Jauan Jennings, Kerby Joseph among NFL Secret Superstars for Week 11

As the NFL season progresses, we'll likely see unknown players rise from humble beginnings and players whose careers have gone sideways somehow find their way back into the spotlight.

We want to celebrate these players every week on “Secret Superstars.” This week features a running back who is finally healthy and developing, a pair of pass rushers who will be essential to the defense moving in different directions, and a pair of defensive backs who have shown up in very unexpected ways.

JK Dobbins, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Dobbins was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2020 draft out of Ohio State University and spent his first four seasons in the NFL as part of Baltimore's stable of running backs before Derrick Henry. Injuries have limited his chances with the team, most notably a torn ACL suffered in the 2021 preseason that sidelined him for the entire regular season, but Dobbins gained just 22 yards on eight carries in 2023. Scored one rushing touchdown.

But former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who partnered with Jim Harbaugh on the Chargers before the 2024 season, didn't forget what Dobbins brings to the field when healthy. The Chargers signed Dobbins to a one-year, $1.6 million contract this offseason, making it one of the biggest deals in the NFL. Through 10 games and eight starts this season, Dobbins already has 726 yards and eight rushing touchdowns on 152 carries. He has 32 missed tackles, tied for 12th in the league with Detroit's David Montgomery, and has nine rushing attempts of 15 yards or more.

Dobbins made a big difference in the Chargers' thrilling 34-27 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, a victory that moved the team to 7-3 on the season. He gained just 56 yards on 11 carries, but also scored two touchdowns. In the second quarter, he had a 1-yard vertical special and the game-winning 26-yarder with 26 seconds left.

Like many of the Chargers' players this season, Dobbins has benefited from an ideal combination of circumstances and coaching, and he's made the most of it after several disappointing starts in his career. I'm making the most of it.

Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers

It's hard to keep track of all of the 49ers' offensive playmakers. Between Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk, someone else could be discounted just because there are so many ahead of them on the list. This is the case with receiver Jauan Jennings, a 2020 seventh-round pick out of Tennessee. Last Sunday, San Francisco lost 20-17 to the Seattle Seahawks, but Jennings did everything he could to get a better result. He caught 10 passes on 11 targets for 91 yards and a touchdown, winning everything from quick pivot routes to zone-breaking slants.

Anquan Boldin is a Hall of Fame candidate based primarily on his performance with the Arizona Cardinals from 2003 to 2009. But later in his career, with both John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens and Jim Harbaugh's 49ers, Boldin remained a beast to cover. The fact that he didn't have the same speed and athletic separation ability. how? He adapted to being a bully at the catch point, an outstanding root chef, and someone you really don't want to wrestle with. While other stars, led by Kyle Shanahan, struggled against Seattle's suddenly solid pass defense, Jennings did what he had to do — he permanently transferred to Boldin late in his career, and with his sheer physical superiority, he was able to make a difference. He won again and again.

Tuli Tuipulotu, EDGE, Los Angeles Chargers

2023 Chargers defense ranked with head coach Brandon Staley as primary shot-caller Defense DVOA 26th. Now, new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is running things. they rose to 10th place. It's a great jump and there are many reasons for it. One is the play of second-year edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu, a 2023 second-round draft pick out of USC.

It's not like Tuipulotu needed Minter to do well in the NFL — he had eight sacks and 51 total pressures in his rookie season. But now, with this dramatically improved defense, Tuipulotu has taken his game to a whole new level. This is especially true in the Chargers' last three games, in which he led the entire NFL in both sacks and total pressures. He's already tied for the rookie sack total.

At 6-foot-4 and 266 pounds, Tuipulotu has the power of a 280-pound man with the lunging speed and flexibility of a 240-pound man. It's a combination that can be extrapolated to, and one that the Chargers' opponents are feeling and learning to fear.

Odafe Oweh, EDGE, Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens haven't been completely successful in their defensive coordinator transition from Mike McDonald to Zach Orr. They fell from first in defensive DVOA in 2023 to 13th this season. The tape shows a defense that looks weaker than even the metrics indicate.

(In 2024, this is known as reverse charging).

Baltimore's defense was decent enough last Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers — the Ravens lost the game 18-16 — but they also turned Russell Wilson into a pumpkin, and Baltimore's The weirdness was mostly on offense and special teams.

When it comes to improving the Ravens' defense this time around, it can start with fourth-year pass rusher Odafe Oweh from Penn State. He's had three pretty good seasons and is fully in his fourth year. Oweh already has a career-high seven sacks, three of which came against the Steelers. Neither Pittsburgh left tackle Dan Moore Jr. nor Pittsburgh right tackle Bruderick Jones had an answer for him.

The Ravens will need consistent pressure from the quarterback to reverse their defensive issues, and Oweh is in a position to provide that.

Mike Sainristil, CB, Washington Commanders

Quarterback Jaden Daniels isn't the only quarterback in the Commanders' 2024 draft, but Daniels is clearly the centerpiece. Defensive tackle Johnny Newton, tight end Ben Synnott, left tackle Brandon Coleman and receiver Luke McCaffrey all contributed. But the biggest surprise in this draft class may be cornerback Mike Sainristil from the University of Michigan.

Sainristil was an absolute devil for the Wolverines, so much so that they drafted him in the second round, 50th overall. But the 5-foot-10, 182-pound Sainristil is perceived by many analysts to have limited availability, as evidenced by his college career — he He recorded 985 inside snaps and 178 outside snaps. But under new head coach and defensive mastermind Dan Quinn, the managers have a lot of issues with their existing outside cornerbacks, and Sainristil will receive more reps in Week 3. began to acquire.

The transition was smooth, especially in Washington's Week 11 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Sainristil allowed two catches on five targets for 31 yards, 17 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two pass breakups and a 61.3 opponent passer rating.

The managers recently traded cornerback Marshon Lattimore from the New Orleans Saints to shore up their outside weaknesses, but Lattimore is not yet healthy enough to be on the field. During that time, Sainristil never allowed an opponent to passer rating above 100.0 in nine games as an outside cornerback, but he seems to have found his niche in a way few expected.

Kirby Joseph, safety, Detroit Lions

Since we're on the topic of defensive backs who have emerged in unexpected ways, what about Kirby Joseph? The Lions acquired Joseph from Illinois in the third round of the 2022 draft, but Joseph had a pretty tough rookie season. He had four interceptions and four pass breakups, but also allowed five touchdowns and an 89.2 opponent passer rating.

But since then, Joseph has been on lockdown as much as you'll find in an NFL safety facility. He hasn't allowed a touchdown in either of the past two seasons and teams up with fellow safety Brian Branch, whom the Lions drafted in the second round in 2023, to form one half of the league's best and most opportunistic deep-third duo. I decided to take on the role. . No player, regardless of position, has had more interceptions over the past three seasons than Joseph, and he can drive from the box or slot to take running backs out of their rhythm.

He showed it again last Sunday in Detroit's 52-6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Everyone talks about the Lions offense, and for good reason. But Detroit is currently ranked 2nd in Defensive DVOA, 1st in Weighted Defensive DVOAis more considerate of recent games. None of that would have happened without Joseph. Joseph allowed 10 catches on 20 targets for 144 yards, 42 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, seven (!!!) interceptions, one pass breakup and a 34.2 opponent passer rating. .

The Lions' defense is full of secret superstars because their offense is so good. But it's definitely not a secret at all to the rest of the NFL, starting with Kirby Joseph.