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Jae C. Hong/Associated Press
The hot-seat watch kicked into gear when Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season started.
While most hot-seat analysis centers on coaches, it applies to players too. Onlookers have seen this in action with coaches benching players in openers and at least one quarterback situation in need of change in the minds of fans.
Still, it’s important to differentiate between whether a player had a bad game and whether a team needs to think about the future. The Jacksonville Jaguars, for example, won’t bench big-time wideout DJ Chark Jr., but he only caught three of 12 targets in a drop-happy wideout group that made first overall pick Trevor Lawrence look bad in a Week 1 loss to Houston.
The following players, though, reside on warm seats already, and one or two more bad showings could be bad for their snap counts.
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Tony Avelar/Associated Press
It seemed safe to project a big leap in year two for San Francisco 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk.
A first-round pick by the 49ers in 2020, Aiyuk plays in one of the league’s premier offenses, orchestrated by Kyle Shanahan, and is poised to grow alongside potential franchise passer and third overall pick Trey Lance.
Or not. Aiyuk was a backup in San Francisco’s Week 1 win over the Detroit Lions. He didn’t see a target while Trent Sherfield started opposite Deebo Samuel.
Shanahan noted in a postgame presser that Aiyuk missed time with a hamstring issue this summer but added, “Trent Sherfield has earned the right to be out there more.”
That’s not a ringing endorsement of a first-rounder who had 748 yards and five touchdowns last year over 12 games. Aiyuk’s seat seems hot for a number of reasons, and the pressure to perform should be immense.
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David Berding/Associated Press
The Minnesota Vikings’ offensive line was one of the worst-performing units of the opening slate in the team’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Guard Ezra Cleveland and the line made mistake after mistake, accounting for 70 of the team’s 116 penalty yards on 12 penalties compared to Cincinnati’s three. Kirk Cousins suffered three sacks, and another was canceled out by a penalty.
The Vikings will have to do something to mitigate the issues. All five linemen can’t be getting called for flags after a summer training camp of zero issues on this front. Maybe they move Cleveland out to tackle, or maybe they sit the 2020 second-rounder after he allowed five sacks with a 66.2 Pro Football Focus grade over 13 games as a rookie.
Either way, Cleveland’s days as an interior player are under the microscope.
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Winslow Townson/Associated Press
Rhamondre Stevenson was a fun summer story because the fourth-rounder out of Oklahoma looked like a candidate to dominate the New England Patriots depth chart and workload behind rookie quarterback Mac Jones.
Stevenson got in early during his team’s Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins but tossed the chance away.
Bill Belichick and Patriots coaches saw Stevenson fumble after a reception and whiff on a blitz pickup, and they yanked him in favor of Damien Harris. He finished the day with one catch and carry, while Harris caught two passes and rushed 23 times.
This is far from the end of Stevenson’s story, especially since Harris fumbled late in the game. But Belichick is notoriously fickle about running backs, and ball security will be the main emphasis any time Stevenson is on the field.
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Matt Rourke/Associated Press
The seat could be aflame sooner than later for New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.
New York has surrounded the potential franchise passer with talent, including big investments on the offensive line (drafting Andrew Thomas fourth overall in 2020) and in running back Saquon Barkley and free-agent wideout Kenny Golladay.
But Jones was ineffective during New York’s Week 1 loss at home to Denver, posting a 22-of-37 line with 267 yards and a touchdown while taking two sacks. He also rushed for a touchdown, albeit at the end of the game with the result cemented.
More importantly, Jones fumbled yet again, this time with the Giants down 17-7 in the second half and closing in on the red zone. He led the NFL in the category in 2019 (18) and 2020 (11), and on Sunday, he became the second player since 1994 to fumble 30 times in fewer than 30 games.
While New York’s offensive line wasn’t great and his weapons weren’t all healthy to practice together this summer, Jones’ turnover habits (30 fumbles and 22 interceptions in 28 games) could make the Giants say enough is enough, especially if the team isn’t finding success in a winnable NFC East.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
Was this one hard to see coming?
After remaining adamant all summer that Andy Dalton would start over 11th overall pick Justin Fields, the Chicago Bears made true on that promise in a 34-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1.
In the debacle, Dalton posted a 27-of-38 line with 206 yards and an interception, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. Fields, meanwhile, completed both of his attempts and ran for a touchdown in a smooth, brief showing.
Much of the disaster wasn’t fair to Dalton. His offensive line was shaky, and he couldn’t match Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay in a shootout as the Bears defense floundered. He feels like a placeholder, though, and he threw an interception one play after the rookie completed a nine-yard pass Sunday.
It’s a safe bet that the fan outcries for Fields will trump what Chicago wants to do with Dalton and the position. He’s been under the microscope since putting ink to paper with Chicago, and the seat is hotter after that Week 1 showing.
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