It’s hard to believe that Week 5 is in the books, but it’s a great time to check in on all of the rookies. This week, we take a look at the NFC East, where our top rookie resides. While some first-year players are able to step right into the lineup, others are just getting used to the speed of the NFL. This is usually the time of year that some of the less-heralded rookies start to find roles.
Here are the NFC East rookies who have seen the field this season.
Dallas Cowboys
Morris Claiborne, CB
Draft: First round, sixth Overall
Snaps/Usage: 244 total snaps, 86 at LCB, 118 at RCB
Notes: The Cowboys' offseason overhaul of the cornerback position brought in Brandon Carr via free agency and Claiborne with the sixth pick of the draft. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has been mixing and matching both corners in order to find the best matchups against opposing wide receivers. Despite giving up 11 of 14 passes thrown his way, Claiborne has only surrendered 126 yards (11.5 yards/att) and the only pass he’s given up over 20 yards was in Week 4 when he got turned around on a double move by Devin Hester for a 34-yard touchdown.
Tyrone Crawford, DE
Draft: Third round, 81st Overall
Snaps/Usage: 45 total snaps, 38 at RE
Notes: Crawford has been used sparingly in the defensive line rotation. His best game came in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he totaled a season-high 18 snaps and picked up his only QB hit of the season to go along with two stops in the running game.
Other Cowboys rookies: Fourth-round OLB Kyle Wilber has played only three snaps in a reserve role, with his only tackle coming on special teams. After lighting up the NFL Combine, sixth-round tight end James Hanna has only 14 snaps and a 10-yard reception to show for his efforts. Undrafted WR Cole Beasley has spent 16 of his 17 snaps in the slot. He’s caught both of his targets, picking up 14 yards on the season.
New York Giants
David Wilson, RB
Draft: First round, 32nd overall
Snaps/Usage: 16 total snaps in reserve running back role. 17 kick returns at 26.3 yards/return
Notes: No coach likes fumbles, but head coach Tom Coughlin’s doghouse is often the loneliest. After fumbling away the second carry of his career, Wilson has seen limited opportunities on offense. Add to that two drops on his four targets in the passing game, and he has been firmly entrenched miles away from Coughlin’s good graces. He finally showed his explosiveness last week against the Cleveland Browns as he scored his first touchdown on a 40-yard run to bring his season rushing total to 52 yards on eight carries. He still has a ways to go before he’s entrusted as a weekly contributor, but last week was a step in the right direction.
Rueben Randle, WR
Draft: Second round, 64th overall
Snaps/Usage: 74 total snaps as reserve WR, with season high of 38 Week 5 vs. Cleveland. Returned seven punts for 66 yards (9.4 yards/return).
Notes: With injuries to starting WR Hakeem Nicks, as well as his replacement Ramses Barden, Randle saw his first extended action last Sunday against the Browns. Playing primarily on the outside, he was targeted nine times, picking up six catches for 82 yards. He did register the first drop of his career, but showed his big play ability on a 36-yard gain late in the second quarter. He is elusive for a big wide receiver and may be able to work into the rotation even more as injuries and quarterback Eli Manning’s confidence allow.
Jayron Hosley, CB
Draft: Third round, 94th overall
Snaps/Usage: 121 total snaps, 79 covering the slot
Notes: Before getting hurt late in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers, Hosley had just cracked the starting lineup after he began the season primarily as a nickel and dime option. A plethora of injuries in the secondary certainly helped the cause, but Hosley was playing well before missing two tackles in that Carolina game. Opponents have completed five of nine passes thrown his way for 76 yards and a QB Rating of 44.0, though he was helped by an errant throw on a drag route by QB Cam Newton that resulted in a gift-wrapped first interception of his career.
Markus Kuhn, DT
Draft: Seventh round, 239th overall
Snaps/Usage: 74 total snaps, 60 at DRT
Notes: Kuhn has been a part of the defensive line rotation in all five of the Giants' games, with his season-high of 28 snaps coming last week. He’s played in both base and nickel sets, and he’s been in on 37 runs and 37 passes. Kuhn has yet to record an official pressure though he had a hurry negated by a penalty and he’s batted two passes to give him a +0.9 pass rush grade.
Will Hill, SCB
Draft: Undrafted (entered league in 2010)
Snaps/Usage: 91 total snaps, 88 covering the slot
Notes: An unexpected rookie, Hill came out of Florida after the 2010 season. He was a highly touted recruit and after a good career in college, Hill went undrafted and was not even invited to a training came after teaching the world how not to handle a twitter account. His unprofessional foray into the world of social media turned off NFL teams, but he’s found a home in New York. With the injuries in the secondary, including fellow rookie Hosley, Hill has seen his playing time increase as 73 of his 91 snaps have come in the last two weeks in a slot cornerback role. Opponents have completed all three passes thrown his way for a total of 35 yards, though his 15.7 cover snaps/target is good for third in the league among all slot cornerbacks.
