Next Big Offseason Steps for the NFL's Top Rookies

Rookie camp. OTAs. Mandatory minicamp. Training camp. The preseason. Roster cuts. The NFL offseason is a series of hurdles that gradually grow higher and higher.

For rookies to succeed, they must clear every one of those hurdles. But some events and milestones are more important to some rookies than others. The offseason path of a rookie quarterback battling for a starting job is different than the paths for a first-round running back, a defender looking for someone to hit, a prospect with character questions or a rugby star wearing a helmet for the first time.

Here's a look at the most important offseason events for the NFL's most important and interesting rookies. Some won't face their toughest obstacles until August's preseason action. Others, including one polarizing rookie running back, have already conquered their first significant challenge.   

Rookie Camp: Derrius Guice, Running Back, Redskins

Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press

Teams held their rookie camps over the past two weeks, and Washington's Derrius Guice already passed his first major test by making a great first impression on his head coach.

"He's just a ball of energy," Jay Gruden said of the second-round running back. "He's really excited to be here. He's willing to learn. And he's first in the meeting, got his playbook open and just soaking in all the knowledge." Gruden added that Guice arrived a few days early to get caught up on NFL conditioning.

Guice slipped in the draft because of the kind of vague character and maturity questions that are hard for a prospect or rookie to shake off. There's only one way to combat rumors that you are "addicted to video games": Show up ready to learn and eager to work hard.

It doesn't hurt to be gracious and engaging when you meet the press, as Guice clearly was. Answer that first set of questions with a bright smile, and my colleagues and I are likely to forget all those pesky predraft rumors and say nice things about you for the rest of the summer. Hey, I don't make the rules! I'm just telling it like it is. Guice did a lot last week to make the rest of his first offseason run smoothly.   

Minicamps: Josh Rosen, Quarterback, Arizona Cardinals

Matt York/Associated Press

Josh Rosen won't be able to wrest a starting job away from Sam Bradford in minicamp. Bradford is one of the greatest minicamp quarterbacks in NFL history. No one looks better when throwing in shorts with no pass rush, under...a shady tree? Cardinals quarterbacks apparently (see photo above) practice under a shady tree.

But mandatory Cardinals minicamp in June will be Rosen's opportunity to earn an endorsement from one of the most distinguished veterans in the NFL: Larry Fitzgerald.

Rosen, like Guice, was dogged by rumors and vague character concerns before the draft. In Rosen's case, there were whispers that he is too political, or too millennial or that he had too much handed to him as a young man (unlike blue-collar football guys such as his college coach, Jim Mora Jr.).

Rosen can't go back in time and spend his childhood baling hay or splitting wood or whatever. But he can win over Fitzgerald and other Cardinals veterans by handling himself as a hardworking professional and a regular football guy, or something close to it. The quicker Rosen erases the impression that he is somehow different, the sooner he can set about the business of winning the starting job from Bradford.   

Extra Practice Sessions: Josh Allen, Quarterback, Bills

Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

Josh Allen lobbed a few passes at Bills rookie camp last week, and...well, let's just say that it didn't take long for critics like Jalen Ramsey to lob a few zingers right back at him.

No quarterback will be under as much scrutiny for his delivery, mechanics and timing with his receivers than Allen, the laser-armed passer who too often displays the accuracy of a boardwalk tarot-card reader. That means no rookie quarterback will benefit more from extra work outside the structure of practice, whether it's just a little pitch-and-catch at the end of a session or one of those early-summer bonding sessions that are now popular among quarterbacks and receivers (let's run some routes, and then go wakeboarding in Wyoming!).

Vic Carucci's detailed report in the Buffalo News recounts the highs and lows of Allen's first practice. It also reveals that Bills legend Jim Kelly gave Allen some private pointers, both about throwing and life in upstate New York, after the minicamp session.

Soak up as much guidance as you can, Allen, on and off the field. There's a lot of work to be done, and the Bills will be calling on you sooner than later.

