TIGHT ENDS
BEN MCADOO wouldn’t reveal Saturday how the performances of Geno Smith and Josh Johnson in Friday’s preseason opener will affect his quarterback depth chart.
“Right now, the depth chart is fluid,” the coach said in a conference call. “But, nothing drastic yet … I think they both did some good things in the ball game, but there are definitely some inconsistencies.”
Instead, McAdoo was concerned more with seeing the same unforced red zone errors that plagued Big Blue’s anemic offense last season.
“We had a penalty. We had a bad snap. Should have thrown the ball away on one occasion, and it really dates back to last year in 2016,” McAdoo said. “Drives without a negative play, we scored touchdowns on 74% of those drives, and drives in the (red) zone with a negative play, we didn’t score a single touchdown.”
There were plenty pluses and minuses on the offensive side of the ball to dissect, though. So here they are by position: Rookie Chad Wheeler, Flowers’ backup, allowed two sacks and two pressures but seemed to steady after a shaky start. “I want to see the young guy continue to play and continue to develop,” McAdoo said. “Keep Chad in the mix. We need to keep pushing the starters there, as well.”
If Will Tye and Jerell Adams are battling head-to-head for a roster spot, Adams (18 snaps) made a good case while seeing significant first-half work and playing “with good speed,” per McAdoo. Tye (16 snaps) didn’t get in until the second half, though McAdoo noted Tye showed good “wiggle” in his movement and impressed on special teams. It’s also possible McAdoo gave Adams more early playing time as an audition because he already knows Tye’s abilities there from previous seasons. The coach said Engram “played with some speed down the middle of the field but needs to be sharper in his assignments.” McAdoo liked how Rhett Ellison (14 snaps) debuted, catching three passes for 20 yards after catching nine all last season for the Vikings. The coach said Matt LaCosse (17 snaps) needs “to stay on his feet.” Colin Thompson (five snaps) has had a pretty good camp but fell short on reps.