft Guide says the following about White:
It seems like it's only a matter of time before the light switch flips on and he's a dominant edge. White came back from missing most of 2021 with an ankle injury to rack up 41 pressures this past fall.
New York Jets: C Joe Tippmann
Connor McGovern versus Joe Tippmann is a fun training camp battle to track. The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt has the rookie coming out on top, but it will be, well, a battle.
The Ohio State product allowed only one sack across 625 career pass-blocking snaps, and he never graded out below 75.0 in any facet. This summer may determine whether he plays every snap in 2023, barring injury, or rides the bench.
Joe Tippmann | 2022 and 2021
| Pass-Blocking Grade | 80.2 (13th) |
| Pressure Rate Allowed | 1.5% (4th) |
| Run-Blocking Grade | 88.3 (8th) |
*Ranks among qualifying Power Five centers
Pittsburgh Steelers: CB Cory Trice Jr.
The Steelers crushed the draft by most accounts, garnering an A-plus mark from PFF. Any of their picks could take on a significant role this season, but Cory Trice Jr. seems to have the most to gain as a seventh-round selection.
Pittsburgh solidified its cornerback room by signing Patrick Peterson this offseason and drafting Joey Porter Jr. with the first pick of the second round, so a starting role isn't what Trice will have his sights set on this summer. Still, he made an impression with a standout performance at OTAs and is going to be tested in training camp.
Trice didn't allow a touchdown in coverage over his final two regular seasons at Purdue, and he let up only 18 catches on 40 targets in 2022.
Rookie CB Cory Trice Jr. gets the PBU during seven shots at #Steelers training camp! ???? pic.twitter.com/goDgtRz1xD
— Steelers Update (@steelersupdate6) July 29, 2023
Tennessee Titans: QB Will Levis
Malik Willis and Will Levis are set to duke it this summer in one of the league's most fascinating training camp battles, albeit one for a backup spot. Willis is only one year into his NFL career as a 2022 third-round pick, and Levis was a projected 2023 first-rounder who Tennessee drafted in the second round after trading up.
Whoever earns the spot will have a chance to replace Ryan Tannehill sooner rather than later, making this an important duel. Levis is coming off his two best seasons of college action, including a 90.6 grade in 2021. However, he'll need to work on his accuracy, a facet in which he ranked just 51st among qualifying Power Five quarterbacks in 2022.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.