We have some good questions in this week’s NFL mailbag. I hope the answers I’m dishing out are as good. You be the judge …
Rookie of the year favorites
From ndc.eth (@AaronKap_): Which rookie makes the biggest impact early in the season?
Aaron, I think the easy answer is Jeremiyah Love. The Cardinals figure to build their offense around him, the running back position translates quickly from college to pro, and he’s a really, really good player. But I’d temper that just a bit in that I’d bet Arizona will try not to overuse him, with James Conner and Tyler Allgeier also in that backfield.
So on offense, give me Love’s Notre Dame teammate, Jadarian Price, in Seattle, and Carnell Tate, who’s already turning heads in Tennessee. I think both will have a ton of opportunities and assimilate quickly, and those two elements are always key in rookie of the year races.
On defense, I’d go with David Bailey. I think he’ll be a double-digit sack guy for the Jets, who’ll need him to be a really big part of their pass rush.
Washington Commanders
From Josh (@olswamptrash): What is your opinion on Antonio Williams to Washington, and do you think he is a Day 1 starter?
Josh, the question with Williams was never whether he could play. The third-round pick proved over and over again at Clemson that he can be a productive, tough and crafty player whose game should translate quickly into a good NFL slot receiver.
The bigger issue with him is his ceiling.
But in Washington, there’s already a tried-and-true No. 1, Terry McLaurin, and a versatile complementary piece, Luke McCaffrey, who’s lined up in the slot a lot but has the flexibility to play all over the formation. So Williams should be able to slide into David Blough’s offense relatively seamlessly, and 50-or-so catches this year wouldn’t shock me.
New Orleans Saints
From St. Charlie (@saintcharlie33): Thoughts on the Saints’ offense being top 12, considering all of the new additions and second year of Moore’s installment?
Chuck, what I love about the Saints’ offense is that they have experienced hands running it, Kellen Moore and Doug Nussmeier, and now they have the personnel to get a clean read on whether Tyler Shough is going to be the guy for the long term, ahead of what’s expected to be a bumper crop of quarterbacks in the 2027 draft.
They now have first-round picks at receiver, Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson. They have first-rounders at tackle, Taliese Fuaga and Kelvin Banks Jr. They have two accomplished running backs, Alvin Kamara and Travis Etienne Jr. They have a veteran tight end back, Juwan Johnson, and a high-ceiling rookie at the position, Oscar Delp. So, either the offense is going to ascend into that area, or they can focus on fixing the quarterback position in 2027.
Either way, I think it’s a decent place to be as Moore continues to build his program.
Dallas Cowboys
From Tom_Waits_Fan (@The_urbn_cowboy): Do you think Christian Parker will have a significant impact, and how do you think his scheme will look?
First off, it’s not like all of the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator’s NFL experience came under Vic Fangio—he worked under the defensive guru in Denver in 2021 and Philly the past two years, while also coaching with Mike Pettine, Ejiro Evero and Vance Joseph as his coordinators in the pros. So, it’s fair to say that Parker will have his own twist on the Fangio scheme, and it’s also true that other teams have looked at poaching Parker because of who he is, not just who he’s worked with.
That said, part of the appeal for the Cowboys is getting the Fangio system, which has been one of the more difficult to coach against in the NFL. And Brian Schottenheimer knows how tough it is, having been in the division going head-to-head with Fangio the past two years, and also seeing Brandon Staley’s version of it, in the NFC West in 2000.
As for how this will all look in the fall, I think the versatility in the back seven will be at a premium, which is why I think Caleb Downs was valued by the Cowboys the way he was, and why I’ll be really interested to see how Parker weaponizes DeMarvion Overshown.
Los Angeles Rams
From Mark Christensen (@markchr90): Rams are trading away their first-round pick next year for whom?
Mark, I’d say their options are open here to take a big swing as they’ve done in the past, and taking Ty Simpson at No. 13 gives them more flexibility to use draft picks to do it, since they don’t have to worry about finding a quarterback in 2027 or ’28 anymore.
It’s a good place to be.
Las Vegas Raiders
From Matthew Beeby (@MatthewBee73998): In terms of league ranking, what is the ceiling and floor of where Rick Dennison will have this Raiders’ offensive line? And what would be your guess?
