Season 4 of the Premier Madden League(Madden 22 Cycle) has now kicked off. We all know one of the most exciting things to look out for at the start of a new season is which rookies are making an immediate impact for their team. With plenty of talent coming out of this draft class, there is no shortage of opportunities for a breakout. Let’s take a look at which rookie quarterbacks are starting out hot.
Standouts
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
22/31, 71%, 349 passing yards, 3 td, 2 int, 113.5 QBR
Caleb Williams kicked off his NFL debut with a league best 113.5 QBR amongst all rookies with 10 or more passes. He also lead his Chicago Bears to a 37-34 victory over the Colts. The Colts are in an adjustment period with the departure of multiple key defensive players in the off-season. Notable names to the pass rush are no longer with them, such as Deforest Buckner and Kwity Paye. They have also reportedly faced numerous injuries on the D line as well. You have to wonder if that was a factor in Williams’ success, but only time will tell. Regardless, it’s a nice confidence boost to start off the season with a solid game and a win. Williams seemed to have a nice connection with veteran wide receiver Mike Evans, who joined the team in free agency this off-season. Having that connection with a veteran to the game should be incredibly beneficial to Williams’ development. Especially considering that this quarterback room is incredibly young.
Sam Huard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
22/34, 64.7%, 394 yards, 4 td, 3 ints, 106.7 QBR
We heard rumors early in camp that the Tampa Bay staff wasn’t 100% sold on Sam Huard as the future of the franchise. The left-handedness seemed to force an adjustment to the play calling that the coaching staff seemed to think was disruptive to the flow of their offense. That didn’t seem to be the case after he threw for nearly 400 yards and 4 touchdowns in his debut. However, The interceptions and a costly fumble seemed to be enough to force a change, as not long after the game we caught news of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquiring C.J. Stroud from the New York Giants. We expect Stroud to take over in week 2, but we can’t take away from the flashes of brilliance Huard showed out there week 1, and we hope to see him on the field again in the near future.
Honorable Mentions
Elijah Jones, Seattle Seahawks
21/36, 58.3%, 207 yards, 1 td, 0 int, 83.9 QBR
Elijah Jones gets in our honorable mentions, but we have to take this with a grain of salt. He could have been a standout week 1, but some peculiar circumstances left Elijah Jones without his coach in this week 1 match up against the Rams. Facing off against Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, with likely watered down play calling with the absence of the head coach, is no easy task.
Quinn Ewers, New England Patriots
13/27, 48.1%, 279 yards, 2 td, 2 int, 79.1 QBR
Quinn Ewers gets our last mention. Ewers seemed to struggle with accuracy quite a bit, as he finished this game with under 50% of his passes completed. That is partially due to a tough match up against an aggressive Raiders defense that likes to keep the quarterback under pressure. Despite the struggles with accuracy, Ewers has a ton of promise with his rocket arm and the benefit of getting some time in the off-season with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. If the accuracy improves he can be a top quarterback in the league.
