Good or bad, every NFL player has enjoyed his own memorable “Welcome to the NFL, rookie” moment. Whether it’s receiving a big hit, a devastating block or being humiliated by an established veteran, every rookie is cruelly reminded at least once that they’re JUST THAT: a rookie.
Around the midway point of every NFL season, we like to piece together a list of the 10 biggest “Welcome to the NFL, rookie” moments.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the 10 most painful “WELCOME TO THE NFL” rookie moments of the 2023 nfL season.
Tyree Wilson Gets Lit Up By Keenan Allen
Los Angeles Chargers’ wideout Keenen Allen may display good size for a wide receiver at 6-foot-2 and 211-pounds…but he’s not exactly known for being a devastating blocker.
Being a wide receiver and all, Allen’s job is merely to catch passes from quarterback Justin Herbert – and to try to find the end zone.
But in the Chargers’ Week 4 home game against the AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders, the Bolts called for their star receiver to block Raiders’ rookie defender Tyreek Wilson. Before we show you the clip, we’d like to remind you that Wilson is 6-foot-6 and weighs 275 pounds.
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Yet it was Allen who looked like the MUCH BIGGER person with this devastating block on the Raiders’ rookie lineman:
Keenan man, that Wilson guy has a family!
Oh, and welcome to the NFL, Tyree.
T.J. Watt Levels Zay Flowers
Pittsburgh Steelers’ superstar TJ Watt certainly isn’t a dirty player by any means.
But his mammoth and high sack and tackle-for-loss totals make him one of the game’s most intimidating players. Certainly, one of the very last guys any rookie would want to encounter in open space. I mean taking a shot from , a 6-foot-4, 252-pound frame of pure steel would be even painful for Superman.
Well, Baltimore Ravens’ star wideout Zay Flowers had the misfortunes of meeting none other than Mr. Watt in the open field when his club visited the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Week 6.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson tried hitting Flowers on a pass attempt late in the second quarter. Only problem? Watt was right there to break it up…by punching Flowers right in the face…
It obviously wasn’t intentional on Watt’s end, but he was hit with a $11,473 fine for the accidental punch on Flowers. What a way to introduce the first-year wideout to the NFL and the intense Ravens-Steelers rivalry!
Also, someone tell Lamar Jackson to not put his receiver in harm’s way like that.
Emmanuel Forbes, Meet A.J. Brown
The Washington Commanders used the No. 16 selection on Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, hoping he’d be the final piece needed to take this top-10 defense to an even higher level.
But Forbes has been one of the most disappointing rookies of 2023 thus far. He has struggled mightily against the opposition’s No. 1 wideouts. Just look at his film against DJ Moore and AJ Brown. It ain’t pretty.
Forbes was especially humiliated time and time again by Brown in the Commanders’ Week 4 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Forbes barked up the wrong tree by engaging in trash talk with Philly’s no. 1 receiver, and he finally paid the price.
With less than two minutes to go in a tie game, Jalen Hurts spotted an open Brown in the end zone with Forbes in “coverage.” The veteran superstar made Forbes look every bit like a rookie on this play, alright.
According to Pro Football Focus, Forbes allowed a ridiculous 197 yards and two touchdowns in coverage that day — a 34-31 Philadelphia victoria in overtime.
Remember, Mr. Forbes: Don’t trash talk unless you’re actually gonna back it up. And especially don’t trash talk as a rookie against one of the league’s best. He’s only going to provide you with a full day’s worth of unfortunate “Welcome to the NFL” moments, after all.
Paris Johnson Jr.: This Isn’t How You Block Boye Mafe
The Arizona Cardinals had a wealth of weaknesses entering the 2023 NFL Draft. They ultimately decided to trade down from the No. 3 spot and selected Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. at No. 6 overall.
Offensive linemen especially tend to endure plenty of growing pains as rookies, and Johnson Jr. certainly is no exception.
That said, his true “Welcome to the NFL” moment came courtesy of Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe in Week 7. Hey Paris: We know you’re a rookie, but you’re NOT supposed to make it that easy for opposing defenders. Make sure to block if you want to last in this league, young man.
Then again, it’d be nice if the Cardinals built a somewhat half-decent o-line before drafting Johnson Jr. anyway. Asking this guy to block for a backup QB with Kyler Murray endured is a rather cruel way to introduce Johnson Jr. to the NFL.
Bryce Young Lets His Guard Down
This one doesn’t fall under the “physically painful” category. This didn’t involve a hard hit or anything. But it’s still a true “Welcome to the NFL, rookie” moment that Young certainly won’t forget.
The Carolina Panthers gave up a king’s ransom to the Chicago Bears so they could move up to first overall and select the Alabama quarterback. Young displayed a tremendous skill set to go along with a high football IQ, which he learned from the great Nick Saban.
But uhh…all those years of games, practice and film study briefly went out the window when Young made his second career NFL start against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.
Late in the fourth quarter of the Panthers’ home opener, Young committed quite the brain fart by lining up behind his guard INSTEAD of the center.
Welcome to the NFL, rookie…where you always line up behind the center and never the guard. Wait, that’s the norm in any level of football. Bryce man, what were you doing there?!
