Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
You know you are going to watch, so here are nine reasons to stay glued to the television on Thursday night
Football is back Thursday night.
Well, kind of.
The annual Hall of Fame Game kicks off Thursday night from Canton, with the New York Jets taking on the Cleveland Browns. However, do not expect to see names like Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, and Myles Garrett. Thursday night will be filled with players fighting for roles, fighting for playing time, and even in some cases fighting for a job.
Still, it is football, and you know you are going to tune in for the start of the game. So here are some reasons to stick around once it gets rolling Thursday night.
Zach Wilson, QB, New York Jets
Call it curiosity. Call it morbid if you want. Seeing if Wilson has found any improvement after looking quite terrible to start his career could be noteworthy. Any chance Aaron Rodgers’ presence has helped at all? Joe Flacco was supposed to be the veteran presence/influencer and that didn’t work but Rodgers is a whole new level… in many ways.
Mekhi Becton, OT, New York Jets
While the Jets are not going to play the bulk of their starters, one player hoping to be in that starting lineup Week 1 will get some action. According to Jets head coach Robert Saleh, Mekhi Becton will get the start on Thursday night. Becton was listed as part of the second team in the Jets’ first unofficial depth chart as he works his way back from a knee injury.
Earlier in the offseason Saleh outlined how figuring out their best five in front of Rodgers was going to be a critical part of their summer, and a big part of that process was the impending battle for tackle spots. “I think Duane will have something to say about it, Max Mitchell will have something to say about it…the good thing is we have a lot of really good tackles that are competing. It’ll be a good healthy competition and those who attack it with the right mindset will wind up reaping the benefits,” Saleh said.
Becton has a big opportunity Thursday night.
Todd Downing/Nathaniel Hackett, New York Jets
So this is off the board a little bit, but hear us out.
While Nathaniel Hackett is going to be calling plays for the Jets this year, he has not been calling them during training camp. That job has gone to Todd Downing, the team’s Passing Game Coordinator.
The reason? Come the regular season Hackett is going to be in a booth upstairs, sending plays to Downing, who will relay them into Rodgers.
Sounds complicated, right? We will get our first look at that process on Thursday night.
Will McDonald IV, DE, New York Jets
McDonald is the Jets’ first round pick, and a noticeably different style of pass rusher than the Jets currently have on the roster. With most of the Jets starters probably sitting out this first game, it’ll give McDonald a chance to get acclimated to the NFL and how his style of pass rushing can work in the NFL. His game is predicated on burst and counter moves, so seeing that in the NFL should be very fun in the Hall of Fame game. Head coach Robert Saleh said that the plan for McDonald is to learn and develop behind the other pass rushers on the roster, and this is a good opportunity for McDonald to make a splash.
Jason Brownlee, WR, New York Jets
The Jets’ wide receiver room is deep, with a number of new faces. Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman Jr., and Randall Cobb all joined the team this offseason. Last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, Garrett Wilson, is back in the fold as well.
But another new face, undrafted rookie Jason Brownlee, has been turning heads in camp.
Especially with this catch from Tuesday which blew up on social media:
The rookie from Southern Miss might be a longshot to make the roster, but things are trending in the right direction for him. “Really like where he’s going,” head coach Robert Saleh said about Brownlee earlier this week. “He still has a lot to prove, but he’s trending in that right direction.”
A big performance tonight might help that trend.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, Cleveland Browns
Despite claiming former third-round pick Kellen Mond last year and bringing back Josh Dobbs to be Deshaun Watson’s backup this year, the Browns spent a fifth-round pick on DTR. A product of Chip Kelly’s system at UCLA, Thompson-Robinson should get a lot of action Thursday night and could be the perfect long-term backup for Watson and Cleveland’s new offense. Expect to see more Kelly-like exciting plays out of DTR during preseason.
Cedric Tillman, WR, Cleveland Browns
Tillman was drafted in the third round out of Tennessee, and was arguably the more NFL-ready Tennessee receiver of the bunch. Tillman is a big (6’3) outside receiver who can win on the outside, allowing other receivers to move around and make for more matchup problems, to the advantage of the offense. It’s going to be tough to crack the starting spot with Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones in front of him, but Tillman can use the Hall of Fame game to prove that he should be an exciting secondary option in the Browns offense.
Siaki Ika, DT, Cleveland Browns
Ika is not a player that can be missed, he’s that kind of big. It will be interesting if the former LSU and Baylor defensive lineman has figured out how to be a “Ferrari not a dump truck” as Jim Schwartz told him on draft night. Likely playing against backup offensive linemen, Ika should be able to create some havoc for New York’s offense.
Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire, EDGEs, Cleveland Browns
Wright and McGuire are both big, strong and physical EDGE defenders who can potentially make an impact in the new-look Browns defense. New DC Jim Schwartz plays a lot of wide-9 fronts, predicated on pass rush, and both guys offer a powerful blend of explosiveness and strength that will play well behind Myles Garret and Za’Darius Smith. With both of the top guys probably not playing in the Hall of Fame game, this is their shot to get some reps in and compete for a secondary pass rusher spot.