Unfortunately for Hill, his comeback attempt will be halted for another four weeks as he recently failed an NFL drug test. He will be eligible to return early next month.
Other Giants rookies: Fourth-round TE Adrien Robinson has been used as a blocker on all three of his snaps this season.
Philadelphia Eagles
Fletcher Cox, DT
Draft: First round, 12th overall
Snaps/Usage: 202 total snaps, 185 at DLT
Notes: The Eagles have a loaded front four and Cox has stepped right into the mix playing 60% of the snaps this season. He’s provided a solid pass rush (+1.1), and he ranks third in the league among DTs in Run Stop Percentage at 10.6%. Philadelphia rotates as many as nine players along the line and Cox’s 202 snaps are tops among their defensive tackles.
Mychal Kendricks, OLB
Draft: Second round, 46th overall
Snaps/Usage: 318 total snaps, 94% of team total
Notes: A starter from day one, Kendricks was seemingly on his way to Defensive Rookie of the Year consideration before last week’s debacle against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was grading at +5.3 through four games before missing six tackles last week. He’s now the leader among 4-3 OLBs with 10 missed tackles on the season, but he’s done a nice job in coverage, holding opposing quarterbacks to a QB Rating of 80.7 on throws into his coverage, good for 13th out of 46 qualifiers.
Brandon Boykin, CB
Draft: Fourth round, 123rd overall
Snaps/Usage: 183 total snaps, 175 covering the slot
Notes: After using CB Nnamdi Asomugha in the slot fairly often last season, the Eagles have moved him back to his more natural home on the outside and drafted Boykin to assume the role on the inside. He’s in the middle of the pack among slot cornerbacks with 9.2 cover snaps/reception (ninth among 15 qualifiers) and 1.39 yards/cover snap (12th among 15 qualifiers).
Damaris Johnson, WR
Draft: Undrafted
Snaps/Usage: 100 totals snaps, 87 at outside WR. Returned eight punts for 48 yards (6.0 yards/return)
Notes: Injuries have given Johnson a chance to contribute beyond special teams and he’s made the most of his opportunities. He’s caught 8 of 13 passes for 124 yards (15.5 yards/rec) including 39 yards after the catch. The only negative for Johnson through five weeks was his fumble on a punt return Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Other Eagles rookies: OT Dennis Kelly saw all three of his snaps at right tackle Week 4 against the New York Giants. Despite limited experience in college, seventh-round RB Bryce Brown was thought to be a potential sleeper due to his high school recruiting pedigree. He has not yet come around as he’s only forced one tackler to miss on his 16 touches and he already has both a fumble and a dropped pass to his name in only five games.
Washington Redskins
Robert Griffin III, QB
Draft: First round, second overall
Snaps/Usage: Starting QB
Notes: Our current leader in the Race for the Rookie of the Year, Griffin has showed the potential that made him the second overall pick in the draft. Though he is our current leader in accuracy % at 82.0%, the Redskins have been extremely conservative with Griffin who has attempted only eight passes beyond 20 yards. He’s shown the ability to move the ball with his legs (+3.3 Run), but after leaving last week’s game with a concussion, we see the risk involved with a scrambling franchise quarterback. At some point, Griffin will have to rely less on his legs and make a few more downfield throws from the pocket in order to stay healthy and productive.
Alfred Morris, RB
Draft: Sixth round, 173rd overall
Snaps/Usage: Top RB since Week 1
Notes: Head Coach Mike Shanahan’s reputation for finding ‘plug-and-play' running backs is firmly intact thanks to Morris’ strong start to his career. The zone blocking scheme is still a Redskins staple, but new looks from pistol sets, as well as the threat of Griffin as a runner have helped the scheme evolve. Morris has steadily improved throughout the season, and he’s now fifth in the league with 491 rushing yards and second with 17 missed tackles forced. He sits atop the leader board in yards after contact/attempt (2.97), while boasting our second-highest elusive rating at 52.4. When you add it all up, it looks as if Shanahan has found himself another late-round steal.
Other Redskins rookies: Fourth-round LB Keenan Robinson has seen the field for ONLY seven snaps and he’s yet to record a tackle on special teams (-2.0). A much-criticized selection, fourth-round QB Kirk Cousins was drafted to back up Griffin. He saw his first action last week, completing five of nine passes for 113 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. While he made a couple of impressive throws, he reminded us of his rookie status by throwing a ball right into CB Dunta Robinson’s hands late in the fourth quarter. Seventh round CB Richard Crawford has earned more playing time in recent weeks, spending 85 of his 110 snaps covering the slot. Opposing quarterbacks have a QB Rating of 133.7 throwing into his coverage.
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