Unheralded RBs Rico Dowdle, Ty Johnson supplied large outcomes for his or her groups in Week 15

As any NFL season progresses, there will probably be extra unheralded gamers who stand up from humble beginnings to turn out to be components, and guys whose careers have gone sideways who someway discover the street again to relevance.

We wish to rejoice these gamers each week in “Secret Superstars.” This week, we’ve two undrafted free brokers from the crew which will lead the NFL in worth from such gamers, a dual-treat operating again for the Payments, the Buccaneers’ latest key offensive participant, and a defensive lineman who could have gained an important division recreation single-handedly.

Cooper Rush, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Say what you need about Jerry Jones’ attendant weirdness (squirrel brains?), and all of us have. However by no means let or not it’s stated that the Dallas Cowboys are unable to judge expertise below the radar. A number of undrafted free brokers have accomplished some good issues for the crew this season, and two of them are on this week’s Secret Superstars. That is extra about vice chairman of participant personnel Will McClay than anyone with the final identify “Jones,” and it’s certainly one of many causes McClay ought to be capable of name his shot ought to he ever wish to be a common supervisor.

Let’s start with quarterback Cooper Rush, now together with his sixth straight recreation as a starter in reduction of Dak Prescott, whose 2024 season was reduce quick by a serious hamstring damage. Rush, a 2017 UDFA out of Central Michigan, has been within the group for years. Common at finest in earlier alternatives, Rush has had a few video games by which he’s seemed like knowledgeable quarterback. One was Dallas’ 34-26 win over the Washington Commanders, when Rush accomplished 24 of 32 passes for 247 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer score of 117.6 in November, for which he made… Secret Superstars.

Now, Rush is again once more after the Cowboys’ 30-14 Sunday win over the Carolina Panthers. On this recreation, Rush was fairly dynamic when requested to maneuver within the pocket, when he needed to roll out in boot conditions, and when below strain. Rush accomplished 18 of 29 passes for 214 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer score of 119.0.

“I feel the constant vitality and edge that he performs with,” Mike McCarthy stated of his backup. ”I feel the best way that he goes about his work. He clearly has obtained nice palms. I feel he’s so much twitchier in his decrease half than folks give him credit score for. I assumed it was nice for him to have the ability to make two essential performs with these sacks however he’s made a bunch of different performs which have actually accomplished an amazing job. He’s actually main the best way. It’s his preparation, it’s his work ethic after which he’s been blessed with nice skill. I feel he’s the epitome of a man that has that development mindset, constantly improves, and constantly impacts and influences optimistic change together with his teammates. I might say these are a few the issues that stand out to me.”

If there’s one factor that might maintain Rush from succeeding at one other degree within the NFL, it’s the butterfingers, and we aren’t speaking in regards to the sweet bar. He has 9 fumbles on the season, and there’s a Three Stooges facet to quite a lot of them.

So perhaps Rush isn’t the following Kurt Warner, however he offers the Cowboys greater than most backup quarterbacks do.

Rico Dowdle, RB, Dallas Cowboys

One other Cowboys UDFA and current Celebrity. Dowdle, the 2020 South Carolina alum who has accomplished so much to determine what had been a non-existent operating recreation earlier than he grew to become the primary man, is now doing his factor at historic ranges. Along with his 25-carry, 149-yard efficiency in opposition to the Panthers on Sunday, Dowdle grew to become the primary undrafted free agent operating again since Arian Foster of the Houston Texans in 2014 to achieve over 100 yards in three straight video games. Since Week 13, Dowdle has the NFL’s most dashing yards with 392, and it’s not shut. (Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons ranks second at 319.)

Maybe Dowdle’s most superb current statistic? Not a type of 25 carries in opposition to the Panthers grew to become a unfavorable run. He additionally pressured six missed tackles, and had 5 carries of 10 or extra yards.

Clearly, Mike McCarthy is impressed – one would possibly even say grateful, given what the pre-Dowdle run recreation seemed like.

