More NFL QB dominoes yet to fall
Which jobs are still open? Who deserves them?
Current state of the NFL QB situation:
Packers - Aaron Rodgers
Vikings - Kirk Cousins
Bears - Justin Fields
Lions - Jared Goff?
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Cowboys - Dak Prescott
Eagles - Jalen Hurts?
Commanders - Carson Wentz
Giants - Daniel Jones
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Saints - ?????????????
Buccaneers - Tom Brady
Falcons - Matt Ryan
Panthers - ?????????????
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Rams - Matthew Stafford
Cardinals - Kyler Murray
49ers - Trey Lance?
Seahawks - ?????????????
Bengals - Joe Burrow
Ravens - Lamar Jackson
Browns - Baker Mayfield
Steelers - Mitchell Trubisky
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Patriots - Mac Jones
Bills - Josh Allen
Dolphins - Tua Tagovailoa?
Jets - Zach Wilson
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Colts - ?????????????
Titans - Ryan Tannehill
Texans - Davis Mills?
Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence
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Chargers - Justin Herbert
Chiefs - Patrick Mahomes
Broncos - Russell Wilson
Raiders - ?????????????
There are FIVE vacancies. There are FIVE jobs that are far from locked down.
AVAILABLE QUARTERBACKS
Deshaun Watson
Derek Carr
Jimmy Garoppolo
Jameis Winston
Marcus Mariota
Andy Dalton
Tyrod Taylor
Gardner Minshew
I predict that at least FOUR of these guys start Week 1 of the 2022 season.
I wrote an article about the underlined last month. I gave my reasoning on why I believe they could find a starting job this coming season. You can read that here.
We predict that TWO of those guys land jobs.
And about those rookies...
I will have my full report before the Draft gets here, but I just do not see any potential Week 1 starters for this upcoming season. More info to come. Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter!
Here's what makes sense to me:
Derek Carr will stay in Vegas. He fits a typical Josh McDaniels offense. He has plenty of rapport with the current receiving group. He has been a long-term captain for a reason. The Raiders can't afford to roll with a complete miss at QB, and Derek Carr is far from that. In my opinion, he is the best available. Pay the man and give yourself a prayer of winning a few division games this year in that jam packed division.
Deshaun Watson is rumored to be pursued most by Carolina and NOLA. Apparently he has rejected every other interested party. I don't see how NOLA could afford him and I don't understand what he sees in Carolina. I would have loved to see him go to Seattle, but what do I know.
Jimmy Garropolo will stay in San Francisco. I have seen plenty of reports that Trey Lance is not quite ready. It probably has something to do with the fact that he played one game in the 2020 FCS season and only played one season before that. There is no doubt that Trey Lance is extremely talented, but there is a huge gap from FCS to NFL. This was my main concern with him pre draft last year when I did my annual QB Prospect videos. I never subscribed to the notion that Jimmy G was holding back the 49ers. He gets the ball to their playmakers. I would give him a B- grade but that may be farther along than Trey Lance is and when you have A talent on the other end of your throws, there is not much of a drop off from what Jimmy G does and what a high end QB would do. He seems interested in staying and was always on board with grooming Lance. I would love to see him stay, but I also think he would fit really well in Indianapolis.
I can see Marcus Mariota ending up in NOLA. They are in a bad way with the salary cap. Mariota is going to be cheap and can provide a dangerous dual threat situation with Alvin Kamara. The Taysom Hill project probably ended when Sean Payton retired, but having him as a backup to Mariota makes a little bit of sense, and the RPO plays they could run with Mariota-Kamara-Hill could be dangerous.
I have a deeper analysis on Mariota and some other cheaper options in an article I wrote last month that you can find here: https://www.brothersincards.com/post/who-are-the-best-backup-qbs-in-the-nfl
The Panthers are a hot mess. I have no idea what they will end up doing. Maybe they can pull off a trade for Deshaun Watson. Watson and McCaffrey would be a dangerous combination, but they have other problems and Watson will be expensive. Maybe they go get Jameis Winston. I am not sure he is a significant upgrade from Sam Darnold. A move like that seems like grasping at straws to me. Their coach is on the hot seat, and typically coaches in that situation want to roll with what they've been working on. I don't see them swaying any of the other previously mentioned QBs away from their situation. They may decide to draft someone and let them compete with Darnold. Maybe they bring Cam back. Who knows? Nobody is itching to get to Carolina this year.
The Colts are a different story. I typed up a whole article just for them:
