QB Panic Index: Who Needs a New Quarterback in 2020?
As another wild NFL regular season gears down, the quarterback vacancy carousel revs it’s overbearing engine. Here’s a breakdown of the teams that could race to flood the quarterback market.
The signal-caller, the captain, the quarterback — whatever name or nuance you want to use for them, quarterbacks remain the most important position in football. They’re building blocks for any team to form their roster around. You can have all the pieces around a QB, but it can fall apart because of that one player.
It feels like every year, there are a handful of teams that are desperate for a new quarterback and while the season isn’t over yet, general managers are always looking ahead. So who’s in need — who’s hitting the panic button?
Tier I: You Really Need a New Quarterback
Miami Dolphins
What are the Miami Dolphins? Ryan Fitzpatrick did his best to keep the Dolphins from getting the No. 1 overall pick (good job, I guess?). Josh Rosen looked just as bad as he did with the Arizona Cardinals last season. The Dolphins were just an oddity all season long. Were they tanking or not? Nobody knows. The one thing that’s certain is that Miami gets the chance to hit the reset button and coach Brian Flores will get his QB of the future.
Cincinnati Bengals
Andy Dalton isn’t that bad — sure — but even before this horrific season, Dalton’s struggles in the playoffs are well documented. Dalton isn’t just 0–4 in the playoffs, he also holds a 1:6 touchdown to interception ratio in those games — not good. Fourth-round pick Ryan Finley is not the answer either. The Bengals have several holes to fill, but it needs to start with swooping up Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick.
Carolina Panthers
Four months ago I couldn’t even dream of having the Panthers on this list. Cam Newton — the former No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton, the superman-leaping Cam Newton, the dual-threat superstar Cam Newton — is a long way from his former MVP pedestal. The Panthers are fully expected to trade away their former franchise QB — something that rarely happens in the NFL. But now it’s time to looking toward the future. Kyle Allen really struggled to end the year and Will Grier looked like he didn’t belong in this league. The Panthers need to go in a different direction.
Tier II: There’s a Strong Case to Be Made
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Gardner Minshew hype train was fun while it lasted, but the Jaguars need to figure out their roster to prevent a total collapse that would send them back to sinking abyss they were in for so long. After being handed that four-year, $88 million contract, Nick Foles has the looks of a huge free-agent bust. He hasn’t done much to inspire confidence. But perhaps Foles turns it around or Minshew takes a step forward in his development, but neither seems likely.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Even if Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t hang up his cleats after his obligatory offseason retirement-contemplation saga, there are major questions over his effectiveness. Roethlisberger is 37, and he’s a virtual lock to get injured every year. 2018 third-round rookie Mason Rudolph was supposed to be next in line, but he’s really faltered this season, and Devlin Hodges does not really push the needle. The Steelers need to explore their options.
Los Angeles Chargers
The mighty 2004 NFL QB draft class is crumbling. Along with Eli Manning and Roethlisberger, Phillip Rivers appears to be on his last leg. Some of the blame has to go on the Chargers’ offensive line, but even if/when Rivers stays upright he’s a misfit for today’s NFL as a ground zero immobile QB. The Chargers could possibly squeeze a year or two out of Rivers — maybe — but they don’t have anyone waiting in the wings.
Indianapolis Colts
Jacoby Brissett does everything to give the Colts a chance to win — but that’s it. Brissett is a game manager who’s smart and adept enough to play mistake-free football, but the Colts are far from the elite team they were with Andrew Luck. Indianapolis has an exciting defense, a top 5 O-line and an excellent coach in Frank Reich, they just need that quarterback that will push their ceiling from a playoff contender to a Super Bowl contender.
Chicago Bears
Mitchell Trubisky is infuriating. His play this season has been disappointing, but it makes it so much worse considering he was drafted over both Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. Trubisky has shown flashes in his first three seasons — and that’s all. Coach Matt Nagy is one of the most innovative coaches in the NFL, the O-line is top 10 and the defense is ferocious, steady QB play is the missing piece. Trubisky needs to put it together — soon — but it may be too late. The Bears roster is too talented, and the window is closing.
Tier III: The Questions are Beginning to Pile Up
New England Patriots
So I guess Jarrett Stidham is going to save the day? Stidham, the fourth-round rookie, was once hyped as a first-round talent out of Auburn, but an uneven senior year saw his draft stock plummet. Tom Brady may just win another Super Bowl this year, but he’s 42 years old. Age has to catch up to him at some point. Right? As many Patriots players are, Stidham could be another one doubted that breaks out, but that remains to be seen.
New York Jets
We can put an asterisk next to this one. Sam Darnold has had a really rough start to the season. Let’s not forget, he had eight turnovers in two games. But since then, he’s thrown 13 touchdowns to only four interceptions. Darnold has really impressed at times, showing off his big arm and good decision making, but his 2020 will show us what Darnold is truly made of. The Jets don’t need to panic, but skepticism is fair.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Oh my god. Jameis Winston is the leader passing yards, he’s second in passing touchdowns and he’s the leader in interceptions. He has 31 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. I don’t understand. Winston’s talent is immense, but his decision making is off the rails. He’ll have you jumping for joy one play, then ripping your hair out the next. Even Bruce Arians couldn’t solve Winston’s turnover issues. 2019 was a step in the right direction, but was it enough?
Los Angeles Rams
For the past two years, Jared Goff looked like — for the most part — the No. 1 overall pick he was drafted as in Sean McVay’s system, but the floodgates have been opened in 2019. Goff’s been a system quarterback, but one that put up Pro Bowl-esque numbers. With the Rams O-line absolutely tanking in 2019, the entire team struggled, and so did Goff. The Rams QB has natural talent, he just needs to elevate his game beyond just a system quarterback. Will he? That may be the biggest question here.
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All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
