We are living in a reality where two currently starting QBs are on the wrong side of rapidly strengthening contenders for the worst trade in NFL history.
There's Deshaun Watson and the Browns, a calamity of epic proportions on like five different levels. Feels more apparent every week, and it's getting harder and harder to look away.
And then there's Bryce Young and the Panthers.
I'm not attempting to destroy Young with his inclusion here. It wasn't his fault Carolina sent the No. 9 overall pick in 2023, a second-round pick last year, a 2024 first, in-his-prime D.J. Moore -- who had 96 receptions for nearly 1,400 yards a season ago -- and a 2025 second-round selection to Chicago to obtain the rights to pick him. Those agreed-upon details of that swap with the Bears weren't in his control whatsoever.
Yet, the returns 17 games into his professional career are dismal. His stats and general on-field vibe are eerily similar to former No. 2 overall pick and bust Zach Wilson after his first 17 NFL outings.
And with the Panthers trade to select Young lingering in our minds, there's the smack-you-in-the-face obvious kicker here -- all along, even this early into their respective and parallel careers, I feel confident suggesting the Panthers would've been significantly better off selecting C.J. Stroud, whom the Texans picked instantly after Young.
Carolina is reeling. Getting destroyed 47-10 by NFC South rival Saints in New Orleans in Week 1 didn't help. And it's not just because the defense was nonexistent. Young went 13 of 30 for 161 yards without a touchdown pass, two interceptions, and a passer rating that didn't quite reach 33.0.
And The Practice Squad Power Rankings are here to help. Always are. However they can.
Therefore, rookie wideout Jalen Coker has been added to the top of this week's rankings. Is Jalen Coker Steve Smith 2.0? No, probably not. But not idea is a bad idea now given where the dire state of this Young experiment, now exactly a full season of games in.
Coker isn't fast by NFL standards. Ran 4.57 at the combine. But he's nearly 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds with elite-level explosiveness -- as evidenced by his 42.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 broad jump. Diontae Johnson creates separation underneath as well as any receiver in football. That's great. Really is. Adam Thielen still has a little juice.
Carolina needs a ball-winner at the catch point, and that's precisely what Coker was at Holy Cross. He won on 12 of his 23 contested-catch opportunities (52.3%), on par with the likes of fellow rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in 2023 and better than the likes of first-round picks Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette, Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Is Coker bound to be savior for this offense, Young's career, and the direction in which Carolina's franchise is currently heading? Probably not. He very well could provide a downfield jolt to Young. Win a jump ball. Flex like Rich Homie Quan. Spark Young's confidence, which is desperately needed right now. Make The Call, Panthers.
With my newly realized responsibility to football fans everywhere, I'm pledging to elevate my game each week in what is now YEAR 6 (!) of the Practice Squad Power Rankings. I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm ready for a breakout season. I can feel it approaching.
In Week 1, two Practice Squad Power Ranking players (PSPRs) were elevated to the 53-man roster for game day. That's where The Call Up Tracker. I'll be tracking those who receive The Call every week. Here's to the The CUT eclipsing 26 elevations from last season or the 32 from the 2022 campaign. Send any/all PSPR tips to me @ChrisTrapasso on X or Twitter or whatever you call it these days.
Now, for some crucial reminders: The 16-man practice squads are about the only good thing to come out of the pandemic, and they're here to stay in the NFL. Because of this, I run the Practice Squad Power Rankings parallel to the league and write about 16 individuals every Friday, 10 officially in the rankings and six honorable mentions.
While the creation of the PSPR was intended to highlight underrated young players, with the league now allowing six veterans on every club's practice squad, that's the approach I'll take. Mostly first, second, and third-year players. A few veterans sprinkled in.
Let's have the best season yet at the Practice Squad Power Rankings and glide on cloud nine into each football weekend this autumn.
10. Jason Brownlee, WR, Jets
Brownlee has 15 snags for 149 yards and a touchdown in his first two preseasons with the Jets after going undrafted in 2023 after a tremendous career at Southern Miss. When scouting him, and evaluating his litany of circus grabs in traffic that complemented his bendiness as a route-runner well, I remember thinking, "this is the receiver everyone wanted Laquon Treadwell to be," and while the Jets haven't given him much of an opportunity in the regular season yet ... Brownlee has the bounce, size and ball skills to be impactful with Aaron Rodgers throwing him passes if New York needs him this season.
9. Desmond King, CB, Texans
King has proven himself to be one of the more durable, do-everything slot defenders in football, now in his eighth season. He's one of those fundamentally sound, trustworthy former Iowa Hawkeyes defensive backs that are scattered across the league. Heck, in 2023, on the Steelers and Texans, he defended two passes, had a sack, 47 tackles, five tackles for loss, and did not allow a touchdown in his coverage area. He's got a little left in the tank.
8. Shaka Heyward, LB, Bengals
I had a big draft crush on Heyward out of Duke a few years ago. Long, rangy, athletic, plus coverage instincts. He went undrafted in 2023 and all he's done in two preseasons since is proved to everyone he should've been picked and can undeniably play in this league. He was outstanding this past August with 12 total tackles, three pressures, a pass breakup, and he didn't miss a tackle.
Cincinnati boasts one of the better, reasonably young linebacker tandems in the AFC, yet if either battle an injury, Heyward is a three-down plug-and-play insurance option.
7. Tony Jefferson, S, Chargers
Did you witness the Tony Jefferson Game, which to some may have been the Trey Lance Five Interception Game? In it, Jefferson came off the couch to register double-digit tackles, force a fumble and snag two picks in the Chargers exhibition outing against the Cowboys.