Matthew, I think the ceiling would be the higher end of a middle-of-the-pack line. Kolton Miller’s a good left tackle, Tyler Linderbaum’s a kick-ass center. Spencer Burford is a decent starter at guard, and there’s upside to mine with Jackson Powers-Johnson at the other guard spot. And with Dennison developing the line under Klint Kubiak, it’s fair to say, as you’re referencing here, there’s a chance for Las Vegas to do more with less.
The top 10 would probably be pushing it, but I think they can be a lot better.
Maxx Crosby
From joeRAM (@Tya502): If Maxx Crosby can pass a physical, will he inevitably get traded before the season kicks off?
Joe, I think Crosby will start the season with the Raiders. I also think that the Raiders and Crosby intend to move forward together for the foreseeable future.
But is there a possibility that Crosby could be traded in November? Yeah, it’s not impossible. Here’s the hypothetical scenario: Nine games in, Crosby’s crushing it, looking healthy and the Raiders, while showing promise, are 1–8. At that point, the Raiders wouldn’t have to shop him; the calls would come in. And as strong as the 2027 draft promises to be, maybe someone would give them something to think about.
Stefon Diggs
From Pessimism of the Intellect (@Trill_Parcells): In terms of potential fits, what does Stefon Diggs’s market look like? Is a return to New England (alongside A.J. Brown) off the table, given he already counts $9.7M against their cap?
Pessimism, I do think an A.J. Brown trade will happen. I also don’t think, for a variety of reasons, you’ll see Diggs and A.J. Brown together in New England.
Now, I believe the Patriots love Diggs, and Diggs would love to return.
But any realistic talk about his return, to me, hinges on whether the Brown trade happens. Assuming Brown does become a Patriot, I think Diggs will probably be somewhere in that one-year, $10 million range. The Chiefs could make sense. The Commanders might, too, since Diggs is from D.C. The Falcons and Rams would also be interesting landing spots.
Kansas City Chiefs
From Jared Thomson (@huskerjared83): How long will it take the Chiefs’ defensive rookies (Mansoor Delane, Peter Woods, R Mason Thomas, Jadon Canady) to jell with the defense and have our defense firing on all cylinders?
I think you can expect contributions right away.
DC Steve Spagnuolo gets young guys up and running fast, and 2022 is proof of it. That year, Spags had rookies George Karlaftis, Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson starting all three playoff games on the way to a championship. Karlaftis also started all 17 regular-season games and had six sacks. McDuffie started all 11 regular-season games he played in, with seven passes defensed. And Watson started six of the 16 regular-season games he played in.
On paper, the Chiefs’ first two picks, Delane and Woods, should be ready, with both having played a ton of college snaps. Each drew starts as a true freshman and became a regular starter as a sophomore.
Cam Jordan and Tyreek Hill
From Mark Morin (@morinUbargain4): Which team do you expect Cam Jordan will sign with? Tyreek Hill?
Mark, give me the Bears for Jordan and the Chiefs for Hill.
Brendan Sorsby
From Mikey (@Mikeybeit): What percentage would you give QB Brendan Sorsby on entering the supplemental draft this year?
Mikey, let’s go with 55%. I don’t think the NCAA is going to budge on this one—it’s too important as a precedent-setter. And I don’t think it’ll be worth Sorsby’s while, even if he does want another season of college football (and he does), to endure the legal fight to play.
Of course, where the NFL stands on him, and whether they suspend him coming into the league as they once did Terrelle Pryor, is a factor as well.
Ladd McConkey
From India Moss (@imoss92): Will Ladd McConkey reset the WR market next offseason? Given what we know about Mike McDaniel’s offense, his pick being a second-rounder and his stats being close to what JSN’s are at the end of his third year, is it really outlandish to not think that he'd reset it?
Ehhhh … I don’t know about McConkey resetting the market. But I think he, Quentin Johnston and Tre Harris are going to be a better than expected trio at the position.
While we’re there, I really like where the Chargers are on offense.
Mike McDaniel has a lot to work with.
More NFL from Sports Illustrated
- Top Receivers Dominate 2026 Fantasy Top 200 Dynasty Rankings
- Netflix Announces ‘Quarterback’ Season 3 Cast—Here's Four QBs the Show Should Follow in 2026
- Ranking the NFL’s Record Nine International Series Games in 2026
- The NFL Has a Massive Amount of Power in How It Builds the Schedule
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Albert Breer’s Mailbag: Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year Favorites.
