Ranking the Most Surprising Performances from 2023 NFL Preseason Week 1 Slate
The offseason has us yearning for football to the point that even watching third-stringers in the fourth quarter of a preseason game is a welcomed sight.
All 32 teams have at least one game under their belt. The preseason is tough to analyze because a strong performance could mean a lot, or it could mean nothing. Good preseason performances could be a sign of things to come, but they can also just be a product of facing inferior competition.
Regardless, one of the more fun storylines to track in the preseason are surprising performances.
Whether it's an unheralded rookie showing he deserves a spot on the roster or someone who looks a lot better than the last time we saw them, there are always some players who surprise.
Here are the top surprise Week 1 preseason performances based on how well they played against expectation built via draft pedigree and previous performance.
7. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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There aren't a whole lot of multi-year full-time starters who did anything surprising in Week 1. Baker Mayfield is an exception.
The former No. 1 pick is battling Kyle Trask for the starting job and had reportedly thrown nine interceptions in 12 practices leading up to the preseason opener against the Steelers. Based on those two factors, it would be fair to say expectations weren't high.
But Mayfield put his best foot forward against the Steelers. He took a step forward in the quarterback competition by going 8-of-9 for 63 yards and a touchdown in which he put the ball where only rookie Trey Palmer could grab it in the back of the endzone.
It shouldn't be surprising when an NFL starter looks sharp in the preseason, but it's been a rocky road for Mayfield to find himself in this spot. Putting together a touchdown drive while Trask went 6-of-10 for 99 yards with an interception and no touchdowns is good for Mayfield's chances of winning the starting job.
It also provides a glimmer of hope that offensive coordinator Dave Canales could help Mayfield make a surprising comeback like the one Geno Smith made last season when Canales was his quarterback coach in Seattle.
6. S Jason Pinnock, New York Giants
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Safety Jason Pinnock is entering his third year in the league. In his first two seasons, he has made 26 appearances with seven starts but has no interceptions and just four pass deflections.
In short, he has nearly zero ball production on 660 regular season snaps.
It only took him five snaps to make a major impact as the Giants starting safety against the Lions. Pinnock had a pass breakup, interception and tackle for a loss before getting an early hook from head coach Briand Daboll.
"He's had a good camp. We were going to play him in roughly 10 to 12 plays, but he had some productive plays early on. So, we got him out, gave some other guys some opportunity. But, pretty productive day for a short amount of time," Daboll told reporters about the short night for Pinnock.
The only reason the third-year safety isn't higher on the list is because his performance was so short. Then again, it was short because the Giants saw what they needed to see.
The big plays should go a long way toward holding off Dane Belton and Bobby McCain for a starting safety job.
5. RB Elijah Dotson, Los Angeles Chargers
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There's a good case to be made for the Chargers' top three backs who saw action in Week 1 to make this list.
The position, outside Austin Ekeler, has not been good in recent seasons, so it was encouraging for the Chargers that they had 214 rushing yards and averaged 6.9 yards per carry against the Rams.
Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller both looked good running the ball, but it was Elijah Dotson who made a name for himself. The undrafted free agent out of Northern Colorado had a day with 92 yards on six carries and two touchdowns.
Dotson had the extra gear necessary to turn some well-blocked runs into long gains. Head coach Brandon Staley didn't seem all that surprised by the performance and praised the way the rookie practices.
Unless you've been paying extreme attention to the Chargers camp or happen to be a Northern Colorado alumni, there's a good chance you've never heard of Elijah Dotson. He worked on changing that with a great preseason opener out of nowhere.
The only back who didn't have success was Larry Rountree III who had nine yards on five carries. Dotson could be a surprise addition to the 53-man roster if that trend continues.
4. QB Malik Willis, Tennessee Titans
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There weren't many reasons to be high on Malik Willis going into the preseason. The Tennessee Titans made their feelings pretty well known about their young quarterback when they took Will Levis in the second round of this year's draft.
Last season, Willis was more of an athlete playing quarterback than legitimate NFL passer. He was benched in a preseason game for running too much and not throwing the football.
He did get a shot to start a few games for the Titans last season. In three starts, he only completed 25 of 49 passing attempts and had 20 rushing attempts. In short, he proved he wasn't comfortable enough to run the offense and was replaced by Joshua Dobbs by the end of the season.
The version of Willis we saw in the first preseason game looked much more comfortable. With Ryan Tannehill sitting out the game, the Titans got an extended look at Willis and Levis. The second-year quarterback looked comfortable, going 16-of-25 for 189 yards with one interception that bounced off tight end Josh Whyle's hands.
Willis still used his rushing ability to get 22 yards on three carries and a touchdown, but the improvement he's made as a passer was a pleasant surprise based on what we saw last season.
3. Aidan O'Connell, Las Vegas Raiders
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The Las Vegas Raiders got a good long look at fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell in the preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers. They have to love what they saw.
"There were a lot of firsts today for him. First play call, first [time] feeling pressure in the pocket, first two-minute drive, first halftime, all those things. I thought he generally handled himself well for the first opportunity," head coach Josh McDaniels told the media after the game.
McDaniels might be underselling a little bit.
The ball hardly touched the ground with O'Connell at quarterback. He got the start and looked very comfortable running the offense, going 15-of-18 for 141 yards and a touchdown in his debut.
The Niners were not playing their starters so there's reason for some pause. However, the most important thing a quarterback can do in the preseason is show some command of the offense and take care of the football.
O'Connell did both of those things well. The Raiders have Brian Hoyer on the roster so there's going to be competition for the backup quarterback job to Jimmy Garoppolo but O'Connell took a step toward showing he can handle the responsibility.
Given Jimmy G's injury history, it's an important role on this roster. The Silver and Black should be intrigued to see more of what the rookie can do.
2. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Cleveland Browns
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There were several impressive efforts from young quarterbacks looking to make a name for themselves. Dorian Thompson-Robinson's performance tops the list of most surprising, though.
The fifth-round pick is doing everything he can in these preseason games to not only make the roster but claim the backup quarterback role behind Deshaun Watson. DTR shined in the Hall of Fame game and followed it up with another strong performance in Week 1.
Against the Commanders, Thompson-Robinson completed 9-of-10 passes and led the Browns on one of their two touchdowns drives. He ripped a slant to David Bell for the score in the face of pressure capping off a calm and collected performance.
His other drive resulted in a missed field goal.
Through two games, the rookie has earned a 90.2 grade from PFF with 231 total yards and two touchdowns.
With Josh Dobbs on the roster it was safe to assume that Thompson-Robinson was a long-term project. He's showing right now that he might be able to assume the backup role earlier than expected.
1. S Tycen Anderson, Cincinnati Bengals
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The Bengals lost both starting safeties in free agency this offseason. There's been a lot of talk about Daxton Hill and free-agent acquisition Nick Scott taking over for Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell.
There hasn't been a lot of buzz on 2022 fifth-round pick Tycen Anderson potentially taking on a role.
That should change with Anderson's preseason performance in Week 1. He showed off a knack for breaking on the ball with two interceptions against the Packers. The first was a pick-six in which he showed off his 4.36 speed.
Two drives later he was at it again just muscling the ball away from tight end Tucker Kraft.
As a Day 3 pick who ended up missing his entire rookie season on the injured reserve, it's fair to say expectations were fairly low for Anderson. However, he had an elite athletic profile coming out of Toledo.
Him putting it together for two big plays in his first live action in nearly a year was one of the weekend's most pleasant surprises.
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