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Browns QB room: Patriots game enough to secure roster spots?
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
Did either quarterback do enough to convince the Browns that he belongs on the final roster?
P.J. Walker
QB · FA · 29 yrs · exp 7 · Temple
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2026 Season Opener Countdown: 61 Days Remaining
Here at Cat Scratch Reader we have counted down the final 100 days leading up to the Carolina Panthers season opener by for at least the past ten years. We’ve always done this by highlighting the current player on the roster whose jersey number matches the day on the countdown. This year, we decided to change that up a bit by counting down our own list of the Top 100 Panthers of all time. This does not correspond to jersey number, does not need to be somebody who wore a jersey, and will in no way be controversial. Former LSU defensive standout Donte Jackson was taken 55th overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2018 NFL Draft. As a second round pick, he was expected to contribute right away. Jackson proved to be one of Marty Hurney’s few non-first round picks to work out, starting all 16 games for the Panthers his rookie year. Though he lacked the prototypical size at just 5’10” and 180 lbs, he had that dawg mentality and the athleticism to stick with almost anyone. Jackson filled up the stat sheet his rookie year: nabbing four interceptions, defending nine passes, forcing a fumble, and even notching a sack. Jackson’s quality play continued throughout his four year rookie deal, and he was rewarded with a three year, $35.1 million with the Panthers. Unfortunately for Jackson (and the Panthers), injuries hit in the very first year of that new contract. He had an ankle injury that sidelined him in Week 8, but returned the following game. In Week 10, he tore his Achilles on a Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons , ending his season with just nine games played. That injury was just one exclamation point on a disappointing season that saw the firing of Matt Rhule, the Christian McCaffrey trade, and a quarterback carousel that included Baker Mayfield , Sam Darnold , and PJ Walker. The new regime in 2023 under Dave Canales used Jackson a ton on defense, and he started all 16 games logging 91% of the defensive snaps on a less-than-stellar defense. He failed to make an interception and had a career worst passer rating against of 107.7, leading to the Panthers moving on. Jackson was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers that offseason with a sixth round pick for Diontae Johnson and a seventh round pick. That pick by the Panthers was linebacker Michael Barrett , who was subsequently traded to the Seattle Seahawks for Mike Jackson , who has been damn good in Carolina. Donte Jackson started all 15 games he played in for the Steelers in 2024 and signed a two year, $13 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers . He returned to his high quality performance in LA last year, with four interceptions, 12 passed defended, and an absurd 56.8 passer rating against. Still only 30 years old, Jackson could very well continue his elevated play for several years. Could a reunion in Carolina be down the road? Who knows? I’m sure neither side would hate the idea, and the fans would welcome him back with open arms. Jackson’s consistently good performance over his six seasons in Carolina (even when the team was bad), combined with him being a fan favorite, earned Action Jackson the No. 61 spot on our countdown of the Top 100 Panthers
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Comparing DJ Moore and A.J. Brown on the field
Earlier today, I compared the draft-pick cost for the Bills and Patriots to acquire DJ Moore and A.J. Brown respectively via trades this offseason. Now, I’ll be stacking Brown and Moore against each other as receivers on the field. In the draft-pick piece, I labeled Moore as “a half-tier below” Brown for the entirety of the time they’ve spent together in the NFL (since 2019). Of course, there’s no such thing as definitive, universally accepted quality tiers at any position in the NFL, so I wanted to provide you with everything imaginable to compare and contrast these now division rival receivers. A few of these statistics were featured in the original article, but I’ve added one metric and put them all into a table for convenience: (mtf = missed tackles forced, ctc = contested-catch, and fd = first down) That feels like Moore is a “half-tier” behind Brown, doesn’t it? Now, I am not the world’s biggest Jalen Hurts advocate, yet there’s no mistaking that Brown has had better quarterbacks throwing him the football to date in the NFL than Moore has — revitalized Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee and Hurts in Philadelphia . Compare that to Moore, who, as a rookie caught most of his passes from 29-year-old Cam Newton . The next year, Kyle Allen started 12 games for Carolina. Then, 2020 was Year 1 with Joe Brady as the Panthers OC, and Teddy Bridgewater was Carolina’s starter. In 2021, 11 starts for Sam Darnold . In 2022, the Matt Rhule Panthers rolled out a triumvirate of passers — Baker Mayfield , P.J. Walker , and Darnold. Of course, Moore then was traded to the Chicago Bears, and went for over 1,300 yards with Justin Fields throwing him the football before back-to-back seasons with Caleb Williams at the helm. It’s impossible to quantify the impact quarterback play has had on these two receivers, yet is nonetheless worth mentioning. Regarding Brown and Moore’s play against man coverage — which of course has been a major bugaboo for the Bills receivers lately: Since 2022, Moore saw 479 targets in the regular season. Brown received 521. When it comes to size, Moore and Brown are two strapping wideouts. Brown is lsted at 6’1” and 226 pounds. Moore is listed at 6’0” and 213. And they’re very comparable athletes. There’s no way to know much the athleticism has changed for these two since they’ve been in the NFL, but here is the side-by-side of their pre-draft workout figures: Reputation-wise, Brown is clearly ahead of Moore. He has three Second-Team All-Pro distinctions that he earned after the 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons. Moore doesn’t have any. Brown has a Super Bowl ring, but of course, despite their exponentially increasing value to the NFL game, “WR Winz” are not really a thing. And it’s not specifically Moore’s fault he just made his playoff debut last season with the Bears. He did have 11 receptions for 116 yards and two scores on 16 targets in those two postseason contests. Moore and Brown are less than three months apart in age, with similar builds, athleticism, and play styles. They rock post-catch, win vs. man coverage, and are reliable reeling in the football in traffic. Individually, they’ve had similar productivity to date, with Brown accumulating more volume on better teams with better quarterbacks. And because they were injected into what should be a heated, tightly contested AFC East rivalry between Super Bowl contenders, from now on, it will be difficult to mention one receiver without quickly discussing the other
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