Browns rookies shine in Hall of Fame game, plus 14 players we’re excited to watch during preseason

It’s time for another episode of our “All 32” series, and believe it or not, we have almost reached the end. Sure, I say that every other day, but this time, I actually mean it. There are only two teams left, and we’ll be covering one of those two teams today: the New Orleans Saints. 

To talk about how things are going in New Orleans, we brought on Jeff Nowak, who serves as a digital sports producer and Saints sideline reporter for Audacy along with the team’s flagship radio station, WWL-AM in New Orleans. 

Here are two topics special guest host Ryan Wilson covered today with Nowak:  

• Will Michael Thomas actually be on the field this year? Thomas looked like he was going to be a star after setting the NFL single-season record for receptions in 2019 with 149, but since then, he’s missed 40 of a possible 50 games over the past three seasons due to injury. If Thomas can stay healthy, he could be a huge weapon for Derek Carr. So can he stay healthy? “I think this year, the question is not, ‘Can he get it done?’ The question is, ‘How many games can you expect from him?'” Nowak said. “If you get 12 to 14 games out of him, that is a major victory. I don’t care how you get it done. … The way this offense operates when he’s on the field is significantly better.” If Thomas is healthy and on the field, the Saints offense could surprise some people. 
• Can the Saints win the NFC South? The Saints went 7-10 last year, but six of those losses were by just one score. They’ve now made a huge upgrade at QB with Derek Carr, and because of that, the oddsmakers have made them the favorite to win the NFC South. If Nowak was betting, he’d consider putting a little bit on the Falcons because of their value at +240 to win the division. “I could see the Falcons being trouble, but at the end of the day, I think the Saints win this division if they can get to nine wins, and they also have the benefit of having the easiest schedule I’ve ever seen,” Nowak said. That being said, it sounds like he thinks the Saints are the safest bet. “If you’re looking at the Saints and saying, ‘Should I bet them at +120?’ I think you have a pretty good chance, I don’t think those odds are lying to you.”

Nowak spent more than 30 minutes talking about the Saints, and if you want to hear everything he had to say, you can listen to today’s show here. You can also watch today’s show on YouTube by clicking here. 

2. Hall of Fame Game: Recapping the Browns’ win over the Jets

We won’t dissect the entire game here — because no one wants that — but we will take a brief look at the good, the bad and the ugly from Cleveland’s 21-16 win over the Jets. In a total surprise, the game started with Demarcus Ware singing the national anthem, which you can see here. 

GOOD

• Browns rookie QB has big game. There’s no official MVP award handed out in this game, but if there had been, it probably would have gone to Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The Browns rookie quarterback played the entire second half and shined during his time on the field. Not only did he complete 8 of 11 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown, but he also added 36 yards rushing. The fifth-round pick threw just one TD pass, but it came with just under 10 minutes left to play in the fourth quarter and ended up being the game-winner. The 22-yard throw to Austin Watkins Jr. put the Browns in the lead for good (you can see the TD pass here). DTR wasn’t the only Browns rookie who had a big game, as third-round pick Cedric Tillman had two catches for 35 yards, which tied him for the team lead. 
• The Browns steamrolled the Jets defense. The Browns offense didn’t really have any issues moving the ball, and a big reason for that is because they were able to run the ball at will. The Browns had a total of four players rush for at least 34 yards on a night where they totaled 172 yards on 33 carries. (That’s an average of 5.2 yards per carry if you’re scoring at home.)
• Greg Zuerlein appears to be in midseason form. The Jets kicker had an absolutely huge game for New York, scoring 10 of the Jets’ 16 points thanks to three field goals and an extra point. Two of Zuerlein’s kicks came from long range with a 54-yard make in the first quarter and a 53-yarder in the second quarter. On the other hand, Cade York was NOT in midseason form. The Browns kicker missed a 49 yard field goal in the first quarter (you can see the miss here), and then after that, he almost missed his first extra point attempt. 

BAD

• The game got delayed. Apparently, someone forgot to pay the electric bill at Tom Benson Stadium because the electricity went out at the end of the third quarter. With most of the lights out, the officials decided it was too dark to play. Fortunately, the lights came back on after about 15 minutes, allowing the two teams to finish the game. You can see how dark things got on the field at the HOF game here. 

UGLY

• The Jets offense struggled. One of the few bright spots for the Jets was Zach Wilson, who threw for 65 yards, including a 57-yarder in the first quarter that you can see here. (The long pass came on a play Aaron Rodgers actually called.) Unfortunately for the Jets, that pass ended up being almost all of the offense they produced on the night. The Jets only totaled 131 yards of offense outside of that throw. Even worse, the Jets were limited to just 50 yards of total offense in the second half, which is a big reason why they ended up blowing a 16-7 halftime lead.  

For more takeaways from the game, be sure to click here.

3. Hall of Fame induction is Saturday: Here’s what you need to know