“Simply the mixture of his operating model and the run blocking unit,” McCarthy stated after the win. “I feel we’re positively in sync, and I simply assume, like several good run recreation, you want the makes an attempt. Our guys have gotten into rhythm. We’ve had quite a lot of line-up modifications all through the season. Simply once more at the moment with the variety of guys that went down. He’s doing a very good job, breaks tackles. He has a violent run model. His programs and his decision-making have been glorious.”

Dowdle is on a one-year, $1,04 million contract with the Cowboys – his fifth with the crew. May he be capable of parlay that into one thing greater elsewhere? It’s a dynamite draft class for operating backs, however Dowdle has already confirmed what the incoming prospects haven’t.

Ty Johnson, RB/WR, Buffalo Payments

Talking of operating backs making a reputation for themselves nowadays, there’s Ty Johnson, who has turn out to be a part of the Payments’ three-headed backfield monster consisting of James Cook dinner, Ray Davis, and Johnson. That’s four-headed if we wish to add Josh Allen as a runner, which we most likely ought to.

Allen is his personal alien. Cook dinner is the mainstay, Davis is the ability man, and Johnson has turn out to be a extremely helpful two-way risk. He can run the ball simply high quality, however he’s additionally a power within the passing recreation, and it’s not simply with easy screens and swing passes. Johnson has a highly-developed route acumen that extends to the intermediate and deep ranges of the sphere.

This was significantly true in Buffalo’s 48-42 win over the Detroit Lions. Johnson, the 2019 sixth-round decide of the Lions (ouch) out of Maryland, was the Payments’ best receiver, with 5 catches on 5 targets for 114 yards. He had two catches of 10-19 yards, and two extra of greater than 20 yards. That wouldn’t be dangerous for a high receiver, a lot much less a operating again.

And this has been happening for some time.

“He’s actually sensible,” Allen stated of Johnson. “I feel he’s the perfect third-down again within the recreation. The way in which that we talk, the best way that he sees protections, it’s quarterback-like. He simply performs the sport the proper approach.”

And he performs the sport in a really particular approach that advantages the Payments exponentially.

Romeo Doubs, WR, Inexperienced Bay Packers

It’s been a little bit of a rocky season for Doubs, the Packers’ 2022 fourth-round select of Nevada. In early October, he was suspended one recreation for conduct detrimental to the crew, lacking the Packers’ Week 5 recreation in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams. Doubs then got here off a two-game inactive stint as a consequence of concussion points simply in time for Inexperienced Bay’s Sunday night time win over the Seattle Seahawks. In that 30-13 win, Doubs caught three passes on 5 targets for 40 yards. Not a giant stat line, however while you add in his two touchdowns, the truth that each have been of spotlight high quality, and that he was close to a 3rd landing on the day, that’s fairly spectacular.

Curiously sufficient, Doubs has 4 landing catches on the season – the 2 in opposition to Seattle, and the 2 he bagged in opposition to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6 as soon as his suspension was up. Perhaps he ought to take extra time without work!

“Yeah, how about that catch, that second landing catch?”, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur stated of Doubs after the Seahawks recreation. “That was a big-time play. I really like how Rome works. He’s been fairly constant for us when given alternatives. He comes by. So it was cool to have him again on the market. It’s laborious to get all the blokes the quantity of touches you’d wish to when you’ve got a room that you simply really feel is fairly stacked. You bought quite a lot of guys that you simply wish to get entangled, whether or not it’s our operating backs. Definitely [tight end] Tucker Kraft made some big-time performs. However that’s a great drawback to have.”

It’s a great drawback that has turned the Packers’ passing recreation into one of many NFL’s most harmful. The truth is, Inexperienced Bay ranks first within the league in Passing DVOA since Week 10.

Luke Goedeke, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If you recognize something in regards to the Buccaneers, you recognize that left deal with Tristian Wirfs might be one of many NFL’s most dominant gamers at his place. However one of the crucial nice surprises about Tampa Bay’s offense in 2024 is what proper deal with Luke Goedeke has turn out to be in his third NFL season. The 2022 second-rounder from Central Michigan had a little bit of a tough go early on in his skilled profession – final season, he allowed six sacks and 43 complete pressures.

