#ProTops: Counting Snaps From Week 1 of the 2022 Preseason
Zappe turned in a strong showing, Stearns made the most of his opportunity and 11 Hilltoppers remain in NFL camps ahead of preseason Week 2.
The first full week of the 2022 preseason is in the books and we still have 11 Hilltoppers in camps around the league.
While the top-of-the-roster guys didn’t see the field (Fant, Higbee), there were some strong performances from ProTops trying to make the 53-man out of camp.
Lets dive in to the preseason Week 1 performances, as well as taking a look at how their playing share was divided.
George Fant, Mike White: New York Jets (win at Eagles, 24-21)
George Fant did not see the field as he continues to nurse a leg injury.
Mike White took 56% of the offensive snaps (36 total), the most of any Jets quarterback on the night. His efforts, though, did not impress The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, who included White among his “fallers” in his post-game stock report.
That said, Rosenblatt doesn’t believe White is in danger of losing his roster spot, for now.
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams (win at Chargers, 29-22)
Higbee did not play in Saturday’s game but don’t fret - Sean McVay has a policy against playing starters.
Hopefully his knee injury suffered towards the end of the playoffs last season wont keep him out come Sept. 11.
Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Seattle Seahawks (loss at Steelers, 32-25)
Iggy saw time both on defense and special teams in his first unofficial outing with his new club, seeing 16 plays on defense (24% of defensive plays) and six special team plays (22%).
He did not, however, record any statistics and hasn’t been much of a standout in camp. Here’s to hoping his days in the PNW aren’t numbered.
Devon Key, Kansas City Chiefs (loss at Bears, 19-14)
Key, a 2021 camp standout, got a fair shake in the Chief’s loss to Chicago. He played the fifth-most snaps on the defensive side of the ball (36 plays, 55% of plays) and also contributed on special teams (7, 24%).
He recorded a pair of tackles, both of which were solo.
Forrest Lamp, New Orleans Saints (loss at Texans, 17-13)
Lamp, trying to break into the Saints after suiting up for them just once upon his signing, played 55% of offensive snaps (40) for them in their loss to Houston. He also was on the field for one special-teams snap.
His 40 offensive snaps were tied for fourth-most on the squad.
DeAngelo Malone, Atlanta Falcons (win at Lions, 27-23)
Malone saw 31 plays for the Falcons in his preseason debut, in which he recorded three tackles, all of which were solo and one of which went for a loss.
Jordan Meredith, Las Vegas Raiders (win vs. Vikings, 26-20)
I’m going to be straight up with you: I cannot find existence of snap counts from this game anywhere. I’m sure they exist, I’m just not smart enough to figure out where to find them.
Having said that, on top of earning the top PFF game grade on the Raiders’ offense in the Hall of Fame Game, he finished this week as the best, by far, graded run blocker for the Raiders, with a 92.1 grade (I’m assuming this is a PFF metric, but it is not specified), over 23 points higher than the #2 offensive lineman.
So, that’s good!
Once actual snap counts are live somewhere, this story will be updated to include them for Meredith.
Jerreth Sterns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (loss vs. Dolphins, 26-24)
In a game that featured almost exclusively backup wide receivers for the Bucs, Sterns didn’t get a ton of plays, just 26% of offensive snaps (19 plays) but made the most of his opportunities, catching all four of his targets for 51 yards, including one 20-yard play, and a touchdown.
He’s been something of a camp favorite so even if he doesn’t make the Bucs’ 53-man out of camp, there’s a strong chance he’ll land a practice squad spot.
Deon Yelder, Arizona Cardinals (win at Bengals, 36-23)
Yelder played the most snaps of any wide receiver for Arizona, 28, and even started the game at the position, but only caught two balls (on four targets) for 18 yards, not hauling in a reception until the second half.
Bailey Zappe, New England Patriots (loss at Giants, 23-21)
Zappe took the fourth-most snaps of any offensive Patriot player, seeing the field for 77% of plays (48 snaps) to accompany his 205-yard day. He also completed 19 of his 32 pass attempts and threw for one touchdown while also throwing an interception.