The offensive player you’d most like to see against the Texans this Saturday is quarterback Daniel Jones.
John Schmeelk: Fact – I’ve considered playing smart with John Michael Schmitz or Greg Van Roten here, but Daniel Jones will be the star of the show on Saturday afternoon. I’d rather see him lead the entire starting offense, but there’s a chance we won’t see Malik Nabers recover from his ankle injury. I want Jones to be able to confidently drop back in front of a stronger offensive line and find playmakers with accuracy and rhythm. We’ve seen it in practice the last few weeks, and I’m ready to see it in a game situation against starters and a live pass rush.
Matt Citak: Fact – Jones will be returning to action nearly nine months after tearing his ACL, and that alone is an impressive feat. But the sixth-year quarterback has appeared fully healthy since the start of training camp, crawling through the pocket with ease and using his legs to gain yards when he can. This weekend’s game, however, will be the first time Jones has actually been hit by a defender, which may be the last major hurdle in his road to recovery. Given the way he’s been throwing the ball in practice all summer, I’m curious to see how Jones looks under pressure for the first time in a real game situation.
The defensive player you’d most like to see this Saturday against the Texans is rookie safety Tyler Nubin.
John Schmeelk: Fiction – I’m excited to see how Nubin continues to work on his role as a contributor in the secondary, but my focus will be up front. I want to see the progress of some of the young defensive linemen on the interior and how they play against a real opponent. After trading Jordan Phillips, does Jordon Riley continue to show he can be Dexter Lawrence’s backup? The battle of the 3 techniques is even more interesting. We know Rakeem Nunez-Roches is a reliable two-way player, but can young players Ryder Anderson and Elijah Chatman step up as pass rushers and earn a role on passing downs?
Matt Citak: Fiction – While I want to see how Nubin, Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton perform against the Texans, the defensive player I most want to see on Saturday is outside linebacker Brian Burns. To put it simply, Burns has dominated nearly every day of practice this summer. Competing in two joint practices against the Detroit Lions last week, the 26-year-old was able to outwork All-Pro Penei Sewell and longtime veteran Taylor Decker many times. While the Texans’ O-line isn’t quite as challenging as the Lions’, the group does include four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. It’s unclear if Tunsil will suit up Saturday, but either way, I can’t wait to see Burns tackle the quarterback for the first time in a game.