IT’s been a tough go for Young in his rookie season, so this one hilarious absent-minded moment is far from his biggest concern. We just hope Carolina will put an offensive line, a running back, some receiving help and a defense around Young, because the Alabama kid has too much promise to flop at the NFL level.
We’ll chalk it down as rookie nerves which contributed to the brain cramp. As long as he never does it again….
Anton Harrison Is No Match For Chris Jones
Remember what we said about Paris Johnson Jr. and how rookie offensive linemen endure plenty of growing pains? Well fellow rookie and offensive tackle Anton Harrison can tell ya all about it, too.
Poor Mr. Harrison had the nearly impossible task of blocking the Kansas City Chiefs’ top two pass-rushers in George Karlaftis and superstar Chris Jones during Week 2 in Jacksonville.
Harrison has actually been better than most rookie offensive linemen this year, but Week 2 was certainly a day full of growing pains for the Oklahoma product.
Per PFF, Harrison faced Jones 13 times that day and allowed two sacks to go along with one hurry. Worse yet, PFF had Harrison down for a gross 29.6 pass-blocking grade that day.
In other words, Harrison should have just stayed home. On the bright side, Jones offered some nice praise for his principal Week 2 opponent, stating on X, “This kid is going to be good.”
Chris Jones Victimizes Darnell Wright, Too
Well if it makes Anton Harrison feel any better, he wasn’t the only rookie offensive lineman that was quickly put in his place by Chris Jones.
Well to be perfectly blunt, Chris Jones basically victimizes every offensive line that he goes up against. If you’re a rookie like Wright or Harrison, just chalk it up as a good learning experience from the ultimate Jedi master that is Mr. Jones.
So anyway, Wright — the No. 10 selection of this year’s draft — had the daunting task of trying to keep Justin Fields upright with Jones patrolling KC’s defensive line. Let’s just say that Jones did typical Stone Cold Jones things, while Wright got himself a memorable “Welcome to the NFL”, message.
We hope Wright wasn’t too hard on himself there, because the Bears haven’t exactly pieced together much of an o-line for Justin Fields since his rookie 2021 season. And like we said, Chris Jones has been doing that to a LOT of people for a while now.
LIke Anton Harrison, Wright has actually been better than the vast majority of rookie offensive linemen. Just call it a tough lesson learned from Jones. The kid’s gonna be alright.
Josh Allen’s Hospital Pass To Dalton Kincaid
In rugby and American football, a “hospital pass” is a popular term used to describe a dangerous pass a player makes to a teammate who’s immediately in harm’s way.
In short, a hospital pass is NOT something a quarterback should make. Take note of that, kids. Your teammates will be forever thankful.
But Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen seemingly forgot the memo about hospital passes when his team hosted the Las Vegas Raiders in their Week 2 home opener. Late in the second quarter of that game, Allen attempted a dangerous pass in double coverage to the end zone…
Fortunately, Kincaid avoided what could have been a serious injury. He also got the last laugh with his Bills crushing the Raiders by a final score of 38-10.
Hopefully Allen remembers to never attempt something dangerous like that again, because it was his pass that set up Kincaid’s “Welcome to the NFL, rookie” moment.
Andre Cisco Crushes Anthony Richardson
Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 selection of 2023, was named the Indianapolis Colts’ starting QB for Week 1 against the Jaguars.
Richardson dazzled with plenty of big plays in his NFL debut, but he unfortunately wasn’t able to finish out the contest. That’s because the Florida product got absolutely crushed by Jaguars safety Andre Cisco on a touchdown-saving play near the goal line.
With a minute left and his team down by 10, Richardson performed Houdini-like magic to escape the pocket. He then rushed to the end zone but was stopped by Cisco, who delivered the ultimate bone-crushing hit.
Richardson suffered a bruised knee, and backup Gardner Minshew II had to finish the game. Sadly, Richardson’s promising rookie campaign ended after just four games, as he required season-ending shoulder surgery.
He sure made a great first impression in his short-lived rookie season. Now let’s just hope that Richardson can stay healthy and continue to dominate the way he did in that brief sample size.
Luke Musgrave Gets Smoked By Kareem Jackson
As far as “Welcome to the NFL, rookie” moments go, it doesn’t get much worse than being on the wrong end of a crushing hit. Unfortunately, that was Luke Musgrave’s “Welcome to the NFL” moment in the Green Bay Packers’ Week 7 road game against the Denver Broncos.
Immediately after catching a pass from Jordan Love for a first down in the fourth quarter, a defenseless Musgrave was smoked in the head and neck area by Broncos’ defensive back Kareem Jackson.
Though Musgrave was able to get up after the hit, he suffered an ankle injury. Jackson, a repeat offender for hits on defenseless players, was immediately ejected.
The NFL suspended Jackson for four games following yet another offense, though he had the ban reduced to two games following an appeal. A hit on Washington Commanders’ tight end Logan Thomas back in Week 2 culminated in a $19,669 fine on Jackson, too.
Kudos on Musgrave for not retaliating and managing to shrug off the big hit. Needless to say, he won’t ever forget this “Welcome to the NFL rookie” moment.
