Trey McBride, DJ Reader, Nick Herbig amongst Secret Superstars for NFL Week 13

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

We wish to have fun these gamers each week in “Secret Superstars.” This week, now we have two edge rushers with variations of the identical first identify, a quarterback who is healthier than you could assume, and two Dallas Cowboys who’re flying underneath the proverbial radar.

Aidan O’Connell, QB, Las Vegas Raiders

With Gardner Minshew, Desmond Ridder, and Aidan O’Connell as their quarterbacks, the 2024 Raiders had been clearly hoping that that they had sufficient on the ball at different positions to make an average-at-best rotation on the recreation’s most necessary place work to a better or lesser diploma. Having come off the Jimmy Garoppolo Expertise, possibly you would forgive them for being gun-shy. However this Raiders workforce is now tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Giants for the NFL’s worst document at 2-10, Minshew is on injured reserve with a damaged collarbone, and O’Connell simply returned from a thumb damage that had him out since Week 7. Ridder is a non-story at this level in his profession and Las Vegas ranks twenty eighth in Passing DVOA.

Need extra enjoyable? The Raiders head to Arrowhead Stadium for a Black Friday recreation in opposition to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and Steve Spagnuolo’s protection.

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce previewed matchup as one between “the perfect workforce in soccer in opposition to the worst workforce in soccer.”

Method to get your guys amped up, Coach.

In any occasion, the Raiders didn’t look like the worst workforce in soccer, although they misplaced 19-17 to the Chiefs, who’re discovering extra methods to drag last-second wins out of their butts than any workforce we’ve ever seen. On this case, it was the disastrous sequence of occasions with 15 seconds left within the recreation from the Kansas Metropolis 32-yard line. O’Connell fumbled the snap, Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton recovered, and there was a declined unlawful shift penalty for good measure.

All that apart, O’Connell was really fairly sensible in opposition to the whole lot Spags threw at him. He accomplished 25 of 34 passes for 340 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, a passer ranking of 116.4, and 5 completions in six makes an attempt of 20 or extra air yards for 188 yards, and each of his touchdowns.

Per Subsequent Gen Stats, O’Connell’s 58-yard landing move to Tre Tucker with 14:52 left within the recreation traveled 50.4 yards within the air, the longest completion of his profession (and the longest completion by air yards of any quarterback in Week 13). 5 of his six longest profession completions by air distance got here in opposition to the Chiefs on this recreation.

“I believe Aidan, our workforce, our combat all through [the game], these guys battled till the tip,” Pierce mentioned of his quarterback. “Till the clock hit zero, these guys thought we had been going to win. They fought their asses off till the tip. All three phases in some unspecified time in the future contributed to assist us get into that place. Aidan did a hell of a job. He stayed within the pocket and made some huge time throws for us. He was in a position to push the ball down the sphere. Clearly, the numbers say what they are saying, however he actually stepped up.”

Sure, the Raiders will possible go huge or go house with a extra outstanding quarterback in 2025, however at worst, O’Connell has confirmed to be the sort of backup you may belief for essentially the most half, and the sort of starter you may win with… so long as the whole lot doesn’t go all Three Stooges on the finish.

Rico Dowdle, RB, Dallas Cowboys

I’m not essentially of the opinion that the late-season Dallas Cowboys could possibly be critical spoilers with an total uptick in efficiency. My longstanding opinion of Mike McCarthy simply gained’t let that occur. However there’s something to say a few workforce that’s gained two video games in a row to climb from 3-7 to 5-7, and a few sneaky-good guys on that roster have began to point out up.

In final week’s Secret Superstars, we introduced the takes of quarterback Cooper Rush and cornerback Josh Butler to the fore, and now we have two extra gamers with stars on their helmets this week. Let’s begin with Rico Dowdle, who has began to create one thing out of Dallas’ previously nonexistent run recreation. In opposition to the New York Giants in a 27-20 win, Dowdle, the 2020 undrafted free agent from South Carolina, put up the perfect recreation of his profession with 112 yards and a landing on 22 carries. Dowdle pressured a career-high 10 missed tackles, essentially the most by a Cowboys again since Ezekiel Elliott in Week 16 of the 2020 season. 106 of his 112 yards got here after contact, and he had 4 carries of 10-plus yards – all of which you’ll be able to see proper right here.

The place has Dowdle been all this time? He needed to get previous the misbegotten notion that he ought to cut up time with Elliott this season, and this wasn’t his first good recreation of 2024. He had three video games already wherein he gained not less than 75 yards, together with Week 12’s efficiency in opposition to the Washington Commanders, when he broke free for 86 yards on 19 carries.