However in 2024? It’s been a unique story. In 411 pass-blocking snaps, Goedeke has allowed one sack and 11 complete pressures. Furthermore, he’s been an actual asset within the run recreation, and this was very true in Tampa Bay’s 40-17 Sunday win over the Los Angeles Chargers’ top-ranked protection. The Bucs ran the ball 39 instances for 223 yards, and when Baker Mayfield dropped again to cross, finishing 22 of 27 throws for 288 yards and 4 touchdowns, it was usually Goedeke who allowed Mayfield to push the ball downfield the place he needed it to go. Whether or not he was coping with Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, or Tuli Tuipulotu, Goedeke allowed no sacks, no quarterback hits, and only one quarterback hurry.

As Bucs head coach Todd Bowles stated Monday, it’s fairly good to have two excellent offensive tackles.

“They’ve been doing a great job the previous couple of weeks, particularly Tristan. Luke’s been doing an amazing job all 12 months. Ever since he’s come again from his damage, he’s been very stout for us on the proper facet of the road. It looks as if Tristan performs higher if he’s not wholesome than he’s when he’s wholesome [laughs]. Not that he’s performed dangerous when he was wholesome, however his focus, his focus, his understanding of what’s on the point of occur and what he has to do for his job. These two guys have accomplished a heck of a job for us.”

These two guys are large causes that Tampa Bay’s Liam Coen-led offense has turn out to be one the remainder of the NFL would relatively not take care of.

Kobie Turner, DI, Los Angeles Rams

As a defensive lineman, it’s nice for those who can rack up a bunch of sacks and pressures. That’s the secret, however not all quarterback disruptions are created equal. Think about the case of the late, nice Corridor of Famer Derrick Thomas, who owns professional soccer’s single-game sack report with seven in a November 11, 1990 recreation in opposition to the Seattle Seahawks that the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs misplaced, 20-19, regardless of Thomas’ complete dominance.

More often than not, you want multiple man killing enemy quarterbacks to get a win. And there are different instances when that one man can truly flip the tide of a recreation time and again till it has turn out to be his. That’s what Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner did in his crew’s 12-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers’ final Thursday night time.

It’s not simply that the 2023 third-rounder from Wake Forest had two sacks and 5 complete pressures on the night time; it’s when these issues occurred, what they did to the 49ers, and what they did for the Rams. Each of Turner’s sacks and two of his pressures got here on third-and-6 or longer to finish drives, and his last strain of the sport with 5:20 left led to Brock Purdy’s deep interception to cornerback Darious Williams.

When you’ve got that many field-tilting performs in a single recreation, it issues fairly a bit greater than twice the quantity in conditions that permit the opponent to maintain doing its factor. Right here, Turner – who has performed at an All-Professional degree all season – did as a lot or extra to resolve the end result as anyone.

“I feel the constant vitality and edge that he performs with,” Sean McVay stated Monday, when requested what makes Turner such a disruptive power. “I feel the best way that he goes about his work. He clearly has obtained nice palms. I feel he’s so much twitchier in his decrease half than folks give him credit score for. I assumed it was nice for him to have the ability to make two essential performs with these sacks, however he’s made a bunch of different performs which have actually accomplished an amazing job. He’s actually main the best way. It’s his preparation, it’s his work ethic after which he’s been blessed with nice skill. I feel he’s the epitome of a man that has that development mindset, constantly improves, and constantly impacts and influences optimistic change together with his teammates. I might say these are a few the issues that stand out to me.”

One factor that stood out to us at Secret Superstars HQ was a defensive lineman who got here into Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and nearly eradicated the 49ers from the postseason, whereas placing the Rams in place to steer the NFC West – which, after the aforementioned Seahawks loss to the Packers, is precisely how issues stand.