Independence Day Weekend: The 'Character Question' Guys

Matt York/Associated Press

Fourth of July weekend is the first and only break from football most rookies get between the end of their final college seasons and the start of training camps. After all, they went straight from their last college games to all-star games or performance centers and then to the combine, pro days and team visits. Then it was on to April's draft, which led straight to rookie camps, OTAs and minicamps. They only have a few precious July weekends to rest, reconnect with friends and family and have a little fun.

Just make sure it's only a "little" fun, guys.

Cardinals rookie Christian Kirk, pictured above, was arrested for disorderly conduct at the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament this weekend. Kirk was allegedly throwing rocks at cars in the parking lot, which is the kind of trouble most people find easy to avoid after age 11 or so.

But let's not single out Kirk: Any rookie can end up on TMZ for a mistake once he has some money in his pocket, free time on his hands, a little steam to blow off and no college athletic department available to drop a cone of silence over a compliant local police department if something goes sideways.

Coaches dread late-night phone calls in July (when they are trying to take some time off as well). And the rookie who lands in hot water on Fourth of July Weekend gets the news cycle all to himself, magnifying the incident and derailing his career before it starts.

So drive the speed limit, guys. Try not to have a trail of smoke following you wherever you go. Leave the fireworks to the professionals. And...don't throw rocks in the parking lot of a major golf tournament, maybe? When in doubt, just play horseshoes or something. No one wants to turn a little vacay into a big headache.

First Day of Camp: Sam Darnold, Quarterback, New York Jets

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Different rookie quarterbacks are on different timetables. But none of the first-round rookies enjoy as easy a path to the starting job as Sam Darnold does with the Jets.

Josh McCown is obviously little more than a mentor and place holder. Teddy Bridgewater, fun as he is to root for, is a reclamation-project Plan B that the team scrapped as soon as it traded up to the third overall pick. Christian Hackenberg is the old Powerball ticket you find at the bottom of the laundry basket. Darnold can begin asserting himself as the Jets' starter in OTAs and rookie camp. By training camp itself, he should be well on his way to earning the job.

Not everything has gone smoothly so far: Darnold botched several snaps in rookie camp, prompting Jets reporters to shout DON'T PANIC so loud that it sounded a little panicky. Seriously, though, botched exchanges are a regular part of rookie-camp practices—quarterbacks often take their first snaps from undrafted rookies and tryouts they have never met—which is one reason why many teams don't let reporters watch very much of their rookie-camp practices.

By the end of July, the rookie-camp jitters will be long forgotten, and Darnold should be just a few smart moves away from claiming the starting job. The first days of training camp are when he can really begin to make those moves.

First Full-Contact Practices: The 'Hitters'

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

It's hard for a non-skill position player to make much of a splash in OTAs and minicamps.

If a defender or lineman does make news, it's usually bad news, like when Roquan Smith's playbook was stolen from his new car. Worst of all, the big hitters and hog mollies aren't allowed to get out their aggression in noncontact practices unless they pull a Quenton Nelson and try to clobber the goal post.

Camp gets real for defenders like Smith and linemen like Nelson when the hitting starts. And with fewer full-contact, tackle-to-the-ground practices than ever in the NFL, physical rookies need to make the most of every live, full-speed, fully-padded rep they get.

Until then, it's all about walloping blocking sleds and tackling dummies, mastering technique, ramping up to NFL-level conditioning, mastering the playbook (assuming it's not stolen) and, most important, staying focused until the pads start popping and players like Smith and Nelson can really demonstrate what made them top-10 picks.

First Preseason Game: Lamar Jackson, Quarterback, Baltimore Ravens

Timothy D. Easley/Associated Press

Thursday Night, August 2. The Hall of Fame Game. Ravens vs. Bears. A national audience tunes in to see Joe Flacco run one series for the Ravens—two handoffs and a five-yard pass on 3rd-and-6—then don a baseball cap on the sideline. Enter Robert Griffin III to run a series or two for old times' sake.

But just as the national television audience is about to realize, "Oh yeah, the Hall of Fame Game is as boring as watching cement dry," Lamar Jackson enters the game.

What happens next defines the next year of Ravens history.

If Jackson makes plays with his legs and his arms, the drumbeat to name him the starter will become more of a drumroll. If he struggles, well, the critics are always out there, armed with hot takes about Jackson's future at wide receiver.