So possibly it was a case of the teaching workers lastly figuring issues out.

“I want I’d’ve had him in a greater place earlier within the recreation,” McCarthy mentioned after the Giants recreation. “However I simply assume that’s simply actually clear proof of what he can do if he will get to the touch the ball north of 20 carries.

“Rico is a younger man that has labored extremely arduous. He’s fought via the damage challenges within the early a part of his profession, you’re simply attending to see what we see daily.”

Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals

If you wish to transcend area of interest notability as an NFL tight finish, you need to endeavor to do certainly one of two issues:

1. Create as many explosive performs as attainable for a Tremendous Bowl contender.
2. Date Taylor Swift.

Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals does neither factor at this level in his profession, which is why the 2022 second-round select of Colorado State is a “Secret Celebrity”. McBride’s soccer story is certainly one of dogged manufacturing and sneaky effectivity versus highlights in every single place. This season, he’s been focused 3 times on passes of 20 or extra air yards, and he hasn’t caught a single one. His route chart is generally a mix of slants, drags, hitches, flats, screens, and sits. However the Cardinals perceive precisely how beneficial McBride is, even with none apparent explosions.

Within the Cardinals’ final two video games, McBride had 12 receptions in every contest, making him the primary tight finish in NFL historical past with not less than 12 catches in consecutive video games. Which isn’t dangerous in any respect. In final Sunday’s 23-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, McBride riddled Brian Flores’ excellent protection for 12 catches on 12 targets for 96 yards. As you may see, McBride doesn’t do something at a Superman stage, however he does get open – time and again, and he makes catches – time and again.

There’s nothing mistaken with that.

McBride now ranks third in Receiving DYAR for tight ends on the season, behind solely George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers, and Mark Andrews of the Baltimore Ravens.

“Our sideline will get excited when guys make performs,” Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon mentioned Monday of McBride. “Clearly, some performs pop to your eye slightly bit greater than different ones, however 11 yards is 11 yards to me, so these ‘nondescript’ 11 yards, I get enthusiastic about. Yeah, he’s clearly a big-time playmaker for us. We’ve got a bunch of playmakers, and so they do some superior issues and yeah, I believe it creates some vitality and pleasure. Whenever you’re on the market executing at a excessive stage and making performs that usually breeds good emotion.”

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, who is aware of as a lot about the best way to design an awesome offense as anyone in soccer at any stage, is definitely on the bandwagon.

“I informed him pregame — he got here as much as me pregame and mentioned very nice issues to me,” O’Connell mentioned after the Vikings win. “I mentioned ‘Hey, man, I believe you’re the most effective going proper now within the NFL,’ as a result of he does it so many various methods. I believe that’s the place you noticed the quantity come into play as we speak, the place possibly they need to be prepared for strain appears and issues like that. On the identical time, he’s basically on a lot of these downs performing because the third broad receiver beneath, catch and run. Tons of yards after catch. Had an enormous conversion beneath the sticks, in a position to get the primary down. Whenever you actually examine them on tape, they’re designing methods to get him the ball, and he’s additionally a very good blocker. So it may well actually be a tricky process as a protection since you’ve obtained to principally account for the entire playbook when he’s in there, based mostly upon his talent set. Actually, actually particular participant. I informed him that earlier than the sport. I used to be sort of hoping he’d go simpler on us than he did, which he didn’t. He was extremely impactful as we speak.”

So, whereas Trey McBride is nowhere close to a celebrity within the frequent sense, he’s an ascending power within the minds of the NFL’s shot-callers.

DJ Reader, IDL, Detroit Lions

The 11-1 Detroit Lions could be the perfect workforce in soccer proper now, however their doubtlessly deadly flaw – if they’ve one – is their completely rotten damage luck on the defensive aspect of the ball. The report going into Week 14 is simply preposterous.

The entrance seven has been particularly affected, and one has to marvel how rather more the roster can take earlier than a protection that when regarded like Detroit’s key to a Tremendous Bowl win will begin circling the drain. However it didn’t occur in Detroit’s 23-20 Thanksgiving Day win over the Chicago Bears. Past the situational goofiness that ultimately obtained Bears head coach Matt Eberflus fired, the Lions confirmed a ton of depth alongside that battered line of defense with a number of underrated names. Za’Darius Smith (8), Al-Quadin Muhammad (7), and DJ Reader (7) all set or tied season-highs in pressures generated in opposition to the Bears, solely the second recreation a workforce has had 3 gamers with 7-or-more pressures this season.