In 2023, Jefferson was a scouting intern for the Ravens. Now he's waiting patiently for another opportunity well into his 30s on a Chargers defense that already boasts Derwin James.
6. Andre Carter, LB, Vikings
I can't quit Carter. Back in 2021, he essentially matched Aidan Hutchinson in pass-rushing efficiency while at Army. In the 2022 season, he saw nothing but double teams and that efficiency dipped -- from 20.1% pressure-creation to 14.1% -- which led to Carter going undrafted. That, and a lowly combine performance.
But Minnesota scooped him up on the undrafted free agent market, and he's rocked the past two preseasons. This past August, Carter generated nine quarterback pressures on a mere 49 pass-rushing opportunities. Danielle Hunter is gone, but the Vikings added Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency before drafting Dallas Turner in Round 1. No much opportunity for Carter. He's ready and waiting, though.
5. Frank Gore Jr., RB, Bills
Gore is completely capable of operating as an efficient complementary back in Buffalo's high-powered offense. He won't get the chance to be that type right away, however, with James Cook, Ty Johnson and fourth-round rookie Ray Davis ahead of him on the depth chart.
Yet what Gore lacks in size and pure speed, he counters with his dad-like vision, cutting skill and balance through contact. In the preseason, as the clear exhibition workhorse for the Bills, Gore averaged 4.9 yards per pop en route to leading the NFL with 163 rushing yards. And his 3.09 yards after contact per rush average was impressive, too.
4. Tyler Huntley, QB, Ravens
How is Huntley not the Ravens' actual backup right now? At time of publication, it's technically Josh Johnson, but Huntley is a familiar face back in Baltimore after spending the summer with a division rival.
We've seen Huntley for extended periods in both the regular season and playoffs for the Ravens, and he's never looked out of sorts. Of course he's not Lamar Jackson athletically, yet he can give the Ravens maneuverability in the same realm as Jackson if need be.
3. Tim Patrick, WR, Lions
Patrick being cut by the Broncos was one of the surprises of the summer in the NFL. He battled back from two before-the-season injuries -- to his ACL in 2022 and Achilles in 2023 -- and legitimately looked like one of the better depth options at receiver this preseason.
He caught five passes for 44 yards in the preseason before the release, and the Lions were smart to snatch him immediately. Sure, Patrick hasn't caught a pass in a regular season game since 2021. That year, though? He went for over 700 yards for second-straight season. He's the type of possession target on the boundary Detroit could use ... right now!
2. Ty Nsekhe, OT, Rams
This grown man turns 39 years in a little over a month. And the former undrafted free agent from Texas State, who played in the AFL in 2010 and 2011, can still block NFL defenders. He only got one snap in 2023 as a member of the Browns -- ridiculously -- but in 2022 with the Rams, the gargantuan Nsekhe surrendered just eight pressures on 243 pass-blocking snaps.
And Los Angeles has to reshuffle much of its offensive line now after early-season injuries. Call him up, Sean.
1. Jalen Coker, WR, Panthers
What more can I say about Coker? He is a win-through-physical boundary wideout with deceptive deep-ball capabilities because of his strong hands, extraordinarily leaping skills, and body control at the catch point.
I know there's Legette on this offense. They want to start incorporating him after trading up to select him. But it absolutely wouldn't hurt to have more offensive weaponry at Young's disposal. And Coker is another wideout who represents the future at the position in Carolina.
Honorable Mention
Lil'Jordan Humphrey, WR, Broncos
Humphrey has always been a contested-catch winner, dating back to his time at the University of Texas. He may not separate vertically often. That's fine. His vertical and natural ball skills have kept him in the league for a while now after going undrafted.
Joe Giles-Harris, LB, Patriots
Giles-Harris may not be quite athletic enough to satisfy what NFL coaches want in terms of range from their linebackers today. He makes up for said lack of physical gifts with instincts and reliability on three downs. He had 10 tackles and an interception for the Patriots this preseason.
Jowon Briggs, DT, Browns
Briggs looks like an oversized linebacker at defensive tackle and has the type of upfield juice to threaten the quarterback. Only one pressure in the preseason from the Cincinnati alum, yet plenty of near misses based on his burst and surprisingly powerful jolt at the point of attack for a sub-300 pounder.
Ben Skowronek, WR, Steelers
Skowronek caught 39 passes for 376 yards in 2022 as a member of the Rams, so we know the Notre Dame receiver can play in this league. Pittsburgh is reasonably thin at receiver. Do not be surprised if Skowronek is eventually catching passes from either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields in 2024.
Chigozie Anusiem, CB, Commanders
Anusiem is a gifted athlete, who ran 4.40 with a 37.5-inch vertical at his pro day after not being invited to the combine, a development I'm still surprised didn't happen after his two seasons at Colorado State. Combined, he had 93 tackles, 11 pass breakups, 3.5 tackles for loss and one interception. He's 6-1 and 200 pounds with 32.5-inch arms too. With Emmanuel Forbes dealing with an injury, Anusiem would be a sensible elevation in Washington.
Matt Landers, WR, Panthers
Landers can be a clearing-route, go-ball specialist in this regular season. After all, the dude is a 6-foot-4, 200-pounder with 4.37 speed. He rocked at Toledo and then Arkansas, averaging a combined 21.1 yards per catch. In minimal opportunities over the past two preseasons, Landers made 6 grabs for 86 yards with a touchdown.
Is he the most squeaky clean route-runner in football? Of course not. But "explosives" are everything in today's NFL, and Landers absolutely can provide those to an offense, particularly one like the Patriots without many established pass-catching options at receiver.
