Couple of notes;
Davis Allen – Needs more snaps. He and Ferg look like the future at TE, and it’s time to start building that chemistry now.
Dotson – Looked like he struggled a bit, maybe because of the ankle or dealing with Simmons all game. Either way, our best interior lineman has to step up, especially with Jalen Carter on deck next week.
Tutu Atwell – Practically invisible. After all the offseason hype about him being more involved, it feels like the opposite. Honestly, I’d rather see Whittington take his reps at this point.
Jordan Whittington – That guy can fly. Did you catch him catching up to Puka on that run and laying down a block? Serious speed and effort.
Byron Young / Verse – I’d love to see the actual percentage of doubles, triples, and chips Verse is getting. From what I saw, he drew extra attention almost every snap, which is opening things up for Byron Young. Right now, B-Young looks like our most dangerous pass rusher.
Emmanuel Forbes – PFF grade might say “average,” but I thought he played well. Sure, he gave up the across-body TD and the one-handed grab, but look closer: on the one-hander, he had perfect coverage — it was just an unreal throw and catch. And that across-body TD? That’s a throw QBs are taught not to make because it usually gets picked. Ward just made a freak play. So far, I’m impressed with Forbes.
Derion Kendrick (D-Will) – Solid showing when called upon. With Spoon out 8–10 weeks, we need him to keep that up.
Kitchens & Curl – Both flashed last season, but right now they’re struggling with assignments and passing off routes. There was a scramble where both Curl and Stewart chased the QB and left a WR wide open — that’s on Curl. Kitchens has had similar mix-ups with coverages. Hopefully it’s just rust and they settle back into form.
Stewart – Raw, but man, you can see the talent. Future stud.