Let’s concentrate on Reader, who has grow to be an absolute monster within the center alongside fellow defensive deal with Alim McNeill. Reader is a former Houston Texan and Cincinnati Bengal who signed a two-year, $22 million contract this offseason with $7.465 million assured. In opposition to the Bears, he had two sacks, three quarterback hits, and two quarterback hurries, and the tape confirmed that even when the Bears had been double-teaming Reader, he was mauling via the pocket.

In opposition to single-teams? Fuhgeddaboutit.

That obtained Dan Campbell’s recognition after the sport…

…and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s point out on Tuesday.

“Any time you’ve got an inside presence like Mac and Reader, it actually frees up the sting gamers and it goes vice versa, too,” Glenn mentioned of the McNeill/Reader dynamic duo. “When you’ve got edge gamers, it helps unlock the within guys. However Mac, Reader, these guys have been inflicting terror to offenses for the longest and to see him go on the market and get the manufacturing that he had this previous week – as a result of he doesn’t get the credit score he will get. However to see him get the manufacturing with the 2 sacks, it was simply time coming. We knew that he can push the pocket, we knew that he could make performs like that, and once more I’m going to say this, he’s far more athletic than what folks give him credit score for. And I count on these issues to proceed to occur for him.”

It’s borderline nuts to see how properly the Lions’ protection has performed with all these accidents, and DJ Reader is a significant motive shy.

Nik Bonitto, EDGE, Denver Broncos

Within the lengthy historical past of the Denver Broncos, two gamers for the franchise have put up not less than 10 sacks and one pick-six in a season; Von Miller in 2012, and Nik Bonitto in 2024. That’s uncommon air for Bonitto, the 2022 second-round draft select of Oklahoma who had a really good 2023 season with 9 sacks and 47 complete pressures, and has amped his recreation up much more in his third NFL marketing campaign. Now, Bonitto has 11 sacks within the new season (tied for second within the NFL with Houston’s Danielle Hunter, behind solely Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson’s 12), with 43 complete pressures. It’s all kicked in for the third-year man from Oklahoma, and his splashy 71-yard pick-six in opposition to the Cleveland Browns on Monday night time – certainly one of TWO pick-sixes thrown by Jameis Winston in Denver’s 41-32 win.

The interception was particularly attention-grabbing. The Broncos have one of many NFL’s most blitz-happy defenses, however on this case, they backed off from a five-man entrance to a three-man strain by sending Bonitto and fellow edge-rusher Jonathon Cooper into protection. Dropping eight appeared to short-circuit one thing in Jameis Winston’s mind, and Winston actually didn’t count on to see Bonitto within the slot, prepared to leap the throw to tight finish Jordan Akins.

“I’ve been making an attempt to inform folks I used to play security again within the day and individuals are shocked,” Bonitto mentioned of the play. “Simply making an attempt to do my job. After I noticed an opportunity to interrupt on the ball, I sort of simply went and did that.”

The Broncos lead the NFL with 47 sacks, and that’s a giant a part of why Vande Joseph’s protection has been such a outstanding benefit for the workforce this season – they’ve risen to fifth in Defensive DVOA from thirtieth in 2023. And in Bonitto’s case, there’s greater than meets to the attention to the general talent set.

DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Dallas Cowboys

Our second Dallas Cowboy this week is one other security turned linebacker. Chosen by Dallas within the third spherical of the 2023 draft out of Texas, Overshown moved from one place to the opposite in his junior yr of faculty, and made his method thusly. Sadly, after an impressive collegiate profession, Overshown missed his complete rookie season with a torn ACL suffered in his second preseason recreation, and he’s began to work his method into Dallas’ protection now that he’s wholesome once more. That course of took a step ahead within the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving win over the Giants when Overshown blew up working again Devin Singletary on a strain of quarterback Drew Lock, pressured Lock’s subsequent uncomfortable throw, tipped the ball within the air, after which caught the factor for a 23-yard interception return.

For one temporary second, Overshown seemed to be his complete protection.

“When the working again let me unfastened, I used to be like, ‘There’s some BS occurring,’” Overshown mentioned of the play. “After which the quarterback threw the ball and I used to be like, ‘That is my play to make.’ I used to be in a position to kick in some nitrous and we had been dancing in the long run zone.”

Micah Parsons has believed in his teammate all alongside, even when everyone needed to wait to see what he may do within the NFL.

“I informed y’all from the start he was gonna be a dude,” Parsons mentioned post-game. “From his rookie yr, earlier than the damage, I mentioned, ‘That can be an All-Professional, Professional Bowl sort of participant.’ I’m simply pleased that he’s lastly exhibiting it.

“I noticed it from the start.”