But the Hall of Fame Game is almost a custom-tailored opportunity for a dual-threat quarterback like Jackson to outperform the fourth-stringers and future gym teachers who get into the contest before halftime. Jackson can make his readiness for a starting job the NFL's top story one week before we have any other preseason action to talk about. After an icky predraft experience and an awkward start to the Ravens' quarterback competition, it's a shot Jackson must make the most of.      

Second Preseason Game: Baker Mayfield, Quarterback, Browns

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

In a normal quarterback competition, the veteran journeyman opens camp as the starter, while the hotshot rookie takes second-string reps and gets "mentored." The rookie then slowly erodes the veteran's hold on the starting job by impressing in seven-on-seven drills, scrimmages and in mop-up duty in the first preseason game. Then the head coach surprises everyone by announcing that the rookie will start the second preseason game. (It happens constantly, but we always act surprised.) A solid start propels the rookie into the starting lineup. A bad game? Well, that's why the journeyman earns eight figures.

The Browns have never had a normal quarterback competition, just a generation's worth of abnormal ones. This offseason may be no exception, as Hue Jackson keeps insisting that Tyrod Taylor is the unqualified, unchallenged starter and that Baker Mayfield's career is on the slow-cooking rack.

We'll believe it when we see it. Mayfield will get some opportunity to lead the starters against a live opponent during the preseason. The second preseason game is as likely a time as any. And if Mayfield makes a strong bid to earn the opening day starting job, Jackson may be forced to give it to him...or risk giving way to a coach who will.

In the meantime, Mayfield should make the most of the fact that all of the pressure is on Jackson and Taylor. He can take a few rookie lumps without setting back Cleveland another five years. Few other Browns rookie quarterbacks have ever had that luxury.

Final Cutdowns: The 'Projects'

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

Australian rugby star Jordan Mailata spent Eagles rookie camp with an offensive line coach watching his every move, correcting his stance and explaining the basics.

Mailata has never taken a snap in a competitive American football game at any level. He's still getting used to wearing a helmet. He's a 6'8", 346-pound curiosity with athleticism to spare, but he's almost unimaginably raw.

Mailata may be the most unique "project" in any camp this year, but there are others: defensive linemen moving to the offensive line (Kahlil McKenzie of the Chiefs), obscure D-II running backs trying to stick as punt returners (Trenton Cannon of the Jets), king-sized wide receivers learning to play tight end (Jordan Thomas of the Texans) and even another rugby player (England's Christian Scotland-Williamson) trying to make the Steelers as a tight end.

Projects are fun to watch, write about and listen to (the NFL isn't known for its variety of accents) in spring and early summer. But Labor Day weekend is the time of reckoning for international athletes and position-change experiments. Only a few make rosters. Others earn practice-squad slots. But most disappear and are forgotten as soon as games start to matter. For players like Mailata, the final cuts are the crossroads between being an NFL starter or a taproom trivia question in four years.

Season Opener: Saquon Barkley, Running Back, New York Giants

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

There is little on the line for Saquon Barkley through OTAs, training camp and the preseason. A Week 1 starting job and a heavy role in the offense is waiting for him in September. Barkley just needs to stay healthy, learn the playbook, stay healthy, establish a rapport with veterans, stay healthy and...stay healthy. The Giants will probably help him on the first, third, fifth and sixth points by limiting his training camp workload and preseason carries.

But few rookies have as much on the line at the start of the season as Barkley. He's expected to make an immediate contribution. The Giants face the Jaguars and Cowboys in their first two games, so Barkley will face comparisons with Leonard Fournette and Ezekiel Elliott, a pair of running backs who helped turn their teams around as rookies.

Barkley is going to be a storyline throughout the 2018 season. Unlike the rookie quarterbacks, he won't be graded on a "learning experience" curve. Critics (of the decision to select Barkley second overall, not necessarily Barkley himself) will be quick with the bust label after a bad game or two. So the best thing Barkley can do is avoid those bad games.

So Barkley gets a reprieve from most of the summer hurdles other rookies face. Then he must scale the highest wall on the obstacle course. Every rookie's path through the offseason is different. But none of them are ever easy.