Daniel Bellinger has quietly put together a solid start to his career. After going without a target in his NFL debut, the rookie tight end has had three consecutive performances in which he’s made an impact. His only reception in Week 2 went for 16 yards and a touchdown. He then reeled in four receptions for 40 yards against the Cowboys, both of which ranked second on the team, before he caught three passes for 23 yards last week, which were the highest among the pass-catchers.
Bellinger has earned a 72.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus this season, which ranks eighth among the league’s tight ends and No. 1 in the rookie class. He has a tough matchup this week though, as the Packers head into Week 5 having shut down tight ends this season. In the first four games, opposing tight ends have combined for just 13 receptions for 114 yards. The highest tight end output against Green Bay came in Week 3, when Cameron Brate caught five receptions for 52 yards.
“I think those guys have made steady improvements,” Daboll said Monday about Bellinger, Tanner Hudson and Chris Myarick. “I think Coach (Andy) Bischoff has done a really good job with those guys. They’re smart. They’re tough. They’re dependable… These guys have been working their tails off since they’re been here. I think they’re earning the trust of the coaches to put them out on the field more.”
Dexter Lawrence is coming off perhaps the best game of his young NFL career. Going up against the Bears, Lawrence registered two sacks, three quarterback hits, five total tackles and eight total pressures. This performance earned him an outstanding 92.7 overall grade, including an elite 93.8 pass rush grade. With fellow defensive lineman Leonard Williams out for Week 4 with a knee injury, Lawrence played an impressive 58 total snaps, coming off the field for only four plays.
Serving as a team captain for the first time, Lawrence has looked strong all season. His 90.0 overall grade on the year ranks third at his position, while his 90.8 pass rush mark is the highest. The 24-year-old lineman already has seven quarterback hits in 2022, only four short of his career-high of 11 from last year. He is also already halfway to his career-best mark of four sacks set in 2020, while also picking up his third career forced fumble.
“I’d always say first and foremost, you give credit to the player. Much like Saquon I would say, since I’ve been here, he has bought into what we’re doing,” Daboll said this week about Lawrence. “He’s been great in the building. He’s been great outside the building. He’s a leader for us. He’s a talented player. And I think that Coach (Andre) Patterson, Coach (Bryan) Cox, Wink (Martindale), they’ve done a great job with him and trying to use his strengths as his strengths. But I give most of the credit to Dexter; I think he’s in a good spot. I’ve seen improvement from him since we’ve been here. But he’s a talented player. I’m glad he’s on our team.”
“The biggest thing is you need to have a center piece of your defense and he wears that badge with pride,” Martindale said about Lawrence. “We move him around more than what people really realize, and he’s done a really nice job. The biggest thing about Dex is he’s so selfless. He’s just as excited for someone else to have success as he is himself. When guys start playing that way, when they start playing for each other like he has, you’ll see good things come from him.”
Lawrence will likely see some action against Packers guard Jon Runyan on Sunday. Runyan has been one of the top pass blocking guards in the NFL this season. He ranks sixth at the position with an 81.2 grade on 121 pass block snaps, as he has not surrendered a single sack or pressure through four games.