Now, he’s not the one one.

Nick Herbig, EDGE, Pittsburgh Steelers

Ideally, the Steelers’ move rush is produced on the surface by edge terrors T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith – that’s a duo that’s nearly not possible to dam. However as Highsmith has been out since Week 10 with an ankle damage– his second main damage of the yr after lacking time in September and October with a groin difficulty – and that’s opened issues up for Nick Herbig, the 2023 fourth-round choose from Wisconsin.

In his rookie season, Herbig totaled three sacks and 10 complete pressures in 81 pass-rushing snaps. Now, with extra alternatives to point out what he can so, Herbig has doubled down on these totals. He has six sacks and 21 complete pressures in 162 pass-rushing reps. 4 of these sacks and 17 of these pressures have come within the Steelers’ final 4 video games, which implies that the arrow is pointing up.

In Pittsburgh’s 44-38 Sunday win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Herbig was an absolute terror. He had a sack and 6 complete pressures and the sack was a strip-sack of Joe Burrow, which linebacker Payton Wilson returned for a landing. 5 of his pressures got here in underneath 2.5 seconds, the second most fast pressures by any Steelers move rusher in a recreation this season.

“We count on Herbig to do nice issues,” Mike Tomlin mentioned after the win. “He’s a gifted younger man. We knew that might be a crucial matchup, to be fairly sincere with you. We knew they’d throw some schematics at T.J. — that’s simply the accountability with taking part in that spot. Alex Highsmith owns it. Herbig owns it. I’m appreciative of it.”

“Yeah, Herb’s a younger baller,” Watt mentioned of his ascending teammate. “He’s continued to develop each week. He takes teaching rather well. Nothing’s private – in case you inform him to right one thing, he does it. He’s obtained his personal set of strikes that he brings to the room that we’re all making an attempt to be taught, and he’s making an attempt to do the identical to us, and he’s only a man that brings rather a lot to this protection. And as you may see, he can play with the perfect of them. Folks discuss a whole lot of crap about his measurement, his lack of velocity. I do know I’m sooner than him, we will inform him that. The child balls out and he performs good soccer. And when Alex comes again, and we’ve obtained Preston [Smith] too, and [Jeremiah] Moon, I believe we’ve obtained a really harmful rotation at exterior linebacker.”

As for Herbig, he’s simply soaking all of it in.

“Look — he’s been doing it for seven, eight years now,” Herbig mentioned of his Watt. “He’s a Corridor of Famer, and I’m certain he leads the league since he’s been within the league in forcing fumbles, and I believe that’s the tradition that coach Tomlin builds. These guys lay the muse for guys like me, youthful guys which might be wanting as much as them. The chemistry now we have within the room is unbelievable.”

As Watt intimated, that edge-rushing rotation needs to be an actual drawback for opponents down the stretch.

Tarheeb Nonetheless, CB, Los Angeles Chargers

The transition from Brandon Staley to Jesse Minter because the Chargers’ defensive architect has been extraordinarily constructive. When Jim Harbaugh moved from Michigan again to the NFL in 2024, he introduced his defensive coordinator with him, and that’s why the Chargers have risen from twenty sixth in Defensive DVOA in 2023 to sixth this season. Past the metrics, a method you may inform {that a} protection is drawn up the suitable method is the variety of sudden gamers who’re sudden (and Secret) stars.

Tarheeb Nonetheless, the fifth-round rookie from Maryland, is a type of guys. Beginning in Week 4 in opposition to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, Nonetheless began to see main time on the sphere, and effectivity has improved with expertise. In opposition to the Atlanta Falcons and their bizarre passing recreation final Sunday in a 17-13 win, Nonetheless had two interceptions of Kirk Cousins, and one other huge move breakup on a Cousins throw to Drake London with lower than a minute left within the recreation, and the Falcons making an attempt to drive for a profitable rating.

“He’s been simply so locked in,” Jim Harbaugh mentioned post-game of Nonetheless. “The factor that impresses me essentially the most is how locked in he’s for a younger participant. I imply, they’ll get slightly drifty, simply of their preparation because the season goes on. However he has been locked in. Cool as the opposite aspect of the pillow, as Stuart Scott used to say, he’s been large.

“What a phenomenal factor. I imply, what a phenomenal factor we’re all witnessing. It’s gamers, it’s coaches, it’s the personnel division, it’s possession. It’s a complete group coming collectively, taking part in complementary, profitable soccer. It’s a phenomenal factor.”

How good was Nonetheless on this recreation? He was “randomly” required by the NFL to take a drug check after the very fact, which is the league’s model of a backhanded praise.